CHOULO19

I hate to sound like a heartless business man, but I think we should use these good performances by Essien to get a better price for him in the market. He's not young anymore and is still, despite these signs, a BIG gamble. He is still rated highly in the world despite his injuries, we should take advantage of that before he gets older and we have to let him go for free.

Honestly, I'm more concerned about his movement and positioning. He can work on his touch, but a strikers movement should come instinctively to him. But I am still reserving judgement on Romelu till he gets regular playing time.

It doesn't have to be a 50 yard defense splitting pass to be a good one. I used the word "Intelligent" because Josh very rarely plays the obvious pass, even if it is a side-way pass, his composure on the ball allows him to often find the player is space despite the opposition pressing. Another sign of intelligence is that he always knows when to switch play from side to side, if you re-watch the match you'll see that he did that a couple of times as well. But as I said in my first post, he still needs a lot of work because he is still being bullied off the ball by more powerful midfielders. With all due respect, do the majority of your posts need to be this generalized? Try to address specific points so we can have a genuine discussion.

Usual tricks by players to get a better contract. I love Lamps, but if he doesn't accept a wage cut, it's probably best if he leaves next season.

Thank fuck you're not our manager. Kevin was everywhere in the first half; he showed great stamina and excellent work ethic imo. He covered and helped Paulo out every single time. His defending is excellent for a midfielder though he obviously prefers to play more centrally. His link up with Hazard was a joy to watch. He was, imo, our best attacker in the first half. I think the boy has a very bright future.

Not quite. He was actually excellent when he featured for Fullham in the cup and even scored but was not given more chances for reasons beyond my comprehension. In France, he was Dijon's best player since he went there, so I think he has earned a chance that is longer than 45mins that the team didn't manage to create anything in.

Had a good match, and excellent goal, but let's try not to hype him.

It is just one match people! If that match is the benchmark then Cahill should be sold as well.

Tired, went to sleep at 5 because of last nights match and woke up at 9

First half was not good from us. The defense looked completely off the pace, especially Cahill. Hutch looked like our most solid defender, but they looked like they can break our offside trap at will, though their goal was fairly lucky. Offensively we couldn't manage to anything at all, only shot on target came from a 40 yard Lampard FK. Lukaku's positioning and runs were abysmal, and just like the first match, the three behind him seem to be too far up the pitch when we are in possession which forced Lampard and Mikel to play long balls that Romelu is clearly unable to hold up. Hazard looked nothing like the previous match and lost the ball way too often. De Bruyne and Lampard were our best players in the half. Second half we had Essien and Mikel in the double pivot so it's natural to say that we retained the ball much easier; the former was bossing the midfield (Like an African dictator, as someone on here put it :lol; ) but on the offense only Marin seemed to be able to do something; one particular chance was brilliantly done where he dribbled three defenders into the pen area and should have had a pen after being impeded by the keeper. That changed fast when we brought in Cole, Malouda, and more importantly Piazon. The goal was a great one-two between him and Rambo, topped with an excellent finish. Defensively, we looked sooo much more organized with JT on, PSG only had one clear cut chance in the second half which they squandered. Malouda on the other end missed our best chance to win it from 8 yards out. MOTM Marin. Hazard: Some of his touches ooze class, but as I said he was no where near as effective as he was in the first match. Lukaku: :banghead: Movement was terrible, can't hold the ball up, couple with his usual abysmal first touch resulted in us not creating a single chance in the first half. Josh: Came on for the last 30 mins, looked his usual composed self, played some excellent intelligent passes and recovered very well every time we lost the ball. But still he was bullied off the ball a couple of times by the opponents. Piazon: He might be playing as a left winger with the youth squad, but his movement is that of a striker. He did look a bit nervous at times, but some of the runs and movements he does are both instinctive and classy. The goal he scored was only one of many runs he made, but unlike Malouda, Ramires was able to find him in the box. The finish was exquisite as well. De Bryne: Was everywhere in the first half: good stamina and excellent work ethic. His defending is a real asset for the team. Unfortunately, on the offense he had very little to work with. His link-up with Hazard was the highlight of our first 45 mins. Hutch: Looked by far our most solid defender in the opening half. He came under a lot of pressure but managed to handle it every time. I really think he a viable option at RB, I would trust him in any game. Kakuta: Was just trying too hard. He always tracked back, but his defending is terrible. On the offense he tried to do too much at a time and ended up not doing anything at all. Marin: Looked very sharp since coming on. Quick feet and excellent change of pace to beat defenders easily. Was the only one who was genuinely looking to create something for long periods of the second half. In short, a man of the match performance by the little German. Hope that gives you a better idea about the match

I think it was the camera angle that made it looks so. Or a little bit of both.

Very solid. Came under a lot of pressure in the first half but managed to deal with it every time. I was really impressed with him, today he managed to convince me that he viable option option for us rely on.

Two: Marko Marin!

Good game. Hopefully RDM and the team can learn a few things from this one. A draw is just about right in the end.

3 added mins. Hope we can sneak a winner, Marin deserves a goal.

Great pick by Cole but Malouda needed to place it better.

Great finish Piazon1 Excellent one-two with Rambo.

The awkward moment when Piazon's movement in the box is 10 times better than Lukaku's.

How was that not a pen?

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/81471/1/watch-chelsea-tv.html

No, we sent him (Bamford) home.

We have reportedly signed 17yo Slovenian CB Emir Dautovic for a fee of 1m according to the independent. Maybe Artinho could tell us more about him?

That sounds like a trailer to a bad movie Just drop it, please. His suspension is over and he can return if he wants.

Individually, but not with the rest of the team.

Try to relax people, it's just a friendly match with a lot of young players involved. Haven't we been crying for youth integration for years? Well, here it is. Do try to enjoy it.