DYC.

Finally someone notices or at least says it. I was starting to think people were blind. He's always praised or seen as an attacking fullback but he does so much defensive work. Covering, tracking, pressing, intercepting. So many interceptions. Covering that entire left flank with his exhausting running and sprints for the full 90 min. You rarely see such an energy level. I don't particularly like him but he's good.

Hahaha. Salomon Kalou was involved in 100 Chelsea goals? How is that possible? Amazing if accurate. It would take Willian 15 years to get those numbers. I liked Kalou, he seemed like a nice boy. Still think he was average player at this level (before Chelsea's metaphorical plain crash). Him ending up in Berlin didn't surprise me. But his ability to score or assist at any time, whether as a starter or sub, made him a valuable squad player, I agree. 100 goals. Puts a whole new spin on his Chelsea career. Any chance Mikel has a burning desire to wear lederhosen?

Lionel Messi 600 senior appearances 469 goals (420 for Barcelona, 49 for Argentina) 185 assists (156 for Barcelona, 29 for Argentina) Most wonderful of all, stats alone don't do him justice. It's the consistency that kills me. He's been among the elite in world football since 2007. Think about it. 2007! Same goes for Cristiano btw. He's been raising bars, smashing ceilings and crushing records ever since. And I still think he has six, seven years in him. I'll curse anyone who has the audacity to injure him.

Who remembers Bruma (The Portugese kid)? I remember when people would go crazy wanking off to him. I'm sure most have forgotten about him. Sociedad player now. Wonder if he'll ever get that breakthrough so many predicted. Iniesta is still a god. He plays at a different speed. Suarez is a phenomenon. Greatest striker of his generation. I still can't get used to it. He used to play in my backyard. He sure knows how to score memorable goals. Neymar is a superstar. The boy is just so good right now. And he plays with such flair and fantasy. Loving him right now.

Pogba's a very good player but yeah, it's the one of the best midfielders in the world and the price tag. I disagree with the controlling the tempo part though. He did a very well doing that job against City but that's not his usual game. I haven't seen him play such a conservative and controlling role in a long, long time. Proper centre midfielder performance that was. Playmaking, holding on the to the ball with great poise, dominant but still decisive. I hope he'll continue in this role because he's not as good in an advanced position imo. I have to say though, City's midfield was non-existant. He had an easier time than you'd expect. He had so much space and punished them for it. I still laugh at their incompetence in Europe with so much talent. Dybala is another gem btw.

He's not a world beater but he has definitely improved. I was not a fan of Willian pre-2015, and that's putting it lightly. Before it was hard work, simple side and back passes and sideways dribbling. Simply lacking any kind of adventure and fantasy in his game. A water carrier. He would receive great praise from some and I just didn't get it. Now his game is more vertical, he takes more chances and risks, he creates more chances for his team mates (that's my impression anyway), he engages in more take-ons (!), creating space and drawing fouls. Before 2015 his contribution to the creation of goals was very poor. Nowadays he's so much more involved, directly and indirectly, in game-changing and match-winning moments as well. Then there's his free-kicks in the current season, also game-changing and match-winning. He's bumped up a level. You're just mad your boy Oscar has been average after hyping him up, Gilvorak.

What the Mexican said. It's hard for everyone though. Makes sense Mourinho would say that. I'm not saying he has to gain 10KG but I think he's too light. People always say it's hard but so many players go through it. It's not as if Terry and Cahill woke up one day and looked like they do today. It's investing in yourself. I'm sure people said the same about Ozil, he's just skinny. Look at how much he changed at Arsenal. And that was at age 25/26. And remember how much Ivanovic bulked up?

Pique is a strong man. Not surprising since he's 1.93m and 85 kg. He just lacks the aggression and the smarts to use his body more efficiently in duels to be a true powerhouse. We obviously disagree but I'm 100% he'll need to bulk up. And he probably will. If you're prone to being overpowered as a CB, you possess a massive flaw.

He is overrated. The 'don't watch him' argument is so weak. A silly assumption and how hard is it to watch Juve and France games? If you play 15 games and play two or three great games, five good ones, five average ones and two or three poor games, you are not a great player. His talent is unquestionable.

Well I don't think they necessarily need to go that far. Kompany is built like a superhero.

Well, then they both need to bulk up. That's just one of the requirements of a CB. Even the very best needed strength, whether your name is Cannavaro, Puyol, Nesta, Terry or Thuram. If you're not as good as them, you need it even more. Koscielny is a bit lightweight but not like Christensen (yes, I realise he's young). And he makes up for it with his impressive athleticism. I have to say, his pace didn't impress me. Looked a little sluggish off the mark. Slow on the turn as well. But that goes for a lot of CBs.

I don't doubt Pedro's quality as a player but he'll never come good playing the way he's playing right now. He looks like a sad version of Hazard. Not every player should have or deserves freedom. Some can't handle it, others don't know what to do with it. Restriction and guide lines aren't bad things.

No. My question was how come Pedro joins Chelsea and all of a sudden plays a completely different type of football. He's doing things he's not supposed to do. I don't get it. How marvelous that sounds. Random buys and crap football. Maybe soon the majority of players will end up with a nomad career like Anelka. Nothing lasts forever though.

Aguero lost all his creativity years ago imo. He's become a finisher, just waiting for moments to strike. It's a shame because I loved him in his Atletico days. Of course he can still create his own chances by creating space for himself, if that's what you meant. English teams just keep spending money but the football and the system doesn't improve. I guess that's bound to happen when you can just spend 27 mil on a player like Cuadrado and just shrug your shoulders when he flops and move on the next buy. You become careless. You buy Pedro and all of a sudden he becomes a poor imitation of last year's Hazard. Can you perhaps explain to me why he is dribbling and taking so many touches? They'd chop his feet off at Barca if he did that there.

We of all people know what that's like.

What games? FA Cup hasn't started so you're talking about League + League Cup games, of which there have been two I think. Too competitive doesn't make sense either. Everyone has a hard time winning bar Barca, Real, Bayern (and PSG). And even they often experience a tough time over the full 90 min but mask it with their firepower as they are capable of scoring at any time and score 3 goals in the space of 15-20 min. They trash teams in the CL as well. English teams suffer because they're normal teams nowadays, capable of winning or losing any game. Which wasn't the case in 04-09.

Utd should be ashamed. The difference between the two teams in terms of quality is gigantic. PSV's first XI players aren't even good enough to be squad players at a top side. They lost Depay and Wijnaldum in the summer as well. Willems isn't even playing. Same goes for Lestienne. That's their left flank. Massive credit to PSV. Talk about punching above your weight.

Good game today vs Sevilla. Both CBs were solid and worked really well as a duo. Might have to catch more games because Gladbach were very impressive today. Fun to watch as well. Silly penalty at the end to take away from their defensive work today. Edit: The lad is skinny though. Not very athletic either. That will need work in the coming years. But tactically he's already quite far along if today is anything to go by. Not afraid to step out of the line or leave his position to cover, liked that as well.

Never heard of 'forced own goals' assists. Half-assist is a new one as well. Football is becoming more and more complex. Would Dani Alves using his body to keep the Roma defender from clearing Messi's chip constitute as a quarter-assist?

Great experience for him. Bundesliga and CL football, making a name for himself. What he's doing, coming straight out of youth football, is fantastic. Here he'd play a game at some point (in a weakened XI with little chemistry), not set the world alight or even put in a poor performance, get the label not ready, not play for months, get another start and would need to 'prove himself' (a hard task with so little football) but not play again for months regardless of the quality of his performance. And he would get his 'opportunity' in the next season. I hope he stays for at least another year. Gladbach knows him, they obviously rate him. His chances of playing two full seasons worth of football are the highest there. Depending on his development, he could make a move up to a top four side or to La Liga side like Sevilla, Villarreal or Valencia. Or get used to PL football at Southampton, WHU (Everton will regret the Stones saga when looking for handouts). I'd prefer the former option(s) though. Preferably he'd return, if he returns, when JT retires (unless JT plans on continuing after 17/18). He'd arrive with three seasons of top level football under his belt a la Courtois and compete with Zouma and I assume a new name for a first XI spot. That's just a plan of course. Who knows what'll happen in the next few years or what the club has planned for him.

Trips to Spurs, Leicester and Utd in the next six games. You couldn't write this stuff. I think the home games will be won but the away games will be lost. 9 out of 18 doesn't help much. That final ball is so terribly lacking at the moment. Practically nothing happening from open play this season. Spurs will score. If the team could somehow keep them to a single goal and manage a goal at the other end. I hope 1-1 but I think 2-0 or 3-1. A spanking would be horrible after two wins.

I hear you. Amazing team, historic moments and I wish Messi and Iniesta all the succes and records in the world, defining a generation. It's just that's it looking like Barca, Bayern and Real are pulling further and further away. If they win the next three CLs again...

That's true. He hits them with speed as well. His technique has been flawless this year. Another Zola from free-kicks. That would be the dream. It would also add another dimension to his game. Now if he could only find the right formula for his corners. But maybe I'm getting greedy.

I have faith in the curse. Witnessing a repeat would be amazing but boring. But then again, a repeat is bound to happen at one point. Whatever, as long as it's a team that plays good football.

Even crazier. I'm just waiting for the dry spell. Not that I want it to happen but there's no other way. 8-10 FKs in a season is very rare, 10+ is extremely rare. Maybe Oscar can score a few when it happens or something. But great stuff from Willian. Reminds me of Drogba in 09/10. Out of nothing he became a specialist for a year. Never came close to it ever again.