9 replies to this topic

[Hutch]

from the official site:

Quote

EXPERIENCE IN FOR RESERVE START
Posted on: Mon 23 Aug 2010

Michael Mancienne and Patrick van Aanholt start for Chelsea as the reserves begin their competitive campaign at Stamford Bridge tonight.

The defensive pair will be joined in the line-up by Fabio Borini and a number of last season's FA Youth Cup winners, as Steve Holland's side kick off what he hopes will be an exciting campaign at second string level.

'We have a group of first-year professionals who were the nucleus of last year's youth team that will formulate the basis of the reserve group this year, we are usually Under 19 and that won't change,' Holland said.

'There will be three or four of this year's youth team involved on Monday, the likes of Rohan Ince, Billy Clifford, Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah, so it will be a young team.'

A re-jigging of the format of reserve league football has brought in a renationalisation of the competition, adding some big names to what had become a stale fixture list, and Holland is hoping his youngsters will see the benefit.

'The main improvements we were looking for were more fixtures, better quality fixtures and a bit more flexibility with when we can play them so we can get the best players on the field,' he explained. 'It isn't as easy as it sounds given the demands of a Champions League club and the international calendar.

'We have managed the first two objectives, the first four fixtures we have scheduled are Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton, so they are good quality fixtures.

'As far as Monday is concerned the added bonus is the playing surface, the fact we are sharing games between Cobham, which has an excellent surface, and Stamford Bridge adds to the excitement for the players.

'It is the first one at Stamford Bridge for me, and it will be for some of the players too I am sure, the reserves have not played there in a good while so we will all look forward to it.'

Like the first team, the reserves have experienced a mixed pre-season with the World Cup also influencing personnel below Carlo Ancelotti's squad.

'The first few games we were stretched with players, and had a lot of young lads playing in hard games,' Holland said.

'From a results perspective we were a bit inconsistent, but the last two games have been more like it. Manchester United was a good performance and a good result and the Blackburn game was a good performance and I was pleased with the players. Hopefully against Everton we will continue that run.'

Chelsea side to face Everton reserves: Sam Walker, Billy Clifford, Rohan Ince, Michael Mancienne, Patrick van Aanholt, Conor Clifford, Nathaniel Chalobah, Josh McEachran, Gokhan Tore, Fabio Borini, Jacob Mellis.


Subs: Jemal Blackman, Aliu 'Kaby' Djalo, Michael Woods, Milan Lalkovic, Jacopo Sala.

LINK

[dkw]

Interesting to see Chalobah there, is he still only 15? He looked a hell of a prospect playing for Englands u17`s.

[Hutch]

dkw, on 23 August 2010 - 06:05 PM, said:

Interesting to see Chalobah there, is he still only 15? He looked a hell of a prospect playing for Englands u17`s.

yep.he's still only 15. 21 minutes gone, Fabio Borino puts Chelsea 1-0 up. we've been well on top, passing and movement have been excellent against an older, heavier, more experienced Everton side.

[TomW]

We are playing well, Borini took his goal well.

Out of curiosity is there a minimum age to play for the first team?

[Hutch]

i'd imagine so. Clive Walker mentioned that last season Chalobah was still too young to play for the reserves.

[Hutch]

final score 1-1. Chelsea were outstanding in the first half, but only had the one goal to show for their superiority. Everton looked a different team after half time and it was no surprise when they equalised. after 20 minutes of Everton dominance, Chelsea came back strongly, made several more chances but couldn't find what would have been a well deserved winner.

[The Machine]

stride, on 23 August 2010 - 07:59 PM, said:

final score 1-1. Chelsea were outstanding in the first half, but only had the one goal to show for their superiority. Everton looked a different team after half time and it was no surprise when they equalised. after 20 minutes of Everton dominance, Chelsea came back strongly, made several more chances but couldn't find what would have been a well deserved winner.

Did you watch the whole of the game? If you did who stood out the most for Chelsea?

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The Machine, on 23 August 2010 - 09:06 PM, said:

Did you watch the whole of the game? If you did who stood out the most for Chelsea?

i did. there were several very good performances tonight, notably van Aanholt and McEachran, especially in the first half. Borini had a pretty good game, and took his goal well. Mancienne made a couple of mistakes, one right at the beginning almost led to Everton taking the lead.

Edited by stride, 23 August 2010 - 09:12 PM.

[Hutch]

match report from the official site:

Quote

Chelsea welcomed reserve team football back to Stamford Bridge and launched a new league format with an entertaining game.

Steve Holland's side took the lead through Fabio Borini and looked well on their way to three points following a first half they dominated with good possession football, played by a side containing six of the FA Youth Cup Final side. It was augmented by the more senior Michael Mancienne and Jacob Mellis and also contained 15-year-old Nathaniel Chalobah.

Everton, opposition due to the new nationwide set of fixtures, changed formation at the break and added an extra man in midfield. The Toffees equalised with a set-piece and tested the home team further as young Blues legs began to make mistakes, but Chelsea rallied strongly and came close to finding a winner three times in the closing minutes.

Everton could have scored inside 40 seconds of the first half as Joao Silva ran in behind the home defence but Sam Walker stuck out a hand and kept out a close-range effort.

Mellis, fresh from England duty at the recent European Under 19 Championships, had Chelsea's first effort but scooped it over and Borini, captaining the side, fared little better when slipped through by a well-weighted Josh McEachran pass.

Up the other end, James Vaughan brought a first-team presence and it took a clean challenge in the area from centre-back Rohan Ince, on his full reserve debut, to prevent the Everton striker bustling through for a clear strike on target.

Chelsea were enjoying territorial advantage however and won a free-kick right on the angle of the penalty area, whipped just a yard over by Gokhan Tore. Moments later Borini stung the hands of Jan Mucha, Everton's summer signing who was Slovakia's goalkeeper at the World Cup.

Chelsea's goal, scored on 21 minutes, followed a prolonged period of crisp Blues passing and pressure. Everton cracked when Chalobah's long pass was worked by Mellis to over-lapping left-back Patrick van Aanholt. The Dutchman picked out Borini who clipped the ball beyond the reach of Mucha from 10 yards out.

Everton could have drawn level soon after had Walker not pushed Gueye's cross-shot over. Vaughan then tried his luck from range but shot too high.

There was almost a horror show of Rob Green proportions from Mucha when van Aanholt had a dig with a free-kick from further out than Tore's earlier effort and hit with less pace.It was grasped, then allowed to squirm free before being gathered again by the Slovakian in the nick of time.

All the promising play was Chelsea's. Chalobah in midfield was showing a good range of passing, McEachran was busy nipping in to win the ball and constantly looking to split the defence while Conor Clifford worked hard. Approaching the break, McEachran passed up the chance to shoot inside the area, instead tapping the ball onto to Tore whose shot was saved. Borini then curled a 40th minute shot just over.

The McEachran-Borini connection almost came off early in the second half but the Italian was well tackled before he was denied a headed goal by a Mucha save having met Van Aanholt's cross.

Nine minutes after the restart Chelsea gave the Merseysiders a sniff of goal but stretching Vaughan, who was unmarked, couldn't quite make contact with Gueye's cross.

The Blues were eventually undone by a set-piece two minutes later from a free-kick conceded by Tore. Floated in, Ross Barkley rose above the defence to nod wide of Walker's dive.

Chelsea had by now let the upper hand slip and another Barkley header needed a Walker save. Free-kicks were being conceded in dangerous places.
Chances at the other end were few although Conor Clifford had a 25-yard drive turned wide. Steve Holland gave it until the 78th minute to make changes but then brought on three subs.

One of those, Milan Lalkovic, was quickly on target but Mucha saved at his near-post. McEachran (pictured below) had threaded the ball between defenders.

With five minutes to go, Chalobah could have capped his reserve debut with a goal when he pounced on a loose ball after Borini's shot was blocked but the schoolboy hurriedly sliced wide.

Another sub, Jacopo Sala caught a shot cleanly but that was saved and on 89 minutes, van Aanholt smashed a ball low towards the far post but Lalkovic couldn't adjust his feet in time to turn in a bouncing ball.

There was still hope when substitute Kaby went down under a challenge in a promising position but McEachran could only send the ball into the empty seats in the Matthew Harding Lower with 92 minutes on the clock.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Sam Walker; Billy Clifford, Rohan Ince, Michael Mancienne, Patrick van Aanholt; Conor Clifford (Milan Lalkovic 77), Josh McEachran, Nathaniel Chalobah; Gokhan Tore (Kaby Djalo 78), Fabio Borini (capt), Jacob Mellis (Jacopo Sala 78).

Everton: Jan Mucha; Aristote Nsiala, Shane Duffy (capt), Shkodran Mustafi, Jake Bidwell; Jose Baxter, Hope Akpan, Ross Barkley, Mageye Gueye (Nathan Craig 60); James Vaughan, Joao Silva (James Wallace h-t).

LINK

[The Machine]

stride, on 23 August 2010 - 09:11 PM, said:

i did. there were several very good performances tonight, notably van Aanholt and McEachran, especially in the first half. Borini had a pretty good game, and took his goal well. Mancienne made a couple of mistakes, one right at the beginning almost led to Everton taking the lead.

Thanks for the mini report Stride.