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Chelsea are aiming to bounce back from their disappointing draw against West Brom when they take on Everton on Saturday. The Pensioners were heavily beaten when these two met at Goodison Park earlier in the season, so the players should be desperate to pick up the win in this one. Can they get the better of the Toffees, or will defensive problems cost the champions points once again?

While the team were awful defensively against West Brom, there were a few encouraging signs going forward. The full backs were making dangerous runs from deep, while Kenedy proved that he’s an alternative attacking midfielder to the current crop, of which only Willian has looked good this season. Maybe it’s time to give the youngster a go from the start this time?

Kenedy deserves a shot, especially if Eden Hazard is missing once again here. He’s been out since coming off with an injury against Crystal Palace. The Belgian seems to go over in a light breeze these days, and he’s failed to get a goal all season. With young, hungry alternatives in the wide positions, the big names should be facing a fight to get in the team.

The defence has been awful at times this season, but there’s little option to rotate at the back. The main problem is that the back four aren’t getting enough protection, with neither Nemanja Matic nor John Obi Mikel doing that job consistently well. Maybe it’s time that we see both of them starting, which would help out the struggling defenders.

Cesc Fabregas could fight it out for a spot in the attacking midfield places, which may add some much needed competition in there. All the creativity comes from the full backs and Willian right now anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to drop one of the midfielders who isn’t producing, and replace him with a defensive minded player to try and shore up the leaky defence?

Keeping the defence secure is an even bigger priority this weekend, ahead of the return of the forward who got away. Romelu Lukaku shows up at Stamford Bridge as the top scorer in the league, a man who Jose Mourinho sold off. Questions have to be asked about that decision, especially at a time when the team needs a proven scorer up front.

The other big worry here is Everton’s clean sheet at Manchester City. The Toffees came away from the Etihad with a 0-0 draw, so just what could they do to the Blues? If they can shut out the likes of Sergio Aguero, then they shouldn’t have too much trouble against Pedro and co. With goals in their team and an improving defence, the visitors might just steal a win here. A response is needed by Chelsea, so it might be time for Hiddink to make some big changes.

LCN Verdict: 1-1 draw

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink praised his side’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park over the weekend, before suggesting that the result was proof that the Blues still have what it takes to make the top four this season.

The defending Premier League champions are paying the price for a terrible start to the season under their former manager Jose Mourinho. The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ oversaw an incredible nine losses, including four at Stamford Bridge, before he was sacked by the club’s owner Roman Abramovich. He was replaced by Hiddink on an interim basis last month.

Since the Dutchman’s arrival the Blues have enjoyed something of a revival, being unbeaten in their last four matches with two wins and two draws. The poor opening they suffered at the start of the campaign means that they sit thirteen points behind Tottenham who are in fourth place.

With eighteen league games still to play, though, Hiddink believes Chelsea still have a chance of challenging for a Champion’s League place. He said, “It’s difficult because this league has become so strong; everyone can win from everyone, It’s very difficult to get there. It’s possible but there’s a long way to go”.

Though the new manager’s confidence will be music to the ear’s of Chelsea’s fans, it does seem a touch unrealistic. The highest any club has ever finished in the Premier League era when they’ve had 20 points or less from 19 games is eighth. Even in this topsy-turvy season when anything seems possible that would be an impressive return from the 69 year old.

The win over Crystal Palace moved Chelsea up to fourteenth in the league and six points clear of the relegation zone. It also capped their longest unbeaten run of the season. The former Netherlands manager feels that the Blues have to regain their mental superiority, saying, “We have to get back to thinking why we were champions” and suggesting that the win was ‘desperately needed’.

Some critics of the club have asked why exactly the players have been able to put in such consistent performances now that Jose Mourinho has left when they seemed incapable of doing it when he was there. John Terry, the club captain, said that the players ‘let everybody down’. The 35 year old central defender said, “It’s unfortunate what’s happened. We are where we are, and slowly climbing the Premier League table”.

The former England captain also believes that Hiddink has helped the club to ‘pick things up’ since his arrival as interim manager, something he also did in 2009 when Luis Felipe Scolari was sacked. Speaking about the team’s performance against their London rivals Palace John Terry said, “That was the Chelsea of last year. Overall, as well as the goals, it was different class”.

As the Blues got knocked out of the League Cup when under Jose Mourinho’s leadership, they now have to wait until Sunday to play again and see if they are able to maintain their good momentum. Chelsea will host Scunthorpe in the FA Cup, the competition that Hiddink won with the club during his last temporary spell in 2009.

Chelsea have been informed that their Colombian striker, Radamel Falcao, has suffered an injury set-back that will see him ruled out until at least mid-January.

The 29 year old is at Stamford Bridge on a season long loan from Monaco but hasn’t appeared for the defending Premier League champions since their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on the 31st of October. He has appeared nine times for Chelsea this season, scoring one goal, after spending last season on loan at Manchester United.

The Colombian was considered to be one of the best strikers in the world until he injured his knee whilst playing for Monaco in 2014 and he has struggled to recover his form since then. Guus Hiddink, Chelsea’s interim manager after the sacking of Jose Mourinho earlier this month, said, “I think it’s back to square one. We had him in a game and he had this injury again that he had before. It’s the inside of his thigh. We hope within 10 days he might be fit again, though not to play”.

The Dutchman has found his options limited in recent weeks, with Loic Remy also suffering from injury problems and Diego Costa serving a suspension for cumulative yellow card offences. With Pedro struggling to settle in England since his move from Barcelona and Aston Villa keen on signing Frenchman Remy, Hiddink will be hoping that Falcao can return to training sooner rather than later.

Young Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford has issued an apology after saying that his loan spell at Crystal Palace has been ‘terrible’.

The 22 year old Chelsea striker has been on a season long loan at Selhurst Park since the summer, but he has only made five league appearances for the Eagles, with all of them coming from the bench. He has started two games for Palace, but both of those were in the League Cup and that has led to sense of frustration from the England Under-21 international.

After Palace’s 0-0 draw with Swansea City on Monday night the Chelsea striker told the press, “That was my last game for Palace. It has been terrible”. It is believed that at that point he hadn’t even spoken to Alan Pardew, Crystal Palace’s manager, about his desire to return to Stamford Bridge.

On Wednesday, however, the youngster took to Twitter to clarify what he meant by his statement. He used the popular social media platform to say, “My comments were taken out of context. I want to apologise. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Palace, the lads were brilliant, the gaffer and training were great. I couldn’t have been at a nicer club. I’m just disappointed I couldn’t do more for the team”.

With Loic Remy rumoured to be a target for Aston Villa and Radamel Falcao suffering an injury setback, Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink faces something of a dilemma with his striking options. Although he has Pedro and Kenedy available for selection neither of them are out and out strikers, meaning that Diego Costa is the only fully fit striker available for the defending Premier League champions during the hectic January schedule.

Aston Villa’s manager Remi Garde has confirmed that the Midlands club would like to sign Loic Remy from Chelsea on loan during the January transfer window.

Villa have endured an horrendous opening to their Premier League campaign, winning just one match and losing 13, including six of their last ten. They remain rooted firmly to the bottom of the league table, eleven points clear of safety and with the joint worst goal difference in the league.

Garde hasn’t given up hope, though, with the Frenchman keen to bring his compatriot in for the remainder of the season to give the Midlanders a fighting chance at staying up. He said, “Loic is special. He knows the country and league, and would be an interesting player for the team”.

Remy joined Chelsea for £10.5 million after he moved from Queen’s Park Rangers last year but has only started one Premier League game this season. He was originally hoping to sign for Liverpool and even travelled with the squad on their tour of the United States last summer only to fail his medical. His starts at Stamford Bridge have been limited this term because of injury, perhaps justifying the Merseyside club’s decision to pull the plug on a possible transfer.

The 28 year old has scored once in the Premier League for the defending champions and he also notched up two goals in the League Cup before Chelsea were knocked out by Stoke City. Whilst not exactly prolific, his form has been good enough for Guus Hiddink to take exception at Garde’s decision to speak publicly about his player. He said, “You have to respect where the players are. If you are interested, talk first to the people with whom they are contracted. You cannot go into details. The player has signed a contract here and must be fit for us. He’s having a difficult time regarding his injuries. He has to prove first of all that he’s a good Chelsea player. He has had a calf problem for several days”.

Garde knows Loic Remy from when both of them were at Lyon, with the current manager being the assistant manager at the Stade de Gerland when Remy started his career there. He knows that his countryman has the ability to stick the ball in the back of the net, something that Villa have failed to do too many times this campaign. They currently have 15 goals from 19 games, the lowest in the league.

Hiddink is aware that Chelsea aren’t in a much better position, sitting just three points away from the relegation zone in 14th place. He said, “We need all the players here until the end of the season. Chelsea are still in a position where we have to improve to get up the table, so we need all our players at the moment. So we don’t talk about the rumours”.

With the transfer window opening on the 2nd of January 2016 it won’t be long before we know what sort of moves all of the teams in the Premier League will be making in the market. Remi Garde may yet succeed in bringing Loic Remy to Villa Park, but whether the Frenchman will be able to save the club from relegation remains to be seen.

Guus Hiddink, Chelsea’s new interim manager, has suggested that his players need to look themselves in the mirror and be ultra critical if they hope to get their season back on track.

The defending Premier League champions have lost nine of their first seventeen games and sit in 15th place in the league, just three points above the relegation zone. Hiddink was brought in last weekend as a short-term replacement for Jose Mourinho, who the Chelsea board sacked after a dreadful start to the season.

Hiddink acknowledged that a fourth placed finish was still a ‘mathematical possibility’, but confessed that it would be extremely difficult to achieve. He said, “This league is very strong. All the teams can kill each other”.

The Dutchman came in in similar circumstances in 2009 when Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s owner, decided to relieve then boss Luis Felipe Scolari, of his position in the Blues’ dugout. He won the FA Cup with them that year and also helped them to reach the semi-finals of the Champion’s League and to finish third in the Premier League.

Speaking in his first pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Boxing Day game against Watford the 69 year old said, “I shouldn’t be here halfway through the season. It means things are not going well. But, anyhow, I am glad to be back. It is a few years ago I was here in a similar situation. It is not easy after a championship. You relax as a team and get a wake-up call. It is not easy to say that I am here and the problem is solved”.

The Dutchman was keen to sing the praises of his predecessor, Mourinho. Talking of the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ he said, “If you look at his record over the years it is amazing. There were many, many titles. Nevertheless things happen in football. People take decisions that they have taken and I come on when I am asked”.

Hiddink refused to be drawn on whether or not he would be tempted to dip into the transfer market in January, saying, “Let’s go into the next few games and we will see. First, I would like to get through the first few games. I talked to the squad yesterday and we talked about the past a little… why I am here, the reason why we are down. But I also told them things happen in football and I want everyone to look themselves in the mirror, for not just a second but for a long time”.

There was a strange atmosphere at Stamford Bridge in the club’s game against Sunderland last weekend, their first since the sacking of Mourinho. Some members of the team were booed and there were banners in the stands expressing the fans’ support for Mourinho. Hiddink acknowledged that and said, “I hope the fans will support the team, as they did briefly during the last game. The team has to take the initiative. What I know of Chelsea is that the fans back up the team, but the team has to show it first”.