Essien19

These days Costa is the go to guy, yes sometimes we all can see a heavy touch on the ball, but you can't take away his efforts, he's giving his all, kudos to him, he gets his money no matter what but he is actual trying to make the fans happy, love it. He seems desperate to make up for the disgraceful departure of Jose, the fire is back. It doesn't bring back Jose but he has shown so far that it was either him or the Portuguese, he won and nowadays he is back to his very best! The way he celebrated his goal, unbelievable, you can't buy that, much better than kissing the badge quickly, really happy for him. Loved how Silva looked scared after the goal, very nervous when Costa tried to get the better of him time and time again. There aren't many striker who can put Silva on the ground the way Diego did, that's why a lot of us sing DIEGO, DIEGO, DIEGO. Hail to the king!

Di Maria had a brilliant game, he was all over the place, world class player. He's a much better player than De Bruyne or Lukaku, Van Gaal has to answer some questions! Hazard should be our main man, Schurrle once said that no one gets more freedom to express himself than Hazard. He should have shown more effort, there was a time when he put defenders on the floor, but that has to happen more often, he is that good. He didn't do it and one has to wonder why. I appreciate that he took shots when he had the chance, but overall his performance wasn't good enough, he's not living up to his potential. I question how he left the pitch, the stage doesn't get any bigger than this and it looks like he had thrown the towel early, would have never seen anything like that from Frank Lampard who had to be carried out under those circumstances, never give up seems to be a gone attitude at the Bridge. I can lose, but i can take it much better when i know that all of our guys have given their all, nowadays i'm not so sure about that, heartbreaking times... If he fills in a transfer request, we shouldn't stand in his way, hope we'll get the big bucks but maybe because of his downfall, we have to settle for something like 50 millions. He is one of the main reasons why we won't be in the CL next season, we all have seen the rise and now it's coming down and ending in tears, can't make that shit up. Play Musonda who has been great so far and use the money to strengthen the squad in other areas.

I'm gonna lose it if i see Matic in the lineup. I think the faith in Courtois has to continue, he will turn it around, but needs the playing time to gain confidence and experience. Begovic couldn't prevent the teams from scoring either, he's a good keeper, but not better than Courtois who we could lose at the end of the season, the Belgian dude has to play. Very difficult game, can't see us stopping the likes of Barkley and others. Guus has to come up with something, can't allow the team to regress in the second half like they did yesterday. Regards!

fuckin love it, would have started Traoré instead of Hazard, but Guus knows best! Lets do this boys! ?

One of the first names to make it on the team sheet against PSG. Expecting great things from him, unbelievable player, thank you Jose.

in love with the league!

From Mata with love, hugs.

Didn't the media report that Mourinho earned double figures a year and we're talking in pounds? Seems like Granovskaia negotiated ruthlessly, lolz.

Sure he has his flaws in his game and does 'stupid' things, he isn't perfect. For me, his start was simply perfect, everything worked out very well, but ever since then the real progress hasn't come in yet. Maybe the competition with Petr Cech forced him to significantly up his game, or it was just the new surrounding, don't know man. He set the bar very high, but his current level is more than okay, i think the so-called 'stick' is a bit unfair. Every mistake he makes can be lethal, that's the life of a goalie. You're coming up with some huge names, comparing Courtois with some of the very best goalies the game has ever seen is a huge honour in my eyes. It could be the case that most of them were better at his age, there is no shame admitting to that, but at his time he's still up there with the best. Can you really rate this season's Courtois fairly? I'm not talking about the managerial change, nor the inconsistency some of his co-worker have delivered so far, no, but what shouldn't be left out of the equation is his injury, he was out for months! Because of that i cut him some slack, difficult to fully recover, can take a long time, especially when it's his first serious injury. Your aforementioned guys (Hazard, Matic, Costa and others) didn't have those problems, maybe it's harsh, but some of us thought or still think they're just lazy. You know the ability is there but for quite some time a lot of them weren't in the 'right mood' to play for the club and the fans, in my point of view that's far more annoying. For me, Courtois has been one of our better players so far, the real 'mistakes' can be counted on one hand, not many Chelsea players can say that so far. Okay, we're still conceding too many goals, but Begovic was also leaking them in for fun, yes, it's only up to a certain point his fault, but still, i think Courtois is one of the reasons why we have found some stability in the defense department, still, could be better, i give you that, mate. But i think we'll get there. Back in 2008, Schalke 04 played against Porto, man, what a performance from Manuel Neuer, in my view the German single-handedly won them the game. That supports your view that a goalie can 'win' you a game! A few years later, we're in 2011, Schalke vs. Manchester United, again, how about that?! One of the best goalkeeping i have ever seen in my life. My point is, do you remember the result? 2:0 United, Schalke lost, but Neuer made some unbelievable saves. Ferguson also had something to say about that night: The term 'world class' has been used inflationary, at the moment i think the Premier-League doesn't have one single player that deserves this honour. You made some good points and i understand them. You're reasonable and fair with your assessment. No problem, mate.

Please name me 5 keepers at his age who you consider are better. Personally speaking, i have problems coming up with the number. Won the league in Spain and England, went on to the CL final, made some outstanding saves against the best players in the world, but is just 23 years of age. Off the field he seems very mature: took responsibility and criticized his team mates for holding personal grudges against Jose and so on. Yes, there are goalkeepers out there who are currently better than him, most of them are older, not in denial, but i can see him taking the number one spot in the future. That has to count for something! I think the expectations are way too high: Courtois is criticized for not being able to compete with the best, what i think is very harsh, but do we have one player who is outstanding in his position? Who are we to demand such a thing?! I don't see anyone at all. Most of the guys have been an utter disgrace so far, imo. We aren't entitled to have world's best anymore, they go to Spain, Munich, Paris, Manchester and so on. But i call ourselves lucky because i think Courtois is an outstanding goalie who has just been a bit 'unlucky'. Really like this guy, that's not always been this way, back in 2012 i thought Cech is nailed on for the next 10 years, but looking at the performances, i can't complain about the switch.

Young keeper goes through a rough patch, big news... He has to play as much as possible, even if that means taking some unlucky moments for example Cavani's goal, but he simply has to gain more and more experience, he will come good in the end. Clearly he has to work on his delivery but De Gea got it under control why should it be impossible for Courtois? Barca's young keeper Ter Stegen makes mistakes too, i think some people are way too critical, especially when there are some players out here who have been a lot worse! I like Courtois, didn't think he had it in him to become a potential world beater. He is a hard worker, good on him. Potential future captain here!

Some of them clearly had issues with the coach and don't give a flying fuck about the club and the fans, it's all about them. Just ask Courtois... In the end they got what they wanted and ever since then, they have turned on the style, just take a good look at Fabregas, Ivanovic, Costa and others, the question is, when will they do it again? Look at Mikel's comments, nowadays it's all about a nice little dig at good ol' Jose, lolz. Maybe it was the right thing to do, but at the end of the season some of the players have to go too, imo, but it could be the case that because of some nice results during the last months everything is fine (again) and so the cycle is going to continue. Maybe just maybe that's the nature of today's game; fickleness! Turning to Leicester, finally we have something to agree on. Arsenal lost Yids lost City lost Couldn't have asked for more, terrific results yesterday, an upcoming draw in the London derby and Leicester can get away with some more points. Nowadays every game is unpredictable, the upcoming games aren't that easy for Leicester, but they have to do it, a once in a lifetime opportunity...

So you're siding with the prima donnas? Every time something happens that some of them don't like, we should sack the current manager no matter what? Excuse me, but i'm not going along with this, but this seems to be the strategy at Chelsea... we've seen it happen before, keep wondering when it will happen again...

west ham is playing some nice stuff, think they can get a result today. Good times indeed.

some interesting results at half time, buzzing!

Brilliant...........

Ahh man no Loftus-cheek, but thanks for Traoré and Kenedy, good seeing the young lads today. Thank you, Guus.

You say that Hughes 'is total crap' and that's harsh. He is doing a good job at Stoke and was he really that bad at City? He wasn't setting the world alight, alright, but it's not all black and white, there's more to come than a binary call at the end of the day, there's a third option, the term 'okay' fits the bill nicely, imo. Ancelotti had one great season here at Chelsea, just like Jose recently experienced, but they both don't use the youth properly and prefer having a small number of regulars. They both have problems and made mistakes over and over again. Conte is an option, for sure, but how can you say it's the best option for us? There are many coaches out there, i'm no judge, can't say i know all of them and who's the best one for Chelsea? Remember, the most decorated man isn't always the best one for the Chelsea job. Personally speaking, i don't have problem with a 'small' name, the talking is done on the pitch. Would love someone like Thomas Tuchel or the new head coach of Hoffenheim here, he is a 28 year old no-name, but comes across very intelligent. Yes, Roman won't do it, the legend... ready for Pellers getting the job.

Conte has to adapt and it must happen quickly, otherwise he's a goner. Difficult to adapt to the PL; anyone can beat anyone, heavy schedule piling up, training different than in other European countries, can't be that hard here because of the amount of matches, youth development different, lower leagues aren't that competitive here, imo and so on. Maybe the board will deny him the funds to severely strengthen the squad, the world is getting more and more expensive, maybe too much for Abramovich nowadays. Alex Ferguson used the youth properly, class of 92 and so on, it only made his side stronger and stronger. You can say what you want about Van Gaal but he showed the world how to handle the youth, he clearly made mistakes, but he has done more than Jose and most of the other managers in the league so far. At Chelsea, you must have instant success, Jose's an exception because of his past, so very, very difficult to keep your job here, especially when the other teams are buying. How do you keep the prospects at Chelsea? Splash the cash, Loftus-Cheek is earning about ~60.000 every week these days, it's simple to see why he put pen to paper, lolz. It's much better to say i signed for the Champions than for the money. In my point of view, if i remember correctly, Ferguson didn't want to give in to his demands. He is here, because we put money on the table and London, but that's just my 2 cents worth, maybe you're right, could be, or not, who knows.

I get where you're coming from, but i can't see how the board is going to hire a young coach like Howie who hasn't won jack shit so far. It's a fantasy, therefore i don't bother, the board will go with an experienced one, too often we hired a coach whose already behind his former innovative line of thoughts, but it seems that they are reluctant to learn. For the record, i would welcome Conte here, think he is up for the job, but in the end we're almost always talking about this kind of coach. That's the way it is at Chelsea, could be worse, could have had Wenger who is always throwing the towel when shit hits the fan... At least we're competitive for better or worse...

I think there could be a reason, maybe Roman and his crew lost faith in Mourinho's ability to spot fitting players. Yes, i think Mourinho was behind the purchases of Fabregas, Costa and Willian. All three of them turned out to be a success story, only talking until the 2015/2016 season. But what about the likes of Luis, Salah and more importantly Cuadrado? Especially Cuadrado was a huge flop, maybe the worst player i've seen at Chelsea in the last 10 years, taking the money also into consideration. I don't like it but if that's the reason for not buying, parting ways would have been the better solution. Anyway, we could speculate the whole day. Yes, Jose with that kind of money seems quite scary, he would have severly strengthend the squad, quite sad that the fairytale ended some time ago. It seems that the board doesn't have any idea what to do now. Very unprofessionell when you look how Bayern are doing it.

A manager should have done better than what's happened under Jose's watch so far, alright mate, i'll give you that. Furthermore he should haved played the youth and put Hazard, Fabregas, Matic, ivanovic and Costa on the bench. Hindsight is nice, but your point is totally clear! In my view it's not so easy to win the Curling -or FA Cup these days. Currently we're having so much quality in the league, there are a lot of teams who are very difficult to beat and every manager has pressure to bring a trophy home, therefore most of them field the stars. Everyone's talking about Leicester because what they have been doing isn't normal. The top teams screwed up big time, but with enough money you'll get back right to the very top. Take a closer look at United, players like Carrick disagree with their manager publicly, difficult to get the job done under those cirumstances. Reminds me a bit of Chelsea! Next season, under a new coach and after big spending, they will be on another level, same as the Citizens. With money you acquire the top players and long-term its going to work out. A few years back Real had the likes of Van der Vaart and Huntelaar, no disrespect but after they went Galactico, they are much more competitive. But maybe i'm plain wrong, hope so! What about the Yids? So far they are nothing but a one season wonder, imo. How are they playing in Europe so far, can they cope with the stress? What about next season? I'm not afraid of them long-term, can't see how they will challenge for a title in the future. Teams like United will come for Kane and others, but more importantly they're already coming for their scouts, Wenger convinced a guy from Leicester's team to switch sides. Going to the top and winning a trophy is a big achievement, but can you hold on to it? That's the most difficult thing to do, imo. Most teams can't do it, especially in the Premier-League. Now we're talking about Chelsea! Ancelotti did the double, played exceptional footie, but in his second season he came second, not good enough for the legend and Abramovich. Jose Mourinho were allowed a season without a trophy because of his history. Do you think the legend and Roman would allow that to a 'nobody', a guy who has to build his reputation at Chelsea? It's up for debate, imo. During our last seasons, so it's more then one, our net spend is below the newly promoted teams, for example the likes of Watford or Bournemouth. The first rule in a successful business is to invest money. Fine, Chelsea think they can beat the odds, but then they have to go with the youth, but not happening, only thing that's happening is mediocrity. Is the next manager really in the mood to stick his neck out for trusting the Youth? He wants to win trophies immediately, so i see the circle hire and fire continue. But fair play to you friend if you think the ship is sailing into a nice, comfy weather. I can't see it, but of course i'm staying put. [emoji4]

I agree with you for one season. In the second season the team has to win something, otherwise the coach will be out of work, imo. The problem is that the board doesn't want to spend much money anymore, at least that's my impression. Therefore i agree with Jose who said that it's nearly impossible to maintain long-term success under those conditions. But we'll see!

Some Juve fans are quite happy that they sold him, perfect timing according to them. In the UCL, Vidal showed them what he's made of, but overall he hasn't been the revelation so far at Bayern Munich, imo. I don't want him at Chelsea, 4 years contract and already injury prone, i'm with you and would go with someone like Neves.

Underestimated the coach the game or were Bayern that great?! That's always the question, imo... I think Bayern were unbelievable good: Juve couldn't cope with their pressing, couldn't hold on to the ball, they were dominated in their own backyard, especially during the first half, their strikers were cut-off, Pep got his tactics spot on, in the end one could say men against boys! So i disagree with your assessment, they were all over the place, it's not only about their wings, imo. I get your idea, but with all due respect, i don't think Allegri could have fielded a different team, guys like Alex Sandro aren't available right now, at least that's my understanding. What could Allegri have done differently? Staying higher up the pitch, but what is it good for when you can't keep the ball? For example Pogba on the wing isn't that bad, imo, he's young and can run, did they had a better option? So honestly speaking, i don't know.. Bayern's passing is on a different level, imo, Juve can't do a thing against it, imo. They created chance after chance, attacking, attacking and attacking, monsters... Juve recovered, yes, Allegri's substitutions worked wonders, he got the draw, but in my point of view that won't be good enough. Maybe that's arrogant, but i think in the end Bayern gave it away cheaply, some very bad mistakes by Lahm and especially Kimmich led to the goals. Bayern are strong at home, unbeaten for a very long time and i don't see how Juve can get a result, Juve have to win this one and i don't see it happening, yes, the result is a draw, but taking 90 minutes into consideration, Bayern is much better, imo. Guardiola: One of the best matches i have seen from his Bayern side. Simply breathtaking...