John Mikel Obi: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham [21/9/2013]

This particular Chelsea game marks a historical event for one of the players in Blue. John Obi Mikel scores his first goal in almost 7 years! This is his first Premier League goal and only his third overall for Chelsea. The first two goals he scored was an FA Cup campaign in his first season [2006-07] against Macclesfield Town and Nottingham Forest. This means that, as of now, Mikel has only scored under the management of Jose Mourinho. He does, however, score for his international team because of his forward role in the team. Due to his deep midfield position in Chelsea, his goal scoring chances are slim. But this is history: John Obi Mikel ends his goal draught.

Jose Mourinho's Pre-season Finished!

The opening of the 2013/14 season is close!

After opening the pre-season with three games in Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia), Chelsea travelled to the U.S. to face their continental rivals in a Guinness Champions Cup tournament.

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The first game of the pre-season resulted in a mere 1-0 win over Thailand's Singha All-Stars. Lukaku's penalty made the difference in the game. Thailand played a pretty solid defensive game.

Next up was Malaysia. 4-1 was the final score with goals from Traore, De Bruyne, Lukaku, and Moses. Traore opened the scoreboard with a clinical finish while De Bruyne scored a stunning volley, injuring his knee in the process. Lukaku and Victor Moses impressed again with their contributions. Malaysia managed to score a consolation goal, however, through Shas' header. Poor defending by Tomas Kalas...

Finally, Chelsea celebrated their debut in Indonesia with an astounding 8-1 win over the BNI All-Stars. Indonesia should have done better... Oh well, it's good practice for them. Still proud of my compatriots! Eden Hazard opens the scoring with a cheeky penalty shot that sends keeper Kurnia Mega the wrong way. Ramires scores the second goal with a splendid turn-and-shoot. He almost made a quick brace if Meiga had not deflected the shot. Demba Ba was there to recover and convert the play to make it 3-0. As if that wasn't entertaining enough, captain John Terry chipped in with a brilliant header from a heading assist by fellow defender Gary Cahill. Fortunately for the viewers, the excitement is just getting started! Youngster Bertrand Traore scored a screamer from outside the box after the half time whistle. 5-0 in 50 minutes! Lukaku heads in a cross from Hazard while Ramires increased his goal tally with a shot from several yards out. Lukaku closed the Chelsea scoring account with another goal to make it 8 for the club. Brilliant piece of attacking play. Towards the end, Chelsea's defense blundered again as Tomas Kalas deflected Greg Nwokolo's shot to his own net. Poor performance by the young Czech defender... Another loan spell, perhaps?
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That's three wins in their first three pre-season games! Off to America with the Confed Cup squad joining (Luiz, Mata, Torres, Oscar, Mikel). 

First game against Jose Mourinho's former club Inter Milan ended in a comfortable 2-0 victory. Oscar scored a stunning screamer after only a few moments returning from holiday. He was MADE to score beautiful goals! Remember this? Victor Moses won a penalty that Hazard converted. 

AC Milan proved to be a more difficult opponent with their high pressure play. De Bruyne returned from his injury and scored the first goal against the Italian giants. Andre Schuerrle made his debut goal with a world-class volley. That's two games with the Milan neighbors ending in a 2-0 victory. 

Our first loss came from Real Madrid. The game ended 3-1 with Ronaldo scoring two classic goals and Marcelo finishing one. Ramires humiliated Casillas with his trademark chip that he executed against Barcelona's Victor Valdes. Disappointing result but it was good warm-up for the season. 

Chelsea's final game of the pre-season resulted in a 2-1 win over AS Roma. Mark Schwarzer failed to clear the pass made by Bertrand and Erik Lamela smashed the ball in the net. Our record goal scorer (Lampard) made his return to the game by scoring a trademark goal. Lukaku scored the winner with a finish inside a crowded penalty box. Lukaku opened the scoring of the pre-season and closed the final game with a goal. Now THAT'S a finisher.
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After seeing the performance of the squad, I believe the club is ready to challenge for the title. The team looks more solid than before and Jose Mourinho's presence is causing an intimidating atmosphere among the rival teams. Personally, I don't think we need an additional squad member. However, I wouldn't mind these 'Rooney to Chelsea' rumors. We're ready, English Premier! 

Spain: Tension Within the Team?

For those of you who follow my play-by-play tweets during the Spain-Tahiti match, you might remember reading my comments regarding the Torres and Villa competition. 

Both strikers are competing for a starting spot in Del Bosque's Starting XI and this game was an opportunity for either one (or both as it turns out) to shine. 

This video shows a hint of tension amongst the players as Villa fuels a disagreement with Mata, who chose to feed the ball to Torres instead of Villa. 

Well, that's what you would expect in a squad full of superstars. It just depends on how they are managed by the coach and how they manage their own professionalism. 

The game ended with Spain destroying Tahiti 10-0. Torres had 4 goals (could have been 5 if he had not missed a penalty shot), Villa with a hat-trick, Silva with a brace, and Mata peeping in with one. 

Second Coming: Jose Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes, and more!

On June 3, Jose Mourinho was officially announced as the new Chelsea manager for the upcoming 2013/14 season. There was a lot of speculation regarding who will replace Rafa Benitez at Chelsea after his announcement on February that he will not continue this job [Sky Sports]. Pep Guardiola was the initial favorites to take up the reins at Stamford Bridge; however, this rumor shattered after he chose Bayern over Chelsea [Daily Mail]. Fans pressured the officials of Chelsea by expressing public remarks  to re-sign Jose Mourinho. The former Chelsea boss (2004-2007) was unveiled to the media on June 10. Will his second stint at Chelsea prove yet another successful spell?

In honor of Jose Mourinho's return, I'm compiling a short list of managers who returned to a club they have previously managed.

1. Jose Mourinho (Chelsea 2004-2007, 2013-present):

Well, let's start off with the man in the spotlight. Mourinho was first announced as Chelsea's manager in  June 2, 2004. After winning the Portuguese league and Champions League with FC Porto, Mourinho was enticed away from his home country to supervise the new rising club. After dubbing himself as "the Special One" in the press conference, he launched a campaign to live up to the expectations. In his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho won the Premier League twice, a League Cup trophy, and the FA Community Shield, making him the most successful Chelsea manager in a short period of time. (Well okay, I was bias in writing this but hey, stats don't lie!)

His reason for departure is still hazy, though the media claimed his relationship with owner Abramovich fell apart. Mourinho denied this claim stating that the separation between the two parties was by "mutual consent". The only honor still missing in Mourinho's Chelsea project was the Champions League, which Roberto Di Matteo won in 2012. Now, Mourinho is back and only time will tell how his second spell would turn out...

2. Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth 2002-2004, 2005-2008):

Harry Redknapp, relative to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard and father to media pundit Jamie Redknapp, led Portsmouth to promotion into the Premier League in his second season with the club. A disagreement between manager and chairman led to his departure.

Portsmouth recalled Redknapp in December of 2005 as the club was fearing a relegation from the top flight. Redknapp not only held the club in the Premier League, but led them to the most coveted cup in English football: the FA Cup. After winning the 2008 FA Cup, Redknapp left Portsmouth to manage domestic opponents Tottenham Hotspurs.

3. Tony Pulis (Stoke City 2002-2005, 2006-2013):

Tony Pulis was appointed as Stoke City manager when the club was in the second tier of English football. The club was in danger of being relegated to the third tier but Pulis managed to barely survive relegation. Disputes over the lack of transfer funds with the club's owners led him away from the Britannia Stadium.

His second spell proved to be Stoke's recent best as he led the team to promotion. The 2008/09 season saw Stoke playing in the Premier League once again after 23 years. However, Pulis failed to win anything with the club, achieving only runners-up position in both the 2007/08 Championship and 2010/11 FA Cup. At the end of the 2012/13 season, Tony Pulis was relieved of his duties at Stoke City.

4. Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich 1987-1991, 2009, 2011-13):

Yes, three stints at one club although he was just an interim at 2009.

Honestly, I like Bayern Munich as a club. Their style of play is the epitome of fundamental football. If Bayern was playing in the Premier League, I would definitely be their hardcore fan. But that's beside the point...

Jupp Heynckes' first spell as Bayern's manager could be described as a 'warm-up' to his later stints. His first season was not that impressive as they were just runners-up to the Bundesliga champions. The 1988/89 and 1989/90 marked a back-to-back title championships for the club. His last full season resulted in another runners-up spot to the league title. In the European level, Heynckes was only able to take the team to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and European Cup before losing to the eventual champions.

After getting off the season to a slow start, Heynckes was sacked in October of 1991. It was all downhill for Bayern for the remaining games of that season. The club finished barely above relegation that year. The decision to fire Heynckes was later described as the "biggest mistake" of the general manager.

Heynckes took up the caretaker's job at Bayern in 2009 left by Jurgen Klinsmann (the current coach of the US National team). Bayern finished second place again with Heynckes.

His latest spell at Bayern was the most successful. His first season marked an impressive number for the team's statistics. The team, however, did not win any major trophies for the season losing the domestic honors to Dortmund and the Champions League final to Di Matteo's Chelsea in their own home.

Bayern avenged their losses in the following season by achieving an dramatic Treble with outstanding performances on the field. Heynckes's side broke numerous records in this latest season including being crowned the earliest Bundesliga champions. Bayern faced a wavering Barcelona side in the Champions League semi-finals in which they thrashed Barca 7-0 on aggregate. The finals was between Bayern and domestic rivals Dortmund. Bayern displayed a solid performance and won the European glory with a 2-1 victory. They completed their Treble by winning the domestic cup against Stuttgart, thus achieving the honor of being the first German club to complete this Treble.


Know anymore interesting second comings? Just comment, Email Me, or tweet me @justintjo.
Thank you for reading!

Introduction to My Football Background + Chelsea FC 2012-13 Season Review

Welcome! My name is Justin Tjoandi and football has been part of my life since I was born. In Indonesia, sepak bola (football) is a big deal. The first team I ever supported was Fiorentina of Italy's Serie A because of that one Argentinian striker: Gabriel Batistuta! I guess you can assume what my favorite national team was ;) I grew up with two Manchester United fans living in the same home. My brother and my dad have been United fans for as long as I can remember. We had a Playstation and their favorite game was Winning Eleven and FIFA. Honestly, I didn't really care much about football back then... But I did participate in any soccer games my friends start. Crazy days!

But now on to the present...

My current favorite national team would be Brazil. I was a witness to the invincible squad that won the 2002 World Cup. Players like Kaka, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Dida, and Roberto Carlos are football idols!! Legends no matter what! Currently though, Brazil is breeding a younger squad. Although I do enjoy seeing Neymar, Oscar, and Hulk play, I think it would be a while before Brazil would rise to prominence again...

I fell in love with Chelsea FC's style of play when Didier Drogba joined the club. The chemistry he and Lampard had was amazing! Witnessing his finishing ability in front of the goal is one of the reasons why I chose Chelsea over other clubs. Beating teams 7-0 and 8-0 also added to my affection for the club... We all gotta start somewhere, right? :) Well I'm a Blues fan now and that's how it will remain.

Season 2012-13 is actually the first season where I followed every game that Chelsea played. Before, I followed only the important matches and the ones I can watch. I dove straight to every single Chelsea news, rumours, and matches. I'm glad I did! Football world is so exciting! I tweeted the game almost play by play, I post pictures and articles on Facebook, and now I'm starting a blog of it!

I guess the purpose of this blog is to post my thoughts and maybe analysis on the events going on in the football world...

So now to Chelsea!

We had a rough season playing 69 games. It's hard being a Champion ;) We had injuries and suspensions but we made it! Europa League was the only trophy we won this season, but given the fact that our squad was rebuilding on new players, it wasn't a bad start. Youngsters like Eden Hazard, Oscar, and Lukaku are the future of Chelsea! One player that stands out most is Juan Mata, our two-time Chelsea Player of the Year. In some games, he plays the background while in others he is the star. Without him, Chelsea wouldn't have been able to survive the 69 game run. The sacking of Roberto Di Matteo was shocking, to say the least. Until now, I do not have any judgment on whether it was a good idea or not. Yes, Rafa Benitez made our defense stronger and his tactics looks better than RDM's. But Di Matteo could have won us the Club World Cup or League Cup had he not been fired. The Europa League glory is the silver lining to this drama of the season.

Next season would prove to be a much anticipated exciting year! Rumours of Mourinho's second coming and players of high qualities are roaming about! But which one is true and which will not happen? Schurrle to Chelsea? Xabi Alonso to Chelsea? Ronaldo to Chelsea? Rooney to Chelsea? Falcao to Chelsea although he's almost landed in Monaco? Cavani to Chelsea? Upcoming posts will be up as soon as official statements arrive :D