We Ain't Got No History - Chelsea sneak by Sparta Prague with last second Hazard goalChampions of Europe!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52884/21_SBN_002_We_Aint_Got_No_History_Favicon_32x32..png2013-02-21T23:47:54+00:00http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/rss/stream/37728872013-02-21T23:47:54+00:002013-02-21T23:47:54+00:00Hazard fires Chelsea into last 16
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<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
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<p>Well at least <span>Eden Hazard</span> turned up. One week after a substitute put some gloss on an awful game against Sparta Prague, Hazard fired in a late goal to ensure that <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> drew level with their Czech opposition on the night and advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League.</p>
<p>It wasn't a vintage performance. The Blues were obviously the better side at Stamford Bridge, but a ridiculously conceded goal put them on the back foot early on and a combination of bad luck, poor finishing and a goalkeeper in fine form made it look as though we were headed to extra time before Hazard bailed us out.</p>
<p>Even though key players like Hazard, <span>David Luiz</span> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110218/frank-lampard" class="sbn-auto-link">Frank Lampard</a> were rested, things looked good for Chelsea early on. <span>John Obi Mikel</span> and <span>Victor Moses</span> returned from a successful Africa Cup of Nations campaign, and the latter injected an early spark by bursting into the box and pulling the ball back for <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres" class="sbn-auto-link">Fernando Torres</a>, who fired just wide.</p>
<p>Torres had another chance moments later when two great balls from Oscar and Mata ended up giving the striker space for a free, point-blank volley, but again just missed, putting his effort over the crossbar with Tomas Vaclik well beaten. And then, disaster.</p>
<p>With a 1-0 lead from the away leg combined with the knowledge that the visitors were not a particularly explosive attacking force, Chelsea could play at a canter. But they absolutely could not concede a goal, and that's what happened when Marek Matejovsky played in Vaclav Kadlec 16 minutes in.</p>
<p>Chants of 'one di Matteo' were ringing out around Stamford Bridge as Kadlec scampered past a flat-footed <span>Gary Cahill</span>, and although the midfielder went to ground in the penalty box, some improvisation ensured that he got a pass away to the totally-unmarked David Lafata. Lafata had missed his fair share of chances in the first leg, but made no mistake here, smashing past <span>Petr Cech</span> to give the visitors a shock 1-0 lead.</p>
<p>That should have spurred Chelsea into action. It didn't. Sparta Prague actually looked more likely to score for much of the first half, despite the Blues having most of the ball. There were bright sparks, certainly -- <span>Juan Mata's</span> exquisite touch to set up a shot (met by an equally exquisite reaction save from Vaclik) will live on in the memory long after the result of this game is forgotten -- but on the whole it was, well, dross.</p>
<p>Things picked up a little bit in the second half, which Ramires opened by ringing a shot off Vaclik's left-hand post. Torres was then denied by the goalkeeper in a one-on-one when his scooped finish failed to match the excellence of his initial turn. Vaclik also rather annoyingly kept out <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110210/john-terry" class="sbn-auto-link">John Terry's</a> clever flick when it seemed destined for the top corner.</p>
<p>As the minutes went by, things got... stressful. If Sparta had scored again, Chelsea would have then needed two goals to advance thanks to the away goals rule, which was obviously not going to happen until it very nearly did. Matejovsky was somehow given the time and the space to run straight through the midfield, and his long-range shot was dragged inches wide with Cech rooted to the spot.</p>
<p>Chelsea took it up a gear with the introduction of Hazard, who caused the visiting defenders fits with his dibbling ability, but the final touch just wasn't there, and extra time loomed. Two minutes of injury time were announced, and the Blues spent the first half defending and were lucky that Kadlec didn't score. The prospect of thirty extra minutes of this had me vastly unimpressed.</p>
<p>And then Hazard struck. It's impossible to do his goal justice with words -- he seemed to be abiding by totally different rules of physics as he picked the ball up from <span>Ryan Bertrand</span>, exploded beyond the defence and set himself up for a thunderous left-footed shot.</p>
<p>If Vaclik had tried to keep that shot out, he'd probably have ended up being the first human in history to undergo an amputation via football. But he barely had time to register what was happening before the ball was passing. Chelsea 1-1 (2-1) Sparta Prague.</p>
<p>Easy, right?</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4014392/chelsea-vs-sparta-prague-final-score-2013-europa-leagueGraham MacAree2013-02-21T22:49:14+00:002013-02-21T22:49:14+00:00Chelsea will face Steaua Bucharest
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<figcaption>Ian Walton</figcaption>
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<p>It's not exactly the marquee matchup most neutrals were hoping for with Ajax, but I suppose it's more appealing than Bucharest facing Sparta Prague</p> <p><a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> are through to the round of 16 in the Europa League after <span>Eden Hazard</span> rescued the Blues with a wonderful strike at the end of today's draw. We had to wait a bit to find out who we'd be facing though, as the game that would determine our next opponent ended up going into stoppage time</p>
<p>We know who we'll be facing, as extra time is in the books and all of the penalties have been taken. After Steaua Bucharest managed a 2-0 home victory over Ajax that sent the tie into penalties, they'd win the shootout by a score of 4-2 to secure a date with the reigning Champions of Europe.</p>
<p>The two legs of this tie are scheduled for Thursday March 7, and Thursday March 14. Chelsea will be on the road for the first of these games, and the Stamford Bridge date will again be the return leg. Should Chelsea manage to advance to the quarterfinal round, there will be another draw to determine the brackets for the remainder of the tournament.</p>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4015052/chelsea-steaua-bucharest-europa-league-round-of-16Stephen Schmidt2013-02-21T22:01:02+00:002013-02-21T22:01:02+00:00Chelsea 1 - Sparta Prague 1: Initial Reaction
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<figcaption>Ian Walton</figcaption>
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<p>Nothing like leaving it to the end, but Chelsea are through to the Europa League round of 16</p> <p><a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> looked pretty good coming out of the gate, and created a few chances in the early going that really should have had them ahead. As has become typical lately, they'd muff the chances and Sparta would work their way into the tie. After some laughable defending on a set piece, Chelsea found themselves trailing at the half. They were probably lucky that the deficit was only a single goal, as they looked typically toothless after the opening minutes of the half.</p>
<p>The second half got off to another decent start, with Oscar bullying the ball away from a Sparta midfielder, racing the length of the pitch, and setting Ramires up for a shot that was deflected off of the woodwork. They'd be the better side for the majority of the second half, but still struggled to put away any of the half chances that they created. Luckily <span>Eden Hazard</span> buried an absolute laser which bailed out Chelsea at the death:</p>
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<li>I was absolutely furious when I saw <span>Juan Mata</span> in the starting lineup for this game. He was used very heavily while <span>Victor Moses</span> was away and Eden Hazard was suspended, so naturally the way to do things with a trio of weak opponents was to start Mata in all three contests. Rafa clearly had an eye on the weekend game with <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Manchester City</a> as the rest of the lineup would show, so why not let Oscar play centrally and put <span>Marko Marin</span> or the hobo on the wing? For what it's worth, he looked absolutely exhausted on the pitch today.</li>
<li>I really hope Roman Abramovich was watching the FSC feed for this one. The Bridge sounded like it was hopping, but it was 100% Sparta Prague fans that we were hearing. I remember the noise about this tie last season when we were hosting Napoli in the tie that turned around our season, and the Bridge today was nothing like that atmosphere. Abramovich and the board would be well served by considering the fans in the coming months, as at the moment we don't have much of a home field advantage.</li>
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<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres" class="sbn-auto-link">Fernando Torres</a> was absolutely dire with the ball in the first half, but there were definitely thing to be happy about with his performance. For a change, he wasn't just running aimlessly about and dropping deep to get involved with the buildup. Instead he was doing exactly what he should have been doing, making runs at the goal to provide a target and create space behind him. His intelligent movement led to loads of chances for him to finish, but unfortunately that's leads to loads of reminders that he's still Fernando Torres.</li>
<li>Eden Hazard is swell.</li>
<li>More than securing advancement to face the winner of the Bucharest/Ajax tie (which is heading to extra time at the moment), I was thrilled that we weren't stuck playing 30 extra minutes in this one. </li>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4014356/chelsea-1-sparta-prague-1-initial-reaction-and-community-rating-formStephen Schmidt2013-02-21T20:55:05+00:002013-02-21T20:55:05+00:00Chelsea vs. Sparta Prague: Second Half Thread
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<figcaption>Ninja. | Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>Once again, the first half of football is now followed by the second half.</p> <p>This is your autopilot speaking. The score is something to something and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> have played rather objectively at a distinctly unknown level of performance. They either have to get their act together for the second half or see out a comfortable result without too much effort or any injuries. Interim Manager is either the worst manager ever or the worst manager ever.</p>
<p>Proceed.</p>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4014056/chelsea-vs-sparta-prague-europa-league-second-half-threadDavid Pasztor2013-02-21T19:03:55+00:002013-02-21T19:03:55+00:00Chelsea vs. Sparta Prague: Lineups & Game Thread
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<figcaption>JT sets up for the crane kick. Sweep the leg! | Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>This. Is. EUROPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!</p> <p><a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> have not lost a European match at Stamford Bridge in almost two years (Carlo & <a href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Manchester United</a>, before you ask). If they manage to continue that streak tonight - oh confidence; I do miss you so... - they shall advance into the next round and likely get to face Ajax Amsterdam who hold a 2-0 away leg advantage over Steaua Bucharest.</p>
<p>In honor of my homies from Prague (and the fact that it's my favorite beer), I polished off a sixer of Pilsner Urquell last night. If Chelsea get their act together, I could see them polish Sparta off for a sixer tonight.</p>
<p><b><i>Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1)</i></b>:<br><span>Petr Cech</span> | <span>Ryan Bertrand</span>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110210/john-terry" class="sbn-auto-link">John Terry</a>, <span>Gary Cahill</span>, <span>Cesar Azpilicueta</span> | <span>John Obi Mikel</span>, Ramires | Oscar, <span>Juan Mata</span>, <span>Victor Moses</span> | <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres" class="sbn-auto-link">Fernando Torres</a></p>
<p>Substitutes from: <span>Ross Turnbull</span>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110645/paulo-ferreira" class="sbn-auto-link">Paulo Ferreira</a>, <span>Ashley Cole</span>, <span>David Luiz</span>, <span>Marko Marin</span>, <span>Eden Hazard</span>, <span>Yossi Benayoun</span></p>
<p><b><i>Sparta Prague starting lineup (4-4-1)</i></b>:<br>Tomás Vaclík | Matej Hybs, Mario Holek, Ondrej Svejdík, Tomás Zápotocny | Ladislav Krejcí, Lukás Vácha, Marek Matejovsky, Tomas Prikryl | Václav Kadlec | David Lafata</p>
<p><i>Substitutes from: </i>tba</p>
<p>Strong lineup. Crush them suckers!</p>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4013950/chelsea-vs-sparta-prague-europa-league-lineups-game-threadDavid Pasztor2013-02-21T05:42:23+00:002013-02-21T05:42:23+00:00Chelsea vs. Sparta Prague: Team News & Preview
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<figcaption>ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?? | Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>"Fortress" Stamford Bridge braces for another Continental "assault." Europa League football!</p> <p>Problems, problems, problems; it's hard out there for Mr. Interim Failure. First, it's mo' money, mo' problems. Then, it's mo' games, mo' problems. Then, it's mo' injuries, mo' problems. And now it's mo' competition, mo' problems. All the problems! Positively no-no-no-notorious.</p>
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<p>We have more competition now, which is a problem, but it's good for me. It's good because we have so many games and it's important to have the whole squad available.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>-Source: <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3082856/title/benitez-the-right-direction">chelseafc.com</a></i></p>
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<p>Way to save it, champ. So it's good for you then? Oh, right, because rotation. I mean Rafatation. One can always count of Rafatation to keep things interesting ... because, after all, there's nothing more interesting than results such as 0-1 home defeats to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/queens-park-rangers">Queens Park Rangers</a>, right?</p>
<p>So excited! Like that time I had to deal with Comcast customer service. And by time I mean the last 48 hours - which included two trips to the local office, three live chats, and four phone calls - that it took those cacophony of idiots to activate HBO and a new HD box on my line of service. Feeling punchy and not in a casual way.</p>
<p>Viva la Rafatación!</p>
<p><b>Date/Time: </b> Thursday, February 21, 20:05 GMT; 3:05 P.M. EST; 1:35 A.M. IST (next day)</p>
<p><b>Venue: </b>Stamford Bridge, SW6</p>
<p><b>TV Information: </b> ESPN (UK); Fox Soccer (USA); TEN Sports (India)</p>
<p><b>Online: </b> FOXSoccer2Go</p>
<p>So I guess this is a "late" game then for the Europa League slate. Hurray for more odd kickoff times!</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a>: </b>The grinning idiot claims that the team is great and positive because it has scored plenty of goals and has been strong in defense. Except, you know, when they get shut out by the aforementioned QPR. Or when they lose hilariously to Corinthians. Or when they concede two+ to the likes of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/reading">Reading</a> and Brentford and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://cominghomenewcastle.sbnation.com/">Newcastle</a>. Or when they simply struggle to play anything non-insipid like last Thursday. But hey, flat-track bullying the likes of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/">Aston Villa</a> and Leeds sure is a positive sign, right? Or scoring four in the last 35 at home versus Brentford, right? Those first 55 scoreless minutes though, those sure were impressive.</p>
<p>But fear not, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres">Fernando Torres</a> shall be back for this one! Having perfected the art of tamely shooting straight at the goalkeeper last week, I'm sure he will still manage to dazzle us in fresh, new, and unexpected ways. The gift that keeps on giving, Torres is.</p>
<p>Rivaling Oscar as biggest victim of Rafatación, <span>John Obi Mikel</span> should make his belated return to the first team in this one as well, while both <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110218/frank-lampard">Frank Lampard</a> and the overworked <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110687/branislav-ivanovic">Branislav Ivanovic</a> are going to catch a breather. Of course, neither of those two should be automatic starters in an ideal Chelsea lineup, so I'm not really sure why their non-selection would merit a press conference mention - why not tell me about <span>Juan Mata</span> instead? - but Rafatación works in mysterious ways.</p>
<p><b>Sparta Prague: </b> Sparta lost the first leg but they may yet win the race. The race of misfiring strikers, that is. David Lafata may be the leading scorer in the Czech League, but all he had to offer was a litany of hilarious misses and fluffed chances. Thanks David! I'm sure the check, signed by ... umm ... Tornando Ferres is in the mail.</p>
<p>The one big news for the underdogs is that ex-Chelsea janitor Jiri Jarosik has recovered from injury and should be back to anchor the team. The man, who arrived as part of what I'm sure was some money-laundering operation, won the double with Chelsea (or is that just a one-and-a-half if it's the League Cup instead of the FA Cup?) back in 2005-06. He even started<b>*</b> that memorable - I love you, <span>Steven Gerrard</span> own goal! - League Cup final versus <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>, who were of course managed by none other than ... umm ... yeah.</p>
<p>Sigh.</p>
<p><i><b>*</b> Jarosik was subbed at half-time with Chelsea down 0-1. Mourinho was later fined by the FA for the illegal, before 80th minute substitution.</i></p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4011746/chelsea-vs-sparta-prague-europa-league-preview-watch-tv-scheduleDavid Pasztor2013-02-20T15:39:47+00:002013-02-20T15:39:47+00:00Ba, Lampard, and Ivanovic out for Sparta Prague
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<figcaption>Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>Ba is cup tied, while both Lampard and Ivanovic are being rested ahead of the Manchester City clash</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> Rafa Benitez has spoken about how he's planning to rotate the squad ahead of tomorrow's home leg against Sparta Prague, and he's ruled out a pair of Chelsea players. While we're sure to see <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres">Fernando Torres</a> due to <span>Demba Ba</span> being cup tied in the competition, we're not going to be seeing either <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110687/branislav-ivanovic">Branislav Ivanovic</a> or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110218/frank-lampard">Frank Lampard</a> <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3082856/title/benitez-the-right-direction?" target="_blank">according to the interim manager</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>'It's important to be fit and train properly, and Frank will not be in the squad tomorrow as we have to manage the group and think about all the other games.'</p>
<p>'Obviously Demba Ba is unavailable, but Branislav Ivanovic will also not be involved.'</p>
<p>'To play every game because we didn't have the options is a problem, but at least now we will have fresh legs almost for every game.'</p>
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<p>It's interesting that he's already ruled out both Lampard and Ivanovic as players he's looking to rest ahead of an absolutely massive game this weekend, but failed to mention <span>Juan Mata</span>. To me, this seems like an ideal time to rest Chelsea's best player, so I really hope he starts this contest on the bench. You never can tell with Rafa though, as not many of his decisions seem to make an awful lot of sense. </p>
<p>With both Lampard and Ivanovic being rested, it would seem to mean that <span>John Obi Mikel</span> will be back in the squad for the tie. That will be good to see, as the midfield has really been missing his presence while he was away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Who knows...maybe tomorrow will be the day he finally ends his goal drought.</p>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/2/20/4008778/chelsea-fc-rafa-benitez-rest-frank-lampard-branislav-ivanovic-demba-ba-sparta-prague-europa-leagueStephen Schmidt