DYC.

It is bad though. But Tottenham is poor too. These are two of the best sides in England. The football should be much better.

I was so happy to find out Cahill was not in midfield. Poor football but a set-piece goal. I saw that one coming. Zouma's a bit lost in midfield but that's not surprising. Just needs to keep an eye on midfield runners. No one is standing out, though I think Azpi and Terry are doing well.

Find someway to reach Hazard in the attacking third, hope he gets fouled, score a set-piece goal.

Was really hoping for Mou to surprise with Ake today. Disappointed. I don't think it's a 3-5-2. How do you not use Luis in a 3-5-2? It's either defensive football 5-4-1 (extreme) or simply Cahill in midfield (abomination).

The thought of Cahill and Ramires in midfield, dude.... No Luis. Will never agree with Mourinho on that.

I know it's very unlikely but he might surprise and play Ake. This is a final. Everybody is going to be up for it (they should be anyway) and work hard. I don't understand why playing Ake would be so disastrous. Keep it compact, don't leave him stranded and he should do fine.

Cahill at DM would be terrible. A player with his level of technique has no place in midfeld. The slightest bit of pressure is enough to make him lose his composure. It was the same when he played Pepe in midfield, it had such a negative effect on their play on the ball. And defending in midfield is a completely different game. Cahill is the ultimate example of a penalty box defender. And he does not possess the speed, stamina and aggression to make up for poor positioning and decision-making (David Luiz did, Pepe did). Azpilicueta or Luis would be much better options imo, since Ake does not seem to be an option (who knows though). They might not be big and strong, but that's not necessary against Spurs' midfield.

Don't get me started, man from country with a Christmas tree in their flag.

I have no problem with the Japanese. Well done Chelsea.

As long as the financial power is there, I doubt any English top side could fall like Milan. Milan have been forced to settle with bargains and free agents for years, and those players just aren't good enough. Even Juve can't compete at the top, money wise. It's weird because they used to be the financial powerhouses. Juve, Milan, Inter, Lazio, Parma. Roma and Sampdoria to a certain extent I think. Juve's deal for Buffon was one of the most expensive transfers of all time at the time. A GK of all positions. I sometimes wonder if that could happen to the PL. Spend, spend, spend, and then just blow up. Seems highly unlikely but it was the same with the Serie A.

I'm not so sure about that. They sold James, but for a ridiculous fee. And Utd are paying top money just to loan Falcao. So I doubt clubs can just come in and buy their players. While their rich owner has stopped spending big, I don't think he's stopped his plans of creating a top team. Instead opting for a more patient (long-term) approach. I have no idea though, haven't paid much attention to Monaco's 'project'.

I completely agree with this. I find the lesser sides overrated. They work very hard in their matches against the top teams, and that helps in terms of damage control when it comes to the score line, but they're still poor. Playing against each other, I find the matches hard to bear. And like you said, the coaching seems to be a problem as well.

I agree with this. Defenders in general receive too much stick imo. Turn it around more and give the attacking team more credit. Of course the level of defending shown by Arsenal today does not apply to this. That was simply abysmal. Like you said, you defend as a team (the space they gave away today...).

Monaco scored four goals in the entire CL campaign. They score three at the Emirates, missing several key players. Saving their best for when it matters I guess... They have a very young team btw. Would be nice if this was not a one season thing.

Because the whole PL is the best in the world rage was the result of English dominance in Europe, after their long inferiority during the 90s and early 00s. It works both ways. Personally I couldn't care less which league is considered the best, but give the other teams/leagues their credit. For example, you refer to the Bundesliga as a league where you watch a team smash the rest. That's so lazy. Take a look at the last 10 teams to win the Bundesliga. Watch a match between midtable sides in the Bundesliga, PL or La Liga, it's practically the same thing in terms of level. The styles are just different. Watch a game that is the equivalent of, let's say Crystal Palace - Hull City, in the Bundesliga or La Liga and it's the same crap. Again, just different styles.

I only took a quick look at your post so I'm only reacting to the part about the quality of the PL. I don't think anyone is saying the PL is weak or not a top league. That would be ridiculous. It's just that a lot of people would have you believe the PL is a league above others, and that's something I've never agreed with. There was a time when English teams did extremely well in Europe, producing a lot of semi-finalists and finalists between 2004-2009, but it's 2015. It's about time the English sides (though tbh, I only care about Chelsea) start performing again. Take that next step and adjust to the 'new' demands. If not, why not do as the Crystal Palace fans said and share the wealth.

They were great at The Bridge, but today they lost at Leverkussen. Utd made Leverkussen look like amateurs last year (I think). So tbf, every game is different.

Winning the league would be a great achievement. I just get the chills when I read things like 'every game is a big game in the PL' and 'the league is filled with top teams' . Or Kompany saying playing at Stoke can be tougher than playing against Barcelona. You hear things like that quite often and it's the result of the brainwashing by the PL marketing machine. Currently in the Dutch league, the traditional big clubs (Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV) spill points against the lesser gods all the time and have a hard time beating them. That was never the case before. It's not because those sides have grown though, the top sides have (seriously) declined. So Chelsea drawing at home to Burnley, or Utd losing away to Swansea, does not mean Burnley and Swansea are quality sides And the achievements of other teams in different leagues are treated like it's easy, simply because they're more dominant. It's their quality that makes the opponents look a lot weaker than they truly are. Was the PL weak when Chels dominated in 04-06? Of course not, it's the mighty PL! The Bundesliga title used to make rounds in Germany, yet no one would tell you that was a sign of the greatness of the league. Winning the league would be fantastic, something the boys and the manager can be proud of. But you have to combine it with quality showings in the CL to be a truly great side.

Carrasco? He played 15 min? Oh this was so great. Proper spanking at home, Wenger's face, Arsenal failing yet again. Couldn't stop laughing. Though tbh, they would've scored at least 2 goals if they had Costa or Aguero up front, or any other world-class striker. Giroud with some hardcore choking today. Abdennour is a killer, Martial is ridiculously fast, Moutinho is still quality, Berbatov looks like a old man but what a nice moment for him so late in his career.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/vincent-kompany-barcelona-dont-scare-5209435 Wonder if Kompany still feels the same.

Mind games. Everything is an act with this man. Benfica curse. His royal awesomeness has nothing to with that.

Jorge Jesus! And he has the hair of a god.

Quite a predicament with both Matic and Mikel out. I doubt Ake will play. Can't remember the last time he played and throwing him in like that would be un-Mourinho like. If the system/shape stays the same, Luis at DM would be the best option I think. I have always wondered how this Chelsea side would do with a 3-man/5-man defence though. I'm not a fan of the system but if you're going to play defensively, it's worth a go I think. Courtois Ivanovic Zouma Terry Azpi Luis Ramires Fabregas Willian Costa Hazard Ramires and Willian in similar roles to Vidal and Pogba/Marchisio. High energy, chasing players, supporting Fabregas, using their pace to support attackers when counter-attacking. Fabregas initiating counter-attacks, Hazard up front in a free role around Costa. Cuadrado would make a better wingback than Ivanovic imo but Ivan seems undroppable, so yeah.

Clichy is a joke. Bosingwa 1.5. Don't understand how he's still a City player but I can't complain. I dread the day they finally upgrade their defence. Pundits here said Messi has missed 5 of his last 10 penalties (don't know if that's in all competitions or just the CL). That's a horrible record. Don't know why he wanted to head the rebound in the corner either. He was majestic today though, ripped them apart.

Chelsea deserve a lot more credit for their smooth transition to the top 10 years back. City still struggle in Europe even though this is their 4th/5th(?) campaign in the CL.