Everything posted by Superblue
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I think anybody can see the club needs two wingers and a more creative deep midfielder to make RDM's 4-2-3-1 formation a resounding success. If RDM were to stay I'd still fully expect at least 5-6 to be moved on and a few new signings to be made. One of the big advantages RDM will have is that he has worked with the squad for a whole year and will therefore know which aren't good enough and need replacing. It's easy us saying get rid of Drogba or Kalou but different managers with different methods sometimes get better results out of certain players than others. I worry a brand new manager will once again mean another stay of execution for a number of players who should have been moved on a long time previous.
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He's left footed but likes to play on the right so he would be a 'like for like' replacement for Sturridge. Not sure how old he is? 23 or 24 I think.
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Difficult one this because Sturridge in the first half of this season was one of our best players, and arguably our 'go-to' guy when in need of a goal. He is still young (22 I think), homegrown, and with all the talk of the need for us to rebuild a younger side on the face of things it doesn't sound sense to be considering selling a 22yo who is very much part of the first team squad now. However I have noticed a change in Danny's attitude since the turn of the year, seemingly for the worst. With goals drying up for him, rather than like Torres who has played for the team and still created goals, Sturridge has become more selfish than ever which has clearly disgruntled fans. His constant talk of wanting to play centrally worries me aswell. IMO he is more effective out wide where he can use his pace and trickery, and also receive much more time on the ball. What also must be considered is that he only has one year left on his contract after this season. If he doesn't sign by the middle of the summer then we could have a problem. I would actually like to keep him personally because I think he will only get better. However if his contract is not sorted out, and City are desperate to buy him then I would be quite happy to get somewhere in the region of £20m for a player in the last year of his contract. Or perhaps £10m + Adam Johnson?!
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Disruption of minutes silence at Semi
Superblue replied to Changingman_2000's topic in Matthew Harding Stand
What I can't understand is when people always bang on about how Liverpool are everybody's 'second' team, and the scousers buy into that aswell. I fucking hate Liverpool and everything about them. Although I don't like United, Arsenal or Spurs, you can at the very least generally have a laugh and bit of light hearted banter with them, but for some reason you can never seem to do the same with Liverpool fans. Second team my arse - I would bet good money that a very large percentage of non Liverpool supporting English football fans hate Liverpool more than any other team. And that's not just United and Everton fans! The biggest disgrace is their complete blank of the Heysel tragedy, washing their hands clean of it. It's a fucking disgrace. On a side note, my grandmother's side of my family are scousers and besides my nan (who thank god doesn't live in the city or having a stupid scouse accent), I hate all of them and don't talk to any. They're all ignorant pricks, and as I've got older and my hate for Liverpool football club has grown, I don't think I could ever grow to like them. My dad (a big chelsea fan too) doesn't like them or speak to them either! -
Another point to consider is that there is a lot of talent in the French league being talked about. If, as reports suggest, Laurent Blanc is a front runner for the Chelsea job, we may well see a number of these players being signed by him. He already has a reputation for preferring players playing in the French league for the national team and the likes of M'Vila, Debuchy and Remy are favourites of his, and I'm sure he see's a lot of the likes of Hazard and Ayew to know if they are indeed all that and worth the transfer prices being quoted... ...Just some food for thought.
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It's just a personal preference - I feel Hulk would be well suited to the Premiership. However if we were to alternatively buy Hazard and Lavezzi then I would be equally happy. What I want to see is three attack minded players playing behind a lone front man who are all basically given licence to roam, switch positions between each other and generally cause havoc. The talk of Ayew has reminded me of Loic Remy - I think he would suit the Prem well and if we are looking for a cheaper striker than Cavani, Higuain, etc then I don't see an awful lot better than him around. Strong and explosive, he definately has the potential to replace Drogba in the squad.
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The FFP issue is more about streamlining the wage bill then transfer fees. From how I understand it, the transfer fees are amortised over the length of contract so spending £100m on new players isn't as big an issue as people might think providing it will leave us with a much better squad that doesn't need much tweaking over the next couple of seasons. The wage bill however is an issue, so letting the likes of Drogba, Bosingwa and Ferreira leave, even for very little or no money will still help the club. Personally I would love for us to sign Hulk and Hazard to accomodate Mata and Torres, but if we are 'playing smartly' - * Let Drogba, Bosingwa and Ferreira all leave. * Sell Malouda for about £5m. He still has a good reputation in France so might be a target for PSG? * Sell Essien. He's a shadow of the player he once was, earns large wages, and could still be sold for between £10-15m because his reputation on the continent has not really suffered and he is still only 29. * Sell Ashley Cole. He's lost a yard of pace, one of the highest wage earners and he's 31. I believe Real Madrid and Barca would both still take him if he was available for aout £8m. * Sign Kalou up to a new contract. He's proven in recent weeks he can do a job as a useful squad player. It will allow us to send De Bruyne out on loan to a stronger league (or preferably a low/mid table Prem team) next season. We will then hopefully have a better player in him the season after, and then we can sell Kalou on for hopefully £6-8m with a ready made replacement. I would rather have quality over quantity á la Barcelona because this will help force the issue of bringing through youth. Therefore: * Buy Jordi Alba (although I think he may end up at Barcelona) or Baines to replace Cole as senior left back. However give Bertrand more game time as backup. We have burnt Cole out over the last 4-5 years and when regularly playing 50-60 games a season there is no reason Bertrand can't play at least 15 of them. * New right back to challenge Ivanovic. My pick would be Debuchy or Azpilicueta. * New deep lying creative midfielder. My preference would be Cabaye. * Wingers - I have said Hulk and Hazard, but if we are trying to spend more wisely then Hoilett is available for a free at the end of the season, Moses will not be overly expensive if Wiga are relegated and Farfan wants to leave Schalke with a year left on his contract. * I would love us to take a punt on Jordan Rhodes for £3-4m, even if we were to buy him and loan him to a low Prem team for a season. He has the potential to play in the Prem and could blossom into a good buy!
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Tactically we have to be spot on against them, but I agree there are weaknesses in their team and we must be brave at times to try and exploit those weaknesses. One area of strength for Barca is on the right hand side due to Alves pretty much playing as a winger to help double up on teams. This is particularly concerning with Cole a yellow card away from suspension. That is why I believe Robbie will play Ramires wide left to 'do a job' tracking Alves and helping Cole. However on the left side is a definite weakness to try to exploit. Without Abidal they are weak defensively and can be got at on that side. That is why I would be brave and play Sturridge on the right as opposed to Kalou because I think Sturridge has the greater potential to create more. We have the option to play Kalou and be more cagey away in the second leg but we have to take some positive risks at home. Up front I would play Drogba first leg and Torres second. I think Drogba can bully Mascherano and allow us to come forward in numbers at home when attacking them. In the second leg when we need a more mobile and willing runner to close them down, Torres is the better option. If we don't go through I just want to be able to say we lost to the better team and not feel a grave sense of injustice as per usually the case when we get knocked out of this competition year upon year!
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Agreed, a lot of German players are actually very similar to English players in that they seem to have a strong preference to stay and play football in their own country. Rarely do any German players move abroad until very late in their careers. Ballack at the time was like the Beckham of Germany and I think having won everything possible in Germany and played for the best team in the country, he decided he wanted a fresh challenge. Gotze could play for his hometown club for another 5-6 years, see how far they can progress and still then move within the prime years of his career. We haven't a chance of getting him!
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I actually think Cabaye would be a better fit than Modric for our team and I think Newcastle would sell for £15m, especially if they don't get top 4. The reason I would prefer Cabaye is if we were to buy the right attacking players next season to complement Torres and Mata and continue to play 4-2-3-1, I would prefer the 2 deeper midfielders to both be able to play, but also both be able to defend aswell which Modric isn't great at doing. Two from Cabaye, Ramires, Mikel, Lampard and Romeu would suit me fine next season. Sell Essien and Meireles to recoup some of the outlay on other targets that we buy.
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United have been so heavily linked with Gaitan for the last year, I cannot see a deal for Hazard above Gaitan. Their primary focus is also a central midfielder - long term replacement for Scholes. I can see them moving for Modric. Man City have been heavily linked with Cavani and Lavezzi and I think those two will be their priority targets, and they must move players on before they buy. Barcelona normally only buy one or two big money signings and IMO their priority will be a centre back and left back. I think they'll try to buy Thiago Silva and Jordi Alba. That then only leaves Real Madrid who I think can realistically compete financially. All the players seemingly available on the market this summer, Real aren't going to buy all of them and I would suggest from an attacking point of view they're already well set!
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Azpilicueta is probably the best up and coming RB in Europe. He's already a superior upgrade to Bosingwa and should be Spain's RB by the time the World Cup comes round in 2014. He would be IMO an excellent signing. I commend the confidence that you have in our current squad but they simply aren't good enough as a unit anymore to play at a consistently high standard throughout the season to challenge. Both last season and this have shown that. I'm not saying get rid of everybody, but there are certainly at least 6-7 players not good enough (either anymore or ever were) who need moving on. If that means 6-7 signings, or 4-5 signings with a couple of the yoth team promoted I don't really mind either way as long as the squad as a whole is improved.
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I think if we finish top 4 it will still be an overhaul. As I said the transfer spend isn't the immediate problem to breaking even - it's the enormous wage bill we have to manage. And if an overhaul means some of the higher paid older players being moved on and replacing with younger players on lower wages, despite the transfer fees, this will improve the long term outlook for the clubs profitability.
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I've said this on a previous post that Champions League won't be only reason for attracting players. Chelsea are now one of the world's most recognised sides due to our recent success, and especially if a project is sold to players and Roman shows his intent by splashing money and rebuilding a team, players will still join us because they know we will challenge for titles once again, and hopefully only be out of the Champions League for one season therefore. (That is on the basis that we either don't win it or finish 4th) Add to that living in London, the training facilities and the wages we are able to pay to compete and we still should be able to attract players. I see no reason why the likes of Hulk and Hazard aren't attainable.
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I'm certain Roman will splash huge amounts of cash this summer. All this worry of the FFP shouldn't be a concern in regards to transfer spending. Yes it has an impact, but the biggest problem causing the club to make losses year on year is the wage bill. Looking towards the future a lot of these potential signings will not be earning anywhere near the huge amounts the likes of Drogba, Lampard, Cole and Terry earn. Those wages will not be paid again IMO as the club look to signing younger talents. As the old guard are moved on over the next couple of seasons, the wage bill will drop massively. I honestly see at least 3 or 4 from this 'list' being signed in the summer, aswell as another couple not on this list. Some are certainly attainable regardless of whether we are in the Champions League or not.
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I'd like to think it would rival the attacks of Real Madrid and Barcelona. And in the long term Lukaku to replace Torres?! We desperately need an attack which will scare teams! The reason why our defence has looked dodgy and conceding a lot more goals over the last couple of seasons is because our attack has become so poor and lacklustre. In the past teams were scared to come at Chelsea because they would be opened up at will and annihilated - and as a result with opponents attacking less, the defence naturally concedes less and looks on the whole better. All the best teams in the world - Barcelona, Madrid, United, I would say none have as good a backline as we do, yet aren't conceding as many goals. It's because their attack pins teams back, not allowing them to attack very often. We need an attacking quartet alongside a deeper midfield craftsman and midfield general capable of dismantling teams at will. The fear factor at the Bridge must return. Add that to our defence and we'll once more have potential to dominate.
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I think players who were maybe interested in joining us last summer would still be interested now. This season has been a blip which I believe Roman in particular will be keen to address this summer by going a long way to rebuilding the squad. A lot of players will see Chelsea as a 'step up' regardless of Champions League football, and they'll understand that with our pedigree in recent years we are likely to challenge again. Inter Milan will be in the same boat next season because they won't get european football at all. The likes of Hazard and Hulk will still be interested - the attractiveness of playing in the premier league, living in London and the wages we can pay compared to other european clubs are still huge pulling points. If they can also see that they are just part of significant changes to the side for the future then we can still lure them. I personally would love a three of Mata, Hazard and Hulk to play behind Torres next season. Pace, creativity, brute power, and hopefully a fully firing and confident Torres being given bundles of chances - teams would be scared shitless of that attack.
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Will we ever have a great striker partnership?
Superblue replied to Justin_3d's topic in Matthew Harding Stand
The game has evolved hugely over the last 5-6 years in regards to tactics and playing styles. 50 years ago teams played 5 forwards! We're in a different cycle now and that cycle is a preference for not playing 2 out and out strikers. Formations over the last 20 years have been really rigid, whereas now it's all about having players playing in between the lines of defence/midfield/attack. Using Chelsea examples, players like a Makelele between the defence and midfield, and a Mata between the midfield and attack are generally considered some of the most important players in the team. IMO next season we will play 2 in midfield and 3 attack minded players behind a lone front man. -
That's all fine and well him being a good wing back but would he be a good full back because I cannot see Chelsea changing their style to accommodate for wing backs? I would imagine Bosingwa could do a decent job as a wing back, but he's a pretty terrible full back! I haven't ever really seen him play to be honest, although I would admit to hearing good things about him.
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Big names are fine as long as they fall into the 'young and hungry' category aswell. I have no problems if Roman wants to splash the cash in a serious manner this summer to rebuild the squad (in fact I would f*cking love it!) aslong as the big money signings are the likes of Hazard and Hulk, as opposed to Kaka and Ribery! Based on our signings recently of Ramires, David Luiz, Mata, Lukaku, KDB, Courtois, Romeu and Cahill it does seem we are going to head more down that line of 'young, hungry' players rather than seasoned campaigners.
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Anyone with the ability to take players on with their pace and skill, adding some dynamism to our often static and cumbersome build up play will be greatly appreciated. A player which can pick the ball up, beat a man and get the whole crowd standing up and buzzing! One would be good, but two, either side of Torres and Mata would go a long way to turning us back into serial title challengers. If money is no issue to Roman and players are interested, then my choices would be Hulk and Hazard to play alongside Mata, all three playing behind Torres. However if it was Adam Johnson and Junior Hoilett I would still be very happy.
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It's debatable whether anyone in the world is good enough to take the sting out of Barcelona's game, but I'm pretty certain he'll start against them. What I'm trying to say is that against mid and lower teams Chelsea will more often than not dominate possession and territory both home and away. In games like this Mikel's style of play can sometimes not suit because he's perhaps not getting the ball out of the midfield and forward quick enough. However, against the top teams, possession may be much more equal or even in the opposition's favour (particularly away) and this is where Mikel can be much more important. Calm in possession in the midfield, he can slow a game down and build back confidence and possession into our play when we're under pressure and the opposition are 'on top'.
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Krayzie Bone makes that song mate, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are the best hip hop group of all time.period.
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Torres wouldn't go to Anzhi. He is already very well paid at Chelsea and at 28 he is still to win anything meaningful at club level. He will not move to a second rate league whilst he still knows he can play for another 3-4 years in the top leagues. Eto'o was nearly 32 and had already won everything possible at club level, he had nothing left to prove.
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Torres' goal was all about confidence. He hit it so early and was a throwback to his Liverpool days. He has always been what I would call an 'instinct' finisher, and he has suffered for that due to a lack of confidence meaning he would take an extra touch or two. Robbie is doing us a massive favour whether he stays or goes because if we can get another 4-5 goals out of Torres this season then I think he is earmarked as the main striker for us next season with Drogba seemingly destined to leave. What impressed me perhaps even more though was his assist for Brana's second. Watch on the replays his movement and determination to lose his marker and then get in front of the first defender to flick the ball on. His all round game at the moment is excellent, and the more dangerous he looks around the opposition penalty box, the more complete striker we have leading the line.