Chelsea

I'm sure you all know that I'm a Chelsea fan, but what you may not know is that I only started watching football at the end of last season. The reason I decided to get into football was because a lot of my friends were into it and there seemed like there was a lot to think about, so I thought it would be fun. I was right.

So of all the teams I could have chosen to support, why did I choose Chelsea?

I started off by deciding that I wanted to support a team who were in the English league because
a) the general opinion is that the English league is the fastest and best league
b) most of my friends follow the English league rather emphatically
c) I heard that in the last 5 years, there has been at least one English team in the UEFA Champions league final, so they must be good

Now, once I'd chosen a league, I needed a team. It seemed that the top 4 teams were also the most consistent teams, and they were Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. I immediately decided against Manchester United because I have met so many people who support them it's boring. They're not a bad team, but I want to be different.

Which left me with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. I looked into Arsenal, but their style of play, and their team didn't appeal, so I swiftly moved on. Liverpool had a much better feel to their team, but I wasn't convinced.

Then I looked into Chelsea and I liked what I saw. I looked at their owner, Roman Abramovich, and was rather impressed by him. He went from having $2000 to being the second wealthiest man currently living in the United Kingdom. I also read about his outlook on the game, and the team, and the fact that he is passionate about football and attends every Chelsea game. I was immediately impressed, and figured that if he is successful in business, he'll probably be successful with football.

Then I saw their style of play. They have a vary cosmopolitan team, with players from all around the world, and as a result have a very distinctive style. They have a good combination of the English style, where you have to work hard and be fast, and the European style, where everyone is very talented and there is a lot of play between players. They also have a very direct style, where the midfield is very strong, and almost all of them are strikers.

So I chose Chelsea, and I'm not disappointed. The thing that I like about Chelsea's current team is that their left and right backs play more like wings, which pushes everything up. As a result their midfield are so far up they are all in striker positions, along with their striker. This works well because of their 4-1-4-1 formation, leaving a defensive midfielder to fill in the gaps between defense and attack.

So, here's my ultimate Chelsea team:
Left to right, 4-1-4-1
Goalkeeper: Cech
Defenders: A Cole, Carvalho, Terry, Bosingwa
Defensive Mid: Essien
Midfield: Deco, Lampard, Ballack, J Cole
Forward: Drogba

Bench: Cudicinni, Alex, Malouda, Beletti, Kalou

Ok that's it. If you think I'm a fool, comment away.