OneMoSalah

We appoint Benitez and we will end up signing players like Sissokho and Pepe Reina... nooooooo go away Benitez you fat cunt

So how many games was that he lasted.. 16 or something... wtf talk about ridiculous... I thought getting rid of AVB early was ridiculous but this JUST TAKES THE PISS. Also Graham Hunter, talkSports Spanish football expert has just reported that Pep doesn't even want the job here.... so yeah.... Roman what are you doing...

Incorrect. The 65% of Mikel's passes this season have gone forward.Proves your backwards/sideways theories wrong. Hes also created 5 chances this season (which for Mikel this far into the season is good) so again your theory he doesn't create chances is incorrect The way he protects the ball is brilliant, hes really good at using his body to shield the ball. Last night I thought he didn't do too bad supposing he was always up against 3 CMs all of a very very high quality (Pirlo, Vidal and Marchisio) along with Ramires. He had his usual stats last night 50 passes, 94 % completion rate. 1 key pass, 4 successful dribbles, fouled once. 1 interception, 2 effective clearances and gave away 1 foul. People always seem to criticize Mikel when we loose despite it not being his fault... its odd but I guess hes the "scapegoat" now that Kalou's gone lol.

Looked at like pages 20-35, everyone was either desperate for him to sign to be played as a RW or not signed at all. Funnily enough we don't even play with wingers now haha.

A lot of wants... didn't you not learn you don't always get what you want???

The whole team needs to start closing down and being aggressive. Its pointless one player trying to press 2 or 3 players at once! They will just pass it round him for fun. Pressing only works effectively when the whole team does it as a unit which is why we failed to do it under AVB because the strikers and wingers would do it but the midfield wouldn't squeeze up and do it after.

Surely if we signed him, we'd defos play with a false 9, who would come out of the three for him. The 3 and Willian are all exceptional players.

He must get time. Chopping and changing managers who might not want the likes of Oscar, Mata or maybe Hazard in the team or not use them to the same effect would be ridiculous. They need to become part of the backbone of this club. Players we rely on. Give him to the summer at least. Then the club can question his position if we've done bad.

Didn't Hulk not do something similar for Brazil a few months back? Also disappointed. Can see Robbie getting sacked if we don't get out of this slump or qualify for the last 16.

If your going to set up a team in a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 or 5-2-3 or whatever it is we are playing like Inter did in that 3-1 game, at least demand they fucking press the ball. Basically sitting so deep that they can fucking do what they want with the ball. Robbie won't last if we don't qualify for the last 16 in the CL too...

All to do now, especially if we want to go through. Also Bonucci typical Italian time wasting by feigning injury. What a bellend cunt.

If hes excelling, possibly a loan deal to the championship next season or even in January? well I think he'd be better off in Belgium to the summer. Then the championship. Then maybe a PL loan after that... to a newly promoted side or something then another one after to a higher up club. None of those Gael Kakuta loans or anything... and if that happens with his loans (would be sad as hes seen as a good talent) hopefully nobody will run around saying he deserves a shot after like 20 games in 4 years like everyone going on about Kakuta in the summer... " Hes ready to play for us", "How is he?", "Hes had 3 loans away from the club", "He played like 15 times max out of all three loan spells..." .... when I seen that in the threads earlier this year I nearly cried.... NEARLY..

Didn't a lot of guys on here think he was a stupid signing? I think the fact all the Belgians on the forum who have been watching him and commenting on him impressing means he must be a good player in the making.

Getting rid of Lamps at the end of this season is about the right time. He is slow on the ball, under AVB whenever we got the ball fizzing about he'd stop take about 50 touches and then pass it. Hes a efficient player in front of goal yes but we have got a new system of playing and a new philosophy. He doesn't suit the formation too well because he can't play as a floating number 10 or as a number 6.

When I said a wide midfielder I meant more that he would actually provide width and get into crossing positions regularly rather than all these inverted striker/wingers that always cut inside and shoot from ridiculous places like Hulk shooting from 50 yards out. Yes Malouda scored a lot of goals too but there was a peroid of time where he effectively played as an attacking midfielder as he drifted in to central areas. For a central midfielder yes De Bruyne is fast but compared to wingers he isn't as fast as some of them.

He doesn't have a place in the current team for a reason. Imo hes far too slow to be involved in a team that want to keep the ball and move it around at a high tempo. In my eyes, that's the honest truth. Yes hes been injured but still before that he didn't play 90 minutes every week. If we want to move on as a club, Lamps will have to go, as will Cech, Cole and JT eventually to complete the cycle and then we will start again with a new backbone including a few of these guys: Hazard, Mata, Bertrand, Ramires, Mikel, De Bruyne, Luiz, Courtois, Moses etc. If LA Galaxy want him and he wants to continue playing regular football, he should consider the move. Hes a Chelsea legend and always will be but eventually he will leave/retire.

Wouldn't say he plays as a pure winger, hes more of a wide midfielder. Like FloMo used to be. He kind of has similarities to him tbh, not the quickest, good crosser, excellent vision, great at dribbling, capable of scoring goals. Also you could say hes a bit like Beckham because he isn't exactly fast but he has a great delivery and can constantly provide good crosses from allover the opponents half. What I've seen of him in a more central position for Bremen hes been great too. Picking his position could be a conundrum for whoever in charge for the next 5-10 years. Personally I'd like to see him as a regista because we need one but he needs more experience to play in that position. Also Eddie Newton basically made out that Oscar was being groomed for that position saying hes capable of playing there in the future so maybe Kevin might be used as a wide midfielder?

Varane is a bit ahead of him right now imo. It has showed as Mourinho has trusted him ahead of Pepe, Ramos, Raul Albion etc in big games this season. For only being 19, he is an extremely intelligent and mature player. Zouma is still a diamond in the rough though, staying at Etienne will only do him well as he will continue as one of their first choice CB. I reckon Zouma will end up good as well but I think Varane will be better and if he keeps progressing, coming on leaps and bounds at Real, he will replace Pepe in 2 seasons minimum.

Sign a new striker and switch back to 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1? Would suit him at least.

Hes been after a move for a while apparently but he promised to stay until 2013 at least so I'd imagine if we bid and it was a decent fee he'd bite Robbies hand off!

What about a 4-4-2 maybe? With actual fixed positions, would be much harder to break down than the 4-2-3-1 with our floating #10s in the middle of the park as everyone would have an actual fixed position making our team shape and structure a bit better. Plus Berty and Ashley on the left to deal with Lichsteiner. Only problem is Juve play a 3-5-2 and would outnumber us 3 to 2 in the middle of the park unless whoever is playing behind Sturridge (Mata/Hazard/Oscar) dropped in as another CM. f --------------Cech--------------- ------------------------------------ ---------Brana----Terry-------- -Azpi-----------------------Cole- ------------------------------------ ----------Rami---Mikel---------- ------------------------------------ -Moses---------------Bertrand- ------------------------------------ ------Mata/Hazard/Oscar------ ------------------------------------ -------------Sturridge----------- Or do what Inter did, play a 3-4-3 to neutralize Lichsteiner and Asamoah on each flank and pressed them really high up the pitch, stopping Bonucci playing the ball out from the back to Pirlo (preferred passing option for him) and Vidal. In that game, if they got the ball into the midfield, Inter pushed one of their CBs (Juan Jesus I think it was) to get close to Vidal (who usually got it as Pirlo was marked) and Juan intercepted. Only problems are one Robbie doesn't set the team up to press higher up, two we don't have suitable players for a 3-4-3 even though as Roberto Mancini once said, good players should adapt to any system and three the only CB I can see being capable of coming out of defence to disposses Vidal if Pirlos marked out of the game a lot is Luiz due to his speed but he has poor discipline and timing with his tackles so yeahhhh

He'd be perfect for this role. Great dribbler, link up play is superb, great technically and a great finisher. I don't understand why some people have said he isn't what we need, hes exactly what we need.... Basically going by what I've seen in the last few pages, we want a player who can only finisher rather than a player who can do most things attacking wise? Ok guys that makes complete sense...

He is a regular goalscorer for Fiorentina isn't he? What more could you want?

Please be true rumors that he wants to leave, please... I'll get him the fucking plane ticket.

I suppose that last part is true about the groups. Some teams have had up and down results. Like Real Madrid. I think its mathematically possible that we can still finish top of the group so hopefully two wins from two would put us there (depending on Shaktar though)!