We Ain't Got No History - Matchday 18: Chelsea vs. SwanseaChampions of Europe!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52884/21_SBN_002_We_Aint_Got_No_History_Favicon_32x32..png2013-12-27T23:50:29+00:00http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/rss/stream/50067792013-12-27T23:50:29+00:002013-12-27T23:50:29+00:00Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Ratings, Three Stars
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<img alt="ALL THE LOVE" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_0_U8_7XNwZ0MU1RUq0j2QxDjws=/0x0:2667x1778/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/25812837/459407283.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>ALL THE LOVE | Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>For the first time since last year's 4-1 win over Norwich City, Chelsea's three highest rated starters were the vaunted trio of Mata, Hazard, and Oscar.</p> <p>
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<b>1. EDEN HAZARD</b> - AML</td>
<td style="width: 50px; height: 50px; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 30px; text-align: center; color: white; background-color: black;"><i>8.4</i></td>
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<span class="statwords">Minutes played</span><span><b>82</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Touches</span><span><b>77</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Passes</span><span><b>34/49</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Shots</span><span><b>2*/3</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Take-ons</span><span><b>5/10</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Clearances </span><span><b>0/2</b></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Hazard earned the most praise from the manager and he's earned your highest ratings as well. It would be hard to argue against those being deserved.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">While other players' ratings may have been closer to him had he not been the only one to ripple the back of the net - I'd imagine we'd be raving a bit more about Eto'o's link-up play or the powerhouse of a performance put in by Mikel (outside of initial problems with Lord Voldemort) had they taken their chances, too - the extra bit of directness on display from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> leading goalscorer AND assist-maker on the season was a welcome change from the last few matches.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Just before Mourinho took him off to try to rest him as much as possible for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>, Hazard made one of the best defensive contributions by any attacker outside of Oscar. However, in all their wisdom, Opta has decided to call that a "failed clearance." Is that insane or is that insane? How about a blocked cross (or a blocked pass) statistic? Or a "sprint 20-yards to prevent the overlapping fullback from creating a clear goalscoring opportunity" statistic? We're slowly getting better in describing attacking football through numbers, but we're still criminally behind in quantifying defensive contributions.</div>
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<b>2. OSCAR </b>- AMC</td>
<td style="width: 50px; height: 50px; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 30px; text-align: center; color: white; background-color: black;"><i>7.4</i></td>
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<span class="statwords">Minutes played</span><span><b>67</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Touches</span><span><b>63</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Passes</span><span><b>31/40</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Shots</span><span><b>0/1</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Tackles</span><span><b>5/5</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Aerial duels</span><span><b>2/4</b></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Boy, those small, weak Brazilian flair players will never make it in the Premier League, right?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">It's somewhat interesting that we have two of the least-stereotypical Brazilians (as if that is still a thing after the evolution of the last quarter century) amongst our ranks: Ramires, the inexhaustible, all-action midfielder, and Oscar, the inexhaustible, all-action attacking midfielder. And with a bit more work, we could easily add Willian to this list, too.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">In any case, while Oscar was the least flashy of the Three Amigos on the attacking end, he galvanized the side with his crunching, head-turning tackles on the other end. The five successful tackles have solidified Oscar's second place behind <span>Pajtim Kasami</span> on the Premier League leading tacklers list (looking at just nominally attacking players of course).</div>
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<b>3. JUAN MATA </b>- AMR</td>
<td style="width: 50px; height: 50px; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 30px; text-align: center; color: white; background-color: black;"><i>7.3</i></td>
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<span class="statwords">Minutes played</span><span><b>72</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Touches</span><span><b>44</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Passes</span><span><b>22/24</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Shots</span><span><b>0/1</b></span>
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<span class="statwords">Crosses </span><span><b>5/12</b></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Surprisingly, <span>Juan Mata</span> didn't see as much of the ball as we would usually expect.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Unsurprisingly, when he was on the ball, good things tended to happen. (It certainly helped that his pass completion percentage stood well above our other attackers.)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Twice Mata gave the perfect pass to our center forward, twice Eto'o wasted the glorious chance. <span>Gerhard Tremmel</span> made the saves, yes, but you or I could've scored at least one of those, let alone someone of Eto'o's reputation and previous record. And then there was that one-two with Hazard that made us all weak in the knees - including Eden himself, unfortunately, whose weak effort drifted straight into the goalkeeper's hands. Oh well.</div>
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<p><i>OTHERS:</i><br>Cech (<b>6.9</b>), Ivanovic (<b>6.8</b>), <span>David Luiz</span> (<b>7.1</b>), Terry (<b>7.1</b>), A.Cole (<b>6.7</b>), Mikel (<b>6.7</b>), Ramires (<b>6.4</b>), Eto'o (<b>4.3</b>)</p>
<p><i>SUBS:</i><br>Lampard (<b>6.3</b>), Schürrle (<b>5.9</b>), Willian (<b>6.1</b>)</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/27/5249082/chelsea-swansea-ratings-man-of-the-matchDavid Pasztor2013-12-27T06:19:43+00:002013-12-27T06:19:43+00:00Death by a Thousand Missed Shots
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DScVX6uITlLn9I2Ch0h1gkZMhMQ=/0x359:3632x2780/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/25775045/459383743.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Clive Rose</figcaption>
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<p>Wherein Jose's one of us, exhibit #234613:</p>
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<p>"They kill me every game. Every game I am tired at the end."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/jose-mourinho">Jose Mourinho</a></i></p>
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<p>They being the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> strikers of course - who <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2529367/Chelsea-1-Swansea-0-Match-report-Eden-Hazard-spares-blushes-wasteful-Blues.html">"always give something to the team,"</a> to be fair, but usually not goals. <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3591500/title/final-whistle-verdict-hard-work-win">The Chelsea official website</a> spun this as a comment with a smile, but judging from <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2529367/Chelsea-1-Swansea-0-Match-report-Eden-Hazard-spares-blushes-wasteful-Blues.html">the video posted by The Daily Mail</a>, it was much more of a scoff than anything else. A wry smile, a shake of the head: it's as if I were looking in the mirror while watching* Eto'o, Torres, and Ba fluff their chances with alarmingly continuing regularity.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/3853/Stages/7794/TeamStatistics/England-Premier-League-2013-2014">WhoScored</a>, Chelsea have taken 305 shots in the Premier League this season. Manchester City have taken 315.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I didn't even get excited about that chance."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>-Graham MacAree</i></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Graham died in the 50th minute.</p>
<p><i>* Ever tried watching football in a mirror? <span>Cesar Azpilicueta</span> is an amazing left back!</i></p>
<p>As usual, Mourinho doled out plenty of praise where it was due and that included the man who left his shooting boots somewhere in Russia. <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18w1bd_reaction-mourinho-on-swansea_sport">The manager was very happy</a> with Eto'o's link-up play, overall "participation," and the hustle he showed in closing-down Swansea players all the way to the final whistle. <span>David Luiz</span> and <span>Juan Mata</span> received specific mentions as well, but the biggest accolades were reserved for the match winner himself.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"He gave everything and so I'm happy. His last action in the game was defending our box to stop the progress of their left back. The kid was exhausted. He plays a high-intensity game and I needed a fresh player."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>-Jose Mourinho; source: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2529367/Chelsea-1-Swansea-0-Match-report-Eden-Hazard-spares-blushes-wasteful-Blues.html">Daily Mail</a></i></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Rest up, Mr. Hazard, we're going to need you at the Garden of Eden again on Sunday.</p>
<p>One player who's not going to be there on Sunday is Ramires: the midfield dynamo picked up his fifth yellow card of the season and will thus be suspended for one match. Mourinho chose to put a positive spin on this as well - <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3591500/title/final-whistle-verdict-hard-work-win">"it means against Southampton he is fresh"</a> - but it wasn't exactly the best idea on Ramires's part. Then again, as the man who leads the Premier League with 35 fouls, we shouldn't be surprised at his poor timing.</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/27/5247062/death-by-a-thousand-missed-shots-chelsea-kill-mourinho-every-gameDavid Pasztor2013-12-26T18:10:50+00:002013-12-26T18:10:50+00:00Chelsea 1-0 Swansea: Match report
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<figcaption>Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>Eden Hazard's first half strike was enough to get all three points against Swansea City, but Chelsea were once again beyond wasteful in front of goal.</p> <p>Stop me if you've heard this one before: Chelsea comfortably outplay their vastly inferior opponents but fail to turn their myriad chances into an extended leave, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. The team that we failed to kill off on Boxing Day were the continually overrated <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/swansea-city">Swansea City</a>, who came to Stamford Bridge with minimal attacking intent and minimal defensive competence and managed to escape with a respectable 1-0 loss.</p>
<p>Obviously, getting all three points is the important thing, and Eden Hazard's first-half goal and then some decent defending (two clean sheets in a row! Woo!) ensured that we managed to get the points and grab second place for a few hours. But the fact that <span>Mike Jones</span> blowing for full time came as a <i>relief</i> is cause for concern -- the Swans should have been blown off the park today, and they weren't.</p>
<p>By the time Hazard put us 1-0 up Chelsea had had half a dozen corners and enough shots to have won the game. Oscar was instrumental in keeping the visitors on the back foot, the Brazilian demonstrating the qualities which ensure that he remains a favourite of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/jose-mourinho">Jose Mourinho</a> and the Stamford Bridge faithful with some absolutely immense tackling, but he too was wasteful in front of goal, miscontrolling a tenth-minute Hazard pass and letting the ball run to <span>Gerhard Tremmel</span>.</p>
<p>There were more chances, and more misses. <span>Ashley Williams</span> blocked a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110687/branislav-ivanovic">Branislav Ivanovic</a> shot. Jose Canas blocked a Branislav Ivanovic shot. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110210/john-terry">John Terry</a> slammed a cross from Oscar into the ground and then saw his shot tipped over by Tremmel after the bounce. Then John Obi Mikel failed to attack a knockback and allowed Williams to punt clear with the ball virtually on the goalline.</p>
<p>Then Hazard struck. <span>Ashley Cole</span>, making his first league start since the 2-0 loss against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://cominghomenewcastle.sbnation.com/">Newcastle</a> at St. James' Park, made an interception just inside the Chelsea half, immediately firing upfield to the Belgian. Jordi Amat had no idea how to handle him, getting half-turned and then left behind as Hazard worked space to shoot. It wasn't a great shot, but Williams' attempted clearance ended up unsighting Tremmel, and so the ball ended up in the back of the net.</p>
<p>Tremmel made another error mere minutes later, allowing <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110144/samuel-eto-o">Samuel Eto'o</a> to block a clearance, but Swansea got a lucky bounce and the goalkeeper was able to fall onto the loose ball before Oscar arrived on the scene. He then redeemed himself by saving well from Eto'o after a wondrous, wondrous pass from <span>Juan Mata</span> set the striker through on goal -- the shot was mishit, but it would have found the net if not for a very nice stop.</p>
<p>Swansea were offering next to nothing going forward. They did manage a half-chance when Jonjo Shelvey's attempted header at goal instead fell to Alvaro Vasquez, suckering the entire Chelsea defence out of the way in the process, but Vasquez's effort was poor and would have gone over for a goal kick had <span>Petr Cech</span> not helped the ball over the crossbar.</p>
<p>Halftime came. Halftime went. And within fifteen seconds of the restart, we should have been 2-0 up. <span>David Luiz</span> played a long pass forward to Mata, who evaded the attention of the visiting defence and fizzed a cross into the six yard box. With Amat and Williams helpless, all that was left for Eto'o to do was to volley past Tremmel from five yards. Instead, he hit it right at the goalkeeper.</p>
<p>That was to prove the last of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> big chances. Perhaps buoyed by the fact that they were only down by one goal -- or perhaps in a vain attempt to get something from the match -- Swansea finally did some attacking. But since it was Swansea, that just meant that their stodgy posession play moved into our half rather than theirs. No threat was offered, and the defence dealt well with their whenever they got into remotely threatening positions.</p>
<p>But the mere fact that they had the potential to deprive us of two points with one touch or one mistake was deeply concerning. Being on the back foot (and, like at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a>, wasting opportunities to hit our opponents on the counterattack thanks to some very dubious decision making -- I'm looking at you, Ramires) for most of the second half was stressful, even if Swansea were poor.</p>
<p>And that pressure did end up costing the Blues in the form of a yellow card for Ramires. He'd been walking the line for some time before Mike Jones took his name for a foul on <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/173929/wilfried-bony">Wilfried Bony</a>, a booking that'll see him ruled out for the weekend's encounter with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>. Fortunately, that was the only repercussion of our inability to put the game to bed and relax.</p>
<p>It's a win and we'll take it, but Chelsea still aren't at their best.</p>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/26/5245084/chelsea-vs-swansea-final-score-match-reportGraham MacAree2013-12-26T16:51:21+00:002013-12-26T16:51:21+00:00Chelsea 1 - Swansea 0: Initial Reaction
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eOE-s00sNCPS4SgbySCUUsg9b_g=/0x275:2740x2102/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/25743407/459405637.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p>Chelsea didn't kill this one off as quickly as they should have, but dominated their Boxing Day fixture at Stamford Bridge</p> <p>The scoreline alone won't tell the tale of how today's game against Swansea was played, as this was a generally excellent performance from Chelsea. The Blues looked the much better side for the entirety f this contest, and a three or four goal victory wouldn't have seemed out of the question.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/jose-mourinho">Jose Mourinho</a> will surely take the result, regardless of how much more lopsided it could have been. With <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> playing each other in the final game of the day, his side will be assured to be no worse than third while sitting two points from the top of the table. Here are a few thoughts in the immediate aftermath of this one:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>I loved the lineup when it was announced, and am thrilled to see that Mourinho has (at least temporarily) stopped using <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110218/frank-lampard">Frank Lampard</a> in back to back games involving a quick turnaround.</span></li>
<li><span>Say what you will about <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> approach to the game at the Emirates, but Chelsea were in attack mode from the opening kick of this one. It doesn't appear that Mourinho is planning to be overly conservative against some of the less dangerous teams in the league, especially at home.</span></li>
<li>The number of straightforward chances the Blues fail to convert is becoming laughable. There's really no excuse for not burying Swansea just 15 seconds into the second half.</li>
<li>
<span>Jonjo Shelvey</span> wouldn't look out of place at all in a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/stoke-city">Stoke City</a> kit.</li>
<li>The Ramires 'stamp' in the second half was obviously missed by the referee, so the FA will be able to look at it retroactively should they see any reason to do so. Personally, I'm not so sure there's any way to deem that incident to be intentional based on the replays we've seen thus far, and I really hope their was no intent from the Chelsea player.</li>
<li>Speaking of Ramires, he'll now be suspended for the match against Liverpool after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. I'm having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that it took him 19 domestic appearances to pick up five yellow cards.</li>
<li>Tony Gale is the worst. I've never heard a single positive comment about his work, and it blows my mind that someone actually thinks he should be calling games.</li>
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https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/26/5244972/chelsea-swansea-final-score-initial-reaction-and-community-rating-formStephen Schmidt2013-12-26T15:52:25+00:002013-12-26T15:52:25+00:00Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Second Half Thread
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<figcaption>Warren Little</figcaption>
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<p><a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> have basically dominated the first half from the first minute to the last, yet as has been the case so often this season, failed to truly make their chances count.</p>
<p>Over a dozen shots - 14, to be accurate - about a third of which were on target. Multiple excellent chances, some lovely interplay, even some decent crossing. But football is a strange game. Even our goal came more from individual enterprise and a bit of luck rather than some scintillating passing move: <span>Eden Hazard</span>, the team's leading scorer, picked the ball up on the left, dribbled past a couple Swansea defenders, cut in onto his right foot and let it fly. It wasn't the greatest shot - although we should commend him for actually taking the shot, unlike several instances in past matches - but somehow it wriggled between and through the combination of <span>Ashley Williams</span> and the goalkeeper <span>Gerhard Tremmel</span>.</p>
<p>The goal was followed by a few minutes of Swansea pressure, but then normal service was restored. <span>Juan Mata</span> and Hazard resumed their telephatic understandings, Oscar was here, there, and everywhere, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110144/samuel-eto-o" class="sbn-auto-link">Samuel Eto'o</a> managed to waste another glorious chance. Chelsea strikers, eh?</p>
<p>At least we're winning. UP THE BLUES!</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/26/5245184/chelsea-vs-swansea-city-second-half-threadDavid Pasztor2013-12-26T14:15:35+00:002013-12-26T14:15:35+00:00Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Lineups & Game Thread
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<figcaption>Clive Rose</figcaption>
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<blockquote>
<p>"It's a special day in football, especially for the team playing at home, and after that comes <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool</a>, who are the leaders now and, who knows, could still be the leaders on that day, so it's hard, difficult but hopefully enjoyable."</p>
<p>"We need the strikers obviously to improve but we need the other players to be more effective with the way they transform half chances into chances. When they have a chance they have to attack defenders, shoot and provoke challenges"</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/jose-mourinho">Jose Mourinho</a>; source: <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3590215/title/mourinho-home-comforts">Chelsea FC</a></i></p>
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<p>---</p>
<p><i><b><a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> starting lineup (4-2-3-1):</b></i><br><span>Petr Cech</span> | <span>Ashley Cole</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110210/john-terry">John Terry</a>, <span>David Luiz</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110687/branislav-ivanovic">Branislav Ivanovic</a> | Mikel, Ramires | <span>Eden Hazard</span>, Oscar, <span>Juan Mata</span> | <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110144/samuel-eto-o">Samuel Eto'o</a></p>
<p><i>Substitutes from:</i> <span>Mark Schwarzer</span>, <span>Cesar Azpilicueta</span>, <span>Gary Cahill</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110218/frank-lampard">Frank Lampard</a>, André Schürrle, Willian, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres">Fernando Torres</a></p>
<p><i><b><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/swansea-city" class="sbn-auto-link">Swansea City</a> starting lineup (4-2-3-1):</b></i><br><span>Gerhard Tremmel</span> | <span>Neil Taylor</span>, <span>Ashley Williams</span>, Jordi Amat, <span>Angel Rangel</span> | José Cañas, <span>Leon Britton</span> | <span>Wayne Routledge</span>, <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span>, Alejandro Pozuelo | Álvaro Vázquez</p>
<p><i>Substitutes from: </i>Gregor Zabret, Chico Flores, <span>Ben Davies</span>, Jonathan de Guzman, Pablo Hernández, Roland Lamah, <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/173929/wilfried-bony" class="sbn-auto-link">Wilfried Bony</a></p>
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<p>And on the last day of Christmas, my Mourinho gave to me ... MaZaCar!</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/26/5244624/chelsea-vs-swansea-city-lineups-game-threadDavid Pasztor2013-12-25T15:00:03+00:002013-12-25T15:00:03+00:00Chelsea vs. Swansea: Preview
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<figcaption>Ian Walton</figcaption>
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<p>After a somewhat disappointing outing at the Emirates against a very average <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a> side, Chelsea have the chance to fulfill our collective Christmas wishes and bounce back against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/swansea-city">Swansea City</a>. Boxing Day fixtures are part of English football tradition, which means that we've institutionalised depriving some of the most-loved (and most-hated) people in the country of spending Christmas with their family because they have to train for a match the next day. Isn't that nice?</p>
<p>Anyway, Swansea. They're an interesting team -- they always seem to be billed as something they're not. In their first year up, they were dubbed as the Welsh Barcelona despite having the creative powers of a concussed pidgeon, in their second we were told that we should be seriously considering Michu as one of the most dangerous players in the league.</p>
<p>Disentangling fact from fiction isn't easy with the Swans, but suffice to say that they keep the ball reasonably well and don't tend to leave space in the defence when they go forward. On a good day, that is. The toils of a European campaign have left our gets struggling to stay healthy, which has led to some rather inconsistent play this year.</p>
<p>Coming off a 2-1 loss at home against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a>, we really shouldn't be expecting Swansea to put up much of a fight at Stamford Bridge, and if they were going to any other top side we'd be writing them off immediately. But this is Chelsea, and nothing's ever easy for us, is it?</p>
<p><b>Date/Time:</b> Thursday, December 26, 2013, 3:00 pm GMT; 10 am EST; 8:30 pm IST</p>
<p><b>Venue</b>: Stamford Bridge, London.<br><br><b>Forecast: </b>Surprisingly un-miserable.<br><br><b>On TV:</b> <i>none</i> (UK); <strike>NBC Sports Network</strike> Premier League Extra Time (USA); Star Sports 4 (India).<br><br><b>Online:</b> NBC Live Extra (USA).</p>
<p><b>Chelsea team news: </b>As far as I can tell, there isn't any. Marco van Ginkel hasn't had his anterior cruciate ligament stitched together in some kind of Christmas miracle, and Ryan Bertrand's not back from whatever injury he's supposed to have sustained recently, and despite Mike Dean attempting to have both sets of players murder each other at the Emirates on Monday, we have no additions to the injured list. So that's good. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110300/michael-essien">Michael Essien</a> will return from suspension after serving one match out for yellow card accumulation.</p>
<p>That said, this match will be played on short rest, so expect some of the players who sat out against Arsenal -- notably <span>Juan Mata</span>, Oscar and <span>David Luiz</span> -- to get starts this time around.</p>
<p><b>Swansea team news: </b>Michael Laudrup hasn't had the best of luck with injuries, and it turns out that he'll be without Michu for the next six weeks with an ankle problem. He's also missing goalkeeper <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110470/michel-vorm">Michel Vorm</a>, which means that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> strikers will have even fewer excuses for not scoring when they don't score.</p>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3604021/nextclicks.css"></p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/25/5243356/chelsea-vs-swansea-city-squad-news-tv-streaming-information-previewGraham MacAree2013-12-25T00:00:02+00:002013-12-25T00:00:02+00:00Chelsea vs. Swansea: You choose the squad
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<figcaption>Shaun Botterill</figcaption>
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<p>If you didn't like the formation we used against Arsenal, you have the chance to tell us what you'd do differently </p> <p><a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> have closed to within two points of the top of the table, and will have the opportunity to gain some ground on at least one of the top four sides with a win at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. They'll be hosting <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/swansea-city" class="sbn-auto-link">Swansea City</a> will a mostly fit squad, and three points would be a nice holiday gift for Chelsea fans worldwide.</p>
<p>Marco van Ginkel will still be out with injury, while <span>Ryan Bertrand</span> also appears to be unavailable as well. The rest of the squad is available for selection, including <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110300/michael-essien" class="sbn-auto-link">Michael Essien</a> who has now completed his one match ban.</p>
<p>Let us know who you would start if placed in charge of Chelsea, and feel free to check in with the full results <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/123eg8KSQhjwMQFX3u9dIGmsz8tfa-ZjoLECIJg_U21M/viewanalytics" target="_blank">here</a>. Keep in mind that the fixture list remain crowded for the next week or so, with games against <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool</a>, <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Southampton</a>, and Derby all to be played by January 5th.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/123eg8KSQhjwMQFX3u9dIGmsz8tfa-ZjoLECIJg_U21M/viewform?embedded=true" width="100%" height="500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe></p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/12/25/5242724/chelsea-vs-swansea-you-choose-the-squadStephen Schmidt