OhForAGreavsie

That's exactly what I was thinking while watching his dribble to create the chance at around 4:49 in the video. Brilliant.

I tried to find some video of the game last night but didn't manage to. I'll try again later but it's encouraging to read your comment. Charly has not been at the top of his game for the development squads recently, often starting on the bench of late.

I am not, and have never been, a Mikel believer but, I think we need to be cautious about allowing him to leave. As restated by a number of people in this thread, he has proved able to accept a squad role without rocking the boat. Every squad needs that. There is a balance to be struck between upgrading the talent pool and keeping the group happy. That was why Lukaku and De Bruyne had to leave and it's an important consideration. Meanwhile, I think that Ake would have had more game time over the last two seasons if Jose had confidence in him so, unless Nathan is prepared to do a Mikel and accept a squad role, his days might be numbered. Shame because I like him, but that's how it looks to me. I also don't see enough quality in Chalobah or Baker to give either of them a big chance here. RLC however is different, I've no doubt that he has the talent to make it. The question for him is whether he has the x-factor which will allow him to make the most of his ability. The jury is out on that. I desperately want him to come up with the right answer because I haven't been so hopeful about a Chelsea junior since Clive Walker and that was nearly 40 years ago! (For what it's worth, and more than a little off topic, the excitement about Walker came from write ups in the programme and lasted only till I actually saw him play for the first time in a Youth Cup game at The Bridge. Clive went on to have a good career of course but, in my opinion, Ruben has far more ability and will be a star if he maximises his potential. Can't honestly say I'm confident that Ruben will do that but I'm keeping everything crossed.)

And with Duff at LB.

This seems to me to be a reasonable enough point. I've enjoyed reading your posts even though I generally disagree with your conclusions on this topic. The next bit of evidence will come next season when, fingers crossed, the squad will have been strengthened. If that is so and the football does not improve then you might well claim that would give more weight to your case. I'm desperate for two or three clear upgrades over the summer, which I expect will enable us to play better football more consistently. I'm not anticipating seeing the finished article next term, but I am hopeful that we'll be closer to it than we are now. I'm also desperate that Jose will be the man continuing to lead the development. Next September will mark my 50th anniversary as a Chelsea fan. In all that time Jose is the only manager I've believed in. I'm a tough crowd.

A-den Azar A-den Azar A-den Azar, zar, zar, zar, zar A-den Azar Oooo-Ooo-Ooo-Ooo A-den Azar Can you name that tune before you click on the link?

My argument is that if we played the high press game with our squad we'd concede possession far too often in dangerous situations and get countered to death. Pick the best back five on the planet, put them in that situation and they'd concede goals for fun. If we played that way we'd win as much as Leverkausen do. Sides hoping to be successful playing that style need to be packed with players who are good at recovering and retaining possession. That requires a critical mass of players with high energy, great touch, poise in possession, tight close control, rapid speed of thought and accurate passing. I say a critical mass because it only takes one Ramires, Willian, Oscar, or Mikel to break the chain and we not only have those four, we also have more where they came from. My point re Barca is that most of our starters wouldn't even get in their squad precisely because our lot don't have the qualities to play the Barca way. I know it's only my opinion but I simply do not believe you are right to think that our current squad can be successful playing the way you want us to. The inescapable conclusion is that you rate our players more highly than I do.

Atleti are an excellent team, packed with outstanding players. Leverkausen have won what since 2002 and what in the ten years before that? I suppose the word successfully can be defined in different ways. At Chelsea I think it defines winning trophies. It's up to Bayer fans and officials to decide what success means to them.

That looks like a circular argument to me. Would Cahill have been dropped if Jose didn't feel he had a viable alternative in Kurt Zouma?

I think you are wrong about this. Badly wrong, if you'll forgive me for saying so. Firstly, although it hardly needs saying, let's put an obvious truth front and centre of the discussion. It's not just a matter of playing an attack minded, high pressing, high line, game. Any team and any manager can do that whenever they want. Arsenal, with a collection of highly technical players, did exactly that at Stamford Bridge, Anfield and The Etihad last season. 17-4. Great work Arsene. The trick of course is to be successful playing that way. It's a heck of a trick however and it requires very good players but more on that in a moment. I hope I'm not putting words into anyone's mouth when I say that Wenger is not alone, we at Chelsea also crave beautiful, attacking football. I have no argument with you about that but I judge the current squad as being unable to deliver that while also winning enough matches. There were no Arsenal fans crowing about pretty football after those three humiliations last season, and who can blame them? We all want beautiful wins but we'll all accept ugly ones in preference to ugly defeats. I think the key difference between you and me is that, while you've made it clear that you think our squad can win by playing the way you describe, I do not. Barcelona can but they would not even consider offering a squad place to any of Willian, Oscar, Costa, Cuadrado, Ramires, Mikel or Ivanovic. Players who, between them, will make hundreds of appearances for us this season. Some of our other outfield players might be considered for squad places in Barcelona but I doubt any, not even Eden, would be first choice. Certainly not Cesc for example. Barcelona have been the ultimate example of how good a pressing team can be but the first lesson to take from their example is the quality of players required to succeed that way. Forget their defenders, that's not how Barca defend. They recover the ball high and they are exceptionally good at retaining it once they have. That's because they have a critical mass of players who can receive a pass, even a bad one, in tight situations and do something positive with it. We don't. I think it is unrealistic of you to expect that the appalling squad of June 2013 can have been completely overhauled in 21 months. You may disagree but my own opinion in 2013 was that we were 8 quality players short of what was required to make Chelsea the side we'd all like them to be. If that number was right, and I think it was, it meant finding a lot of players with the right quality, the right age, the right work permit qualifications, the right FFP costs, and the right availability to Chelsea. That kind of recruitment is very difficult but you are right to say that it should not be beyond a club with our resources. Thing is, a club with our resources should never have been in the mess Jose inherited on his return. He has my confidence that he'll fix the mess but if we are still in the same position four transfer windows from now things will be different. For now however, I believe that realistic progress is being made.

All day, every day, till the end of time, Premier League over Champions' League. Nowhere even near close. The odd Premier League title and hopefully an FA Cup here or there is the stuff of dreams for me. The Champions' League's main purpose is to keep the cash coming in. Enjoyed winning it, would love to win it again but, for me, it's a competition that needs to know its place.

It would certainly reinforce my ultra strong belief in Jose Mourinho. I wish more people could see it my way, we'd be a happier camp, but viewpoints are what they are.

I think there are at least two other players in the development group who have the potential to make the top squad. Even that may be on the conservative side since there are other talented footballers in the junior ranks for whom it's still too early to talk in those terms. Obviously you can never speak about anything more than potential with younger players but I think that's especially true with our lads. In my opinion all of them, including Ruben, has plenty to prove. That said, I'd love RLC to make it. I feel frustrated for him every time he's on the bench but fails to get on. When we went two up on Sunday I was saying, "Two more by half time, then get Ruben into the game." Sadly the two goals that came didn't help at all.

I understand what you're saying but I would definitely settle for being the best of a not especially brilliant bunch, not least because I don't think we are brilliant. Come what may I'd like us to make a big effort to improve the squad in the summer. If we can do that from a position of strength as champions, even champions that only just limped over the line, it would be great.

Interesting. I've never seen this stat before but I wonder how they assess it. Presumably they take 'opinion' out of it and make no attempt to judge how easy or how difficult it was to control the pass the player received; a poor touch just goes down as a poor touch regardless. I can see that this would be the only 'fair' way to do it. If that's so then, like the pass completion statistic, I'm not sure this one really tells us enough of the story. Playing the ball into the receiver's path so he can collect it at full speed and break into space is a pass completion, but so too is playing the ball slightly behind the receiver, without pace so he is pressurised and has to play it back to the centre-half. In fact it's two. Like a lot of people, I'm not a big believer in stats and I'll take some persuading that this particular one means much, if anything, at all.

In fact the article does mention the increased Champion's League money as additional to the numbers it outlines but your overall point is still a good one.

The bit in bold is the problematic part for me. If that was truly so then the FFP regulations would not put a limit on the amount rich donors could give to clubs. The regulations do put a limit on such cash injections however. I therefore think it's reasonable for people to conclude that, whatever the pretended motives behind FFP, its effect is to ring-fence the established clubs and allow them to grab the lion's share of the money and the medals. Personally I believe in US style rules aimed at achieving competitive balance. I have always argued, for example, that a fixed amount salary cap is one tool that should be imposed. Through repetition, people have learned the knee-jerk reaction that such a cap would be illegal under European law but I've never believed that. I've always felt that if there was a will there would be a way. Now, this season, UEFA have imposed a salary cap so that argument is dead. Unfortunately the established clubs, including Chelsea, don't want a level playing field. They are quite happy the way things are thank you very much. I hope City and PSG run a coach and horses through that plan.

No one is going to disagree with this. The arguments will only start when it comes to assessing who's average and who isn't.

I like the look of the lad. For years I've wanted us to have a striker with top level technical skills and Dybala seems to have them. It's true that great technical ability does not necessarily make you a great player, but it is equally true that most of the great players do have outstanding technique.

After the creativity they showed in recording their summer transfer dealings, who can say how the fee from Thorgan's sale will appear in Chelsea's accounts but the club did announce a while back that a permanent transfer to Gladbach had been completed.

Thorgan Thorgan Hazard. So good they sold him twice.

As I mentioned before we signed Cuadrado, Douglas looks the more impressive of the two. Douglas seems to me to have better touch and tighter control so I like his basic talent, but, as we all know, basic talent is not enough. Since I've only seen youtubes of Douglas I have to bow to those who have watched him and conclude that maybe he doesn't use his abilities very well. Virtually everyone who has watched him seems to be unimpressed. One or two might fail to see what a player has but how good can Douglas be if no one likes him? Surely everybody can't be wrong.

Yes appeal failed but it's a reasonable guess that most players would prefer to wait four months (end of August to start of January) for a move to Barca over an immediate move almost anywhere else.

First glimpses of Wallace made me, and others too I think, feel that I had seen enough to doubt he was of the quality we need. On the other hand, first glimpses of Manea look far more encouraging and definitely make me want to see more.

Very helpful post - thank you. Lot's of homework there, I'll let you know what I think once I've done it.