Chelsea must do without 'The Untouchables' for Villa game

Premier League / Mike Norman / 24 December 2007 / Leave a Comment

Mike Norman selects his top three Chelsea players - but none will be available for the Boxing Day clash with Villa...

Picture this. Roman Abramovich decides to sell Chelsea Football Club and leave the UK, citing a lack of charisma amongst the British public as his reason. In steps Armenian gold mining tycoon Akim Serkis, claiming to be worth 600 million - only he forgets to mention his millions are in Armenian Dram, the equivalent of just £1m.

An emergency board meeting is called. Peter Kenyon, Chelsea's Chief Executive and the man to sort this mess out announces two words of inspiration: "I resign". Avram Grant looks non-perplexed, knowing it's impossible for him to look any more glum than he already does, and comes up with the idea of selling every Chelsea player bar three to raise funds for the club. However Grant wants no responsibility for the three players that Chelsea retain, and passes the buck to you, the fan. Who do you keep?

My first choice would undoubtedly be Petr Cech. Signed by Claudio Ranieri, and not by Jose Mourinho as some people wrongly assume, Cech has arguably became the best goalkeeper in the Premiership since Peter Schmichel. It helps when you have a solid defensive unit in front of you, but even when Chelsea's defence is breached, Cech is capable of pulling of some world class saves.

Despite a career threatening head injury last season, Cech continues to perform brilliantly for his club and country, with the team looking far more comfortable when he is in the starting line-up. A recent mishap against Arsenal, costing Chelsea the game, doesn't make him a bad goalkeeper overnight, and you can guarantee that any team with Petr Cech in it will be hugely benefited.

The second player I would keep would be England's captain John Terry. A lot of criticism has been aimed in the direction of England's failing players during their recent European Championship qualifying campaign, but I would personally exonerate Terry from any such blame.

Terry is a born leader as well as being an exceptional defender. He has a fantastic ability to read a game and he pulls no punches when he crunches into a tackle. Terry is also as brave as they come, has a great technique, and is very comfortable on the ball, being able to distribute it efficiently. He will always be a goal-scoring threat in the opposition penalty area and like Petr Cech, he is a player who will only add to your squad, not detract from it.

So now that we have established two players who will give us a sound defensive base to work from, let's select a goalscorer as our third player to retain in the Chelsea team. Of course, that man is Didier Drogba.

Despite reservations in some quarters, Drogba has been a huge success at Stamford Bridge since his arrival in 2004. When a powerful striker like Didier possesses pace and technique then you know you have a goalscorer on your hands. The current 'African Footballer of the Year' can also deliver on the big occasion and scores some 'goal of the month' contenders week in week out. He is a huge asset to Chelsea, who understandably look a weaker team when he is not in their starting line-up.

So Cech, Terry and Drogba are the three players I would retain in the Chelsea team, and you fans will be horrified to know that all three will be absent for the home game against Aston Villa on Boxing day. This makes Villa certainties doesn't it? Well actually, picking the three best players in the Chelsea team is a lot harder than you think because their squad is littered with talent. Go on have a go yourself and let me know your thoughts!

As for Boxing Day, I'm confident that Chelsea will see off Aston Villa at odds of [1.45]. Their home form makes them impossible to oppose at present, though with those big names absent, I'm sure there will be a lot of takers on the game ending in a draw at [4.7]. A Villa victory can be backed at [9.8]. I think Chelsea will win this, but I have a feeling they might concede at some stage and I will be laying the current odds of [2.08] about them keeping a clean sheet.