The Skipper

Luiz proving why he isn't a DM today IMO. Bring on Matic or Mikel.

Eto'o is useless right...

I agree with you, and wanted Bertrand to start over Cole many times this season due to him just being better in both attacking and defensive duties than Cole in the few appearances he's made. Unfortunately the manager doesn't see it like that so there's not much to say. No one said Shaw is a better defender than Bertrand though, in fact Shaw isn't even much better than Bertrand anyway, but what Shaw has over Ryan is that he has a lot more scope for improvement, whereas Ryan has pretty much capped his development in my opinion. You're right in saying that he's not as average as many make him out to be though.

I like it, he looks more clean and mature now.

Lmfao.

Not really. We got good money for him in a position where we are stacked in. It's nothing like the Sturridge deal for example. Even if KDB realised his great potential we do have players like Hazard and Oscar you know?Some people like myself are genuinely wishing him good luck. If he succeeds then it isn't a surprise because he's a good player after all. There's no reason to be bitter.

Solanke kid looks like a player and a half.

Gibbs was never as good as Luke Shaw at his age. Walker was promising but Walker doesn't have Luke Shaw's finesse, and again wasn't as good as Shaw was at his age.

Clearly haven't been watching us. Terry is having a terrific season and is still England's best CB. If you think he's a liability then you're very wrong.

Match preview posted.

Venue: Chelsea face David Moyes' Manchester United on Sunday, January 19th, 16:00, at Stamford Bridge. The Match: This game (round 22) comes at the ideal time for Chelsea. United come to The Bridge with 3 losses in their last 5 games, whilst Chelsea are looking to secure their 6th victory in a row. Chelsea are currently 3rd in the league, scoring 40 whilst conceding 19, which is joint lowest with Everton and Arsenal. Even though United have won only twice in their last 5 games, they have won 4 times in their last 5 PL games, succumbing 1-2 to Tottenham at Old Trafford, which puts them in the 7th spot in the Premier League table. They are looking for their 6th win in 7 but Moyes has never won a head to head meeting with Mourinho. In the PL era, Chelsea have faced United a total number of 43 times, winning 14 times, drawing 16, and losing 13[1]. Chelsea are the only team, in the Premier League era to have won more matches against United than they have lost. Both sides have scored 56 against each other in those 43 matches. Opposition Analysis: Reigning champions Manchester United have had a tough season so far under new manager David Moyes. Their problems this season have been well documented; they have been exposed as a very average team when their best players, Rooney and Van Persie, are not available. Coupled with the fact that key players like Vidic, Evra, Ferdinand and Carrick are now reaching the twilights of their careers, this may be the best time for anyone to play United. Their failings in the summer transfer window - with £28m sole signing Fellaini failing to bridge the gap in midfield - has led to many United fans agreeing that the team needs to be rebuilt from scratch - with their only positive light so far this season being the performances of 18 year old youngster Adnan Januzaj. With United not being in top form at the moment and with key men Robin Van Persie & Wayne Rooney missing, an away trip to Stamford would be the least thing the Red Devils would be fancying - but one should never underestimate the reigning champions. As many people know - form goes out of the window in these sort of games. Chelsea still need to play well in order to win, as it is with any game. Moyes' tactics: Moyes usually sets up his United in a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 formation, which usually respectively changes between the defensive and offensive transitions of the team. Januzaj on the left usually has more freedom in attack, cutting in whilst Evra overlaps, which is compensated by Valencia's and Rafael's hard work on the right. United usually let Rooney and Januzaj have most of the ball in the final third with both organising their attacks - the fact that the former isn't playing will hurt United's movement in attack, but they do have a very capable replacement in Shinji Kagawa, who when on form, can be a devastating player. United have averaged 53% possession this season in the PL, but in their last match versus Swansea only managed to retain 39% possession which is the lowest ever recorded at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick is also another A look at United's XI in their 2-0 win against Swansea should give us a good indication on the team that the might be starting against Chelsea: De Gea Rafael Smalling Vidic Evra Fletcher Carrick Valencia Kagawa Januzaj Welbeck Their average positions in the game[2]: The above graph reinforces that United's left side is their most offensive side - so Mourinho might expose that side by employing our most dangerous player in attack this year - Eden Hazard - on that side; which would allow Eden a lot more freedom and would also potentially force that side to be less adventurous and thus lessening United's overall offensive threat. Players To Watch (United): Adnan Januzaj: The 18 year old has been a revelation in United's below average season so far - coming up with moments of inspiration; i.e. his two goals against Sunderland away earlier in the season spared United's blushes in a poor performance in general. Adnan has a lot of ability and must be well watched as United will be looking to orchestrate attacks in the final third through him quite a bit. Here are the two goals: Spoiler Shinji Kagawa: The Japanese star, once heralded by United as a better signing than Eden Hazard, can be a threat when on form; which hasn't often been the case this season due to lack of playing time in his favoured position in general (due to Wayne Rooney's brilliance in that position). The former Dortmund man can still show moments of magic and should therefore be tightly watched. Michael Carrick: The link between defence and attack for United - Carrick is a vital cog in United's system. Carrick has to be maintained - shutting him down would make it difficult for United to retain possession. Having a hard-working attacking midfielder like Oscar could do wonders for CFC, but Michael still has to be watched as he has the vision to do this, which many Chelsea fans should remember: Spoiler Team News[3]: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard could return from a calf injury for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester United. Right-back Branislav Ivanovic only returned to training on Friday following a knee problem and is unlikely to figure. New signing Nemanja Matic has been added to the squad but boss Jose Mourinho has said he will not start. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie will again be missing when Manchester United visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Rooney (groin) has at least started running again, whilst Van Persie (thigh) should return to training on Monday after nearly six weeks on the sidelines. Possible starting line ups: Potential Chelsea XI: Cech Azpilicueta Cahill Terry Cole Ramires Mikel Willian Oscar Hazard Torres Potential United XI: De Gea Rafael Smalling Vidic Evra Fletcher Carrick Valencia Kagawa Januzaj Welbeck Match Facts[4]: Manchester United have failed to score in their last three games against Chelsea in all competitions.Juan Mata has scored in each of his last three Premier League starts against Manchester United.Chelsea have scored exactly two goals in each of their last eight home games in the Barclays Premier League.Chelsea have had both teams scoring in their last five home matches against top-half teams.Robin van Persie has scored more goals at Stamford Bridge than any other visiting player in Barclays Premier League history (6).Javier Hernandez has scored in six of his last nine appearances in all competitions against Chelsea.Chelsea have had over 2.5 goals in their last five home matches against top-half teams.There have been five penalties awarded in the last four meetings between these two sides at Stamford Bridge.Wayne Rooney has scored four goals in his last four matches at Stamford Bridge in all competitions.Danny Welbeck has scored six goals in his last six Premier League appearances.There have been 21 goals scored in the last four matches between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.Chelsea have won their last four home matches against top-half teams.David Moyes has never won away from home to one of the Premier Leagues traditional big four Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal (P47 W0 D18 L29).Chelsea have won 16 and lost none of their last 19 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge (D3).Manchester United have won five and lost none of their last seven Premier League away games (D2).Betting Odds:Chelsea WIN 8/11 Draw: 13/5 United WIN 19/5 TV: Depending on where you are from, you can watch the match in the following channels: United Kingdom: Sky Sports 1 HD United States: TalkSport Radio, Telemundo, NBC Sports Live Extra, NBCSN, SiriusXM FC India: Star Sports 4 India, Star Sports HD 2 India If your country is not listed above then you can check out the TV Schedule for the match here. There should also be many match streams that can be found online if your local sports channels are not broadcasting the game or if you happen to be busy and cannot catch the game live, follow TalkChelsea on Twitter as it would provide live match commentary on the action. [1] http://www.thechels....ited-2014-01-19 [2] http://www.whoscored...681/MatchReport [3] http://www.dailymail...news-stats.html [4] http://www.fourfourt...95112/pre-match Click here to view the article

This is stupid. You're acting like the difference in talent between RR and Shaw is the same as the one between Hazard and Lallana. I firmly believe Shaw can become the better player.

Well, he is good enough clearly. That's not the debate here. If we signed Shaw he'd be number 1 left back here IMO. I'm of the opinion that an English club needs to promote it's own talent, especially if said talent is good enough, which is the case with Luke Shaw. RR might be the better player right now, but Luke Shaw is not far behind at all, and Luke Shaw is also 3 years younger. Also the fact that Luke is a Chelsea fan... so for me, if we can get Shaw for a nice price I'd definitely take him over RR.

Nah, it isn't only because of the home grown rule - for me, RR isn't that much better than Shaw (and he's 3 years older as well), and it's important for a club to be relatable to the country their from. Shaw has a higher ceiling for me. He's a bit more silky on the ball too (with his dribbling) - sure RR is pretty technical and would not be a bad buy at all, but Shaw isn't a bad player and IMO easily has the potential to be the best LB in the world.

I don't know about you, but at an English club I want an English core. I'd much prefer Shaw over Rodriguez.

I honestly think they'd be tempted if we made a £20m offer.

I agree it's a bit of a gamble but it would make sense a lot more if Shaw came in. Shaw would be our number 1 LB already IMO.

If there's anyone I would compare him to it's probably a hybrid Schweinsteiger/Javi Martinez. Defensively very solid but has a bit of class on the ball with decent passing range. The Yaya Toure comparisons aren't correct simply because he doesn't have Yaya!s finesse in the final third and they have different roles to begin with anyway.

Hmm. Think you're overreacting a bit. Whilst we didn't do well with the Forest loan, Nat still has half a season to impress at Boro where he'll get plenty of playing time. I also think the Forest loan spell was a massive learning curve for Nat in a sense that not everything goes your way in football. I honestly just hope he does well and reaffirms that he's head and shoulders above most in the Championship.

Lol at someone comparing him to Zidane in the comments.

Fair enough, just leave it there. Don't understand why like 99% of your posts involve slandering Mikel.

You want pressing in midfield so opt for Luiz ahead of Ramires?

Mourinho is amazing.

He's not Rambo-esque because he doesn't have his pace IMO, which is a big part of his game.

Yeah because Matic would've developed into the player he is today had he stayed at CFC...Matic then and Matic now are a complete different entity. Matic wasn't worth anymore than 5m euros back then.