DYC.

When he first joined, playing his first few games for Chelsea, I was thinking this guy is no more than a decent player at this level. And after his first full season, I still thought the same. Decent player, frustrating at times and while he can be useful, I thought the club paid too much money for a player of his level and he won't go down as one of my personal favourites. Here we are few years later and what can I say.. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM! (I rarely feel the need type words in capital letters and use exclamation points so this is something special here). Sure, he can still irritate me at times but I can never stay upset for too long (the guy just scored a second hahaha, what a player!). He's a great player and genuinely seems like a decent guy. So, how wrong was I haha? The 'Chelsea number 7 curse' has truly been broken. Just felt a strong need to say this.

Roman's face was priceless.

It's not just this game though, it's in general. Remember Gallas at RB? Not the tallest but he had good strength and was strong in the air.I think Hazard has been defending well ever since Benitez worked with him on it tbh. Cole's just at that stage where he can't perform consistently anymore and none the coaches seem to trust Bertrand at LB (Luke Shaw, join Chelsea next summer if you're reading this).

The most important reason why he's heavily favoured has to be his height (defending crosses and for set-pieces, slotting in as a extra CB).What annoys me the most is our almost non-existent offensive contribution from the fullbacks. That's so crucial, just take a look at the best teams out there currently.

Yeah I still don't buy it, just sounds ludicrous. But I was truly shocked when that happened and wondered what he has against him.

He subbed him in deep in injury time against Utd, played for like 30 sec. That was so incredibly embarrassing.

I miss Azpilicueta.

What's wrong with Azpilicueta?

LOL at people who have never seen Verratti play. He's not a CAM.

That said, I'd never sell Mata.

Selling Mata would only make sense if we got Verratti in return.

Ash was IMMENSE, best defender on the pitch for me last night. When there's a lot of pressure, he just reaches a higher level.

I've read a few posts saying this is a very young team. Think people need to take a better look at the squad. There are quite a few young players in the team, pretty much all of them are attacking midfielders, but our team isn't that young. It's no excuse. As for the game and the result, not surprised at all. Good result. I just hope this negative approach won't be the way to for Mourinho in big games. Though I expect it again vs Bayern, probably even worse.

Considering the fact Utd's players are well rested for this match and that they're playing at home (not to forget Van Persie's record against Chelsea in recent years), I'd take a draw. Even a ugly one.

Forgot about that. If that's the case then let's sign Ronaldinho too! Add a little exciting Barca flavour to Chelsea's boring image.

Samu is the true definition of a football legend but this would be too risky if you ask me. Think he's reached the point in his career where he can't perform consistently, at this level, due to a lack of motivation and fitness (age), think Drogba in his final two seasons. Some great performances but also more than a few frustrating ones. Either we go for a quality striker in his prime (still think Dzeko would be great if the Rooney deal doesn't go through, but City just won't let him go it seems) or just stick to with what we have. For me that is.

Can't wait. It doesn't get any bigger than playing against Real. Would love to see Kevin, Juan and Eden start together. Any chance David Luiz is gonna start or even play?

Yeah he really does have a akward style. He's such a interesting player. Some think he's great, some don't think much of him. I personally do like him. Versatile and a real team player, anything but a typical '10 though'. His biggest strengths as a player are off the ball and mental, like with Muller who you mentioned (now that I'm thinking about it, they do share similarities). I think there's goal-scorer in Oscar. The way he moves in and around the box is impressive at times and he's a decent finisher. But he's too selfless. Thinking about what's good for the team is of course a good thing but to become a great player, you need that ability to take charge and produce yourself.Oscar's the player I look forward seeing the most next season at Chelsea as I have no idea how Mourinho will play him. Di Matteo, Benitez, Menezes and Scolari, they all used him in a different role.

Dortmund was quality but Bayern were without Neuer, Dante, Martinez (his back-up Gustavo as well), Schweini and Ribery, that did play a big part in their loss. They were pretty evenly matched throughout the game but Dortmund killed them on the break and Starke was awful. I have to say Bayern v Dortmund is my favourite fixture in football, definitely beats El Clasico.

Klopp's a great manager and having him here would be fantastic but he was never an option. He stated his intent on staying at Dortmund more than once last season. Can't blame him either. He's immensely popular and he built that team himself.Great win for Dortmund. Fully deserved and they'll still be challenging for all titles next season. Gundogan, what a player. Would love to see him in blue some day (this summer if it was up to me).

Good post and I agree with you. GKs and defenders develop a lot slower than players further up front as experience is key in their positions.Still don't understand the decision to keep him here. Maybe Mourinho sees something special in him and will play him quite a lot.. Playing at RB for Vitesse last season has definitely had an effect on his game at CB. It's very difficult to make that transition. A loan to a PL or Bundesliga club, where he would play in the centre again, would do him a lot of good imo.

As much as I like Romelu, I don't think he's ready yet. The days of a striker being just a goal-scorer are long gone, at the very top of football that is. The game has evolved and the striker role is now very demanding. The progress he's booked at West Brom is quite incredible but playing for WBA is completely different compared to playing for Chelsea. I remember the reactions when Ba joined. He scored a lot of goals for Newcastle so he should do even better at Chelsea. That's not been the case at all. Luckily he seems to have the right attitude so if he's patient enough he could definitely succeed and become the main striker in a few years. Don't even get what the rush is, he's 20. It took most top centre-forwards years of game time and hard work before they got to join and then actually become starter at a club of Chelsea's stature. I fully support Mourinho in getting Rooney.

Like I thought, it just didn't make any sense. What a ridiculous offer that would have been, a first offer as well.

The funny thing is, Mourinho and Mata haven't even met yet. You'd think a manager would at least like to get look up close for a few weeks before making such a huge decision. And because of that, I never thought those stories were true.

Juan Mata was bought for a fee around €25 mil back in 2011 and signed a 5 year contract. In his time here he has developed and become much better player since he arrived, becoming a household name in world football. He's added a FA Cup, CL trophy, EL trophy and European Cup to his CV in his time at the club and has won Chelsea's Player of the Year award twice. Still only 25-years-old, his best is still to come. The fees clubs have been paying for players have increased by quite a bit compared to even just two years. So Mata's price has absolutely skyrocketed since he joined Chelsea. Wayne Rooney is 27-years-old, has two years left on his contract and just came off a season that will not go down as one of his best. He's the highest paid player in England if you believe the papers and he has made it clear that he wants to leave, not for the first time either. The club then decides to not only offer a rival club one of the key players of the team, they offer a good amount of money on top of it. Now if you add all those things up, it doesn't quite make sense. So either this is all just a lie or the people in charge have gone mad. (Even the part about David Luiz does not make any sense. Defenders are worth less than attacking midfielders which means one combination is worth significantly less than the other.)