BlueLion.

Anyone know what gloves he's wearing? Look like an SMU of the new Premier SGT RS glove from Nike, but with a smaller Nike "swoosh" and the orange highlight only on the second and ring fingers. Nice, either way.

Is it? Because Courtois started the last friendly? Courtois was injured and missed the two previous games, with Cech and Aussie played in, so it was clear Thibaut would have the full 90 against Sociedad. Also, for any goalkeeping nerds like me, these are the new gloves he's sporting:

Yesterday was his best game in a long, long, long time. I hope it isn't just a flash in the pan.

I do try!

José Mourinho has confirmed that striker Didier Drogba's ankle injury is not as bad as first feared. Drogba received extensive on-field treatment during Sunday's 2-1 victory over Ferencváros, and was forced to limp off after just 28 minutes. Spanish tabloid Marca claimed the Ivorian could be out for between 4-6 months, but the striker himself went on record as saying he is confident of being fit for next Monday's clash with Burnley. “I twisted my ankle and I couldn’t continue,” Drogba said. “In the next few days we are going to do some treatment and I hope everything will be better", he expressed in an interview with The Guardian. And Blues boss Mourinho confirmed as much in an exclusive interview with Chelsea TV after tonight's (Tuesday) 2-0 win over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge, stating that the Ivorian should be out for no more than seven days. Drogba, though unfit to play, was (re-)introduced to the Blues faithful this evening ahead of that pre-season fixture to a hero's reception.

Diego Costa scored twice on his Stamford Bridge début as Chelsea completed their pre-season preparations with a comfortable win over Real Sociedad. In what was the first friendly game played at Stamford Bridge since a 1-1 draw with Celtic in 2006, José Mourinho's men exhibited complete control over their opponents, who will compete in this season's UEFA Europa League. With the ground at capacity and the fans in fine voice, each of Mourinho's squad was introduced one-by-one prior to the warm-up, with the loudest cheer reserved for the return of club legend Didier Drogba. But it was Drogba's strike partner Diego Costa who stole the limelight on his unofficial home bow, netting twice early in the first half to announce his arrival to the Stamford Bridge faithful. Neither finish quite matched the Brazilian-born Spain international's exquisite solo goal against Fenerbahce last week, but the former Atletico Madrid man demonstrated the predatory instinct that may well make him a Premier League hit as he gave the Blues a first-minute lead from Ramires' pass. And there were barely six minutes on the clock when he tapped in the rebound from Andre Schurrle's cultured, curling effort to give the Blues a degree of comfort in double-quick time - the £32 million man diverting in the ball after Schurrle's initial shot had hit the woodwork. Sandwiched in between Costa's early brace was a chance for Ramires, who badly skewed wide, and Eden Hazard had the opportunity at the end of the half to enhance the Blues' lead, only for his low free-kick to be parried by Zubikarai as the Blues cruised through the opening forty-five minutes with little threat to Thibaut Courtois' goal. Almost immediately after the interval Costa had the chance to add to his two earlier goals, but he wasted his hat-trick chance when he failed to convert Hazard's cut-back after fast and furious wing play by substitute Willian. That was to be Costa's final involvement as he was hauled off to a standing ovation for compatriot Fernando Torres, who came close to adding the third himself when he leapt well to direct Filipe Luis' cross just wide of the far post. The full-time whistle was sounded to bring to an end Chelsea's pre-season preparations, though, in truth, this game had been settled as early as the sixth minute when Costa gave his side breathing space after that relentless start. Whilst results and performances this summer have certainly been of a mixed quality, Mourinho will be pleased to have seen his side given a number of stern examinations, and the Portuguese will now surely be closer to agreeing on his starting eleven for the trip to Turf Moor in six days' time. Individual displays have slowly improved, but it is Costa who has caught the eye the most, with four goals this pre-season representing a promising start to the Spaniard's Chelsea career. Costa would not be the first Blues striker in recent times to begin his time with the club a flurry of goals and fade away, however, but the man who played such a key role in Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid winning La Liga last season looks set to have a say on the destination of the Premier League title this time around.

He seems a very quiet lad. Plus he's under immense competition, not just from Cech but also from Schwarzer. A new club and team-mates, a new country and culture, it wouldn't be easy for anyone.

I'll drive to Loftus Road to pick him up.

I got the wrong end of the stick (somehow) from the thread title, but I wish my first time was at Stamford Bridge...

Absolutely bud, it's all about the title. Using the word "golazo" is like smothering it in chocolate!

Costa is a massive upgrade but I'm not sold on how much of an impact Drogba will be. Plus José seems set on playing Torres out wide based on what we've seen so far this pre-season.

If he's out for that long it could be a blessing in disguise... Costa, Torres and Drogba is only a marginally better strike force than Eto'o, Torres and Ba.

Fucking hate them Bilbao cunts.

I have no idea why you hate Sunderland so much Sammy.

We'll see. I think that with more defensive discipline in the side, there will be more licence for the likes of Hazard and Willian to express themselves offensively.

Because Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, Paulo Ferreira, Khalid Boulahrouz, Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta have all been really attacking full-backs that spend more time in the opposition half then their own, right? You're citing two exceptions to the rule and claiming your opinion is gospel. Period.

A magnificent late strike from Cesc Fabregas settled a gruelling pre-season encounter with Hungarian side Ferencváros. After falling behind to a goal from former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Zoltan Gera, José Mourinho's men rallied after half-time through Ramires' stunning strike and Fabregas' wonderful late solo effort. Played in front of a capacity crowd of over 23,000 at the state-of-the-art Groupama Arena, this was a tough test for the Blues and represents an excellent work-out played out in humid conditions. The Blues enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges, with Andre Schurrle and Didier Drogba both forcing half-decent saves out of the Ferencváros goalkeeper, but the Ivorian was later involved in a hefty collision and worryingly limped off the pitch for further treatment. Gera, known for his blockbuster shots from distance, was left with a relatively straightforward chance to open the scoring when a cross from deep caught the Chelsea defence sleeping, and the Hungarian's finish was deft enough to beat Petr Cech with the interval looming. But the Blues wasted little time after the break in restoring parity, as Ramires expertly thrashed an arcing shot into the top corner after 53 minutes. Gary Cahill was then frustrated by the post as his glanced header from Fabregas' dinked delivery came back off the woodwork, and Branislav Ivanovic was unable to convert the rebound. Oscar was then a stud's length away from converting a devilish cross from substitute Eden Hazard, but the Blues - much improved after their lethargy prior to the interval - would not be denied the late winner their second-half rally warranted. And it was Fabregas, so composed and calm in midfield, that supplied the killing blow. Receiving the ball in a seemingly innocuous position, the Spaniard demonstrated incredible guile and fleet-footedness to jink inside two tackles and sublimely slide the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper. It was a goal reminiscent of Diego Costa's wonder-strike against Fenerbahce last Friday, and Costa himself might have added a layer of gloss to proceedings, only for his clever dinked effort to glide just the wrong side of the post. In what was a stern examination of the Blues' pre-season preparations thus far, José Mourinho will be happy with the resilience his side demonstrated, and he will particularly have taken note of his side's inventiveness and ingenuity going forward as part of a 3-4-3 formation. Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening completes a hectic schedule ahead of next Monday's late kick-off in Burnley, and the Blues will face their Spanish opposition in good form after this much-improved team display. Elements of the performance were disjointed and there is much work to be done in improving the side's defensive discipline, but with glimmers of brilliance from the side's at times explosive attack, the potential for a promising season ahead is clear for all to see. Click here to view the article

Marcelo and to a lesser extent, Maicon, are the only exceptions. Though really Maicon benefited from having two DMs and unbelievable stamina. Remember Ashley Cole when he signed in 2006? He looked like a lost kitten because Mourinho curbed his natural game. Even Marcelo was only really able to get forward because of the cover available. But you're right, I know nothing about football, might as well rip up my UEFA coaching badges and bow to your superior intellect.

So people have to start games now to win man of the match awards? If you recall, Oscar also came off the bench that day. The two of them were brilliant.

Willian away at Southampton was something else, best individual performance of the 2013/14 season after Cech vs Bayern and Hazard vs Sunderland, for me. Hazard vs Newcastle also a contender, but Willian was special that day. Didn't get the chance to go to the game but had the pleasure of watching it on Sky and their player focus after full-time was on Willian. Showed just how hard he worked for the team. Scored a decent goal as well!

1. Spurs 2. Spurs 3. Spurs 4. QPR 5. Spurs

Precisely. I mean, if you want to win the UCL, unless you have an absolute freak of a squad and/or the competition in the league is stale, there is almost no way you can win that and the league title. Bayern, Real, Barcelona etc. all have ridiculous squads and the rest of the teams in Spain and Germany, though good (I'd never be so presumptuous to dismiss quality teams like Atletico, Dortmund, Schalke, etc.), you'd expect a Bayern or Barcelona side to make 4/5 changes and still win handsomely in 90% of matches. The same applies for if you want to win the League. You almost have to choose one or the other. That's why our league performances were so horrendous, for the most part, under di Matteo in 11/12. Our squad back then was hardly special, I still sometimes wonder how the fuck we did it, but one of the major reasons was what would normally be important league matches, like Arsenal away, were moreorless useless for anything other than practising how we'd line up against the European big boys.

All that's missing is the pout Jimlad! He pulls it off though because of how muscular he is. He isn't a lanky streak of piss like Crouch. He's an absolute tank! Oh B, stop it!