DYC.

Mourinho. Utd lack balance. I'll take his sister off his hands though. He's had his fill.

Hasn't had much to do. Hungary aren't offering much going forward. I find his use of the ball unimpressive. Boring game. I'm going to tune out.

I would've agrede with you in 2010. Podolski hasn't performed for club and country in a looong time. But managers always have their favourites. And that's normal. Fans have their favourites as well. They just pretend they don't. Like managers.

Anyone watching the Germany game? Is that a fan in Hungary's goal? I've never seen anything like this. A Benitez-shaped GK.

I know. But it's not uncommon for a club to sell a key player because of his age, money or the opportunity to sign someone better. Replacing him before he declines rather than wait until it finally happens for example. I advocated the same to be done with Ivanovic in the summer of 2015 for example. He came off a good campaign overall but the signs of physical decline were there to see. And this isn't exactly the same but Bayern were criticised for selling Schweinsteiger but they were right in the end. Other times you let a player go and it proves to be a terrible decision (Pirlo to Juve). Anyway, I hope that to be the case with Matuidi. PSG are in a position to replace him with a player as good, possibly even better, though a few years younger. At 29, he only has a few years left. But that's just fine for Chelsea. The team needs players who will perform at the necessary level immediately to get back to the top. There are no guarantees in football but I rate Matuidi higher. Highly unlikely though. Especially because he's French. But I can't stop wishing it'll happen. Radja is a good player but I'm not convinced he'll provide the necessary impact.

He also said he's happy at Roma because of the love he receives there and how highly he is rated there, which he finds very important. And that it would be hard to leave Italy after eleven years. Translation: you better offer very good money and a star role because he's not desperate to make the move. I hope the club will also make a move for Matuidi. He remains my favourite but he's a good alternative (I hope). What makes the disastrous 15/16 campaign worse is how clubs and players know Chelsea are desperate and not in the position to play hard ball.

09/10. That anomoly of a season in which Ivanovic was shockingly good going forward. His technique has always been average but his decision-making and positioning were impressive that year. Cole was brilliant in that campaign. Now that I'm thinking about it, both produced their best in a Chelsea kit that season. Terry and Carvalho in the middle. Meeeemoriiiiiiieeeeess.

They're killing independent Dortmund! Laughing and lying. I'm very upset.

It would only make me wonder why Chelsea are so averse to technically and offensively gifted fullbacks (with actual pace!). Lahm, Alaba, Alba, Alves, Maxwell, Luis etc. and future star fullbacks like Bellerin, Aurier and Shaw are the type of fullbacks Chelsea should be targetting. If the rumours concerning Rudiger are true, I don't think it's to bring him in as a fullback though. I hope they aren't true though. Much rather see Koulibaly join.

https://streamable.com/4mc7 When the assist annihilates the goal. This boy has so much class.

Didn't see this till now. Uhm... I'm a bit torn on him. He's without a doubt a good player but how good? Sometimes I think he's a good player for Roma and other times I think he could cut it at a higher end club. But I'm leaning towards the former to be honest. His technique seems to be just fine but I have doubts about him tactically and whether he can make a real impact in a team that wants to win trophies regularly. He's definitely the right type of player imo. The physicality and intensity he would add are qualities sorely missing in the current midfield. Radja and Cesc in front of a (quality) holding midfielder could possibly form the best midfield in the league but internationally it would still be behind the very best. Thing is, we have no idea what Conte's plans are. He seems happy in Roma though. It's easy to say, throw money at him. You don't know what motivates him. And I'm sure those saying just overpay, would call him a mercenary if things don't go well. But it's early so who knows. He could be pursuaded. I'm a bigger fan of Matuidi and would love for him to join but that's unlikely to happen.

Bayern, Real, Barca, Real. Bayern winning the CL next season with Ancelotti at the helm sounds about right. Boring. This CL campaign is my least favourite in a while. I don't know, it lacked magic and I wasn't really drawn to the ties. Maybe it's the familiarity. I think that's it. I guess the big three will continue to hoard all the world-class and elite players. I look forward to the end of that cycle. It was fun for a while but it's time for something new.

Yeah, Utd is completely different. None of that greatest manager ever, god status and whatever. He'll never touch Ferguson. Don't think the attitude will change though. Just look at Van Gaal. But I'm 100% sure the media will treat him differently now he's a Red.

Decent at best if you ask me. His partner Manolas is comfortably better but I'd pass on him as well. Far better options out there.

I hope that's not true.

Yup. Just like how he had to say nice things when in charge of Chelsea. Fun couple of weeks ahead.

I really miss the African clique. They were fun and I don't know, I felt like they became a part of the Chelsea identity. Is it just me or has Chelsea (TV) stopped making videos like this?

He could win the tournament with the most spectacular football ever witnessed in the history of the championship and it would have absolutely zero bearing on his following stint as Chelsea head coach. I don't even understand how one would make such a link. What does this mean for the likes of Holland and co.?

One centre-back, two centre midfielders and one striker is the minimum (including the return of Christensen and Ake) for this summer. Ideally, a full-back as well. Otherwise, Chelsea will never recover next year. And stay away from the averageness, please.

There are strikers who can score 15-25 goals for a midtable team and score 10-15 for a top team, give or take. There are strikers who can score 15-25 goals for a midtable team and score 25-40 for a top team, give or take. There are strikers who can score 15-25 goals for a midtable team and score 15-25 for a top team, give or take. Lukaku is in that last category for me. He'll score but his rate won't improve (or skyrocket because of the old 'playing with better team mates' argument). But two questions will always remain... Does he bring enough? How does he perform in the big games? And that's where the big man will always be lacking for me. His work rate is low, his mobility is under par, he can't create space for himself (anomalies aside), his technique is average, his ability to hold the ball is improving but still just okay and his sense of space is decent at best. And despite height and stature, he isn't much of an aerial presence either. Big game performances? If he doesn't score, he's pretty useless and frustrating. Putting the ball in the net isn't enough. The days of Inzaghi, Luca Toni, Mario Gomez or even strikers with a bit more to their game like Van Nistelrooy and Trezeguet leading the line of the elite are done. Adebayor has a better scoring record than Drogba - shocking, I know - but anyone claiming the former to be the superior striker would have to be commited. Immediately. And there's no logic in both Costa and Lukaku for me. Or even worse, swapping Costa for Lukaku. Especially for that price. Costa is already in the team and even he doesn't quite cut it for me. But at least he works hard, provides a lot of mobility and knows how to find space.

Ahh, I thought I missed someone from before. For me, managers are different. They are free to go wherever they want. People like Ferguson, Wenger, Cruijff are rarities with special bonds to their clubs. I never felt Mourinho possessed such a connection with Chelsea so the Man Utd move doesn't surprise nor bother me the slightest.

It's a damn shame his legacy has been so heavily tainted because of how his career has ended/is ending. Those knee-injuries were a travesty. But it can not and must not be forgotten how good this man was for Lyon and Chelsea in his prime. He was one of the very best around and in his position/role, one of the best the world has witnessed. One of the most ridiculous athletes I've seen in the world of football. Many are nowadays referred to as 'beasts' but this man was The Beast, even though he only stood at 5ft10. Also one of the few Chelsea players who was universally loved. He was quiet and reserved in public but you could just feel he was a top bloke. I always think of this picture when I think of him btw.

But really though, Mourinho is a manager so what do you expect? He just says things. He's practically a politician. It's different with players. Because of the visible impact they can have and because of long periods of time they can play for a single club. Drogba, Terry, Cole, Essien are players who didn't want to play for any other English clubs. And because of that they are more special in the eyes of fans. Lampard and Cech weren't willing to make such a sacrifice, which is perfectly fine, but yeah, the love isn't quite as pure and strong as it once was. Cech, Lampard and?

Krychowiak is too much a of a throw-back imo. Big, strong holding midfielder but seriously lacking in skill and vision. If he could adapt to a CB role, he could cut it at a top side. But he's too limited as a midfielder. I'm tired of these players with serious handicaps.

Never said English football is special but its' without a doubt a level above the Serie A. I wasn't even referring to the level of the league though. English football is faster and far more aggressive. A lot of Serie A imports don't do well in English football. Cuadrado was used for specific tactical set-ups and as an impact sub. He wasn't even a starter for Juve. He's a good player but he's a trial-and-error player. He'll produce a couple of good moments but also produce a lot of bad plays. A big reason for his 'inconsistency'. I've never seen him as player cut out for top level football and he hasn't been able to change my mind. He can be very dangerous because of his speed, agility and directness. Which makes him useful as a squad player. But his time in England suggests he's not suited to the game there, he's too slow in the mind. He was at his place at Fiorentina and teams of a similar level in my opinion. Salah for example is a slightly better player imo but he's not good enough either.