DYC.

Does today's game count as part of the 2nd half of the season? Should probably check with the Barca and Arsenal fans to know for sure.

He was so good today, but I wasn't even impressed by his performance. Shows you just how good he's become. Legend in the making here.

6 goals and 7 assists in the league. Not too shabby, Ozzie.

Pirlo approves of this performance.

Decent player at this level at best. A couple of fine performances against Chelsea years back doesn't change that. He's not an upgrade on the current options, so a no for me.

Gudjohnsen is Chelsea, whether he realises it or not.

He would be PERFECT though. Matic and Schweini, wow. Feel sad for the guy, can't seem to stay injury free.

I'm not discrediting Toure. You referred to Toure as a generational talent, I don't agree. Playing in the CL, facing other top midfielders, he's been poor for me over the years. Performing on the international stage is very important when judging a player's class imo. It's not even about wanting Pogba. Would I like Pogba? Of course. I don't think it's going to happen though.

I prefer The Helmet but I'm biased. Things could be worse though. Some fans have to discuss the choice between Simon Mignolet and Brad Jones :clown: .

Toure is a great player but he's not that good. His performances in Europe have been very disappointing. Pogba can definitely surpass him. He's already at an incredible level for a player his age. This is the third season he's producing the goods, this is no fluke. Some exaggerate his ability but he is capable of producing some top-notch performances from time to time. That's the sign of a player with outstanding potential. Also very important, he seems to be very level-headed and focused. It doesn't look like the fame and the hype have taken over his life, neither does he seem to be dragged down by the pressure surrounding him. No fitness problems either. Varane and Pogba are the young players I find the most impressing. It's weird how they're both French.

He has completely transformed Atletico since his arrival. I thnk they were near the bottom when he first took over. I don't care for the best manager in the world label but what he's done at Atletico was something no one thought was possible. And finishing above Barca and Real last season with his team was an historic achievement. What's even more amazing is that they're still competing.

He'll always be a legend, that won't change. But before the move, Frank was Chelsea. Like Del Piero is Juventus. That's no longer the case. Del Piero was actually released. No two stories. Del Piero had the chance to stay in Italy, but he left because of Juventus. Lampard has the right to move to City, as does any player, but it changes your legacy. He made it so much worse with the pathetic act he put up (and still is). Insulting the intellegence of the fans and playing their emotional ties to him. I'm sure his management played a big role in this but he's anything but blameless. I'm so glad he got busted. He almost got away with it.

More of Zouma, please. Fearless. Cabella, now that's the type of player needed in this squad. Sign him up.

There's always next year! If not, the year after that. Or the year after that. If you know the song, sing along.

He came in for 18 mil. + wages and whatever so yeah, definitely not bad considering he's not a starter. If true, a replacement would be needed though. Eden, Willian, Oscar, Salah is not enough. And I don't ever want to see Ramires on the wing again.

Frank should seriously consider a career in politics after he hangs up his boots.

Bale has been pretty terrible this season. And he's downright abysmal when there's little space.

No Chelsea links for Shaqiri? He would be worth a go imo. Surely he'd pick Chelsea over Inter (let Salah go on the loan to Inter).

Mata was so awful at the spot haha. Lampard's ego definitely played a part in him always wanting to take the PKs. But with his record, I can't blame him and I'd always want him to take them as well. Didn't he go over 4 years without missing a single PK? That was astonishing.

Mehh, Koke's not a playmaker. He's a good passer but not someone who dictates play and sets the tempo. And his ability to create chances is mostly the result of his awesome crossing and set-piece delivery. He's a dynamic, all-round footballer. Wonderful talent. Barca can't get anyone until 2016. If he does decide to leave (he seems to be very happy at Atletico though), I think Chelsea has a shot. The presence of Courtois, Luis and Costa (and Cesc and Azpi) helps a lot.

The current set up is already very narrow though. Oscar and Willian on the wings would make it possible to play Azpi and Luis, without worrying too much about possible exposure at the back, who could then provide the needed extra width. Azpi is now the guy who 'can't attack' but I bet you he'll be a lot more capable of contributing offensively on his natural flank. Hazard's dribbling would be easier to defend (though I'm convinced most still won't be able to stop him as his control is too tight and his dribbling is too varied for them to deal with) but his goal threat would increase and his passing game would be of much better use to the team. He'll be able to set up his team mates a lot more with a greater role in the middle. Either way, Eden's current role is fine. This is just a bit of fantasy on my part, though I think it could work. Ideally, someone like Reus would join, which would make the switch work out better for the collective. Oscar doesn't seem to able to deal with the responsibility. Not strange at this level at his age, even if he was of a higher talent bracket, but it does hurt the team.

There are no Ozil/Oscar hybrids in football. It's the one or the other. Mourinho let Mata and De Bruyne go and kept Oscar, never buying any replacements. Some don't seem to want to accept it but it's obvious Mourinho doesn't want a typical #10. Maybe he'll change his mind though. In the past, I didn't think Hazard had the right level of tactical awareness and maturity to play in the middle. So many attacking players want to play in the middle nowadays, but not many are actually capable. But Hazard has shown quite a raise in his tactical awareness (his positioning and in his decision-making) this season imo. His dribbles have a lot more purpose as well. He's more direct towards goal, there's more at the end of it, instead of just getting past players a lot of times. And he's taking more and more responsibility. I'd like to see him in the middle, with Willian on the left and Oscar on the right, with the freedom to move around of course. But let Willian and Oscar provide width when needed and support the fullbacks when defending. I doubt it will happen though.

Of course they have more money but how well do you spend it? La Liga teams have less money but because of their limitations in terms of funds, they spend it more wisely. More importantly though, they produce their own players. The coaching plays a significant part as well. Same goes for the Bundesliga, though they are not at the level of the PL and La Liga imo. Serie A is not a top league anymore. Look at how much Utd and Liverpool shelled out for Herrera and Moreno for example. Their 'value' wasn't that high at their previous clubs, they're homegrown players of lower profile clubs. Then PL clubs decide to buy them, high transfer fees and wages are involved, and now they're value is high. That's ridiculous. Aston Villa pay 24 mil pounds (!!!) for the services of Darren Bent. Sevilla bought Bacca for 7 mil euros. Bacca is 2, 3 times the striker Bent is. What is value? We've seen Barca (look at how their decline has caused them to struggle a lot more these past years though), Real and Bayern crush teams, yeah. Again, lower placed teams park the bus a lot more against the top sides in the PL. It limits the damage in terms of scores, but they're still poor teams. And like Mourinho always says, no matter the score, the amount of points won or lost remains the same. When the likes of QPR have to 'play', when they have to go out there and win, they're lack of quality is very obvious. And the PL top teams aren't as good as Real, Bayern and prime Barca. That also plays a big part. Chelsea had a period of brilliance in 09/10, completely annihilating teams left and right. Did that make the PL teams weak? No, Chels was simply outstanding. On the balance, again, I disagree. While the title race has been about Real and Barca for the most part these past 10 years or so, the competition for European tickets and the fight against relegation is always quite entertaining. The PL had a settled top 4 (Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool) for years until recent years. Everyone knew they would finish in the top 4, and the title race was between Chelsea and Utd. City replaced Chelsea in recent years. Was the Bundesliga the best league when the likes of Stuttgart and Wolfsburg won the league? No. There's only one place where you can prove your strength and that's in Europe. I'm not saying the PL isn't the best league but I seriously disagree with the PL supremacy talk. That's the nonsense the PL marketing machine spouts out. For me, the PL and La Liga are on a similar level. (I've realised this has nothing to do with Remy, my apologies. I'll just say his name a few times to make it a bit more relevant. Remy, Remy, Remy.)

Manager talk. Players do the same. Fabregas said La Liga was better when he moved to Barca, Bale said La Liga's better not long after his move. They have to promote the league/country their active in, also makes their job sound harder. Watch games, it's a quality league. The lesser teams in the PL park the bus against the top sides more, which makes them harder to beat, but that doesn't mean they're quality. The results in the European competitions don't lie.

It's typical fan desperation after a tough spell. Remy on the right would be worth a go (I doubt we'll ever see tbh) but it would most likely fail. You don't all of a sudden become a winger. A two striker system would be more likely, but I don't think the hold up play of the two strikers is good enough to make it work. Besides, it's not a favoured system of the coach.