Reports of unrest in the dressing room has speculated and after a run of five matches without a win pressure is building on the Potuguese. Cole and Lampard both featured and the Chelsea boss has told them not to cause fuss over not starting in the Champions League tie.

He said: “I had a conversation with Ashley and Frank.

“The players that they are and the players with the experience they have, they felt they could have helped the team. That’s perfectly understandable.

“Of course, they were disappointed but they were decisions they have to accept and move on.”

“Ashley was a difficult decision taken yesterday,” he told his post-match press conference on Tuesday. “I am sure from tomorrow’s training onwards he will continue to fight for his position as he normally does. It’s his position to take and nothing else.

“[Lampard and Essien] was technical decisions. In the end it would be fantastic if we win the game, any explanation is useless given the result of the game.”

The Blues boss explained: “Lamps can do it, but it’s the decision we took, not with the objective of goals but on the other side, covering for the attacks Napoli have.

“Those on the pitch have been doing magnificently well and that’s why the choice was taken.

“We can continue to count on these players to help the team. They will be up for selection like any other time.”

Meanwhile, goalscorer Juan Mata revealed the Blues can overcome the deficit in the second leg.

He told Sky Sports: “I have confidence in this team, we are not dead. It will not be easy for us but I think we can do it.”

So look at the avaliable players in the squad and name your starting 11 and substitutes. My choice would be:

Starting 11: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Mata, Sturridge, Torres, Kalou
Bench: Hilario, Bertrand, Meireles, Mikel, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba

So who would be in your team? You can only pick players who are currently avaliable for selection.

Chelsea Talk

Chelsea’s skipper and centre-back John Terry will be undergoing a surgery on his right knee, which will keep him on the sidelines for nearly two months.

The England international has been having a niggling problem in his right knee after he collided with a post while playing against Portsmouth in the FA Cup last month.

He was due to return, and had rejoined training, but his knee just got worse, and Terry will now be going under the knife, which would keep him out for nearly two months, which means that he will be missing England’s international friendly against Holland next week.

The Club released a statement before the UEFA Champions League encounter against Napoli, in which they confirmed the news regarding their captain. They stated, “John has tried hard to be ready for tonight’s game but it was clear after training last night that it was not going to be possible,”

“He will undergo an exploratory arthroscopy in the next day or so, after which the club’s medical team will be better placed to advise on a prognosis.”

At this point everything was going well, Chelsea looked at little shaky at the back but they were in control of the game. However Napoli got back into the game and equalised with Levazzi. Miereles was all over the place and couldn’t get close to the Napoli striker. Just before the HT whistle, Napoli took the lead when Cavani got in between Ivanovic and Cahill and put the ball past Cech.

After HT, Napoli got their third goal after a mistake from David Luiz and Cech came out to try and sort out the mess but Cavani passed the ball to Lavezzi who slotted the ball home. This wasn’t the end either, Napoli could have had a fourth but Cole managed to clear the ball off the line.

The defensive mistakes cost Chelsea the game yesterday but again it was the same old story. They were nowhere near good enough and looked shot of confidence. However it is NOT over yet. Napoli didn’t look great at the back and are certainly beatable. With the the correct team selections and a great performance, Chelsea can get the result needed at Stamford Bridge.

All of Chelsea’s weaknesses were on show yesterday and it summed up the season so far but I think we can go on and win at Stamford Bridge but it won’t be easy.

What did you think of the game? Who would you play for the next leg? Give your views!

Chelsea Talk

Chelsea’s playmaker Juan Mata was disappointed after losing against Napoli in the Champions League last night but still hopes that Chelsea will be able to pass into the next round.

Chelsea’s manager Andres Villas-Boas spoke about the game against Italian side Napoli as the Blues go into the second leg with a pretty big setback.

Champions League Video Highlights : Napoli – Chelsea 3-1

Some good news for Andre Villas-Boas that Ramires is set to sign a contract extension that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until at least 2017.

Ramires’s current deal still has more than two years left to run but the Blues see the 24-year-old very much as part of their long-term plans. He has has been one of Chelsea’s standout players in their stuttering season, scoring eight goals and giving them real penetration with his driving runs.

In an area that has often been rotated by manager Andre Villas-Boas, the South American has started more matches this season than any of his midfield team-mates.

Ramires joined Chelsea from Benfica at the start of last season in a deal reportedly in the region of £18million after impressing for Brazil during that summer’s World Cup.

"I came here to win medals and trophies, but I'm never going to do that with your tactics"

“I had a conversation with Ashley and Frank. Through the players that they are and the players with the experience they have, they felt they could have helped the team.

That’s perfectly understandable. In the end, Ashley had the opportunity to come on for José Bosingwa with his injury, and Lamps later on in the game. Of course, they were disappointed but they were decisions they have to accept and move on.”

“Whatever explanation I give you, in the end it would be a fantastic explanation if we’d won the game. Any explanation is now useless given the result of the game, so there’s no point.”

Andre Villas-Boas feels the tie is well and truly alive, pointing to a couple of defensive errors and profligacy in front of goal as reasons for Chelsea to be trailing Napoli at half-time in the tie.
That decisive goal came at a time when we had been pressing for an equaliser, yet Villas-Boas believes we are in store for an exciting second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 21, in which a 2-0 win would see us through to the quarter-finals.

“It is a negative result of course, but a result we are sure we can turn around at the Bridge due to the amount of chances we had during the game,’”the manager said. “Being more clinical in front of goal was the difference, both teams with the same amount of opportunities, a very open game for the Champions League, end to end but Napoli found that efficiency we didn’t find. We had big chances with Ramires, David Luiz and Didier in the end and we paid the heavy toll of a couple of mistakes that we did, while Napoli made the most of those opportunities.

“There was balance until we conceded the two goals. Napoli were well motivated and we suffered two goals we should not have. In my opinion we can be confident because we created chances and if we do the same in the return match we have all possibilities to go through.”

Villas-Boas discussed his decision to leave out Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, a trio of players with huge experience in Europe’s premier club competition.

‘The decision was made today,” he explained. “Ashley had two days training and we decided to start with Bosingwa, a very similar team to the one that played against Man United with Ramires in for Essien and Didier for Fernando in a 4-2-3-1. Ashley was a difficult decision taken yesterday. I am sure from tomorrow’s training onwards he will continue to fight for his position as he normally does. It’s his position to take and nothing else.”

“[Lampard and Essien] was technical decisions. In the end it would be fantastic if we win the game, any explanation is useless given the result of the game.”

‘Regarding the formation and introducing Mata behind the striker, with the two sitting midfielders we had, they were chosen on the basis of two hard-working midfielders sitting in front of the defence. Lamps can do it but it’s the decision we took, not with the objective of goals but on the other side, covering for the attacks Napoli have.”

‘Those on the pitch have been doing magnificently well and that’s why the choice was taken. We can continue to count on these players to help the team. They will be up for selection like any other time.”

‘We had a conversation, with Ashley and Frank. Normally through the players they are and the experience they have, they felt they could help the team which is perfectly understandable. Ashley had the opportunity to come on through Bosingwa’s injury and Lamps later on in the game. They were disappointed but it’s a decision they have to accept and we move on.”

 

Andre Villas-Boas feels the tie is well and truly alive, pointing to a couple of defensive errors and profligacy in front of goal as reasons for Chelsea to be trailing Napoli at half-time in the tie.
That decisive goal came at a time when we had been pressing for an equaliser, yet Villas-Boas believes we are in store for an exciting second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 21, in which a 2-0 win would see us through to the quarter-finals.

“It is a negative result of course, but a result we are sure we can turn around at the Bridge due to the amount of chances we had during the game,’”the manager said. “Being more clinical in front of goal was the difference, both teams with the same amount of opportunities, a very open game for the Champions League, end to end but Napoli found that efficiency we didn’t find. We had big chances with Ramires, David Luiz and Didier in the end and we paid the heavy toll of a couple of mistakes that we did, while Napoli made the most of those opportunities.

“There was balance until we conceded the two goals. Napoli were well motivated and we suffered two goals we should not have. In my opinion we can be confident because we created chances and if we do the same in the return match we have all possibilities to go through.”

Villas-Boas discussed his decision to leave out Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, a trio of players with huge experience in Europe’s premier club competition.

‘The decision was made today,” he explained. “Ashley had two days training and we decided to start with Bosingwa, a very similar team to the one that played against Man United with Ramires in for Essien and Didier for Fernando in a 4-2-3-1. Ashley was a difficult decision taken yesterday. I am sure from tomorrow’s training onwards he will continue to fight for his position as he normally does. It’s his position to take and nothing else.”

“[Lampard and Essien] was technical decisions. In the end it would be fantastic if we win the game, any explanation is useless given the result of the game.”

‘Regarding the formation and introducing Mata behind the striker, with the two sitting midfielders we had, they were chosen on the basis of two hard-working midfielders sitting in front of the defence. Lamps can do it but it’s the decision we took, not with the objective of goals but on the other side, covering for the attacks Napoli have.”

‘Those on the pitch have been doing magnificently well and that’s why the choice was taken. We can continue to count on these players to help the team. They will be up for selection like any other time.”

‘We had a conversation, with Ashley and Frank. Normally through the players they are and the experience they have, they felt they could help the team which is perfectly understandable. Ashley had the opportunity to come on through Bosingwa’s injury and Lamps later on in the game. They were disappointed but it’s a decision they have to accept and we move on.”

 

Once again Chelsea took the lead away from home in a Champions League tie, and just like they did in the group stages, they let that led get away as they 3-1 in Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie.

It was three really poor goals that Chelsea gave up in Italy tonight. And it really cost them because this is not a great Napoli side, and I believe Chelsea can get more than the two goals they need to progress at Stamford Bridge in three weeks.

With John Terry out for six weeks due to his knee injury, Andre Vilas-Boas threw a couple of surprises into his line-up leaving Cole, Lampard, Torres and Essien on the bench. Maybe a sign of the AVB going with the players that he trusted?

This was probably the most open-ended Champions League game I have ever seen, with neither side seemingly able to defend.

Right from the start the Chelsea back four of Ivanovic, Cahill, David Luiz and Bosingwa. It never looked solid and Cech had to make two good saves in the first ten minutes to keep Chelsea in the game. After 10 minutes Bosingwa pulled a hamstring and Ashley Cole came on, and for the next 30 minutes Chelsea looked good.

Chelsea took the lead when Juan Mata took advantage from a shocking defensive error by Cannavaro to get that all important away goal. And it should have been 2-0 soon after when David Luiz beat the Napoli goalkeeper to Mata’s corner, only to head over the bar.

But then Chelsea’s defensive frailties kicked in as Meireles and Ramires failed to close down Lavezzi and he scored from the edge of the box with 8 minutes left in the half.

Then in added time in the first half, Chelsea gave up a second goal. Meireles failed to close down the Napoli player who has plenty of time to knock in a cross to the back post where Ivanovic stood and watched as Cavani scored.

Both goals were really poor from Chelsea’s perspective.

In the second half Chelsea dominated the game pressing for a equalizer and Napoli hit them on the counter attack. Still, all David Luiz needed to do was kick the ball out for a throw-in and the danger would have been cleared. But he tried to be cute, and Cavani took the ball off him and it was 3-1. That was a huge goal to concede. At 2-1 the return leg at Stamford Bridge looks much easier. At 3-1, it is a much harder task.

Going forward I thought Chelsea looked good tonight, and they caused the Napoli back three all sorts of problems. The problem was Chelsea’s defense. AVB set up with two holding midfielders, Ramires and Raul Meireles and both of them got overrun by the Napoli midfield, giving little protection to their back four.

And Chelsea’s back four needed all the help they could get. Every time Ivanovic tried to get forward Napoli just counter-attacked down his side. And in the middle of the park, David Luiz and Gary Cahill looked totally lost and out of their depth. Not having John Terry until sometime in April is a huge loss because Chelsea will leak goals with that pairing in the center of the Chelsea defense.

So Chelsea has left themselves a huge bridge to climb if they are to stay in this competition, but because of how poor Napoli are defensively, Chelsea are not out of this tie by any means.

What did you think of the game?

Once again Chelsea took the lead away from home in a Champions League tie, and just like they did in the group stages, they let that led get away as they 3-1 in Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie.

It was three really poor goals that Chelsea gave up in Italy tonight. And it really cost them because this is not a great Napoli side, and I believe Chelsea can get more than the two goals they need to progress at Stamford Bridge in three weeks.

With John Terry out for six weeks due to his knee injury, Andre Vilas-Boas threw a couple of surprises into his line-up leaving Cole, Lampard, Torres and Essien on the bench. Maybe a sign of the AVB going with the players that he trusted?

This was probably the most open-ended Champions League game I have ever seen, with neither side seemingly able to defend.

Right from the start the Chelsea back four of Ivanovic, Cahill, David Luiz and Bosingwa. It never looked solid and Cech had to make two good saves in the first ten minutes to keep Chelsea in the game. After 10 minutes Bosingwa pulled a hamstring and Ashley Cole came on, and for the next 30 minutes Chelsea looked good.

Chelsea took the lead when Juan Mata took advantage from a shocking defensive error by Cannavaro to get that all important away goal. And it should have been 2-0 soon after when David Luiz beat the Napoli goalkeeper to Mata’s corner, only to head over the bar.

But then Chelsea’s defensive frailties kicked in as Meireles and Ramires failed to close down Lavezzi and he scored from the edge of the box with 8 minutes left in the half.

Then in added time in the first half, Chelsea gave up a second goal. Meireles failed to close down the Napoli player who has plenty of time to knock in a cross to the back post where Ivanovic stood and watched as Cavani scored.

Both goals were really poor from Chelsea’s perspective.

In the second half Chelsea dominated the game pressing for a equalizer and Napoli hit them on the counter attack. Still, all David Luiz needed to do was kick the ball out for a throw-in and the danger would have been cleared. But he tried to be cute, and Cavani took the ball off him and it was 3-1. That was a huge goal to concede. At 2-1 the return leg at Stamford Bridge looks much easier. At 3-1, it is a much harder task.

Going forward I thought Chelsea looked good tonight, and they caused the Napoli back three all sorts of problems. The problem was Chelsea’s defense. AVB set up with two holding midfielders, Ramires and Raul Meireles and both of them got overrun by the Napoli midfield, giving little protection to their back four.

And Chelsea’s back four needed all the help they could get. Every time Ivanovic tried to get forward Napoli just counter-attacked down his side. And in the middle of the park, David Luiz and Gary Cahill looked totally lost and out of their depth. Not having John Terry until sometime in April is a huge loss because Chelsea will leak goals with that pairing in the center of the Chelsea defense.

So Chelsea has left themselves a huge bridge to climb if they are to stay in this competition, but because of how poor Napoli are defensively, Chelsea are not out of this tie by any means.

What did you think of the game?