DYC.

Thought I'd add 2000-2005 as well. 2000: Real, Bayern, Valencia, Barcelona - 3 Spain, 1 Germany 2001: Leeds, Valencia, Real, Bayern - 2 Spain, 1 Germany, 1 England 2002: Barcelona, Real, Man Utd, Leverkussen - 2 Spain, 1 Germany, 1 England 2003: Real, Juventus, Milan, Inter - 3 Italy, 1 Spain 2004: Chelsea, Monaco, Porto, Deportivo - 1 England, 1 Spain, 1 France, 1 Portugal 2005: Chelsea, Liverpool, Milan, PSV - 2 England, 1 Italy, 1 The Netherlands 9x - Spain (4 different teams - 24x & 6 different teams total) 5x - England (4 different teams - 18x & 5 different teams total) 4x - Italy (3 different teams - 8x & 3 different teams total) 3x - Germany (2 different teams - 11x & 4 different teams total) 1x - France (2x & 2 different teams total), Portugal, The Netherlands 4x - Real 2x - Barcelona, Bayern, Valencia, Milan, Chelsea 1x - Leeds, Man Utd, Leverkussen, Juventus, Inter, Monaco, Porto, Deportivo, Liverpool, PSV Notice the variety in clubs. 2000-2015 10x - Barcelona 9x - Real 7x - Bayern, Chelsea 5x - Man Utd 4x - Milan 3x - Liverpool 2x - Juventus, Inter, Arsenal 1x - Monaco, Porto, Deportivo, PSV, Leverkussen, Leeds Chelsea above Utd, that's always nice. Dominant after the rise of the club. Barca ever present as mentioned before. Real went through a real slump in 2004-2010. Same for Bayern 2002-2010.

CL Semi-finalists 2006: Arsenal, Villarreal, Barcelona, Milan - 2 Spain, 1 England, 1 Italy 2007: Chelsea, Liverpool, Milan, Man Utd - 3 England, 1 Italy 2008: Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, Barcelona - 3 England, 1 Spain 2009: Chelsea, Barcelona, Man Utd, Arsenal - 3 England, 1 Spain 2010: Bayern, Lyon, Barcelona, Inter - 1 Germany, 1 France, 1 Spain, 1 Italy 2011: Schalke, Man Utd, Real, Barcelona - 2 Spain, 1 Germany, 1 England 2012: Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern, Real - 2 Spain, 1 England, 1 Germany 2013: Bayern, Barcelona, Real, Dortmund - 2 Spain, 2 Germany 2014: Chelsea, Atletico, Bayern, Real - 2 Spain, 1 England, 1 Germany 2015: Bayern, Barcelona, Real, Juve - 2 Spain, 1 Germany, 1 Italy Spain - 15x (5x before 2011, 10x after - 4 different teams) England - 13x (10x before 2011, 3x after - 4 different teams) Germany - 8x (1x before 2011, 7x after - 3 different teams) Italy - 4x (3x before 2011, 1x after - 3 different teams) France - 1x (before 2011) Quite a shift in terms of representation. 8x - Barcelona 5x - Chelsea, Real (0x pre 2011), Bayern (1x pre 2011) 4x - Man Utd (1x post 2011) 2x - Milan (0x post 2011), Arsenal (0x post 2011), Liverpool (0x post 2011) 1x - Lyon, Inter, Villarreal, Atletico, Dortmund, Juventus Barca very dominant in both eras. Chelsea as well, with semi-final appearances in 03/04 and 04/05 to add. It's such a shame the CL was only won that one time..

http://www.espnfc.com/uefa-champions-league/2/blog/post/2436606/juve-win-over-real-blueprint-for-champions-league-success

04-05 lost more games than this side though. But yes, 04-05 was extremely tough to play against.

Mourinho was less inclined to sit in front of goal with 10 men for the majority of a game or over two legs in 04/05. The away leg was pretty defensive if I remember correctly though. 04/05 Barca were a fantastic side, but did not compare to Guardiola's Barca or current Barca. Prime Ronaldinho of course with Eto'o and Deco, Puyol in the back. But the likes of Sylvinho, Belletti, Oleguer, Edmilson, Van Bronckhorst, Giuly, young and erratic Valdes were all regulars and not world-class players. Xavi was good but not the juggernaut he would later become. Iniesta and Messi youngsters. The game at The Bridge was brilliant.

I'm not big on rankings, so I wouldn't know. But I do think the 5 players MrE mentioned plus the likes of James, Isco, Pastore, Muller, Gotze, De Bruyne make a (far) stronger claim. Not to mention Messi, who basically plays the role of a #10, though coming inside from the right.

I actually said jinkies when I read that.

Not a big difference individually, but the collective was stronger. It's hard to compare though. Different times. No 'super clubs' in Real, Barca and Bayern back then. PSV for example had a good side back then, but far from special, and they were competitive in the CL back in those days (so unlucky not to make the final btw, they were so close). The likes of Inter, Lyon, PSV, Bayern in the quarter finals. Inter weren't that good back then, same for Bayern. Liverpool too. The gap between the top 6-8 sides in Europe and the rest was smaller back then. Now there's no comparison, with less and less 'shock results'. So hard to compare for me. But still, that was a very strong collective. Very tough to beat. Juve looked like that old Chelsea side yesterday.

Would be fun though. Imagine the tension at the sides aiming for a spot in the top 4 top 3.

Bale's not the phenomenon many would have you believe after his 12/13 season at Spurs, but he's not average. Far from it. He's a player with certain specific qualities, who can thrive in a certain set-up. Look at Sanchez for example. Not quite good enough for Barca, struggling to shine in their system. And his quality was questioned. But reborn at Arsenal with the space in the PL, space he needs, and a greater role in terms of importance. Even Fabregas wasn't good enough for Barca. Lacking the speed of thought, ability to turn away into space when receiving the ball, and the sense of knowing exactly where to position yourself in midfield. So he became a squad player (he still played a lot of football though, but missed out in the big games), eventually used in advanced positions, but that was never going to work. I think Sheva. said it best one or two pages back, he'd be great domestically but wouldn't help the team in Europe. But Chels is already the best side in England. Strengthening the team overall, helping maintain the position of power in the PL, and going for a young offensive player with world-class potential would be smarter imo.

Strongly disagree with this. Bale can play in the centre for a side like Tottenham, but not at Chelsea. You need far greater tactical intelligence than Bale possesses. Not to mention his lack of ball retention skills and vision. And the required work rate in Mourinho's system. He's definitely a winger at top level. He has space and time there, and isn't too involved in build-up play.

Real want to dominate matches, playing possession football on the opposition half. They don't want to be one dimensional of course, but that's their main style. That's why they play Modric-Kroos-James in midfield when everyone is fit. Real played their best football when Bale was injured, with Isco-Kroos-Modric-James in midfield. Absolutely bossing matches with their abundance in technique, vision and clever movement. But Ancelotti can't bench Bale, and the football changed after his return. Though tbf, there's no telling whether they would be capable of keeping it up. But still, there seemed real cohesion in that set-up. Bale doesn't suit them, and he's not good enough for Real tbh. Ronaldo scores every game, making up for whatever he lacks in his overall game. Bale doesn't, so his limitations just hurt Real.

Hazard is supposed to be the lesser player...

Bale's a fantastic player, but he needs space. Bar those two big moments, he's been absolutely terrible for Real in the big games. He doesn't suit Real, not the side they want to be anyway. Playing on the right with little space makes him look even worse.

Indeed. I thought Real smelled blood and would score in the 2nd half. But Juve did really well. Even Pirlo upped the energy level in the 2nd half. I don't think they'll win at the Bernabeu so if they could manage a draw... We'll see. Great game btw. So many errors, made the game fun.

Oh dear. He just can't help it.

They play terribly for 30 min, yet they score. Juve made a mistake and were immediately punished. Changed the game. Great first half. I don't think this will end well for Juve though. Benzema and Modric are missed terribly missed. No one holds the ball as well them. Neither Ronaldo or Bale can play with their back to goal, holding the ball and bring others into play like Benz. Not to mention how he constantly creates space for them. Ronaldo is a phenomenon. He'll score against any opponent, at any time. I love Pirlo to bits, he defines football. But seeing a player literally walk for 45 min... that's not of this age. Ramos has been terrible.

5 shots 1 goal 20% conversion rate Give him the #9 shirt.

What are the chances of the likes of Real, Barca, Bayern, Man Utd, Man City going crazy and offer huge money for Cahill, Ivanovic, Oscar, Mikel and Ramires, the undisputed Chelsea stars?

The final 'excuse' (since neither Mourinho or Oscar said his 2nd half troubles are because of fatigue). Unless he's been diagnosed with Cesc-syndrome.

No one is paying 50 mil pounds for Sterling. If Liverpool won't accept less, strike a deal with Sterling to join when his contract runs out. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2338671-raheem-sterling-liverpool-contract-latest-news-and-rumours-on-anfield-star Of course, Chelsea would give him the money (indirectly) to do so. He'd be public enemy #1 in Liverpool though.

I don't know if he's worth it. 100+ mil is crazy money (and that's without wages, signing and agent fees, bonuses). Can the club afford it? And how would it affect the funds for other additions to the squad? You mention Varane. If Varane would sign, and that's a big if, you're looking at another major price. Real player, French international, signed a 5 year contract (2020), hottest young defender on the planet. That's €50/60 mil. And there would still be a need for some additional squad options. Bale's a fantastic player but looking for a player with potential, a new star for less money might be the way to go here. I would support the signing of Bale but I don't think it will happen.

Willian... Fabregas' one season alone puts him above Willian, same with Matic. Right wing has been a real 'problem' for Chels in the Abramovich era, never star quality. Robben wasn't even that good for Chelsea, though very exciting to watch, and he played on the left (for the most part anyway). Duff, Cole, SWP, Kalou, Anelka, Mata, Moses, Schurrle, Willian (Cuadradoooo). Mata was good there in 11/12, though not great. Edit: Thinking about it, didn't he mostly play on the left? Anelka was pretty good overall in 09/10, but inconsistent overall. But then again, Hazard was the first star on the left.

Bale would be wonderful but he's too expensive. You're fooling yourself if you think he's going for anything less than €100 mil. Real sells for top dollar, even their fringe players go for top prices (Morata to Juventus for €20 mil for example).

He should seriously consider staying a year. I think it's safe to say Costa can't handle a 50 game season. So if Diego plays 30-35 games, there should be 10-15 starts (possibly more) up for grabs. Let's say Remy stays. If he thinks he has any chance of playing for Chelsea, he will have to prove he's better than Remy and claim that 2nd choice spot. It could be quite the experience for him. He's been out on loan ever since he signed, building up a good rep. Not playing every game for a year won't hurt him (unless Mou doesn't want him). He could decide to leave after one season if it doesn't work out. But he could also be the type that can not stand the bench, and that's fair. But I hope he stays.