Chelsea v QPR: Clash of the Titans?
5th January sees the clash of the two richest clubs in England as Chelsea welcome local rivals Queens Park Rangers to Stamford Bridge for the first time in over 10 years.
Unfortunately, this most intriguing local rivalry, coupled with the rare sight of seeing someone richer than Roman sitting in the Directors box hasn’t quite captured the heart of the BBC, who have bizarrely decided that watching Manchester United take on Aston Villa (a fixture we can already watch twice every year) is the better choice for live television.
There is a real clash of similarities between these sides though - the relatively unknown managers: Avram Grant and Luigi de Canio, both of whom were suddenly entrusted with the job by their clubs, without anyone actually knowing who they were.
And surprisingly, they’ve done quite well. I mean, not fantastic - Jose Mourinho was probably a better manager for Chelsea, and you know, de Canio has suffered some shocking defeats against teams he really should be beating, but both are settling into a more successful pattern, and they’ll both be looking for a good cup run to boost their credentials.
Then you have the free-spending mentality, Chelsea have already splashed the cash on most players across the world in a bid to become the world’s first ’superclub’, while QPR have been amassing the right players to go up - Ákos Buzsáky, Hogan Ephraim, Kieran Lee, Gavin Mahon, Matthew Connolly, Patrick Agyemang and Fitz Hall in this January transfer window alone, and all could feature against Chelsea. The one possible loss for the game will be Michael Mancienne, as it is hugely doubtful that Chelsea would allow their youngster to play against them.
But again, its a signal of intent that both sides have that interest in developing young, local talent.
With Chelsea arguably having something of an ‘off-season’, and QPR well on form to move up, and motivated to battle to a victory in the London derby, this could well be the tie of the round. Anyone else hoping to see that upset?
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Discussion - 5 Responses
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Two richest clubs in the country? I was aware of QPR changing ownership in recent years but I didn’t know that.
Not to worry anyway, I would rather (of course) watch Man City at West Ham and see if Castillo gets a game, but United at Villa usually brings out their best football.
I think it’s a bit unfair to say that a Chelsea match ISN’T getting coverage because the top teams are nearly always first even on the highlights programmes.
Anyhow, it would be nice to see QPR get something to reinforce the magic of the cup. Grant has done superbly at Chelsea in the slipstream of Mourinho’s departure though, and I can’t really see Rangers taking anything here. Maybe they could get a replay if the likes of Lampard, Drogba and Terry are out still and the Africans like Essien are gone.
Yet my tips for the upsets are at Stoke and possibly Ipswich. I also feel Crystal Palace and Watford will upset the odds because Watford, despite their success this season, just can’t seem to win many at home, very weird.
A possible draw and a good chance for The R’s to beat their hated neighbours at Loftus Road perhaps (assuming the likes of Lampard are still out for any possible replay?)
As for the two richest teams, it’s true, but Loftus Road cant be upgraded so a move out to the suburbs would be on the cards to take them to the next level, infuriating the largely Sheperds Bush-Hammersmith locals who attend every game….
1-0 loss wasn’t that bad to say that Chelsea have been working up to where they are since we were relagated back 1996. They’ve had 3-4 years of their cash injection to be where they are now (not top of the league ha ha ha). But to go there and only lose to an accidental own goal proves where we’ll be in a few years to come….
COME ON YOU R’S
the BBC would probably have picked this match if QPR were at home where there is more chance of an upset. the manu/villa game wasn’t great, but IMO, i think it was still more interesting than this game
You guys DO know that the two games were at different times, correct? BBC showing the Villa-United game had nothing to do with the importance (or lack thereof) of other games