Match Preview: Chelsea vs Bolton, 25th Feb, 2012

Prior to appointing Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would have hoped that Chelsea would be at least better than Bolton Wanderers in terms of form. However, Chelsea's recent form is actually worse than the 19th placed team in the Premier league table. It is not surprising to know that Bolton are rated highly by the Betfair Football Odds this weekend.


Chelsea have no victory in the last five matches, and it is going to be a month without a victory for Villas-Boas if they fail to beat Bolton this weekend. Despite struggling down at the bottom of the table, Bolton have two wins in their last five matches.

John Terry's absence at the back is certainly working against Andre Villas-Boas and his tactics. As good as Gary Cahill may be, he is certainly not going to be a substitute for John Terry. Chelsea's captain has been ruled out for up to 4 weeks.

One of the biggest advantages Chelsea have this weekend in the context of the Premier league table is the fact that Arsenal do not play until Sunday. Further, they'll be heading into the North London Derby against Tottenham in the worst possible fashion. There is every chance that Arsenal might lose the match, but Chelsea need to be ready in order to take advantage of any slipup from Arsenal.

After the 3-1 defeat against Napoli, the FA cup seems to be the only hope for a trophy this season. However, Chelsea should not take eyes away from the fact that there is still a competition left for the fourth spot. Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Liverpool are the competing teams.

Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole were dropped by Andre Villas-Boas for the Napoli match. There have been reports of a fallout between Ashley Cole and Andre Villas-Boas. It remains to be seen if the manager and the player can sort out their differences by the time the match kicks off.

Trying to clear out of the players, who were extremely influential in the José Mourinho, is all well and good, but one should also try to get results in between. This is something that Andre Villas-Boas has clearly lacked in, while he has also not displayed the authority needed to oversee a transitional phase.

Perhaps, it is a job not to be meant for a 34-year-old with just one year of managerial experience at the top level.

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Champions League: Napoli vs Chelsea Match Preview

If Chelsea's recent form is anything to go by, then this could be the last match for André Villas-Boas as the Chelsea manager. The former FC Porto boss said when he took over in the summer that winning something was a requirement and not an expectation. He also said that failing to win the Premier league or the Champions League can be considered as a reason to sack him without second thoughts. Based on his own admissions, André Villas-Boas will be out of the Chelsea job if Chelsea capitulated in the same way as Arsenal did at the San Siro last week.

Despite the recent form, this match is expected to be very exciting. If you do not want to miss out on the Chelsea Tickets for the return leg, you can get the tickets for Chelsea vs Napoli at TicketBis for just £162.40.

After the disappointing 1-1 draw with Birmingham City during the weekend, it is very much expected that Fernando Torres would be dropped for this match. The former Liverpool striker was said to be extremely unhappy at his substitution at half-time. Even though Didier Drogba did not make much of a difference as a player, he is expected to get the nod ahead of Fernando Torres. For me, though, Chelsea's major weakness lies in the midfield. There is absolutely no creativity from the central midfielders at Chelsea.

Part of this reason may rest on the fact that André Villas-Boas is constantly rotating his players in midfield. One week Frank Lampard is playing and in the next week, he isn't. Selecting three defensive midfielders for the home match against Championship team Birmingham also did not help matters either.

Contrary to reports, this match is not a do or die game for Chelsea. A score draw would be a great result away at Napoli given the way the Italian team has dominated the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the group stages. Napoli have a formidable forward line up and their primary strength is to play on the counter-attack. Chelsea can totally destroy their tactics with an early goal, which would allow us to play on the counter-attack. A score draw would also mean more of the same in the second leg.

It is almost going to be a month since Chelsea's last victory. However, this is certainly one fixture André Villas-Boas will be happy to come out with a draw.

Find Chelsea tickets on sale is extremely tough nowadays, but you can get it on TicketBis. They also offer football match tickets of almost any European club.

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