Blue Armour

Glad to hear that Mourinho did not intend for the intensity to die out in the 2nd half...looks like he wants to keep the floodgates open for as long as possible. Could very well mean that there are quite a bit of entertaining games ahead

Yeah, based on us signing Drogba that's my expectation too.... if we do go in for a striker it will be in Jan, especially if we can't make room for a non-HG player in this window.

His twitter page background is all Chelsea..

Another brilliant assist from Rami, as he slowly makes his way back to the starting 11... His critics are going to have hard time stomaching this...

Another brilliant assist from Rami, as he slowly makes his way back to the starting 11... His critics are going to have hard time stomaching this... EDIT : Oops...wrong thread ,time for take 2

Ha,,..I remember when my stream got stuck when it was 2 vs. 1 on the screen and I was thinking it was a sure goal...then the stream refreshes and Matic has appeared from nowhere with ball at his feet...incredible.

As is usually the case there's no real benefit to judging Hazard (or really any player for that matter) during pre-season. I don't think he takes these matches seriously..and that did prove to be the case last season. The step up in performance when our first truly competitive fixture against Bayern came up last season was huge.

People were saying that forever during last season...

I don't think it was really case of us being a better club...he (and for that matter, Torres) never suited our style of play. And tbh, we didn't really have a style of play. We probably did have one during the first few months of the season, but Mourinho sacrificed it to allow for more solidity at the back,

Yep....its been a problem ever since AVB's sacking. And while its not an excuse for Torres, its no wonder the guy has been below par with the kind of service he's getting... The positives now are that we've taken a step forward in fixing our issues in central midfield, and we now have a striker(s) that are not 100% dependent on a quality pass to create chances

Yep...maybe not quite the same as Ronaldo, Rooney (that younger Rooney), and Tevez but a potentially deadly front-line. Personally enjoy competing against a team like United in the league...City for all their squad strength don't really seem to have the bottle to convincingly take hold of the league.

As much as I would like to see him start more often,.... fully agree with this point. I don't think Mourinho is going to allow him to just slot into the starting 11 too soon. Especially due to the lack of match fitness from pre-season

Switch Torres and Drogba in your statement and I think you'll be right..Mourinho's clearly looking to deploy Torres as the second striker because he knows he can't score for himself.

Probably its because he doesn't want to attract any buyers until the window ends..

And the problem continues...

No doubt about it..even if Lampard was more than aware of the possibility, this was the City's doing. Pellegrini and his mind games..yuck..

Drogba may not be what he used to be...but I still love how the other players like Brana and Terry get fired up when he steps onto the pitch.

I hesitate to even ask..but was his shot which was saved by the keeper's out-stretched foot our best attempt at goal in the game?

Hmm...might be a good idea to invest in a backup striker... Cavani doesn't seem a bad choice does it now...?

2 years ago I would have said you lost it...when he arrived here I was one of his biggest detractors, and absolutely hated it when he started games over Drogba. But after the Benitez season and the last one, I can see that Torres' poor record is not entirely his fault. Service has indeed been appalling. Granted he doesn't have the same fitness and the man has missed plenty of guilt-edged chances during his time here, but that's typical of any forward who hasn't settled into a good run of form or games for that matter..he really is a confidence player. The change from being labelled as top 2 or top 3 in the world to almost championship level flop is not easy for any player to take. And yes, it would be better for him to pack off to another team though I suspect Mourinho rates him for his work ethic (yes I think he actually does) and wants to use him as a utility player.

City have steadily becoming a thorn in the backside...I hope we wipe them out this season.

This.

Its probably part of their marketing strategy...they know the world cup is the time when a lot of mainstream/neutral fans watch... They then pick the brightest talents from the tournament and probably attract a pack of neutral fans along with it,...no wonder their fan-base is huge.