Youth & Reserves

We started with five, and we’re now down to one. Gael Kakuta will be Chelsea’s sole representative in Friday’s UEFA European Under-19 Championships Final against Spain after another dazzling display against Croatia. The 19 year-old scored the equaliser, beating future team-mate Matej Delač in the process, and sending him packing along with Jacob Mellis, who, like England, exited the competition in a rather meek fashion earlier in the day. Mellis…

A selection of pictures from Saturday’s reserve friendly, which finished Crawley Town 3-0 Chelsea. The scene of today’s game, Broadfield Stadium     The team go through their warm-up     A full substitute’s bench     Lining up pre-match     Kaby     Ready to kick off     Gokhan Tore     Josh McEachran     Kaby battles away for possession     Pablo Mills fouls Josh…

For some, it was a second outing in less than twenty-four hours. For others, it was a return to action after a summer break. For everyone, however, it was the start of another reserve campaign at Chelsea. In hot, dry conditions at the smart Broadfield Stadium, Steve Holland’s young charges impressed in spells but fell to a 3-0 defeat to Conference Premier hopefuls Crawley Town. The hosts have spent big…

The second round of group fixtures in the European Under-19 Championships saw Gael Kakuta’s France all but progress to the Semi Finals. It also left everything up in the air for the four remaining Chelsea players ahead of Saturday’s deciding pool matches. For the hosts, things couldn’t be much better right now. A 4-1 mauling of Holland on Sunday was followed up yesterday by a five-star showing against Austria, as…

Pre-season got underway for Chelsea on Saturday with almost every available player featuring for either Carlo Ancelotti’s first team or Dermot Drummy’s Under-18s. Five of those who were registered as absent are in Northern France as the UEFA European Under-19 Championships got underway for 2010 on Sunday, with each of the quintet in action. Matej Delač kicked things off for Croatia against one of the tournament favourites in Spain. The…

The World Cup is all well and good, but normal service has resumed. Domestic football is back, not only at first team level, but in the Under-18 team. Whilst Carlo Ancelotti’s boys were stretching their legs at Crystal Palace, Dermot Drummy’s youth team opened their pre-season with a closely-fought defeat at the hands of a talented Plymouth Argyle outfit. Drummy chose to operate with a squad of 22 players, who…

Going on loan has become almost a rite of passage for the developing footballer. He makes his way through the youth team ranks, impresses in his late teens, and then looks to bridge the gap to the first team by taking in a temporary spell at a professional team, pitting his wits against fully grown adults. A cursory glance at the England World Cup squad reveals that eleven of them…

A few weeks ago, Chelsea’s latest signing Tomáš Kalas gave an interview to deník.cz in his native country. The 17 year-old defender, capable of playing at centre-back or full-back, impressed during the summer’s European Under-17 Championships and sealed a move to Chelsea in June, with most media outlets breaking the story on Wednesday. As a means of introducing him to his new fans, here’s the interview transcribed. You must be…

Chelsea are continuing to prepare for an uncertain Premier Reserve League campaign in the right way. In an announcement apparently only made (so far) in the club’s official magazine, two further friendly dates have been added to their schedule. The Blues will host Manchester United on August 8th before a fixture against Blackburn Rovers on August 18th. Both fixtures are presumably at Cobham, but that remains to be confirmed. Keen…