CurlyHairLikeLuiz

We're going to finish mid table this season - we simply can't make up so much ground when all the teams above us are at the strength they are. We can get Europe if we win the CL or the FA Cup. Not at all impossible.

Because we're getting shot in midfield, that's why we need a proper CM. Could do with an upgrade on Matic too, but that is a different topic. KdB will not be an upgrade on Oscar because our midfield will be even more open than before and we will concede even more goals. Fabregas, Hazard and KdB cannot exist in the same team together without equal defending - to make our system work currently we have to deploy orthodox fullbacks and at times 2 holding midfielders, with yet another non defending player we will need to compensate further. I'm adamant that it won't work unless he comes here and proves me wrong.

Suarez is the best striker in the world. KdB isn't even the best RW in England. That argument is akin to Oscar surviving on his Juve game - I think the same points are being made, so I'll leave it there.

No, neither are what we need - my point is that we will not win more with KdB than we do with Oscar now because it will just add to the same problem; small game players. Fabregas is a small game player, but in 14/15 we had enough big game players to balance it out. It seems Drogba made the difference. Look at that City team now; most are small game players which is why they rely on Aguero and Toure to fire, and if both do not then they don't win. I have an agenda against KdB? No, I've just had enough of people saying he would solve our problems when he would not. He would exacerbate them, yesterday against Watford we had to send on Mikel to shore up the midfield even with Oscar in there. We need an upgrade on Oscar but the answer is certainly not KdB and certainly not Mata; we need a CM like Pogba and that's the end of it, and only then should we consider another #10 - but it's more likely Hazard would slot in there. You're not thinking in terms of an overall impact of the team, you're thinking on an individual basis. KdB has quality, I'm not denying that but he won't work in a team with Fabregas and Hazard in there. We would literally become an embodiment of Arsenal.

Courtois Azpi Zouma JT Ken/Baba Mikel Matic Willian RLC Hazard Remy

Pedro was brought as a squad player and since Hazard's been injured he's been playing. John Terry was not at fault for any of the goals today, have I missed something? Sorry but Terrhill needs to die, they're too slow to be paired with each other. Zouma must play next to him to keep enough pace in there. People have been moaning about lack of character so it would be very, very unwise to remove the only leader we have from the team. Coach Drogs can't come soon enough (and will help out DC) We need a clean out, sure. But at least people can finally stop blaming Jose for the board not backing him - the team he was fielding really was our best team "Do you remember, a couple of years ago we did have : Luiz ; Bertrand ; Azpilicueta ; Oscar ; Hazard ; de Bruyne ; Hazard ; Mata ; Lukaku (; Aké). It was not a great team by any means — however, that was an exciting project and it was a very good base to build a great team. A few key signings here and there (i.e. a great CB to partner Luiz, a great central-midfielder, a great striker) and some additions of 'good' players to compliment what we already had would have been enough to build a competitive team that would be able to play good football. Yet, two years later, we are left with a squad full of utility players, some dead-woods and some 'okay' players — and only one world-class player. Above all, we are left with only a very few players that are able to do things with the ball at their feet..." :lol: Luiz was and is a terrible CB. He was a great complement to Matic in MF, but in 12/13 and 13/14 Cahill-Terry was our best CB pairing by a country mile. Much of that project still remains - the problem being that most of them have not kicked on. When Oscar and Hazard were signed in 12/13 Oscar was supposed to end up being better than Hazard, I think we all remember the Juve game and thinking 'yeah, he's gonna go far' but it hasn't happened. I really don't understand why people are so annoyed that we sold Mata, he hasn't done anything since January 2014 which has suggested Jose was wrong to cut him loose. "We are not back to the step 1 — we are back to step -10. Mata, Luiz, Bertrand, de Bruyne, Lukaku, Schurrle, Salah... We have sold all these young and fresh players. We are left with nothing to build upon — and the only hope for people nowadays seems to be the combo 'Kennedy-RLC' which is a clear indication that we are at the bottom of a bottomless pit." And that is the most ridiculous thing yet. de Bruyne is not a big character, he would still be in the same funk as the rest of the players here. No show against big teams. Luiz was sold because to advance the team we had to comply with FFP, and we brought Costa (the first great striker we've had since Drogs) and Cesc Fabregas - we needed characters in the team and Fabregas was well qualified, as well as being a midfield general - sure he has been terrible recently but it would be harsh to blame that on Mourinho. Lukaku has been "De Bruyne-ised"; last season he was awful and now he's kicked on we're suddenly moaning about selling him, but you cannot have it both ways. To get him to that level we would have had to play him instead of Costa for all of 14/15 for a very low goal yield and we would not have won the title, and even now having him here while Costa was not firing would only have brought us up about 5 places - and that's assuming he would have scored the same amount of goals this season, whcih he wouldn't as his support won't give him as much service. Schurrle was unlucky, a muscle disease basically cost him his top flight football career, not the fault of the club at all. Salah was not good enough as many people here said. So yeah, Kenedy and RLC are big hopes now, because you can't just stop winning to integrate 5 youth players, not at a club like Chelsea, the average supporter would not tolerate it and I don't think anybody was moaning when we were winning. "Why, oh why did the board let Mourinho shape the team to his non-football philosophy ? He got rid of all the players that could play football and the players that could have been a bright spark for the 'long-term'. Instead, he gave a free-pass to all of our dead-woods and utility players because they are tall and would run behind the ball like donkeys — and more importantly, as they cannot keep the ball at their feet, the chances of them doing a mistake was greatly reduced, because hey, not doing any mistake is the most important thing in football." That's a completely fucking false statement to make - Mourinho brought in Fabregas to replace Luiz, Hazard his star man, and Costa to play good football but if anything the statement by Jose that he took the players to an unsustainable level is correct, it would explain the poor football from the same team from January onwards. We will not finish more than mid table because there are so many quality teams this season, it's not a normal thing and next season when the new TV deal comes in we can rebuild and be better again but just about everything that could conspire against us did - other teams drastically improved while we stood still, bad luck (that West Ham game is a perfect example - the ball 1cm from being a goal, an incorrect offside decision, a harsh red card) and other teams' good form.

Erm how about no, even Oscar (your favourite boo boy) was fantastic against Sunderland? So is Oscar world class too? No, the first quality opposition he came up against was Arsenal and he was anonymous, actually no, he was fucking terrible and couldn't string a pass together, both are not big characters and I bet every pound I have that if he was still here he would be getting stick for being a no show against teams in the top 7 and he would be in the same funk as the rest of the players. This needs to stop, neither Oscar nor KdB nor Mata is what we need; we need a midfielder like Pogba and that's the end of it. By the way when City brought him I said they would be a top heavy team and when a team take the game to them they pack in, which is why they won't win the title.

Orhe's just being rested. Zouma has been playing nearly non stop since August.

No Zouma?

Kenedy is still being moulded as a player and he doesn't have a position nailed down juuuuust yet.

Courtois Azpi Zouma JT Kenedy Cesc Matic Willian Oscar Pedro Costa I was talking to some Dutch people of Hiddink and they all told me that he will only ever play players in their natural positions - ie, no Iva at RB, no Oscar at LW. So I'm hoping for a team like the one above. And yes, I'm on the Kenedy for LB bandwagon for this season at least, when Ake returns maybe it will be a different story, but he might be better served playing next to Matic instead in a 'David Luiz' style role.

I seem to remember clarifying that about a week ago.

To be honest I agree. If it were a Mourinho mirrored then what would be the point in getting rid of the original? It's nice not to have to cringe at a press conference. I love, love, love Jose to bits, he is obviously the best manager in CFC history (maybe aside from Dave Sexton) but at the end of the day the manager is easier to change than the players and Guus is much less abrasive to people outside Chelsea.

They're not even comparable to what they do - they would complement each other excellently.

Might as well start implementing the Pep philosophy now!

Probably not the given reason but likely because he's a childish prick

That wasn't what he was inferring at all but okay :lol:

I'd fucking snap their hands off for it. Courtois Azpi Zouma Terry Kenedy Pogba Matic Willian Pedro Costa Griezzy And would vastly improve our possible off-the-bench/tactical options: Cesc can come on for Willian as a fake RW (a la Barca) or Pogba, Oscar can come on for any of the front 4, Baba can come in for Kenedy, and in big games Azpi can move over to the left. Having said that though it would block the route for 2 major academy players - RLC and Pasalic, which I have reservations over, and Teixera is pretty much a done deal at this point, so this will never happen.

On corners/ FKs beyond the 18 yard box I'd imagine JT and Zouma would mark their two strikers. In open play it will probably be Oscar and Ramires/RLC.

I'd fucking snap their hands off for it. Courtois Azpi Zouma Terry Kenedy Pogba Matic Willian Pedro Costa Griezzy And would vastly improve our possible off-the-bench/tactical options: Cesc can come on for Willian as a fake RW (a la Barca) or Pogba, Oscar can come on for any of the front 4, Baba can come in for Kenedy, and in big games Azpi can move over to the left. Having said that though it would block the route for 2 major academy players - RLC and Pasalic, which I have reservations over.

That's a decision I don't envy. Still has enough left in the tank for MLS, but perhaps a dream job might be too much to refuse.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha that's the funniest joke of the whole week, the CB that's played nearly every game this season?

Send him to Monaco for 18 months. It's done wonders for Pasalic, it's a team that has ambition and the team has shown a previous track record of playing our loanees. He coud really develop there especially with CL football next season.

We could alternate Aina at RB too.

Aam I really the only one here who thinks these jokes are fucking shit Watched some of Hiddink's presser, really likeable guy.