Chelsea’s Ramires (R) challenges Newcastle United’s Peter Lovenkrands during their English League Cup soccer match at Stamford Bridge in London
The Blues travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United on Sunday and enter the game off the top of the table for the first time since the opening day of the Premier League season.
The last few weeks have seen Chelsea slide. Didier Drogba has not scored for six matches and the 2-0 loss to Liverpool on November 7, which was the described as a blip has now turned into a full scale slump.
The team has managed almost 60 shots on goal in the games away to Birmingham, which they lost 1-0 and at home to Zilina in the Champions League, of which only nine were on target in each game and just two actually hit the back of the net. The 32 shots on target against Birmingham were the highest recorded by a side this season in the Premier League.
But their hosts, Newcastle, have already beaten Chelsea this season; a 4-3 victory at Stamford Bridge in the Carling Cup. A repeat defeat of the defending champions is not impossible as Chelsea are without John Terry in the backline while Newcastle have Andy Carroll, who wins everything in the air, combined with Shola Ameobi in the attack. The defence line of Alex and Branislav Ivanovic will need to bulk up for the physical battering that will be thrown at them.
Newcastle have also recorded some heavy scores on Tyneside this season and the forecast of the team struggling in their season back in the top flight has yet to materialise. But they go into this game without their two first-choice centre-backs, Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini, who have been suspended for three matches each.
Joey Barton will also miss out as he serves the final match of his ban over the weekend after he admitted a similar violent conduct charge after the Blackburn game. Sol Campbell and Steven Taylor will almost certainly come in for their first league starts of the season.
Captain Kevin Nolan will be hoping for a happier outcome against Chelsea after a disappointing return to his former club last weekend. Nolan conceded an early penalty against Bolton and also passed up a good scoring opportunity. Nolan will take a crucial three points no matter how they come, even if his side does not play at their best.
"When we're at home, people want to see us go 4-4-2 and attack teams, and give it our all," he told the Newcastle Chronicle.
"If we get beaten 4-0, we're all right, because we've had a good go. It just doesn't work in the Premier League."
Newcastle's home form has been average this season, with just two wins in seven games, although the victories were heavy wins; 6-0 over Aston Villa and 5-1 against Sunderland.
The Blues have been defeated thrice in seven games away from the Bridge; and have not scored an away league goal in four matches. The recent poor displays have come on the back of injuries to key players, departure of Ray Wilkins and reports doubting Ancelotti's future as Chelsea manager have combined to what can been considered a mid-season crisis.
Chelsea may have won their last two matches at the Magpies but their record at St James' is not great. Seven defeats out of their last 15 visits have made Newcastle an unhappy hunting ground for the Blues.
Liverpool may dampen Tottenham's enthusiasm
Things are really going very well for Spurs this season. After taking Liverpool's place in the Champions League, they have beaten Inter Milan and Arsenal, so confidence is sky high and they will welcome the visit of a clearly struggling Gerrard-less Liverpool to White Hart Lane. Though the Reds have reversed an early season slump by steadily climbing the table and are three points from their host in sixth, their away form has been very patchy. They have lost to Stoke City and drawn with Wigan in their last two away games.
Spurs have just qualified for the knockout stages of Europe's elite competition and morale is high but Liverpool will hope that their opponents' midweek exertions will have left them physically drained and Spurs have not done well after mid week matches in Europe, just like many Champions League team.
Very early on in the campaign, they managed to beat Young Boys but then fell to a shock defeat against an inconsistent Wigan team. Further down the line, they lost to treble-winners Inter Milan at the San Siro, despite a good comeback.
Redknapp's men then drew to Everton. Finally, having surprised the football world by smashing European Cup winners Inter at the Lane they then lost to Bolton. After defeating Werder Bremen 3-0 on Wednesday, the pointers are that they will be dropping points to a resurgent Liverpool side.
But Hodgson's Premier League away record negates this, the chances are slim. There should however be an engaging Britain versus Wales battle, as rampaging Welshman Gareth Bale tussles with England's right back, Glen Johnson, who was publicly criticised by Hodgson just a few weeks ago, but his last game against West Ham elicited praises from Hodgson.
In a week where Liverpool's new owners NESV appointed Tom Werner as chairman, the Reds find themselves in a position to kick start their season.
Source:234next
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