Namika

I just don't understand it.

DFB Pokal starts the 15.

Courtois will play against Burnley, for sure.

I think we do when we play with a number of player who understand each other and play regularly together. For example, in the month of January/February last year, we won practically every game (11W,2D) and Eden/Oscar/Willian got a good run of games together and we seemed like a team who could beat anybody. "the distinct lack of tactical offensive patterns such as off the ball movements, combination plays, link up and hold up plays, fullbacks overlapping to create added width, incisive passing and so on" "it starts from a manager having an appreciation for the creative side of football and implementing the philosophy through rigorous work on the training ground. " http://garycurneen.com/archives/1514 Read that if you think that we don't train offensive patterns. More than that, why his Real was so easy against parked bus and why ten years ago when he was here we beat everyone who was in front of us ?

"What I know is, him at 10 doesn't improve our play. We might as well have kept Mata for that." 2 pre season games... ffs...

Barcelona has problem with parked bus too and they have the best players in the world in terms of creativity.

One thing that I don't understand from Mourinho criticism is the "there's no movements upfront, don't we make attackings movements in training blablabla". Arrigo Sachi, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola have said multiple of times that their jobs is to find a way to bring the ball to the attacking players and then their creativity have to do the rest. What do you want José to do ? There is no ultimate solution to beat a parked bus, a manager isn't a magician.

José said we gave him an extension. He didn't want to stay...

Courtois and Didier will start. Hazard to feature.

v Burnley: Courtois Azpi - Ivanovic - Terry - Filipe Matic Oscar - Cesc Willian/André - Costa - Hazard Ramires is suspended, hopefully Willy, André and Oscar will be fit.

If Willian play RW and stay in the middle, it's simply because José asks him to do so. He gives more control in the middle, most teams plays 4-3-3 nowadays so all of our midfielders are marked by someone but when Willian comes central and his fullback doesn't follow him, we have a 4v3 in midfield and that gives us an advantage. All managers have a way to give their midfield an advantage, for example, Pep asks his fullback to come in centrally and his 9 to drop back,...

Gianluca Di Marzio ‏@DiMarzio 2 min Contacts between @VfL_Wolfsburg and the agent of @Torres: the german club is looking forward a striker. omg.

Courtois: "I signed three years ago so now I am happy to actually be here, to be a part of this club" Courtois: "That night was a really good experience, but obviously I was playing for the other side at SB so it was a little bit weird." Courtois: "Now I’m just looking forward to playing a game at Stamford Bridge in the Chelsea colours." Courtois: "Chelsea has a team to be champions in England, to win cups & also to play in the final of the Champions League and win it again" The Treble is coming.

Hopefully he starts the season with a bang to shut everyone up.

Diego Costa is amazing.

‘When you look at the profile of the player, it’s not just about the physical profile or the tactical profile,’ says Mourinho. ‘It’s also the psychological profile. I have known Diego since he was 17 and he went to Portugal. Life was not easy for him. ‘He has always to fight a lot to do things. In Portugal, he was a Braga player but it was a good team. He had to go on loan to a championship team to be back to Braga. ‘Then Atletico Madrid bought him but, after that, he went to Celta Vigo because Atletico had (Sergio) Aguero. ‘Then he had to go to Rayo Vallecano because Atletico had (Radamel) Falcao. He came back to Atletico when Falcao went. ‘At Atletico he had to make people forget Aguero and Falcao. Without them (last season) they won the title and reached the Champions League final. But the guy had to fight a lot to arrive there, so I think he is the kind of guy who is afraid of nothing and ready for everything.’ Costa arrived at Chelsea ‘thanks to his legs and to his heart’, says Mourinho. ‘That’s what he said to me,’ the manager explains. ‘He’s been given nothing for free.’ The striker has, however, been blessed with talent. The kind of talent Mourinho describes with infectious enthusiasm. ‘It is easy to see a big, strong guy using his body, attacking spaces, holding up the ball and pressing people,’ he says. ‘But, with proper football eyes, the guy is much more than that. The movement is incredible, the intelligence is amazing, the choices he makes in terms of movement are fantastic. ‘The guy is a real top striker. I can say that because I’ve known him for a long time. Even the older players with us — Ivanovic, Terry — they say it’s fantastic that he’s coming because he is so strong. 'They say he is good in the air but, after three or four days of training, they change their opinion. They say he is much better than that. They thought about his physical presence, but he is much more than that.’ Mourinho is happy to compare him to Drogba because he is confident Costa will prove himself every bit as successful. In certain areas perhaps he will prove even better. ‘Didier is still better than him in the air,’ he says. ‘Costa is good in air, Didier is super good. ‘But Diego is more powerful than Didier when attacking spaces. And he arrives with more experience at the highest level. When Didier joined us, he was playing in the French league, having played just a couple of matches with Marseille in the Champions League. He was not even playing in World Cups with the Ivory Coast. ‘Diego is made. Physically, mentally, Diego is an end-product. The Premier League is difficult and he knows; he is ready. ‘To play with the Chelsea responsibilities and pressure, he knows and he is ready, too. ‘During the whole season, the first away goal one of my strikers scored was at Southampton, on New Year’s Day. So, from August until the end of December, my strikers didn’t score away. This is the situation. Will it be a problem for Diego to play at Palace or Stoke? Not at all. I think they will be the matches he will most enjoy.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2706032/Jose-Mourinho-relishing-new-season-HIS-Chelsea-team-wants-Premier-League-title.html Talks about Costa, transfers... "I can play Azpilicueta right back and Ivanovic centre back because of Filipe."

He's going to be a star for us.

Very good interview from him too.

He'll score more than 20 in the PL.

Real Madrid is a small team then. Same for Dortmund, United (with SAF) and many others.

I think José likes him a lot.

In terms of level, La Liga is miles away from the PL now. You just have to look at theirs top players and the top players in the PL. World class players who have proved their worth in the CL or in the WC (more in the CL because it's a higher level) are very rare in the PL but you have it in abundance in La Liga. In head to head between the two league, La Liga wins also, in 11/12 Bilbao (10 in La Liga that year!!) played with MU (second of the PL), Atletico beat us this year, Barcelona beat City easily too and it was a poor Barça too... Where the PL is better than la Liga is the way that most teams play counterattacking football which create a lot of transition and is quite enjoyable where La Liga is more calm. I would go as far to say that we're the only team capable of competiting with the top three of La Liga in the PL thanks to José.

Messi and Ronaldo would score 40/50 in the PL too... One scored 14 and the other 17 in the CL in one season, they are 5 goals away from the record of Raul...