BlueLion.

4-3-3 has solved the problem before and it will see us win at Old Trafford on Tuesday as well.

Cheers babe. :eyebrows: Thank you mate, most appreciated

Manchester United vs Chelsea FC Tuesday 12 April - UEFA CL - 1945 KO MATCH CHAT HERE :cfc:

I rate everyone as 'fucking disgrace' except for Drogba, Cech, Terry, Ivanovic and Ramires.

My insult nearly produced a goal... he hit the farking post. Maybe this will work... TORRES YOU USELESS CUNT, SCORE A HAT-TRICK AGAINST WIGAN.

I absolutely categorically disagree with this thread so much I don't even know why I am wasting my energy typing this. Bosingwa is a great player a huge asset to the club. Also, blaming Bosingwa for our loss tonight is a step more ridiculous than blaming the referee... all this does is make Bosingwa a scapegoat in a vain attempt to find excuses for a sub-par performance. United outfought, outplayed and outthought us in every department.

:ballack:

Could we wish for a better game to get confidence up and see Torres finally fucking score?

By the way, the game changed when Mikel came on. 4-3-3 is Chelsea's formation, Carlo. USE IT. Cech Bosingwa - Alex - Terry - Cole Mikel Lampard - Ramires Anelka - Drogba - Malouda

We will go to Old Trafford and we WILL win if we play 4-3-3.

Chelsea vs Wigan Athletic FA Premier League - Saturday 9 April, 3pm kick-off MATCH CHAT HERE 6-0 backlash.

Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United Wednesday 6 April 2011 - Stamford Bridge To quote Didier Drogba - "it's a fucking disgrace." That can describe a woeful refereeing decision and an unsatisfactory Chelsea performance. The increasingly evident anti-Chelsea conspiracy continues in the UEFA Champions League. It is a statement that is becoming increasingly more frustratingly ironic around Stamford Bridge, but once more a controversial penalty decision has seen the Blues robbed as they continue their hapless pursuit of European football's holy grail. The decision to not award a spot kick for one of the more blatant fouls you are likely to see in a football match came with the strikes unmistakably high - Chelsea were trailing to the better team. Unfortunately it is a decision that also allows Chelsea fans to feel genuinely aggrieved when instead they should felt horribly let down by a starting eleven who were, almost to a man, outplayed and outclassed by Sir Alex Ferguson's superb Manchester United team. Organised, compact and looking frightfully dangerous on the counter-attack, Sir Alex came to Stamford Bridge and finally outwitted his old nemesis Carlo Ancelotti. Chelsea, in comparison, were blunt and generally devoid of ideas until approximately the 78th minute when John Mikel Obi was introduced. Suddenly, the Blues looked every inch United's equal. A change in shape had momentarily produced the opportunity in front of goal that most likely would have led to a leveller via the boot of Frank Lampard. But as Ramires marauded his way into the United box, the impeding Patrice Evra quite obviously took the Brazilian's leg. A more blatant penalty you are unlikely to see in a Champions League quarter-final tie - though with Chelsea's past record in terms of getting penalty kicks at home in European knockout competition, there was an air of sickening inevitability that the Spanish referee would wave away disbelieving Chelsea protests. Ensuing rage was heightened when Fernando Torres was booked for simulation, almost to compound Chelsea woes. In order to rub a little more salt into gaping wounds caused by Wayne Rooney's immaculate finish after 24 minutes, it was merely an innocent clash of legs that saw Torres fall to the floor as Chelsea tried in vain to equalise. Instead, with the post tickled by a Torres flick before Evra made a fortunate clearance off the line from Frank Lampard, and Edwin van der Sar also denying Torres what looked a certain goal with a superb one-handed save, it was becoming increasingly apparent the footballing gods had favoured the fortunes of Sir Alex's charges. It does beg the question, however - what the fuck is the point of the 'assistant official?' Credit where it is due. United were, overall, the better team and deserved to end their Stamford Bridge hoodoo. One thing this game certainly shows is the fact Chelsea must revert to a 4-3-3. The final fifteen minutes saw the Blues pose a genuine threat to van der Sar's goal, as opposed to two decent Drogba efforts and a couple of wayward long-range efforts that did little to trouble the Dutch custodian. Mikel's presence in the holding role allowed Lampard and Ramires licence to roam, whilst the presence of Malouda and Anelka on either wing opened up the pitch, as opposed to the claustrophobic, cramped conditions of their narrow 4-4-2. Natural width has ever been key to Chelsea's trophy-winning successes - the Blues crushed all before them between March and October in an attack that became feared for its relentlessness in front of goal. United were up against a tide of Blue attacks early on as Chelsea sought to impose themselves on the Red Devils, but having ridden a muted storm that echoed Saturday's moderately limp performance in front of goal at Stoke, United broke up the other end in impeccable style. Carrick's switch to Ryan Giggs was perfectly-weighted, Giggs' touch and pass were sublime and the finish from Rooney was an example of his recently returned confidence. The word 'predictable' was exchanged between more than a few as the ex-Everton man pointed to the sky in celebration. In exchange, Chelsea had to wait until the final minutes of the first half to impose themselves as an attacking force. Didier Drogba showed great strength and skill to cross to the far stick, where Torres' deft flick tickled the base of the post. On the rebound, the ball sat too high for Lampard, who could only swipe at it with his shin, allowing Evra to make a dramatic clearance off the line. Chelsea could not have come much closer - but after respectable efforts from the edge of the box by Essien and Ivanovic, a decent chance for Ramires went begging, whilst Torres was left pounding the turf in frustration as his textbook header was inexplicably clawed out of the air by van der Sar in a physics-defying motion. Chelsea should have been given a penalty and Frank Lampard most likely would have buried it. That argument does not hide the very simple fact that Manchester United were the better team, and that Carlo Ancelotti was out-thought by his opposite number. All is not yet lost - the pressure is firmly on United to progress, but the Blues will surely find courage from their wonderful record at Old Trafford and the thought that European success represents the only chance of salvation from the dramatic mid-season capitulation that has undermined domestic trophies this term. The Champions League is all the Blues have left to play for now, and you can bet your bottom dollar they will throw everything they have at Sir Alex's men at the Theatre of Dreams. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Bosingwa (Mikel 77), Ivanovic, Terry ©, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Zhirkov (Malouda 69); Drogba (Anelka 69), Torres. Manchester United (4-4-2): van der Sar; Rafael (Nani 50), Ferdinand, Vidic ©, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Park (Smalling 90+3); Rooney, Hernandez (Berbatov 77) The TalkChelsea.net man of the match was Manchester United's number 11, RYAN GIGGS

A conspiracy to stop Chelsea winning the Champions League continues.

The only reason he hasn't scored yet is because I've not slagged him off yet. TORRES YOU'RE SHIT. Might work?

I have a driving lesson during the first half... I'll crash if they score.

Drogba's hardly been consistent since he came to the club either, but because he's a 'superstar' he is not subject to the same criticism.

Agreed. I'd go as far as saying he's the best defender I've ever seen play.

Welcome mate

Fyed just wanna be starting something.

Stoke 1-1 Chelsea FA Premier League - Saturday 2 April 2011 - Britannia Stadium Didier Drogba netted his first goal since late January - but it was not enough to continue Chelsea's late push for the title as the Blues were held in the Midlands. The somewhat expected drop in form following the apparently-cursed Manager and Player of the Month awards for Carlo Ancelotti and David Luiz respectively has seen Stoke's John Walters throw the proverbial spanner in the works after delivering a devastating blow to any harbouring hopes the champions had of retaining their title. Despite Didier Drogba scoring a magnificent equaliser and then twice thrashing the ball against the frame of the goal, this will surely be seen as two points dropped as opposed to one gained - although it could have been so much worse if not for Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech, who made four superb saves to ensure Chelsea left the Potteries with a share of the spoils. The result means that the Blues' title hopes have suffered another blow, but in this season of seasons it would be foolish to absolutely rule them out even now. What seemed like a long shot before kick-off seems now like even more of an improbability, but the upcoming clash between Manchester United and Arsenal, and a run of fixtures against teams in the bottom half may see the Blues back in to semi-contention. 11 points is now the gap between league leaders United and Chelsea, who slipped to fourth following Manchester City's demolition of Sunderland on Sunday afternoon. With a game-in-hand, however, the Blues seem likely to finish the season as runners-up considering Arsenal's difficult run-in - which sees them face the likes of United, Bolton, Liverpool and Tottenham before the curtain falls on a topsy-turvy campaign of Premier League football. The only team that has shown a semblance of consistency this season is the aforementioned United; consistently lucky. The only reason such a margin exists between United and the Blues is because of Saturday's lunchtime result - West Ham 2-4 Manchester United. It's becoming boringly predictable, now, to see United come from 2-0 down. Even more monotonous is the constant ignorance of the FA, who seem to have rubber-stamped Wayne Rooney's title of 'nation's sweetheart.' A blatant habit of disrespect and dissent, coupled with occasional acts of thuggery (such as launching a profanity-filled tirade at a hapless television audience - though of course without punishment) completely overshadows an otherwise-excellent performance by the England man. It is his reputation as 'a bit of a tosser' that will stop him from earning the same sort of worldwide recognition of his England peers. His immaturity also forms part of the excuse why he has failed to live up to his potential. Either way, Rooney's hat-trick came thanks to Nemanja Vidic. Actually, you could say its thanks to Lee Mason. Having incurred Ferguson's Wrath by giving West Ham two early penalties - both expertly-dispatched - he somehow failed to find his red card in his back pocket and instead produced a yellow. About half-an-hour later he failed to find his cards altogether. Vidic stayed on the pitch, somehow. That's probably because he's the captain of a side managed by Ferguson, and referees are too scared to slightly peeve a man who, refreshingly, isn't afraid to speak his mind. United came back to win the game - credit to them for that - but if you're 2-0 down at half-time and down to 10 men away from home, you certainly aren't going to do much more than attempt to make a game of it after the interval. The result simply got to Chelsea. In a war of attrition, the Blue psyche had been affected for the first time this season. Having bounced back from what seemed like Europa League obscurity to outside chance of silverware, you would have been forgiven for thinking Chelsea would merely shrug this slight setback off. Two things saw to Ancelotti's charges dropping points on Saturday - a resilient (and at times unfortunate) Stoke City, and the distraction of the Champions League. Credit where credit is due, first and foremost. Stoke were excellent. In their previous home game they had dismantled Newcastle 4-0, and they sought to continue that run when John Walters skipped past the invisible challenge of Luiz, cut inside the covering Michael Essien and dispatched the ball consummately into the bottom corner. Good goal. Granted, Chelsea perhaps carried the greatest threat afterwards - as demonstrated when Drogba magnificently turned Nicolas Anelka's cross into the roof of the net with a brilliant header - but Stoke found Petr Cech an otherwise impenetrable barrier. First he denied Jermaine Pennant with his feet before he demonstrated his true qualities. First he turned aside a Matt Etherington header with his feet, before he pulled off a magnificent save to tip Marc Wilson's freekick on to the bar. He did equally well to then turn Robert Huth's header against the woodwork - the world's best goalkeeper had denied Stoke the game's better opportunities. In the meantime, Drogba efforts had kissed the base of the post and become acquainted with the crossbar at the other end of the field, but the distraction of the Champions League was demonstrated shortly after thanks to unadventurous substitutions on Ancelotti's part. The introduction of Messrs Torres and Kalou did little to spark much of a change, and the like-for-like swap of two rights-backs - Bosingwa (arguably Chelsea's best outfield player alongside Ramires, who was also taken off) for Ivanovic - highlighted that King Carlo was perhaps happy to accept a draw in light of Stoke's unbeaten home record. Adding in the fact they had only dropped four points from winning positions all season prior to the game, and you might agree with Ancelotti that a point is not at all a bad return. However, for the optimist, it certainly is a bad return. This should have been one of those bankers - the win that triggered a late push for championship contention. Mercifully, a kinder fixture list than most may see Chelsea throw themselves back in to the fold, but it is surely a case of too little, too late. Eight games is not enough to overturn an 11-point gap, but second place would be accepted without complaint. You have to concede that title success was only a minute possibility, but United's luck surely has to run out before long. This game showed the Champions League is priority numero uno. That is a gamble that could leave Chelsea with egg on their faces in nine days' time. Either way, this result is not a good one for the Blues, whichever way you look at it. Neither is it bad considering Cech's contribution to the game, but three points were a must and now only eight wins from eight and a portion of good luck will see the Blues finish first. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Bosingwa (Ivanovic 79), Luiz, Terry ©, Cole; Ramires (Kalou 61), Essien, Lampard, Malouda; Anelka (Torres 61), Drogba. Stoke (4-4-1-1): Begovic; Wilson, Shawcross ©, Huth, Higginbotham (Collins 90+2); Pennant (Fuller 90+1), Whelan (Whitehead 85), Delap, Etherington; Walters, Jones. The TalkChelsea.net man of the match was Chelsea's number 1, PETR CECH

Agreed.

I really don't see why Bosingwa is getting such low scores?! He was by some distance the best defender on the pitch for us yesterday. Defensively he did not put a foot wrong and he seemed to be our only real attacking outlet.

Welcome

You really think McEachran would have done any more against a physical Stoke side? I find that highly unlikely. The lad is a talent, but Essien's physical presence was needed. If anyone was missed, it was Mikel.

I was quite restrained for once