Chelsea vs. Everton: Torres, Lampard 5 Things to Watch for in Saturday's Match

Chelsea will attempt to end their three-game winless streak in the league as they head up to Goodison park to face off against Everton.

Neither the Toffees nor Chelsea can say they have really lived up to the standards placed before them on the season. Chelsea have fallen out of logical contention for the title and Everton will have to fight for at least a finish in the top half of the table.

With Manchester United playing Liverpool earlier in the day, the nation will be captivated by that historic rivalry. However, there is still plenty left to be played for back in Mercyside. Chelsea need a victory to ensure they remain in a Champions League spot for next season and Everton can move right into the hunt of a Europa Cup place with a win.

Here are five things to watch for in the matchup.

Can Chelsea Conquer Their Goodison Park Woes?

For years, Chelsea fans took pride in the fact that their home record was far better than any of their opponents. When teams came to Stamford Bridge, they were not only playing for a draw, but generally happy to put a goal on the board. It was a fortress of the game.

However, that streak of no losses at home has come and gone for the Blues, and on Saturday, they will know the feeling of being on the short end of that streak.

Chelsea have not won a game at Goodison Park in the league dating back to 2008.

This season, Everton has not had the best home record (identical to on the road), but does have at least one marquee victory: a 1-0 win over Manchester City a few weeks ago.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is aware of how history does not favor them in this game and does not plan to take it lightly:

"We never underestimate Everton because our record at Goodison Park is not impressive,'' Villas-Boas said.

Villas-Boas will need to end this drought Saturday if he wants to work back the respect of the fans who have lost faith in the young manager.

The Americans

As a Chelsea fan and an American, this is a difficult game for me to watch. I used to only have to struggle during West London derbies, where one of the few English teams willing to give Americans a chance, Fulham, are usually beaten up by the big bad Blues. But since David Moyes has taken a liking to Yanks, this is another allegiance tester.

Tim Howard has been with Everton since 2006 and since then has been the staple of their defense. The American keeper has made the best forwards look foolish and made the likes of everyone from Wayne Rooney to Didier Drogba raise their hands to their face in disbelief.

Last weekend, he let in a howler against Wigan resulting in a draw.

That’s bad news for Chelsea, as Howard is historically a reliable keeper. His confidence is one of the things that make him so great, and it is almost certain that he will shake off the cobwebs and come out with some big stops Saturday.

But that is not the only American that can hurt you. In his second loan spell at Everton, Landon Donovan is playing as well as any player in the league. Through his first eight games, he already is second on the team with five assists.

Considering Chelsea’s troubles against wing play, Donovan can become a real issue, as his speed is secondary to his intelligence and vision.

I know it can be a tough pill to swallow for the devout English, but we have produced a few talented players over here. Unfortunately for Chelsea fans, two of the very best will be on display Saturday.

Torres’ Last Chance?

Not to beat a dead horse, but Torres has not been what we have expected. There are literally a hundred different theories bouncing around the blogosphere and all with their own merit, but the fact still remains: goalless in 15 games is not good enough for any striker.

There have been some that suggest he has improved, as his confidence looks better, and though he is not scoring, he is involved in the lead-up to goals. Had Chelsea actually won against United last week, his assist to Juan Mata would have meant much more to the fans.

It has really come down to what kind of person you are, glass half-full or glass half-empty, that determines your opinion on the striker.

However, the only way he can earn back the respect of everyone is through one way and one way only: score goals.

The Spaniard was fortunate enough to be essentially given a month-long trial where he could prove that he was the player everyone thought him to be. With Dorgba and Salomon Kalou away on international duty, he was left as the only experienced forward and would have every opportunity made available to him to win the starting spot.

Instead, he has squandered it away meandering between okay outings and just downright poor ones.

With Drogba back next week, the team will almost certainly become his again, as he has seemed to catch a second wind in Africa, leading the tournament in goals with three.

This Saturday may be the last chance Torres has this season to be the starting forward for the team.

Villas-Boas’ Tactics

Andre Villas-Boas has come under increasing fire for how he managed the game against Manchester United.

Up three goals with less than a half hour to go, he continued his streak of poor in-game decisions, as he failed to account for the introduction of Javier Hernandez and the readjustment of formation by the Red Devils.

The debate will wage on whether or not Villas-Boas should have continued to press forward or, with a safe lead at home, bunkered in and absorbed United’s pressure. There is no way of telling which was right. But what he did for certain was wrong.

Leaving Malouda, who was poor to say the least in the entire match was incorrect. Taking away the speed of Sturridge was questionable. And leaving a makeshift back line exposed to the crafty play of Hernandez was idiotic.

David Moyes is by no means an amateur to this game, but he is also not a Ferguson-like demi-God. If Villas-Boas is the tactical master we were told and supposedly what justifies his record fees, then he should be able to at least counter whatever Moyes does.

Ultimately, the game still comes down to the players to execute, but it is Villas-Boas’ job to put those players in the best position to do so. Up to this point, he has been unable to perform that task.

Good Ol’ Lamps

The Daily Mail is reporting that Frank Lampard will be fit to go against Everton this Saturday.

The England international missed three matches including the one against United after suffering an injury earlier this season.

There has been an unwarranted outcry of voices that have suggested it is high time that the legend leave Stamford Bridge. Villas-Boas himself has inadvertently fueled the flames of this debate by leaving him out in pivotal matches.

However, Lampard seems to bounce from being shunned back every time, as despite missing the past three games, he still leads the team in goals will eleven.

While you may be able to replace his skill and perhaps even improve his creativity, you could never substitute his experience. Nearly a decade with the club has him knowing the game better than any other midfielder on the squad. His play is simple and direct, but gets the job done better than any other.

If those who doubt can begin to see a correlation that since Lampard’s absence, Chelsea have not won a game in the league, they may have their eyes opened to the simple fact that he is the best option they have in the attack.

He is not going to give you the flair of Mata or the pace of Sturridge, but he will give you consistency, and right now, that’s what Chelsea lack more than anything.

Follow me on Twitter: @thecriterionman