Asmir Begovic: Number 2s and cold Stoke evenings

“Can he do it on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke?” Whilst it may be the second most annoying buzz-phrase on Twitter, after reminding Gary Lineker about his upset stomach at Italia 90, it’s also an apt statement for the signing of Asmir Begovic for Chelsea, after 5 seasons at the Britannia. The Bosnian is about as solid and dependable as a backup keeper can get (other than Petr Cech last season), and in his interview with Chelsea TV seemed enthusiastic and ambitious.

Asmir Begovic holds a scarf at Cobham

Worst kept secret in Football confirmed: Falcao to Chelsea complete

It seems like one of those ballsy twists in a game of Blackjack, when you already have 19; get a two and it’s a brilliant move, get anything higher and you’re stupid. Radamel Falcao to Chelsea can go the same ways as that blackjack move. Rather than stick with Loïc Remy (seemingly linked with every midtable team in the League), Jose Mourinho has twisted by signing Falcao. Having chased him every summer in the past 5 years, Chelsea have finally got their man, but only time will tell if he’ll be worth the money.

Radamel Falcao in action for Colombia

Chelsea 2-4 Bradford City; Post-Match Reaction

So, after much hype of a Quadruple after the draw away to Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi, any hopes of one occurring were shattered by a genuine shock, as League 1 Bradford came back from 2-0 down to win 4-2 against the Premier League leaders. A shocking performance by Chelsea, but credit has to go to Bradford for an astounding performance; better than that of teams like Maribor and Sporting who have visited in the Champions League. I can’t help but wonder if the Bradford fan I bumped into was gutted about his Chelsea to win 3-0 bet not coming off…

Petr Cech looks on as the ball has just gone in for Bradford's first

Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 Chelsea; Post-Match Reaction

The actual reaction to the match itself will be quite short: Kane good, Chadli good, Hazard good, Costa good, Tottenham defence bad, Chelsea defence worse. Phil Dowd for once had a decent game, and while Jose Mourinho may have blamed the loss on him not giving a penalty for a Jan Vertonghen potential-handball, even I say the decision was a correct one. However, so many players had shocking games: Matic, Fabregas, JT, Oscar, Willian, Ramires… even Jose didn’t have the best day with his subs. But two in particular stood out, and have done so for a while (and not in a good way).

Eden Hazard, despite having one of his best games this season, still ends up on the losing side

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

I’ve been wanting to write this article for a while now. Seeing multiple screenshots of Squawka comparisons posted on Twitter with the wrong stats being used has made my blood boil, and a hatred for Squawka. But, in all fairness, it isn’t Squawka’s fault. People are using the numbers, which I commend Squawka for offering to the general public, in the wrong manner. It’s very easy to sway the statistics used to give the desired output, as I have shown below:

Here, I made Harry Kane look as good a goalkeeper as Courtois and Neuer after his spell in goal in Tottenham’s Europa League tie a few weeks back. Anybody who saw that game, and the goal he conceded, will know that he isn’t as good as the best two goalkeepers in the world, but I’ve managed to find statistics to back up my point. And here’s what the aim of the article is to display; to show that the interpretation of statistics is incorrect and needs to be changed.

The ‘Keeper Conundrum

We’ve been here before, haven’t we? A young goalkeeping prospect comes into our squad and takes the number 1 spot from a cemented fan favourite. Poor old Carlo Cudicini, arguably the best keeper in the league at the time, then had his place taken by some Czech bloke.

A decade later, things have gone full circle. That “Czech bloke” has become undoubtedly the best keeper in the club’s history, and a hero on many an occasion, most notably in Munich. But Thibaut Courtois had proven his worth over in the Colchonero half of Madrid, and deserved his chance in that first game against Burnley.

Thibaut Courtois in action for Chelsea this season, away at Selhurst Park

The Best Deadline Day Ever

Whilst Twitter was rife with “Jim White Day” jokes (subsequently stolen by The LAD Bible), football fans were having hearts in mouths. Well, most anyway. But not Chelsea fans.

Luckily for us Blues, Messrs Mourinho and Emenalo had got their work done efficiently and early, as displayed by our early form. They knew what was needed; replacements for Lampard and Cole, and a top class striker. What did they get? Just that.

Fabregas announces transfer to Chelsea whilst at the World Cup with Spain