Chelsea v Southend Preview

Posted on | January 2, 2009 | No Comments

It’s one of the ultimate glamour ties of this competition; a lower league club travelling to play one of the biggest and best sides in the world. Since dropping out of the Championship a couple of years ago Southend haven’t enjoyed the best of times, yet have the perfect opportunity to put themselves back on the map if they can cause an upset at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Chelsea may be sat 2^nd in the Premiership and just two points behind leaders Liverpool, but performances this season have been disappointing and they’ve struggled for consistency. The appointment of Phil Scolari in the summer was meant to be the start of a new era, yet the Brazilian has struggled and his Blues side is one that seems to lack the flair and firepower needed to win the title. Their home form used to be something that they relied heavily on yet even that has deserted them and draws are becoming all too frequent. The Blues were incredibly knocked out of this competition by Championship side Barnsley last season and with a lack of trophies costing previous manager Avram Grant his job, Scolari knows his side need to improve if they are to match their early expectations.

As for Southend, they’re no strangers to cup upsets. It wasn’t so long ago that Steve Tilson’s men knocked Manchester United out of the Carling Cup, albeit in a home tie. There’s no doubting that the Shrimpers need something to spark their season with their current position of 13^th disappointing supporters. They made the play offs last term yet they’re now eleven points adrift and while it’s still early, that’s still a heck of a difference. However, Tilson has established himself as one of the better young and upcoming managers over the years and after recent successors, surely they must be set for an upturn in fortunes soon.

With Chelsea clear favorites for this one, Phil Scolari is likely to include a few fringe players one of which is Michael Mancienne. The youngster has been on loan at Wolves for much of the season but after impressing there and even earning an England call-up, Scolari has recalled him and looks set to select him for Saturday. Elswhere, Alex and Florent Malouda are absent with hamstring injuries, while Michael Ballack and John Terry will both miss out through suspension. As for Southend, Steve Tilson is hopeful over Francis Laurent with the striker well on the way to recovering from illness. Elsewhere, Jean Francois-Christophe looks set to be involved after completing his permanent transfer from Portsmouth.

Southend have been renowned for their team spirit under Tilson over the last few years and while they will put up a good show, Chelsea will just have too much power here. Southend won’t embarrass themselves by any means, but Chelsea should walk through this tie – 3-1 Blues.

Related posts:

1. Chelsea vs Southend preview- FA Cup
2. Southend vs. Manchester United
3. Chelsea v Ipswich Preview
4. Chelsea vs Aston Villa Preview
5. Chelsea vs West Ham preview

Comments