LDN Blue

Milestones that could be reached in this game.. Petr Cech is aiming for his 150th clean sheet in his 282nd game. John Mikel Obi could make his 100th Premier League start as well as his 150th start in all competitions. Florent Malouda should rack up his 100th Premier League appearance. Paulo Ferreira could make his 100th Premier League start. Salomon Kalou needs a brace to reach 50 goals for Chelsea.

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No way! With 2 of their main defensive duo missing we can easily come out with a 2-0 victory. I know Carlo can help the team overcome the psychological barrier stopping them from winning away.

LOL they put Berbatov in it but not Malouda?!

A bit harsh. He makes some valid points in this thread

Would rather see us keep Borini

Sounds like a system we'd have with Vitesse. A choice for loaning out our players + potential "dibs" on their young prospects

Ah yeah. Good news on Coloccini, if Perch plays it will be 12 vs 10 (so I'm told by my Newcastle supporting friend )

Valid points and come backs, fair game. Just sticking to Kalou, I do urge you to keep your mind open about him this season, he may surprise you with how much he's improved and how he's stepping up. I do think Sturridge is better than Kalou, but they both give us something different. Kalou is also an impact player from the subs bench, that's why he's a good player to have, he'll come on and make a difference.

Ferreira has been solid this season and pre-season. When he's been called upon he's been disciplined, confident and hardly given the ball away. He's a traditional right back, meaning he won't go on the attack as much as Bosingwa or Ivanovic but he still has good defensive abilities and is someone you can rely on. Furthermore, never once has he complained about lack of games, in fact he appreciates the limited time he is given. When he does go forward his crosses are gems at times. You say you can defend Turnbull, yet you name him as "one of our.. worst senior players". And don't get me wrong, I'm not going to hate on Turnbull, because I agree, there is more spotlight put on a goalkeeper than there is on any other. He has not been as bad as we think, Carlo had enough confidence to play him in the absence of Cech vs Inter Milan last season and he made no mistakes there. As for Kalou. Well if you didn't see the difference he made last night, well there's no getting through to you.

Well Carlo said "2-3weeks" before Sunderland, so by the time we play Newcastle it should be 2. No word yet though. Essien still has 1 more game to miss as part of his suspension.

But you must admit he's improved?! & how can you defend Turnbull but not Kalou?

The importance of Frank Lampard, for fans who didn't know before, has been highlighted on a whole new level. Never in his career, certainly for Chelsea, has he been out for so long. We're missing 22/103 goals (last season), that's almost a quarter of goals we scored last season. But he's more than that, he makes the midfield more organised, he knows when to find the right pass and his positioning is exceptional. He knows when/where he needs to be/get into the 18-yard box. Mikel Essien - Lampard Each member of that midfield plays a crucial role in our team. Mikel's the dividing force between the defence and midfield. When Ashley Cole goes bombing forward, Mikel is the one covering. But when our defence get the ball it's given to Mikel who usually sparks off the counter attack with a pass, worthy of Scholes' applauding. Essien is the man who will be the engine of our midfield and team. His stamina, endurance, pace and strength make him one of the most feared players in the league. His absence was highlighted very much last season and now this even more with lack of cover (the likes of Ballack leaving). I've already talked about how Lampard links the midfield to the attack.

didn't someone say a while back "once Josh has an off game, everyone will doubt him" much like Kakuta.

I love this rant. I admit, before this season I didn't regard Kalou very highly. But that all changed once the season had begun. Even last night I was a bit disappointed about his half-time appearance, (more due to Kakuta coming off) but I hold my hand up and say I won't doubt him again. On the Ramires point, most logical fans on here have realised we must give him time, so I'll say nothing there. As for Ferreira, well one of BlueLion's avatar/caption said it all.. "Loyal Servant" to the club.

You've got to love how that Suarez had the "what in the blue hell is going on?!" look!

LOL.. Here:

McEachran just proves strength isn't everything. He does not panic when there are 2 giant players attempting to take the ball off him, he's so calm and composed that he can simply play his way out of it. Also, when C.Clifford breaks into the squad we'll see an instant injection of strength. He's quite a presence in midfield.

Don't really understand the negativity towards Anelka all of a sudden. I hear he wasn't welcomed much at Stamford Bridge coming on last night.. I hope they realise Anelka is our joint top goal scorer with Malouda, in all competitions (8). Anelka's been brilliant, in my opinion, the way he can just have a burst of pace and then cut back into the area is quite magical. He's a good provider of a pass and he's someone you want playing with you if you're the main striker (á la Drogba.). I agree he's not the best as a pure striker, playing in Drogba's absence, but he's still a force you want in your attack, he's brilliant on the sides, and someone you want coming on in the 80th minute to see out a lead.

..Genius. LOL

Haha, fair game, Significant is perhaps too generous. But he's certainly improved on basic things such as first touches and taking less time on the ball. His passing has also sharpened up. I'd like to see more attack play from him though.

A slight exaggeration on that? There's no indication to say Carlo is unhappy at all. It's like I said somewhere before, for all we know, Carlo's saved more jobs/players that would've gone otherwise. At the end of the day the club is a business. If Abramovic feels there needs to be some change in the club, well then he's got a right to. I'm sure if he'd over step the mark Carlo would say something. Roman knows the last thing Chelsea need, is ANOTHER manager leaving.

only you'd go back in this thread to find that quote.

I think he's still maintaining that position. Especially last night. He's not a pure right midfielder, he's going box-to-box. With McEachran playing DMF last night Ramires was key into making sure Josh could settle in that position and he did it very well. Ramires is showing significant improvement from August.

I wouldn't totally rule out all allies of N.Korea. Despite strained relations, China is still a major trading partner. With the current Currency Wars taking the place, the US would love nothing but to start a war of attrition vs China.