EskWeston

Lol, not suprised to see this thread get going again...... If we are going to play 4-3-3 then we need to do it properly with wingers, Anelka doesn't want to play that role and he doesn't do it well enough either. The players also who are here to coast till the end of their contracts/careers need to be moved on, Ancelotti and Roman really need to do something this summer. If Roman isn't willing to put the money in to properly freshen the squad up then Ancelotti needs to REALLY give the kids a go. Kakuta, Stoch and Matic are not average players they can make a difference and they should be allowed to show that. If we are going to go into next season with basically the same 11 then we may as well pack it in now.

I have to agree, we did not play well on the night. And Inter's spoiling tactics worked (some of the play acting last night was oscar worthy). However how different things could have been had we been given one of the 2 absolute nailed on penalties last night and the one nailed on penalty in the first leg? Also Drogba's sending off was unbelievable, the guy was (again) all over Drogba's back trying to pull him back and because Drogba stayed up and the Inter Defender went down Drogba accidently stood on him while catching his balance. Dissapointed (but not suprised) to see Sky's edited version of the event this morning showing it from the moment Drogba catches him which makes it looks worse completely cutting the bit before where Drogba is manhandled and then tries to catch his balance.

I'm really not convinced that Carvalho has any more pace than Alex......

Yes that would be a very worthwhile article at the moment because we certainly are a team in transition.... Can't see a single reason why we should drop the in form Alex and play Carvalho, none at all. I will be very dissapointed if Carvalho is playing ahead of Alex. Also i would personally play J.Cole rather than Ballack, i just think Ballack offers us very little now and i would rather someone else who could do something a little different play.

Yes you are right with the wage cut thing and certainly the stories are that Aguero is demanding a very high salery. But Aguero or Pato would be the best signing we could make in my opinion.

It's a shame the whole Jose thing has overshadowed this game. We should have moved on by now and Ancelotti is at the beginning of what i see as a rebuilding project because our squad from the start of this season needs to be looked at and overhauled. It is stupid to compare what Jose did at Chelsea with what Carlo is doing at Chelsea because firstly Carlo hasn't even had a season yet, he may win the treble for all we know and secondly the circumstances are completly different.

It is a very tricky tie this one. How do you play it? Do you concentrate on not conceding? Or you concentrate on scoring enough goals? As i have already said i would hate to be going into the last 15 minutes with a 1 - 0 lead. We only need to look at Barca last season as to what can happen there. Speaking of Barca though being in this same situation when we knocked them out we had the right attitude and we got 3 good early goals. Do that against Inter and they are dead and buried.....

Yeah was looking at the website yesterday, pretty good stuff and love the podcasts, not link to TalkChelsea on there yet though!

Don't like the bloke but you have to feel sorry for him. How well can you expect that Hull squad to do?

Not too sure that Carvalho is as fast as he used to be! I wouldn't think he is much faster than Alex tbh. I would much rather Alex to play from now on because he is now the better defender of the 2. With regards to Turnbull it is very hard to judge anything from the west ham game but he didn't make any errors so that has to go in his favour.

For a player of his age to be playing the DM role is a big deal. Everyone wants him to be as good as Maka, but how good was Maka when he 20/21??? Personally i think Mikel is doing a terrific job and all the time becoming a better player.

Ivanovic or Ashley Cole for me, and i think because of his injury Ivanovic will get the nod ahead of Ash.

Yes by the sound of it the players are well up for this game and will be going out to prove themselves and get through to the next stages of the Champions League which they all very much want to win....

I wouldn't fancy holding onto a 1 - 0 lead with 15 minutes to go.... Would scare the s**t out of me Mourinho with Chelsea never lost at Stamford bridge, Mourinho with Inter at SB is a different matter altogether.

I am pretty confident of this game, Inter didn't look anything special at their place, even though they won we were the better team. I really hope that Ancelotti sticks with Alex to partner JT and doesn't go back to Riccy. I would also be very tempted to swap Ballack for Joe Cole as Ballack for me is doing very little and Joe could spice up the midfield a little. No matter what though the Jose hype is going to be bigger than the game. And hopefully we can come away having gone through and not leave Stamford Bridge with Jose the winner looking very smug..

Not too bothered to be honest. Not sure i would have wanted to rely on him to take England through to the next rounds. Excellent dead ball deliveries but he offeres nothing else....

Mikel always has been a truly excellent player but for some reason he gets a lot of stick and is probably our most underrated player in the squad. But the article does raise another good point and that is are the fans going to allow young players to make mistakes? Well at the end of the day they have do otherwise we will never bring them through. But Mikel is a good example of how a young player can force his way in the first team.

Performance in general has been good again we are paying for not taking more chances and taking a better lead when we were all over them, got caught with goal almost impossible to stop... happens way too often at the moment but that is why we need to capitalize when we are dominating possession. could do with a bit of pace in midfield in my opinion but we are playing well...

Yes, as you say encouraging words from Carlo on the Joe Cole situation. I am sure that something will be sorted out because all parties want it to, and Carlo seems pretty convinced of everything being sorted out too.

Cole has been linked with a move away from Chelsea in recent days, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham all thought to have expressed an interest.But Ancelotti, who has had limited use of the England winger because of a series of niggling injuries, says he is determined to hang onto the player when his contract runs out this summer. "He will stay at Chelsea next year - of that I am 100 per cent clear. He will be in the squad for next year," the Italian said. "It’s my aim and the aim of the club to keep him in the squad because Joe Cole is an important player, a very professional player, and one who has a lot of quality. "For these reasons, we want to keep him.” Speculation suggests there are a number of stumbling blocks in the way of a new contract for Cole - notably the length of the contract, his pay, and the amount of first-team football he is likely to enjoy under Ancelotti. But Blues assistant boss Ray Wilkins claims both player and club are keen to do a deal. “We are desperate to keep Joe. I know the club are and we as a management group feel the same. He is a valuable asset to us," he said. “I have spoken to Joe on numerous occasions and he is upbeat about his future here. "He loves Chelsea. He wants to stay at Chelsea and I’m sure the club and his people will sort the situation out. "We sincerely hope he is here next season." Aside from Cole's situation, the Chelsea management team have a more pressing concern ahead of this weekend's game against West Ham with the news third-choice goalkeeper Ross Turnbull is to be forced into action. Petr Cech is out injured, and with reserve goalkeeper Hilario now also in the treatment room the youngster will be drafted into the starting XI for the game at Stamford Bridge. "Hilario is not able to play tomorrow, so in goal will play Turnbull," Ancelotti revealed. "We don't know if Hilario or Petr will be able to play Tuesday [against Inter Milan in the Champions League] either." Source: Metro

Well that is just typical isn't it, we can never just have 1 injured keeper we always have to have 2!!!! Hopefully Turnbull will be up for it, and Rhys Taylor on the bench.... We are having a tough spell of injuries at the moment and hopefully we can get through it OK..

Kakuta is a lot more 2 footed than what you think, he is better with his right foot than most right footed players are with their left!!!! On to Pjanic i am very happy to see us sign up young talented players, yes we want to bring our own through but our midfield needs some work, Mikel, Essein and Lampard are the main players but we need to build a group to back them up as Deco and Ballack and Belletti are not what we need now. Matic is looking good but we need more and Pjanic would be a decent signing in the summer...

Brazilian teen sensation Neymar is set for a mega-money move to the Barclays Premier League at the end of the season, with Chelsea and Manchester City leading the race to secure his signature. The 18-year-old striker, who has been compared to exiled City forward Robinho, has long been a target of Manchester United. But according to the player's agent, Neymar is likely to be wearing blue next season. Speaking to calciomercato.it, Augusto Frederico Pena said: 'There is every likelihood that Neymar will leave Santos in the summer. I think there are more opportunities for English teams. 'In the Premier League, he is followed by Chelsea and Manchester City, although there is nothing concrete.' It has been reported that Robinho's loan move, and the possibility of a permanent deal to Santos, will give City the first option for Neymar, providing they activate his contract escape clause which is thought to stand at £32million. However, City's plans to land Neymar, may well have been thwarted, after Robinho urged his young compatriot to stay at Santos. The Brazil international said: 'Europe for them is a natural step. They don't need to rush to leave.' 'Many people see Europe and see a thousand marvels because of the Champions League, the marketing, the structure. But it is not that simple. 'You can earn well and be more secure, but the downside is that you are in a different country, with a different language, in a team that is not so well integrated. 'You need luck to fall into a good team with people there to help you.' Source: Daily Mail

Whilst i doubt if this story is true you also have to look at it from the clubs point of view. Joe Cole hasn't performed for us for a long while due to form and injury and now he wants a pay rise at a time when the club are trying to bring down the wage bill. It is a awkward situation and one that i hope gets sorted out but there are 2 sides to this story and they both feel they are in the right....

Well for me i think: Ferreira, Hilario, Ballack, Deco and Belletti - and i would consider also Carvalho on the basis that Alex is a better option in my opinion and Ivanovic is top class also then we can allow Bruma/Mancienne/Hutchinson more game time. I would also question if Kalou and Malouda are the best options we can get at Chelsea for that position.