FM12 - Chelsea F.C. Thread - A Mix of Youth and Experience

[William Hall]

Chelsea - A History

Chelsea were founded on the 10th of March 1905 at the Rising Sun pub, across the road from the entrance to Stamford Bridge. Early on the club had little success, the closest to success being runners up in the 1915 FA Cup to Sheffield United. During this early time Chelsea were an entertaining side with big name players but failed to achieve the success expected of them.

Things started to change at the club with the appointment of former England international Ted Drake in 1952 who immediately set about to modernise the club. Drake removed the old 'Chelsea pensioner' crest, improved the training and youth facilities and rebuilt the side. The modernisation resulted in the 1954/55 League title and qualification for the inaugural European Cup which Chelsea later withdrew from at the request of the Football Association.

Throughout the 1960s' Chelsea continued to battle for success but like early on in their history they continued to fail at the final hurdle, as on the way to a treble in 1965 they fell-apart, only managing to win the League Cup. It took another five years for Chelsea to see another trophy, this was the FA Cup after a 2-1 replay win against Leeds.

A year later, 1971 Chelsea won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in a replayed win over European juggernauts Real Madrid.

The 1970s and 1980s were the most tumultuous times in the clubs' long history with redevelopments of Stamford Bridge, hooliganism, star players being sold and ultimately relegation. In 1982 the club reached rock-bottom, being sold to now-Leeds chairman Ken Bates for a pound, although Stamford Bridge had already been sold to property developers.

On the pitch the times went from bad to worse with the near-relegation to the modern-day League 1. However in 1983, new manager John Neal drastically improved the fortunes of the club. Neal built a cheap but successful side, leading them to the 1984 Second Division league title and although the team was relegated in 1988 they bounced back up the next year winning the Second Division title.

In 1992 Ken Bates reunited the club and their stadium and fortunes started the change. At the beginning of the Premier League, Chelsea were unconvincing, although they did reach the 1994 FA Cup final. In 1996 Chelsea favourite Ruud Gullit was appointed as manager, sparking a revival of Chelsea F.C., after signing experienced international players Gullit won the 1997 FA Cup and quickly established Chelsea as one of England's top clubs. In 1998 Gullit was replaced by one of his signings Gianluca Vialli who continued the success story, triumphing in the 1998 League and Cup Winners Cups and the 2000 FA Cup. Vialli was to go down as a Chelsea icon.

Vialli was replaced by fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri who guided Chelsea to the 2002 FA Cup final. June 2003 was the start of the modern-era of Chelsea FC with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich taking over the side. Ranieri spent over 100 million pounds but failed to produce success and was sacked in 2004. Ranieri's replacement was to become a Chelsea icon Jose Mourinho. Mourinho the clubs' most successful manager of all-time winning two back-to-back league titles in 2005 and 2006, the FA Cup in 2007 and two League Cups in 2005 and 2007.

Despite Mourinho's success he was replaced in September 2007 by Avram Grant. Grant, against all expectations led Chelsea to the 2008 Champions League final, losing out on penalties to Manchester United, after-which Grant was sacked. Grant was replaced by World Cup winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari who failed to bring that success to club football and was sacked after poor results after only seven months in the job. Scolari was replaced by Guus Hiddink as a caretaker-manager who rebuilt the club in a short period, guiding the club to the 2009 FA Cup.

Hiddink was to be replaced by Italian Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti. Ancelotti lead the club to a first League and Cup double in his first season but was sacked at the end of the following season.

This is where you come in, can you lead the club (or can indeed Andre Villas Boas) to our first Champions League title.

[William Hall]

Goalkeepers

Petr Čech (born 20 May 1982) is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper, for whom he has played since July 2004. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals. Čech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper in the 2004/2005, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions League. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro and UEFA Champions League teams of the season in 2006.

He currently holds the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 league appearances. He also holds a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Prague, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal — a Premier League record until it was surpassed by Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United on 27 January 2009. Čech also won the Barclays Golden Gloves in both the 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 seasons.

He was recognised by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as one of Five World's Best Goalkeepers in 2010, along with Iker Casillas, Júlio César, Manuel Neuer, and Maarten Stekelenburg.

Petr Cech is widely regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers.

Hilario is an experienced Portuguese goalkeeper. He is second-choice to Petr Cech and as made twenty league appearances deputising for him since arriving at the club in 2006.

Ross Turnbull is an English goalkeeper and a product of the Middlesbrough academy. Turnbull has only made two appearances for the club as he is widely seen as a deputy to both Petr Cech and Hilario.

I personally rate Petr Cech as a very good goalkeeper and while I don't particularly rate Turnbull and Hilario as backup goalkeepers, they do their job. Luckily for Chelsea they have two brilliant young goalkeepers in Matej Delac and Thibault Courtois who will ready to go between the sticks, they are both out on loan currently.

[William Hall]

Fullbacks

Right Back

Jose Bosingwa is an experienced Portuguese right-back. After joining from FC Porto in 2008, Jose has been Chelsea's first-choice right-back making 69 appearances.

Paulo Ferreira is also an experienced Portuguese right-back. The consistent performer once described by Chelsea icon Jose Mourinho as "a player who will never be man of the match but will always score 7/10 for his individual display.". Paulo will provide able backup but is also 32 years of age.

Left Back

Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world.

Cole began his career with Arsenal in 1999, going on to make 228 appearances, scoring 9 goals for the club, and winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a runners-up medal from the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. In August 2006, after a protracted transfer saga, he completed the move to rival club Chelsea in exchange for £5 million plus defender William Gallas. Cole is a regular in the Chelsea first-team winning a second Champions League runners-up medal in 2008, three more FA Cups and his third Premier League title in 2010. On 15 May 2010, he became the first player to win six FA Cup winner's medals.

Ryan Bertrand - right

Ryan Bertrand is a very good young leftback and a capable deputy to Ashley Cole. With the right development Ryan Bertrand will be a capable replacement for Cole.

Chelsea are very strong at both fullback positions. The only thing for Chelsea to worry about is finding a younger rightback instead of Paulo Ferreira to be second-choice right-back. Although Branislav Ivanovic is also a very capable rightback and it is arguably his natural position.

[William Hall]

Centrebacks

John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. He is also captain of the England national football team, having been reinstated in March 2011 after previously holding the post from August 2006 until February 2010.

Terry was voted best defender in the UEFA Champions League in both 2005 and 2008, the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for four consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2008. He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team. He wears the number 26 shirt for Chelsea.

Terry is Chelsea's most successful captain, having led them to three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups since 2004. He is one of five players to have made over 450 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club's all-time highest scoring defender. In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea's 1–0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score a full international goal there, scoring a header in England's 1–1 draw with Brazil.

David Luiz, a mid-season signing from Benfica has quickly secured himself as a starting centre-back. David Luiz has performed very well since joining the club and at the age of 24, the marauding centreback is set to be a mainstay in the Chelsea XI.

Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, better known as Alex (born 17 June 1982 in Niterói), is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chelsea FC and the Brazil national team. His nickname is "Vinny" amongst fans for his close similarities to actor Vin Diesel.

Having been bought by the Premier League club Chelsea in 2004, he was loaned to Dutch team PSV and he won 3 Eredivisie titles with them. Alex finally joined the Chelsea squad in the summer of 2007 after three years on loan to PSV in the Netherlands.

Branislav Ivanović , (born 22 February 1984) is a Serbian footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League and the Serbia national team. He started his career in Serbia, playing for Remont, FK Srem and OFK Beograd, where he earned his first cap for Serbia, before moving to Russia to play for Lokomotiv Moscow. After two years in Moscow he moved to Chelsea. He is a versatile defensive player, able to play across the defence and as a defensive midfielder.

Chelsea will not have to worry who is playing at centreback with the overall quality of all four centrebacks. The only thing for the new Chelsea manager to worry about is the age of three of the four options.

[William Hall]

Central Midfield

Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side. He is considered to be one of the best English footballers of his time, and is widely regarded to be one of the best midfield players of his generation.

Lampard began his career at West Ham United, his father Frank Lampard, Sr.'s former club. He had secured a place in the first team by the 1997–98 season, and the following year helped the team finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million.

From his debut onwards he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team, setting a record 164 consecutive Premier League appearances. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the West London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and a domestic cup double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest paid Premier League footballer at that time, and scored in his first Champions League Final that same year. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the winning goal in the final. On 23 December 2009, he was named the Premier League's Player of the decade by official statistics. In the 2009–10 season, Lampard won the Premier League title and FA Cup (domestic cup double) and also had his most prolific season with Chelsea, scoring 22 league goals and 17 league assists.

A three-time Chelsea Player of the Year, he is the club's third all-time goalscorer with 175 goals in all competitions, including over 100 league goals – the most in the club's history for a midfielder. Lampard is also the highest goalscoring midfielder in Premier League history (143 league goals) and second in the Premier League's all-time assists table with 88 assists. He has had over 1400 successful passes and 10 or more assists every season. In 2005, Lampard was voted second place in both the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year and the 2005 Ballon d'Or.

Internationally, Lampard has been capped 86 times by England since making his debut in October 1999, and has scored 22 goals. He was voted England Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He played in Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament after scoring three goals in four games. He was top scorer for England in their successful 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, and played in the 2006 World Cup. He is England's most prolific penalty taker ever with 7 goals, surpassing the previous record holders, Ron Flowers and Alan Shearer.

Michael Kojo Essien (also known as Mickaël Essien; born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Ghanaian national team. He is a midfielder who has often been touted as a box-to-box midfielder for his ability to exert boundless energy in supporting offensive and defensive play. Essien can also play in the defending position, as a right back or centre back.

Essien began his career playing for Liberty Professionals in his home country. In 2000, he moved to France joining SC Bastia. Essien spent three seasons at the club appearing in over 60 matches before joining league champions Olympique Lyonnais in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. During his five-year stint in France, he acquired French citizenship. In 2005, Essien signed with Chelsea for a fee of £24.4 million and, at the time of his signing, was the most expensive African footballer in history. At Chelsea, Essien helped the club win the Premier League in 2006 and 2010, as well as three FA Cups and one Football League Cup. In 2008, he appeared in the UEFA Champions League Final. He has won the Chelsea Goal of the season award twice, in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons.

Essien is a Ghanaian international. At youth level, he represented his country at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship and 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with the latter team finishing as runner-up. Essien made his senior team debut in January 2002 and has represented his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where Ghana reached the Round of 16. He is often referred to as the Bison for his tough tackling style, boundless energy and physical presence on the pitch.

Raul José Trindade Meireles (born 17 March 1983) is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays for Chelsea as a midfielder in the Premier League.

Raul Meireles started his career as a trainee with Boavista but was loaned to Desportivo das Aves from Liga de Honra, where he made his professional debut. After a two-year loan spell he returned to Boavista where he made his Primeira Liga debut. By his great performances, Meireles was brought to the Portuguese powerhouse, FC Porto, winning three Primeira Liga titles in a row, adding two Portuguese Cups and three Portuguese Supercups. In 2010 he moved to Liverpool where he won the 2011 PFA Fans' Player of the Year award following a very successful first season in Premier League. On August 2011, Meireles signed for Chelsea, joining his former manager André Villas-Boas with whom he had spent a short period of time.

In international football Meireles national career began at youth level when he represented the Under-16 side at the 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in Israel. In November 2006 he was called up to the senior squad for the first time. He later represented Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

[William Hall]

Central Midfield - Part 2

Ramires Santos do Nascimento (born 24 March 1987 in Barra do Piraí, Rio de Janeiro), commonly Ramires and Rambo, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chelsea and the Brazilian national side. In 2008, he won a Bronze medal in the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Ramires is known for his vision, passing ability and most notably stamina.

John Michael Nchekwube Obinna (born 22 April 1987), commonly known as Mikel John Obi, John Obi Mikel or John Mikel Obi, is a Nigerian footballer, who plays as a midfielder for English club Chelsea and the Nigeria national team.

Joshua Mark "Josh" McEachran (born 1 March 1993 in Oxford, England) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea. A left-sided or central creative midfielder.

Mceachran made his Chelsea debut aged just 17 years and six months in September 2010, coming on as a substitute in a 4-1 away Champions League win in Zilina.

Again, Chelsea are very well equipped in the centre of midfield and with young players like Josh McEachran and new signing Oriol Romeu, yet again the future is bright at Stamford Bridge.

[William Hall]

Attacking Options

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's sixth highest goal scorer of all time. His key attributes include his physical strength, ability in the air, and his power to retain possession of the ball.

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. A late bloomer, he signed his first professional contract aged 21; it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realized his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Côte d'Ivoire, in September, and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 for £3.3 million. His scoring success at Olympique de Marseille continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 19 goals and helped the club to reach the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

Drogba moved to Chelsea the following season for a record breaking fee of £24 million, making him the most expensive Ivoirian player in history. In addition, he scored decisive goals in the 2005 Football League Cup Final and in the 2005 FA Community Shield and helped the club win their first ever Premier League title. Drogba came to prominence as one of the world's foremost strikers in 2006 as he won the league title with Chelsea again and captained the national team for the first time. In the 2006 World Cup he scored Côte d'Ivoire's first ever goal of the competition and he was chosen as the 2006 African Footballer of the Year. The next season he finished as top scorer in the 2006–07 Premier League with 20 goals and also scored the winning goals in the 2007 Football League Cup Final and FA Cup Finals. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the equalizer in the final. In the 2009–10 season Drogba proved instrumental in Chelsea winning their first double in the club's history. He won his second Golden Boot with 29 goals, and scored the only goal in Chelsea's victory over Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup Final. This goal makes him the only player to score in six English Cup finals.

Drogba is credited with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country. After Côte d'Ivoire qualified for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms, a plea which was answered with a cease fire after five years of civil war. Drogba later helped move an African Cup of Nations qualifier to the rebel stronghold of Bouake; a move that helped confirm the peace process. In September 2011, Drogba joined the Truth, Reconciliation and Dialogure Commission as a representative to help return peace to his home nation. His involvement in the peace process lead to Drogba being named as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine for 2010.

Fernando José Torres Sanz (Spanish pronunciation: [ferˈnando ˈtores]; born 20 March 1984), nicknamed El Niño (The Kid in Spanish), is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker.

Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth system to the first team squad. He made his first team debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances. Prior to his La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Premier League club Liverpool in 2007 after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player, since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season, to score more than 20 league goals in a season. Torres became the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals after scoring against Aston Villa in December 2009. He left the club in January 2011 to join Chelsea for a record British transfer fee of £50 million, which also made him the most expensive Spanish player in history.

Torres is a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in four major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Torres did not score at Euro 2004, but netted three at the 2006 World Cup. He scored twice at UEFA Euro 2008, including the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the final. He won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, but did not score any goals during the tournament.

Nicolas Sebastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer ,who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team. Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has described him as a quick player with good aerial ability, technique, shooting, and movement off the ball.

Anelka began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, but soon moved to Arsenal. He became a first team regular and won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award the following season. Real Madrid signed him for £22.3 million in 1999, a record fee at the time, but he did not settle in well and returned to Paris Saint-Germain in a £20 million deal. Despite regular first team football in Paris, Anelka set his eyes upon the Premier League once more; he went on loan to Liverpool in January 2002 but joined Manchester City for £13 million at the start of the 2002–03 season.

After three seasons in Manchester, he moved to Fenerbahçe for two seasons before returning to England to join Bolton Wanderers – in deals worth £7 million and £8 million, respectively. He transferred to Chelsea from Bolton for a reported £15 million in January 2008. During his transfers over the years, he has built an aggregate transfer cost of just under £90 million. He is one of only three players to have won the Premier League with two different clubs.

Anelka has played many times at international level and won his first international honours with France at Euro 2000, and won the Confederations Cup the following year. His failure to settle at club level limited his international appearances, but he returned to the national team for the Euro 2008 competition.

On 19 June 2010, Anelka was excluded by the French Football Federation from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for "comments directed against the national coach, Raymond Domenech, unacceptable to the FFF, French football, and the principles they uphold." Two months later, having failing to turn up to his disciplinary hearing, he was banned for France's next eighteen games by the FFF, effectively ending his international career.

Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980) is a French Guianese footballer who plays as a left winger for Chelsea Football Club and the French national team.

Malouda is not a striker but is included in this section for ease.

[William Hall]

Attacking Options Part 2

Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea. He is mainly a left winger, but can also play as an attacking midfielder.

Since successfully graduating from Real Madrid's youth academy, he has spent the majority of his senior career with Valencia CF, before signing for Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.

Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou (born 5 August 1985) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League. He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot.

Daniel Andre Sturridge (born 1 September 1989) is an English footballer who plays for Chelsea. He is primarily a forward, but has been used on the right flank as a winger for Chelsea. This gives him the opportunity to cut inside and take shots with his favoured left foot.

Sturridge was born and bred in Birmingham, where he joined Aston Villa, before joining Coventry City in 2002. He then signed for Manchester City a year later. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his professional first team debut in the 2007-08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season. He left City in 2009 and signed for Chelsea, where he was unable to make the impact he made at Manchester City. He was loaned to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 season. After showing an improvement at Bolton, scoring 8 goals in 12 appearances, Sturridge returned to the Chelsea squad for the 2011-12 season, being given more first-team action under new Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas.

Sturridge comes from a footballing family as he is the nephew of former football strikers Simon Sturridge and Dean Sturridge.

Romelu Benjamin Lukaku (born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Chelsea and the Belgium national team.

He previously played for Rupel Boom, Lierse, and made his professional debut for Belgian Pro League side Anderlecht. Whilst playing for Anderlecht, he became the 2009–10 top scorer in Belgium as Anderlecht won the Belgian championship, and won the Belgian Ebony Shoe in 2011.

A year ago our options upfront were pretty good with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, now the options are brilliant with the new signings of Fernando Torres, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku aswell as the emergence of Daniel Sturridge upfront after being on loan at Bolton.

[William Hall]

Stadium:

Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge. The capacity is 41,841, making it the eighth largest ground in the Premier League.

Opened in 1877, the stadium was used by the London Athletics Club until 1905, when new owner Gus Mears founded Chelsea Football Club to occupy the ground; Chelsea have played their home games there ever since. It has undergone numerous major changes over the years, most recently in the 1990s when it was renovated into a modern, all-seater stadium.

Stamford Bridge has been used as a venue for England international matches, FA Cup finals, FA Cup semi-finals and Charity Shield games. It has also hosted numerous other sports, such as cricket, rugby union, speedway, greyhound racing, baseball and American football. The stadium's highest official attendance is 82,905, for a league match between Chelsea and Arsenal on 12 October 1935.

Training Ground:

The Cobham Training Centre is the state of the art training ground of Chelsea Football Club located in Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, Surrey. The Chelsea first team have trained at Cobham since 2005, but it was not officially opened until 2007.

[William Hall]

Tactical Analysis

The 4-3-3 is the default formation when the game begins and is also the preferred formation of Andre Villas-Boas.

The 4-5-1 has been a favourite formation for previous managers.

Our players fit both formations and it is up to you, the Football Manager to lead this great side to success.

[J.T]

Great post, been waiting for this thread all day

I started my Chelsea save playing a 4-2-3-1 with my preferred striker being Torres. Started off with a 5-0 away win against Fulham

[J.T]

Forgot to mention I signed Hulk. He has started off with 2 goals in 2 games!

[SupraFlush]

Great first (or ten actuall) post! The only thing missing is naming Chalobah, looks like he could be something special!

I'm at my third game so far against Swansea, leading with 2-0 right now. So far i've signed:

Gylfi Sigurdsson (AMC) as an back-up for the AMC position (playing 4-1-2-1-2 narrow) and as a player for the future. Currently tutored by Lampard to boost his mental stats

Sime Vrsaljko (RB) to rotate with Bosingwa, have signed him in every game he's been in. Had an average over 8 in my FM2011 game for three seasons straight!

Leandro Damiano (S) to compete with Drogba, Torres, Lukaku and Sturridge, and also one for the future. He will probably this years Neymar.

Mbaye Niang (S) This one is sent to the youth team to develope into a future star. Is the youngest player (he beat Chalobah with 6 days) and the youngest goalscorer in the U20 WC.

And right now i'm trying to bring in Ross Barkley, but Everton wants A LOT of money for him (can't blame them thou), so we'll see what hapens there.

Edit: No Barkley, waaaaay to expensive!!!

[J.T]

Nice start mate, Ross Barkley looks like he has real potential!

I have won the first three games scoring 10 and conceding 1. Top of the league

[SupraFlush]

I've got almost as good start as you J.T, three wins, 8-2 in goal difference

Damiao is the one who stands out with 4 goals and three assists, keeping Torres out of the team!

[essien_5]

Nice opening thread!

I will use the demo to have a bit of a general play around before the full game is released. I tend to try not to buy any new first team players within the first season and instead use my transfer budget on good, young players for my youth/reserve teams and better staff.

Chalobah is rated by the coaches as 4 star potential...he looks like he good become very tasty. I think most are rated stat wise how I expected, although I did expect to see Sturridge with a few notches extra, particularly in the areasof finishing, etc.

Anyway I will have a play around and I'm sure will repost very soon

[Welshace]

damiao*

and yeah... i said before the demo came out i bet chalobah, jamal blackman and bruma will be superstars in this game.. and i think i was right.. cant believe you havent mentioned them :/ ... or kakuta and van aanholt for that matter

[J.T]

wow, things are getting better and better. I just dominated Valencia at home and won 3-0.

I'm loving the game so far and can't wait for the full version to come out in 2 weeks!

[Ty]

So many pictures

[Protocol]

Based on their stats, the Chelsea coaching staff seem to be very average compared to other teams. Jose Rocha being a good example. He's supposed to be a fitness coach yet has 9 for his fitness stat.

[ballinisahabit90]

Wicked, have been waiting for this thread and its lookin good William Hall nice work mate!

Im at the end of November and unbeaten in all comps so far, will post a report once the demo ends. Absolutely loving it so far, nice work SI!

[Ranbir]

Back up for Mikel would be good if playing a DMC. Meireles can do it but given Essien's long term injury leading to a collapse of ability...

[SupraFlush]

I'm starting to like this more and more. Just destroyed Arsenal with 6-1, Damiao an Hat-Trick, Sigurdsson two goals and Mata rounding up with a screamer! So far all won except an draw against Everton.

[essien_5]

Back up for Mikel would be good if playing a DMC. Meireles can do it but given Essien's long term injury leading to a collapse of ability...

I'm contemplating playing 4-4-2 diamond. This will obviously demand the full backs to attack and provide width, and therefore the DMC will be a big responsibility.

I'm seriously looking at buying Mamadou Diarra on a free transfer. He is happy to accept about £10k pw on a year contract. Could be very reliable option whilst Essien is out injured and there would also be no need to rush him back. If Diarra performs, extend his contract and if not then let him go at the end of the season when Essien will be back fully fit.

[essien_5]

If you let the board negotiate a transfer with Man City, then Roman will buy Tevez for £18.75m...

Looks like he could be well worth a punt, particularly if selling Anelka and/or Drogba.

I'm thinking about partnering him with Torres in a 4-4-2 diamond.

[Vipertitan]

started as chelsea other day went out and got tevez and got him will post when demo game is finnished

[Bracken]

Hey guys! Good to see the new thread up and running. I've been ridiculously busy lately, so haven't really had a chance to get a grip on the new FM. As soon as I've completed my goal on FM 11 (getting Wilson to 1000 goals under my management) then I'll have a go at the new demo. I'm looking forward to managing Mata and Danny, should become a great pacey team!

[essien_5]

I'm looking forward to managing Mata and Danny, should become a great pacey team!

Sorry Bracken but Sturridge looks very underrated. Unless his high determination and a high PA give him drastic improvements later down the line.

Mata looks plain brilliant, as expected!

[Bracken]

Sorry Bracken but Sturridge looks very underrated. Unless his high determination and a high PA give him drastic improvements later down the line.

Mata looks plain brilliant, as expected!

Just booted up the demo as you got me interested in Danny, you're right, he's definitely underrated. However, it's good to see a lot of our other youngsters have been improved, Bruma especially looks like he could become great. Looking forward to really getting into it and giving them a go.

[Protocol]

Stats aside, Danny has been in impressive form for me in pre season. 3 goals in 3 games with an average rating of 8.07.

[J.T]

i certainly feel that danny performs better than his stats would suggest.

[nigelquelch]

So far I'm 6 league games in 4 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses. Beat HJK in first CL game and beat Hull in CC 3rd round.

IN:

Areola - 5M

G. Cahill - 8M

Van der Wiel - 12M

James Rodriguez - 20M

Hulk - 29M

Sow - 8M

OUT:

Ferreira - 1.1M

Malouda - 10.75M

Bosingwa - 4.7M

Anelka - 2.8M

Romeu, McEachran, Hilario, Turnbull - Loans

Overall squad looks like with formation (First choice from left to right)

GK: Cech, Areola

DR: Van der Wiel, Ivanovic

DC: Terry, Luiz, Ivanovic, Alex, Cahill

DL: Cole, Bertrand

DM: Essien, Mikel, Ramires, Meireles

MC (Box to box): Lampard, Meireles, Ramires, Essien

AMR (Inside forward): Hulk, Sturridge, Kalou

AML (Winger): Mata, Rodriguez, Kalou

ST (Poacher): Torres, Lukaku, Sow, Sturridge

ST (Complete forward): Drogba, Lukaku, Sow

Had a lot of medium term injuries (4-12 weeks) for Terry, Ashley, Torres, Mata, Luiz and Cahill.

Top scorer: Lukaku 9 in 6(2) playing mainly as poacher alongside Drogba

Top assists: Rodriguez 5 in 3(5)

[essien_5]

Stats aside, Danny has been in impressive form for me in pre season. 3 goals in 3 games with an average rating of 8.07.

Fingers crossed then he'll be one of those players you get on every FM who has w**k stats but plays like a beast!!!

[nigelquelch]

Danny has 2 goals and 2 assists for me in 4(1) appearances with average of 7.46 so it does seem as if he plays above his stats! I've retrained him to AMR and play him as inside forward and he's gone from competent to accomplished in less than a month. Bloody love him in real life too!

[Protocol]

Having a hard time selling Kalou. Even the AI must know how awful he is.

[ReggaeBwoy]

good post but the 2nd formation shown is the one preffered by AVB, they just call it 4-5-1 for some reason

[ballinisahabit90]

Completed my half a season with Chelsea and finished it unbeaten in all competitions!

[nigelquelch]

Scrap my previous posts, PC crashed and sent me back to the beginning!

Anyway started again. Done a few things differently. Squad looks like this:

GK: Cech, Begovic (7.5M), Areola (5M)

DR: Ivanovic, Azpilicueta (12M)

DL: Cole, Bertrand

DCR: Luiz, Alex

DCL: Terry, Cahill (8.25M)

DM: Mikel, Essien, Ramires/Meireles

MC: Lampard, Ramires/Meireles

AMR: Sturridge, Douglas Costa (10M), Valbuena (15M)

AML: Mata, James Rodriguez (20M)

ST: Torres, Sow (8M)

ST: Drogba, Lukaku

OUT:

Anelka - 8.25M - PSG

Bosingwa - 6.25M - PSG

Ferreira - 2.2M - Getafe

Malouda - 9M - Man Utd

Kalou - 1M + 50% of next sale - Sunderland

McEachran, Romeu, Hilario, Turnbull - Loans

Results:

Fulham (A) - 2-2 - Mikel, Torres.

West Brom (H) - 4-0 - Luiz, Mata, Torres, Douglas Costa.

Sacked every coach except Steve Holland. Brought in Jair Ventura as Ass Man.

[ballinisahabit90]

Seems a bit odd to spend 12.5m on 2 goalkeepers when you have Courtois and Delac plus Turnbull and Hilario? I got 8.5m from Sunderland for Kalou!

[nigelquelch]

Yeah I see where you're coming from. Thought process on it is that Begovic is an outstanding 2nd choice keeper. Going to develop Areola/Courtois/Delac into first choice and make profit on the other two. Hilario and Turnbull are gone as soon as I find a buyer (or even on a free).

Kalou was so frustrating! Offered him out for 10M then 9M then 8M etc until finally at 1M Sunderland came in but I had to get the 50% next sale in so hopefully I'll get a good 5M from that!

[ballinisahabit90]

Seems like a lot of work with so many GK's, personally i will be happy with the trio of Cech, Courtois and Delac.

Ye Kalou is a frustrating one, certainly in real life. What happened in Valencia is the reason i sold him.

[patonki]

I don't want to be disrespectful or anything, but don't you think you could have just used links instead copy/pasting wikipedia? Now you are forcing everyone to scroll all those biographies (nine posts!) and the actual analysis (is there any?) gets lost somewhere. I don't want to read everything about every player while trying to seek your personal thoughts out of the text.

[ballinisahabit90]

Now you mention it...... Its not great, there isnt any squad analysis or anything really.

Just had a quick look at last years and Joe The Man done a fantastic job, this one isnt of the same standard.

[nigelquelch]

I agree, stuff like:

'John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional footballer.'

'Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position.'

It just seems a bit long winded and unnecessary. Especially with the huge bulk of biography that no ones going to read after each player.

Actual personal analysis is about 10 lines in 9 posts :/.

[Ranbir]

My important buys were:

Emre Can - 17yr old DM/DC - 800k

Felipe Anderson - 18 yr old MC - £5.5m. Young, great mental attributes for his age so is a good player to develop for the team.

Sime Vrsaljko - 19yr old right back - brings some youth and long term security to that position. Great fitness. He is a total bargain for 900k. Should already know basic english...either that or he's managed to bring it up to that level by the start of September. Demonstrates tremendous adaptability to the Premiership.

Thiago - that 20yr old from Barca; I only loaned him but he really complements the passing game I force Chelsea to play. Plus I hope that the year he plays for me he likes it, which makes it easier to make the move permanent.

Kwadwo Asamoah was the DM I went for as back up for Mikel. I'm not confident Essien will be what he can after two years of long-term injuries. This fella is a physical beast and has great mental attributes.

I didn't get rid of anyone since I felt a big squad to start with helps me cover all the spots and lets me see if anyone can surprise me well, plus helps to have some that have familiarity.

Playing wise, as always I find the tactics I have in previous can't just fit in immediately. Mostly because the team Chelsea starts with doesn't fit the tactic and as I learnt in FM11, forcing it immediately can lead to a slow start. Of course, this file isn't my main since I like to start my file with the main game. But good to get some good eyes on players AND staff:

Brian McClair: I always steal this guy from Man U. Either to become my immediate AssMan or start as coach and take over when the current AssMan's contract expires. In this case, Di Matteo is a favourite of mine so I like having him around. McClair also provides 4.5 star shooting training.

I generally replace the whole Chelsea back-staff.

Another year; Lampard is that much older making it that more difficult to secure his legend status; Also to ensure he stays in the game's Chelsea ALL TIME best eleven. Sad times.

[essien_5]

For those wanting to get rid of Kalou and having trouble I had a bid accepted from Newcastle for Tiote in a straight swap for Ferreira and Kalou, no other cash or clauses. I thought this was quite a fair offer...

[Ranbir]

I'm tempted to try out 3-5-2 when the game gets released. This was my FM06 shape and it was pretty dominant.

[joe__the__man]

I'll stick up for William here, it took some effort to make the thread last year. It always takes more time than you'd think, and he might well be a busy man. You could say why did he volunteer to do the thread then, but no one else was offering to make it, and Chelsea needed a thread.

Shame noones done the Chelsea thread yet, would like to talk about how my games going.

Did no one step up for Chelsea?

Doesn't look like it, I'd do it.

[essien_5]

Yeah I did notice that it took a long while for someone to make a Chelsea thread. I would have been happy to create one but I'm useless with uploading pictures, screenshots, etc.

Can't fault his effort when nobody else put themselves forward.

[el sid]

The FM10 thread was clearly the best Chelsea thread