DYC.

He's well on his way cementing legendary status for both Bayern and Germany. I've been a fan since he broke through under Van Gaal. Bayern weren't even a force back then compared to post 2012/2013, same goes for Germany before the World Cup. So I don't buy talks of him benefitting of a strong team. And his quality is obvious. He keeps getting better and his mental strength is highly admirable. I always find a spot for him in my fantasy XI. Hazard has a long way to go to achieve that kind of status. Would help if he could be bothered to show up any time soon. I don't like this version of him

He'd play. Guardiola loves him. For some reason Guardiola is painted by many as a coach with an one-dimensional idea of top quality (skill, skill, give me skill). He's smarter than that. Muller played when all those three players were fit. Guardiola even forced him in his side by playing him in midfield. Ribery would find himself on the bench sooner than Muller. He never reached the heights of 12/13 under Guardiola. And even if he did, Muller would play. Same goes for Lewandowski, who has often been rotated for either Muller up top or Gotze. He was benched against Wolfsburg (Thomas wasn't, naturally) and what happened after half-time is a part of football history. Of course, he is the form of his life now so that won't happen much now. Muller is a champion, he delivers. Check his credentials. Any coach would be a fool to bench him.

I'm not sure either. Listen, I can joke about Mourinho and Ivanovic secretly living together and having plans to get married by some hippie in a forest, enjoy their honeymoon in Bora Bora, send a night vision sex tape to Putin and adopt Togolese twin baby girls. But on a more serious note, Mourinho isn't crazy. He plays Ivanovic because he likes what he sees. Best RB. Major praise last season even though he was making mistakes all the time back then to. I've accepted the situation. I am zen. Ivanovic plays and whatever happens happens. (I'd hit a pony in the balls with a baseball bat for Paulo Ferreira, the king of consistent decency.)

Yes. Like Mourinho said, he is his best RB. He knows best. Ivanovic is not the problem, it's the people around him. I'd like to see that phone bill.

Great news.

They don't?

There's a difference between being a starter at Real, Barca or Bayern and being a world-class player. People are so quick to go overboard. I love the drama Scholes has stirred.

Muller is an automatic starter because he is world-class and because the man is a warrior, a performer on the big stage. He'd be on the bench... you must've tripped and fallen on a sharp pencil.

The club would be foolish not to pick him up. In fact, he should be purchased in the winter. The current situation with the fullbacks is unacceptable. Going into a season with Ivanovic and Azpilicueta as your only real options is madness. I'm sure Ryan would want to come back. The fans have always loved him and I remember him speaking positively about his time at Chelsea, despite the constant loans. And that's completely understandable as he was a Chelsea player (officially) for nearly ten years, joining the club as a 16-year-old boy. His salary would also be increased substantially, while his chances of starting for England would only rise. He might not be world-class but he's a good fullback. Someone you can trust to do a job and more importantly, a genuine fullback with plenty of pace and stamina, comfortable on both sides of the pitch. And he's left-footed! Chelsea would be made fun of for having to buy a player they already owned and ridiculed for their inability to develop their own players, and deservedly so, but that's not important. A good fullback in the first XI is important, not to mention another Englishman in the team. Ryan knows the club and he's familiar with the demands of top level football. Let's enjoy the services of Bertrand while Baba continues his treacherous journey of becoming ready in the magical land called Cobham. He should be the #1 priority in the winter transfer window. The only target even imo as the squad is covered in other areas. Strengthening other positions can be dealt with the summer. January window inflation, English tax, those things don't matter. £15 mil, £20 mil. £25 mil even. At 26, you're looking at least a five years of service. It will be worth it. Deduce the £10 mil he was sold for and the total fee doesn't look that bad. I don't care if Ivanovic plays like prime Cafu from now on. Let him play like Cafu somewhere else, it won't last long at his age. Azpilicueta - Zouma - Terry/Cahill - Bertrand Get him!!!

If it wasn't for his previous achievements he wouldn't have been sacked? This current season is worse than Ancelotti's second season, a lot more quality in this squad. Of course he would have been sacked. Not that I'm saying he should be sacked. He's still here because he's Mourinho, and it's a good thing he still has credit.

Just treat Cuadrado like Crespo. He comes back in the summer and stays for a season. I know he was crap at Chelsea but still. See how he does over a full season and make a decision afterwards. I've read Juve fans complaining about performances before the game against Sevilla but he's also had some good games. I think he's just that type of player. On and off. But he's a good option to have in the squad because he's capable of being a huge threat and he puts in a shift. Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Pedro, Cuadrado, Kenedy/Traore with a bit of rotation and tactical changes based on opposition would be great. Of course, if the club decides to purchase a top player/top talent instead, I wouldn't be mad at him leaving.

Both Aguero and Costa suffer from consistency issues though so they have that in common. It most likely has to do with both of them suffering injuries here and there during a season, keeping them out for a couple of games and then needing time to get back to 100%. Diego was good. He was just playing football and that's how I like him. If he can only keep it that way and perform consistently. But then again, he'll need the team to get back to normal for him to start firing.

Captains aren't necessarily leaders. The band can be given to a player in a plot to keep them (longer) (Dani Alves), to increase their status or give them a sense of responsibility (Messi with Argentina, Neymar with Brazil) or is given to a player with the most experience/most apps or the player that has been at the club the longest (Iniesta). There are also a lot cases of the band given to the star player of a team, that applies to Messi and Neymar as well. And what about politics? I'm personally convinced Puyol was a better fit for the band than Casillas for Spain but he's a Catalan. Not that he needs to be captain to be a leader, just like JT for England. Out of those group of players, I'd only think of Mascherano as a leader.

No way. The squad is good. Only City possess a better squad and it's not like they're miles ahead in terms of talent either. He just needs to find a way to turn things around. Besides, any decent manager can book succes by buying a host of players every year.

The entire thing was hilarious but this is my favourite part.

Tbf, that piece is based on pure speculation. No quotes, not even a mention of 'sources at the club'. Juve were interested, that's undeniable, but we don't know whether they made a bid. They're bargain hunters anyway. Doubt they could/would make a good offer.

True. I already knew about that so I wasn't surprised when pointed out. It's really bad. The quality of Chelsea's attacking play has always been disappointing to me but the defensive problems are something else. Failing in both sides of the game. Mourinho has a lot of work to do. Probably too much to save the season. Yup. I have to say, I think Delaney was spot on with his article. But I still have hope. Someone get Hazard a can of spinache.

This is what kills me.

I disagree. Ivanovic was a very good player for Chelsea but never a leader imo. I don't understand what makes him a leader. Terry is a leader, Drogba in his later years a leader. But not Ivanovic. He's kind of die-hard but not a leader.

This is talk you always hear when a team is going through a tough time. Every time. Same with the lack of motivation talk. Default reasoning. I don't buy the lack of leaders talk. Drogba and Cech were fringe players last season. I'm sure their presence helps but games aren't won or lost in the dressing room. That's nonsense imo. I'm sure the likes of Cahill, Ivanovic, Cesc, Matic were seen as 'leaders' last season because Chelsea were winning. Natural leaders like Terry, Puyol, Buffon, Gattuso etc. are rare. Win or lose, those guys are leaders. When the team is winning, additional leaders are 'created'. Barca win the treble so the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Pique, Mascherano, Alves get the label 'leader' stamped on their forehead. But they're just very good players (they weren't leaders when Barca won nothing in 13/14 though). Essien, Cole, Lampard and Cech are examples of those kinds of players imo. This is the worst start years but Chelsea went through rotten times and lost (hard at times) at different periods with those players as well. The reason Chelsea are losing is because they're playing poor football. Tactically poor imo and for some strange reason a whole group of players have simultaneously lost form. Maybe they aren't reacting to the coach anymore or maybe they're not fit. But the latter is unacceptable.

I love it when people call him a leader.

Definitely. That's true. But European football is always different compared to domestic football. There was still that mental barriere so this was a huge game for them. And again, this is a completely different team, and a lesser team in terms of quality, compared to last year. But it's good to know Chels is crap in both competitions. So many of us craved consistency and stability, well, here it is.

You have to give credit to Porto. I don't know how they do it and I'll never understand how they keep doing it, but talk about an organisation capable of dealing with adversity and constant shuffling. They lost six starters. Six!!! Two players in defence, two in midfield and two upfront. And at least four of them were key players. But they just deal with it. Not only that, they outplay Chelsea and win. Even though I dislike the fact they had to beat my team, seeing how a club lacking the spending power of the top sides in Europe can still find a way to compete (in some capacity) is very comforting. Chelsea need to keep an eye on Ruben Neves. That's the kind of midfielder you want in the centre of the pitch.

I'd be in stitches if Chelsea weren't so terrible. Someone do me a huge favour and post Claude footage. My mood will improve if I see and hear that beautiful man articulate and express his feelings and thoughts.

Now you understand. Once his essence touches the pitch, Chelsea are about 80% less likely to lose. If he doesn't play against Southampton, Chelsea will not win. Quote me on it.