The Blues Brief

Article by e-Chelsea's Robert Wake

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e-Chelsea Weekly News Round Up

30 July – Lukaku Leaves – Romelu Lukaku has joined Everton for a fee reported to be £28 million. The Belgian made 15 appearances for The Blues.

30 July – Vitesse Arnhem 1-3 Chelsea – Chelsea continued their pre-season preparations with a visit to Arnhem. Chelsea started brightly, and took the lead after just 3 minutes when Mohamed Salah tapped in from close range after good work from Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa. Chelsea doubled their advantage on 22 minutes. Costa was bought down 20 yards out, allowing fellow new boy, Cesc Fabregas to curl a delightful free kick into the top corner. Chelsea sealed the win on 74 minutes when Matic was the beneficiary of more unselfish play from Costa. The home side pulled a goal back in the last minute, but this was a very comfortable work out for The Blues.

30 July – Ryan Bertrand joins Southampton on loan – Ryan Bertrand has joined The Saints on loan for the season. Bertrand spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.

30 July – Kakuta loaned to Rayo Vallecano – Gael Kakuta has joined La Liga outfit, Rayo Vallecano on loan for the forthcoming season.

01 August – John Swift loaned to Rotherham – John Swift will spend the season with Rotherham. Swift, who made his debut at Cardiff last season, will join Steve Evan’s Millers who were promoted to the Championship via the Play-offs.

03 August – Werder Bremen 3-0 Chelsea – Chelsea put in a poor performance in northern Germany. Though the scoreline flattered the hosts, Chelsea seemed lacklustre and short of invention in the final third. Elijero Elia converted from the spot after 18 minutes after the referee had harshly adjudged John Terry to have handled his cross. The Germans doubled their lead before the break when Ludovic Obraniak headed home Elia’s cross. Felix Kroos (brother of Toni) added gloss to the scoreline when he converted a last minute penalty, awarded after Nathan Ake had seemed to perfectly time a last ditch challenge.

04 August – Romeu loaned to Stuttgart – Oriol Romeu, who recently signed a contract extension, has joined Bundesliga outfit VFB Stuttgart on a season long loan deal.

06 August – Omeruo loaned to Middlesbrough – Kenneth Omeruo has joined Middlesbrough on a season long loan. The Nigerian, who featured for The Super Eagles in the World Cup, returns to The Riverside club, having spent time there last season.

08 August – Billy Clifford joins Walsall – Billy Clifford has joined Walsall on a permanent deal.

08 August – Didier Drogba announces International retirement. – Didier Drogba has announced his retirement from International football for the Ivory Coast. Drogba made his debut for Les Elephants in 2002, and represented his country on 104 occasions, scoring 64 goals.

08 August – Fenerbahce 0-2 Chelsea – Chelsea defeated Fenerbahce in the first of two 45 minute matches in Istanbul. The highlight was a wonderful solo goal from Diego Costa. Collecting the ball wide on the left, Costa cut inside, beating two defenders before placing a precise shot into the bottom corner. The Blues extended their lead on the half hour. Andre Schurrle’s curling free kick was only parried by Volkan Demirel, but Branislav Ivanovic followed up to score. Had Oscar not had an earlier effort incorrectly ruled out for offside, Chelsea’s victory would have been wven more comprehensive.

08 August – Besiktas 1-0 Chelsea – A late goal by Ersan Gulum saw us fall to a 1-0 defeat to Besiktas in our second 45 minute workout in Istanbul. The goal came just two minutes from time with Gulum converting from a left wing corner.

10 August – Liverpool Ladies 2-0 Chelsea Ladies - Goals from Gemma Davison and Lucy Bronze saw Liverpool close to within 2 points of second placed Chelsea.

10 August – Ferencvaros 1-2 Chelsea - Chelsea ended their European tour with a victory over Ferencvaros in Budapest. Chelsea fielded a largely second string line-up in the first half, and went in 1-0 down when former Fulham and West Bromwich Albion midfielder Zoltan Gera converted at the back post from a precise right wing cross. Chelsea’s second half showing was much stronger, and they drew level with a beautiful strike from Ramires. When Mohamed Salah’s cross was only partly intercepted, Ramires controlled the ball with his left foot, before thumping a half-volley home from 20 yards. If the Brazilian’s goal was good, then it was surpassed by Cesc Fabregas’ effort 10 minutes from time. Collecting the ball wide on the right, Fabregas jinked and weaved his way between defenders before beating the keeper at his near post, a truly wonderful goal.

12 August – Chelsea 2-0 Real Sociedad – Chelsea completed their Pre-season preparations with a comfortable victory over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge – the first friendly played there for 8 years. Chelsea, fielding a strong starting eleven sprang out of the blocks, and took the lead after just 57 seconds. Ramires made ground through the inside right channel, and played the ball through to Diego Costa who finished with aplomb. Chelsea should have doubled their lead within a minute with Ramires being guilty of missing a sitter having been set up by Branislav Ivanovic. The Blues extended their lead on 7 minutes. Andre Schurrle collected the ball just outside the area, and his curling shot rebounded off the post into the path of Costa who tapped home from close range. That was the end of the scoring, and with both teams making a plethora of substitutes during the second period, the game lost its way a little, though Fernando Torres and Oscar may have added to Chelsea’s lead. So now the real business starts at Turf Moor on Monday night. It promises to be a good season.

From next week, The Blues Brief will return to a weekly feature to keep you up to date with all the goings on at Stamford Bridge.

Looking Ahead

Monday 18 August, 20:00hrs, Burnley v Chelsea, Premier League, Turf Moor. Live on Sky Sports.

Saturday 23 August, 15:00hrs, Chelsea v Leicester City, Premier League, Stamford Bridge.

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