Essien19

So because i have a different opinion than you do i'm a fanboy and blind? Will the majority of the match goers ever really turn their back on Jose Mourinho? Maybe he will go in the future, but never ever boo one of your own, imo. The situation is really ridiculous, finally something we can agree on, but i show unity instead of disrespect, i think everyone handles it differently, but i can't agree on your methods!

I don't have a problem with you, why? Because you're reasoning, not just throwing insults on their way. I said it multiple times, we haven't simply been good enough so far. What do you want? Thinking it would be best for both parties, if Mourinho resigns himself from the job and let us alone with this mess, or keep fighting and cleaning it up by himself and us giving him a hand? I prefer fighting, it has always been the spirit with this club; against all odds! At least in my point of view. Personally speaking, i don't have much respect for a guy like Lucien Favre, who in my point of view let his team and club down big time. We'll see how it goes in the upcoming years for them. Can you simply reduce Mourinho to "defensive motivational skills"? Xavi Hernandez said some time ago, Mourinho hasn't always been all about the defensive approach, last season backed it up, i think. During the time of Eto'o we had some nice interplay between him and Hazard, who is mainly responsible for this? Scoring one goal more than the opponent is an adventurous way to carry it out, what exactly did Mourinho do in Madrid? So i disagree with you that you can put Mourinho into one corner and say he has been this (defensive) way for about 10 years. He knows the Barca school and clearly likes some parts of it, imo. What's stability? In my point of view, having the same manager and most guys for some time around, not always looking for the next toy to buy. Especially relying on the same (proven) manager, because you win some, you lose some, that's what football is about, imo. Yes, bad season, but before shit hits the fan, we were top of the league since day one, before that, we played the semis against (at that time) best team in Spain. 2 years, i felt more or less invincible, merged, great fuckin' atmosphere and spirit in and around the club, so yes, i give Mourinho the benefit of a doubt. It's like having problems with your girlfriend: the first 2 years were unbelievable great, you could score whenever you want and the understanding was growing, but after that things get tough. A lot of your friends have more beautiful ones, they tell you to get a new one. But you stick it out and both parties keep working on their mistakes, in the long run, the bond is only getting stronger and stronger. A new girl doesn't know jack shit about that, staying when things get tough and make compromises, that' what life is all about, imo. Otherwise you haven't lived life to the fullest, imo. Ranieri: His team has been playing superbly, he is truly doing things right. But it's not always been this way, he had worse times too, one should never forget that. The mocking by the tabloids didn't appear out of thin air! At the moment, they are playing a lot better that Chelsea, i have to give them that. It's really all about money? One can buy great things with money, but money doesn't buy you success, it's only a tool, imo. It's like kids having rich parents, it doesn't necessarily mean, they are going to be as successful as their parents. I have a friend who failed more than once in College, but he's always standing up, never giving up on his dreams. That you can't buy and it seems that as Fabregas said the failures getting under the skin of some players. The manager can only show you the door, you have to go through by yourself. Perhaps we disagree, but i don't think that the players want Mourinho out, it's not as simple as that. Long story short: Chelsea should doing better, but there are different periods and just because of money it's impossible to demand always top class footie. For me the judge is still out, keep losing till January, then we should have another talk, but for me we need more attempts for now. Try harder should be the motto, i think we'll bang them in, because the chances are already there for the taking. Competition: I think the competition within the league has never been this strong before. Former top teams are dropping points like flies, is there any team who is on a similar run as Leicester? The Premier-League lives in its own world, total balanced, the money what United spent over the years, has had less impact. That's fuckin' great, everyone can beat everyone, that's the way it should be, imo. Final words: As i said before, your behaviour has been exemplary, you showed me yours, i showed you mine, acting like adults. We disagree, in the past, i didn't believe in Torres and made some childish points in other communities, but then i matured. I questioned Di Matteo's managerial abilities, his time at Schalke 04 didn't get my hopes up, he isn't a maker, imo. For me Jose Mourinho is a different case, he's not only a Chelsea man through and through, he has the necessary skill-set to see us through. He is our Sir Alex Ferguson and that has to count for something, imo. Your opinion differs, but that doesn't meant that we can't stand side by side in the stand, either way, life continues. My only hope is that the schadenfreude around here doesn't continue to stay sky-high, it would be really sad when he loses his job. At least give him that.

I'm really happy that Roman is standing by his man. But with all due respect, the atmosphere here is getting ridiculous, Fans calling other Fans fanboys or even worse, very bad and no respect whatsoever.

Without Mourinho we had zero say in the league, for some fans being the top dog in England is priority number one. Yes, that's speculative and down to everyone's personal feelings, but more and more i feel the same, because it's been played week in and week out. Scoring some goals but when things get tough, losing, it's the Arsenal or Yids way, not the Chelsea way. Recently i read that good ol' monobrow demanded how the line-up had to be carried out, for me, Di Matteo was just the mascott, but at that time, it was important, only short-term. Stability can mean a lot of things, you're right, winning trophies didn't stop, but in my point of view, the team regressed more and more, we never ever were that good again since under Jose's first spell. I like having a top man like Jose Mourinho in my house, who actually likes it here, yes, very bad season, but it won't be infinite. We'll see how it goes, but i really don't think that Abramovich is going to fire him (yet), a lot more has to happen. I think Jose Mourinho isn't that aggressive with the referees anymore, so the image isn't that dark anymore. Jose Mourinho has to take some of the blame, but can you held him solely responsible for this shit? Where are the backups? Ramires scored a screamer against Newcastle, most people praised him highly, but then they turned on him, again. He is very inconsistent and a frustrating player to watch, but would Loftus-Cheek really be the revelation during these desperate times? You never know, when you don't try, but i can understand Mourinho, the boy is just 19. Every game most of the Chelsea fans believe, yes, we can do it, but playing the experienced -instead of the completely new ones isn't that surprising for me. I think Fabregas isn't that far away from the truth, when he said that confidence goes down the drain after losing and losing and losing. How can you recover from that? It's possible, but step by step. Maybe you disagree, but i can see improvements in style of play. In my point of view, the team creates more and more chances, but no one is able to finish them off, history repeats itself, it's so 2013, imo. Ok, maybe Remy should have played more, but for me, that's not grounds for dismissal. It's not good enough what Mourinho has been doing for three months, that's clear. Baba has upped his game in training, Jose said that he wasn't ready, but now he's playing. So there are some changes, or not? Maybe Rooney is playing because of his huge salary, but why can't you say the same for Fabregas and so on? (well-earning, imo). I don't agree with that, i think overall they had their importance, but it will change, the youngsters are getting better and better, their time will come, very soon. Jose Mourinho said that he will field the kids, but only if there isn't any major trophy to play for, but mathematically it's still possible, so you can't slack him for that, can you? Mourinho praised Loftus-Cheek highly, but he doesn't get a free pass, he has to impress in training, but it seems, he's too lazy, and he needs to work more on his positioning, wasn't too impressed by his performances so far. A youngster has to give his all, sorry, but i haven't seen that. I don't know about Azpi's fitness, you either. But Azpi played a lot of matches, so i don't have a problem with some precautions, we will need him a lot in this season, i agree with you, he's our best man in the defense. Can't lose him! In Sports you have to handle the big players or so-called stars, some managers can't handle them properly. I think Mourinho is up for it, he showed it multiple times all other the world. If the stars don't improve till the end of the season, there will be some changes, at least the reserve team is open for new players. Mourinho and the club can be ruthless, but now we have to grind out results, for me it's not the right time for it. Ivanovic played some shit games, but till the last game, he has raised his level, imo, but before the goal from Bournemouth, he should have made the clearance. That's on him! My old man himself wondered what Ivanovic was doing. Oscar and Fabregas aren't up for it, but it seems that i'm not the only who thinks that dropping them wouldn't have helped the team a lot, because Abramovbich is a businessman and if he didn't agree with that, Mourinho would have already lost his job. Personally speaking, i think you made some valid points, but one can see it differently, i think. We're going a bit in circles, so i get that you're a bit frustrated, but we have two strong separate points of view. I do respect your opinion, i remember that you defended Mourinho for some time this season, but then you decided to give him a deadline and since you changed your thoughts. I have seen a lot of coaches over the time, but no one brought ever that joy to Chelsea than Mourinho before, imo, so maybe i'm a bit sentimental. But i stand by Mourinho, sometimes i disagree, but he's always putting his head out for Chelsea so it's time to do something for him. It's easy to get carried away, look at the ~1,4 mio. pounds for Vardy and Mahrez and demand a change, but i can't see anything good come out ,imo.

The midfield isn't up for it, neither is the defense, imo. Since the season has started, the defense is a bit higher up the pitch, didn't work out so well. Willian is playing great stuff, but his style of play often slows us down, Hazard is a similar case. Pedro is a luxury player, meaning, he needs the passes, but no one is able to send him on his way. Yes, we can't buy 3 three points only because of his achievements made in the past, that's true. Do we really have no performance-orientated society in the squad? Why did he drop some players in the recent months? I can agree that we could use more players, but some competition is there. Yes, i think you will come out swinging and point the finger at Ivanovic. Would Zouma been the better choice? Baba wasn't match fit, at least Mourinho said that, can't find out, but i believe him. We need to take a look at the bigger picture; some players are important, not just because the way they are currently playing, but rather they offer different things to the team. They help others out and have great character within the team. Why do you think Van Gaal doesn't drop Rooney? Because there is more than some performances, Neville didn't mention it in his analyses, it's always been about tactic and mistakes, we'll see how he handles the situation in Sevilla. Personally speaking, i would have dropped Ivanovic a bit earlier, but Mourinho knows his stuff, imo. Everyone wants the best for the club and team, sometimes disagreements have to happen in the family. Once again there is a rift between the fans, at least in the stadium it's not that hostile. Mourinho is part of the Chelsea family, so yes, i'm backing him till the end. Especially when there are just insults and no reasoning! But that doesn't mean that i agree with every decisions he made, but almost every coach in the recent years made bad judgement calls, one can find reasons to kick it up their ass. Very easy and populist, don't like it, not constructive and clearly not helping the course. Working on the relationship and figuring out, why he does this or this, not looking for the easy way out and filing for divorce as most people do these days. We're rock bottom and it seems it's getting worse and worse every week; i'm not speaking of the style of play, the results are the problem because we have clear chances but decide not to score. I knew we were in trouble when i saw Murray, good poacher, very very bad for Chelsea. No matter what Mourinho tries, there are always things which aren't good enough. Benching Costa? Whining about the replacement! Playing Baba? Whining about Ivanovic. Benching Oscar early? Whining about Costa and concentrating on why no Remy? Before that, he benched Hazard, Matic, Fabregas and others, so i disagree with your assessment. Mourinho is losing more and more games, but i think he doesn't like it one bit and is desperately looking for a solution. At the moment, is he clueless? Maybe yes, but his reputation is on the line and i'm confident that we'll grind out enough results to survive in the end. I know there will be big, very big disagreements but i think in the long-term we'll turn it around and then, something special has been build. Hate as much as you want on Wenger, but he is an Arsenal man through and through, i really want to have that at Chelsea, someone stable and big enough to survive in the long run. Someone who likes it around here! Only Mourinho is allowed to make the big calls. Scolari wanted Drogba gone? One quick talk from Didier with Abra, gone! Avb trusted Lukaku instead of Drogba against United, furthermore no mate with Lampard? Gone! Benitez thought Terry's legs were gone? It didn't take long, gone. Personally i think if Mourinho is getting the sack, we will go back to the good ol' days, meaning, zero stability and more and more moaning. That’s just my two cents worth.

mhhhh DAYLIGHT ROBBERY.... Looking good for you, mate We disagree a lot, but for the record, i don't agree with Barbara, in contrast to some others, in my knowledge, you know how to behave properly.

Is here anyone who works for Chelsea? I really would love to get some insights, what the fuck is going on behind the scenes right fucking now??? Can't read the shit tabloids, so much drama and very little knowledge, not more than the bloody obvious...

To be frank, i did watch some parts of the match, not the whole. A good result is necessary, but despite of that, no matter what, I always enjoy watching Chelsea, so it's sad not to have experienced the whole saga. Seeing an attacking style of play is sexy as hell, but i can't buy that, not every club can deliver that. I'm a Chelsea fan and every team experiences different things, can't decide in which time i live in. If i was the manager, i would have fielded a different team, i think i would have tried a bit of your approach. Kudos for sharing your pre-lineup before the game. I have to respect that! But Jose Mourinho is the manager of the team and part of the club, he has certificates and proven success, so i trust him. He is simply part of the group, our group, so he does get his fair share of support. I know that you don't believe in his abilities anymore, very difficult to discuss, not because of you but rather it's because we won't get a 100% right decision at the end of the day, it' not math! Agree to disagree, mate.

Right after things went shit quoting and instead of the previous subjects... Well,well, well obvious a very bad result, i haven't seen the whole match, because of a family dinner, but from what i have seen we could have won, for example brilliant ball from Hazard in the box. Costa could have scored from the Fabrepass ball. Costa didn't start the match, but it doesn't count because one can not moan as much as usual. Ivanovic should have cleared that situation before the goal, was too late, that's on him. If think you should apply for the job, because it seems you're the man, because benching Oscar, Cesc and Iva should have won us the match. Is it really that simple? It's your opinion, ok, but i disagree, who would have been the alternatives? So easy to say after the game. Let's see what the outcome will be, don't think Mourinho is getting the sack. I for one can't see a better man. Last season a lot of people called for (Martinez) his head, now they are playing brilliantly. Don't have a problem with one bad season, but nowadays everyone is a manager and has a different opinion. Really sad when people call others cunts and other stuff just because they disagree (not you didier).

Top team is dropping points, again. Hope it continues, might get a chance to sneak back.

Mata had been bought back in 2011. 2011/2012 25 points behind City. 2012/2013 14 points behind United. (I have seen you doing it, couldn't resist... ) Since 2013 Mourinho has taken over and tweaked the system, gone are the days of having Mata as the number 10. You got me, it's not about the departure of Juan Mata, but rather the change of position of some players and different tasks. Everyone could see the immediate improvement, more and more consistent, compact and competitive. I think Mata would have been a good option to have around, surely it would have helped us lot in the end of the 2013/2014 campaign, especially in the games you mentioned, but Mata wanted to play more and that wasn't possible. World-Cup was ahead of us, similar to Kevin's case. I'm sorry, but after shit went bananas it's a lot easier to re-evaluate the situation. Yes, you are right with your criticism of Oscar's decline since Mata and de Bruyne left, but who could have seen that one coming? Maybe you... In the next season i think Mata and Oscar weren't that wide apart. The first spell of 2015/2016 goes on Mata, not even a competition (sadly). Oscar's decline before the world cup was used as a simple excuse, sometimes people need hope, don't think anyone really believed that. Fabregas should have done better, he didn't want to deal with the situation properly or realised it too late, don't know. Such moments are decisive, set the direction of the match. Mourinho said it himself after the match, most of the people knew that Chelsea were in big trouble after that chance. The whole team was really bad, no one deserves a good mark, imo. Yes, whoscored gave Fabregas the highest rating among all Chelsea players. At least there was a long shot at goal, but overall, your right, the mark is way too high imo. But i don't want to discredit whoscored, they are the professionals who do it day in, day out, it is how it is. Back in the day, Chelsea had Hazard, Mata, Willian, Schurrle, de Bruyne and Oscar. All of them weren't out of form, they wanted to play. They all wanted to participate in the upcoming World-Cup. Which big club has (had) so many fit and class attacking players in their squad? Can't see one in the last years. So there has to be some rotation, which Mourinho did, but imo de Bruyne wanted to play most of the time and Mata wasn't comfortable on the wing and with his new tasks. Big money offers arrived, instead of waiting too long (United are specialists in getting less money) Chelsea granted their wishes and sold them. In contrast to Everton, if you want out, Chelsea will find a way to make it happen. I would have loved to see more from Loftus-Cheek, can't be in denial. But whatever the reasons are, i trust Mourinho. Varane recently praised him for being hard on him, in the end Mourinho has made him a better player. I don't know what's going on with Remy. Sometimes it's strange, why he didn't make the grade. Maybe Remy isn't suited to this style of play, no one seems able to play decent through balls, in my point of view Loftus-Cheek isn't that good either in this department. Costa is better as the lone wolf, imo. I think you're a bit too harsh. Didn't get Kenedy the preference ahead of Willian against Everton? I think Mouriho rates him highly. About the others it's more difficult to disprove. Who wanted to buy Papy? It seems Papy didn't impress Mourinho and maybe it wasn't his idea to buy him either. For me, that's on the board. However, the season is still young, maybe he needs more time to settle in. Can't say anything against the likes of Loftus-Cheek and Traore, you do have a point. It would have been interesting if Ivanovic had been dropped earlier, especially when the new guy Baba struggled with fitness. Who would have been his successor, Zouma? For me, that's the crux of the matter. You need a guy who is able to take over and make it work. Finally, Ivanovic has upped his game since his return imo, maybe he can continue like that. I think Baba will get more and more playing time, Mourinho recently said that the contract extension of Brane isn't that important for now. Could be a possibility, that the end is near, then the way will be open for Baba. With all due respect; there is a difference between some older guys who are higher up the food chain or some expensive young guy, whose career has just started and he is here for the long run. A guy like Kondogbia would have been some cock block for Loftus-Cheek, imo. But i can agree with you on this one, one more midfielder should be in the squad. The question is why not get someone who is more attacking? Begovic did make some good saves, no question. But the whole defence is a mess right now and maybe Courtois is better in sorting this out, don't know. Have to look for some hope, i think. Getting desperate, lol. Why do i believe Jose Mourinho is still the man? Back in 2004 he worked wonders and decisions like making a 23 year old milk face the permanent captain, continuing to help Lampard reaching his potential, getting the best out of Joey and so on shows what he's capable of. But the integration of young players, it's becoming a bigger problem every few months, most of the young guys get the impression too early that they are going to the top, can't wait aynmore, when things get tough, they bottle it. Some would call this behaviour spineless. When guys 18,19 years of age don't get regular playing time in a top team, the cunt in charge must be held accountable for it, because it can't be their fault, almost always there is already an excuse in place, otherwise it's shisha time with some models. Or some agent calls you and asks for a way out, because a lot of the current generation have become soft, no fight whatsoever, but fake tears everywhere. When you truly want something, you have to take it and sometimes it requires a fight, but what can you say to these dudes, when the average salary of a footballer in the Premier League is about ~2,3 mio. a year? Some 18 years olds are already earning around a million a year, before they even played a professional match in the leauge, lol. What can you do against that shit? Swallow or stand up but risking the sack?! After choosing to fight, you desperately need character, because it's already a lost cause. Cleary it's been a rough spell so far, but i have seen a lot worse. But again, the stadium is crowed with people who had to pay serious money to get in and lot of them are expecting a particular style of play. Some of them may take pictures, but after watching on their mobiles the new wonder goal from Neymar or the latest powerplay from Bayern Munich. They won't be satisfied. Jose Mourinho is a lot of things, but stupid ain't one. He did drop player after player, Costa is the last one. Most of the so-called top teams are dropping like flies, injuries or the "smaller" teams get the better of them. Maybe i'm naiv but i think it's still possible to get a top 4 finish, but if not, so be it. In my point of view we don't necessarly need expensive starlets, but some reconstruction has to happen. You mentioned a lot of names, again maybe i'm naiv, but i think when they are truly good enough, some of them might stand a chance. Now we come to the next thing, it's not all about the performances, it's the overall impression, what kind of personality you have and so on. The atmosphere within the squad is important! I think you disagree, each of us has his point of view, we'll see how it will turn out.

First things first, thanks for your response. An assessment of Mata is difficult because of his new role under Jose Mourinho. I can agree with that, but that's how life is, one has to make difficult decisions and i think your highlighted sentence says it all, Mourinho said it himself, he put his faith in Hazard and in my opinion, it has turned out to be the right judgement call, imo, even today i don't have a problem with it. Before this season, Mata didn't live up to his price tag at United (imo), then after some very good games this season it was difficult to welcome the departure, but since the recent international games Mata has been poor (again), my opinion, whoscored backs it up. At United there isn't a Ivanovic for whom he has to work for, but it's still not that special, imo. Mata is and has always been (sometimes) an inconsistent and frustrating player (like a surprise bag, you never know what you will get and his overall play is questionable), a good second striker, imo, Van Gaal isn't his biggest fan either. There we have two guys, Del Bosque never ever used him very often, no matter what form David Silva was in, still the man. Three coaches, i found a pattern, i think. You have condemned Cesc Fabregas and marked him as a liability, what about turning the tables and ask why Chelsea have become an immediate title contender for winning the league since Juan Mata has left? Mata pulled off great stuff at Chelsea, but he couldn't lead the team to the biggest title in England, in contrast to Hazard. So, i stated why i think it's been the right call to give Hazard more space and freedom. Fairplay to you for outlining Mata's positive aspects, his passing was still there. As much as you don't rate our number 8, back in 2013/2014 not only his heat map sets the direction, overall he performed, imo. Whoscored backs it up, again. At that time i very tough call to make, because on the one hand there was a promising prospect who lived up to the hype imo (you have a different opinion) and on the other hand we had the current player of the year who had to play in a different position which didn't work out that good. Yes, you complain about the lack of comunication between Mourinho and some of the players. Apparently Mourinho is a bit distant, but others like Fabregas are speaking highly of Mourinho. I think the truth lies somewhere between, in the end it's all speculation. That's what leaders do, they decide, instead of De Bruyne/Mata we have Oscar. The loss of de Bruyne is bad, you can pin it a bit on Mourinho, but a tango requires two, never forget that.^^ Instead of Mata having Willian around does it for me. Why didn't Granovskaia put a buy-back clause in the contract with Wolfsburg? Yes, Mourinho has to take some of the blame too. Again, i think the highlighted sentence hits the nail on the head. Fabregas can't dictate play, he can't structure nor do his defensive duties in a struggling squad properly. For me, he is an accuracy player, who gives you very few good passes, which can decide the match, but you have to handle the handicaps carefully. When playing in an in-form team, he can give you good moments, remember Spain, but funnily he played most of the time as a striker, i think. Irrelevant, i get your point on this one, finally. At least Loftus-Cheek is training, i think you underestimate a daily training day, that will work some wonders. Yes, playing time is better, but come on, the boy is just 19 years old and without professional experience, a total freshman. If we had a Bertrand done to him, i would have understood you better, but it's a bit early, isn't it? Loftus-Cheek should have played more in pre-season, i give you that. Mourinho stated that Costa could have been dropped some time ago, but he didn't do it. Maybe there is some remorse, don't know. For me Remy is an average striker, he scores some, but he misses some too (for example Stoke), gives you some runs, but he isn't offering much more. Is he currently better than Costa? Maybe, but imo Costa is a much better player and there is hope he will hit his form again. The situation seems delicate, but if i'm absolutely honest, i prefer Pedro upfront instead of Remy, more intelligent, offers more. The squad already consists of >20 players. Some players have been out of form, others hurt, that will decimate the available numbers. Would have Kondogba blocked the development of Loftus-Cheek in the long-term? I player like Pogba who is more suited to play a bit more upfront not? One can speculate, but if Kondogbia were in the squad, it would have been a lot more difficult for Loftus-Cheek, imo. Maybe Mourinho and the board made the wrong call... Yes, i think you got a point with the fatigue, but i think most of the players don't lack motivation, rather they are helpless, but that does reflect badly on Mourinho. For example before the third goal from Pool, i think the players panicted and no one were there to bring calmness to team. Leaders like Cech or Drogba should be in the squad, even Courtois isn't there, who imo is a better leader than Begovic, who can't safe a penalty -or make a good goal kick to safe his life. His coordination of the defence has been quite shocking so far, imo. I also wish that things were a bit different. Cheers, mate!

I'm sorry but using the wing position as an excuse for not living up to the required standard isn't good enough for me, because the position was nothing new for Mata. He had played as a winger before, under Emery it worked perfectly and that was one of the reasons why Villas-Boas signed him up. It's so easy to shift blame away from yourself, can you really make Mourinho responsible for performing that badly? Mata has been gifted with great abilities, but Mourinho and himself don't like each other very much. Mata: Who's fault was that? Surely there are two parties involved, both have to take the blame. Working under these circumstances isn't healthy. Back in the day, Chelsea wanted to fully comply with the Financial Fairplay, but Mourinho wanted to bring in Matic. Therefore the revenues had to be increased, to a greater or lesser extent selling Mata and De Bruyne and bringing in Matic haven't been turned out to be brilliant businesses, but in my point of view it's not that bad. Mourinho made Hazard player of the year, for some time ago he said: That's controversial. Can De Bruyne and Hazard consistently get it together? Thinking about the last world cup, not good enough, maybe next time, who knows. For the record, i agree with you that De Bruyne should be in the current Chelsea squad. But a lot of choices and tough calls have to be made, that's the way it is. Personally it's too exhausting, one small tear has to be enough. Overall Cesc Fabregas flopped in Barcelona. For that miserable time Fabregas has to take the most of the blame, but one has to take into consideration during that time Barcelona had no stability in their head coaches and some of the stars went through a tough spell or already started regressing (Xavi). Of course 3 years are a lot of time, especially in the football world so i don't want to bring too many excuses to the table. At Arsenal, he was a very young guy but already the captain and taking the league by storm, imo. Fabregas had the legs, i disagree, for me he didn't make them defensively a mess, guys like Song were responsible for that. Wenger wanted to build the team around Fabregas, Barca got into his head and Fabregas didn't want to stay anymore, we can never find out what they could have won. In Goonerland they are still dreaming... Oscar is, let me put it like this, a very frustrating player to watch. For me there is one thing in which he is still good at; reading the opponent who has the ball at his feet. Have seen it in the last match, his perception is good, imo. He knows where the opponent most likely will go to, maybe his approach draws too many fouls, but that's another thing. The match against Croatia in the first game of the recent World Cup is in my understanding a good example of Oscar. On his best, for me he is good at everything, but only short-term, the longer the match goes, the lesser good comes from him, fading away... One can call that inconsistent. You don't want to have that on your side of the pitch, but how to solve this, not easy. You criticised Oscar's passing, yeah, your right, now the questions arises; can't he do it or is it a mentality problem? Taking into account his (sometimes) very good crossings, i say it's mentality, but concentration isn't an easy thing to fix. At least a new midfielder has to come in now, Mourinho clearly wanted to get his fingers on Pogba (Tour-Eiffel), maybe we won't get him, but someone has to be bought. If the price is right and Oscar himself thinks that his time is up, then he can go, but i don't have a problem with having Oscar around, there is still undiscovered potential in my opinion and he offers more width in the squad, expensive, but that's how things are. Can't change -and can fully live them. Loftus-Cheek here, there, it seems the dude is all over the place, yes, also for me he has got quite some talent, but there are a lot things which he has to work on. Has to get more engaged during the game, has to improve on his passing (long balls imprecise as fuck imo) too, positioning not good enough and so on. During a very bad crisis i can agree with Mourinho that for some time experience is necessary, but a point will come, where he will field the kids. Mourinho: I can't disagree with you about the rotation and that it could have been handled differently. Spot on! You know and i know Mourinho believes in having a "small" squad around, that worked out well for him until this season, Ancelotti, another highly decorated coach shares that belief. Is it wrong, is it right, that's so binary, black and white, what you can't take away that Mourinho predicated problems before the upcoming season and wanted to bring in some new players. Yes, in public he said otherwise, but that's all strategy and trying to push the prizes downwards. Can't hate him for that, imo. Mourinho made an error with his attempt to get Stones, it's well known at "auctions", went into meltdown and the way back has quickly been blocked. So, you mentioned a lot of players and on some of them i can agree with, but for me it's way too simple to put the blame for their departures on the playing time. There had to be more than one thing wrong, weren't the up for it in the training ground, keep your head down and work hard. Willian did it and look how it has turned out? Not too bad, i think. What have all of your mentioned guys in common? You're only talking about the bad stuff, excuse me, but i can't call this a fair assessment. The club didn't get Stones done, nevertheless Mourinho dropped Terry or Cahill, in particular the handling of John Terry i call ruthless. So in my point of view, Stones would have got playing time here or Terry/Cahill would have upped their game significantly, both ways aren't that bad. A similar thing happened after the purchase of Cuadrado, Willian has matured quickly, imo. Stones could have been the new right back, there is more than one possibility to get playing time. At least now i think Stones would have been the perfect signing, the boy has got it all. Mourinho: At Chelsea, i believe most of our guys over the years were nice, but their abilities haven't always been world class. We all have seen the arrivals and departures of Moses, Schurrle, Salah, Cuadrado and a lot more. What do you prefer? Buying a player because he is currently doing well, maybe scored against you, Moses comes to my mind, but aren't the best solution for long-term. Can you wait for some time and then when the opportunity arrises grab it by the balls? I wouldn't have closed my door for a guy like Kondogbia, but i can understand where Mourinho and the board are coming from. The german powerhouse Bayern Munich has adopted to that "philosophy", over are the times of buying without serious consideration. This season, shit is hitting the fan, but Mourinho is a bit longer around than a few months and some things he got bang on the money. For example, according to Rafa Benitez, John Terry was finished, but Mourinho disagreed and look how it turned out for 2 seasons. Bringing back the lost son Matic, being ruthless with Ashley Cole, not afraid of replacing Cech with Courtois whose goal kicks have been a lot better, having confidence in Zouma, until this season getting the best out of a lot of players, playing unbelievable good football imo, creating a wonderful atmosphere within the fans and having a fan of the club in charge who's not taking shit from the media imo, matches against Atletico, Psg, Liverpool, Arsenal have been porn imo. It's not Disneyland, on some things one has to be critical of, but as i said before, failure is human, everyone makes mistakes, it's how we recover and there will be one. Sooner than later. At least that's my belief. As always, nice talking to you, sorry for my late response, been busy with work. See you around, mate.

You're right Diego Costa has been a late developer, he really had to work for it, still there are a lot of bad touches in his game. He definitely knows the streets, maybe with the combination of all the work he had to put in, he has become that aggressive. That shouldn't be an excuse, sometimes he's over the line, but i can only speak for myself, in general i like his style of play. Costa has proven himself in Spain and in England, he was one of the leaders for two Championships and one UCL final. In my point of view, that's why he is on a different level than Remy, who was never the top dog in his position at a top club. Now we can debate what's required for being a star player. You made fair points, Costa hasn't been one of the top striker for years, the timeline is manageable. Our opinions differ, not a problem for me.

I put it in this thread, because i think in the de Bruyne thread i would have been crucified. Mata was a great player at Chelsea, but not under Mourinho. At first you will say it's Mouinho's fault, but at United he couldn't perform either, at least for quite some time. Even nowadays he's very inconsistent and that's not only because of different tasks, Van Gaal also doesn't rate him that highly. The departure of Mata was the right thing to do, sadly (imo). Back in the day Mata was a great number 10, better than Cesc is nowadays. I have to agree with you. Your understanding of the abilites one player should have as a number 10, 8 or 6 is quite right imo. For me 28 years of age aren't too old, i think a midfielder has to perform till his mid thirties, at least i expected it from Fabregas. Boy, was i wrong, lol. But claiming that buying a 28 year old player is short-term thinking is for me over the top. Has Fabregas really de-stabilize every team he has ever played for? Do you think that he made Arsenal weaker during his spell? I don't think so, but if it's your opinion, so be it. After the sell of David Luiz, a guy like Javi Martinez should have been bought, i don't think that Mourinho would have been against it. It's like the member Oscar on here said, we never ever replaced David Luiz, that's the big problem. After participating in a pre-season Oscar would become a better -and more consistent player, i never ever bought the hype, yes hoped for, but that's it. I often questioned his abilities, but mate, claiming he is bang average is a bit over the line i think. A fully fit and in the right mood Oscar is a very good player imo; he is all over the pitch, quite intelligent whether with or off the ball, he has got vision, knows to pass and his shooting ability is fuckin' great. Thanks to some incomprehensible reasons he can't do it consistently what is a real shame. Maybe at the end of the season it's better to part ways, for Chelsea and for Oscar, because something is holding him back, elsewhere he can live up to his potential and i wish him that, he's not doing this shit on purpose, can't believe it. I feel a lot of anger towards Mourinho and i think for some of the things you can held him responsible. I have read a lot about this imagination of playing Lukaku, De Bruyne, Luiz, Betrand and some of the goners. Maybe there would have been some massacres, but consistently? We never know, maybe, maybe not. Before Mourinho's second spell, Chelsea was playing offensively, "mazacar" destroyed some teams, but the league was out of reach. Mourinho changed some things, the team has been a lot more compact till this season and guys like Matic or Willian have been added to the team, these dudes aren't that bad, are they? Terry and Cahill haven't been up for the required standard this season, that's clear, so a possible combination of Zouma and Stones could have happened. You never know. Maybe Stones would have played as a right back instead of Ivanovic, in my view that would have been a lot better. Jose likes having a rather small squad, but filled with good players who can play in more than one position. I think 2-3 players should have been added, Mourinho himself said he gave his letter of recommendation to the board early after the Championship last season. Yes, i think he only wanted top-notch guys like Pogba, Stones and Griezmann, here we could have an endless discussion, whether one should wait or go for a lower class (no disrespect meant). Is Jose Mourinho really that incompetent when we're speaking about his rotation abilities? How did he manage the Benzema and Higuain situation at Real Madrid? I agree with you that Mourinho should have used a guy like Filipe Luis more often, but i'm sorry, it isn't always been this way. Long story short: i agree with you that Jose made some mistakes, but for me that's human. Every Chelsea manager in the past was far from perfect, failures are what makes you human. I have read that Granovskaia speaks highly of Jose Mourinho in front of Abramovich, she knows that the blame has to be shared within the club. We have to agree to disagree on some points, others we can agree on. Could have been worse, friend.

Sorry mate, but i disagree with your examples. Remy has and will always be a sub at this club, he is too limited in his play. I think he knew it since the beginning. Has he ever truly performed as a starter? Diego Costa did, therefore he is allowed to make other claims (imo). Today, he behaved wrongly and will get a fine, but for me that's it. There is a difference between Remy and Diego Costa! At that time Costa has made a name for himself in Europe, whether he is top class or not is irrelevant, everyone has already seen his abilities back than. What really happened with Lukaku and De Bruyne one can never tell, with all due respect it's all pure speculation. For me De Bruyne (at least at that time) wanted to play and couldn't wait a few games, too greedy, maybe now he is a changed man. Lukaku was afraid of the competition, he had around ~19 goals in the league and wanted to play more. Yes, they should be at the club, who's responsible? Mourinho has to take some blame, but imo he's not alone, the players too and the board, a loan would have been possible, but they wanted to cash out. Maybe you disagree with me, but these aren't facts, everyone has his opinion, no problem. His behaviour is not welcomed at the club. But taking into account the heat and frustration of the moment, i won't be too harsh on him. I believe in second chances and rehabilitation, fine him and get on with life. That's what i would do, knowing the drama queen Mourinho and Abramovich who attaches importance to the public image of the club, you never know what's going to happen... He will get punishment, your right Sir. As i said before Costa is on a different level, that's the thing with the so-called stars, sometimes they are difficult to handle. He will get in line, needs tough love, Mourinho is up for it.

Costa was out of line, but look at the cirumstances (warming up, then all for nothing) furthermore in the heat of the moment he behaved badly and because he cares so much in my point of view. He will get a fine and after that another Chance, for me it would not be the right choice to throw him under the bus. You can't have it both ways. Costa has character and personality, it's difficult to handle but i personally prefer it much more than a yes man. Hazard behaved differently, good on him, but that's how it is. I like our own Keane even during the bad times, but criticism is okay. Selling him not, but if you feel differently, not a problem. Cheers

Diego Costa has earned it. At least he isn't a yes-man, there are disagreements in the office, now he will sit on the bench for some time, but i won't write him off just yet. Some disagreements have to be allowed, we're talking about adults and not children, lol. There's already way too much drama in it, the tabloids are absolutely loving it sticking it you Chelsea, Christmas has come early. In my point of view, Costa will come good again and more importantly he is one of us, can't hate him for showing passion, but as always around here some guys are looking for a fight and in the end for some bannings, sad, but that's the way it is.

Some people are quite happy that they didn't watch the game because they like being pessimistic and writing told you so. What's wrong? Get behind the team, hate against Jose, hate against Fabregas, i don't like it, but do if if it makes you happy. But being proud of not watching the team play is really upsetting me, if watching the Club doesn't make you happy, then i don't know what to say.

Lloris with a world class safe against Hazard. Much better performance, we could have won and Spurs couldn't do jack shit against us. We're getting better and better, can live with that.

Pedro is our Nr. 9. I think that isn't too bad, could turn out quite well, at least better than Costa nowadays. Oscar in the team, didn't see that one coming, big big game for him, hope he will come good, not too bad playing him, because i'm fed up with Ramires and who else? Loftus-Cheek not in the London Derby! Ivanovic is okay, would have preferred Baba, but he brings experience to the Team

It's not always been this way at Barca, as far as i'm concerned, some time ago he was called a headless chicken for a reason, but he has matured quickly, i point the finger at Enrique, because since the second half of 2015 he has been great.

Enrique will a find a place for him. In the past he did a very good job as a problem fixer. He identified possible problems and fixed it. Rakitic is very intelligent and alongside Busqutes doing a great job filling the holes. Luis Suarez, one thing and one thing only, he is very selfless, the rest speaks for itself. That attitude is very important! Maybe Vermaelen is debatable because of his injuries, but even he makes them a better team and gives them more options, cross your heart, would have you suspected that during his last Arsenal days? Having Turan around is great, guys like Neymar play every match, yes, stars want that, that's their spirit, but sometimes they have to be rested, otherwise they can't produce the 1% more in a decisive knock out UCL game after the winter break. Same goes for Vidal, perfect timing for bringing in a possible Alves replacement, enough time to make tests and find out whether he will be up for it. Would have loved if Mourinho had done that. Enrique has his problems, but tactically (take a look at their defending) and as a person, he doesn't take shit from anyone, he has his role to play. He isn't afraid of benching Messi or criticising Neymar for showboating the opponent. That's exactly what Barca were missing after Pep. I'm not saying that Enrique is the best coach in the world and Chelsea should pull out the wallet, but for Barca, he is simply the man, at least that's my opinion. Cheers.

Busquets and Iniesta have say (speaking of the Clasico), irrelevant, all of these guys have been playing great. Alves, what a comeback, unbelievable and Alba continuing his great form from last season. Still an increase seems possible, Turan and Vidal will soon be part of the group...

I think the tasks are shifting during a game. Fabregas plays as a number 10 too, but sadly he isn't dangerous enough; passing passing and again passing, that's what he's all about and that isn't good enough, not when the team needs more, a midfielder who brings structure and calmness to the game. Is it to much to ask for covering the right ground? Yes, Loftus-Cheek, Matic and others haven't been good enough either, but someone has to start! Maybe we should go after Kroos, he features everything that i want to have, maybe lack balls, but i can settle for that. For me Fabregas at Arsenal was on another level, he was the complete package and able to do that. He couldn't go on like that at Barca, now he has regressed even more and we're in big trouble. The last 2 games weren't that bad imo, maybe, but Spurs are a different class nowadays, big test ahead of the spaniard. For me, Fabregas has been playing better then Oscar, at least during the last weeks. The thing is, afterwards it's easy to tell you that, yes i know that you predicted Fabregas downfall. Back in the day Oscar was playing really well, only a few could have predicted the upcoming disaster. I didn't see it coming... Mata is a good player, but not a deep lying playmaker, he is more of a striker, i think on paper, Fabregas could add more to the team. Jose thought that too. Maybe i'm out of line, but i prefer Fabregas instead of Mata, only as a player, as a human being Mata all day long. Shortly after Mata and De Bruyne had left, Oscar started regressing, we had to add some more creativity to the team, Fabregas won us the league, so not that bad, but in last transfer window we should have brought in a guy like Javi Martinez, who certainly knows how to defend. Yes, Rakitic would have been the better choice, but what can i say, what can i do. It's too late now. Tomorrow a season defining match lies ahead of us imo, when has Mourinho ever gone with Oscar as a starter in a big away game? I really don't get it: Oscar is fit, he is young but alreay experienced, played during the world cup in his home country, pulled a great match against Croatia, took the piss out of Pirlo, scored some "worldies" in the league, definitely knows how to handle pressure, but this season his performances haven't improved one fuckin' bit. I'm clueless what to do. Maybe when the team is ticking, therefore 2 new defenders and a new number 6 are required, he could up his game. Big if! You are not wrong, the outcome is bad, but the lack of depth baffles me. Most of the elite teams have more depth, at our house we're always having to pick three of Matic, Fabregas, Ramires, Mikel and sometimes Oscar (but not reliable (big games)), Loftus-Cheek being left out. That's on the board, Mourinho didn't make that choice, if he had a say, some of the goners would have been still at the club.