Posts Tagged ‘Yossi Benayoun’

Yossi Benayoun Showboats a Wondergoal

Ok so it is the first game of pre-season but this goal definitely shows that Benayoun has more than a few tricks up his sleeves.

Chelsea take foot off the gas but still run out comfortable winners

by Richard French

MSK Zilina 1-4 Chelsea

Oravec 55′          Essien 13′. Anelka 24′, 28′. Sturridge 48′

Chelsea scored three goals in the opening half an hour to put to bed any chance of an upset in their opening group game against MSK Zilina.

The Slovakians were bright and in truth had the visitors on the back foot at times, but the Londoners’ class showed with Michael Essien opening the scoring early on and Nicolas Anelka adding two more before the half hour mark.

Daniel Sturridge struck just after half time, scoring his first Champions League goal and effectively sinking the home side in the process.

Tomas Oravec managed to net something of a consolation goal minutes later, however, capitalising on a Petr Cech howler. The goal was deserved for the Slovak Champions and delighted the 11,200 capacity crowd.

The game started with Chelsea trying to find their rhythm and it didn’t take long, with Florent Malouda and Yuri Zhirkov linking up well on the left hand side and looking threatening.

Essien was again playing in a more advanced role, with Frank Lampard still out after hernia surgery. He was involved in everything good which Chelsea did, looking powerful and hungry as ever but being set free to do more damage in the final third.

It didn’t take long for the Ghanaian to add to his brace against West Ham at the weekend, ghosting into the box on 13 minutes to coolly slot home a delightful Anelka cut back from 12 yards out.

The small stadium fell silent, apart from the sound of the small number of travelling Blues supporters at the other end of the ground.

After the first goal the English Champions began to take their foot off the pedal, allowing Zilina a glimmer of hope by letting the yellow shirted team have spells of possession and a few half chances.

Cech spilled a Robert Jez freekick before scooping up the loose ball to spare his blushes, and Babatounde Bello headed goalwards only to see his effort comfortably saved.

The home crowd were spurred on by these promising spells, but on 24 minutes they fell silent again when Chelsea made it 2-0. The visitors were playing the ball around in midfield beautifully, waiting for the opening to appear and the moment to strike.

That moment came on 24 minutes when the industrious Yossi Benayoun, starting for the first time in a Blue shirt, gave the ball to Malouda. The Frenchman found Anelka with a teasing through ball and the front man finished superbly with his left foot, drilling the ball low and hard into the corner of the net.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti would have been delighted with the way his side was playing without key players like Lampard, Ashley Cole and the suspended Didier Drogba and just four minutes later he would have been even happier as Anelka added the third.

Malouda took a corner from the right hand side which was met by skipper John Terry, but the defender saw his powerful header strike the crossbar. The ball dropped to Anelka who stabbed home unmarked from just two yards out.

Chelsea seemed content at 3-0, as once again they decided to ease off the home team. Zilina deserve credit for the fact that they didn’t let their heads drop and once again they threatened, with Admir Vladavic trying his luck from distance to force a smart save out of Cech.

Three minutes after the break Chelsea had the ball in the net again, this time through Sturridge.

The England under-21 striker latched onto a superbly weighted Benayoun pass which split the defence in two, before rounding the keeper to side-foot the ball into the net. Ancelotti described Sturridge as the quickest player he had ever seen earlier in the week and he certainly showed great pace to get to the ball and finish on this occasion.

The game was as good as over at this point, though Chelsea were becoming more and more complacent with their lead, resulting in gifting the home side a goal.

Cech needlessly flapped at a high cross from the right hand side, once again showing his frailty on crosses. The ball then came off Branislav Ivanovic and began to trickle towards the goal, leaving Oravec the opportunity to slide the ball over the line and get his name on the score sheet.

There was still time for the home team to worry Chelsea further, with substitute Tomas Majtan shooting just wide and Lubomir Guldan flashing a header past the upright, encouraging signs for Zilina as they attempt to make waves in Europe’s premier competition.

Just like the 3-1 win at West Ham four days previously, the goal proved to be nothing more than a blemish on the otherwise perfect performance from the Blues, though the complacency shown will have to be stamped out of their game.

Gael Kakuta, Patrick Van Aanholt and Josh McEachran all came off the bench for Chelsea, giving the team an unfamiliar and youthful look as they played out the remaining minutes in Eastern Europe.

The result put Chelsea at the top of their group, where they will aim to stay as they continue their search for that elusive Champions League crown.

Chelsea team:

1 Cech

2 Ivanovic, 33 Alex, 26 Terry (c), 18 Zhirkov

12 Mikel

10 Benayoun (McEachran 79′), 5 Essien 15 Malouda (Van Aanholt 88′)

39 Anelka, 23 Sturridge (Kakuta 61′)

Squad diagnosis: Three new players before battle commences next month

Throughout the ebbs and flows of a Premier League season, one can expect the unexpected. When the transfer window closes at the end of August, teams wishing to challenge for major honours must have huge depth in every position as the Sport has never before been so geared toward squad football.

With this in mind then, Chelsea must add to the group of players they have before big spenders Manchester City and Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool start to amass teams capable of matching that of the Londoners.

The Goalkeeping situation at the club is something which needs attention, with Petr Cech picking up more and more injuries as years go by. His replacements are a perceived weakness by those who have pored over the squad in anticipation of the impending season.

Hilario, whilst never having given people reasons to seriously doubt him, is not a top notch number two. He has been a faithful servant of the club, but with a first choice so prone to missing games, the man coming in must be capable of a long stint in the side in all competitions.

Ross Turnbull is very young and surely a player for the future. He played well when called upon last season, but is again not a worthy replacement for a club looking to go the distance in the Champions League and domestic competitions.

Sergio Asenjo from Athletico Madrid is one of the best up and coming keepers in Spain, and Dutch number one Marten Stekelenburg of Ajax is rumoured to be heading out of the Amsterdam club. Chelsea could look to either as a number two or even a challenge to Cech’s first team place.

Defensively, the Blues have no real problems heading into the new campaign, with two players of real quality for each position. Ricardo Carvalho and Alex will no doubt be rotated as the former is approaching what is surely his last hurrah in the game.

Carlo Ancelotti has some decisions to make before the new season

Jose Bosingwa is set to return after having missed the majority of the Double winning season with a nasty knee injury, and Yuri Zhirkov provides more than adequate cover for Ashley Cole.

Cole is rumoured to be leaving the Bridge this summer, with Jose Mourinho said to be keen on taking the left back to the Santiago Bernabeau. The talk in Spain however, is that the ‘Special One’ will only be able to land one of his two defensive targets, with his priority being Internazionale’s Brazilian full back Maicon.

The midfield provides more of a headache for Carlo Ancelotti. Having allowed both Michael Ballack and Joe Cole to leave the club in the summer (and Deco soon to follow them out of the door) he must surely be looking to strengthen in an area which has been intimidatingly strong for the club in recent years.

Benfica’s Ramires will be his second signing of the summer after he took Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool for £5 million in June. This will add much needed legs to the middle of the park for Chelsea as his options have started to look thin on the ground.

Many have criticised the decision to bring in the Israeli skipper, but the manager has been shrewd by adding him to the Chelsea ranks. He has experience, the ability to score goals and versatility. Not to mention he is much less injury prone than the man he replaces, Joe Cole.

Nemanja Matic looks to be a promising young talent and has impressed Ancelotti in the reserve games in which he has played. He shows huge maturity on the ball and having watched him on several occasions, is evidently more aware off it than his rival for a central midfield berth, John Obi Mikel.

Frank Lampard will once again be the key man for the Blues as he looks to build on a fantastic season last time out, and the team will certainly revolve around him. Michael Essien is gradually getting back to fitness which will be a huge boost to the squad, having missed the second half of last season with a hamstring injury.

The Ghanaian must now have a full season without an injury after he missed huge chunks of the previous two. If he is absent from the team for much of this season, the club will be forced to look at his injury record and make provisions for life after ‘the Bison’.

After a record breaking season in front of goal, most people will call for more of the same from Chelsea as we go into the new season. However, should Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka pick up an injury, things could become very tricky with only Saloman Kalou and Daniel Sturridge to fill what would be a huge void.

With Drogba now 32 and Anelka just a year younger, injuries are going to become more and more frequent (not to mention the fact that Drogba is prone to the occasional suspension). Whilst Sturridge and Kalou have proven they can contribute to the side, they are far from being a potent force in front of goal and Champions League marksmen they are not.

As highlighted in a previous article, bringing in someone like Neymar from Santos in Brazil is an option, with the youngster keen on a move to West London. If not there are players capable of doing a short term job that are available for transfer. Despite his age, Raul on a free transfer from Real Madrid would not be a bad choice.

Athletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero has been talked about as another potential signing and is a huge talent. However, the €40 million price tag for an inconsistent performer who is ill-suited to the English game is extortionate. Uruguay’s Luis Suarez of Ajax might be a better option as buying from Holland is cheaper than Spain, with Suarez having a decent injury record and an exceptional goal scoring record.

With just over a month to go before the transfer deadline, we can expect Chelsea to be active in bringing in new blood. The squad is excellent in most positions, but without bolstering the side with three new players they will struggle to repeat the success of last season.