beyondinvisible

Depends on the price that's put on him. I could easily see West Brom value him at 20-25 million, which would put him of out reach of most mid-table clubs. City is a possibility though. They're pretty low on English players in their squad currently.

A defender's primary job is to defend. Luis may offer more in attack but Azpi is the better defender from what I've seen.

I think Costa must have overexerted himself trying to get his first goal for Spain. He's really wanted to score for them. Can't blame the guy considering he's been vilified by both Brazil and Spain media.

I think Berahino will become hot property in some time. He started off well last year but then kind of faded off. This year has been pretty decent so far. Do Chelsea need him? Not really. Could we use him. Sure. Would we be willing to pay an inflated sum to buy him considering he's English? Not likely.

Cech stil deserves to be a first choice goalkeeper. So I don't begrudge him wanting a move. And Spain looks like the most likely destination. Would he be cup-tied if he moved in January though? I don't see him going to a non-Champions League team.

Just get a win. Doesn't matter if its convincing.

Why doesn't Salah get more game time? I've hardly seen him play this season.

Costa did not train with the team today. I guess that confirms he won't be picked for the Maribor game.

He could do so much better for his club and country if he learned to control his temper and not fall down every time someone touches him. Sterling has an excellent temperament considering his age and he's a joy to watch. Correct me if I'm wrong but he influences games more than Cristiano Ronaldo did at the same age. I'm not saying he will turn into the next Ronaldo but if he continues to play regularly and develop his skills, he's definitely going to be world class in another year or two. I still don't think Chelsea is the team for him considering we have enough young players of our own already.

There is no way Costa will not play the United game if he sits out against Maribor. I think Jose is already starting the mind games.

I doubt Mourinho is going to gamble on fielding a weakened team against Maribor. If we win the next two UEFA games, it will put Chelsea firmly in the driver's seat in the group. Especially since I anticipate Schalke and Lisbon to take points off each other in their matches. The important thing for Chelsea is to gain top spot as quickly as possible in the group. Since we dropped points in the opening game, we need to win at least 3 games. Then we can draw the last two and still finish top.

Maribor are going to defend deep and try to get a draw. So, we'll need to make our set pieces count. I don't think mourinho will change the team too much for this game but i'd like to see Oscar and Cesc get some rest.

So, he's definitely not playing the Maribor game?

I don't think he's been at 100% since the end of last season. He looked off the pace at the WC too. My guess is he does have a slight hamstring issue which can only get better with adequate rest. He can still play but there's always a risk of it becoming a tear.

Just a few hours to go

I'm pretty sure he won't play Carling Cup games. in an ideal situation, Chelsea will wrap up the Palace and Maribor games early so he can come off around 60 minutes or so. Then he can run riot against United.

I hope he plays on Saturday and scores a couple of early goals. Then he can come off and relax.

On paper, a Chelsea win is the only logical result. But taking the international break and upcoming Champions League game into account, I think there's a chance we could draw this one. I'm not too concerned though because we're going to batter ManU next week for sure.

I think Szczesny waits to see if Koscielny can catch up with Costa and also which way he's planning to go. Only then he starts moving. I don't think you can blame the keeper here though. This should have been dealt with by the defenders. Really doesn't matter who was at fault. That goal was class.

Yes, it's simply beautiful. I always used to think he was a brute force striker. After watching him play regularly this season, it's obvious that he's so much more than that. Yes, he's strong and uses his strength to bully defenders but he's also good with his positioning, times his runs into the box well, and is generally aware of what's going on around him. 32 million is a huge bargain. Compared to the other transfers, he would have been worth closer to 45-50 million. The scary part for other teams is that I don't think he has fully developed as a striker yet. He could still get better!

That's kind of what I meant Was referring to the time change for winter but worded it wrong. It pushes back games one hour later for me. These international breaks seem to stretch on and on. Can't wait for Saturday.

Has the Daylight Savings Time kicked in yet? Will have to time my schedule accordingly.