dodojojo

Well with word now that Pastore is joining PSG, Chelsea may more reliant on Yossi to play creative mid. Would have loved Yossi/Pastore/Modric as the passing/creative spine but oh well.

Benitiz didn't rate him as a starter and told him to leave. He also told Alonso he could go too. So, yeah, sometimes Benitiz wasn't so great on judging players. He also had very strained relationships with a lot of his players. Carragher and Gerrard didn't shed any tears over his departure and were happy to see him replaced with Hodgson. In other words, Benayoun's departure wasn't so cut and dry over his form. You're right that he's not going to be Chelsea's savior. For a big club fighting over at least 4 trophies, I don't think you can really pinpoint one player to lead the charge anyhow. But Benayoun will be a great squad player who can alternate between starting and subbing. His skills will unlock a few games. It's also why I don't think the argument that Modric and Pastore aren't needed because Yossi will do the job. No, he can help but in today's football, you can't rely on one player for the entire season.

Best player against Kitchee. Here's his post game interview. Did they snatch him right off the pitch? He sounds like he still trying to catch his breath. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L15JsEELIQY

Ah, doesn't that mean he's not really a good candidate for holding or defensive midfielder? The point of that player is to hold down the fort while the attacking MF goes forward. If the DM gets too far forward too often, you're open to counter attacks. It's a thankless role but someone has to do it.

Aragones was bold, not crazy...actually he is kinda crazy but he's not stupid. Who would bench Villa?

I think Spain lined up as 4-1-4-1 that day because Villa was out because of injuries. I think when he and Torres played together, it was more 4-3-3.

Well, if AVB goes with 4-2-3-1, isn't that one striker? Chelsea have been using strikers as psuedo wingers so that's why it seems normal to have so many strikers on the pitch. Works well for 4-3-3 I suppose. Not sure about 4-2-3-1. Fantasy football? I would use: Brana, Luiz, Terry, Cole Mikel, Modric Yossi, Pastore, Mata Torres And since it's a long season, there are plenty of players to sub all of the above. Josh M for Modric and Pastore. Malouda for Mata, Drogba for Torres, Sturridge for Yossi, Lampard for Mikel, etc. Yossi can go in the middle or wide. No one, no matter how rich their form, is going to play 60 games. BTW, I listed that Spain lineup as a tangent...it wasn't meant to be for Chelsea. I just love watching that version of Spain. More fun than 2010.

I agree. I like it when Torres plays with Fabregas on the Spanish team. Fabregas does tippy tappy but having played in the PL, he understands Torres too. He and Torres started the Euro 2008 Final and no coincidence Torres was MOTM as the lone striker with Fabregas as the attacking midfielder behind him. They also combined to feed Iniesta for the WC winner (one bright spot for Torres' poor tourney!). Too bad he's intent on going back to Barca. PS. having searched for the lineup to confirm my point above, I'm posting the Spain Lineup here: 1-Iker Casillas; 15-Sergio Ramos, 5-Carles Puyol, 4-Carlos Marchena, 11-Joan Capdevila; 19-Marcos Senna; 6-Andres Iniesta, 8-Xavi, 10-Cesc Fabregas, 21-David Silva; 9-Fernando Torres. Love it. I love Luis Aragones only used one holding MF in Senna rather than Del Bosque's two with Alonso and Busquets. It made for much more exciting football. Spain is still awesome of course, but I remember Spain being spectacularly fun to watch in 2008.

I've not always agreed with everyone who says Chelsea need more creative and technical players to help Torres. Spain has plenty of those players too. But they play a very methodical possession heavy game and it's the antithesis of Torres' game. He really struggles with the tippy tappy stuff. Ultimately, Benetiz at Liverpool emphasized counter-attacking. Direct and pacey. That's really at the heart of the system that best suits Torres. The issue with Chelsea is that last season it didn't play a pretty possession game. Nor did it play a quick counter-attack style. It was a third style uniquely suited to the long time players already on the team, more about relying on the strength of its players who attacked in slower waves. When successful, it wore opponents down. When it wasn't, it was very turgid play. I think Torres will do a lot better in AVB's style which is a more direct modified version of Spain's game but it still is not the counter attack style that really makes Torres a happy boy. But it's better than the style played in 2010-11. It's a compromise and it's up to him to wring out the best he can offer in this version. He doesn't really have a choice does he? 4-2-3-1 is a familiar formation for him so that's good. The whole knocking it in the box may not be so especially if it's not a really quick movement. It will mean having Torres play a target man in the box and if the opposing defenders have time to track back, it's really difficult for Torres who needs space. I can see this favoring Drogba more. If it's a style that uses width and crosses into the box but a very quick mode and with plenty of balls for Torres to run onto, then it's much better for him.

Just relieved he's not El Gordo. Will we have El(s) Nino and Flaco at Chelsea soon?

Bizarre that Torres would take a FK. It's only the 2nd time I've seen him do it. He really shouldn't. Damn goal post.

Thanks!!

Im using this link and it's still on cricket news? Have the players reached the pitch>

Well, I guess that means they won't be saying nice things about him then... In today's Daily Fail article by Matt Barlow, he said Torres hasn't spoken to the English press (I'm assuming he means exclusives or one on one interviews since Nando has done team press conferences) since his January signing. He implies it's because Torres is dodging the press because he doesn't want to face the tough questions post his transfer. Great theory....except Torres didn't do a single interview with the English press while he was at Liverpool last season either. And even before that, he did them rarely. This with a club where he was ultra-successful and adored. At Liverpool, he hardly talk to anyone either and he wasn't walking around with a huge grin on his face 24/7. But hey, the press has to continue to paint a picture of a guy who's miserable and won't talk to anyone since he's moved to Chelsea. Newsflash: Torres is a quiet guy and is a bit socially awkward or even aloof. It didn't change just because he moved to London. Why do the press get away with this shit?

Assumptions...that Chelsea will play either Blackburn or Aston Villa on Saturday. But they actually have to win today's game in order to do so...That Drogba is going to play an hour tomorrow and Torres will play the rest. Hong Kong news site claims AVB may play the two together in the 4-3-3. Will know in about 9 hours...

Will Lucas Piazon be considered homegrown? He's already signed though he won't join the team until he's 18 in January?

It's what the press does. They won't let up on him until he goes down on his knees, apologizes for offending Liverpool, being a good enough player to warrant two club record transfer fees in his career and then commits seppuku on the pitch. Then, maybe then, they'll say something nice about him.

AVB starting with the mind games already. He'll have Daglish and Ferguson knocking their knees in fear when the season starts.

Video

What a name! Great shirt sales.

Yeah, weird that he wasn't signed when the fee was lower but will be now that it's 10M higher. That can't be good business.

Twitter...but if true, how does AVB explain signing Falcao if he said Chelsea doesn't really need strikers when talking about Lukaku?

Luis Aragones said before the EU Final in 2008 that Torres was a world class player, like David Villa....when he has space. Just gotta keep working on team play to get the ball quicker to Torres and spot his runs. This will aid in his admittedly poor form in front of goal as he gets into his rhythm. In today's game it was either 3 or 4 players swarming him or Torres running off my little screen and most of time, the ball would go elsewhere. I agree he needs to pass when he's got a herd of players on him but the coaching staff surely should also address why Torres has multiple players on his back once he gets the ball. It was interesting to see Torres and Anelka switch positions for a few minutes in the first half. Torres went wide and deeper and I remember a great pass he made to Anelka. Very, very quick and right onto the path for Anelka and into the box. Would love to see the reverse happening to Torres a lot more often. There was a great ball to him that he did well to control and in any serious game would have been a penalty.

Great call.

Well we know Torres is only playing 45 minutes, he exchanged his shirt with a Thai player at the end of the half.