There will come a point in time when I sit down and explain to my children precisely what it means to be a Chelsea fan.

I was told of the Kings Road swagger embodied by that ‘70s team and the legend of Osgood, Cooke, Bonetti and Harris; the sheer numbers of away support in the ‘80s and the rebirth of the club under Hoddle in the ‘90s.

I will tell my children about a certain Russian who has transformed the club, a certain Portuguese manager who was a Special sort of One, the Italian with the eyebrow and the former player who delivered the European Cup.

I will tell them of JT, Lampard, of Cech, Cole and the rest, but there will come a point where I tell them about the greatest and most complete centre forward this club has been blessed with.In an era where the word legend is thrown about far too easily; statues erected for players still plying their trade and footballers deemed too far out of touch with reality there is Didier Drogba.

Players do the odd bit of charity work. Legends build hospitals in their hometown and fly a kid with leukaemia to Switzerland for treatment.

Players keep themselves out of political affairs. Legends stop a civil war in their own country and could win an election tomorrow if they announced their participation.

Drogba the man is unquestionably a league above his peers, a rare breed among the ultra nouveau rich footballer. Shunning the champagne lifestyle to focus on his family and country.

Drogba the player? A tour de force of timing, technique, power, passion and drama. He was the epitome of what every world class footballer should be, someone that delivered consistently on the biggest stage of them all. He is a man driven by the sense of occasion, almost defined by the magnitude of the game or moment: a man who Eddie Newton claimed could simply just raise his game when it mattered. He is the embodiment of Chelsea Football Club.

John Terry before the FA Cup Semi-Final versus Tottenham Hotspurs quipped “Will you look at him, we’re not going to lose today.” Drogba then proceeded to make William Gallas look decidedly average and score one of the great Wembley goals. The rest was history as Mr. Wembley scored the decisive goal against Liverpool in the final and cemented himself in FA Cup folklore.

You only need to see how he speaks about the club, the genuine emotion and heartfelt good bye message to the fans to depict what the last 8 years have meant to him. One of the greatest images of Munich was the embrace of Lampard, Terry and Drogba. It was a full-circle from the demons each have faced from Moscow to this season. Lampard, almost crushed by he who shall not be named this year, Terry for that penalty miss and Drogba for that incident. It was the culmination of a season spent defying logic, defying the critics and defying even themselves at times.

Never has there been a bigger BIG GAME forward. There probably never will be again.

I honestly felt strangely calm as Drogba strode forward to take the biggest penalty in the history of Chelsea. A serene wave washed over me. It was almost like this was his moment. His final. His swansong. An ending that in a way was a microcosm of his entire journey at the club. The impudent short run up, the cultured swing of the right boot and the resulting goal that sent the entire Chelsea end into a place no one thought we would ever tread. European Champions.

That piece of control against Stoke. That spin and volley against Liverpool. That long ranger against Everton. The cheeky near post flick. Those performances against Arsenal. Wembley. Barcelona. Ups. Downs. That Munich header. That Munich penalty. Reducing grown men and women to tears with one penalty kick. How many big moments? How many big goals? How many pieces of brilliance could you write about when it comes to Drogba?

Didier Drogba leaves a legend.

9 finals. 9 goals.

157 goals. 71 assists. 338 appearances. Drogba contributed a goal every other game he played for the club. Every other game.

3 Premier Leagues. 4 FA Cups. 2 League Cups. 1 European Cup. 2 Community Shields. The King of Wembley. 10 (12) trophies in 8 years.

Drogba has absolutely redefined what it means to be a centre forward. He has played against and scored against every top side he has ever faced and defenders of Jamie Carragher’s quality have labelled him “unplayable”:

“If Chelsea get the ball on to Drogba’s chest on the edge of the box and he can bring it down and turn, well, that’s it. You can’t get round him without fouling him, it’s too late to get in front of him, you just have to hope he misses the shot.”

Jose Mourinho once famously said, “Judge him when he leaves the club.”

And we shall.

The greatest.

Didier, adieu.

You can let me know your favourite Didier moment either below in the comments section or on twitter. I am interested in your favourite goal; best performance & best memory. You can follow me on twitter @PlainsOfAlmeria and my personal account @JoeTweeds.

(Thanks to Joe for allowing this to be publishere here at TheChels. The article first appeared on the excellent Plains of Almeria)

Didier Drogba affirmed his status as the King of Wembley on Saturday with his eighth goal in as many competitive appearances under the new arch.

Keen statisticians will have noted that the decisive effort came courtesy of his supposedly ‘weaker’ left foot, and in fact, exactly half of his Wembley goals have come in that manner.

In honour of the goal and of another fantastic moment in his Chelsea lore, we present five of the best left footed Didier Drogba strikes:

Chelsea vs Liverpool, 17th September 2006
Drogba receives a long pass on the edge of the area before turning and rifling an unstoppable effort past a helpless Jose Reina.

Stoke City vs Chelsea, 12th September 2009
Drogba latches onto an exquisite reverse pass by Frank Lampard and shoots first time on the turn into the top corner.

Chelsea vs Everton, 12th December 2009
Ricardo Carvalho wins possession back in the Everton half and feeds Lampard, who simply touches the ball towards Drogba, and the first-time finish is exemplary.

Chelsea vs Arsenal, 3rd October 2010
Of his thirteen strikes against Arsenal, a number of have been impressive left-footed strikes but few surely as impudent and deft as this backheeled effort after fine approach play by Ramires and Ashley Cole.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea, 15th April 2012
One of the strikes at Wembley, Didier dominates for strength against William Gallas and sends a quite sensational shot rocketing past Carlo Cudicini.

Feel free to suggest your own left-footed Drogba classics, and let’s hope there’s one more special one saved up for Munich on the 19th.

Goals in consecutive Wembley FA Cup ties. An astonishing chip and key assist in home and away clashes against Barcelona. Relentless enthusiasm and energy impacting game after game.

Chelsea fans hardly need to be told about the impact of Ramires on the 2011/12 season, but as the campaign reaches the business end it has become more and more apparent that the Blues have another amongst their ranks who produces when the stakes are at their highest.

As Didier Drogba added to his Wembley lore and as Frank Lampard continued to extend his remarkable legacy, the Queniano Azul was busy at work affirming his status as one of the club’s best footballers.

It’s not just in the last month that he’s turned up when it matters most either. En route to the big game in Munich in a fortnight’s time, Chelsea faced win-or-bust ties at Stamford Bridge against Valencia, Napoli and Benfica, and on each occasion Ramires put in a sterling performance with a decisive impact.

He was directly involved in Branislav Ivanovic’s spectacular extra-time winner against the Italians, and his trademark lung-bursting running was there for all to see with the second goal against Valencia in December.

The Brazilian ensured that the road to Wembley got off to a good start with a brace against Portsmouth a week after grabbing a stoppage time winner away to Wolves at a time when the club’s league results and performances were decidely shaky.

He took some time to settle, and there were more than a few doubters during his first few months at the club, but as last season wore on he began to show signs of being the player he has been all season.

A superb solo effort against Manchester City was voted the club’s Goal of the Season and it’s a title he could well retain this time around with his exquisite chip in the Nou Camp.

Versatile enough to have been used in almost every midfield position required by Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, he has been your prototypical box-to-box midfielder yet has also been the tactically adept winger able to retain shape and nullify the pronounced threat of attacking full-backs like Daniel Alves.

Unfortunately, the man with no song will be missing in Munich and whilst Branislav Ivanovic, Raul Merieles, and John Terry are all big omissions in their own right, it speaks volumes that Ramires is considered to be the hardest loss of all for Chelsea fans.

The way he’s played of late, it’s not hard to understand why.

David Luiz is undeniably a cult hero around Stamford Bridge.

His flair-filled performances have won many admirers, who leap to defend him in the face of what is often unwarranted criticism in the media.

Sure, he’s a little unconventional and has made mistakes, but equally, he’s put in some very good performances, none of which get the credit they’ve deserved.

However, over the last few matches, there’s been a noticeable change in how the Brazilian deals with particular situations. Simply put, he is playing under the old idiom ‘if in doubt, get it out’.

Now, since putting together a series of clips takes time and will likely be taken down for copyright infringement anyway, we’ll have to make do with statistical and anecdotal evidence, but it’s certainly been noticed by many a Chelsea fan.

Last night against Napoli, for example, Luiz made nine clearances, of which seven were successful and the majority of them were simply put into touch to allow time to regroup, as well as minimise potential mistakes.

There was more of the same in the second half against Stoke, and it was most evident against Birmingham on a shocking pitch.

It’s too soon to suggest that the change in how Luiz deals with these situations is down to Roberto Di Matteo, but it is possible to suggest that he was advised to adopt a different approach after the first leg in Naples.

Then, as you’ll remember, what could have been a simple clearance into touch became a loss of possession in his own box and led to Ezequiel Lavezzi making it 3-1 to the home side.

Of course, it is very much the Chelsea philosophy to attempt to retain possession under pressure in defensive areas and play out where possible, and this extends all the way down the age groups in the academy.

However, there comes a time where the ball simply has to be cleared. Whether it came from his own particular playing background, or instructions from the manager, or any number of other possibilities is unclear, but Luiz more than any other Chelsea defender was less inclined to do so.

As we’ve seen of late, he is now doing so, and in those three matches just one goal has been conceded.

Whether it’s a long-term change or just a brief one to steady a stricken ship and boost confidence remains to be seen. At the very least, it’s something to watch out for in the coming days and weeks.

Oh Fernando. You were, and quite possibly still are, one of the most talented strikers in football.

The performances shown for Atlítico Madrid, the Spanish national team and, to the greatest annoyance of all Chelsea supporters, Liverpool, have proven this point. But then why do you fail to replicate these performances for our beloved Chelsea?

Is it just a dramatic loss of confidence? Failing to settle in a new town? Don’t like a blue kit? Or maybe, as some highly educated tacticians say, your change in hair style/colour?

Obviously I will not be the first person, or the most qualified person to ask this question, but we can always hope I’m one of the last- otherwise a divorce may be necessary.

In my humble opinion, the relative failure of Mr Torres in the Royal Blue should be narrowed to two vital points; either he isn’t as good as we thought, and he can’t handle playing for a title challenging team (Liverpool annoyance intended). Or, the rest of the team isn’t playing well enough to induce your fantastic performances once seen across Europe.

Firstly, is he still the player ‘he used to be’? In the first half of last season, his performances for Liverpool were criticised even by the most die-hard Anfield followers for ‘lacking passion and desire’. Despite this, he still turned in the goals and assists- most poignantly, the curling effort that saw off Chelsea.

Then after various forms of transport been reported he turned up at the Bridge just in time to make the deadline on the 1st January. His first appearance, a very misguided decision, even stupid, was against Liverpool. The proceeding failure against 11 old friends was most certainly not the best confidence builder for ‘El Nino’, but then, it’s just one game isn’t it.

To make it worse, we, as Chelsea fans, sang his name in a tune to which the Liverpool fans had created and even copied their flag (leaving the Shankley gates on it); this did not help. The rest of the season showed a staggering, stuttering, passive pace to Fernando’s game, but still, we could justify this with ‘settling-in’ and ‘the pressure of his price-tag’.

This season, where he was declared to be a new man and back to his best, blonde locks and all, has still been disappointing; but maybe for different reasons. This season, his inconsistent appearances early on and now where he has taken the full weight of been the main striker on his shoulders in Drogba’s absence, have shown a different Fernando. He has regained some pace, a sharp turn, the ability to control the ball and, most importantly, some desire to get hold of the ball.

Despite this, although improving his performances and contributing to the team, as AVB would say, he has still not been prolific in front of goal. Is there something else stopping his progression?

The more and more I watch this Chelsea team, the more I think that the problem may be deeper than just one misfiring, highly rated and highly paid striker. Looking back a couple of years, when we went into every game full of confidence. You remember the days? A solid defence, dynamic midfield and most importantly for this point, a crushing forward threesome?

Well, the forward three in those days, involved two flying wingers and in Didier a striker with enough physical presence to outwit defenders when the crosses weren’t perfect and the though balls were over hit. This system does not suit Fernando Torres. Fernando has been used to, and requires, midfielders that will slip in a through ball to feet and create enough space in behind him to allow him to perfect his ‘touch, turn and shoot.’ This is the link between his success at previous teams, and his failure at Chelsea.

The purchase of Mata and Meireles and development of Sturridge seem to want to change this, but it seems that the squad is set in playing in their Mourinho-esque 4-3-3 style. The desire to change may have been too quick or, dare I say, against the wishes of some squad members.

The old guard are perfectly capable of playing in this way; Lampard for instance, is fully capable of setting Torres free with a quick through ball.

The other view would be that some players simply don’t want to change- Malouda, Mikel and Kalou, seem reluctant to change their ways and sometimes even reluctant to pass to Fernando, in what would seem like a playground style jealousy of falling from Mr Abramovich’s grace.

Whatever your view; whether you think Torres has simply ‘lost it’ or you think it’s more of a deeper crack within the team’s style and desire, all Chelsea fans should agree it’s a problem that needs to be resolved quickly. Fernando was an expensive purchase, but the cost of the relationship, if performances continue to stutter, or drop further, could be a lot more than expense of the divorce.

Chris Lackner
(@ChrisLackner03)

One of the more eye-catching names on the fringes of Chelsea’s squad this pre-season is that of Serbian defender Slobodan Rajkovic.

A Blues player since 2005, he has thus far been precluded from playing in England because he doesn’t meet work permit criteria. Aside from a debut against the Chinese Under-23 team for the Reserves at Brentford shortly after signing, sightings of him on domestic shores have been limited.

Instead, he has spent four consecutive seasons on loan in the Netherlands. A year at PSV Eindhoven was followed by two at FC Twente, and last year he captained Vitesse Arnhem.

The former Partizan Belgrade stopper has returned to Cobham for pre-season every summer since and has partaken in friendly matches on site (for the reserves last season against Blackburn, and against Wycombe in this year’s first team clash), but appears to be no closer to being cleared to play competitively here.

He remains ineligible for a work permit based on the standard criteria outlined here, which means he and the club must seek alternative routes.

One of those would be to secure Dutch citizenship, but alas, hurdles remain there. Rajkovic is still a year’s residence short of the five required, and moreover has not spent the four years there ‘consecutively’, another pre-requisite.

Even if he were to achieve both aims next summer, he would also then have to pass a citizenship exam and clear some red tape, and at that stage his Chelsea contract is due to expire, so that particular plan appears to be a non-starter.

Of course, Chelsea could choose to lodge an appeal with the FA and press their claims that their man is of sufficient quality to ply his trade here, as they had to do with Ramires.

To stand a chance of convincing the panel, they must convince that:

the player is of the highest calibre and…the player is able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in England.

In unwritten terms, that effectively means that it must be clear that Rajkovic can serve his purpose better than a comparable English player.

Whether or not that happens is almost something of a lottery, for the standard of player which has been able to secure permission to play here has often been questionable when paired against those denied the same privilege.

However, the question must be asked; if Chelsea aren’t confident of pursuing a successful claim for their Serbian international defender, why are they using him in pre-season?

Yes, Alex has been suffering with injury and David Luiz is away on international duty, so the centre back position lacks some depth, but the same can be said for other positions which haven’t been stocked up by additional bodies on the plane to Asia.

There’s an argument that the club are merely showcasing him with the mindset of selling him whilst a fee can still be commanded, but it’s a weak one at best. Rajkovic is an established defender in one of Europe’s better developmental leagues; most teams will know what he can offer by now.

I realise there’s quite a lot of speculation without hard facts in this piece, but ultimately there’s not very much clarity surrouding his situation. Many have questions and hopefully this goes some way towards answering some of them.

Rajkovic is certainly in a better position to feature in Chelsea’s first team squad now than many other youngsters at the club (despite it being by far and away the strongest group of players at Stamford Bridge).

Whether he gets to or not remains to be seen.

John Obi Mikel turns 24 today. In his five years at the club he has often divided opinion amongst fans, but there seems to be a slow realisation that Chelsea play better with Mikel in the side than without. In the holding role Mikel is peerless in our squad – and I include Michael Essien in that comparison. Much of the reason the Bison has struggled this season is purely due to the number of times he has operated at the base of the Chelsea midfield. Sometimes having a more offensive minded player in a role does not provide the more offensive option for the team.

When you are judging a holding midfielder you need to look at their ball retention, positioning, tackling, awareness, composure and anticipation/vision. In reality the only thing Mikel lacks is the ability to consistently win headers and pace in isolated areas. These are things you can work around and will more than likely come with experience – Terry has been one of the world’s best centre-backs for years without discernible pace. What people do get frustrated with are his levels of consistency; this is something I tend to agree with. While I believe at times he has had little support from those around him in terms of performance, silly errors will stick in people’s minds. If you make 60 passes out of 62 in a game, it is those two sloppy ones that people will remember: unfortunately that is the nature of the beast.

What cannot be disputed is that Mikel has often been at his best against better opponents. Stand out games in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United, Barcelona at the Nou Camp and repeated games against Arsenal (leaving Fabregas in his pocket) tend to be forgotten by many who like to dig him out. I believe Mikel was arguably one of our best players at the beginning of the season, who knows how well he would have played had others around him not fallen to injury. When a then out of depth Ramires replaced Lampard/Essien, Mikel’s performance noticeably dropped. Nevertheless, recent performances against West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham have highlighted the sort of calm, assertive play that we were sorely missing as recently as our Champions League game versus Manchester United.

Ball Retention/Passing: One of the biggest myths surrounding Mikel is that he slows down play. If you have seen us play recently without him (and with wingers no less!) the speed of our play was criminal. It is no surprise to me that as soon as Mikel returns to the side, some of the pep of seasons gone by returned to our play. The answer is two-fold: (1) it allows Essien (or Ramires) to play ten yards further up the pitch and in return lets Essien play in areas where he hurts teams; (2) Mikel’s presence in the side allows both full-backs and every other forward thinking player to actually push forward.

People seem to focus on his short, sideways passing, but it is exactly this type of ball retention that imbues a side with the confidence to play a more expansive game.  Working as a satellite, continually being available and simply always there to switch the focus of play if necessary is a large part of Mikel’s game.

(The below italicised parts will all have clickable links for your perusal).

Mikel certainly has the Hollywood pass in his locker as evidenced by just three examples on this video clip. However, this pass should only be used if it is on, as it was against Wigan earlier this season. Yet it is his short passing that is often the most important aspect of his play. You can see what a 10 yard pass can achieve.

Mikel’s passing completion over three seasons is near 90% and this wonderful article by Duncan White really does justice to Mikel’s overall improvement.

Positioning/Tackling: Probably Mikel’s biggest improvement this season has been his positional play; you only need to look at the gaps left in the recent United games to see a big Mikel shaped hole in front of the back four. Yes, he will still get caught if someone nippy catches him out wide but he seems to be finding himself in those positions less and less. Compared to his first season at Chelsea his bookings/sendings off record is incomparable. His presence is so welcome that JT famously said he was Mikel’s biggest fan in an interview with the Chelsea and England Captain a while ago.

The first 30 seconds of this clip show a brief cameo of the improvement Mikel has made in his defensive game. He seems to have married his obvious physical gifts with a more developed sense of where he needs to be. Mikel’s ability to hold the ball and maintain possession under intense pressure is unbelievable, but his reading of the play has really put him onto the next level. His play in the Camp Nou was remarkable; in fact this entire clip demonstrates how good he can potentially be.

It is an aspect of play that will continue to improve over time, but the strides forward this season were particularly salient in the early part of this season — his performance against Arsenal in particular was a masterclass in how one should operate in front of the back four.

Composure: When you look at the best holding midfielders over the past 10 years, many of them made their mark in their late 20s or early 30s. Makelele and Pirlo are prime examples of players who really grew into their role and made it their own: one become the battery in the Chelsea Rolex and the other a deep lying playmaker that people like Xabi Alonso now emulate. Mikel, at only 24, has already put in several high profile displays showing composure beyond his years and has 5-6 seasons to really “get” the position. A bold claim, but if he continues to develop as he has done earlier this season he could surpass the pair given the sheer amount of time on his side.

This piece of play against Blackpool and then versus Stoke really sums up what he is capable of as a player.

The Future: I make no bones about rating Mikel very highly. His presence in the team allows others to play their natural game; he is a large part of why our front three no longer look like a separate entity on the park. Ashley Cole once again started to get to the byline against WBA and Birmingham, Malouda played as an actual winger and Frank scored a typical Frank goal for the first time in what seems like forever. It is of no coincidence that Mikel returns and people are found higher up the park. His presence, more importantly, releases Essien who is entirely prohibited in the holding role.

While so much of his game has developed this season, he must concentrate on eradicating the silly errors that sometimes creep into his game. He has all the tools to become some super Pirlolele hybrid. If he can find consistent form he is potentially one of the best in his position in the world. Concentration and just how much Mikel wants to become that player will go a long way in determining just exactly how his Chelsea career pans out. You may not like Mikel, you may not rate Mikel, but like him or not his importance to this Chelsea team is paramount.

(Credit to all the compilation makers for the links).

Hot amongst the assorted topics of discussion by Chelsea supporters is seventeen year-old Josh McEachran.

The midfielder has broken through into Carlo Ancelotti’s first team squad this season, capturing the imagination of many supporters with his confident, fearless displays.

However, whilst nobody doubts his ability and potential, a regular cause of debate surrounds his best position, and moreover where Ancelotti should be using him.

It’s a question – or a series of questions – which are best answered by delving deeper into the subject, and citing the expertees of those of a tactical persuasion, so if that interests you, let’s dive in.

Covering the background to begin with, McEachran is what you would described as a ‘natural’ playmaker. That doesn’t necessarily mean attacking midfielder, but for most of his formative years, he has played in the advanced role Chelsea use in their 4-3-3 formation from age 12 upwards – the ’10′ position.

The Oxfordshire-born youngster has openly admitted to preferring to play further up the pitch, and finds it more natural to play there, but thus far in the first team, Carlo Ancelotti has preferred to use him in the ’6′ role, at the base of the midfield.

Why is this you ask? Well, there’s plenty of theories to be heard.

Over the last decade, the traditional playmaker – playing behind a striker/pair of forwards – has seen a steep decline in success, and therefore numbers. The reasoning behind this is best explained in an article from March 2010 by Zonal Marking.

As a result, managers have been forced to re-think their stance, and find alternatives. Ancelotti himself did this many years ago in re-inventing Andrea Pirlo as a deep-lying midfielder, engineering the play from behind the midfield instead of ahead of it.

Of course, at Chelsea, the position has overseen quite a progression since Jose Mourinho introduced it with Claude Makelele there. John Obi Mikel succeeded the venerable Frenchman, but his game is a vastly different one, more in keeping with modern-day football, where interceptions are key and tackles are tougher to get away with.

And it is in this role that McEachran has thus far been used. Former Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins spoke about the subject after the Champions League match away to Marseille, where Josh turned in an impressive display:

“Carlo likes him in that role…Against Marseille I thought he had a terrific game – particularly for one so young in a wonderful footballing arena.”

The player himself expanded upon it somewhat:

“I thought I did alright, playing holding midfield in the first half, and I thought I made some good passes. Defensively I could have done a bit better but in the second half went into the more advanced role which is more natural to me. In that position you have to put yourself about, if you don’t make tackles they will just glide past you, but playing deep you get a lot of the ball, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic encourage a lot and talk all the time, telling me to keep going, or where my man is, so it is easy to play that position, but I do prefer it further up.”

Perhaps the most important part of that quote comes towards the end….it is easy to play that position. Regardless of where McEachran may be most comfortable, when giving him his first steps in one of the best club sides in world football, it is imperative to make the player comfortable and give him the best chance of displaying his personality in order to develop confidence.

The idea behind it, as the player says, is to see a lot of the ball, with a little more time on it, and a range of options ahead of you. On a very basic level, the two graphics below show that when playing deeper, the playmaker faces just two players immediately (assuming most teams play a variation of 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1 with a withdrawn second forward, as is pretty much the case), rather than a back four. He also has more of the pitch ahead of him.

We can put this into practice by comparing his Marseille performance with the FA Youth Cup tie at home to Arsenal, when he played in the more advanced position.

In the latter, the screenshots below are just two of a number of occasions where the target pass was a low-percentage ball to a lone striker attempting to beat the offside trap:

Whether or not the player is capable of making the pass – and McEachran surely is – against better defenders, this already tough pass becomes even harder.

Witness the struggles Gael Kakuta has had in impressing in a more advanced role when given first team opportunities. A player who thrives on being able to burst into space and utilise his agility and dribbling skills, he has instead been found on the periphery of the game, both figuratively and literally, in a less familiar wide role.

Josh is not comfortable in one of the 4-3-3′s wide roles, and so to give him more time on the ball, he plays deeper in the midfield, something he has some experience with from youth and reserve team football.

By placing him in an area of the pitch where he will typically have nine other outfielders to pass forwards to (in theory), the player’s options are greater than using him in an area of the pitch where he may only have three, who are vastly outnumbered by defenders and covering midfielders (anywhere up to a total of seven, for teams adopting an approach such as Manchester City’s, for example).

By way of contrast to the Arsenal examples, look at the space and green-shirted options he was presented with against a Champions League quality opponent:

It’s a theme which has been present in almost all of his appearances to date, and in some respects is why the player achieves such a high pass completion when he plays.

This is not to say that he will become converted to a Pirlo-type deep regista long-term, as some Blues supporters fear. It is important to realise that where a player lines up on a pitch does not determine what he can do.

Noted tactical expert Jonathan Wilson explains further:

“…the notion that there are only three bands – defence, midfield, and attack – is gone. There is a general recognition now that each of those categories can be subdivided into smaller bands, although as that process goes on, it may be that the bands are so narrow as to cease to be meaningful.”

As football becomes more intelligent and teams find more answers to questions posed to them defensively, managers are forced to re-invent their philosophy and find new measures to break down defences.

Wilson continues:

“…given the range of what people consider playmakers, perhaps the truth is that playmaker is not a position at all but a state of mind.”

It is an opinion supported by legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi, with a quote attributed to him in Wilson’s book, Inverting the Pyramid. He compares the use of a playmaker deeper as opposed to a ‘destroyer’:

“In my football, the regista – the playmaker – is whoever had the ball. But if you have Makelele, he can’t do that. He doesn’t have the ideas to do it, although, of course, he is great at winning the ball.”

Many managers – many successful ones – disagree with the idea, and prefer to use their creative outlet in their more traditional area of the pitch. In a 2006 interview with Soccer Coaching magazine, Louis van Gaal outlined why he believes the three-man midfield should have a playmaker at the top, not the bottom:

“A lot of teams nowadays opt to play with the point backwards, but I prefer to play with the point forwards. When you want to move one player up from the back there will be more room to do this when you are playing with the point forward. You automatically create more space to move up from the back. When you play with the point backwards you will have to create this space by moving out of the way.

Furthermore, I believe that when you play with the point backwards the distance to the striker generally speaking becomes too big. The striker will therefore often be isolated from the rest of the team. It is then up to the quality of the midfielders whether they are able to deisolate the striker or not.”

However, he does go on to clarify the importance of putting your best players in position to take advantage of whatever space is available:

“The attacking team must ensure that the creative players will get as many chances as possible to decide the moment in which a dribble or action can be made. These players have the quality to create something, where other players may not have this. You therefore especially need players who can move the game so that the creative players can be brought into play, whereby they have enough time and space to make the difference.

Creative players can determine whether or not to initiate a risky continuation in a small space. When you have midfielder who can also make the right decisions in the small spaces you are in luck as a coach.”

To summarise; McEachran can be used to create from anywhere in the midfield. Right now, it suits him to see a lot of the ball, which in turn nurtures technical development and generates confidence. It also benefits the team to play forward at every possible moment, and launching attacks swiftly on the break when possession is turned over.

It does demand a certain level of defensive nous, which Josh admits is the weaker aspect of his game, but many will have noticed his knack for stealing the ball away from an opponent with a slight flick, something which may come from his slight frame allowing him to get into smaller areas.

Over time, he surely will see time further up the pitch. It’s part of a development curve, and with the arrival of Fernando Torres and the potential for a change to a diamond midfield, we may see it sooner rather than later.

Playing at the base of a diamond is somewhat different to playing at the base of a three-man midfield, and it may be that Ancelotti would rather a more robust, experienced head there if he is to go with it for a longer period of time.

For now, don’t fret about how McEachran is being used. Simply enjoy that he is being used, and that he is a rareity in English football. As Jose Mourinho describes…

“I can’t believe that in England they don’t teach young players to be multi-functional. To them it’s just about knowing one position and playing that position.”

Some young players break that particular mould.

Gianfranco Zola is synonymous with Chelsea Football Club. The Sardinian magician was a scorer of truly great goals and was voted Chelsea’s greatest ever player in 2005 after a magnificent career at Stamford Bridge from 1996 to 2003.

The little Italian broke through way back in 1989 at Italian club Napoli. There, he was in the same team as the legendary Diego Maradona and the two would spent hours together after training practicing free kicks, a trait which shone through as Zola made greater strides in his professional career.

The great Arrigo Sacchi gave Zola his Italian national team debut in 1991, but his international career would be sadly underwhelming for one of the most talented footballers of his generation. 35 caps and 10 goals was scant reward for a man whose 21 year club career saw him revered around the globe as one of the most charismatic, humble football genii the game has seen.

In 1993, Zola moved from Napoli to Parma, where he won a UEFA Cup and also was a runner up in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. However, current Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was in charge at Parma at the time and was a student of Sacchi, who believed that systems and tactics, not players, won football matches. As a result, Zola, despite being widely renowned as a player of truly special ability, was cast aside by Ancelotti.

He was made available for sale and in November of 1996, completed a £4.5 million transfer to Ruud Gullit’s Chelsea. Gullit was in the process of transforming Chelsea from an underperforming cup side to one worthy of the glitz and glamour of London’s West End and Zola was to be the centrepiece of his grand plan.

In February of 1997 he scored a wonderful solo goal against Manchester United, one that alerted the rest of the national to his prodigious talent. His first season in English football ended with the FA Cup Final win over Middlesbrough, a cup campaign that included a great goal in the 4-2 comeback win over Liverpool and the famous “twisted blood” goal against Wimbledon in the semi-final.

Zola was awarded the Football Writer’s Association Player of the Year Award at the season’s end, becoming the first Chelsea player to win the award and the first to do so without having played a full season in English football.

In the next season, Chelsea won the League Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Zola wrote himself further into Chelsea folklore by scoring the winning goal in the Cup Winners’ Cup Final in Stockholm, 21 seconds after coming on as a substitute. Injury had denied him a place in the starting line up, but not a place in Chelsea history.

In 1999-2000, Chelsea was involved in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Zola was a key part of the campaign, but in the league was often a substitute as Gianluca Vialli employed a rotation policy. The Blues made the quarter finals at their first attempt as well as winning the FA Cup as the season’s conclusion.

The next season saw the arrival of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohsen. In his first season, Hasselbaink won the Premier League golden boot with 23 goals, whilst in the season after, he and Gudjohnsen hit off their wonderfully prolific partnership, Hasselbaink scoring 27 times and Gudjohnsen 23 times.

Their form restricted Zola’s starting appearances, but he was still a valuable weapon as a substitute. In 2002, Zola provided a reminder of his mercurial talents with a mid air backheeled goal against Norwich City in the FA Cup.

2002-2003 turned out to be Zola’s final season at Stamford Bridge. He enjoyed a fairytale renaissance too, scoring 16 goals and helping the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League. It was his highest goal tally in a season for Chelsea and he was voted the club’s player of the year.

His final goal ever for Chelsea was a lasting reminder of his brilliance and creativity. With Richard Wright off his line, Zola delicately lobbed the ball over him from the left hand edge of the area. In his final ever competitive appearance in Chelsea blue, he came off the bench with twenty minutes remaining, earning the applause of both sets of supporters with a run that beat four players in the corner late on.

Roman Abramovich’s takeover couldn’t prevent Zola from keeping his word and moving back to his home club Cagliari, in Italy’s Serie B. He helped them to promotion, before playing one final season in Serie A, where he scored a double in his final professional match against Juventus.

Gianfranco Zola made 312 appearances in total for Chelsea scoring 80 goals. Nearly all of them had a touch of Zola’s special class and a few were some of the finest seen at Chelsea Football Club. He was voted Chelsea’s greatest ever player in the centenary celebrations of 2005 and will forever be remembered as one of the most humble, kind and immensely talented footballer’s ever to grace Stamford Bridge.

With his managerial career well underway, it’s entirely plausible that Gianfranco’s Chelsea story is not yet over – indeed, it may only be half told.

It was in February 1962 that Ronald Edward Harris made his first team debut in a 1-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday. He went on to make a further 654 league appearances for Chelsea, cementing his place as a legend of the football club and becoming renowned as one of the toughest defenders of his era.

“Chopper” was part of the Chelsea side that won the FA Youth Cup in 1961. He graduated to the first team the following year and went on to hold his position for a further 18 years.

In 1965 Chelsea beat Leicester City in the League Cup final, Harris’ first trophy. A year later, he became Chelsea captain after the departure of Terry Venables and in 1967 he became the youngest ever captain of an FA Cup final side. Unfortunately, Chelsea lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea were known most for their flair and charm. Peter Bonetti, Charlie Cooke, Alan Hudson and most of all, Peter Osgood, made names for themselves under the management of Dave Sexton, and the leadership of Harris. It was Harris though, who was the foundation upon which the flair took place.

In 1970, Chelsea made it to the FA Cup final against arch rivals Leeds United. This final turned out to be one of the most physical of all time and unsurprisingly Harris was a stand out as his quick free kick led to Ian Hutchinson equalising at 2-2 with only minutes remaining.

The replay took place at Old Trafford and once more Harris was a star as the Blues won 2-1 after extra time, courtesy of David Webb’s famous back post “header”.

In the following season Harris led Chelsea to their first major European trophy, the Cup Winners Cup. This was achieved after another replayed final, this time in Athens against the Spanish giants Real Madrid. Peter Osgood scored in the final proper and the replay whilst the winner in the replay was scored by the unlikely figure of John Dempsey.

Harris’ last major cup final was the League Cup final of 1972. However, despite being strong favourites Chelsea were defeated by unfancied Stoke City 2-1, George Eastham scoring a late winner.

“Chopper” remained ever present at right back and centre half for Chelsea throughout the 1970s, a tumultuous period which saw the Blues relegated twice and promoted once. Towards the end of the decade though, he lost the captaincy to young star Ray Wilkins, now assistant coach at Chelsea.

Harris left Chelsea in 1980, after nearly two decades as part of the Blues defence. He currently holds the record for most league appearances for Chelsea, with 655, as well as the most appearances in total, with 795.

The legend that is Chopper Harris will never diminish and his legacy as a tough and uncompromising defender and fearless leader can be seen today in our very own John Terry. But for all Terry’s bravado and commitment, there will only ever be one Ron “Chopper” Harris.