OneMoSalah

Jose? Variations? It will be the same team but Cuadrado for Willian.

And some people think he'd be good enough to sit on the bench here when Ramires is a much better player. Its laughable really isn't it? Again since I'm in this topic, would people have preferred we spent shitloads more money on someone like Sterling or Barkley than got Cuadrado just because they are English and we don't have a lot of English players in the squad? The days of signing good English players for a relatively cheap price has been over for years and will continue to be until English clubs start producing very very talented players regularly and in batches like Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and France have all been doing, then they will stay expensive. People want lots of money for players like Barkley and Sterling partly because English teams aren't producing young players at that level on a regular basis and want to have top young English players. When Guardiola said that in Spain they have hundreds of players like Wilshere he was right, they are producing lots of talented young players at a certain standard especially in midfield positions. The Spain U21 side that won the European Championship included players like De Gea, Illarramendi, Bartra, Inigo Martinez, Koke, Rodrigo, Thiago, Tello, Moreno, Carvajal and Isco who have all gone on to get international caps, in fact some had them before the tournament too. All talented players, who came through at around the same time, all having improved and some having gone onto better things. The development methods and coaching of players in England (and Britain as a whole) is wrong, as well as distinctly average football players there are too many distinctly average English coaches. The Premier League wouldn't be anything like it is billed to be without all the top foreign players and coaches that come to play and manage teams.

Wasn't that last season where he was easily one of the best CBs and most improved players in the PL. Sure hes not great but when we rolled our sleeves up, sat off and made it hard to break us down, he was more than reliable when needed, big games against City x2, Liverpool, PSG, Arsenal last season come to mind in particular as well as various other appearances in his Chelsea career. I've said it before hes nowhere near world class but you can't say when he was called upon in the big games for Chelsea and he didn't deliver, you'd be lying. Everyone goes through a tough spell, nothing is easy for any footballer every week. People who were saying he isn't good enough this year were saying last season he was easily one of the most improved players in the PL. Just wait for the week Zouma makes a mistake and everyone will be giving him the same treatment as Cahill.

I also forgot Ake who can play as a LB as well as DM. Zouma as well, capable of playing as right full back, in defense we are pretty much covered for depth. Having players who can play different positions is useful and also means you can get other players in the squad. There's no point having 2 LBs and 2 RBs if you can have a player like Azpilicueta who can play both positions as well as 2 other top full backs (Ivanovic and Luis) and when you look at all three of them, who rarely have been injured over the last 4 or 5 seasons and have a pretty good record in their full careers in terms of physical condition and how often they are injured in their careers, it makes no sense to have 4 full backs when you can have one who can play both sides if it means you can get another CM or CF in your 25 man squad, 4 fullbacks for 3 options in the 18 man squad? Bertrand would have been left out every week. There was maybe a slight slight chance in a future but once again as we've seen with Lukaku and De Bruyne with their loan spells, playing good for Southampton when your undisputed first choice, in a good rhythm of games, playing regularly, is one thing mate but for Chelsea where your not even first or even second choice, competing to get a shirt, with a huge pressure on you each game, it is even more difficult. This may sound harsh but I don't think he was ever good enough to take over from Ash, if Jose could have not spent 20M on Filipe Luis because Bertrand was good enough then I'm sure he would of gotten a chance to play but he is in nowhere near the same bracket as Azpi or Luis.

Hes been out of the team for maybe 2 or 3 games and people think that's him as good as done at Chelsea? Wake up, Zouma is a young guy who will eventually make mistakes because hes playing for a top top team as a center back. He might get a run in the team but there's no doubt Cahill-Terry are gonna be Jose's first choice and most used combination this season at center back.

Well considering hes nowhere near good enough to be first choice at Chelsea I am 110% behind and always have been behind the clubs decision to sign the best LB in Europe from last season despite him being 28 when we got him and loaning Ryan out and then selling him this window. If Bertrand could get into this Chelsea team ahead of Filipe Luis then I reckon I could get in ahead of Diego Costa. Whats the point in keeping a LB who isn't that great in comparison to what you've got when you have Ivanovic who is rarely injured or suspended and Luis who is rarely injured/suspended along with Azpi who can play both full back positions with incredible ease and good performances? Just a waste of a a squad place.

Lets see what he can do in the Prem. A bit skeptical to be honest, unsure if hes much of an improvement on Willian and when you consider the work Willian does for the team in the defensive third, we shall see if he can mirror that as well as provide more goals and assists than Willian which most people seem to think he will do. Interested to see him play anyway.

Don't think its fair to say hes got no future at Chelsea, considering the games he had in Europe against Spurs and ourselves before we signed him there was obviously something there. Liverpool in hindsight would have probably been the better move at that time for him as he would play a lot more but hes still a talented player.

Exactly and when you consider he has over 200 appearances at club level for Sao Paulo, Internacional and Chelsea combined and almost 50 Brazil caps at the age of 23, you'd expect him to have played enough football to have found his consistency. You look at other young players, lets say Ross Barkley for example, Roberto Martinez said he needed at least 50-75 more starts for Everton at some point last season before people could consider if he'd be a great player or not, to let him play games and iron out the inconsistencies that all younger players have but when people are saying that a guy who will be 24 in September still needs a few years I just want to laugh. He can be a great player but like I said in my last post here, there is a visible improvement in Christian Eriksen and more responsibility and influence in what he does at Spurs from last year, there is a visible improvement in Raheem Sterling at Liverpool and he seems to be there big game player, the guy who influences the game for them as often as he can and whenever he feels he needs to. Ideally I'd like to have seen Oscar gone year to year, improving and improving and being more influential but its not really happened, to be honest the first season under RDM and Rafa he was very very inconsistent but had an excuse having to adapt, being shifted to the wing and managerial changes, last season under Jose, the first 5 months he was our best player but again the second half of the season... inconsistent, mind on the world cup, struggled with minor injuries at times too I think Jose said. This year too, despite this run hes been on the last 8 or 9 games before the City game in terms of goals and assists or whatever it was then a pretty piss poor game where he didn't do anything particularly memorable other than the defensive side which you now expect even though hes a number 10, it just frustrates me. Now against Villa he could go and play good score/assist but then again the week after another performance where potentially you don't remember anything like a shot or a chance created.

If he goes to Arsenal and they sort out there midfield and right full back, then they could compete for the title... hope he doesn't go there though.

Have to watch this Carles Gil guy, looks a half decent player for Villa. Plays wide right, comes inside on his left a lot.

To think Martinez won't play him regularly when players like Barkley, Mirallas, McGeady have all been pretty piss poor most of this season annoys me.

Fuck sake not another wank on this forum...

Haha would help if they didn't have a transfer ban

Anyone else think Matic wasn't that great today? I think playing 120 v Liverpool midweek didn't help him much though, just weird seeing all these twitter accounts saying Matic was MOTM but when he gave away the ball it seemed to be in our half and put City in slightly dangerous positions and situations.

Still remember when he absolutely bullied Cole and half our team on his debut, if we didn't have Ramires he'd be useful here I think.

What the fuck is vegimite? It sounds like some sort of fucking legal high.

You notice the games where hes scored and played well hes either played in a false striker role or as a 10 when they've had a lot of injuries. I won't be too worried if he plays against us on the wing because 1) in 1v1 he isn't going to beat Ivanovic or Luis very often as opposed to what Hazard or Willian will beat Zabaleta or Clichy and 2) his defensive output is poor and considering how good we can counter attack with Hazard and Willian. When hes playing centrally hes at his best, I still remember when he played as a false 9 for Spain vs Scotland a few years ago, he was exceptional. I don't think hes played that well on the wing for City.

If it was an FA cup game against Wrexham or someone yes maybe use him but when you consider its Man City and also consider Mikel, Ramires, Loftus-Cheek and Ake are definitely ahead of Colkett in the pecking order and in experience, ability and other things it would be crazy.

Still can't believe Silva plays on the wing and City play 4-4-2 lmao. What a clueless bastard Pellegrini is.

Ruining a historic stadium for money.... retards.

Probably would of been more chance of things getting better if we didn't vote against our own independence. The 55% that voted no are quite frankly, stupid fucks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJY2LXsDGe0

You got a Torres shirt? What were you thinking?

West Brom were 4th a few years ago at one point, does that make them a big team? They are small in comparison to Chelsea.

Lies they aren't big enough to have an N at the end of Bayer