Date: 25th February 2012 at 1:54pm
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Jose Bosingwa will be missing from today’s game against Bolton with a muscle problem which won’t upset many fans as the Portuguese fullback has been heavily criticised for his performances this season and he’ll likely be replaced by Ashley Cole, whose best from has also deserted him this season.

Spanish duo Juan Mata and Fernando Torres will be available for selection despite the former suffering a broken finger and the latter missing yesterday’s training session through illness.

Chelsea have been woeful this season but hopefully this game could be the beginning of a turning point for us as we have an excellent record against Bolton. We have not lost to the Trotters since 2003.

The team I’d choose today:

P. Cech

B. Ivanovic – G. Cahill – D. Luiz – R. Bertrand

M. Essien  –  O. Romeu

J. Mata

Ramires  –  D. Sturridge  –  F. Malouda

Both Torres and Didier Drogba have been worse than useless in front of goal this season and the only reason Daniel Sturridge hasn’t been given many chances in a more central position is because we lack adequate cover for him in the wide areas. But I don’t think it would hurt to play Ramires on the right as he had done earlier in the season and experiment with our misfiring forward line.

We’ve also suffered from a lack of creativity and I think keeping Mata central is the way to go and a combination of Michael Essien and Oriol Romeu are probably a lot more capable of defending our leaky defence than Ramires/Raul Meireles.

A lot was made about Cole’s omission in midweek but too many of the press hacks and Sky’s pundits quickly forgot that the England left-back has only just returned from an injury, has played a lot of football this season and hasn’t played at all well either. He didn’t look interested for the majority of the time he was on the pitch against Napoli and a goal-line clearance doesn’t excuse that. He needs competition, not from the hapless Bosingwa but from Ryan Bertrand, who can actually cross a ball.

Who’d be in your Chelsea XI v Bolton today?

 

4 responses to “Who’d be in your Chelsea XI v Bolton?”

  1. mike says:

    4 2 3 1. Cech betrand. Luiz cahill ivanovic romeu essein mata kalou malouda torres behind didier

  2. jade says:

    Its a near perfect team list with the exception of Maoluda who has become the most under performing chelsea player. I would have love to have Lucas Paizon or even Kalou playing ahead of this woeful player

  3. william i says:

    4-2-3-1 cech – ivanovic cahill luiz cole – essien lampard – sturridge mata kalou – drogba

  4. dan says:

    Malouda is pitifully bad, I never want to see him in a Chelsea shirt again. The same with kalou, Meireles and Bosingwa, they are sub standard.
    AVB talks about young players and then sends Josh Mceacran and kakuta on loan and doesnt actually play any other of the several decent youngsters at the club. He is incompetent, arrogant and a poor communicator. I want him out right now.
    How did he manage to alienate Alex and Anelka, both excellent squad players?
    Why wont he try Luis as a holding midfielder, he is not a good enough defender.
    Why not play Mata in the hole behind Torres?
    Why not play a blend of youth and experience instead picking weak, unbalanced and leaderless teams.
    The first thing we must do is defend properly. That is the base of a winning team. With Terry injured and the idiotic sale of Alex we have no option but to play Luis, who I like as a player, but he needs coaching by someone who has actually played football. He makes too many mistakes and these cost us. Bosingwa is a defensive liability, Ivanovic is by far the best right back at the club. Either Romeu and or Essien playing infront of the defence.