The Blues march on

Chelsea FC is right on top of the standings in the English Premier League this season, with a slender one-point lead over Manchester United. This has been one of their finest performances since they won two consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006. “The Blues” have made a fine start to the season, making their new manager Carlo Ancelotti a happy man.

Chelsea has been a much improved team in the past decade, with some good victories coming, both in the Premiership, and good performances in the UEFA Champions League, where they made the finals in 2008, losing out on penalties to their club mates Manchester United, the first time both English teams made it to the finals. It has been a long, hard grind for the club, who were a second division team, when they were formed in 1905. Except for reaching the FA Cup final in 1915, they did not produce exceptional results for many years. The first time they won the league title was in 1955, and they made it to the finals of the FA Cup final in 1967. Their performances steadily continued to improve and they won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970. Due to financial problems, the club’s performances dropped and they were back in the second division during the 80s.
It was only during the mid 90s that “The Blues” came back into the first division, and started showing results, winning the FA Cup with former Dutch international Ruud Gullit as manager, in 1997. They also went onto win The League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998. Another win followed with the FA Cup trophy in 2000, and an appearance in the finals in 2002. During this phase they were consistently making the finals, if not winning most major titles. Their biggest achievements came in 2005 and 2006, with them winning the Premiership on both occasions. The final of the Champions League in 2008 was a hard-fought one with their biggest rivals, Manchester United, which ended 1-1 after extra-time. Much to their disappointment, Chelsea lost out 6-5 on penalties. They also finished runners-up in the Premiership to Manchester United, in 2007 and 2008.
Chelsea has a number of talented players, who are among the best in world football. Their main striker Didier Drogba, who plays for Ivory Coast, is one of the highest scorers in the league, and has been their star performer for the past three years. They also have Michael Ballack, German mid-fielder, who is a consistent performer,
Frank Lampard, the vice-captain and the experienced John Terry, who has been with Chelsea for twelve years, ever since he made his debut in 1998. Though they might not have as much talent as Manchester United, their consistency this year has kept them at the top of the standings, so far. With their recent victories over all the fancied teams, Chelsea seem to be heading towards a third premiership win, which will boost their confidence tremendously, and give their fans, often in the news for their disruptive behaviour, a lot to cheer about.