Styles

I agree, Rafa's only mistake tonight was playing Torres/not getting Ba on sooner. I just think Balague defends him like crazy and campaigns for him in the media.

I bet Torres was relieved when Ba's goal was ruled out for offside.

They have to be related. There's no other explanation. Loyalty to a fellow Spaniard isn't enough to explain how far Balague will go to defend Benitez.

It's night like these I question Mata's supposed greatness. He was very wasteful, missed good chances and didn't pass to Oscar when he was open for a free shot. Then when things got tight in the second half he went missing which isn't uncommon for him in those situations. Torres again just simply embarrassing. Ba should have come on a lot sooner. I love Ramires' running ability but he is a very clumsy footballer with a bad first touch and poor passing. Luiz is not a midfielder. Lampard did nothing when he came on (I wonder whether he'll declare his love for the fans and how much he wants to stay tonight?). Our central midfield is a massive problem. I thought Hazard was great. Oscar is being wasted by this idiot in charge. Terrible night.

He is going to have a lot of competition for RB. I always thought he would become a dependable squad player but with Wallace who is the same age arriving soon and Azpilicueta still quite young himself he has a tough challenge. And we all know Ferreria will be here for another 10 years

I understand what you're saying. But even with that analogy if I found my dream house (Lampard) and I had the funds to buy it (Roman/the club) I wouldn't wait and risk losing it to somebody else. Lampard is a legend and I understand people want to keep hope alive but it's time to face reality. If he was going to get an extension it would have been done a long time ago. As I said earlier I just hope he leaves on a good note because his Chelsea career deserves better than to end with him and his agent using the press to bash the club he says he loves.

So why would the club risk losing Lampard if they think he is good enough and important to the future of the club? Do you think they would allow an important player the chance to speak to other clubs and sign pre-contract agreements with them if they wanted to keep him?

Yes but there is clearly no doubt here. This decision was made a long time ago. What you're not accepting is that players usually sign new deals with 12-24 months left on their contracts. If Lampard was going to get a new deal he would have been given one a LONG time ago.

What you're saying doesn't make any sense. Of course the club knows what it wants to do. Their silence is deafening. Players are given extensions long before they enter the final few months of their deal. If you remember Lampard and his agent began leaking stuff to the press about a new deal early last season. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8959725/Chelsea-manager-Andre-Villas-Boas-reveals-that-Frank-Lampard-has-asked-for-a-contract-extension.html The club wasn't interested then and they're quite clearly not interested now. If you want to keep a player you don't let him enter the final few months of his contract without offering him a new deal.

If the club wanted to give Lampard an extension it would have been sorted by now. He's leaving. I just hope he and his agent don't sour his final months at the club because what they're doing now is disgraceful.

I know it's only a Youtube video and they can make anybody look brilliant but he looks like a very good player. Technically very good, quick and scores goals/assists. For the money that's being quoted this looks like a good deal. The comments on here made him sound like a really poor footballer when he's anything but.

I saw this posted somewhere else and this person apparently has some insider knowledge/source (although to me it just sounds like someone who has kept up with the news and has a good memory):

Chalobah and Feruz.

I don't dislike him. I hope he gets the goals record. I was MASSIVELY pleased for him, Didier, Cech and Cole to finally win the Champions League. It would have been an absolute travesty if they didn't win it once in their careers. He is one of the best players in our most successful period as a club. I have nothing against him.

I'm a Chelsea supporter. I just have different opinions on some things.

AVB and Pep Guardiola are supposedly friends. AVB even dedicated Porto's Europa Cup win to Guardiola. Imagine Guardiola has sought advice from AVB about Chelsea and the players. Maybe Guardiola, who is likely to be our next manager, is behind this? It's an interesting thought.

I hate the retiring of numbers. It's one of them Americanisms that shouldn't creep into football.

Nobody is restricting him to that role. Oscar could easily fulfil the old Lampard role as a LCM if we revert to a 4-3-3 team which is feasible if/when we get a new manager. He looks like a very interesting player and could fill different roles depending on the opposition/injuries/form. To shackle him to one role and one role only is foolishness.

I honestly don't think we've missed him at all since his injury. The games we lost without him would have been lost with him. I am almost certain he's gone once his contract is done and it will be the right decision.

You're ignoring the fact that Oscar is not just an out and out attacking player. He has qualities that would translate better into a slightly deeper position. Just because we signed him as a 10 he cannot evolve into a different player? He's 21! Listen to what you're saying, it's madness.

For all the shame he has bought onto the club he'd be lucky to see the last year of his contract out let alone get an extension. His recent comments about Lampard are about as self-serving as it gets. He knows a Lampard extension in all likelihood means one for him too. That's our club captain.

I said some time ago that I wish we had 3 or 4 Moses' in the squad. If Taison is as good as Moses then this should be a good transfer.

I respect everything Lampard has done for this football club. He is one of our greatest ever players and he deserves a lot of admiration and respect. I just don't like how he and his agent have gone about this and it's become a bit of a circus that follows the club around every game.

Lampard and now his agent are really going all out to make the club look evil. This is so pitiful from them, shows no dignity. They are literally trying to emotionally blackmail their way to a new contract.