DYC.

Performance level didn't change. Sunderland was very poor. I almost wanted to bang my head against the wall when I read all those posts about a magical turnaround and great football. Motivation. Stupid word. It's a process and that takes time.

Pedro is great when it comes to delivering quick, clever passes and crosses like that. Doesn't even need to control the ball first, just one touch. He's been producing them all season. They're rarely converted. I would have loved to see Pedro in 14/15 Chelsea. In these conditions he 'seems' poor.

Decent first half. Watford look a lot less impressive than they did vs Liverpool. This is more like what I expected. This game can easily be won. Matic... ugh. No real standout player for me. Need to up the ball circulation. Really need to deal better with counter-attacks. Some real opportunities were wasted by indecision and/or lack of precision.

Bring him back in January.

Too early to say. I also think Mourinho did really well with Zouma. It's just a shame he became a starter and the team turned crap.

Just realised this is the palest Chelsea team in years.

Would've preferred Kurt and Loïc. Mikel and Ramires, sad. We need a win, yo.

So much sense in that last part. I find it hilarious how people overract to the smallest of issues. Footballers are humans, they mess up at times. And things like this really aren't that serious. Guus Hiddinkywinky, you rock.

Stoke's entire attack consists of former great hopes, all tipped to have a great future. If this was a film, they would've bonded like brothers and led Stoke to Premier League glory. Arnautovic's goal was amazing. He'll always be Zlatan-lite for me. Well, Zlatan-lite-lite now.

Who else thinks the club should make a move for Schneiderlin? He's not a key player for Utd and I think Chelsea could make him a great offer in terms of salary and more importantly game time. He's not the great CM many would have you believe he was last season but he's still a very good player, mainly because of his defensive abilities. Matic and Schneiderlin would make a great duo in midfield in big away games. Even at home against the big teams I'd play them together. You could use them both in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 set-up as well. Schneiderlin-Matic would be overkill vs the likes of WHU, Newcastle etc. at home, I'd pick only pick one of them in a game like that. But at least with him in the team you could rotate the two. A much better option than Obi and Ramires. He'll want to be a starter at Euro 2016 so I'd pounce on this opportunity.

That akward moment when you realise Hiddink was the one who moved Ivanovic to RB, giving life to a Chelsea career that was nonexistent before his arrival.

I completely understand what you're saying. It's not a transition for everyone. But you can learn how to defend even at relatively late age. Some possess that natural knack already, that aggression and ability to react quickly. I agree with those saying he did well when he played there. But personally I need to see more of him there, especially when facing real resistance, before drawing conclusions.

I agree but at the same I think, what becomes of Baba and Aké? Three left-back 'options' under the age of 22. You think one of those players could play a full season at LB? Chelsea needs a left-back they can trust. Please, no more Azpi and Ivanovic combo. It was a good short-term solution at the time but never long-term.

That's not true. The less talent you possess, the further you get pushed back in youth football. If you're a defender at a young age, the odds of switching to an attacking role at a later stage is very, very slim. It's the opposite. Marcelo, Dani Alves, Roberto Carlos, Alba, Alaba and so many more all played higher up the pitch at first. Ashley Cole was a striker when he was a boy, right? Bale is a rare case. And he was pushed up because he couldn't defend, isn't that something? Sergi Roberto is the latest example of a midfielder turned fullback. Possibly Dani Alves' succesor. Fullbacks are often failed or decent wingers, midfielders and centrebacks with impressive athleticism and/or power. Less tactical responsibility, more space, more freedom, element of surprise when attacking. It's easier to master but at the same time it's very demanding.

If he gets a vasectomy, he ends up at Chelsea. A vasectomy is a woman's decision. And an act of great evil. What is a man without his jewels?

Well that settles it. If his balls are attached, he'll go to Manchester. If his balls are on his Mrs' nightstand, he's Chelsea bound.

Fair play. I know what you're talking about. That is ideal. I know Arsenal fans. My uncle is enjoying football life at the moment and has been in overdrive with the jibes. But they can't bother me with a measly title after so many years if it happens. They lack ambition when it comes to winning trophiies. We'd witness another dry spell, I'm sure.

What the heck are you talking about? Do I believe Walcott and Sanchez are strikers? They've played there. Wenger uses them there. This discussion isn't about what I believe, it's about what happens in reality. My opinion is nowhere to be found when discussing Wenger's options. Most of your post is completely irrelevant. (I do believe Sanchez could develop into a striker personally, but that's a different discussion.) What is this rigid belief of yours that players only play in one position, don't switch positions at certain points or deputise in different positions. Ramsey is not a right winger but he's played there all year. Cazorla is not a CM but he's played there all year. Welbeck is not a winger yet he plays there frequently for Arsenal, even England. Ramires is anything but winger but he plays there. Do I like it? No. But he plays there. A dog could tell you Hazard is not a #9. Mourinho played him there. Reality vs logic. Ramsey was Arsenal's #10 before Ozil. It's his original position. Wilshere has played there many times. Wilshere started as a #10. Wenger even osaid he envisions him in advanced position not too long ago. Arsenal have 4 CBs, in case of emergencies they can call on the fullbacks who have played CB before. It's not that hard to understand. Chelsea have 3 CBs and use a fullback as a deputy. A good back-up keeper is very important, yeah. I said Ospina was Arsenal's first choice GK, that's all. Caballero and Romero are great back-ups indeed. Barca's back-up was Pinto. For years. Funny. That last part is gold. Honestly, if I knew you were so emotional and hysterical I wouldn't have bothered. My goodness, talk about having a tampon stuck up your vagina. Peace.

It's not that bad really if they win. It's a case of 'it's about time' imo. Nothing exceptional about winning the title after 12 years. Of course failing to win again would be awesome. City winning it isn't good either though. The PL is due a miracle. Big/rich teams always win it. I hope Leicester can manage it.

So those positions are loaded but striker (Giroud, Walcott, Welbeck, Sanchez), #10 (Ozil, Cazorla, Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey, Sanchez), CB (Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Chambers, Debuchy, Monreal, yes Debuchy and Monreal have played there) are not loaded. Hmm... Pointing out Cech is silly. Everyone misses their first choice GK in case of injury. Ospina, last year's first choice, is his back up either way. Giroud actually lost his spot in the first XI earlier this season and I think both Koscielny and Mertesacker have been injured this season, not sure how long though. Unless you're going to talk about the quality of the cover. But Ox, Walcott, Campbell aren't nearly as good as Sanchez. Same goes for Ramsey/Wilshere vs Cazorla or Flamini/Arteta vs Coquelin. Last year they struggled when Alexis was in poor form and it wasn't until Wenger played Cazorla-Coquelin that they started to win a lot of games. They have a big squad and it's an advantage. Their injury record remains ridiculous though. I agree with you that they need more quality for an ideal squad but that goes for every team basically.

Arnesen. Left or sacked, don't remember. After him, the TD role became so vague to me that I completely lost interest. Hiddink might be our man. I'd like him. Abramovich really does need to find highly qualified people to run the club. It's 'his' club but he's obviously not a visionary or anything. Appointed managers and player recruitment have been all over the place.

He was dead set on joining Bayern. He enjoyed living in Germany and got the opportunity to join Bayern of all teams. Nothing Chelsea, Utd or whoever can do about that.

True. But on the other hand, he creates a lot of chances. Even in his terrible form, he's up there with the best creators in the league. Hazard needs to add more vertical passes and through balls to his game though.

The criticism was exaggerated. A very poor 2014 for his standards but it's not like he was playing like WBA player. He was very good in the first half of 13/14, his debut season and great in the second half of 14/15. Not that assists say so much though. It's his specialty. He has that eye for the final ball, it's incredible. And like he said himself, he's always been producing those balls but the off the ball runs are increased and the finishing has improved a lot.

Ahh his powerful runs. He barely does those. Most of the time he's just strolling about the pitch like an 80s playmaker. He's a big lazy bum. A liability when the ball is lost. A poor man marker, positionally he's all over the place and he can't be arsed to track back. He's even lost his desire to stick a foot out and tackle. A big version of Fabregas. Yaya's better though. Perception and reputation are powerful things. Essien is/was a powerhouse, not this guy. My point was he's always revered for his power. Never for his technique. Even though his technique is far more impressive. Whether it's a lovely pinpoint long pass, a clever defence splitting through ball, crisp interchanges, a beautiful curling effort from range, a powerful clean struck drive flying into the top corner or a sublime finish, he does it all and he does it frequently. This latest beauty of a goal is just one more added to a stunning collection. But it's always about the few times he produces one of those power runs. Something he obviously only does when he feels there's no other way. He'd rather let the ball do the work than use his body. It's almost like big + black = powerhouse. Pogba is also always refered to as powerful rather than skilled, even though he's more about skill than power.