SeB

You are very harsh Justin... It's nothing new to say that Lampard is a diesel and needs games to perform... Put David Luiz is enough to negociate with the high line and the through balls, to be honest it's not with that Gyan or Bendtner (the guy that was slower to the injured Roger Johnson in the LC Final) that Terry even bell walk will struggle on Saturday. And to be honest I do find sometimes Bran lost when he plays CB and I can't imagine him playing left CB with a player he hasn't played with in central defence, having to ensure covering Cole when he goes forward in the same time than Luiz is also tempted to go forward... Too much unknown in the same time, Villas Boas will make the right choices but right doesn't mean radical, he showed he could be different to Carlo who always waited Kalou to do his shit during 60mn before replacing him. We did always blame the club because it didn't allowed time to managers in the recent past, it's not now that we have to moan because the team is growing increasingly. I do prefer a regular growing than a marvelous start and a breakdown after that. Otherwise I do agree with you about Bertrand

He was/is a decent crosser, otherwise he should have played instead of Belletti at White Hart Lane

He played very well these 3 first games, even with the Ramadan.

I think the look of the forum plays a big part of it's success

Hopefully you kept Rambo , I can't imagine a lineup featuring players such as Bosingwa and Luiz without player who use to cover them when they go forward. Bosingwa's form is mainly due to Ramires' presence and the stability of the team is allowed by Mikel when he switches to CB when Luiz goes forward. But I hope that will become less interdependent ; one of the things I expect from Luiz this season is to be more careful when he goes forward.

Maybe you have forgotten Bonaventure Kalou, he is also a great footballer

He will have the opportunity to learn a lot beside Caldwell and Ronnie Stam it's for sure. Enough kidding, Martinez is a very clever manager and tactically he is also very very good. Several times I noticed he wanted his players to apply elaborated tactics in the game, no doubt that with huge potential materiel and even with a team which could be at his level he can do great things. I can't help to draw a parallel between Moses and Van Aanholt, they are players with huge potential but who has to gain rigor in their play, consistency in a game etc... Martinez used to play Moses parsimoniously before allowing him a bigger time of play this season, it may be the same with PvA who would play increasingly for the first games before he would be near to be indisputable. I see a lot of improvement in the play of Moses, I don't know why Van Aanholt could not have the same success For me, all depends to this season ; it's make-or-break for Bertrand. I hope he will play a significant amount of games in order to convince him to stay. If he stays, I think that the best way not to impeding the progression of Bertrand or PvA is to play one at the LB spot, and the second at the LM spot. And I do agree, PvA should play on the wing because he has an enormous attacking potential but no defensive rigor whereas Bertrand is well experienced, is in perfect running tactically and is very well balanced between the attack and the defense

Martinez has done well with McCarthy and Moses too, Sinclair was restricted to a super-sub role so it's not the best to judge... especially because it was his last loan and he was fed up with these loans. Wigan are really great contenders this season, like Wolves so it will be a great experience for Van Aanholt, he won't have many difficulties to put on the bench Maynor Figueroa

The abduction* my mistake

I like Barton, but the where he was the best was right midfield. Meireles is really incredibly complete and has a better way of regulate the play, a better short pass ability and a better occupation of space, best moves etc... Meireles really allows this alternation between short and long play, and he defends like he goes forward and he is better in a central position than Barton

Good post I noticed something about Mikel, it seems like if he was given new instructions by Villas Boas: he doesn't stop his runs when he arrives on the midfield line and he doesn't hesitate to make himself available higher on the pitch, I noticed that in pre-season and during the first 3 matchs. In the absolute it's not bad because this player is really full of quality (contrary as that people would say or think) and he has a problem that face several modern players, we don't really know where they are the best. In front of the defence, he used to be excellent but when we see his ball protection we wonder if he could not make damages higher on the pitch. Under King Carlo, he was absolutely capital in front of the defense when we played in 4-3-3... but when Carlo switched to 4-4-2, Mikel then was not any indisputable then. What implies that he has to enlarge his palette, he is tactically excellent so it won't be a problem to consider playing him to another roles. Now, it's evident that he is not at his best, you mentioned what happened to his father, this apparent new instructions added to a lack of fitness (he does not feel/like very sharp). But he is actually our only defensive minded player (I mean Romeu is not yet ready) so he has to play tomorrow. But now I don't think it's a good thing to allow Mikel a wider license than he had on the past right now, or midfield is under reconstruction. I don't know if the what Lampard does is a consequence of Mikel way of playing (taking into consideration the abduction, the new instructions and his fitness) or if it's the opposite ; but Lampard is wise and has already started to change a little his way of playing, he is lower his former position on the pitch because he hasn't the energy to make 20 runs in a single game to find himself in a shooting position. But in my opinion it's in part because he hasn't the permanent guaranty to have his sentinel Mikel behind him and he does not want to unbalance the midfield. We have to include Meireles in that implementation (I don't mean it's a problem, I just want to say that because of Mikel and Lampard evolution, it's another parameter to take into consideration). Right now, only Ramires seems to have find his better position, the central right midfielder who do percuss, punch and perforate the adverse first line.

First of all, welcome to you. I pass on the fact that neither Essien (who is a box-to-box) nor Lassana Diarra (if somebody can say to me where plays on the field) are defensive midfielders. I think you do dangerously misunderstood Mikel’s role, especially last season. In fact he did have 3 roles in that season. When we were walking on the water at the start of the season, the team was very high on the pitch; Mikel covered the axis when Cole was forward on the pitch while Terry slipped to his left to cover the flank. Mikel allowed, then, to fluidify the passing game from the left to right in the same time that he did allow the players around him to shine because thanks to his high tactical understanding of the game he was able to compensate the imbalance generated by the tentacular way of domination of the team. At this moment Chelsea did play 3 or 2 behind with the 2 CBs discarded on the two flanks and the lone Mikel covering the axis. I don’t know if you remember how Wigan (rather Martinez) beat us nearly 2 years ago, he gave instructions to lock the wings to prevent the LB and RB to go forward and he gave also the instruction to press the axis. And tactically we were beaten by far that day. Last season, since the Wolves game at home, every team did use this strategy against us, enjoying the tactical failure of Ancelotti (though I’m a big fan of Ancelotti, this tactical aspect has to be underlined) who did change nothing. Cole and Bosingwa were far too up on the pitch at the same time and Mikel did have often to negotiate with one or two players pressing him when he had the ball. And he was just excellent and he limited the damages several times because he was/is able to contain that pressing because his ball protection is very good. The fact is that the two CBs were not bad and responsible for the defeats we did have, Terry and Ivanovic were excellent but where the shoe did pinch was that the axis was exposed and above a certain intensity of pressing that Mikel couldn’t handle anymore, we conceded a lot of goals resulting of a weakness of the axis. The best example is how could Onuoha score his goal at SB ? In a 3 midfield that allows the 4-3-3, Mikel is very important because of his tactical science and his ability to switch between the 2 CBs, his passing even if most of his passes are not the riskiest. On the other hand, in the 2 midfield of the 4-4-2, he was less usefull because he hasn’t enough pace and speed in his game, that’s why Ancelotti dropped him. But in no way Mikel was responsible of such a huge part of the goals we did concede last season, on the contrary he was the man allowing not to concede more goals than we already did. Without him in the first part of the season, we would have been in big big trouble at the winter.

My keyboard has abused me, this is Cole

For me he is good but not yet ready for the top level. One of the things I expect from him this year is to pass a step, in self confidence and consistency on a game... But now IMO he is not (yet ?) worth all we can read everywhere on him, he is not that good. I was far better impressed by Roger Johnson, Ridgewell, Dann this season and even sometimes Wheater gave me a better impression in terms of commitment

But he would be 26 or 27 when we would buy him, I know that defenders can play older than wing players but for me there's no reason to insist on Cahill. Maybe he will improve several things this season to gain his place in the Euro Squad but after all the Bolton games I saw last season, I need to be convinced more than that

It's the same elswhere on another forums, the Kalou case is omnipresent in minds...

Hilario is not Cech in the air, but he has been excellent on his line... Against WBA without him Odemwingie scores the 2-2, no reason to drop Hilario for a player who is not really fit and who can lack rythm even if it's Petr

But there is no really need to hurry him, I think we saw enough Cech's performances when he sees pink elephants so much he has taken painkillers. If Wickham or Bendtner are really considered seriously by Bruce to start the match, Cech's services would maybe be required... But if it's Gyan up front, no need Cech if there is Hilario who has been excellent on his line for the start of July. Larsson and El Mohammady are really in poor form, they did not cross that much since the start of the season so there is no main aerial matter than with another team

Anyway if it's just in order to consider that at one point* Terry couldn't play 60 games/season that we want somebody like Cahill, there is no really need... After all we have Ivanovic and Luiz, Cahill would be 27 or 28 when we would really need him. And before this moment to consider bringing another CB there would certainly be another better opportunuty on the market. Really sad that we did not show more interest in Phil Jones though *: For me, and like for Ash, we can really consider the possibility to start thinking about the life without them. By example in the Cups and some almost won games on the paper, there is no really need to overuse Terry or Cash because they did so for the last months and it resulted usury and tiredness injuries. Terry had his nerve/back problems and when Donovan's boot did hit Cole's ankle, it was like if his ankle was in crystal after so much games weeks after weeks.

That's what I said in Romeu's topic:

Bolton's chairman did say in 2009 that he would ask more or less the same price than Anelka... So now he's nearly regular in the England squad... Anyway they are back to the wall, they have huge debts and Coyle did refuse to let Elmander go last winter whereas his sell could have provided some cash. Interesting to see how long will the fairytale long at Bolton, how long the sporting aspect will go ahead of the financial situation

For me Modric is not decisive enough in the last tier in terms of goals and assist even if his pass are sharp, incisive and he does not miss a lot. I like his way to fluidize the play with his passing, his vertical passes are very good and he is far better when he has the game in front of him. He is not that good in a support role higher on the pitch, that's why he did struggle when he arrived. So I agree, Mata and Modric can play in the same team

Anyway I will watch carefully him playing to see if he has as much concentration springs in a game than last year and if he significantly improves his passing

I do agree, I think this striker has everything, I find him absolutely complete and full of quality. However, the only thing we can see this season is that he seems really out of form. We have to notice that he did start his season later last season, Bruce did really start to play him from the end of September, so maybe he needs more time to be fit. I refuse to think he was on over regime otherwise But against Loserpool and especially against Swansea he did look heavy, slow and awful in his first touches (thing that was incredibly better last season), he did miss several clear opportunity and he was denied by the Swansea GK who is in really good vorm. It's good for us because he really seems to lack sharpness in his movements. And if Bruce has not yet understand that he needs a target man (or a default clinical finsher) to allow a more direct style of play, or disposing of a player (Bent of course) who was able to score goals whatever the situation to gain 10 or 15 points more in a season ; Sunderland will struggle this season. It seems evident for me that the best period of Sunderland in this 3 games were these with Wickham on the pitch... Anyway we don't have to fear them, they are knocked out by Brighton (who were on another dynamic) with a Premier League-like starting eleven. Mohammady is just average, Gardner has to adjust his play, Larsson is discret, Sessègnon plays on AC and does finish terribly bad every action. And of course Bendtner is really a sheep.

I keep thinking he's overrated and not that interesting in the absolute... When we did draw at Blackburn in the end of the double season, you might all remember Phil Jones ? I did not stop following him since that first match, I did think at the moment he had something special, calm and self confident, incredible defensive quality... He did just muzzle DIDIER DROGBA in his first game, it says all We should have take him, he is going to be one if not the best CB in the world... LP1905, where does your source come from ?