LWOS INC About Contact Apply Openings Writing FAQ Ad Policy
Last Word On Sports Logo

Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Month: May 2012

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #46: Jake McCabe

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted 44th Overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

After spending 2 years with the United States National Team Development program, and winning a gold medal at the 2011 IIHF Under 18 World Hockey Championships,  Jake McCabe moved on to play college hockey this year.  The young McCabe acquitted himself very well, playing important minutes as a freshman for the Wisconsin Badgers.  Another unfortunate victim of the 2012 injury curse, a freak injury saw McCabe sever a tendon in his hand in October and miss much of the first half of the season.  McCabe would however return to the lineup in the new year, and saw important minutes at Even Strength, and some time on the powerplay.  McCabe joins Phil DiGiuseppe of Michigan as highly rated draft prospects who already have a year of NCAA hockey under their belt.

Defense
Born Oct 12 1993 — Eau Claire, WI
Height 6.01 — Weight 201 — Shoots Left
2009-10 U.S. National Under-17 Team USHL 34 0 5 5 32 -9
2010-11 U.S. National Development Team USHL 19 2 4 6 4 6
2011-12 U. of Wisconsin WCHA 26 3 9 12 12 –

McCabe is a very good skater.  He has a very good top end speed, quick acceleration and a smooth stride.  He pivots and changes directiions quickly and efficiently.  He has good agility and balance, and uses his edges well.  McCabe’s excellent skating game helps him in all aspects of the game.  He is good at rushing with the puck, is capable of getting to a lot of loose pucks, is able to create space for himself in both the offensive and defensive zone, and is rarely beaten by pure speed off the rush.  It is his biggest asset in creating the all around game that makes McCabe an intriguing prospect.

McCabe is at his best defensively, even against older competition in the NCAA.  As mentionned he is very good defending against the rush, keeping his opponent in front of him, and using a quick stick to knock the puck off an opponent’s stick.  He’s not known as a big hitter, but is willing to engage in physical battles along the boards, and in front of his own net.  McCabe has excellent hockey IQ, and plays a strong positional game, using his body and his stick to cut off passing and shooting lanes.

McCabe also has a decent offensive skill set.  He’s not much of a gambler, and doesn’t do it often, but his skating does give him the ability to go end to end at times.  He’s a smart player, who makes a good first pass to start the breakout in his own end, and has good vision and passing skills to make plays in the offensive end.  McCabe has a hard slap shot which he is able to keep low and on net.  While he doesn’t project as a huge point producer going forward, we do think he can be a valuable asset in both ends of the rink.

McCabe projects as a solid two-way blueliner at the NHL level.  His ceiling is that of a second pairing blue liner.  McCabe has the physical tools and skills to get special teams time as both a PKer, and as a defenceman on the second unit of a PP.  We think his potential is to end up as a similar player to Carl Gunnarson of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

… and thats the Last Word.

Cormier Crowned at Strikeforce Grand Prix Final

Posted on by Mark Modeski

It was the trump card that Strikeforce had prior to the UFC merger. The UFC had all of the best fighters in the world, but the one division they did not have all of the elite, was heavyweight. In a last-ditch effort to build ratings and credibility, Scott Coker announced an eight-man heavyweight tournament that would take place over the next few months. This weekend the tournament came to a finish with a somewhat less than expected finish.

Strikeforce may not have had all of the best heavyweights out there, but they did have more than enough premier fighters to make for a very interesting tournament. Plus, the old-fashioned tournament-style was nostalgic for many old-school MMA fans, reminiscent of the days of PRIDE. The original bracket was set-up as follows:

  • Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva
  • Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov
  • Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers

That line-up of fighters was more than enough to draw interest from even the most uneducated of MMA fans. Unfortunately, from the outset there were a number of setbacks that hurt the tournament, two of which stand-out above all others: 1) The UFC bought Strikeforce and 2) The anticipated fight outcomes did not happen.

When the tournament started with Silva defeating Fedor, you knew things were going to go sideways fast. Next Overeem (at the time reigning Strikeforce champ) lost via decision. Then Werdum had to pull-out with injury, and was substituted by the less credible, but still exciting, Daniel Cormier.

The original tournament bracket was devised to allow for a final between Alistair Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko, who at the time were considered to be two of the top heavyweights in the world, despite respective controversies (re: Fedor: recent loss to Werdum; Overeem only had one fight not in Japan in the last number of years). This would have been one of the biggest fights, at any weight class, at the time – designed for ratings, and expected to pay massive dividends. What happened in the final was a replacement ended up facing a fighter with no credibility – Cormier vs. Barnett.

This brings us to last night. The finale at last! While it was delayed, and there was less hype than the tournament started with, the main event was still poised to be exciting. Despite Barnett’s constant failed steroid tests, he is still a former champion (sort of) and one of the top fighters in the weight class in the world. Daniel Corimer, while less experienced on the MMA stage, has been around the block and back on the international wrestling circuit and has been complementing his flawless MMA record with finishes.

The victory would go to Cormier at the end of the night, and he would be crowned heavyweight tournament king. A well deserved five-round decision, Cormier kept Barnett on his toes the whole fight and proved that he is going to be a fighter to watch moving forward.

The main two questions still to be determined are:

  • Will Cormier now graduate to the UFC? Or will he carry the weight of the division on his shoulders (similar to Gilbert Melendez at lightweight) within Strikeforce?
  • Is this the end of Josh Barnett in ZUFFA (re: Stirkeforce and/or UFC)? Dana White has a personal disdain for ‘roiders, and Barnett is one of the most habitual offenders to this regard.

I will be taking the sit-and-wait approach to all of the above.

At any rate, I think the end of this tournament sounded a swan-song for the heavyweight division for Strikeforce, and its only a matter of time before it dissolves. So, I enjoyed this event as one of the last I may ever see at heavyweight in Strikeforce and look forward to some dymanic match-ups in the UFC moving forward.

…and that is the last word.

Wall of Shame: Mets' Misguided Decision to Alter Citi Field Dimensions

Posted on by Max Warner

The New York Mets’ decision to alter the dimensions of their home ballpark merely three years into its existence is going to do very little to improve the performance of their team.  Prior to the start of this season, the Mets undertook a dramatic realignment of the outfield wall, significantly shortening the distances to left field, the right centre power alley and right field.  The walls were not simply moved in, a new, blue wall was put up in front of the old outfield wall.  Extra seating has been added in left field and right field, in the spaces between the new and old walls.

Such a move is not without precedent.  In 2003, the Detroit Tigers dramatically moved in the left field fence in their three-year old stadium, Comerica Park.  In 2001, the Baltimore Orioles re-oriented the position of the playing field at Camden Yards and portions of the outfield fence were brought in a few feet.  One would be hard-pressed to notice the renovations at Comerica Park or Camden Yards, as the renovations blend in almost perfectly with the design of those stadiums.

Unfortunately, from an aesthetic perspective, the changes at Citi Field don’t look good.  The blue outfield wall plastered with advertising stands out against the dark green and soot colours in the rest of Citi Field.  The new wall has destroyed the clean, crisp look the outfield once had.  Unlike Comerica and Camden Yards, the changes at Citi Field look like a sloppy attempt to change a ballpark after it has been built.

The various arguments which have been put forward by the Mets and their fans in support of changing Citi Field’s playing surface are equally unconvincing.  Mets fans complained about having their team play its home games in a stadium which features dark green seats, a soot- coloured wall and a generally dark motif.  Mets fans felt that the new stadium, or at the very least the outfield wall, should incorporate the Mets` primary blue colour, just as Shea Stadium did.  Although there may be some merit to this argument, one must consider that the Red Sox play their games in front of a giant green wall and that Yankee stadium is a sea of blue seats and blue fences.  Several other teams play in ballparks which do not reflect the primary colours of the home team.

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson has publicly stated that the Mets hope the smaller playing field at Citi will produce more home runs for the Mets and more entertainment for their fans.  The logic here is that entertained fans are more likely to attend and re-attend Citi Field.  If the Mets are concerned with entertaining their fans and getting more paying customers to frequent Citi Field, the best thing they can do is put a winning team on the baseball field.

The Mets have also stated that the large dimensions of Citi Field were encouraging their pitchers to pitch without focus, as mistake pitches would result in more outs than home runs at Citi Field.  David Wright acknowledged that hitting at Citi Field was a difficult task and was sometimes discouraging.  The changes to Citi Field were designed to address these concerns and make the park much less of a pitcher`s park and more neutral.  Last season, Citi Field allowed the third fewest home runs in the National League.  Prior to the renovations, Citi Field was an extreme pitcher`s park, but this is not what was preventing the Mets from winning games.  In 2010, the San Francisco Giants, whose AT&T Park consistently ranks as one of the top 2 pitchers` parks in the NL, won the World Series.  The San Diego Padres, who play in the other top 2 pitcher`s park in the NL, have posted winning records in five of the past eight seasons, including two division championships.

You don’t need to play in a hitter-friendly ballpark to be successful.  The Colorado Rockies and the Toronto Blue Jays haven’t had much success in the past several seasons, despite playing in two of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball.   The only thing holding the Mets back is the lousy product they have been putting on the field since they moved into Citi Field.

There are plenty of logical arguments for leaving the dimensions of Citi Field alone.  One of the most obvious is that the Mets will surrender more home runs to their opponents because of the shorter dimensions.  Visiting teams hit a total of 24 more home runs that the Mets at Citi between 2009 and 2011, before the dimensions were changed.  Home runs do produce entertainment value for fans in the ballpark, but not if the visiting team is hitting most of them.  Despite playing half their games at cavernous Citi Field, the Mets pitching staff finished 12th in team ERA in the NL in 2009, and 13th in 2011.  These numbers are not going to improve with the new dimensions in Citi, unless the Mets actually acquire some decent pitchers.

The Mets have been a power-challenged baseball team ever since their move into Citi, and nothing illustrates this better than the fact that between 2009 and 2011 the Mets have hit a grand total of seven more home runs on the road than at Citi.  Although it is very early to start drawing conclusions about the new Citi dimensions, as things currently stand, Citi has allowed the fourth-fewest home runs in 2012 in the NL.  It is also a little early to give the new dimensions credit for New York’s “hot” 22-19 start to 2012.

At the end of the day, the Mets have nobody to blame but themselves for the perceived need to redesign Citi Field`s dimensions.  Surely the Mets had a look at the design specs when they chipped in $420 million of the $610 total construction cost, and surely they realized that a sea level ballpark with power alleys of 384 feet to left and 415 feet to right wouldn`t do any favours for hitters.  If the Mets didn’t realize that Citi Field would be an extreme pitcher’s park when it was designed, this can only be characterized as gross incompetence.  The fact that the Mets now feel that changing the dimensions at Citi is going to increase the entertainment value of the park or the performance of the Mets is even more misguided.

… and thats the Last Word.

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #45: Jarrod Maidens

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted 82nd Overall by the Ottawa Senators.

The ending of last season, and the start of the 2011-12 campaign must have seemed like a dream for Jarrod Maidens, but that dream would quickly turn into a nightmare. Maidens ended the 2010-11 campaign in style, scoring 2 goals in game 7 of the thrilling OHL final between the Mississauga St. Mike’s Majors, and Maidens’ Owen Sound Attack.  This included Maidens’ dramatic game 7 OT winner which won the Championship for the Attack.  From there Maidens was selected to play for Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and he came home with a gold medal around his neck.  Maidens was named an Alternate Captain of the Attack squad.  A strong start to the 2011-12 season saw Maidens eclipse his goal and point totals from 2010-11 in a little over half the games.   It was at that point the 2012 Draft Class Injury Curse hit.  Maidens suffered a mysterious injury in Mid-November and did not suit up for another game.  The Attack have never officially confirmed the nature of the injury, but it has long been rumored that the injury is the dreaded concussion.  This injury concern has taken Maidens from a top prospect who would have been ranked around the teens, and made him into yet another boom or bust type prospect, although for different reasons than Boo Nieves, or Daniil Zharkov.

Center/Left Wing
Born Mar 4 1994 — Grimsby, ONT
Height 6.02 — Weight 178 — Shoots Left

2010-11 Owen Sound Attack OHL 47 10 11 21 11 4 22 6 4 10 13
2011-12 Owen Sound Attack OHL 28 12 11 23 4 -2 — — — — —

Maidens is the prototypical power forward prospect.  At 6’2″ he possesses excellent size, though he can stand to put on a little weight.  He has very good skating for a man his size, with good speed, agility, and power in his stride.  He controls and protects the puck well and it is difficult to knock him off the puck.  Maidens has a very hard, very accurate wrist shot and already has an NHL caliber release that surprises goalies.  Maidens is aggressive on the forecheck and loves to hit.  He drives the net hard and does his best work playing in traffic.  Despite being more of a pure goal scorer, than a playmaker, Maidens has decent vision and makes smart passes.

Maidens is a hardworking player who is capable on the backcheck.  He understands defensive positioning and has a high hockey IQ.  He is more than willing to play his aggressive style in the defensive zone and can throw the body along the boards.  Maidens’ grit and effort are inspiring to teammates and loved by his coaches which has helped him earn an Alternate’s “A” in Owen Sound despite being only 17 years old.

Prior to the injury, Maidens was a sure fire first round pick.  The talent he showed in 2010-11, and at the start of this season was more than enough to project him as a future top 6 power forward at the NHL level.  His size, skill, and tenacity are undeniable.  However a long term injury, such as the suspected concussion that has kept Maidens out of the lineup all year is extremely concerning for all involved and will force him to fall in this year’s draft.  If Maidens can put the concussion issue behind him, he will be an absolute steal for the team that drafts him.  We’d compare Maidens potential to become a player similar to Erik Cole of the Montreal Canadiens, only Maidens has the added bonus of being able to play both Wing and Centre.

… and thats the Last Word.

Jon Jones Slams…Into a Pole!

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon “Bones” Jones, was charged with DWI on Saturday.  The UFC star was driving on Saturday morning when he lost control of his Bentley and slammed into a pole.

Malki Kawa, Jones’ agent, has made a statement on behalf of his client, asking media and fans to respect his privacy while details are unfolding.  He thanked everyone who has offered their support.  Police, on the other hand, played coy with the media, offering little more than the facts aforementioned.

Jon Jones is slowly emerging as one of a few poster-boys for the UFC, which has been helped along by GSP’s absence from the sport, and “Spider” doing what he can to have people not like him.  Jones is, or rather, was, considered a very clean-cut and respected guy.  His image was well-appreciated by Dana White & co., who were drooling over the champ’s match-up with Dan Henderson on September 1.

Three things remain to be seen at this point:  How UFC will respond, how Jones will respond, and whether the fans still feel Jones is that “clean” fighter that they grew to love.

DWI is one of those charges that can be a bit ugly.  I won’t spend time recounting all the star athletes who have had that same charge because there are too many to list, but I can point out that some have recovered very well, while others have done anything but.

What makes this extremely untimely (not that there is a timely manner in which to get a DWI) is that just last month when discussing a new sponsorship deal, Jones is quoted as having said, “You’ll never have to worry about me with a DWI or doing something crazy.” Uh-oh!

I’m not going to judge the guy based on one screw-up.  Has my opinion of him changed from this incident?  No, because I try not to make absolute opinions of anyone who I haven’t met for myself.  Therefore, I really didn’t have an opinion of “Bones” outside of his UFC persona.  Whether it is in his nature to tip a few back and drive the back roads home or not, I have learned to separate the athlete from his or her personal life.  That’s why I can watch Tiger Woods play golf, love the way LT played linebacker, and think Pete Rose should be in Cooperstown.

…and that is the last word.

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #44: Daniil Zharkov

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted 91st overall by the Edmonton Oilers.

Due to the lack of a transfer agreement, and the ever present lure of big money jobs in the KHL, we have seen a number of talented Russian players fall in the NHL Draft in recent years.  We have also seen the total number of Russian players drafted fall dramatically.  One way for a Russian hockey player to work to defeat the “Russian Factor” having a big effect on his draft stock is to come to North America and play junior hockey in one of the leagues here.  At the age of16 Daniil Zharkov did exactly that, joining the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.  After a season in the USHL, Zharkov was drafted 11th overall in the CHL Import Draft by the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, where he joins teammates Brendan Gaunce, and Malcolm Subban as highly rated draft prospects.  In fact, Zharkov and Gaunce formed instant chemistry and became 2/3rds of Belleville’s top line this past season.  Zharkov was yet another victim of the 2012 Draft Injury Curse.   He was forced to miss the start of the 2011-12 season after suffering a broken collarbone in training camp.  However once he joined the Bulls’ lineup there was no looking back.

Left Wing
Born Feb 6 1994 — St. Petersburg, Russia
Height 6.03 — Weight 200 — Shoots L

2010-11 Tri-City Storm USHL 36 8 3 11 27 -13 — — — — —
2011-12 Belleville Bulls OHL 50 23 13 36 25 -5 6 1 2 3 2

Zharkov is a very talented player.  He comes with ideal size, at 6’3″, however he will need to pack some additional muscle on to his frame, and add strength in order to succeed at the NHL level.  Zharkov uses his size to his advantage as he is an aggressive player who forechecks effectively, wins board battles, and understands how to drive the net.  He has a fantastic shot which is hard and accurate, and a very good release on his wrist shots, snap shots, and slap shots.  A natural sniper, Zharkov showed off this ability as soon as he joined the Belleville lineup in November, with 9 points in his first 8 games.  Zharkov also has impressive stickhandling and protects the puck well helping him to create offensive chances.  He could however stand to improve upon his vision and passing skills.

Zharkov is a very good skater for his size.  He has good edgework, agility and acceleration.  Zharkov possesses a long powerful stride and reaches his top end speed quickly.  The top end speed is above average, and this helps him to beat defencemen off the rush.  He does need to work on his balance and his strength on the puck as he can be knocked off  of it at times.  We do however feel that this will come with added lower body and core strength.

Defensively Zharkov has an uncanny ability to pokecheck and steal pucks from his opponents.  This helps him to create turnovers and quick strike offence.  However Zharkov does need to continue to work on his defensive positioning and hockeyIQ in his own end of the rink.

Zharkov’s biggest issue, however, is his consistency.  He is the type of player who will have extremely good, hot streaks, and follow those up with an extremely frigid, cold stretch.  While this is something we see out of many natural snipers, and is probably unavoidable, Zharkov must work to remain physically and defensively involved when the goals aren’t going in for him, something he can fail to do at times, turning invisible if he isn’t producing offence.

Zharkov is another boom or bust prospect.  He’s certainly lessened the typical Russian KHL factor by coming to North America and playing in the USHL and then OHL the last two seasons.  Zharkov does however need to work on his consistency, and his defensive game before he will be an NHL player.  If Zharkov can fix those flaws he has a bright NHL career ahead of him.  We’d rate his maximum potential to be a player similar to Martin Havlat of the San Jose Sharks.

… and thats the Last Word.

Russia vs Slovakia: Gold Medal Finalists Have Added Inspiration

Posted on by Ben Kerr

It all comes down to one game at the IIHF World Championships.  Slovakia beat their hated rival, the Czech Republic 5-4 today to advance to the final.  Meanwhile Russia, led by a hattrick from Evgeni Malkin defeated the host Finns 6-2.

Both teams came into the tournament with heavy hearts and heavy minds. It was just 10 months ago that the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv tragedy occurred.  You’ll recall that the KHL team’s charter plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 45 people on board.  The tragedy was felt throughout the hockey world, but was something that has particularly effected these two countries, and hockey teams.

The Russian squad is reluctant to talk about the tragedy, however this is a tragedy that has touched the members of the team directly.  There is probably not a member of the Russian team who has not lost a former teammate or a friend in the tragedy.  Goalie Semyon Varlamov was a member of Lokomotiv when he played in Russia.  The Russian team has quietly dedicated their performance in this tournament to the memories of those who were on board the ill-fated flight.

Meanwhile, Pavol Demitra of Slovakia was also one of those who unfortunately perished in the crash.  He was the long time captain of the Slovak National Team, and was always there with his best performances in IIHF competition.  Demitra was especially effective at the 2010 Olympics where he led the Slovaks to a surprising 4th place finish (and they were just inches away from tying the Canadians in the last seconds of the semi-final in Vancouver as well).

The entire Slovak team has dedicated the tournament to Pavol’s memory. The players where t-shirts with Pavol Demitra’s cartoon likeness, and the #38 on them under their equipment.  Tomas Kopecky wears a special hat with Demitra’s #38 on it for post game interviews.

Whatever happens tomorrow, there will be no loser.  The players on these teams lost enough just 10 months ago.  Tomorrow will be a celebration of the memories of their friends and teammates.  And there can be no better tribute than that, to finish these World Championships.

… and thats the Last Word.

Brett Lawrie Suspension: Will Bill Miller Also Be Held Accountable?

Posted on by Carl Mostacci

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie and Home Plate Umpire Bob Miller had an altercation towards the conclusion of last Tuesday night’s baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays that easily could have been avoided.

Lawrie was up in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Blue Jays down a run, one out, a runner on first and a 3-1 count.  Rays closer Rodney threw an outside pitch.  Lawrie did not follow the unwritten rule of waiting for the umpire to make his call and began jogging to first.  Miller did not like this and called strike two.  The next pitch was high.  Lawrie left again before waiting for the call and Miller called strike three.  Being very upset, Lawrie was ejected and while yelling at Miller, he slammed his helmet on the ground, and it hit the umpire’s hip as it bounced off the turf.

Jays manager John Farell was also tossed after separating Lawrie and Miller and then letting the ump know his opinion.

This incident should have been avoided.  I understand the unwritten rule of baseball and respecting the umpire’s call and game presence, but this was absolutely ridiculous.  Although the Blue Jays blew a three-run lead in the game and probably would have lost if the ump granted Lawrie the walk, I agreed with Farell that Miller took the game’s outcome out of the players’ hands.  Let the athletes decide the result, not the umpires.  Instead of having one out with a runner on first and an opportunity to tie the game, the botched call left Toronto with 2 outs and nobody on.

I’ve also had an issue with how Major League Baseball umpires and managers conduct themselves when disputing a call.  Traditionally a controversial call leads to both parties getting centimetres from each other’s faces, arguing and yelling at one another.  Usually the skipper gets tossed.  This arguing rarely leads to anything positive, though some will argue that a manager uses that opportunity as a way to fire up his team and show his support for his players.

Lawrie was suspended for four games, and I don’t necessarily disagree with the terms.  Contacting an umpire is unprofessional and is certainly discipline-worth.  But will Umpire Bob Miller get a fine, a suspension or face some type of punishment?  Perhaps he should miss out on working post-season games?   Watching the incident on repeat will show you that it was his pride, arrogance and lack of maturity that lead to this mess.  Ultimately, those two “strikes” were off the mark, way off the mark, and in my best Bob Uecker impression, they were “…juuuuussst a bit outside.”

…and that is the last word.

Chelsea are Champions: Do They Have Italy to Thank?

Posted on by Luciano Giuliano

The long wait is over! The Blues faithful can finally celebrate after Chelsea FC claim their first Champions League title in club history with a victory over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The match ended 1-1 after regulation and needed penalty kicks to decide the encounter.

At the Allianz Arena, two teams who no one thought would qualify for the final put in a fine performance and demonstrated that they deserve to be there. Both sides were determined and played a very solid game creating various scoring opportunities and defending extremely well. However, it must be noted that the Germans played more on the offensive end though, but scuffed many of their chances well wide or over the net. It was surprising to see players such as Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben all missing clear-cut goal scoring chances.

Chelsea held on and weathered the storm quiet well. Sitting back and defending most of the time, soaking up the pressure and counter-attacking when the opportunity seemed fit. Sound familiar? Yes, it was that boring old style of soccer that everyone hates and thinks does not work. You know the one that is typically Italian – or at least used to be? Yes there it is. Chelsea’s tactics looked very similar to those of catenaccio, which is Italian for defending and counter-attacking when the opportunity strikes – and it worked! Chelsea supporters should praise head coach and ex-Chelsea man Roberto Di Matteo for taking over the reins after the London-side sacked Andres Villas-Boas.

The 41 year old Italian tactician took charge of the remaining 21 games in all competitions: Premiership League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Since then, he has successfully masterminded Chelsea’s resurgence with 13 wins, 5 draws, and only 3 losses – a win ratio of 62%. His victories include the FA Cup final triumph against Liverpool, as well as eliminating SSC Napoli, Benfica, and the world’s best club Barcelona in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Prior to appointing Di Matteo as head coach, Chelsea iterated that no decision on a long-term heir to Villas-Boas will be taken until the summer as the club has plans to lure soon-to-be ex–Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to take control at Stamford Bridge.

Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes believes that Roberto Di Matteo fully deserves to be the full-time manager for Chelsea seeing that he has guided the Blues to success this term. The club needs to seriously consider signing the Italian, not only due to the consistency and improvements he has made during his time, but also due to the fact that he is a former Chelsea player and has Blue flowing through his veins. Appointing an ex-player with dignity certainly does have its advantages. Just look at the marvelous metamorphosis Juventus head Coach Antonio Conte has done with his side this year. After finishing in 7th place for two consecutive years, the Bianconeri went undefeated this term to lift the Scudetto and have a chance to end the campaign with even more success should the Old Lady claim the Italian Cup today against Napoli. Heart, grit, and determination are all qualities that a former player, now coach, can transfer over to the current roster.

All hail Roberto Di Matteo and his catenaccio brilliance for bringing life back to Chelsea, because God knows it would not have happened with Villas-Boas as coach.

…and that is the last word.