CHOULO19

That was quick...

Gerard goal! I'm a little ashamed, I never thought I'd shout 'Get In' after a Gerard goal

Exactly, both he and evans slid two-footed for the ball, and Shelvey was the one who actually got it. If the ref thinks their is reason to send off shelvey then there is reason to send off Evans as well!

I was hoping the red cards go the other way

Quick question: Why Turnbull? I still have nightmares of the last time he played in goal for us in a competitive match. I'd much rather see Blackman in goal.

Oh f*ck off Shelvey

I hate Looserpool, but they are no longer our rivals, so I'm hoping they win and a few red cards.

^^ Legend.

I thought so too at first, but in the reverse angle it looks very much intentional.

Still way too early in the season, and you left out Marin and Moses.

Yeah have that Barcelona

A bit of a goal keeping error but that would do a world of good to his confidence. I hope he keeps his starting spot.

MOTM for me, excellent performance and was essential fro getting other players especially Oscar in the game. And what a brilliant and classy assist.

A great performance today, much better than the one vs Juve. I hope he can keep performing consistently and keep on improving.

Now to just sit back and watch the matches tomorrow. A liverpool win and a draw at the Ettihad would be perfect.

That, my friends, is a sign of champions, or so they say.

Athletico are in a huge financial crisis, there is no way they can afford Torres' wages.

Having watched him for the first time at Boro, I realized that one of the main reason why he is playing so well there is the freedom that he is given by the manager to roam. He was literally everywhere yesterday.

Hunger and revenge alone don't win you games, tactics do. Regardless of the context of the game, there is no denying that parking the bus was very effective at limiting Barcelona's chances. Their tiki taka style is to practically pass the ball into the net, we had 7-8 players in the box at all times so they were unable to pass the ball into the danger area; it's really that simple. Since they were playing with a false nine and didn't have a proper striker, they couldn't make any use whatsoever of their pieces and they couldn't utilize the space we left on the wings. If we play with a false nine, I expect the exact same thing to happen to us every time we play a team that parks the bus, especially with our horrible crossing. Ever wondered why Manu always seem to get goals when they need them in stoppage time, so much so that they call it 'Fergie Time'? It's because in stoppage time, if utd are not winning, the other team puts everyone behind the ball, and as it happens utd are the best team at breaking down the bus. It's not just luck as most our fans claim, Manu have Wingers and Fullbacks who constantly and consistently put decent crosses in the box and they have two strikers who make runs and are clinical finishers. That, my friend, is the only way to break down the bus.

Just made a brilliant brilliant run. Playing very well tonight.

Artinho just wants to let you all to know that he will stop logging in from Monday. Very sad to see someone like him go. His contributions will be missed.

That would be a great argument if what you said was actually true. However, Arsenal always struggle against the likes of Stoke who park the bus, in fact since the promotion of Stoke to the PL, Arsenal have only won once at the Britania, lost 3 and drew 1. That is a terrible record for a top 4 team against relegation battlers. The reason for that is, because as you said Arsenal only have pace and quick passes, that will get you no where with 7 defenders in the box. All Stoke and Westham do is lump the ball forward to the striker, so they rarely leave space for you to exploit with pace. You can have all the pace in the world in your team but when you hit a wall of defenders you will stop. Bottom line is, the bus beats the tiki taka, we proved that in the CL last season against Barcelona.

Prematch interview:

Fluid? Great! Another football term that I don't understand

I'd argue we have already been playing with a false number 9 and I for one have been moaning that we need a proper striker who makes runs in the box if we are achieve anything this season. Besides, the playing style associated with playing a false 9, i.e. tiki taka keep the ball until tomorrow bullshit, first contradicts with Chelsea's identity and more importantly does not work in the PL. I would like to see Barca score against the like of Stoke, Westham...etc.