OneMoSalah

Watched Dortmund play against Mochengladbach on BT sports, despite Christensen looking horribly out of his depth, Reus was great. To be fair the first half was an absolute masterclass in terms of pressing, they kept winning the ball up high and if we tried to play like that it would be great, guys like Hazard, Willian, Oscar winning the ball high up having more space, in threatening positions.. really impressive performance by BVB.

I think up against a bigger physical player like Kolarov he would of been a better option than Ramires. I know thats maybe not always essential but Kolarov is a powerful boy, like Ivanovic is and Moses is a bit less flimsy than Ramires to be fair but City physically dominated us in every area of the pitch so it wouldn't of helped as much. He should of started on the wing ahead of Rami anyway, in a 4-3-3 Rami yes useful but as a RW in a 4-2-3-1 not always helpful.

Probably but at the same time they have Kroos and Modric who are nailed on to start as well as Isco, Kovacic himself, Casemiro, Illarramendi and also Lucas Silva to contend with for a place. James will probably be first choice in that more advanced role too. Can see Lucas Silva and Illaramendi going but Kovacic can also play closer to the striker too so it could fill both positions although Isco played in Modric's position too when he was injured for a few months last season.

I could be wrong but I think Kovacic could be someone they have in mind for when Modric starts to decline, I know he's hardly 38 but long term it would work. Don't know if his game is too indifferent or not but I've not seen as much of Kovacic under Mancini. Someone will have to go at Madrid though, Kroos, Modric and James will be the starting players in that midfield. The fact they have used Bale as a 10 in a few pre-season games too is interesting but still yeah Kroos, Modric and James will probably be their first choice then they could have Casemiro, Kovavic and Isco as back ups. Lucas Silva and Illarramendi have very much been outcasts at Madrid since going there.

Juventus are trying to sign Isco because Kovacic is going to Real. They are apparently trying to offer 40-50M euros or one of these alternative deals 1) with Morata involved in it to lower the fee 2) 1 year loan 3) insert a buy back clause. Seen it on Marca. If he becomes avaliable he's the sort of guy we should look to get, he is a class player who has everything in his locker and is incredibly versatile. Would take him in a heart beat.

He is a good player but 40M euros plus the loan of a 32M pound CB they bought last year... weird.

I'm still shocked how he managed to have 2 decent seasons for Fiorentina basically playing as a second striker because by god he has some of the worst control I've seen since Torres and also Ramires at times.

Fuck me Mikel didn't even start today, came into one of the most one sided matches we've ever been involved in for however long and is STILL getting slated for wasting a 'squad place'. Typical... wankers. At least he wouldn't of been out of position as much as Fabregas or Matic both were, actually surprised he didn't start but it would of taken a lot more than Mikel starting to stop the demolishing we got today.

Cmon man Courtois is like 4 years younger, already a world class keeper and only going to get much better. Begovic is far too good to be a number 2 but he wouldn't of played if Courtois wasn't suspended.

He would of proved me wrong if he stayed here, knuckled down and stopped thinking he was that 18 year old who scored 30 odd goals in the Belgian league where it is basically mickey mouse level. He missed a penalty in the super cup and went on loan for some strange reason, which Mourinho told journalists to ask him about why he did, which is fair enough I suppose but to come back to Chelsea at age 21 or 22 and demand to lead the line ahead of Diego Costa? Who the fuck does the guy think he is? He would of played here as a second choice that is the funny thing, eventually he could of played as first choice or even in tandem with Costa but no he wanted to go play at an average club who will never compete for a PL title. How many 21, 22 or 23 year olds start at a huge club who compete for titles every year at a high standard? Apart from the exceptions like Neymar at Barcelona? Everybody starts somewhere, if you have to work your arse off to get into the Chelsea team so be it, he had the opportunity to and decided he didn't want to so asking to go to Everton because he wouldn't be first choice here, to me looked like he was showing a lack of ambition, you could go play every week for Everton again or you could come back, work hard, improve playing with better players, still play quite regularly... look how many games Drogba got aged 37 ffs... but no he chose not to. So to me, perhaps not others, a lack of ambition. His time will come when he gets a big money move? He's already had two big money moves really. For an 18 year old a potential 18M move is big and then for a 21 year old a 32M move is also big. Everton will never make a huge profit on him I reckon because they already bought him for so much. Where was Costa when he was 22? Ok use that argument but where was so many other top strikers when they were 22? Requesting a transfer to Everton because they weren't going to be number 1 at the top class club they were at, when they weren't ready to be the number 1 at such a club and got told they would be number 2? Nope.

Exactly. He will always be a big fish in a small pond. It was the same at Anderlecht. If he was all that he thought he was, he should of stayed here but he left after the Super Cup on loan and didn't want to come back unless he would be undisputed first choice (which was never going to happen because Diego Costa had basically just had a season where he made the difference for Atletico) but no he decided he would be better playing every week at Everton, where he had a shite campaign and lost his starting place for Belgium, so obviously it turned out to be a good decision. He will always be a limited footballer and he will never play for a title winning club. He clearly has no ambition... really to go play at Everton, a team who will never win a PL title or play in the CL, where he will always be comfortable as opposed to fighting for a place against a world class competitor in Costa and also against Remy who is a better striker and later Falcao under one of the best managers in the business in a team who won the title last year and also a domestic cup and got so far in the CL.

Na sorry lads I am taking a sabbatical this forum is out of control.... Joking but fuck me what is this thread.

Great deal for 8M but Courtois is a much better keeper. No doubt about it. If anyone is doubting Courtois after one game where Begovic was playing behind a defense that was incredibly exposed, against a world class striker, where the saves he made Courtois would definitely have also made, is nuts.

We never won a game in pre-season in regular time, we've not won in the league yet and lost the community shield. Put on top the pointless medical staff issues and piss poor transfer market and you basically do have a mini crisis on your hands. City absolutely bullied us. So many poor performers today, we should have been beaten by at least 5 or 6 but Begovic made huge saves. He was the only guy worthy of wearing the shirt today. People can say all they want that its only 2 games into the season but City looked unstoppable, it took them 30 or 40 seconds to show what they were capable of. In the first half alone Kolarov created 4 chances, our whole team created 3. Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpi, Fabregas, Matic, Hazard, Willian, Ramires, Costa... all fucking shite. People will defend Hazard or defend whoever but if you are going to defend anybody after that first half performance then you are having a laugh because they were non existent. Second half a bit better but City created 17 chances against us, 17... Fucking sort it out.

Yeah I can't stand him at times too, I would like to beat him up with the Community Shield trophy tbf.

Its not like he hasn't got a point though. This whole situation looks terrible on the club's behalf. Although I'm not a fan of Wenger obviously.

Think there is so much wrong with the English games quality. Never mind just the PL.

Saying thanks for the support and that she appreciates it is a PR disaster? Okay, fuck knows how but okay because she was NEVER in the wrong. The PR disaster was Jose deciding to publicly slate her and the other guy, for doing their jobs, in a sport where like all other sports, the athletes come first before absolutely anything. Also they are reckoning he has swore at her and whatever else now, it's becoming a bit more sour but it's not like Jose hasn't had high profile spats wheres he has flipped the lid and big issues with people before is it? Hazard has no part in this, he went down, medics were signalled on and boom shitstorm in a pre-match conference/interview... Also I've seen an article saying Jose has wanted to demote her from her position for a while.. but I really doubt that, our medical team has been very good for so many years now, I doubt he'd want to disrupt a pretty settled and well working team.

Some amount of shite in this thread, anyone backing Mourinho really doesn't have a clue. He needlessly hit out at her. Let's say she doesn't do that the next time and a player is injured? Who's fault is it then? Hers for not going on because she's been instructed not to due to something to do with a counter attack or Jose's for being an absolute idiot and saying she shouldn't because of the footballing reason? He's just gone too far with this one tbf. The amount of grief Eva is getting for doing her job from some people on here is ridiculous. The sun might shine out of Mourinho's arse sometimes but he is wrong here. Sooner people realize that the fucking better.

We shouldn't be playing him at all in my opinion, considering van Ginkel and Ake are much better prospects. So never mind where he plays, he should have gone on loan instead of van Ginkel to Stoke.

Glad we didn't get him in 2010 or 2011 whenever it was he left Ajax and do not want him here at all. He is absolute shit.

Lets be honest, Chelsea's success has come playing as a more solid team with great defensive structure and shape than attacking instincts. I don't care how we play, we are successful playing a certain way and I'm proud of that to be fair. We as fans should support our team no matter how they play, not complain and not ask for prettier football... or prefer pretty football to trophies when we have built success playing our way.

Yes and they are called ungrateful cunts or Arsenal fans.

Pedro is twice the player any of those three are mate. He's hardly got the technical skill of Schurrle, Cuadrado or Salah... he was brought up playing in La Masia where there is an emphasis on close control, retaining possession and technical quality above physical qualities. He has 99 goals playing for Barca as a wide player. He is better than all of those 3 players by a country mile, there is no doubt who would make a better impact playing for Chelsea. Anyone who has seen him play knows he is an excellent dribbler, very versatile and is extremely strong with both feet to a high standard.

People forgetting the two years Dortmund won the league, Hummels was top class and by far the best CB in Germany. In fact I'm sure people who are now describing him as whatever probably would've welcomed him here with open arms. He is nowhere near Luiz in terms of stupidity and mistakes. Luiz has made numerous errors throughout the last 5 or 6 years of his career. Everyone makes mistakes, not like Hummels has played as bad as Luiz did v Germany or against Napoli under AVB or even against Barca in the CL last season? I've never seen a more naive central defender than Luiz in my life to be honest. .... but anyway John Stones against Watford, I rewatched some of the game, composed on the ball, always looking to play but very poor for the Ighalo goal, the guy absolutely done him with a feint thing and that backs my point he's not a 34M CB, I think any top center back would stay on their feet while closing the striker down faster... he could of cost Everton 3 points for a pretty rookie mistake. At times he looks like he might give up possession in vital areas of the pitch for his team, he needs to watch that sometimes, its all good playing out from the back but he sometimes overdoes it.