TORRES TO BE AXED?

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has hinted he is ready to drop misfiring striker Fernando Torres for Tuesday night's crucial Champions League game against Juventus in Turin.

The Blues' defence of their European title is on the line as they battle to keep their fate in Group E in their own hands against Serie A leaders Juve and it seems Di Matteo is ready to give Daniel Sturridge the lone striker role after Torres' latest horror show in Saturday's defeat against West Browmich Albion.

Torres lasted just 63 minutes before Di Matteo was forced to withdraw him from the firing line at the Hawthorns and he looks set to resume the bench warming duties that became his staple diet last season in Chelsea's biggest game of the current campaign.

"If I believe it is the right thing to do for the team, then yeah, I will leave him out," Di Matteo said. "When we moved Daniel Sturridge up there, he looked a danger. He had a very good chance saved by the keeper and another put wide. He was always a threat to the defence. We need to score goals, this is clear."

Di Matteo also criticised his team's defensive record of late, with the continued absence of skipper John Terry felt once again at West Brom.

"Clean sheets give you a chance to win games and we certainly have to improve on that side," he said. "Of course we miss John [Terry]. He is an important player for us. He gives us a lot of confidence at the back and in general to the team.

It's a shame that he is injured, but we will have to do without him until he comes back."

Di Matteo refused to be drawn on a heated dressing room row that was heard by many observers at The Hawthorns on Saturday, but he admitted the pressure is mounting after a run of form that has blunted Chelsea's early season promise.

"It is a challenging time when you don't win games and you need to instil confidence in players," he said. "This club are always looking to be competing at the top and every defeat is a problem for us, so certainly Tuesday is going to be a massive game in the Champions League for us."

BAGGIES STUN CHELSEA

West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie made it a miserable return to The Hawthorns for Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo with a second-half winner in a 2-1 victory to stun the Champions League holders.

The Nigeria international headed home a cross from Shane Long whose opening goal had been cancelled out by Eden Hazard.

It condemned Di Matteo, who spent two years as Albion boss, and his side to a first away Premier League defeat of the campaign.

But his former club, managed by ex-Chelsea number two Steve Clarke, are dreaming of Europe after registering a sixth win in seven home games.

The Blues dominated for long periods territorially with Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge causing problems. But they found keeper Boaz Myhill, who was deputising for the injured Ben Foster, in inspired form with several crucial saves.

Chelsea clearly missed the physical presence at the back of injured skipper John Terry who will be sidelined for three weeks with a knee injury.

Long and Odemwingie fully capitalised on the absence of the former England defender as they punished some slack defending.

Long appeared on a one-man mission to honour his grandmother who died on Friday with another superb performance.

The Republic of Ireland international revealed a T-shirt which said 'RIP Nan' after scoring the opening goal. Chelsea dominated possession in the early stages and Ryan Bertrand came close to putting them ahead after eight minutes.

Moses made a powerful run to the byline and squared the ball back across the danger area to Bertrand whose low left-footed drive was cleared off the line by Liam Ridgewell.

But 60 seconds later the Baggies took the lead via their first worthwhile attack. Zoltan Gera played the ball back to James Morrison whose floated cross picked out Long who got in behind David Luiz to head home from close range.

It was the Republic of Ireland international's sixth goal of the campaign. Chelsea tried to retaliate and John Obi Mikel's low 30-yard drive was only just off target with Myhill scrambling across his line.

Myhill then got his body behind a swerving first time attempt from Sturridge. Albion were at their most threatening on the counter-attack and Long, under pressure from Gary Cahill, had a shot saved by Petr Cech after attacking a cross from Billy Jones.

Long was then just off target with a curling drive after he had shaken off the challenge of Cahill. But after 38 minutes Hazard levelled for the Blues with his fourth goal of the season.

He attacked Cesar Azpilicueta's deep cross and was able to squeeze the ball past Myhill at the far post with a powerful header.

Chelsea continued to dominate possession and Moses fired over after being teed up by Cahill. But Odemwingie restored Albion's lead five minutes into the second half.

This time Long was the creator with a cross to the near post and the Nigeria international got in front of Bertrand to glance his header past Cech for his fourth goal of the campaign.

Di Matteo made a double change with the ineffective Fernando Torres and Oriol Romeu making way for Juan Mata and Oscar respectively. Myhill made a fine save to turn aside Sturridge's close range flick after Mata's ball had opened up the West Brom defence.

He then went down to cling on to Hazard's deflected shot as Chelsea delivered wave after wave of attacks. Sturridge should have made it 2-2 with three minutes left but screwed his shot across the face of goal.

Another three points dropped because of the lack of clinical finishers in our team. We obviously need a Falcao or Cavani in January.

CHELSEA CLOSE IN ON FALCAO DEAL

Chelsea have moved a step closer to landing Atletico Madrid hitman Radamel Falcao after the player agreed personal terms ahead of a £48m January move, according to Goal.com.

The report claims owner Roman Abramovich instructed club chiefs to tell the Columbian that they will activate the release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract this January, and the striker is believed to have made it clear he wants to join the European champions when the window re-opens.

Goal claim that personal terms have already been agreed on a contract that will make the 26-year-old one of the league highest earners and Chelsea will splash out an incredible €60m (around £48m) to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

As reported on Monday, Premier League champions Manchester City are also showing strong interest but Chelsea have stepped up their efforts and look like they could get their man this winter. Atletico are desperate to keep hold of the player – who has netted 49 goals in just 60 games for the Spanish outfit – but are powerless if a club activates his buyout clause.

The deal is thought to be complex due to third-party ownership issues, with agent Jorge Mendes part of a group of investors that own a stake in Falcao, but Chelsea are confident they can complete the transfer this January.

Roberto Di Matteo see’s the former Porto man as the final piece of the puzzle and his arrival will throw fresh doubt over the futures of Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge.


While the validity of Goal.com as a source has been questioned in the past, there is little doubt that Chelsea hold a serious interest in the Columbian striker. Claiming that the club has already agreed personal terms in a bold move by Goal, but as is the case with many deals these days, meetings happen months in advance of a transfer being completed and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Blues had already discussed financial packages with the player.

One things for sure, if Falcao does move to West London in January Chelsea have got themselves one hell of a player and Premier League defenders will be having some sleepless nights.

Are Chelsea fans excited by the proposed arrival of Falcao? Get involved in the comments section.

VALENCIA WANT ROMEU

Forgotten Chelsea star Oriol Romeu could be close to a Stamford Bridge exit, after a Valencian paper published details of a meeting between his agent and the Spanish club at their headquarters over the weekend.

The Chelsea midfielder's advisor, Magico Diaz, was pictured entering the Los Che office by Superdeporte, and the paper revealed he spent more than an hour in the offices speaking with Valencia sporting director Braulio Vazquez.

It is believed Valencia are looking to arrange a loan deal for the 21-year-old with the option to buy, and it is expected that any potential move would be completed in January.

Romeu is thought to be unhappy with his lack of appearances under Roberto Di Matteo, playing only four times in all competitions this season.

Valencia's interest in the youngster is nothing new, as it's thought the La Liga side attempted to sign him prior to his switch to Chelsea in 2011. Reports of a renewed interest in the midfielder emerged last summer.

I do hope he stays because we may need him in January.

DROGBA BACK TO CHELSEA

Didier Drogba has been given the green light to train at his old club Chelsea with the season at his Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua now over.

Drogba was back in west London on Sunday to watch Chelsea draw 1-1 with Liverpool and has expressed a desire to train at Cobham to keep himself fit for the African Cup of Nations in January.

The striker insisted he would need the permission of both Chelsea and Shanghai to make it happen - but everything now looks on target after Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo gave his blessing.

Di Matteo said: "He's a legend at this club, a real pleasure to work with. If he needs any help from us, he'll always be very welcome in our club."

NEW SPONSORS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

Chelsea have revealed that the club is to announce a new sponsor in two months' time.

Having announced a profit of £1.4 million for the year ending June 2012, the Blues are set to bolster their income with a new sponsor for both Chelsea and the Sauber F1 team.

Chelsea have been in partnership with Sauber since April, and chief executive Ron Gourlay told delegates at the International Football Arena in Zurich: "The first commercial joint venture will be announced in two months' time.

"You are going to see some results of the partnership very soon. We both want to be winners in our field and have the same values. Through our relationship with Sauber, we can go into 19 different markets in one season."

Hopefully, this will help us considering the UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.

TERRY FEAR RELIEVED

John Terry will not have to endure a lengthy injury lay-off after Chelsea confirmed last night he had suffered "no significant damage" to his knee ligaments in their Premier League draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

The European champions announced captain Terry would be sidelined for "weeks rather than months" following an MRI scan on the injury that forced him off during the game at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea said in a statement on their website: "Today's MRI scans on John Terry's right knee thankfully show no significant damage to the cruciate ligaments.

"Chelsea Football Club's medical team will conduct further tests over the next two or three days once the swelling has subsided to determine how long John will be out."

Any absence is a significant blow for the Blues, with Terry having suffered the injury in his first game back after his domestic four-match racism ban.

The club had struggled badly in defence in his absence, slipping from first to third in the table.

He almost certainly will miss their potentially decisive Champions League Group E game at Juventus, as well as crucial league matches away to West Bromwich Albion and home against Manchester City.

He could even be a doubt for their Club World Cup trip to Japan early next month.

Petr Cech, who has been Chelsea's captain in the absence of Terry and Frank Lampard, was confident that losing the defender for another extended spell would not derail their season.

The goalkeeper said: "We managed to play games without him and we have players who will have a chance to impress.

"I have confidence. Obviously, it's a pity we will lose him again but we have a large squad and quality defenders to deal with that. It's important to have people who can step up. This is a chance for the others to shine and we are going to deal with his loss for him."

Terry has demonstrated supreme powers of recovery in the past, coming back from minor surgery on the same knee weeks ahead of schedule last season.

Cech added: "He knows what it takes to come back in good shape and as soon as possible. He always heals well."

Terry went down 10 minutes before half time, having given his side the lead, following an accidental collision with the striker Luis Suarez.

He was carried off on a stretcher and left Stamford Bridge in a knee brace, sparking fears of a long-term absence.

His departure left Chelsea down to two fit centre-backs, in Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic, with David Luiz sidelined by tonsilitis.

CHELSEA HELD AT THE BRIDGE

Luis Suarez dealt a huge double blow to Chelsea's Premier League title hopes today after inadvertently ending John Terry's comeback and snatching a deserved draw for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Terry looked set to enjoy a dream return to action after his domestic four-match racism ban when he powered the European champions ahead from a corner at Stamford Bridge.

But the Blues captain then collided accidentally with the man at the centre of football's other race scandal, forcing him off on a stretcher, with Suarez going on to equalise for Liverpool and almost steal victory.

The draw prevented Chelsea from climbing back into second place as they recorded their third league game without a win to lie three points behind Manchester United.

The home support may have turned up expecting another Stamford Bridge goal-fest, having witnessed 30 in the previous five games here.

But having shipped 14 goals in their last seven matches, Chelsea appeared to adopt a more conservative approach against a Liverpool side who recalled virtually all their available big guns but persevered with their experiment of playing three at the back.

They certainly had plenty of the ball early on, but the Blues' counter-attacking approach almost paid off in the sixth minute when Joe Allen lost possession to Oscar, who was threaded in by Eden Hazard only to lift the ball over the crossbar.

Liverpool, who had won on their previous three visits to Stamford Bridge, continued to probe but their defence went AWOL from Chelsea's first corner in the 20th minute.

Terry was allowed to dart untracked to the near post and duly powered home Juan Mata's delivery.

Another lightning Chelsea break from the lively Hazard saw Fernando Torres' shot parried by Brad Jones straight to the Belgian, who could not control his volley.

Nuri Sahin dragged wide at the other end before a nightmare moment for Terry and Chelsea 10 minutes before half-time.

Terry gifted the ball to Steven Gerrard and got back to make a tackle on Suarez, who fell on his right leg, leaving him in agony.

After several minutes of treatment on his knee, Terry was forced to concede his comeback was over and was carried off on a stretcher with his head in his hands, manager Roberto Di Matteo offering a consoling word before he disappeared down the tunnel.

Gary Cahill replaced Terry with the atmosphere inevitably flattening until the fourth minute of stoppage-time when Mata's superb run was marred by a rushed finish that was so out of character.

Liverpool had clearly been told to up the aggression at the break but they repeatedly took it too far.

Allen was rightly booked for bundling over Torres and the fit-again Glen Johnson followed for obstructing Oscar, whose free-kick saw Jones produce a brilliant reflex save from Torres' header.

In the chaos that followed, Gerrard hurt his left knee trying to prevent Torres reaching the rebound and Mikel produced an airshot from barely eight yards.

Liverpool hauled off Sahin for Suso as they abandoned their back three and briefly had Chelsea under pressure before Torres went close to prodding in Ryan Bertrand's cross.

Mikel - who must surely end his five-year goal drought so attacking has he become - nearly got on the end of a Mata free-kick after Gerrard was cautioned for tripping Oscar.

But Liverpool's substitution paid off 17 minutes from time when Suso's corner was flicked on by Jamie Carragher and Suarez nodded home from point-blank range.

Chelsea came straight back at them but the visitors were defending manfully and Di Matteo wasted little time throwing on Wednesday's matchwinner, Victor Moses, for Oscar.

Liverpool looked just as capable of snatching victory and Mikel was booked for the latest in a series of clumsy tackles before Torres was replaced by Daniel Sturridge.

Suso shanked wide when well-placed, Suarez tried his luck from the halfway line and Ivanovic powered over a header.

Suarez would have won it for Liverpool after racing clear onto Enrique's ball but for a vital challenge from Cech.

And after Hazard blasted narrowly wide, Cech came to Chelsea's rescue again in stoppage-time by keeping out Enrique's powerful near-post shot.

DROGBA TO TRAIN WITH CHELSEA

Didier Drogba is hoping to return to Stamford Bridge for a training stint ahead of the African Nations Cup in January.

Drogba's Shanghai Shenhua finished their season last week after failing to qualify for the finals of the Chinese Super League.

The 34-year-old scored eight goals in 11 appearances for Shanghai this season, making him the top scorer at the club.

Drogba received interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, but he openly ruled out a move back to England.

After spending eight years at Chelsea, Drogba is hoping the European champions will welcome him back into their ranks during the Chinese off-season in an attempt to remain fit for the African tournament.

"It will first be necessary that I ask permission to Shanghai and Chelsea also," Drogba said. "If everyone agrees, it is possible I will go and train there until the African Cup starts. But that is all it will be."

DI MATTEO BLASTS PREMIER LEAGUE SCHEDULING

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo believes the Premier League is putting the health of his player's at risk ahead of Sunday's clash with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will face a packed schedule with the Club World Cup in December

Di Matteo was left fuming after the governing body rejected the Blues' request to have their December 8 match with Sunderland postponed because of their Club World Cup duties.

The European champions will play in the semi-final on December 13 in Yokohama, Japan, and Di Matteo says the Premier League have failed to support Chelsea in their pursuit of intercontinental glory.

"You would think that the Premier League would have every interest in making sure that they give you the best chance to be successful in Japan, which would reflect very, very well on English football and the Premier League. So, I'm very surprised about it.

"I just can't my head round it. To give yourself the best chance travelling to Japan, with nine hours time difference, arriving three days before, you will need to do everything in your power to be able to ready for those games.

"The tournament starts on the sixth so the team we play in the semi-finals will have been there already for a week. It's a big risk in terms of health, injury risk for the players too.

"The fixture list is obviously very full. But where there's a will, there's a way. You see all the other federations trying to help their teams to do well in Europe," Di Matteo stated.

Last season, Di Matteo was unhappy with Chelsea having to kick-off their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at 6pm, and the 42-year-old insists the occasion of the Club World Cup should be given more respect by officials in England.

"It's one of the biggest trophies in international club football, if not the biggest. Maybe, in England, it's not regarded as so big but you speak to the South Americans, you speak to the Asians, you speak to everybody else involved, it's a massive, massive competition.

"We've never won it. Obviously you need to win the Champions League to even be able to play and be involved. To win that trophy would be something special.

"It's massive. Winning that trophy would mean the world. It's a trophy we don't have in our cabinet and we desperately want to bring it to Stamford Bridge."

VICTOR MOSES LEADS CHELSEA OUT OF SHAKHTAR DARKNESS

ROBERTO DI MATTEO warned his team that they will have to tighten up and defend better to keep their Champions League dreams alive after a late goal from Victor Moses got them out of jail.

Chelsea twice threw away the lead in a thrilling game at Stamford Bridge and looked to have given themselves a huge task to qualify from Champions League Group E – until substitute Moses nodded in the winner in the 94th minute.

Di Matteo’s men should now qualify for the knockout stages if they can take a point from their trip to Juventus in a fortnight. And even if they lose, they could still get through if they beat minnows Nordsjaelland in their final game.

Twice Chelsea led through Fernando Torres and Oscar, but twice an excellent Shakhtar side levelled through Willian – and then Moses saved the day.

He said: “I only played 10 minutes so it was great to get the winner.”

Di Matteo said: “It was crucial for us to win and in the end it was very much down to the old spirit.

It was crucial for us to win and in the end it was very much down to the old spirit.

"There was an element of luck. We deserved to win. But it made it difficult to go ahead twice and not hold on.

“We need to work on these things to see out games. We will have to tighten up in Turin.

“We have to work on the defensive organisation. But this result gives us a good chance to qualify now.”

Di Matteo gambled massively in leaving skipper John Terry on the bench.

He said: “It’s not easy to tell a player he’s not starting. JT is a fantastic player.

"I’m very happy he’s back available for us. But in four weeks he has had one competitive game and I thought we needed players who were 100 per cent match fit.”
           

Shakhtar’s Mircea Lucescu said: “We dominated all the match. This is painful.

"The referee made a mistake adding on three minutes and playing more. I am angry and disgusted at our lack of concentration.”