DYC.

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.

Please don't tell me you're reffering to La Liga. This PL is a far superior league compared to La Liga crap really has to stop. There's a reason why Costa was the first choice of Atletico, now Chelsea, and Remy played for the likes of QPR and Newcastle. Costa's the better striker. That said, Remy should play more. I really don't get why he's hardly played.

Yes, of course the club should strife to become better and definitely not settle. But it does take time (and a little bit of luck), even though that sucks. And proper planning. Again, coming back to Bayern, remember them in let's say 2003-2009? Not the most impressive teams. And Barca's legendary team was a side mostly made up out of former youth players. But I have to say, Tomo made a good point on the last page I think. Fergie's Utd teams weren't exactly superstar packed. And Mourinho has proven to be succesful in the past with teams that weren't as talented as Real and Bayern currently are. Same goes for Klopp and Simeone.

I hear what you're saying but it's not like top players are out there, waiting to be picked up. Top players are scarce, that's what makes them quality. Real and Barca have an appeal the rest of the top sides can't compete with. They're capable of buying just about anyone (though I don't think Barca are a force anymore and I don't see the Neymar-Messi-Suarez trio working out). Bayern got to the position where they are by buying talented players and developing youngsters at the club. Neuer and Ribery came in as a top talents, but were definitely not top players or household names in football. Gotze is a top talent, one of the very most talented young players for me, but he's not a top player yet imo. Too inconsistent. Robben was a Real reject. Though already a fantastic player, he was too inconsistent to be labled a top player. Top sides in Europe weren't exactly jumping to sign him back in '09. Javi Martinez was bought for a huge amount of money but it was a gamble. Hardly achieved anything before he joined Bayern. It worked out for them though, but Guardiola doesn't seem to be a fan (of course he's been unlucky with injuries) Lahm, Alaba, Badstuber, Boateng, Schweini, Muller were developed at the club. Lewandowski and Xabi were high profile signings (comparable to Cesc and Costa). Benatia was high profile-ish after his great season at Roma. It's not easy. Chels will have to do something similar to assemble a ridiculously talented squad. I doubt they have the pulling power and proper resources (FFP restrictions) to go out and buy those among the best in the game. Utd spent €200 mil (!) on the likes of Rojo, Shaw, Herrera, Blind... Di Maria being the top player. Look at the crap Liverpool ended up with.

They can't be relied on to constantly deliver in tough times but it's not like they are completely unable to produce from time to time. Bayern and Real are probably the only sides in football that can field a starting XI with class players in every position. It's so rare, even if you go back in time and look at old teams (including our own club). Going through a tough time right now but it's not like the season is ruined, far from it.