Swansea City v Liverpool, EPL.

Brendan's return. Back to the future - again.
I find this preview comes to you in a slightly different mood to the usual, and that's principally because this is the first time our previous manager, Brendan Rodgers, has returned to the Liberty in charge of his new team, Liverpool FC.

I guess there's still a twinge of frustration within me, but I think it's fair to say it gets less by the week and with each and every game .

Ah, it seems ages ago now, when in another odd Summer along came the Scouse "giants" and tempted yet another of our Managers away, but it would be hard to argue (from my point at least) that we haven't done even better since.

It starts, of course, with both our Club set up generally, and Board particularly.

Despite the upheaval of change, Huw Jenkins and colleagues have at least secured both Financial probity and proven Managerial worth in both the Transfer and Compensatory markets and the Leadership of Michael Laudrup. We won't know the eventual outcome until at least this season's end, but thus far I suspect most of us Swans are justifiably pleased with the progress.

BR is embarked on his new career at Liverpool in a major period of change at that Club too, and his road has been rocky (to be kind), with perhaps the most puzzling aspect the failure to secure Striking cover for the on loan and controversial Andy Carroll and to go into the season with so little depth up front. Plus there's the now infamous £35m fee aroma which will never go away. We'll come back to that.

Here's their full squad........

Goalkeepers
1 Jones, 25 Reina, 32 Doni, 42 Gulacsi, 52 Ward

Defenders
2 Johnson, 3 Jose Enrique, 5 Agger, 16 Coates, 22 Wilson, 23 Carragher, 34 Kelly, 37 Skrtel, 38 Flanagan, 45 Sama, 47 Wisdom, 49 Robinson

Midfielders
4 Sahin, 8 Gerrard, 10 Cole, 14 Henderson, 19 Downing, 21 Lucas, 24 Allen, 31 Sterling, 33 Shelvey, 35 Coady

Forwards
7 Suarez, 11 Assaidi, 12 Pacheco, 29 Borini, 30 Fernandez Saez, 36 Yesil, 50 Morgan

On Thursday night they played out a frustrating 2-2 draw with Young Boys of Berne  in a Europa league group game that leaves them still to secure a Qualifying berth from the Group, and all will depend on the final Group match up.

The team they went with on Thursday was........

25 Reina, 23 Carragher, 37 Skrtel, 47 Wisdom (Gerrard - 31' ), 04 Sahin Booked, 10 Cole (Sterling - 75' ), 14 Henderson, 19 Downing, 33 Shelvey, 11 Assaidi, 30 Suso (Suarez - 60' )

Substitutes
01 Jones, 03 Jose Enrique, 16 Coates, 08 Gerrard, 24 Allen, 31 Sterling, 07 Suarez

.....in a typical BR 4-2-3-1 with Pepe Reina back in goal, Wisdom, Carragher, Skrtel and Downing across the back, Henderson and Sahin as the defensive MF'ers, Suso, Cole and Assaidi the 3 supporting Jon-Joe Shelvey as a "false 9".

I understand the Irishman's need to balance and rotate, but the frustrating outcome was given the clue to by his need to use both all of the initially rested first choice trio - Luis Suarez, Stephen Gerrard and Raheem Sterling well before the end of the game, presumably in an attempt to get it done and dusted on the night. Ah well, such are the plans of Mice and Men often stymied. (Whoops = stop smirking in the back!)

Now look - I know Pepe Reina's been injured some and has had more frequent episodes of mistake than previously - but is Brad Jones really in front of the Spanish International generally, Brendan?? Really???

Personally I don't think so - but then that's why he's paid MegaBucks as the Manager of Liverpool and I'm not.

Maybe it's got something to do with Neuro-Linguistic Programming or maybe it's because he (Reina) is a very strong dressing room character who sometimes rocks the boat with opinions, - after all, nothing must detract from the "project".

First choice RB is likely to be Andre Wisdom, the Academy graduate, (Stephen Kelly is injured) with Glen Johnson, the England RB replacing the nowadays utility LB Stewart Downing ( only £20m Kenny !). How are the mighty fallen.

CB's are almost certain to be our old friends the Tattoo Twins, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. The Dane and the Slovak are solid and quality players - even if Daniel seems to have stolen one of Martin's vowels.

Rogers has been using both our own Swansea City developed Joe Allen and the Club Captain Steven Gerrard to hold, and we know both the quality and influence of both - 2 players at opposite ends of their career. Gerrard is rightly revered by the Scoucers, and young Joey seems to have won over most of their doubters ( most, but not all), and at £15m I'm confident the deal was right for us both.

Nuri Sahin, the quality Turkish International on loan from Real Madrid has also been used to hold, but as Sahin is essentially a Michu type (advanced MF'er) rather than a Leon type (withdrawn MF'er) the Turk has of late fallen out of favour, and will ultimately be contesting selection along with Suso. Undoubtedly Lucas Leiva, the recently injured and talented Brazilian is likely to enter the MF equation too, when fit.

Part of BR's gamble this year has involved using the far younger players more and more, along with a fairly recent conversion of a stalwart Spanish defender into an advanced left sided MF'er.

That's why he's used an advanced 3 of young Suso, the Spanish youth generally playing left footed from the right, and Jose Enrique, the Iberian LB signed long ago from the Toon on the left, and England's (or Jamaica's) 17 yr old Raheem Sterling as the support striker to the out and out goal-thief Luis Suarez at the head of the team.

Suso is a highly skilled dribbler with a good shot, but has periods where he does tend to drift out of games. Enrique, on the other hand, after long being out of favour with Rodgers as a defender has been a key assister in two of Suarez's more satisfying goals of late, providing one long and one threaded final pass prior to the goals. Moreover, he's chipped in with one himself.

Sterling's rising star has been nothing short of meteoric - from Academy player last season when we played their reserves at Parc Y Scarlets to first-team saviour and the "future of the club" and a full International within 6 months. Forgive me if I proffer that I'm not yet entirely convinced.Seems promising, but still a long way to go, methinks.

Up front, of course, think of him what you like, what we can't argue about is that in Luis Suarez they have the PL's most in form striker. His performances this year have been genuinely thrilling, and the recently stated Ash Williams' reported wish to "knock him out" when he saw the alleged extent of his more nefarious tricks, makes me hope our defence can keep this predator caged as he is their most dangerous player by a country mile.

On that basis, this is the team I expect to face us - and my belief is he'll pick what is at the moment both what he perceives as their "strongest" side - fitness permitting.

Jones, Wisdom, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Gerrard, Allen, Suso, Sterling, Enrique, Suarez. We'll see.

Incidentally, you may wish to take a look back at the full squad listed above, because some of the names on there will give you more than a hint at the scope and range of transformation that BR is attempting to imprint.

Firstly, there's the "Elephant in the Room" - Overpaying.

As I've hinted previously, the amounts lavished by the previous Manager ( the sainted King Kenny) encompasses the on loan Carroll (£35m), the stuttering Stewart Downing (£20m), the bereft Jordan Henderson (£18m), and the lost Joe Cole (free but on £120k a week). I suspect there may be some money lost there over the next couple of years.

There are some quality squad players too, to be fair.

Sebastian Coates is Uruguay's first choice CB. Nuri Sahin and Lucas Leiva I've mentioned already. Oussama Assaidi is a young Moroccan winger/striker of some talent and pace. Samed Yesil is a very young highly rated German Striker. And then there's the currently injured Fabio Borini, late of this parish and still much admired in my heart.

Plus, there's a tranche of good young talent that will also come through. Guided by senior pros like Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, there's no doubt that if allowed the time and patience (and money!) to process his changes, BR's incessant modern "Managerspeak" may succeed. Just forgive me if I don't really care. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the King is dead, long live the King.

As for our own side, after last week's excellent win at Newcastle, perhaps you'll allow me a phrase associated with the saturnine Peter Mandelson when talking about the super-rich = he's alleged to have said  - " I'm intensely relaxed in their presence.......". So am I, Peter, so am I.

I quite fancy fashioning another mud pie, all the better to poke into BR's beatific visage........

ONWARD, SWANSEA CITY.

Swansea City v Chelsea, PL, Match Report

Rocking Liberty sees Swans justly make a point.

The past week has seen the Football Gods confirm that this really is the Sport that makes Kings of us all.

Having come away from a visit to the defending PL Champs with a narrow 1-0 defeat (in which many thought we were unlucky and had been the better team), the side went on to a sublime 3-1 victory in a Capitol One Cup Tie at Anfield to a earn a quarter final Home tie against Championship Middlesbrough on December 12th. To close a fantastic week, Saturday saw us meet European Champions and current (at day's start) League leaders Chelsea FC at our very own Liberty Stadium.

Believe me, it was not ever thus, but on an afternoon where the November weather/time of year, and the bouncing, ebullient crowd played its full part, the Liberty was "Rockin' in the Free World", to the deserved outcome of a 1-1 draw that sent hordes of us Happy Jacks streaming home through an "End of Days" hailstorm that left the gutters hard pressed to cope with torrents of water.

This, genuinely, honestly is when Football lives up to and surpasses its incessant PL hype. A real, for once,  "I was there" moment, and all the better for that.

Swansea's changes from Wednesday's XI saw Garry Monk, the Club Captain, retain his place for the injured Chico Flores, and both regular full backs, Rangel and Ben Davies replace Jazz Richards and Tiendalli respectively.

For Chelsea, Romeu continued to hold with Mikel, and Ivanovic played at CB for the injured Luiz. Mata missed out too, being replaced by Victor Moses.

The lines-up, thus, were these................

Swansea City

25 Tremmel, 06 Williams, 16 Monk, 22 Rangel, 33 Davies, 07 Britton Booked (Graham - 65' ), 09 Michu (Shechter - 79' Booked ), 11 Pablo, 15 Routledge (Dyer - 65' ), 20 De Guzman Booked, 24 Ki Sung-Yeung

 Substitutes
 13 Cornell, 05 Tate, 21 Tiendalli, 12 Dyer, 26 Agustien, 10 Graham, 17 Shechter

Chelsea

01 Cech, 02 Ivanovic, 03 Cole, 24 Cahill, 28 Azpilicueta Booked, 06 Romeu (Ramires - 46' ), 11 Oscar (Bertrand - 79' ), 12 Mikel, 13 Moses (Sturridge - 72' ), 17 Hazard, 09 Torres 

Substitutes
22 Turnbull, 19 Ferreira, 34 Bertrand, 07 Ramires, 21 Marin, 23 Sturridge, 35 Piazon

Ref: Friend
Att: 20,527

This game started like many we have seen - the difference being Chelsea were the team content to keep the ball, and move it at a leisurely pace whilst they concentrated on stability.

Under BR, this is the kind of thing we've seen us do often, so it was interesting to see the ways City coped with this, and, eventually, earned their way back into the game.

It came down to competition and desire, as it so often does. Ki was keen to put a foot in, and Leon Britton did what Leon Britton does - hassle, collect and distribute, to excellent effect.

What was instantly apparent was that much of Chelsea's play was going through Oscar. Romeu and Mikel were sitting deep, with the young Nigerian almost like a Busquets-type figure, all but a third CB, playing 5 yds in front of the regular 2, which meant that the Brazilian was free to flit and scheme where he wanted, which he was doing to good effect.

I've heard him (Oscar) described as a sort of Kaka-lite ........I prefer the term Kaka-formative ; remember the days when the senior Brazilian was the sort of player who changes games? Oscar is nearly there, so the Swans did really well to cope with his constant probings.

The game's first half clear chance fell to Swansea's Rangel, who, after a great 1-2 with Pablo H tried a pull back to Michu when he could perhaps have shot to a better result in the inside right channel in the box. His cut back was hacked clear, and the chance was gone.

When Chelsea attacked, a good in-swinging corner found Fernando Torres glance an equally decent header which Leon Britton did well to hack clear at the back post on the line, with Ivanovic sliding and close to touching it in.

For Swansea, Pablo Hernandez had begun as he meant to go on - with quality - and his right to inside tricky run with a cute chip into the six yard box was met by a stretching Michu, who couldn't keep his attempt on target and saw it run out for a throw in.

The game oscillated from end to end, and both Eden Hazard (who drove a shot over the bar), and Fernando Torres ( who saw a weak header saved from a Moses cut back ) will think they could have done better.

At the other end, Ki Seung Yung saw a fierce shot blocked, but the crowd was getting justifiably disturbed by the consecutive , rotating, collective fouling, and worse,

Swansea suffered as a result. Britton was  booked, and his name taken, for the first Swansea foul in 5, when in fairness there had been Chelsea transgressors committing far worse offences.

A decent through ball from Cahill saw Hazard threaten in the inside left channel, but Ash Williams marshalled him out as both players stumbled after equal challenge.

In an enthralling back and fore tempo, both sides threatened, but a word for some individuals.

Ash Williams and Monk were keeping a tight lid on Torres, and at the Chelsea end Ivanovic and Cahill were doing the same to Michu. Most effective for Swansea was Pablo Hernandez, often on the ball and regularly threatening, in his most affecting game in his new career at City. As said before, Oscar was the Chelsea danger, and both Hazard and Moses buzzed around him in an entertaining, open game.

The sides went off even at half time, and the 45m seemed to me to have flown by in one of the most enjoyable, competitive halves for a while. Mints, Fruit Pastilles, Boiled Sweets even - we West Standers surely know how to live it up at half time.

There surely is something special about watching top class football under the lights and in inclement weather - it's a peculiarly intimate thing - and yesterday was no exception.

By now the Liberty's lights shone bright, having seen a rainbow over the East Stand just before dark, and as the rain commenced the sides came back for the second half to an increasingly passionate Liberty Crowd. The match moved up a notch. Hymns and Arias sounded even better in the rain.

There were influential changes made in this half - the first being Chelsea's substitution of Ramires for Romeu at half time, allowing them a greater fluidity and increased pace of attack as they went for the win.

Swansea resisted mightily, and were determined to stand firm, but were increasingly pushed deeper whilst supported by the raucous JackArmy, who were in the season's finest voice in both selection and volume.

Premiership Football at its very best, - loud, competitive, magnetic - this is why we love football.

The European Champions were now going for broke, and Hazard cut in and drove a low shot to the near post that Tremmel went full length to hold. Victor Moses put a header over the bar from a Torres cross, and pressure was building.

Swansea countered through Rangel and Michu, but almost on the hour mark came the game changing breakthrough.

Oscar won a soft free kick some 30 yds out just to the right of goal, and from Hazard's clever driven curling shot on goal, Gerhard Tremmel went full length to his left and double fisted the save away and behind for a corner in a "TV/Hollywood/Camera" type moment.

From Oscar's out-swinging corner from the right, Gary Cahill, although faithfully tracked by the tremendous Garry Monk, rose just higher and directed a bullet header into the six yard box, where the lurking Victor Moses flicked it on with his head to strike the junction of post and bar and in, above the valiant Leon Britton on the line.

1-0, and whilst Moses slid in supplication on his knees toward the North Stand, the sold out Chelsea end burst into delirium in celebration.

This may have felt like a punch to the guts to most of us Jacks, but the crowd immediately showed its value.

Almost instantaneously with the restart, the volume, which had been about 9 out of 10 previously immediately was dialled up to about 13 out of 10, and the crowd's insistence drove the team forward.

Several things happened, of great import in the ensuing minutes.

The rain, which had settled into a persistent drizzle, got heavier and heavier, to be completed by a violent "End of Days" type thunderstorm, which chucked hailstones violently down in varying strengths from then until well after full time, and as the weather got worse, Swansea, who had been good, got better and best.

Substitutions, too, influenced the outcome.

Laudrup was first to react, in the 65th minute sending on Dyer for Routledge and Danny Graham for Britton. Michu dropped into MF and Pablo Hernandez went to the left wing, to, as we now know, even further important influence.

Di Matteo was slower to counter, waiting until 72m to replace Moses with Sturridge, like for like, but - I'd suggest - he lost the initiative on 79m replacing the influential Oscar with the defensive Ryan Bertrand. Had he settled for holding what they'd got? I think so - and it came back to bite them.

Swansea's pressure saw first a de Guzman curling shot held by Cech high, after a flowing move involving Rangel.

Ki got stronger still, and his was now the most important MF presence, breaking down and setting up attacks.

From one such raid, Dyer put in a curler that Cech did well to tip over the bar, and the resulting corner was another Chelsea scramble.

Swansea's final change saw Scheckter replace Miguel Michu, and he too would have an important part to play.

Hernandez on the left was combining better and better with Ben Davies, giving the Chelsea rearguard a hard time, and on 88m he cut in from the left beating a couple of defenders, exchanged passes with Scheckter in the box, and took the return just inside the 18yd line to quickly hit a sublime curler just inside Cech's left hand post. The  keeper's despairing dive was too late to stop the net rippling.

1-1, and the Liberty roar, delirious and fantastic, would have been heard in Tenby!

In the remaining few minutes including the extras, Danny Graham could even have won it, latching on in the inside left channel, and it was only Gary Cahill's last gasp block that kept him out.

As God continued to chuck his righteous hail and rain onto the sodden Lib turf, the rocking JackArmy sang the team to full time.

1-1 final score, and we'd come out justifiably even against the European Champions in a humdinger of a contest, and my favourite Match this year - so far!

You, as well as I, just know that not every football match we attend turns out to be the spectacle most of us hope for. This was one such match that did. There had been a real street spirit about Swansea.

Huge respect to both Chelsea and Swansea City for putting on a real Firecracker of a contest.

It would be unfair to single out individuals from our team, but a special dispensation to Pablo Hernandez, who confirmed his class.

I could just as fairly complement ALL of our team, Staff and Management included - and I do.

Thank you, and Onward Swansea City.

##

Incidentally, this is for all you SouthSiders who also sang their part, along with the East, West and North. Respect. 
 

Speaking with the Enemy

 

A Chelsea Q and A

As some may know, I'm a Twitter afficionado @peterthomas91, and one of my regular, and often very pertinent correspondents from Chelsea FC is @TerrenceTheCat so when she asked me to do a Q and A for a Chelsea website, I was happy to oblige.


Here it is, and I'll post the link to their site when I get it. Please enjoy, and I hope I've done us justice.


 Hi,

I'm Peter Thomas, and a 62 yr old Swansea City fan who saw his first game v Ipswich in 1963 at the Vetch Field. I'm  a retired Teacher.

A Season Ticket Holder, Lower West Stand G120, I write a Swansea-centric blog at http://pierre91.blogspot.co.uk/  , and I'm on Twitter as @peterthomas91 which can be found here https://twitter.com/peterthomas91 . Would love it if you'd read me either occasionally or regularly. Thanks.

1.    How do you think Swansea is looking so far this season?

After a terrific start and a stuttering 3 game losing streak we got back on track with a Home win to Wigan and last Saturday I thought we were a little unfortunate to come away with nothing from the Etihad, despite a genuinely decent performance. All in all, we're probably where we deserve to be be - mid table, and playing some decent football.

 2.    Are you happy with the business you did in the transfer window?
 
Very happy. To lose almost half of last year's first team ( Joe Allen, Sigurdsson, Caulker and Sinclair along with Neil Taylor's horrible leg break ) it was always going to be hard to replace them. So, with Flores at the back, Michu in MF and Pablo Hernandez wide we did well to get quality for decent prices. Similarly, De Guzman is settling in too, and young Ben Davies at LB has really been able to step up to the mark. A difficult transition looks as if it's bearing fruit, and we've retained a unique style - although it's evolved.


3.    Which Chelsea player should Swansea be worried about? And vice-versa?
 
Juan Mata, in his current form scares me silly ( as I guess he does the rest of the League ) and Oscar looks like Kaka when he was good. Add to that Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres (I'm an admirer, still) and I'd say we might have our hands full.

From our end, Miguel Perez Cuesta aka Michu is the real deal - a goalscoring MF'er who looks languid but is top class. If Danny Graham plays to his capabilities he's a clever forward. All 3 of our wide men (only 2 will play) are in decent shape. Dyer, Routledge and Hernadez each have their own skillset, and all have pace to burn.


4.    Did you ever in your wildest dreams imagine that Swansea and Michael Laudrup would hook up one day? How is he doing d’you think?
 
I didn't think we'd get a Manager of his quality, but our Chairman Huw Jenkins and his board still keep pulling rabbits from hats. I think he's doing well. You may have read about "dressing room unrest" from the Daily Mail and its ilk recently - quite frankly that was a load of tabloid tosh that used 4 month old quotes to try to establish a scare-story. ML is professional, cultured, media-savvy and has a great deal more playing credibility than most players in the PL, so we fans are perfectly happy with him.


5.    Do you think it was a mistake for Rodgers to leave Swansea for Liverpool when he did – was he ready?
 
Not really. When you're a Club like ours we'll always be vulnerable should one of you "big beasts" come calling. Let's be realistic here- when some Club of that magnitude comes along (even Liverpool in their reduced state) what ambitious Manager can afford either financially or career wise to turn them down? It may be a year earlier than I expected, but having gone I thank him for getting us into the Prem - but now he can sink or swim on his own merits, I really couldn't give a damn. The King is dead, long live the King.


6.    They say the second season after promotion is always more difficult that the first – what do you think?
 
Yes, I do think it's harder as teams have seen you a couple of times around and will adjust their tactics accordingly, although I do hate Hansen, Lawrenson, Shearer and some other lazy pundits who bleat on about "second season syndrome". Statistically, there's no such thing, it's just a cliched soundbite. It's all down to how well we perform on the field.

7.    What would make a good season for Swansea?

 
Another mid table finish , just like last year's 11th would be sublime, as the continued finance will cement the funding for both our Academy Development and Training Ground completion/upgrade, and lead to the first part of Stadium development. However, just staying in the Division means we get to play at this standard for another year - and that's the REAL treat.

8.    Who's been your favourite Swansea player of all time & why?

 
I always admired Alan Curtis from the 80's side simply for his flair in playing the game. For those too young to remember him, he's now our first team coach, and he, just like Oscar with you, made the game look ridiculously easy. Top , top quality. In our current side, Michu is my man.


9.    How much of a miss is Vorm going to be in the next few weeks?
 
Huge, huge loss.The worst thing that happened to us in Manchester was losing Vorm, who is a top 6 keeper. We have a hard period ahead, but we'll get through it I think. If you'd asked me who the one player we HAD to keep fit I'd have said the Keeper, not only for his outstanding defensive skills but for his sublime distribution. He's like an extra outfield player for us. Ah well, Vorsrung Durch Technik, go Gerhard Tremmel!

10.    If you could choose any Chelsea player to join Swansea, who would it be and why?
 
Any chance of Atletico Madrid lending us Thibault Courtois for a few months?? No? Ah well, it'll have to be either Mata or Oscar - I'm sure they'd make any team better. Mind you, if Danny Sturridge fancies a spell by the seaside, he'd be very welcome too!

11.    How do you think Chelsea will do this season?

 
I'd think you're pretty close to winning the League. Your performances this year (and I include the robbery last Sunday) have been, I think, the most impressive of any team I've seen. Just please please finish above Old Red Nose's charges - I hate Utd with a passion.

12.    Finally, what are your predictions for the game?

 
I'm hopeful that we can repeat last year and get at least a 1-1 draw. I can't EVER bring myself to predict a loss for us - no fan can, surely, so I'll happily take a point.

Best regards, looking forward to a great game. I'll be there. If you should see an "old geezer" falling off his walking stick whilst going "loopy" when we score it's probably me. Please forgive.

##
I also write regularly for SCFC2 , one of the 2 most prominent Swansea City fansites, run by Jim White, Vice Chair of the Swansea City Supporters Trust, a 20% owner of our Club, and Planet Swans  , run by Phil Sumbler, the Chair of that very same Swansea City Supporters Trust, all of which can be found from the highlighted text.

I recommend a visit to all if you want to get a taste of our Club. Enjoy.

##
Here's the link to the Chelsea Supporters Group website. 

Swansea City v Chelsea, Match preview, PL 3/11/12

City to Liverpool to Chelsea - are we in Dreamland or is it just the company we keep nowadays?

After our narrow defeat to last year's Champions, Manchester City at the Etihad last Saturday, and our fizzing meeting against the iconic Liverpool FC at Anfield on Wednesday night, at which we came out victorious, and with a degree of style at 3-1, in a tie made bitter/sweet against our previous Manager BR, this Saturday we get to entertain the current leaders of the PL, the reigning Champions League holders and modern perennial winners Chelsea FC at our very own Liberty Stadium.

Can I recommend taking a deep breath here - this, after all, is the exalted company we keep nowadays, and with no disrespect, it makes (for many SCFC fans) all those chilly and wet nights spent at Kidderminster, Rochdale, Torquay et al all seem worthwhile. It's all about perspective, and whilst I'd hate to be accused of being a little precious, we also must realise that it's where our terrific Club deserves to be, so let's just enjoy the ride as we fight to retain our current status. That, unsurprisingly,  is one of a Club that plays good football, and is where it is on merit, both on and off the field. Just be proud.

That Liverpool Cup Tie, of course, was at least not any sort of threat in the physical sense, since Chelsea, just like us, had their own tough tie at Home to Manchester Utd again, so both teams come into this game having rotated (to a greater or lesser degree), and having to deal with their third game in a week.

Our team at that game last night was this - and we'll come back to it later............Tremmel, Tiendalli, Williams, Flores, Richards, Britton, de Guzman, Ki, Dyer, Hernandez, Michu.

The two ties turned out with similar outcomes (wins for us both), and neither will be sadder than the other.

Chelsea's line up looked like this..........Cech (c); Azpilicueta, Cahill, D Luiz, Bertrand; Romeu, Mikel; Moses, Mata, Piazon; Sturridge.

Anyway, back to Saturday.

It's been great both last year (and continues to be this) to entertain teams of this stature at the Liberty. Chelsea's current squad continues to support that statement, and some would say, to an ever more pleasing degree.

This is a Club that after their fantastic capture of the Champion's League title at the end of last season, and continuing on and off field kerfuffle of deep seriousness, took the brave decision to make their squad both younger and more football vibrant, to echo their owner's obsession with achieving an on-pitch performance that could be admired worldwide - as Barcelona undoubtedly are.

Consequently, the squad has evolved in both substance and priority, to exciting ends.

The general consensus in Football seems to be that they needed to get "younger", which, coincidentally, seemed to be the brief under Andre Villas Boas, prior to his sacking under reported senior-player mutiny at the back end of last season.

The former player Roberto di Matteo (the assistant coach at the time) then took over on a temporary basis, and via his and the team's  fantastic closure to the season, has this year gone on to both change the personnel and to keep them running at the top, and whatever conjecture about the future, it can't be argued that since his permanent appointment, on the field the team has thrived.

Don't forget that they have Thibault Courtois, now Belgium's no 1 keeper on loan at Atletico Madrid, so whilst the excellent Petr Czech continues to keep the shirt, the future is secure. Similar quality out on loan includes Romelu Lukaku at West Brom, Kevin de Bruin at Werder Bremen, and Jeffrey Bruma at Hamburg. Lukaku, a bruising forward, de Bruin, a clever winger/Mf'er, and Bruma, an accomplished defender, all would like to think they have a future at their parent club.

The current first team squad is this.........

1 Petr Cech, 2 Branislav Ivanovic, 3 Ashley Cole, 4 David Luiz, 6 Oriol Romeu, 7 Ramires, 8 Frank Lampard, 9 Fernando Torres, 10 Juan Mata, 11 Oscar, 12 Mikel, 13 Victor Moses, 15 Florent Malouda, 17 Eden Hazard, 19 Paulo Ferreira, 21 Marko Marin, 22 Ross Turnbull, 23 Daniel Sturridge, 24 Gary Cahill, 26 John Terry, 28 Cesar Azpilicueta, 34 Ryan Bertrand, 35 Lucas Piazon, 40 Henrique Hilario

In comparison to last year the newcomers are these...........

Oscar, the precocious modern-day Kaka signed from Internacional at £25m+, Victor Moses, the exciting British winger/striker peeled from Wigan at a paltry £8/10m, Eden Hazard, Ligue1's player of the year for the past 2 years and a Belgian superstar at £32m, Marko Marin, a German International winger from Werder Bremen at £7m + who, through injury, has yet to make his debut, and Cesar Azpilicueta,the Spaniard signed from Marseille for again £7m +  a fantastic raiding RB who has not yet settled fully in. Another squad addition is Lucas Piazon, a superbly talented forward from Brazil, again, who has come through their Academy structure.

When you add that to the established players in the group, it's hard to argue that they've got any weaker, in any sense.

Czech will keep goal, and their back 4 has usually comprised Branislav Ivanovic at RB, Terry/Cahill/David Luiz central (2 from 3) and Ashley Cole at LB. I think we'll agree they all can play a bit.

Generally, they play a 4-2-3-1, so in front of that back 4 it's been mainly the case that it's protected by John Obi Mikel, the talented Nigerian, and Ramires, the outrageously gifted Brazilian runner who seems to have 3 lungs. Both of these players took some time to settle in to the PL, but nowadays you would find most PL Managers coveting their plentiful influence and wishing they were theirs. The holding MF'er has become a great influence in the modern game, and these are 2 of the best of their kind, albeit both have differing skills.

This year, it's the front 4 who have been most impressive.

Supporting the advanced Fernando Torres, the 3 behind are Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard. Whilst they may start in that set up right to left, what is most effective is that they constantly switch and swivel, with each gracing the others previous position with an equal and confusing fluidity that means it's difficult in the extreme for their defenders/opponents to keep any sort of tab on them. They each are the precision mechanism that makes this Rolex Oyster of a team tick. Whilst both Oscar and Hazard have been excellent, Juan Mata has been a street above, Thus far into the season, this is the player who has most impressed in all of the Premier League at ANY club. If it's possible to enjoy an opponent (and I'm sure it is), keep a close eye on this talent and just enjoy.

In front of that, Chelsea this year have put their money on Fernando Torres. Oft derided since his move from Liverpool, and last year suffering from his sporadic support role to the iconic Didier Drogba, this year he's freed of that shackle, and whilst some would argue that his lack of prolific goals suggest that not much has changed (in his head), I prefer the suggestion that his performances have been what makes the supporting 3 so successful, with influential runs, ball retension and threat being what makes it all work.

As a first choice team, that is SOME threat.

Having said all that - and we've not even considered Lampard, Terry, Romeu, Bertrand, or Danny Sturridge (and several others), -  we daren't get starstruck. No "rabbit in the headlights" moments allowed.

As I said earlier, we are in this Division on merit, and have earned the right to play in this sort of game, so whilst we fans can take delight in seeing players of this calibre, our team will be out to do them down, and, thank goodness for that. I'm all for offering considered respect to worthy opponents, but I'd much rather beat the buggers.

So, what about us?

As hinted above, the decently performing line up at Anfield brought home an excellent win, to take us into the Quarter Finals with a Home draw against Middlesbrough, so ML will have a great degree of choice, since all of the squad is performing well. On we go then.

Well, with Michel Vorm's unfortunate injury, this is the first time Gerhard Tremmel will have had a run in the side, and whilst his sporadic appearances for the first team have been nervous, it now behoves us as fans to give him every support and every respect. Vorsprung Durch Technik and all that. Go Gerhard!!

The CB's are almost easy - Chico Flores (if recovered) and Ash Williams are our Premier pair, and Angel Rangel, following his suspension, is surely a shoe in at RB. Similarly, young Ben Davies has been so reliable I'd be surprised to see anyone in advance of him.

At the Etihad last week, it seemed to me that the MF 3 were really very good, so Ki and Leon must hold. Whilst we always play 2 wide - and I don't expect us to do any different this week - a perm 2 from 3 from Nathan Dyer, Pablo Hernandez and Wayne Routledge will do me, although it does seem that Wayne has been the player in advance of the other 2 on form, and will thus be retained.

Miguel Michu is undroppable at the moment, so it seems that the question again will be whether we play him as a "false 9" with Jonathan de Guzman (who was excellent last week and last night) as the offensive MF'er or do we pull Michu deeper to support the clever (but underperforming so far) Danny Graham. Personally I'd go for the same set up, but there you go - it's all about opinions.

Whatever the team selections one thing we can be absolutely sure about - this Saturday we get to see a top class, important, fascinating Match, and that, surely, is what we've all dreamed about for years.

Whatever the outcome I promise you that I'm going to enjoy another fabulous day in this, our latest, mind blowing incantation.


Onward, Swansea City.