The media love to put the boot in on Chelsea at any given opportunity and referees know the PL and the FA like to see their “product” please the baying, plebeian masses.

We will need a very strong ref if we are to get through this and now more than ever will we need a team with the Mourinho never say die ethic. Grant, Ten Cate and Clarke have done very very well under extreme circumstances during the last few months so I’m not trying to deliberately hop into any anti-Grant rant here but it would be naïve to say the fighting spirit instilled in the squad by the Special One isn’t still there and that this will hopefully come to the fore tomorrow evening. 

Everton will be spurred on by a very vocal home crowd (according to Wenger, louder than their neighbours – I’d say about the same).  Every foul, every decision will be hotly contested by the players and their fans.   

The Merseyside team are pretty much buoyed at the moment – they’ve generally been getting some decent results and the form of Lescott (although he needs to sort his hair out!) coupled with the return of Arteta will be a thorn in our side without a doubt. 

9 players out – Terry, Ferreira, Mikel Obi, Essien, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Shevchenko, Kalou and Drogba but we should be able to put a decent enough side out (although losing Wright-Phillips at Birmingham at the weekend has added to the crisis). 

Still, their replacements should be up to the job even though it won’t a classic Chelsea strength side on the turf overlooked by the blue lattice stands of Goodison. 

The continued excellent form of Ballack will be key and Makelele will need to keep the mercurial Arteta on a very short leash.

Sinclair may be needed at some point to step into the breach and could provide the only real option to change our game if needed. 

The youngster is not the finished article but should be nearing that moment when an upward curve in his importance for the team starts around about now – I’m confident that in the short term he will be a very exciting player and one of the best wingers in the PL. 

We tend to stick to 4-3-3 but I can see us being forced to change – probably starting with 4 at the back, Makelele, a midfield 3, Pizarro deep and Anelka.  Wouldn’t be my choice – I’d like us to go for a straight 4-4-2 but I’ve a feeling the accent will be on caution in anticipation of extreme, frantic Everton pressure in the initial 20 mins - I won´t be surprised if we try and exploit the pace of Anelka and Malouda on the break during this time.

Line-up something like;

                                                        Cech 

Belletti                    Carvalho                         Alex               A Cole

                                                     Makelele

                J Cole                         Ballack                 Malouda

                                      Pizarro

                                                         Anelka

Subs: 

Sinclair, Sidwell, Bridge, Tal Haim, Cuducini 

(And that’s all the players we have available anyway – Lampard is still 1-2 weeks away and Ivanovic has only just started training after his Russian pre-season). 

We’ll need a near epic performance at Goodison – but we can do it (Spurs in the final I reckon!).

I’ll predict it at least goes to extra-time – but we’ll scrape it by 1 goal on aggregate! 

Come on you blues! 

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

Chelsea F.C. Poll