Blue Armour

According to the latest Blues news, neither Fernando nor Ashley are likely to make it for the Cardiff match. Still, things could change tomorrow.

I remember saying last season, that Ivanovic would be a player Mourinho would love to work with because of his workman like attitude. Now Mourinho's back and Brana's a sure starter for every match. No surprises there.

And that's yet another Chelsea midfielder on target for this week..ironic that Lampard didn't complete the set.

Watch before it gets taken down. Good goal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsGkZJRM60Q

I haven't watched him at Leverkusen I admit, but as others have stated, his inconsistency coupled with the added pressure of scoring when playing upfront, does not make a strong case for him to start in that position. Definitely not on a regular basis, at least.

Really miss the Didier Drogba days with Chelsea

If you want things to get weirder... I've noticed that he also jogs on the pitch with his thumbs up..

Problem is that he wanted guaranteed playing time with the first team. Now that he has it, I hope he can realize the potential he showed in his early years here.

My point as well. Hope he gets an extended run with the first team some time in the future, although I'm afraid people are going to judge him by his performances with championship level sides.

Agree with both points but not completely. Ba is the most effective forward against physical defences, but I feel Eto'o is the best at unlocking organized ones. I would put Torres behind Eto'o but ahead of Ba in that regard. That's why I feel you can't definitively say that Ba is an overall much better forward than Torres for us.

Well he has had his good showings against teams like Arsenal and Bayern. Irregardless of the Torres myth, I refuse to believe that Ba is a better option than Torres. He's a better targetman maybe, but that's about it.

Well, Torres has had more "good days" than Ba, after the latter arrived here. Ba did play fewer matches, but an in-form Torres offers more than targetman Ba, which is why he'll be likely to start most of the coming matches (as long as he maintains form of course)

Happy that Jose's got all three forwards working hard and motivated..which is sometimes difficult when none of them are guaranteed starters... Ba the targetman, Eto'o for possession based play, and Torres for everything in between.

Hardly involved after the break, but that was more down to the way the team approached the game after that.Chelsea played mostly on the counter and like Bluesmaster said, the team often bypassed Oscar and Mata in midfield in favour of pinging the ball to Ba.

Despite not having the best of support while he was here, Sturridge has a lot of respect for the club and its senior players like Drogba. A great talent, and I will certainly hope he continues to develop as a player.

Surely you would admit that Mata was not at 100% in the first few weeks of this season...in that case he wasn't fit to start

Best CM pair? Why answer? Its clear there will be a lot of rotation involved for both pivot positions. All I know is Ramires and his energy are the most vital components for our double pivot.

Happy with BOTH Eto'o and Torres so far this season...Hopefully the latter gets fit soon and both can start firing in the goals. (It still feels surreal thinking about it...imagine someone told you 4 seasons ago, that we would have both Eto'o and Torres as a strike-force)

Agreed, but Frank was a tank in Jose's first few seasons here. No surprise he kept on going game after game

That's because the maggots are afraid of Fergie...Mourinho always tries to keep civil in front of the press, so when he does it they start sharpening their knives

Not many opposition managers would admit to that...fair play to AVB.

Point gained I would say, about this match. Top 6 opponent, and an away ground. The win could have been there, but Mike Dean went and made a mess of this match. I said Torres would start in this kind of match, and I'm happy he has justified his selection. Hope he plays again soon, and keeps the momentum. Mata, showed Mourinho that he can fit into his plans. Top professional. Hope he can keep this level of work-rate going

This. Its not about bias towards any player. Its not about Torres vs Eto'o or Torres vs Sturridge. There's no Didier Drogba in the squad, so its quite clear Mourinho will be switching between Eto'o and Torres, and possibly Ba depending on the type of team we're up against. And yes, Torres HAS shown THIS season, that he can be reliable when called upon..and I hope he can continue to show that kind of form. Its not as if everyone has forgotten about those goal droughts he has had in the past..

Miss Andy Gray's tv commentary...especially for those Michael Essien shots

Last season Romeu, and now Van Ginkel...well at least we have a backup for a backup in Essien this season.