January 2013 - Beating The Blues In The Deep Mid Winter

This month sees us scheduled for 7 fixtures, 4 being Premier League matches, at home to Cardiff and Sheffield United, and away to Leeds and Birmingham. We have the two legs of our League Cup semi final against Chelsea, and the FA Cup 3rd round match again Stoke. If we beat Stoke I believe we will play another fixture near the end of the month. Even worse would be to draw with Stoke, and have a replay as well.

Cardiff (H) Premier League

Cardiff arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites, not having won in there last 5 matches. They have however held Chelsea and most recently Arsenal to a draw, but sit in 19th place in the table. The hectic schedule over the Christmas and New Year period is taking its toll on the condition of players, but we still look in much better shape than Cardiff.

The match started off as a battle, and even though after 15 minutes we'd had 6 shots and Cardiff 1, there was nothing worthy of note. In the 17th minute Curri managed to get clear into the area, and hammered a shot, which thundered into the woodwork, going safe. The clearance was poor though allowing Rafa to feed the ball through for Sanchez to run onto and give us the lead. In the 22nd minute a run into the area from Jimenez created panic, with him brought down to give us a penalty. Cardozo stepped up and thumped the ball into the back of the net to double our lead. The match then became rather scrappy with the next incident of note coming in the 37th minute with Gary Cahill, who'd conceded the penalty committing an atrocious foul on Cardozo, causing him a shin injury in the process, but not enough to enforce his substitution, but a worry still. Cahill was shown a straight red card for his assault on Cardozo. In the 44th minute Fatih Yucel got his head to a cross, and only an outstanding save from the keeper managed to push the ball for a corner. Jimenez drilled the ball just wide of the post in the 45th minute as we started to try and take advantage of Cardiff being down to 10 men. The half came to an end with us leading 2-0.

I was pleased with how we'd played going forward, but very concerned about the state of Cardozo after a very scary challenge on him. Cardiff had seen plenty of the ball, but most of that time they were just boring the crowd to death, going nowhere with it. I sent the players back out pleased with them, and hoped they would continue to play well. We were laying seige to the Cardiff goal from the start of the half, but finding it almost impossible to work a way through. I thought we'd scored in the 58th minute with Balanta putting the ball in the net, but he had been offside, so it didn't stand. We continued to press, with Cardiff managing brief spells of trying to bore us into a mistake. Jimenez put Balanta through on goal again in the 65th minute with him hitting the back of the net, and this time it would stand. We now seemed determined to extend the scoreline, with Gilardino putting a header over the bar in the 70th minute. We were now in total control of the match, firmly camped at the Cardiff end of the pitch. In the 87th minute Gilardino got his head to a cross, and only another amazing save from the keeper managed to put it out for a corner. Sanchez fired just wide in the following minute. In the first minute of added time Scocco headed just over the bar. The Cardiff players were looking dead on their feet, and in the 2nd minute of added time Gilardino slotted a pass through to Sanchez, who dribbled in behind the defenders, and slotted home his second of the match. The final whistle blew shortly after the restart with us comfortable 4-0 winners.

I was very pleased with our performance in the second half, looking totally dominant, and didn't allow Cardiff to create even a single shot during the half. Ochoa had a very lonely time at the back, with hardly anything to do in the match, making one save early in the match, which was a very easy catch. It was a huge relief to me to find out that Cardozo was fine, and would be ready for action straight away. There was even greater delight when news came in from other grounds, with Arsenal held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds at the Emirates, and Aston Villa lost 1-0 at Villa Park to Everton.

Result: 4-0

Stoke (H) FA Cup 3rd Round

We welcome the Potters to Loftus Road with us favourites to win. Stoke have been doing fairly well this season, sitting in 5th place in the Championship, but arrive off the back of a loss to Charlton. Complacency could be my biggest issue going into this match.

The match started with both teams looking lively, but it was clear that Stoke were going to have troubles keeping Sanchez quiet on the right wing, with him producing a couple of early crosses with ease, the second finding the head of Cardozo, with the shot bouncing behind off the top of the crossbar in the 4th minute. Stoke were defending in numbers having trouble when they came forward, although it became clear that for some odd reason my fullbacks were not managing to stop the very slow wingers of Stoke going by them, which is frustrating, as they should be able to stop them almost every time. In the 14th minute one of them got a cross into the box, with a header going just over our crossbar. In the 16th minute Gilardino was played through on goal, but shot straight at the keeper. We then seemed to struggle for a while to make any progress forward, until the 25th minute when Curri delivered a cross into the area, with Sanchez running through the area, and glancing a header just past the keeper to open the scoring. In the 41st minute Gilardino hit the crossbar from a shot in the right side of the area, with Cardozo unable to get enough power into his header from the rebound to beat the keeper. The half ended with us leading 1-0.

I was pleased we had the lead, having looked the more creative side, but I was a bit concerned that we were still letting the wingers get by our fullbacks too often, although we only allowed Stoke to create a couple of off target shots, so we'd not suffered because of it. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to show a bit more and not let Stoke back into the match. The second half continued where we'd left off, with us allowing Stoke to pressure us at times, even though they weren't really creating anything. In the 52nd minute Sunny put a ball through to Jimenez to run into the area in space, and he slotted the ball home in off the inside of the post to double our lead. In the 55th minute Gilardino put a header just over the bar, as we started to look a lot more confident, and he hooked the ball wide from a tight angle in the following minute. In the 58th Ochoa was given a save to make, his first of the match, an easy one, and only Stoke's 3rd shot of the match. Much as Cardiff had done in the previous match, Stoke were having a share of possession but boring everyone with football that just wasn't going anywhere, giving Ochoa a second easy save in the 72nd minute. We never gave up trying to add another goal, and created a few more shots, but just couldn't find the target again. The match finished with us winning 2-0.

I was pleased with the lads, as we'd played better, in the 2nd half, with Stoke managing just 2 long shots that were easy for Ochoa to save, making just 4 in the match. The fullbacks had done a lot better as well, and Jimenez adding the second goal make the match a lot less tense. Sanchez was the man of the match for the 2nd time in a row, having worked tirelessly, making an astonishing 17 runs past opponents. I would gladly take this referee everywhere with me, because this match Sunny committed 6 fouls without receiving a booking, with no cards shown at all, which was a refreshing change.

Result: 2-0

The draw for the 4th round of the FA Cup was made just before the next match, and will see us travel away to take on Burnley. The loan signing of Breno has been confirmed, and given he'd made quite a few appearances for AC Milan is match fit, but I have to admit I'm a bit astonished that they have sent him on loan. One of the AC Milan players thinks it is a big mistake by their manager, but it's our gain.

Chelsea (H) League Cup Semi Final 1st Leg

Chelsea arrive at Loftus Road with us marginal favourites to win the first leg. Their season has improved a fair bit since we played them earlier in the season, now in 5th place in the league table. I'm fielding a very strong team, and decided to give Breno a debut in the centre of defence alongside Kjær.

The match started with Chelsea pushing forward, but it was us who managed the first shot in the 4th minute with Jimenez firing over the bar. Chelsea pushed forward, with the attack breaking down, allowing the ball to be cleared to Sanchez on the right, and he sprinted forward, producing a wonderful looping cross into the area, for Jimenez, who controlled the ball and pretty much dribbled his way into the goal to give us the lead. Our lead didn't last long with Chelsea managing to break through for their first shot in the 7th minute. We were then playing utter garbage, allowing Chelsea to pin us back, giving the ball away, and starting to commit fouls. I was getting really upset with how poor we looked trying to go forward, being quite pathetic. Chelsea were also getting regular shots off. The next incident of real note was Ochoa having to make a good save in the 26th minute with us split open again. In the 34th minute Gilardino thumped a header goalward at a corner, only to see the keeper make an almost unbelievably lucky save, pushing it onto the defender marking the post, with the ball bouncing out to be cleared. In the 44th Chelsea hammered a header from a corner just over the bar. In added time Dzsudzsak fired just wide of the post. The half came to end with the scores level at 1-1.

I was very disappointed with our performance, with us rarely looking dangerous going forward, and wide open far too often at the back. We'd managed 4 shots with Chelsea having 14. I ripped into my players for their dismal performance before sending them back out. In the 47th minute Scocco was put through clear on goal, only to see the keeper make an outstanding save to deny him. In the 50th minute Laure managed to suffer an upper body injury with absolutely no visible signs of how this could have happened. In the 58th minute the Chelsea keeper managed another amazing save to deny Gilardino a clear chance. In the 62nd minute Scocco put Gilardino through again on goal, and this time he slotted the ball home to give us the lead again. We were looking much more in control now, and in the 75th minute only another great save from the Chelsea keeper stopped Scocco adding to the scoreline. In the 86th minute Chelsea put a header just over our bar to give us a scare. We then controlled the ball until into added time when Ochoa had to make a good save from a long shot. We managed to see out the remaining time to win 2-1.

I was pleased we managed to get the win, although we'd not really played our best, but I thought we'd deserved it even though we'd had less shots, due to creating more clear chances. The match report unsurprisingly reckoned we were lucky to get the win, because it can't take into account that most of Chelsea's shots were never in danger of going into the net. Apparently Laure suffered a bruised rib in an accidental collision, and will be out for about 5 days, but appears he clashed with the invisible man.

Result: 2-1

Leeds (A) Premier League

We travel to Elland Road to take on Leeds, as clear favourites to win this match. Leeds have struggled this season, finding themselves in 17th place, fighting to stave off relegation, without a win for month, having lost their last match in the FA Cup to West Bromich Albion, a Championship team. During that last month, they have however managed to hold both Arsenal and Man City to draws, so we shouldn't take this match for granted. The time between fixtures has been kind to us, allowing me to name an almost unchanged team from that which played against Chelsea.

The match started with Leeds looking to attack, hitting the woodwork in the first minute from a cracking long shot. We were totally shocking, with Leeds passing the ball around like we weren't even there, and in the 7th minute Ochoa had to make a good save to deny Leeds. In the 11th minute we finally managed to put more than one pass together, with Cardozo trying to chip the keeper who'd come off his, line, but hit the crossbar, with the ball going safe. This seemed to settle us a bit, with Sanchez heading just over in the 16th minute, and again in the 22nd. In the 25th minute Jimenez scored from close range after a cross from Cardozo caused a mix-up between the keeper and a defender, with neither claiming the ball. The match became very scrappy after that, with chances few before the whistle brought the half to an end with us leading 1-0.

Although we'd taken the lead, I was quite disappointed with our performance, allowing Leeds far too much room and also committing too many fouls. I tried to give the players encouragement before sending him back out again. The second half started in the same frustrating fashion. In the 54th minute Breno hit the crossbar with a thunderous header from a free kick. In the 57th Jimenez had a shot saved by the keeper from just outside the area. In the following minute Daeseleire fired a ball through into the area for Fatih Yucel to run onto and he made no mistake firing the ball into the net to double our lead, scoring his fiftieth league goal for the club. We were playing much better now, but the match was still fairly scrappy. In the 79th minute Cardozo fired another header just over the bar. The match came to an end with us running out 2-0 victors.

I was pleased we'd managed to see out the victory and had performed a lot better defensively in the second half, restricting Leeds very well. Breno was named the name of the match, having put in a very solid display in the centre of defence. This had been a deserved victory, even if the match had not been of the highest quality.

Result: 2-0

Birmingham (A) Premier League

We travel to St. Andrews as favourites to win this match. Birmingham have had an average season, sitting in 14th in the league, but lost most recently to Liverpool at home. We have won all our previous 5 matches against them, so feel confident that we can add another victory. We have the second leg of our league cup semi final 3 days after this match, so giving some key players a rest, but feel we have more than enough quality to still pull off a win.

The match started with Birmingham looking lively, and it wasn't until the 4th minute we gained any possession. Even when we did get possesion we seemed to lack imagination, as both teams seemed to be cancelling each other out. The deadlock was finally broken with Scocco slotting a superb pass through for Gilardino to race free into the area, and he made no mistake to put away the very first shot of the match, and give us the lead in the 13th minute. This seemed to calm our players a lot, and we were playing with more confidence, but there seemed to be little space still for either team to work chances. After 27 minutes, Birmingham suddenly started to push harder, with us lucky at a corner not to concede an equaliser, with them hitting the crossbar, and Ochoa having to make a great save to deny them from the rebound. The following minute they hit the post with a header, with us looking a total shambles at the back. I was rather frustrated when Varrault went down with a foot injury in the 39th minute, just hoping this wasn't going to be anything serious. We were also giving away far too many unnecessary fouls, allowing Birmingham to put more pressure on us. Birmingham pressured us in the last few minutes, with some good defending getting in a couple of blocks stopped them from finding an equaliser. We managed to see out the first half and retain our 1-0 lead.

I was pleased to have the lead, but was a bit disappointed with how we'd played after taking the lead, especially with the number of fouls we'd committed. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to defend in a much more confident manner in the second half. The start wasn't the most encouraging, with Nasuti allowing himself to be tackled with the ball, fortunately the long range effort was off target, but it was disappointing to see. In the 52nd minute Gilardino put a header from a corner just over the bar. In the 57th minute Laure tried a shot from 25 yards out, only denied by a great diving save from the keeper, pushing it for a corner. The players were now looking more confident, and dominating at the moment. From the corner Breno headed just over the bar. In the 66th Ochoa had to make a save from a bullet header, but easy enough for him to catch. In the 83rd minute Nasuti received a very dodgy booking for a very soft foul just outside our area, with Ochoa just pushing the free kick around the post. I was not happy, because I didn't think it should have even been given as a foul. The team were now playing utter garbage, making stupid passes, and just allowing Birmingham to put us under pressure in a way we shouldn't be. Fortunately the only thing we did get right in the last few minutes was our last ditch tackling, as we managed to somehow hold on for a 1-0 win.

Other than a few times when we went forward, we'd been terrible in the second half. Our only saving grace was that Birmingham had been poor too. This was such an ugly match, with Sunny also picking up an almost obiligatory yellow card, although he fully deserved this one, for a most ugly challenge which wasn't even necessary. I actually clicked the continue button by mistake at the team talk page before selecting anything, although not saying anything was probably a fair reflection of what I felt. There was only 4 players on the pitch rated 7.0 or above, with Gilardino getting the man of the match with 7.3 in what had been a pretty dire match to watch. The positive from the match is that we managed to come away with a win, but Varrault had twisted his ankle putting him out for about 3 weeks.

Result: 1-0

Chelsea (A) League Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg

We travel the short distance to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, who are marginal favourites for the 2nd leg. I'm fielding my strongest team in order to try and make sure we don't throw away the semi final. We hold a one goal lead after the first leg, so a draw would be enough, but I would like to see us win the match as they are our fiercest rivals.

Chelsea came out looking motivated, with us not really looking overly interested, and under pressure. In the first 10 minutes we hardly even managed to get into the final third of the pitch. Chelsea had been busy firing off long shots. It was therefore completely against the run of play when Rafa headed the ball forward for Cardozo to take control of the ball at the edge of the area with his back to the goal in the 14th minute. He turned his marker and beat a second defender before placing his shot into the bottom corner of the net to score and give us a 2 goal lead on aggregate. I was upset with our defence when they allowed themselves to be split wide open to allow Chelsea to equalise and draw back to just 1 goal behind on aggregate in the 18th minute. We continued to be rather pathetic with Chelsea putting us under almost constant pressure. We were still giving the ball away too often. I was stunned by how awful we were, just allowing Chelsea to dominate. It wasn't until the 41st we managed to get another shot, with Cardozo putting a header just over the bar. We managed to get to half with the match score at 1-1.

I was pleased that we still held the lead on aggregate, but seriously disappointed by our performance. This was by far the worst we'd played at any point during the season, even if the score didn't completely reflect that. I ripped into the players telling them they'd been disappointing, and then sent them back out. The players came out looking much more motivated, but still struggling to stop Chelsea going on the attack. In the 50th minute Dzsudzsak fired a diagonal ball into space behind the Chelsea defence for Cardozo to chase onto, which he did and when he reached the edge of the area, he placed his shot into the back of the net, to restore our 2 goal lead on aggregate. I was furious when Rafa was chopped down and took a knock in the 53rd minute, with no foul given. While he was off the field, Chelsea made the most of him being treated, with Ochoa having to make a good save, with us ripped wide open, showing how important the DMC is to our formation. We seemed a bit more composed after this, but still having to withstand a lot of pressure from Chelsea. In the 61st minute Cardozo put a header just over the bar. In the 69th minute Fatih Yucel cracked a long shot from 30 yards out, but was unlucky in hitting the post. In the 72nd he put a header just over the bar. The following minute Chelsea put a header just over the bar, as they started to push. In the 84th minute Ochoa had to make a good save with us struggling to withstand the pressure. Just into added time, the Chelsea keeper made an amazing save to deny Jimenez, after Gilardino squared the ball to him free in the area. We managed to see the match out to complete a 2-1 victory.

I was pleased that we'd come away with a victory to seal our place in the League Cup final. We'd performed better in the second half, but it still hadn't been pretty. Fortunately, although we'd not been particularly good, we'd been better at putting away our chances. I guess this is a good sign, that although we were outplayed for large parts of the match, we managed to still grab a victory. Cardozo had earned his man of the match award with his display. I congratulated the team on reaching the final. The other semi final was also played the same evening with Man City seeing off Aston Villa, and will therefore play us in the final.

Result: 2-1 (4-2 aggregate)

Burnley (A) FA Cup 4th Round

We travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley, with us favourites for this match. Burnley currently sit in 3rd place in the Championship, so we must not be complacent.

The match started as really scrappy affair. The first shot worth mentioning was in the 8th minute, with Ephraim firing wide, having got free in the area. Burnley fired just over from a long shot the following minute. In the 17th minute we were given a rather soft penalty with Ephraim apparently pushed in the area. Curri stepped up to take responsibility, and hammered into the top right hand corner of the net to give us the lead, and his first goal of the season. Burnley started to push, and for some odd reason Ephraim seemed to keep dribbling the ball out of play when we did head forward. We were having more of the possession, but Burnley were still firing off long shots with regularity, and in the 33rd minute Ochoa had to push a stunning shot from 20 yards out over the bar. In the 35th minute Scocco produced a superb cross from the right, finding the head of Gilardino who'd got free in the area, putting the ball in the back of the net to extend our lead. That second goal really seemed to settle the team down, and we began to move the ball about with confidence. Burnley were still getting in the odd long shot, either crazy blocked shots, some of which irritate me that they count as shots, and others off target. The match reached half time with us leading 2-0.

I was pleased that we held the lead, showing our quality when when it came to attacking. The only worry was how many long shots Burnley were letting fly, but so far we'd held out. I sent the players back out trying to make sure they were fired up enough to not let Burnley back into the match, who would surely come out looking very motivated. The match restarted looking very scrappy indeed, and soon decided to substitute Sunny after he got booked and seemed intent on getting an early bath. In the 62nd minute Ochoa had to make a great save from a free kick taken from 30+ yards out. We started to take control of the match, but Burnley now seemed almost impossible to break down again, with us forcing them to defend in numbers. In the 82nd minute some awful defending allowed Burnley to score, with our defence seeming to fall asleep. I also felt that Ochoa should have done better with the attempted save as well. This was the first time Burnley had even threatened to break us down in the second half  That was frustrating at it seemed to encourage Burnley, but was pleased see us using up time building attacks up slowly, with Gilardino heading just over the bar in the 87th minute, with our only decent chance of the half. In the 90th minute Scocco should have put the result beyond doubt, but the keeper managed an amazing reflex save to deny him having got free of the defence into the area. In the first minute of added time, Gilardino was gifted a superb chance by the keeper to score, heading the ball straight to him, but his shot hit the crossbar. One of the Burnley players tried to head clear, but only succeeded in finding Balanta in the area, and he slammed the ball home to put the result beyond doubt at 3-1. The match finished soon after the restart with us running out as 3-1 winners.

Overall I was pleased with our performance, even though we'd had a small lapse of concentration near the end. We'd deserved to come away with the victory, but Burnley had shown how tough they are to break down. The second half had been very boring until the last 10 minutes, when there was a flurry of action. I took immense joy when the results from other matches came through, with Chelsea being beaten by West Ham.

Result: 3-1

In the run up to the next match, the FA 5th round draw has seen us gain a home tie against either Birmingham or Fulham.

Sheffield United (H) Premier League

The Blades arrive at Loftus Road with us overwhelming favourites. Sheffield United have however performed a little above expectations, sitting in 13th place, but have failed to secure a win in their last 6 matches. Our previous meeting at Bramall Lane saw us come away with a 3-1 victory, so I expect us to win this match, but I have concerns about the team showing signs of complacency.

The match started by boring everyone to death early on. The Blades were enjoying more possession, but failing to do anything with it, and we were also not showing much better signs of working an opening either. Just as a I thought I would fall asleep Curri hooked a cross into the area in the 25th minute, with Fatih Yucel getting his head to the ball and directed it into the net to give us the lead. The Blades went straight on the attack, putting a long shot just over the bar. In the 34th minute Cardozo fired the ball into the area from a free kick, with Kjær getting his head to the ball, with the keeper only just tipping the ball over the bar. A very unexciting first half came to an end with us leading 1-0.

I was pleased with our performance, even though it had been a really quite poor match. I sent the players back out trying to encourage them to press and see this out properly, and hopefully make the match a bit more interesting. The Blades came out looking determined, but were boring us into making fouls, causing great frustration. In the 52nd minute Daeseliere tried a shot from just outside the area, forcing a great diving save from the keeper to deny him. In the 57th minute we won a free kick to the right of the area, with Cardozo firing the kick into the area, where Breno got his head to the ball forcing it over the line to double our lead, and score his first goal since coming on loan to the club. In the 60th minute Cardozo managed to get a chance under pressure in the area, but could only fire the ball at the advancing keeper. In the 70th minute the best series of passes in the match saw Cardozo play a 1-2 with Jimenez, receiving the ball back in the area, having lost his marker, to give himself an easy shot to give us a 3 goal lead. In the 81st minute one of the Blades strikers went on a amazing run, completely doing a couple of our players in a way that shocked me. Fortunately once he got through on goal, he fired straight at Ochoa, giving him an easy save. Just into added time we allowed a Blades striker to run onto a ball with them starting to play route one football, but his header gave Ochoa a very easy save. The match finished soon afterwards, with us running out 3-0 winners.

I was pleased with our performance in the second half, with us having much more control of the match, and restricting the Blades very well. I was a little worried that the use of route one football had nearly undone us at the back. Breno was named the man of the match, having scored and put in a very solid performance at the back to help deny the opposition.

Result: 3-0

Monthly Roundup

This has been a fantastic month, winning all 8 matches, and only conceding 3 goals during, each in cup matches. The highlight was beating Chelsea in both legs of the League Cup semi final. To beat Chelsea, otherwise known as the Blues, or Blue Scum as I call them, is so sweet. We even managed to win the couple of matches in which we didn't play well.

We have extended our lead at the top of the league, now sitting 11 points ahead of Aston Villa with 2 games in hand, and 12 points clear of Everton, who we have 1 game in hand over.

Breno won the Premiership player of the month for January, with Jimenez named as the runner up. I was named the Premiership manager of the month again, having won all 4 matches. My player of the month goes to Jimenez, who scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists. The month finishes with just one injury, that being to Varrault who will be out for up to week.

The next month sees us scheduled for 7 matches, although we will also have our 5th round FA Cup match, but our opponents have not been verified yet. We have 6 league matches, with some tricky opponents, with home matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. The 4 away matches will see us play Everton, Man City, Arsenal and Wolves, so this looks to be a very tough month. We also have the 1st leg of our Champions League knockout match away to Sevilla.