GodZola

Saha has been on fire for them recently & he always scores against us, he is our nemesis so thank fook he is not playing! Everton really make it hard for us every time we play them & can't see it being any different on Saturday. Mind you we did beat them in the FA cup final which over the past 5 years or so would be the one we would want to win. I really cannot predict which way the tie will go but would like to see MacEachran start, I think Ancelotti will probably use the same back four, Drogba, Mikel & Kalouless will almost certainly start for Torres, Essien & Anelka respectively, Lamps & Maloulda will probably get the nod, It's just a question of whether he starts Josh or selects Ramires from the off? Wouldn't be my selection but just trying to second guess Ancelotti as he has recently used the term 'Rotation' are we about to see the second coming of the 'tinker man'?!

That's true, but that's for another debate fella.

That's true, but that's for another debate fella.

Well we won our first 2 titles without him &-played some of the best football for some time by winning our last title and it was no coincidence that Mikel was injured for that period, where Ballack was just majestic in that role.5 seasons, how many goals? How many assists? He is not top class, whereas when Essien is fully fit, is. If we go onto win the CL with Mikel being instrumental, I wil gladly eat humble pie but I very much doubt it.

For goodness sake man, before his injuries Essien was lauded as the best DM in the world - without question & these words were coming from pro' s, pundits & managers alike but what the fuck do I know! Ancelotti style? Yeah, he can't even get the poxy formation right let alone a style of football but its apt that Mikel has been benched by Ancelotti & not Essien but as I stated, he should of been. The end of the day l don't rate Mikel, you & the masses on here do, when Essien gets back to hid best then you & the clones come back & tell me who is the better player. Oh & by the way its not just me who thinks Essien should be pushed further up the pitch but if its given you a laugh them I'm glad i've done something for you!

What consistentcy?!

I totally agree that Essiens talent should be utilized in a more offensive position but because Lampard has been so successful as the attacking midfielder he hasn't got a look in, he is still better than Mikel at the DM position for reasons that I have already given. I seem to be the minority on here but its strange that when I listen to pundits, Steve Claridge the latest one on 606 to back up my argument, It's a little difficult to see the masses point of view on here, That said LDN, i would rather Ancelotti dumped the role when we play frustrating defensively minded teams in favour of a more offensive, attacking formation.

I'm not talking about 2 games mate, I'm on about the last 5 seasons where he has had some decent spells - ala lDN, about his form at the start of the season but too many average performances have made my mind up about him I'm afraid. It's just my opinion of course.

& everybody & I mean the world & his brother was stating Essien was the best DM in the world before his career threatening injuries, if you lot think Mikel is a better player than Essien then I'm Franco Zola! I know first hand what it's like to come back from a ruptured anterior ligament & I've still got the 4 inch scar to show for it, Essien will get better with more games & it may take him til next season to get back to his swashbuckling best but just to show that I have a diverse opinion I don't think he sould be amumed from the chop either as he has been struggling for form too.

lDN I concur with just about everything you posted. Imho, its whats gone wrong on the pitch & the things directly associated to it that has got my goat up this season. Letting Carvalho go without a replacement was a blunder especially with Alex & JT both having injuries, we them sign Luiz - 6 months to late. Letting Ballack go was a catastrophic own goal, he is sorely missed in our midfield & boy doesn't it show with our lack of invention, he could play in the hole, he could of helped Ramires & nurture Josh, he wanted to stay & was prepared to take a pay cut! Next came ' Butch' Wilkins sacking that still today had absolutely no logic to it - baffling?! I've been posting on other forums about playing out talented youth before I joined this one, until Ancelotti starts dropping the out of sorts senior players then he won't get a reaction from them, all 5 youngsters should of been used at some point & I'm talking games not poxy 20 minutes hear & there. I could accept them not getting a chance if the team was playing well & still in the race for the title but let's face it we've been abysmal & the team is crying out for change. Danny Sturridge is proving our point at Bolton. Ancelotti's tactical knowledge, formation & the fact he doesn't know how to motivate players in a way Jose could is also very worrying, I like the guy but he has to start getting things right very quickly or I think he will be gone in the summer. lastly I read an in-depth independent financial report about whether we will meet the European financial regulations & without going into it, we are nicely placed & the views of the writer was very encouraging.

As of already stated Justin, I don't rate Mikel, squad player yes but for me he is never get passed Lessen who is by far a more superior player despite his lack of form coming back from 2 serious injuries will take time but he will get back to his best, despite his slow start Ramires is impressing me with each game, that leaves young Josh who for me will be world class if he is nurtured to continue his rapid rise up the pro ladder. Lastly it has come as no surprise to me that Mikel had been benched in the last 2 games, I would however be very happy for him to prove me wrong & will apologies to you, Styles & co, but I won't hold my breathe!

Well unless I am complete dumbass, you have, including in your reply to me! Mikel is simply not good enough, he doesn't really offer anything offensively, gets caught in possession to frequently, does not distribute the ball quick enough & lastly he has no pace. So he had a decent game against Villa but how many games has he played well? How many goals has he scored in 5 seasons? How many assists? Ramires has already scored more league goals! I respect your opinion but I do agree with you nor do most pundits, fellow fans & neutrals that l speak to. The only time we need him is when we play teams like Barca or Arsenal who will attack us but even then I would prefer Essien & Ramires ahead of him. As l stated until Ancelotti finally changes the system against defensively minded teams we will drop more points, MacEachran must start games against sides that just defend, technically he is ready, has vision, & will open up teams that 'park the bus' he just needs to develop physically & I'm sure the club have a programme mapped out already for the final piece to polish off our future diamond.

I can't believe some of you think Mikel is an option for the answer to our lack of creativety in our midfield, he is far too slow in moving the ball forward & lve said before Ballack showed them all how to play in that role when he was put in there in the last 15 odd games last season that was instrumental in us winning the title last season, we miss him more than many realise - we finally find a home for him on the pitch where he was excellent & we let him leave! The problem is Ancelotti, he sets us up with too many defensively minded players against teams that put the bus upfront of the goal, when he should sacrifice a holding midfielder for Josh MacEachran who can open up defences with his superb vision. We don't need 4/5 or even 6 players at the back picking their arse when sides are playing with 1 or even no8ne up top as in Liverpool's case & with the exciting Luiz we could play a back 3 against these f'in frustrating defensive teams, thus once we score we can revert back to a four thus the opposition have to come out. Yes we lack width but Maloulda has no pace is out of form - yet again, give me a half fit Robben any day & I'm not even going to start on about kalouless. In essence Ancelotti must play a different system for attack/defensively minded teams this will in turn benefit the whole team let alone our midfield but unfortunately Ancelotti is no Mourinho & I think we will continue to perform below par until he makes the necessary changes to formation & personnel.

My apologies if i have repeated a previous post but havn't got time to scroll through 33 pages. Until Ancelotti starts playing a more attacking formation from the start of games then we will continue to struggle against teams that put 9 or 10 players behind the ball. We only need one holding midfielder not 2 or even 3 sometimes! We need a midfielder with vision that can unlock the door against sides that play for a draw, step forward Josh MacEachran.......oh forgot Ancelotti doesn't trust out younger players he f'in well ships them out on loan instead of putting them in ahead of some of the senior players that havn't performed all poxy season! Why the fook did he take Torres off when we need to score?! You need your firepower on the pitch & not on the poxy bench with 20 minutes to go. Torres & co upfront won't stand a chance until Ancelotti starts getting the formation right as they will not get any service, sadly I think Carlo is setting us up not to lose rather than starting with an attacking lineup that can create chances thus going a goal up & then making these defensive teams come out which will then give us the opportunity to exploit them as they leave themselves open ay the back.

Makelele was tiny but was simply magnificent in that role so you dont have to be a giant to play there. That said i would be absolutely horrified if Ancelotti is grooming MacEachran to play in that role, he has far to much ability to be playing there and needs to be nurtured to play as an attacking midfielder maybe in the same role as Lamps.

I hear what you are saying and in the scheme of things you are spot on regarding the fact that he has got himself into hole and is too afraid to make changes but it was no coincidence that he put in the younger players against Ipswich and we see a totally different Chelsea, i know people will be saying it was only Ipswich (they went on to be beat the Gooners though!) but that result will go a long way in restoring confidence to the squad and should give Ancelotti some food for thought but unfortunately i think we will see a return of the old gaurd against Blackburn when he could use that performance last week as a 'springboard' for the younger players, to use them more frequently and as i've already stated to drop some of the senior players including A Cole and Malouda, 2 names you forgot to mention!

This has been my point for weeks, Ancelotti needed to shake things up after 5 or 6 games into this poor run of results, the senior players who are simply not performing need a big size 11 up their overpaid arse to get them playing and giving 100% again and you will get reaction if you start dropping them, Ancelotti has failed to do this and consequently the players know they can continue playing badly and still be picked every week. We have 5 quality young players that are champing at the bit to play so why not use them to give them some much needed experience and for me its a win-win situation for Ancelotti as he can use them to drop the senior players and therefore get a reaction to spur them into performing again. I also agree that Ancelotti has to change the formation, we are playing far too deep and with Mikel, Ramires and or Essien playing behind the back four there is little or no service to the attackers, i would like us to go back to a 4-4-2 formation with Drogba and Anelka up top, with Lamps in behind and Sturridge and Kakuta flying on the flanks, Essien mopping up the scraps and i would also put in Van Aanholt ahead of Cole. I would also give Bruma a run at right back and make sure MacEachran gets more game time, lets face it we can't do any worse than we are now! Ancelotti has kept with the same formation and the same personnel through this poor spell when Jose for example would of ripped things apart long ago including some of the senior players, he would also not let the likes of Carvalho or Ballack leave and would of made a stand for Wilkins so for me he has to -; 1, Grow some bollocks. 2, Stop being underminded. 3, Ask to be given a kitty to get at least 2 quality players in the window. 4, Change Personnel and give youth a chance. 5, Change formation. If all that fails then we Fucked!

What game were you watching or were on on Mars when this game was being played? We created 4 decent scoring opportunies none of which were difficult to take but as ever they are falling to poxy Kalouless who cant hit a barn door, Malouda AND Anelka also should of scored and that is partly why we have been losing are way recently. Where in my post did i say or believe we controlled the game? What i did say was that we CREATED 4 decent chances and also hit the post and the fact you didn't see those chances tells me you obviously didn't watch the game or you dont have Scooby Doo?

Firstly the game, we had 4 decent opportunies with Kalouless missing 2, Missalouda 1 and finally the Anelka miss at the end and not too mention Drogba hit the post so for a change we actually created chances to win the game! Those that are not blaming Ancelotti also are simply naive as he has as much to do with this poor run as the players. Not once has he decided to make changes to personnel that are playing shite, Kalou, Mikel, and Malouda have been poor for weeks, Drogba not far behind but has a slight excuse, joining that lot are Essien who is not been himself and A Cole is having his poorest season since he has been with us. Most of them should of been dropped to the bench at different times to shake them up and make them realise they are not ammuned from the chop, Jose or Ferguson would of got to the bottom of the rot 5/6 games ago by making changes and therefore ensuring the players start giving their all, Ancelotti has to do the same and hopefully after Sundays game when the ypounger players have performed he can drop some ego's. Ancelotti stated that the young players were ready at the start of the season so why not bloody well use them! Sturridge is far superior to Kalouless but never gets a start, Kakuta is a future star and should be given a run ahead of Malouda, Van Aanholt imho is ready now and i hope he gets in on Sunday as this will give Cole a huge jolt, MacEachran will be some player and has the one thing lacking in our side at the mo and thats vision but he needs time to develop but still should be given a game or 2, Bruma impressed me on Sunday but is a tad unfortunate as JT and Ivanovich along with Cech are the only players with credit but i believe Bruma could be better utilised at right back which has been our nemesis for a few years now. Ancelotti doesn't know how to change things like Jose could but those of you who state that a formation change wouldn't make difference are also wrong - he had to change things last season when Essien, Mikel, Kalouless, and particularly Drogba were at the African nations cup, we were a totally different side when Anelka played up top on his own so Ancelotti can do it but for some reason is lost for ideas and he MUST shoulder some of the blame, he needs time and we need stability so i hope the club give him some money to buy a couple of quality players to improve the squad but i also hope he starts using our talented younger players who are bursting at the gut to play.

In a nutshell, NO! For me he is far too slow in speed and in getting rid of the ball, he doesn't get involved enough in the business end either, good squad player but thats as far as my praise for him will go i'm afraid! Ballack showed us all how to play in that role and i couldn't believe we let him go as we finally found a home for his ability, it was no coincidence that we were destroying teams in the last 10/15 games of last season, i would like to of seen Ballack being given a 2 year contract and that way we could of blended in Ramires instead of throwing him at the deep end so to speak. I agree though that Mikel's game would be better suited in Italy and would let him go for decent fee so we could use that to buy a couple of quality players to re-invigorate our lack of confidence squad.