Madmax

Mirror Football

I get that, but you must remember that in that game, United were coming off a trip from Munich in midweek while we had had an entire week for rest. In any case, they're the home side and they'll be more attacking, I'm not sure Carlo would really put out a team that's going to take the game to them away from home. If we can retain the ball well in midfield then we'll do well regardless of how they play because their midfield though physical is hardly going to be creative considering all of them are basically defensive minded players (Toure, Barry, de Jong, Vieira).

Yes should be a good match up, but Ashley will need support from the defensive mid/ left centre mid because Johnson cutting inside will leave a lot of space on their right for the oncoming right back.

It certainly seems 'refreshing' before the game, but it we end up losing the game because of being too expansive, won't it be termed 'naive'?

Man City will be a great test for Cech, especially if Johnson plays. He'll be putting in great crosses all game, also he'll look to cut inside from their right and rain shots on goal.

We'll know before the Newcastle game I think. If he's not in the squad that day, there's defo something wrong.

What's the harm? It's all on topic and keeps the forum active.

Why can't we? We are discussing what we think would be a good lineup.

Official CFC

Bosingwa will be playing in a reserve game against Fulham on Wednesday, so he won't be there.

Dunno if Carlo had specifically asked him to do this, but he didn't get forward at all today except on that one occasion when he won the freekick outside the box in the second half. He stayed back in our own half most of the time, covering for Ashley who was forward a lot. Even Mikel was further up the pitch than R7 especially in the first half.

Good stuff mate Only change I'd make - Ash as MOTM.

Hello! Welcome

Turnbull Ferreira, Bruma, Alex, PvA Ramires Benayoun, Zhirkov Kakuta, Sturridge, Kalou (sub by McEachran) Subs : Walker, JT, Ivan, Mikel, McEachran, Malouda, Borini

Thanks

R.I.P. God bless.

Teamtalk

I'm not trying to belittle Mourinho's success at all. I have no grudge against him, yes I'm not a big fan of his but I respect the guy and what he's done for us. But I'm not wrong if I think Carlo has done better than him so far, don't know why you would take offence to that and develop a weird notion about me. Anyway, not my problem. As for the debate, I'm not interested in one either, but if you accuse me of something, it's natural I'd respond, so if you don't want to have an argument, don't accuse me of something.

LOL at you playing that card. Who brought up in the points comparison? Hint - it wasn't me. Fact - The league is more competitive now than when Mourinho arrived AND the FA Cup > League Cup, so it's an obvious conclusion that Carlo did better than Mourinho in his opening season. If you can't live with it, your problem.

1.At the end of the day, the FA Cup being the oldest club competition in the world will always hold more prestige than the Carling Cup. Besides, we can only beat the team in front of us, it's no fault of Carlo's if we came up against the so-called 'weaker' teams (if there's any such thing in a knockout style tournament). Also, those 'weaker' teams reached that stage of the competition because they had beaten the 'tougher' teams at some point, so that argument is not really valid either. 2.The league has changed so much in 6 years that the points comparison is fruitless. 3.I was never fond of Mourinho, mainly because of all his antics. Sure they were good for the laughs, but in the cold light of day, what did that help him achieve apart from media coverage, more hatred from other clubs and supporters and boos wherever he went?

I'd have Carlo over Mourinho any day. I like quiet managers who prefer to go about their jobs rather than shout their mouths off about anything and everything. Precisely the reason why I hate Wenger, such a fucking moaner. Carlo's got class ... a true gentleman, not that Jose isn't, but Carlo's a lot more humble and that's something I really like and admire about him. Let's face it, Jose will probably never return - one club is not big enough for Roman and Jose's egos. P.S. Who was the last non-British manager before Carlo to win the traditional double in his first season as manager in England's top flight? That's right - No one. Carlo > Jose in terms of immediate impact.

Nicolas Anelka Having burst onto the scene as an 18 year old at Arsenal, Nicolas Anelka has come a long way. Multiple moves later, he is back in London, just across town to Chelsea, a place where he claims he's 'found his home'. Not many were aware of this young 17 year old French kid when he first stepped on English shores back in 1997. Bought for a measly sum from Paris St Germain, the young Anelka soon grew by leaps and bounds as he helped Arsenal to the English 'Double' in 1997-98, his electric pace setting him apart from other talented strikers of the era. Winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in his first full season in the Premiership was testimony to his immense talent. Contract disputes however cut short his stay at Highbury and Real Madrid took him to Spain in the summer of 1998 for an astounding 22.3 million pounds. Once again, his work ethic was called into question while at Real and Anelka started gaining an unwelcome reputation as an unprofessional, selfish player. His performances on the pitch though were not too bad, he scored 4 goals in all competitions as Real won the UEFA Champions League in 1999-2000. This however didn't give him a longer stay in Spain, Anelka was sold back to PSG as the 'Galactico' era under Fiorentino Perez began to take shape. The striker found good form on the pitch, but problems with the manager again led to him becoming unsettled, and he made a surprise return to England in a loan spell with Liverpool in the second half of the 2001-02 season. Impressive showings at Liverpool couldn't however persuade manager Gerard Houllier to sign him on a permanent basis. Newly promoted Manchester City took him off PSG's hands for 15 million, their then record transfer fee. 2 hugely successful seasons at City followed, and he finished both as the club's top goalscorer. In 2004-05, Anelka also scored against his future club Chelsea (in then manager Jose Mourinho's first loss as Chelsea boss), before moving to Turkey's Fenerbahce in Jan 2005, where he won the Turkish League that year. Anelka returned to England for the second time in 2006, this time with Bolton Wanderers, and found great goalscoring form immediately, ending the season as the club's top scorer. Continued impressive performances since his return to England persuaded newly appointed Chelsea manager Avram Grant to make a bid for him in the January transfer window of 2008. Anelka joined in a 15 million pound move, and was handed the no.39 shirt upon his arrival at the club. He faced competition from fellow forwards Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko, Salomon Kalou and Claudio Pizarro. He made his debut against Tottenham Hotspurs and scored his first goal for the Blues in an FA Cup match against Wigan. Largely substitute appearances and a change in position to the wing meant that Anelka could not enjoy a very successful first few months at Chelsea, and managed to score just 2 goals in all competitions. He played in a Champions League final for the second time in his career that May of 2008, but missed the decisive penalty as Chelsea lost out to English rivals Manchester United in Moscow. It marked the end of what had been a hugely disappointing season for the club as they lost out on 3 trophies also including the Premier League title and the Carling Cup. Luiz Felipe Scolari was made the new Chelsea manager for the 2008-09 season in a bid to drive the club to success again after a largely barren two years under Mourinho and Grant. This was a welcome change for Anelka as the new gaffer preferred him over Didier Drogba. The confidence shown in him by the manager paid rich dividends as Anelka made a storming start to the season, scoring goals by the hatful. The team's performances as a whole slipped in to mediocrity by the middle of the season however, and another managerial change meant that Guus Hiddink was named caretaker manager till the season end. Hiddink solved the striker problem at Chelsea by deciding to play Anelka in tandem with Drogba, rather than playing one for the other like Scolari had preferred. This change played a huge role in the tremendous performances by the team over the latter part of the season as Chelsea made it to the semifinals of the Champions League before being knocked out in very controversial circumstances by Barcelona. Anelka's form flourished as he scored 1 and assisted 2 more on a return to his old club Arsenal. He finished the season with 25 goals in all competitions, 19 of them in the league, and was awarded the Golden Boot for the latter feat. Carlo Ancelotti became the latest manager charged with restoring the glory days at Stamford Bridge as the 2009-10 season got underway. Anelka played alongside Drogba in Carlo's diamond formation as Chelsea made a roaring start to the season. However, mid-season blues set in and this was accompanied by a switch to the more familiar 4-3-3 system, which saw Anelka played out wide on the right or the left rather than in the centre. Drogba's African nations duty meant that Anelka was charged with leading the line in the months of January and February, and he responded brilliantly, scoring 2 goals in a 7-2 rout of Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. Earlier in the season too, Anelka had performed admirably during Drogba's suspension in the group stages of the Champions League, scoring winning goals against APOEL Nicosia and FC Porto away from home. Drogba's return however saw Anelka reprise his role as the supplier rather than the scorer, and he delivered largely good performances as Chelsea sought to put their season back on track after a Champions League exit to eventual winners Internazionale and a draw with Blackburn Rovers. Anelka had probably the two best games of his season in the crunch matches against Aston Villa and Manchester United, helping the team get ever closer to another Premier League title. Chelsea eventually held their nerve and were crowned champions of England for the fourth time after beating Wigan 8-0 at home on the final day of the season, with Anelka bragging a brace. They also achieved their first ever 'double' in May 2010 by beating Portsmouth in the FA Cup final. Anelka had become just the 3rd player ever to win the Premier League with two different clubs. The passing of years has seen Nicolas Anelka's game undergo a transition. Earlier he was known as a very pacy forward with clinical finsihing abilities, and those qualities are still visible in him, but what years of experience has added to his game is that most uncommon attribute - maturity. No longer is he the man they once called 'Le Sulk'. In fact he is one of the several wise old heads in the Chelsea team of today, and thus forms the core of the team along with the likes of Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba. Chelsea fans will be hoping the man they call 'Nico' will help the team claim the holy grail they've caressed but not quite yet got their hands on - the elusive Champions League.

wonderful stuff mate

Maybe one of Terry or Ivan ...

No no I know about the flag, I was asking where did you get the pic of the flag ...