Mid-Day Madness

Would a game like Monday's FA cup tie draw similar crowds in the US? photo courtesy premierleague.com

On Monday English football giants Chelsea and Manchester United played an entertaining FA cup game at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea came out the victors, courtesy of a fantastic finish from forward Demba Ba. Though in my opinion, Chelsea going through to the semi-finals of the world's oldest football competition isn't the only taking point from the game. 

This particular match happened to be at 7:30 EST, or 12:30 in London.   The fact that kickoff was right in the middle of the day, on a work day nonetheless didn't stop 40,704 people from attending, nearly a sellout. It can easily be argued that the opponent, competition, and round of said competition is what drew the large number. But the question here is, could something similar happen in the US.?

It's hard to imagine a situation like this happening with one of our popular sports, but lets speak hypothetically here. What if for some reason Monday night football had to be rescheduled for 1PM instead of later on that night. It's hard to imagine, but would the game still sell out? What about a weekday NBA game, we'll even go big time and say the Miami heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers from the Staples Center. Instead of a normal Thursday 7 or 7:30 PST start, what if the game was moved to, say, 1:30 PST? Would we see the same type of crowd, or at least comparable to the normal start time?

Major League Baseball has something similar to this idea, where they'll schedule an afternoon start on a weekday from time to time. They're called "business person specials," and have become something of a league wide tradition.  Even these games rarely get close to selling out, with prior notice. 

So would a afternoon weekday game work in the US? Would tens of thousands of fans take off from work and school to go cheer on their favorite team. Or does the high attendance of the soccer game just a difference of culture? Voice your opinions in a comment or on twitter! (@mojo_FTNB). 

Fernando Torres or Demba Ba?

 

  Can Fernando Torres and Demba Ba co-exist? Photos courtesy of football.co.uk

The addition of Demba Ba to the Chelsea roster certainly can't hurt the clubs on field play. At 27, Ba is in the prime of his career, and has showed his goal scoring prowess at previous clubs. The dilemma interim manager Rafa Benitez has is, how will both see adequate time on the pitch? Chelsea has been known recently for using formations with one striker, taking advantage of their skilled midfield players. Before Ba's arrival, Fernando Torres was clearly the first choice forward, and has had an okay season thus far, depending on who you ask. With a top four finish not looking certain for the Blues, they have options to consider with their front men. Does Benitez give a nod to either player as his first choice, and lone striker? Does he alternate between the two, similar to last season with Torres and Didier Drogba? Or could Chelsea possibly employ a two striker lineup?

After a "disappointing" beginning to his Chelsea career, Fernando Torres has shown more flashes of his old self this season, and more importantly, has improved his consistency a bit. If anything, Torres has at least been a mainstay in the Chelsea lineup this season. He's played in 23 contest, and started in 21. At first glance it would seem that Torres is having another poor season, as two midfielders, Frank Lampard and Juan Manuel Mata have both scored more (eight) than Torres (seven). Though when you break things down a bit more, Torres' season hasn't been bad at all. With the sheer skill of the players around him, Torres' goal count is bound to take a hit. The aforementioned Lampard and Mata are proven scorers, also players such as Eden Hazard and Ramires have goals in them. Digging a bit more, if you count the games Torres has started, it equals to a goal every three game. He could certainly do better, but one in three is respectable. He also has 24 shots on goal this season, which again averages to just about a goal every three shots on goal.

Demba Ba is still getting his feet wet at Chelsea, and doesn't have many numbers yet to go off of. He's played in three games, starting two, and has a goal to his name. Ba is known for his days at Newcastle United, where he scored at an excellent pace, and did so with style. During his time at St. James' Park, Ba scored 29 times in 54 appearances, and also knocked in two more during league cup play. While we haven't seen much of Ba yet in a Chelsea uniform, his reputation speaks for itself. As the games come and go, he should become more acclimated to his settings, and hopefully for Chelsea fans, return to the form he showed while at Newcastle.

Both Ba and Torres have previous history of being class scorers, but that isn't the question. The question simple is, how will the two co-exist? While Chelsea hasn't lived up to the ridiculous standards of owner Roman Abramovich, they've been able to keep a place in the top four utilizing a lone forward formation. Benitez could continue to employ a lone striker setup, but at the risk of angering one, or both men.  Alternating between the two, going with the "hot" player in a sense could also be an option. But again, would either Torres or Ba agree to that type of plan long term? Finally, Chelsea have the option of trying to play them both, using a two forward system. This seems the most logical of the options, but could disrupt team chemistry, and would take a talented player off the pitch.

So how should Rafa Benitez use his two strikers in the latter half of the season? Leave a comment or tweet (@mojo_FTNB) and let us know!