Viper22

Actually looking forward to seeing him play on the wing. He's struggled with the CAM position this season due to all the extra work required of him but with a 3 man midfield including Matic and Zouma he might have less defensive work to do... Hopefully he'll play very well and we can switch him and Willian for future games?

Everything about this is suggesting a 0-0 bore draw. But my spidey senses are tingling. Got a feeling there might be a great performance just around the corner here. No idea why, just a gut feeling.

We'll wait and see how we play, game hasn't even kicked off yet.

Not the team I would have picked.... But I trust in Jose and his ability to get the job done in the games that matter. Let's judge him and the performance at the final whistle eh?

Late prediction for the team: Courtois, Ivan, Cahill, JT, Azpi, Matic, Ramires, Willian, Fabregas, Hazard, Drogba. Subs: Cech, Zouma, Luis, Mikel, Oscar, Cuadrado, Solanke.

Who needs a legitimate reason? :woo: :confused:

Wouldn't mind us keeping Oscar and having him as a backup when we buy another top class midfielder (Koke/Pogba/Vidal/Isco) because: 1) We currently have a lack of experienced backups for AM (Cuadrado has only just arrived and the rest are youth players). 2) He's still young and could get better in the future, let's not give up yet and 3) I don't think he'll fetch that much ATM. Obviously if Juve offer us £25-30M or want him as part of a deal for Pogba/Vidal then we should sell but otherwise I think he's a decent squad player for us and we should keep him. Also, i'm anything but an Oscar hater but the people suggesting he's as good (or even nearly as good) as Koke seriously need to watch Atletico a bit more often. He's the most important midfielder in one of the best teams in Europe and anyone that really watches them both cannot possibly say something like that. 2 years ago I would have accepted that they were both similar in terms of current talent and potential but since then Oscar hasn't got much better whereas Koke has come on leaps and bounds.

Ah, the moaning thread. My biggest bugbear at the moment is the incessant use of the phrase "parking the bus". People misuse what the phrase was invented for so often and it's become a slang word for playing any kind of football other than all out attack. It's getting to the point where I want to gouge someone's eyes out if they use it, hopefully it'll die out soon.

Isn't Gaitan a LW? Makes it unlikely, we've got a pretty good LW already .

Welcome

This guy is a machine. Drogba has played in 27 matches this season (will likely get to at least 30). If Bamford got that many matches next year with us, even if only 5-10 are starts, that will be great for his experience. Everyone should remember too that while Remy is very very good, he;s not young (around 30 I think) and also a tad injury prone. Would be so useful to have this guy as our 3rd choice striker for next season. I truly believe that he's ready.

I guess that's a good point. And I guess it always seems to be his hamstring so the label injury prone wouldn't be unfair. But I guess that's for our scouting/medical team to say. My counter to that would be their respective ages (22 vs 29) as a big plus for Jovetic but you do make a good point.

If Remy is fit, I reckon it'll be a tight 2-1 or 1-0 win. If he isn't and we play Didier up top.... 0-0 all day, and tbh i'll be happy with that. I'm actually happy to start Ivan in this game, think we need his aerial prowess. -------------------Courtois--------------------- --Ivanovic--Zouma--Terry--Azpiliceuta-- ---------------------Mikel----------------------- ----------Matic------------Fabregas---------- -Willian-------------------------------Hazard- -------------------Remy/DD------------------- Subs: Cech, Luis, Cahill, Ramires, Oscar, Cuadrado, DD/Solanke. For me.

Thank christ some can still see sense. Players aren't that easily switchable and our CAM position is one of the hardest to play probably in world football. They will have to truly be a complete player and Oscar was doing an ok job of it until January. He's failing badly now but I can imagine Juan would be even worse ATM. Mata was my favourite non-Chelsea player in the world before he joined the club and he's still one of my favourites now, but he only really functions in a team where he has no defensive responsibilities whatsoever and Chelsea as a team require our CAM to defend as well as attack.

Tbh if we're going after ditched City strikers i'd much rather go for Jovetic. Young, ridiculously talented but hasn't been given a proper chance at City. And I reckon you'd get him for under 10-15M.

Would love to see him sign for us. Most English players are overhyped and expensive, Milner is underrated and would be available on a free. Would be a great signing and would allow us to shift more money into buying a world class CB and a world class CM.

My marks for Mourinho this season: Results: 8.5/10 - We're almost definitely going to win the title, won the League Cup and got to the knockout stages of the CL. Performance: 7/10 - Played incredible football for the first 4/5 months of the season but injuries, suspensions and a drop in form for key players made it harder to maintain. Mind Games: 9/10 - Pellegrino has been his personal bitch all season, and Rodgers and LVG have wisely avoided messing with him. Tactics: 8/10 - Made a few small mistakes against Bradford, PSG (both legs) and Spurs on NYD but other than that has been largely spot on. Entertainment: 8.5/10 - I've been well and truly entertained by him this season. Watching him bang his head on the ground when Cuadrado missed was fantastic. Signings: 10/10 - Costa, Fabregas, Drogba, Luis, Courtois (to an extent). Need I say more? Finances: 10/10 - Balanced the books with sales of players for well above their values. Overall: ~8.75/10. He's one of us, and he'll always be The Special One.

http://www.thefa.com/my-football/football-volunteers/coachingvolunteering/get%20into%20coaching/become%20a%20coach ^There's a link to obtaining the FA coaching badges. Could the lot who know better than Mourinho go and get their badges for me please, it will be amazing. Can you imagine? Football will be inundated with new managers coming through who can coach Chelsea to winning the title, playing outstanding, attractive football, bringing youngsters through and all while keeping the books balanced. Can't wait!

That was my favourite goal of the season, bar none. That was only our 2nd win at Loftus Road in the PL. Fantastic result considering we're playing a pathetic, negative team who see this as their cup final. JT has a hand on the trophy.

To Everyone, Please?

I was pretty set on Matic or Cesc before, but tbh this has actually swayed me. I then tried to think of any reason why Azpi couldn't be a great captain, and I couldn't think of one .

If we sign a HG GK (Butland, Ruddy etc.), a world class CM (Pogba or Koke) a backup for Matic (Schneiderlin, Matuidi, Naingollan etc.) and a world class CB (Varane or Hummels) then we'll be pretty much perfect. We can fund some of this by selling Cech, Cahill and Mikel. 1st team - Courtois, Azpi, Zouma, New CB, Luis, Matic, Fabregas, New CM, Hazard, Willian, Costa. 2nd team - HG GK, Ivan, JT, Christensen, Ake, Schneiderlin, Ramires, MVG, Oscar, Cuadrado, Remy. Others in squad - Blackman, RLC, Baker, Boga, Traore, Bamford.

Good player but Bertrand is better. If we were going to sell Luis I doubt very much we'd have sold Bertrand so i'm not buying it. Still hoping to see Azpi at RB and Luis at LB at least tried this season.

Matic is still the best DM in the league and likely the world. The slight drop in form does not change that. It's true that he hasn't been playing at the (ridiculously high) level he was in the first half of the season but I don't think anyone could sustain that for a whole season. Also remember that any mistake he makes is accentuated massively by the fact that our back 4 are immobile and out of form ATM. I can't imagine how hard it must be to cover for a RB that's rarely in our own damn half of the pitch, a CB who is brilliant in the air and at reading the game but v.slow and coming to the end of his career, our other CB who has a passive fear of opposition players and will back off them into his own goal given the chance and a fellow CM who is an incredible passer and decent going forward but cannot defend very well. His job is the 2nd hardest in our team (behind our CAM role) made even harder by the lack of world class quality around him. Put Varane/Zouma in for Cahill and play Azpi/Luis over Ivan/Azpi and suddenly I can almost guarantee he'd be back at his best when he has a back 4 behind him that he can trust so he can focus on doing his own damn job and not covering for half of his fellow defenders all the time.

Azpi only issue for me. Think i'd put in Bertrand instead.