Chelsea hold all the aces

The Blues have proved they have the best midfield quartet in the Barclays Premier League.

On current form, no other team can touch the formidable foursome of Michael Ballack, Deco, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole. They are - quite simply - world-class players.

After the summer purchase of Deco, Chelsea now have five to six world-class players in their ranks. And what a debut by the Portuguese star!

In the Premier League, there's nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. And Deco proved he has a bit of bottle to ride challenges from the giant Portsmouth defenders. Plus, he's got a great touch.

The biggest challenge to this fellow is whether he is able to perform consistently. Week-in week-out.

Harry Redknapp's side had no answer to this onslaught of talent that swept Pompey out of Stamford Bridge. Redknapp must have wished he didn't play two out-and-out strikers. The way Chelsea ran the midfield it was as if the Portsmouth's players just hadn't turned up.

And don't forget Chelsea still have Michael Essien and Didier Drogba to come back from injuries.

So I am still sticking to my prediction about Chelsea winning the league this season? The Blues look unstoppable and they say it was just like watching Brazil!

I think they are not too far off. In all honesty, who can deny the fact that Chelsea entertained with the brand of attacking football under Luiz Felipe Scolari.

And talking about debuts, across London, Samir Nasri also scored for Arsenal in his first league start. He looks like a good player but I am still to be convinced he is a good fit for Alexander Hleb.

I think it won't be that easy to replace Hleb - a classy player who has learnt how to adapt to the Premier League. The jury is still out for Nasri. But I think it is still encouraging for Arsene Wenger that one of his new signings has gone off the mark.

I remember my own debut on August 16 1980 for Everton. It was memorable day although I had to leave the field on a stretcher!

But I still have to say it was a great experience. The team line-up was only announced an hour before the game but I already had an inkling way before that.

I was already getting picked for the first-team during pre-season training and friendlies so it wasn't a big surprise.

And soon, my parents sent through their congratulations by telegraph and told me to have a good game. They were very proud.

When the kick-off approached, I just reminded myself to just do everything the same way as I had during training. Just play it my own way and everything else will fall into place.

For England, I made my international debut on February 17 1988. I didn't particularly enjoy my time with England. As I mentioned on Football Focus, I found it troublesome to get used to the different playing systems.

But don't get me wrong, I was proud  playing for my country. For younger players, getting a call-up to the international fold is a proud moment. They may not be given games but at least it gives them a chance to get use to the different environment, the training and the set-up.

Having said that, I was surprised Fabio Capello did not call up Gabriel Agbonlahor (especially after his hat-trick) and Ashley Young. I believe Capello will play in a style close to Scolari's Chelsea and the England manager will really need goal-scoring midfielders.

I think it would be beneficial for these lads to be in the team to learn and observe the seniors. And to get use to the training sessions conducted by Capello's coaching staff.

If Capello is building his squad towards the 2010 World Cup, he should be thinking ahead for the future. And these two players represent the future of England

Steve McMahon, former Liverpool midfielder and England International, is ESPN's resident football analyst for Football Focus and Football Forecast, providing expert comments each week for millions of football  fans across Asia