Blue Armour

Played well today, and could have scored. Just like Ba, was a very hard worker for the team. I've said it before, but I'm really happy how all three forwards are doing their best despite the average service to them from midfield.

I remember in 09-10 Carlo's Chelsea cruising through the group stages, while Mourinho's Inter struggled to do the same... But when the knockout stages came...well you know the rest..

No doubt about that. Also, like Sidzeret posted earlier, Mourinho felt guilty for not making more changes earlier in the second half. When you look at who's been in and out of the playing eleven, the squad seems largely underutilized. I think this is something Mourinho might be looking to change in the coming weeks, especially with games coming thick and fast in December.

True...I'm just glad we don't have to worry about the last CL group game.... unlike the previous two seasons

Really odd that...would have expected him to start most our matches AND playing on the LEFT wing

Chelsea really need him to get back to the form he showed against Spurs....there are not too many attacking players besides Oscar and Ramires right now stepping up in crunch situations.

Maybe this result may change Jose's mind about Mata...from the recent lineups and substitutions it almost looks like he has developed a phobia of seeing Juan in the playing 11. I didn't see this match, but when I heard about the 4-3-3 lineup the first thing I wondered was why Oscar was being tossed out on the wing, when Mata can do a better job than him over there. Oscar plays better in a central role, and it would have made more sense to play Mata on the wing especially on the right hand side.. With Ramires and Ivanovic to provide cover, there would have been minimal risk to the defensive setup.

Not getting into your argument with Phil, but its clear from the way Mourinho has set up his starting eleven this season, the the only threat to Lampard's spot in the team is Lampard's form (and it will have to be really, really bad), until we added more creative CM's to the squad.

Agree with that...there are still so many ways Mata's situation can pan out.

I think they got in Fellaini more so due to lack of other options. They were really struggling to attract names this past summer,..They brought him just to give some variety to their midfield, and nothing more.

Still wish he and Ivanovic could exchange roles...Maybe its just Jose feels Ivanovic won't be able to contribute anything in attack when playing from the left.

True. If anything I saw Oscar on the right wing more than Ramires...it was more of 4-3-3 today than 4-2-3-1.

I hope Mikel fares better this time around if he does start...Diame went past him easily in the same fixture last season.

Apologies. The way you worded it suggested otherwise.

Don't think that's possible. Southampton are playing really well and will want to finish the season high up the table. There's no way they'll want to make a drastic change midway through the season.

Agree with that. He did show his capabilites in against Bayern and Schalke... Against average PL teams that sit deep and play a physical game, he tends to get bogged down. I think he should be more aggressive against such sides, BUT it would really help him if some of his fellow Attack mids would engage in better movement and release him into better positions.

No doubt about that! I really hope we go in for at least one of Shaw and Clyne...preferring Shaw of course.

Well...there's also the possibility that Lampard isn't suited to the deep midfield role, but Jose doesn't have a choice but to play him there.

Yes, its been the same story with the bigger clubs for a while now..no one is willing to take the risk with breaking younger talent into the first team... Still wish we could buck the trend with Josh...Despite his shortcomings, he does seem to play with more maturity than most players his age.

I don't think you would want that again...like Cahill, he also has a tendency to keep backing away from the strikers until its too late. He's better defending from a wide position

Thought it was strange too, considering Cesar was on the other side...Maybe its just because Cesar wasn't on his natural side... Tell you what, I'd rather put Brana on the left instead and tell him to just stick to defending, if it means Azpilicueta can attack from his favored side..

Couldn't resist: Most of the goals through Drogba's sheer athleticism...was the best option for dealing with PL defenses.

Yes, I think for this match considering how much impact Lampard made with his runs, Mikel would have been a better option to start with. That way he wouldn't have had to make changes to the team at half-time to protect/recover the lead.

That's why we need a new CM. He obviously doesn't trust Mikel's qualities in attack, and Lampard doesn't do much in defense. Its better if he experiments with someone else in the pivot, like Essien or Luiz until a new CM is bought.

I agree that the team should be patient with the ball and keep possession when trying to break down a defense like WBA's , but our methods for breaking them down were incorrect. Passing the ball to Ivanovic every single time was a useless tactic. Mourinho himself has said earlier there was no-one to head the ball in from crosses, so I don't know why he kept pressing with that tactic.