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Chelsea squeeze past QPR in the Carling Cup, but where are all the Chelsea kids?
Big sides field teenage teams in the Carling Cup, right? Arsenal have been doing it for years, to great success. Manchester United also tend to use this policy, with a young side providing them with victory in the Carling Cup last night. Chelsea, however fielded a fairly geriatric second sting team for their rather dull 1-0 win over local rivals QPR. With their transfer ban coming up, and the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard growing old fast, they’re going to need kids coming through. We just can’t see that happening any time soon. Their Carling Cup side was full of aging, over paid, Premier League substitutes (and Joe Cole)...
Yesterday’s team was...
Hilario, 33
Ivanovic, 25
Ferreira, 30
Belletti, 33
Hutchinson, 20 (but he was replaced by John Terry who is knocking on the door of 29)
Joe Cole, 27
Mikel, 22
Malouda, 29
Zhirkov, 26
Kalou, 24
Borini, 18
That’s just one teenager and an average age of 26, before you rope in the ages of the subs John Terry and Frank Lampard. That would be okay if this was the first team, but make no bones about it, those eleven men were undoubtedly Chelsea’s second string. Ancelotti retained just Florent Malouda from the XI who beat Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, yet there were only two players from the club's academy, defender Sam Hutchinson and striker Fabio Borini. With no players coming in for a couple of years, this lack of talent Chelsea must worry true blues fans.
Some Chelsea Pesnioners warming uplast night.
Now of course there is Jack Cork, an excellent player, on the Chelsea books, but he is out on loan to Coventry right now. There's also Daniel Sturridge and Franco DiSanto on the Chelsea payroll, neither of whom featured last night, but both of whom have great potential (Sturridge perhaps more so than DiSanto). However Sturridge has come in from Manchester City, DiSanto from Audax Italiano, and Fabio Borini the one teenager who did play was signed from Bologna. Just why are a club as rich and well facilitated as Chelsea not producing their own young talent?
A couple of years ago Chelsea made a big song and dance about creating their own talent, and wasn’t it sporting director Frank Arnesen’s job to create a new home grown side? Those kids are not even close to coming through, instead Chelsea play £18million reserves like Zhirkov. You could say some things never change, but Chelsea’s transfer ban, they’re going to have to…
Big sides field teenage teams in the Carling Cup, right? Arsenal have been doing it for years, to great success. Manchester United also tend to use this policy, with a young side providing them with victory in the Carling Cup last night. Chelsea, however fielded a fairly geriatric second sting team for their rather dull 1-0 win over local rivals QPR. With their transfer ban coming up, and the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard growing old fast, they’re going to need kids coming through. We just can’t see that happening any time soon. Their Carling Cup side was full of aging, over paid, Premier League substitutes (and Joe Cole)...
Yesterday’s team was...
Hilario, 33
Ivanovic, 25
Ferreira, 30
Belletti, 33
Hutchinson, 20 (but he was replaced by John Terry who is knocking on the door of 29)
Joe Cole, 27
Mikel, 22
Malouda, 29
Zhirkov, 26
Kalou, 24
Borini, 18
That’s just one teenager and an average age of 26, before you rope in the ages of the subs John Terry and Frank Lampard. That would be okay if this was the first team, but make no bones about it, those eleven men were undoubtedly Chelsea’s second string. Ancelotti retained just Florent Malouda from the XI who beat Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, yet there were only two players from the club's academy, defender Sam Hutchinson and striker Fabio Borini. With no players coming in for a couple of years, this lack of talent Chelsea must worry true blues fans.
Some Chelsea Pesnioners warming uplast night. Now of course there is Jack Cork, an excellent player, on the Chelsea books, but he is out on loan to Coventry right now. There's also Daniel Sturridge and Franco DiSanto on the Chelsea payroll, neither of whom featured last night, but both of whom have great potential (Sturridge perhaps more so than DiSanto). However Sturridge has come in from Manchester City, DiSanto from Audax Italiano, and Fabio Borini the one teenager who did play was signed from Bologna. Just why are a club as rich and well facilitated as Chelsea not producing their own young talent?
A couple of years ago Chelsea made a big song and dance about creating their own talent, and wasn’t it sporting director Frank Arnesen’s job to create a new home grown side? Those kids are not even close to coming through, instead Chelsea play £18million reserves like Zhirkov. You could say some things never change, but Chelsea’s transfer ban, they’re going to have to…