DYC.

I completely agree. Most people think you're crazy for suggesting the defence needs fixing, and I can understand that tbh, but I can't help but feel it could be better. Like you pointed out, it needs too much protection for a defense that is supposed to be elite imo.

He's fluffy. I don't think he's fat, not even in a 'fat for a footballer' kind of way. He has big cheeks. Messi's always had an underchin and you can't say he's not fit.

Xavi started 19 league games (12 sub appearances) last season, Rafinha started 13 games (11 subs). Majority of those minutes will go to Arda. The funny thing is we have no idea whether Chelsea were truly interested in Arda or not. 'Interest from big English clubs' is standard agent talk. So it's hard to say he picked them over Chelsea.

41 mil euros is not that crazy tbh. It's high but not an extreme sum of money for Arda.

He'll play plenty of football. Iniesta missed a lot of games last season due to injuries. And even when he was fit, he'd be on the bench when Enrique rotated. Enrique loves to rotate. He most likely won't start in the big games though. This is bad news for Rafinha.

Chelsea is not a traditional top side with a rich history, the reputation of the club isn't positive, the brand of football the club is known for isn't appealing, most prefer the climate of Spain (and Italy before the decline of the Serie A) over England's climate. But like another member already mentioned, in 10 to 20 years, Chelsea should be in a much stronger position in terms of appeal. The Chelsea brand is growing rapidly.

Indeed. Oscar really needs to do better. More of this from him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTJhY_RP-hM (Great play from Willian, more of that from him as well)

Isco wasn't anything special? That's a lie. He was brilliant. Why do you think the Real crowd loves him so much? That wasn't the case before this season. He made them fell in love during that period because he was playing amazing football. Isco is indeed flashy, that's what makes watching him even better, but saying he wasn't simply outstanding in the first half of the season is absurd. His form only dipped in the final parts of the season, when he lost his spot as a weekly starter, he was moved into a more defensive role (playing on the left of midfield with Marcelo and Ronaldo is a thankless job, really) and Madrid's midfield 'fell apart' because of they missed Modric and Kroos was exhausted. The consistency isn't quite there yet, to call him world-class. Edit: Same goes for his ability to turn it up when the team is struggling. But he's still young. Bale actually missed quite a bit of the initial run that led to the 22 wins (I think) in a row. Real was playing superb football with Isco-Kroos-Modric-Rodriguez in midfield. I actually started watching them every week because of it. Their interchanging movement, tight ball control, crisp passing and pressing was something else. Cristiano nearly scored at a rate of 2 goals per game. Bale changed the dynamic (and the shape changed to 4-3-3, with more defensive work and ground to cover for the midfielders. Not his fault, he's a player with different qualities. A team with Real's talent aren't allowed to be that dependent on one player btw (Modric). That's an excuse. Losing him played a part, sure, but to be honest, they choked.

Old fashioned logic. That's the same as saying offensive players don't need to defend or fullbacks only have to defend their direct opponent. Barca would never have bought Neymar and Suarez if that was the case. Those players replaced Pedro and Sanchez to great effect. The main or biggest difference between Chelsea and the big three is the fact that they have 3 players in their team who can score goals (and/or assist) for you at any time. Bayern with Lewa, Robben and Muller (Ribery and Gotze even chip in with their fair share). Real with Cristiano, Benzema and Bale (James with a strong output as well). Try your hardest to take out one threat, and others step up and benefit from the extra space granted to them. You'll never be capable of taking out all three, except once in a blue moon (extreme bus parking doesn't count). Not all players have to score 20+ but you do need goals and assists from your attacking players. Remember 09/10? Drogba - 37 goals and 11 assists Lampard - 27 goals and 16 assists Malouda - 15 goals and 13 assists Anelka - 15 goals and 7 assists Kalou - 12 goals and 3 assists (Kalou!!)

Always Higuain. Argentina lost. Again. Always. Why? I've never seen them win. But I can't stop feeling this strange loyalty, a weird connection to them. There's always next time I suppose.

Playing wingback and putting in defensive work as a winger are two completely different things though. I think he's right to complain about playing as a wingback, that's not how you use players like Sterling. But if he were to be unwilling to defend as winger/attacking midfielder, he's destined to fail at any top side. All players have to defend. Whether that's by tracking back like in Mourinho's system, or by pressing. Unless your name is Cristiano or Messi, only then do you get freedom when defending.

That's not entirely true. De Bruyne does defend, I don't know why I keep reading that here. Does he defend as capably as Oscar (in his first half of the season form), or run up and down like Willian? No. But that doesn't mean he strolls around when his team doesn't have possession. Just recently in the game against Wales, De Bruyne did plenty of back tracking. Just to use as an example, he averaged 1.2 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game last season. Oscar (1.9 and 0.5), Willian (1.0 and 0.4). And De Bruyne is usually among the top 3 when it comes to distance covered. Silva is no slouch either. Far from it. Sterling I'm less familiar with in this regard but I'm sure he'd have to defend if he joined City. Even Robben defends so who is Sterling not to do so. Edit: You are right about the functioning of their centre midfield though. It's why I don't understand how Schneiderlin, or a different player of his ilk, was not a priority. Chelsea and City play different football, different systems. Both have achieved succes with their own ways. I always fancy Chelsea to beat City in a game, and even with De Bruyne and Sterling, Chelsea would be favourites to win the league for me.

2012 was pre Bale/James/Suarez/Neymar/Cavani/Falcao/Di Maria/David Luiz (I smile every time I think about that transfer) transfers. Market has shifted significantly. Mangala cost City more than Hazard.

Crooked comparison tbh. That front four easily beats Chelsea's in terms of offensive quality. Aguero, Silva, De Bruyne beats Costa, Oscar and Willian comfortably (Hazard over Sterling). Matic>Fernandinho/Fernando, Cesc=Toure (when both players are in form). But the question is how they would function as a unit. Chelsea's midfield is proven.

That's good.

It doesn't. I don't feel excitement and I'm not upset. A new player joined Chelsea. That's why I'm commenting. Don't let how I feel about this affect your personal experience.

This transfer does nothing for me. Let's see how he'll do.

Fair enough, but it's not because he's not good enough. His rep took quite a hit after his antics at City, but you have to commend him for his great consistency. He's been a top performer since his Utd days and never declined. Now I'll just type Oscar's name to make this post more relevant. I'll throw in another Oscar for free.

Tevez is 31. That's not old. People kill me. Drogba was brilliant at 32, winning the double and all. Tevez is better than Costa imo, but it's not a massive difference.

Cesc is world-class. Sure, he has his flaws but that goes for pretty much anyone. And if anyone wants to mention big game performances, the big game performer is a rarity in football. And Mourinho sacrifices the level of individual performances for the sake of results in big games (look at his history, his star players are never considered the best). It hurts Hazard as well. Costa is world-class too. I know his technique is far from impressive, but it's far from abysmal too. He'd never be capable of being leading the line of an elite club like Chelsea if that was the case. But his pace and power, athleticism, finishing, relentlessness and winning spirit is what makes him world-class. The man is a killer. And his movement, anticipation and timing is unmatched. No one beats him in these areas. Defenders think they've got him under control, they think they have the upper hand when marking him, but all of a sudden he's gone, at the exact right moment, and puts the ball in the net. It's an amazing trait. I think that's why he's so respected among his peers, making Team of the Season and all, despite being a massive prick. I'm sure even Skrtel voted for him. His overall contribution far exceeds merely finishing chances. He leads the charges, he gets everyone pumped up, he's a nuisance, he'll lead you to victory. Say what you want about his attitude, he rarely gets sent off. I do worry at times, thinking he'll hurt the team by getting sent off, but his record proves he's fully aware of what he's doing. You mentioned Benzema. Brilliant talent. As a fan for so many years now, I've had to defend him more than a few times (when his quality was questioned). He is one of the best strikers in the world, but he's an example of a striker that doesn't win you titles. He's too nice. He's not a killer. He has a tendency to disappear for extended periods, has often failed to convert when the pressure was on, and fails to carry his team. In his younger years I thought/hoped this was something he'd develop over time, but it never happened, and I don't think he will. Supporting cast rather than leading star. Surround him with top class talent and he will do fine. That's why he's the perfect striker for Real because everything revolves around Ronaldo. His style complements him perfectly too. But I'd never want him at Chelsea instead of Diego. Diego has outperformed Ibra these past two seasons btw. Especially last season since Ibra is sadly declining. And Costa does not get the credit he deserves for his exploits at Atletico in his final season. Ibra remains a better player in pure terms of individual ability but his impact is no longer the same. The consistency is waning. Suarez is a class above any of the top strikers of today.

That's the positive side about a deal with Barca. They get to keep Pogba for another year. What a shift that would be btw. From Xavi and Iniesta to (possibly) Pogba and Rakitic. Can't help but feel they will sell Rakitic in the future and buy a highly technically gifted playmaker. Or possibly promote one from the youth ranks. This could mean Juve could be persuaded into selling Vidal this summer. Make that call, Chelsea.

Cech was on first choice GK salary, a world-class GK that had been at the club for many years as well. I'm surprised Begovic will make make that much but whatever.

Simply put, that looks incredibly dope. 'Son, I'm buying you a stadium'. Imagine that.

Kind of jealous of that deal. Any midfielder linked to Chelsea seems to cost at least 25 mil. I assume he'll take Casemiro's spot. But Porto also have this midfielder Sergio Oliveira. He was absolutely outstanding during EURO under 21. Best player in the tournament for me. Seems to be very all-round and has this class about him. Was shocked to find out he's been loaned out for years. After the tournament he's had, I can't imagine him not playing for Porto next season. He could be the next big thing from Portugal.