manpe

This "article" pretty much sums up the credibility of media outlets. They will write literally anything for people to see and misclick on their ads. Shocking journalism.

Jose Mourinho said: "I think Chelsea will finish first in the group, I am completely convinced we are going to qualify. The reality is the game is not even one we have to win because a draw and two victories after mean we will qualify." Bus it is.

We already have a poll for that.

Nope, not any kind of particular reaction. I'm just curious to see how they will handle it on the pitch, including Mourinho.

For me this will be the most interesting game of the season so far. The bomb exploded after the liverpool collapse. There is a great amount of uncertainty and drama surrounding the the club right now, the manager and themselves more than before. How do they react?

Depends who you're hearing it from.

Anybody else have the feeling that the club is holding itself back in the hope that Jose would eventually resign? It's not too far fetched to think that they could be feeding this bullshit to the media to create pressure around him. It's becoming apparent that things are not going to get better considering we have been hearing those infamous "working hard to turn things around" rhetorics since August. The players have started to push more for results than earlier, but in a broken system which doesn't work anymore it can only frustrate them when they're giving their all (presumably) but are still struggling and getting humiliated. Playing every game with the same old approach would irritate me as a player when it's apparent it isn't working and is setting my and my friends careers back. Questioning the manager's tactics and general approach is a valid concern here for everyone in the club. I have very little hope left that he manages to dig himself out of this hole. I think he will lose the squad's and club's trust before he gets around to changing his mentality (which I doubt will ever happen, he will rinse and repeat in his new club). Also I read somewhere in this topic that he has spent ~200-300 million on players over three years. Add to that we had to balance the books by selling players, so we also sold for approximately the same amount if not more. The club has moved around ~half a billion pounds for this project, and this unrecognizable mutation of a football team is the outcome. Something to think about.

Oh my word

He's still a little off the badge [emoji38]

This is what we should do to the scum

You're a legend According to physioroom he's out until tomorrow, so I guess he's very doubtful. Bored again, my line-up: Bego Dave - Zouma - Cahill - Baba Matic Willian - Cheeks Hazard - Remy - Kenedy

It's pointless to argue. There is the "best manager in the world" camp who are sentimental and clingy to history, then there is the camp of people like you and me who are cold and calculated. The argumentations reflect that, both sides provide valid opinions and points. Maybe it has something to do with zodiac signs? I, for example, would be over the moon if Mourinho had managed to deliver his promises when he came back. As a Chelsea fan I naturally view him in a different light and I would love nothing more than for him to keep being successful. But he is failing now, and him failing = Chelsea failing, and as a cold and calculated argument, I don't particularly like seeing something or someone I'm attached to failing. In my eyes he only deserves to stay if he shows improvement and starts delivering his promises, I'm not basing what he deserves on his past achievements. We need him to be the best in the present, not in the past. Now more than ever.

Finishing outside top4 is essentially being mid-table, at least for CL aspiring players especially if we continue playing like we are. Shaqiri and Bojan aren't the class of players we should be looking at, they are playing at Stoke nuff said. But you could be right, it's just that Marin Hazard comparison pops to my mind everytime I think about what would happen without CL football.

Here you are correct, as there are millions of players all over the world dreaming of playing top-flight football, but only a handful top players who can elevate us up another level and keep us there. Those players don't want to play in mid-table clubs with no chance to win the most coveted club football tournemanet in the world (which comes with financial benefits). In 2012 we started preparing for a season without Champions League football, result? Marko Marin. Once we had won the CL and secured participation the next season, result? Eden Hazard. That is the difference between most players on the planet (Liverpool standard) and the players that matter (Chelsea standard).

Okay, if we are going merely by starting XI, then yes, only regulars Azpi and Fabregas were rested (not dropped as in punished). But for a big chunk of the game we played with what you can call a B-team, we finished with them and it almost paid off. When two premier league teams meet each other, it is a myth that everyone except Chelsea uses fringe and young players. For example Arsenal played against Sheffield Wed with only 4 non-regulars (some of em possibly playing due to injuries knowing arsenal) and still got shafted bad. We played Stoke at the Britannia and almost made it, Jose did good with team selection from what he had to select from.

Still not first XI.

Kenedy, Traore, Baba, Zouma RB, Mikel, Remy.... hardly first 11.

The boss gave an update on Diego Costa who went off injured before half-time ‘He’s in the hospital. I don’t know how he is. It was his ribs.’ Mourinho was then asked how the striker sustained the injury ‘I think he punched himself.’

We will win this one thinking we are back and then draw/lose against Dynamo. Or vice versa, lose liverpool, win dynamo. Not sure we can jump over our shadow and win both.

I didn't see the 1st half, but what attacking game judging by 2nd half and ET? Yes we were attacking more because we were chasing the game obivously, but we were clueless in the final third yet again. Our only goal came from a scrappy corner situation and we couldn't put one past 10 men, one of whom was injured and limping for the last ~5 minutes. Never threatened their box, mostly hopeful long shots. 1st half must have been fantastic if anybody can say it was a good performance.

Even when we are creating some chances they are all flukes, improvised by the players in the moment. We play no consistent patterns, no one-twos, no nothing. Players are too far from each other when in possession meaning no shapes are formed to combine past pressing and defenses. How often do we see some player trying to make a run for it only for our brilliant players to completely ignore it and pass sideways. That's why we don't score open play goals, the offensive coaching is very primitive (can't use the pass-to-Hazard-and-see-what-happens tactic anymore because the guy isn't producing). Oscar pissed me off. He is supposed to be the passer among the wooden legs, but he doesn't know what a through ball is these days or when he remembers, he lacks the skill or brain to pull off what look to be simple passes forward (not fucking sideways to a static Zouma. Kenedy or whoever was overlapping all night long). Fabregas is shit, but as a playmaker/passer he is 100x better than Oscar even in his worst form. We are facing the grim reality of our players being simply not good enough. Last year they got some kind of mental boost from whatever Mou did, but this year we are seeing how much they actually can do when shit hits the fan and there is no-one to bail them out. Used to be Hazard, but even he is human and cannot carry this bunch on his own for years and years. He needs help in a difficult situation. Mourinho has repeatedly hinted that this group is weak mentally and it is true. I'm not sure they will respond to rough handling. We need a sports psychologist in the team (if we don't have one already) and an attacking coach (if we do have one, then sack him and hire Ten Cate or whoever). There are three possible options. Either the players are complete morons and cannot apply what they practice in training in a game, or they do apply and the problem isn't the players. Or we are simply cursed, going paranormal for unexplainable might be the way to go.

Remy is injured.

Bored at work, so just gonna post my fantasy line-up. Begovic Azpi - Zouma - Cahill - Baba Mikel Oscar - Cheeks Traore - Costa - Kenedy Whatever the line-up, JUST TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE JOSE! If we see Zouma at RB, a midfield of Ramires, Mikel and Fabregas I will lose all hope that he is capable of experimentation, let alone change.

I got it, but it's just a workaround that non-twitter users like myself wouldn't think of without asking.

Can anybody explain to me why we play so many long balls to him? For his height and mass he is simply below average in aerial battles, such a waste to lump it up to him. Once Falcao fucks off we should find a target man to complement the team and attacking options. I hear there is a beast Ivorian tearing up the MLS in America, should look into it.