BlueLion.

The comparisons between Lampard and Ronaldo in this thread about Oscar are absolutely retarded. Two different players in different positions with totally unique skillsets.

Let's sell him to City then. Imagine them with a good goalkeeper, Pogba and Reus. Simeone in charge. Fuuuuck. Domestic dominance.

Chelsea fans should prepare themselves for life without Petr Cech after the Czech international confirmed his desire for more first-team football. Speaking to Czech newspaper Idnes on Tuesday, the Blues stopper, who is just eight appearances short of 500 for the club, confirmed that he will consider his future if he is not given assurances about future play time. Having made just fourteen appearances this season, Cech has been starved of regular action and has, for long periods, played second fiddle to 22 year old Thibaut Courtois. Courtois, a La Liga winner at Atletico Madrid last season, has been in sensational form at his "new" club, but Cech continues to impress whenever selected and can boast both the fact he has yet to ship a goal in the Premier League for almost exactly twelve months, and a clean sheet in the League Cup final versus Tottenham. A source close to the player confirmed to BBC Sport that the 32 year old - who joined Chelsea for £7 million after Euro 2004 - wants more regular first-team football. 'It can work for only one season' 'It works with Thibaut. But I think it can work for only one season', said Cech. 'I don't want another season of this. I still have the contract for the next season so it really depends on Chelsea a lot. It is not in my hands. But it's obvious I want to play'. Several Premier League rivals have been touted as possible destinations - with that speculation fuelled by Cech's desire to break the Premier League record number of clean sheets. Cech, currently on 168, requires two more to equal David James' record, but the Czech international boasts a far superior games-to-shut-outs ratio, having achieved his present tally in some 240 fewer appearances. Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been mentioned in the press, but with David Ospina and Simon Mignolet in fine fettle and Samir Handanovic lined up to replace David de Gea should the Spaniard make a move to Real Madrid, those options seem unrealistic. De Gea's price tag - a fee that could exceed £30 million - could be a potential stumbling block for the European champions, and Carlo Ancelotti may turn his attentions towards the considerably cheaper Cech, who in 2009/10 won the Premier League's golden gloves under the tutelage of the double-winning Italian. Should he join the Bernabéu outfit, Cech would replace legendary stopper Iker Casillas, whose considerable decline in form since Euro 2012 has seen him rotated frequently with Diego López and Keylor Kavas in recent seasons. AS Roma were linked with a January move which was subsequently blocked by José Mourinho - and the Giallorossi could resurrect their interest. Former Blues boss Rafa Benitez, now at Napoli, could also be interested in a deal. Internazionale would be an alternate should Handanovic replace de Gea at United - or Cech could join former team-mate David Luiz at Paris St-Germain, with Salvatore Sirigu in inauspicious form this campaign. What seems certain is that, for the first time in eleven seasons, Chelsea fans should prepare for life without the greatest goalkeeper in their history. Who will replace Cech? One name recently mentioned as a potential replacement for the former Rennes stopper is Tottenham's third-choice veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel, but it is likely that the American goalkeeper would operate as a third-choice 'keeper in a mentorship capacity, given he is now 44 years old. Celtic's Craig Gordon has also been earmarked, whilst QPR's Robert Green, 35 and with just twelve months remaining on his existing deal at Loftus Road, may represent a value-for-money option, especially if they are unable to beat the drop and are relegated back to the Championship after just one season. Click here to view the article

Will be sadder than when Lampard left

Yep, didn't have any choice about it.

IMO: Costa/Remy Hazard/Bale - Fabregas/Hazard - Bale/Willian/Cuadrado Matic/Ramires - Ramires/Mikel/Pogba?? Azpi/Filipe - JT - Varane/Zouma - Azpi/Ivan TBO/Petr

I'm sorry but if anyone thinks Alba or Marcelo are better left-backs than Azpi and Luis.... incredible. Take away their pace and they're horrible, horrible defenders. They'd be torn to pieces in the Prem or Bundesliga, the way they go forward without tracking back. Actually, does that remind anyone of Ivanovic?

But if it does, we have Loic who scores a goal every time he plays... 7 starts, six goals.

And if we get the five wins and four draws we need to mathematically win the title (19 more points), would give us 86 points for the season, with 25 wins from 38. Not too bad, eh?

3 down, 19 more points to go. 19 from a possible 27. 5 wins, four draws. COME ON.

A good point, would people be so forgiving if the mistake had cost us the two points?

"Injured", just before the international break?

I feel sorry for Cahill having to play CB and RB all the time, I really do.

He made a howler. Every goalkeeper does it. But to show the character to bounce back and make that very good triple save and command his box in the way that he did, rather than retreat into his shell - that speaks volumes about his personality. Good man. For me, yesterday's game sums up the difference between Chelsea in 2014/15 and the Chelsea of last season. Remember the 2-2 at home against the Baggies last year, when Cech let in that absolute bobbler of a shot from Sessegnon and we only got a draw through Hazard's penalty? A similar story yesterday - you can't legislate for individual errors like Thibaut's, so for the team to bounce back and get the win was impressive. Yesterday was a big, big win.

He made some errors and was beaten quite easily on occasions, but some of his passes, especially his first-time balls into feet, were something you don't get from Azpilicueta. For me, it's quite simple - if you're okay to sacrifice some defensive solidarity so you can increase the attacking output of your defensive unit, you play Luis. If you need to consolidate things, you play Dave. Unfortunately we don't live in a world where we can have the best of both. We have two very good, very different full-backs on the left, and I'm excited to see how Mourinho utilises them. I think his selection to play Dave against high pressing sides like Southampton last weekend, and then playing Luis away from home against a defensive three, was spot on.

Same here. Remember when Michu was flavour of the month in 2012/13? Here today, gone tomorrow. It's almost too good to be true that there is an out-and-out striker banging in goals left, right and centre, and that he's English.

Deserves more opportunities. As to why José hasn't tried out 4-4-2 this season is beyond me. Loic - Costa Hazard - Matic - Ramires - Willian Azpi - JT - Cahill - Ivan Courtois

Arsenal are an irrelevance, we'll rubber-stamp that when we go to the Emirates.

Totally agreed, I got slated when I said he's one of the top strikers in the league. They're aren't many better at what he does.

Anything other than three points tomorrow is unacceptable, IMO.

Haha appreciated! I wish I had more time to write for this place, but as you will know well, life as a teacher is getting in the way!

He isn't staff anymore

Has he been better than Tevez? I'm not sure about that. Statistics only show one element. For me, Tevez is harder working, technically superior and better and linking the play. Tevez has more of the attributes that I look for in a striker - team work, tenacity, strength, the ability to link the play, and of course stick the ball in the back of the net - which makes him appeal massively to me. Of course that's my opinion. Aguero is a wonderful striker but right now, who would you want in your team? Aguero has looked a shadow since he came back from injury. Tevez is the best striker in Italian football at the moment. Most people think Aguero is the better player. Hence why I put it in the controversial football opinions thread.

What can Aguero do that Tevez can't?

1) He's English 2) He's been excellent