BORINI AND STURRIDGE IN ATTACK ON CHELSEA TV

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BORINI AND STURRIDGE IN ATTACK ON CHELSEA TV

Posted on: Wed 10 Mar 2010

The reserve line-up for tonight's game against Stoke has been announced, and as expected Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini both start up front.

Borini, 18, had been struggling with illness in the lead-up to the game, as had defender Jeffrey Bruma, but both play in the behind-closed-doors encounter at Cobham, live on Chelsea TV, with Bruma likely to be tried out at right-back.

Patrick van Aanholt also returns to the side after his successful month on loan at Newcastle, while Gael Kakuta starts in his familiar number 10 role.

Reserve team manager Steve Holland's life is never easy, constantly juggling players who can be involved at either youth or first team levels.

'It is up and down all the time,' Holland told the official Chelsea website on Tuesday. 'My group is three tiers. There is a core of four to six reserve players who have pretty much always been with me, who haven't been out on loan, then there is half a dozen youth players with me most of the time, but as soon as the FA Youth Cup kicks in go back to Dermot Drummy, and then at the top of the group I've got another six, the likes of which I have just mentioned, who are with Carlo more often than not, particularly when there are a couple of injuries like there have been in the last few weeks.

'It's always changing, and the team that played in the last league game against West Ham will bear no resemblance to that which will play on Wednesday, it will almost be two different teams. Whatever team we put out will always have good players, whether they're young ones or even younger ones.'

Tonight represents a chance to make amends for November's narrow defeat against the Potters, when an injury-time Diego Arismendi goal earned a 3-2 Stoke win at Nantwich Town.

Stoke's side this evening is entirely Academy-based, with their first time also in action away at Burnley.

Now the Chelsea second string is without a win in three after consecutive defeats against West Ham, Arsenal and Aston Villa, making three points all the more important.

Chelsea team to face Stoke: Rhys Taylor; Jeffrey Bruma, Carl Magnay, Danny Mills Pappoe, Patrick van Aanholt; Liam Bridcutt, Jacob Mellis, Nemanja Matic, Gael Kakuta; Fabio Borini, Daniel Sturridge.

Subs: Jan Sebek (gk), Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Jacopo Sala, Conor Clifford, Marko Mitrovic.

Nice 3-0 win for the lads. Cool

Two for Sturridge and one for Kakuta. Very Happy

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RESERVE REPORT: CHELSEA 3 STOKE CITY 0

Posted on: Wed 10 Mar 2010

Daniel Sturridge struck twice for Chelsea reserves as we saw off a young Stoke City side at Cobham on Wednesday evening.

The summer signing was lively all evening, and could have had five on another night, but settled for a fortuitous brace, laying on another for Gael Kakuta who was also in fine form.

The Blues dominated from start to finish, taking advantage of the absence of many Stoke regulars due to their first team fixture away at Burnley on the same night, in turn recording a first win in four league games.

Steve Holland had Fabio Borini and Jeffrey Bruma available after illness, but Ross Turnbull, who had been touted to play in goal, missed out meaning a start for Rhys Taylor.

Other notable absentees were Josh McEachran, who is expected to be fit for next week's FA Youth Cup semi-final against Blackburn, and Sam Hutchinson, who will resume full training later this week. Long term injury victims Adam Phillip and Michael Woods remain sidelined.

Bruma began at right-back with Patrick van Aanholt back from a loan at Newcastle on the left, while Borini was joined in attack by Sturridge, an unused sub against Stoke's first team in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Sturridge was the first to get a sight of goal against a Stoke side consisting entirely of Academy scholars, the forward dragging his 20-yard drive wide of goal after creating space for himself four minutes in.

Moments later he forced visiting goalkeeper Dave Parton into a smart low save with a similar effort, as Chelsea were already beginning to assert themselves against younger opposition.

Sturridge was at the centre of everything going forwards, and should have put his side in front in the 12th minute after Gael Kakuta threaded him through. The shot went high, and though he could blame a bobble on the surface, he should still have hit the target.

The 20-year-old thought he had Stoke goalkeeper Dave Parton beaten when another powerful drive flew towards goal, but the stopper stuck out a foot and diverted the ball up and over.

It was to take 25 minutes in the end for Sturridge to finally make his mark, almost inadvertently after Kakuta had crossed from the left and Jacob Mellis had looped the ball onto the crossbar. Stoke could have cleared but instead the ball was kicked at the former Manchester City forward, who diverted it home with his back.

Stoke's best chance fell to forward Warwick Alexander, who could only guide Ryan Connor's free-kick wide from eight yards out, and the miss proved costly, as within minutes Chelsea's lead was doubled.

This time Kakuta finished off the move he started in his own half, releasing Sturridge with a brilliantly struck first-time pass, and finishing calmly after his team-mate's shot rebounded to him from Parton's palms. The Frenchman was left with plenty to do, but took a touch and fired low into the far corner. Question marks might have been raised in the visiting defence as to why Kakuta had so much time.

The same player almost made it three six minutes before the break, but blazed his shot over with his weaker right foot after dancing through half the Stoke defence, before Bruma fired into the side netting after a corner was only cleared to the edge of the area.

Injury to Danny Mills Pappoe meant one change at half-time, Nana Ofori-Twumasi coming on at right-back and Bruma, captain for the night, moving to centre-half.

Five minutes into the second half Borini had an effort chalked out for offside against Mellis, who was proving difficult to track for Stoke's central midfielders.

Sturridge's second goal of the evening arrived as he arced Van Aanholt's cross into the far corner with a controlled half-volley, and the result was settled.

Nemanja Matic, who had been tidy all evening, almost added a fourth but saw his drive turned away, while Sturridge twice shot wide as he pursued a hat-trick.

Liam Bridcutt was booked late on for dissent, but all in all it was a successful evening as the young Blues returned to winning ways.

Chelsea: Rhys Taylor; Jeffrey Bruma (c), Carl Magnay, Danny Mills Pappoe (Ofori-Twumasi h/t), Patrick van Aanholt; Liam Bridcutt, Jacob Mellis, Nemanja Matic, Gael Kakuta; Fabio Borini (sub Marko MItrovic 79), Daniel Sturridge.

Unused subs: Jan Sebek (gk), Jacopo Sala, Conor Clifford.

Stoke: Dave Parton, Craig Sinclair, Alex Hedley (sub Zack Foster 42), Ryan Connor, Matt Cohen, Rodney McDonald, Tom Urwin, Nathaniel Wedderburn (c), Warwick Alexander (sub Jack Harrison 83), Cameron Mitchell, Danny Stockhall (sub Nicky Jackson 67).