carefreeluke

Not the worse result in the world especially considering the team we put out but fuck me I thought we could of played better. Bertrand was decent once again, absolute joke AVB preferred Bosingwa over Bertrand at left back, Bosingwa can barely play right back let alone out of position at left back. We lacked quality in the final third without the likes of Mata, Lampard and Ramires. Kalou has to go in the summer, I've given him a lot of support over the years but he's had a lot of playing time since Di Matteo came in, Di Matteo's trusted him and he's not performing, he has had good spells for us particularly when he's been given a run in the team but it's now or never as far as I'm concerned, he's got to start performing in the last few games, if not he does not deserve a new contract.Same with Malouda and Bosingwa who should both be going, like Kalou they've had decent spells for us, Malouda was class in Ancelotti's first season but they haven't played well for ages, time to get harsh. McEachran shouldn't of went out on loan, he's not really playing for Swansea, probably would have got more games with us, we could do with him now, he's young but he's much better than the likes of Kalou and Malouda. Even more so, we could have done with Yossi, no idea why we let him go to Arsenal, I know he wanted games but he probably would have got similar playing time with us. Sturridge is slowly dropping to Kalou's and Malouda's standards. Doesn't pass, he's unfit and his end product can be frustrating at times, that's probably a bit harsh but true, however he's had a good season especially considering that it's one of his first proper seasons where's he's been playing regularly, he's only young and should get better, I would like to see him play more centrally next season.

One of the most nerve-racking games I've ever been to but a great result in the end. We defended well and somehow got a goal to win the game, I felt we had to take a win to the Nou Camp to have any chance. Cahill, Terry and Cole were all quality and I don't see how people can criticise us for setting up the way we did. Ramires and Lampard were class in the build up to the goal, Drogba was lucky with his finish but it went in and that's all that mattered. I felt we should of done more from an attacking sense, we should have played more long balls forward, as long balls always cause Barca problems. At times we needed more men up there to support Drogba and we didn't counter well enough, we should of went for it a bit more considering we had home advantage. We wasted a few good opportunities from free kicks as well. Overall, I can't complain though, a good win. It will be a different game second leg though, so I'm not going to get carried away, Barca by their standards have been poor away from home this season. At the Nou Camp it's a different ball game, it will be a massive task to stop Barca scoring, they always seem to come good when it matters. Either way, we've gotta believe, we've done it before at the Nou Camp. COYB.

You missed the part when I talked about passing then. That Jose thing is bullshit. As is the player power thing. Players having too much power i.e. Lampard, Terry, Cole, Drogba is complete bullshit. Player power was never a problem under Ancelotti or Hiddink. AVB should have dealt with the squad better.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. No creativity? Only Giggs has more assists than Lampard. Lampard hasn't even played DM this season which shows you probably need to watch him more closely. His passing is underrated and is something that doesn't get enough credit, people always bang on about the goals he scores. There was a quality video on Youtube demonstrating Lampard's passing ability, I can't find it at the moment but I'll post it here when I find it. His passing is something that even we Chelsea fans don't give him enough credit for. The amount of goals we've scored that have come from Lampard, is unreal. I didn't like the part he played with AVB. However, AVB's main problem was that he didn't get the squad on his side, his squad management was shocking. It was AVB's fault as well which is something a lot of people forget. Players like Alex have said that AVB should of handled the likes of Lampard better. I agree with what Lampard said, AVB was trying to make changes too quickly and forgot about the present. Anyway, Lampard is class. His intelligence and hard work make Lampard what he is. Jose sums Lampard up.

We will have to go more or less full strength. I'm nervous, losing to Tottenham at Wembley in the Carling Cup final was one of my worse games watching Chelsea. Right back is a problem, no Ivanovic so Bos will have to play. I would normally prefer Ferreira but I remember Bale ripping Ferreira apart a while back, so it will have to be Bosingwa who does have the pace to deal with Bale. I'd play Cahill for this game, then play Luiz against Barcelona. It's a big game, so Drogba should start, however it's difficult because of the Barca game where Drogba will and should definitely be starting. Then again Drogba hasn't played much of late, so I'll go with Drogs, it's his type of game. I also miss Romeu. I'd like to see something like this: Cech Bosingwa Cahill Terry Cole Essien/Romeu Mata Lampard Sturridge Drogba Kalou

Meireles can't tackle to save his life, another performance where he has contributed fuck all. I've stuck up and supported Mikel and Kalou over the past few years but they have to offer more. Di Matteo has given them chances since he's came in, they've done ok but need to offer more, time to get harsh with them if they're not going to start performing, it's time to get rid. Typical performance where we don't take advantage, we've played without two wingers for ages now, Ramires was shocking but I can forgive him because he's played well for the majority of the season. It wasn't Ramires' type of game, he should be only put on the right in the big games, kept constantly coming inside today which didn't help us at all. Fuck all width as usual. Apart from Lampard there was a serious lack of quality tonight in the final third. Fulham deserved at least a point and it wasn't a penalty. I'm overreacting, a point isn't that bad but I'm sick of us throwing away leads.

Spurs have lost, so we will probably drop points and fail to take advantage. The Spurs result should give us extra motivation but in the past, taking advantage of other results hasn't always happened. Hope I'm wrong, we need a big performance. COYB.

I thought we weren't at our best but I thought we were comfortable for most of the game. Yeah, Benfica were dangerous but they didn't create enough clear cut chances and definitely weren't clinical enough with the chances they did have. We were poor but I always thought we could upped our game if we needed to, all that mattered really was getting through which we did. Fair play to Benfica though, they gave it a good go, I thought Aimar was quality, in my opinion he was the best player on the pitch and we failed to deal with him the whole game. The main problem was that Benfica kept finding space between our midfield and defence which we didn't do enough to stop, we also struggled when Terry went off, our defence seemed more vulnerable. Our best players were Cole, Terry and Lampard I thought. Lampard's passing was class, still a very underrated part of his game, he reminded me of Scholes a lot tonight. He's also playing a deeper role nowadays.

Mata easy.

Disappointed that we nearly gave that away and also disappointed that we conceded two but all that matters is the three points nowadays. Mata wasn't at his best but Villa failed to deal with him the whole game, they failed to pick him up and gave him too much space. Mata was essential today in linking up our attacks and we played some nice stuff at times.Torres is playing well while not playing at his best if that makes sense but it was a great finish from him, just seen on Facebook that he's got three goals and four assists in his last five games. Decent. He also plays better when Mata is playing behind him. I'll say it again, the best thing Di Matteo has done is that he's handled the squad brilliantly, something AVB completely failed with. It's good to see the likes of Kalou and Mikel play, yeah they shouldn't be starting every week but they're both decent squad players. Mikel wasn't amazing today but he did a good job I thought, Kalou played a part in the first goal and he also offers us more width. Decent three points

I've been impressed with Neville, he's been the first pundit I've heard who has highlighted that we don't have any width, Ramires and Sturridge are not wingers. This was the worse game possible not to have any genuine wingers on the pitch, the middle of the pitch was too congested and the two players who are meant to give us width kept coming inside all game. It's been the same all season. We played like Stoke all game, we just kicked it long to Drogba which is embarrassing really. Apart from Cahill, Cole and Lampard everyone was not good enough. We need wingers desperately in the summer. I'm worried about Essien, he's not the same player, to be fair to him he's just coming back but the last time he came back (a year and a bit ago) he played well in his first few games but then went completely downhill. His injuries have took a lot out of him, just hopefully he doesn't suffer another big injury, another big injury could potentially kill his career. If he stays fit, he could return to his best or at least close to it. Fair play Spurs, I thought you deserved to win, not first half but definitely second. It was a game we needed to win, it's going to be hard now to finish in the top four but it's still possible.

Serious over reaction on here. We were poor but what do you expect when we're setting up like that. Finally a pundit has said we lack width, Neville was spot on. Ramires and Sturridge wingers? All they do is go inside which was asking for trouble especially today when there were so many players in the middle. We played like Stoke the whole game, just kick it long to Drogba. Until we address the width problem, we're always going to struggle no matter who we've got in the team. Random point: When we shoot from free kicks, Mata should be taking them. Lampard always hits the wall and this season Mata has been better than Drogba at shooting. However, when crossing it should be Lampard taking, with Mata and Drogba taking the odd ones. I thought Cole and Lampard were our best players today.

Slightly overrated performance but still a great one especially seeing how bad we've been all season. Could have been a different story if Napoli had taken their chances and I didn't think we did enough to stop Napoli on the break, at times we were also lazy pressing which is more understandable late on but not during the first half. Napoli didn't help themselves, their defending was very poor and they should have done better in the final third. They couldn't handle Drogba who was different class and Ivanovic's throw ins caused a lot of problems for them. MOTM was easily Drogba, I've lost count of how many games this man has won us over the years. Terry, Luiz, Ramires, Lampard all stood out as well, can't fault anyone tonight even Torres who was quality when he came on. Luiz has had his critics but it was probably his best game so far, I would have started Cahill but credit where it's due apart from a few things, Luiz was very solid, he's improved a lot, just needs to be more consistent. I still don't trust him in the big games yet but he's making progress. At the time, I questioned why Di Matteo brought on Torres and Malouda but we looked much more solid when they came on and less vulnerable to Napoli's breaks forward, Sturridge and Mata are definitely not the best defensively so it was a good move. Them flags get more embarrassing every time I see them. Anyway, this is why we need to finish 4th, can't beat nights like that, just wish I could have been there. Get in Chels.

My money would definitely be on Napoli. However, if we play with actual width, I'll be more confident. The players should be up for the game and it's very important Di Matteo get's his tactics right. We saw the problems Napoli caused us on the counter in the first leg, we must stop them doing that. We must be sensible when we attack and for this game more than ever it's important Mata and Sturridge give us width on the wings. Ivanovic and Cole bombing forward like they have been doing all season, is just going to give us problems, it will leave gaps for Napoli to counter, so Sturridge and Mata need to act as actual wingers. We can't be reliant on the full backs to give us width. We need an actual defensive midfielder on the pitch or someone who can play that role, we lacked one in the first leg which ultimately helped Napoli. Essien must play that role and I think he will, he's got a massive job to play on Wednesday. Meireles should be nowhere near the team. Cech Ivanovic Cahill Terry Cole Essien Ramires Lampard Sturridge Drogba Mata COYB.

I don't mind Stoke but fuck me were they dirty today. I'll have to see it again but Fuller's stamp was disgusting. Shawcross complaining about us time wasting at the end, fuck off. Stoke were doing it the whole game. Looks like Di Matteo has gone back to the formation Ancelotti used. Credit to him for changing it as it was clear AVB's system was not working, he was bold in bringing on Mata in the first half also which in the end won us the game. I don't know where we'd be without Mata this season. All that matters is the three points at this point in the season, we must finish 4th especially as we will be bringing in a new manager, it will be harder to attract a manager if we're not in the Champions League. Cahill today was quality, he's played well since he's joined us, I hope Di Matteo continues to play him alongside Terry as that's our best CB pairing. Unfortunately, there are still problems with how we set up, we've gone back to Ancelotti's formation but what cost Ancelotti in his second season was the lack of width we had especially on the right hand side. Ramires is playing on the right, the same role Anelka played, we have no winger or proper width. Even on the left today, Kalou was always coming inside. We looked most dangerous today, in the first half when Kalou and Ramires were in wide positions, every time they came inside we lacked options. We need width. I miss the days when we had Robben and Duff on the wings, proper wingers. Today, we also failed to get the ball on the floor and keep possession, we forced too many balls which ultimately helped Stoke. Still a much improved performance and a much needed win.

The whole team was poor not just Frank Lampard, it's been the same for months now.

We've started re building, Mata, Sturridge, Ramires, Romeu, Cahill, Luiz, Bertrand, Courtois, De Bruyne. The first lot are now some our best players. Of course, we need a few players in the summer but the majority of players still have a lot to offer. We should be slowly easing the younger players into the team. The difference is, players no matter how old they are will struggle when tactics or the system is not right. When Scolari was in charge, most of our most important and better players were a lot younger than they are now, i.e Lampard, Terry, Essien, Drogba, Cole, Anelka, Malouda etc. For the last few months under Scolari as a team we were very poor, nobody was playing well which was simply down to Scolari and his tactics. The players weren't performing because of the system being used, it's the same now. People have a go at the older/senior players but then how do you explain Mata, Sturridge, Ramires, Romeu etc not playing well?

I suggest you watch the game again. It's the the way AVB is setting us up to play, not the players. It's been the same for months. Why slate Lampard? Mata was poor, everyone was poor. The tactics don't work, AVB is trying to use the same tactics he used at Porto but they don't work here. To get the best out of everyone, you need to play a system that works. It was very much the same under Scolari, Scolari in his last few months as manager persisted with the same tactics. We were poor, nobody was playing well which was simply down to his tactics. Hiddink comes in, chooses the right system that suits the players, we win the FA Cup, we win every game but one (I think it was) in the Premier League, minutes away from getting into the Champions League final. I know AVB wants to play a certain way but it's not working out. He needs to make changes.

The Lampard slating is embarrassing, apparently shit and still our top scorer this season. Without Lampard we would probably be about 6th this season. The players are not the problem, it's the tactics.

AVB should stay but I have my doubts. He keeps persisting with tactics that worked so well for him at Porto but in essence are not working for him at Chelsea. He's not changing things. It wouldn't be that bad if we were seeing glimpses of some good stuff, that we could look forward to in the future but the reality is, in this shape and formation we're not seeing anything positive. Mata and Sturridge should be out wide, instead they are told to play as inside forwards, so they are told to come inside every game which just makes it too compact and congested in the middle and therefore it's easy for teams to defend against. We need width, we need to Sturridge and Mata to stay out wide, I miss the days when we had Duff and Robben on the wings, actual width. Our only real width comes from the full backs which is easy to defend against and just leaves gaps when we go forward. When we play teams who put men behind the ball, we always struggle because we don't make use of any width and it's always too congested. The only times we've played well in the last few months has been against teams who have attacked us because there's been more space. Man United, Man City etc. It's no wonder why Torres and even Drogba come out wide it's because they can't get the ball, we can't get any possession or space in the final third, it's too congested in there.

Defensive mistakes cost us, we miss John Terry. I love Luiz, he's improved loads but there's still mistakes in him, be it small ones or major ones. At the moment, we can't fully trust him as a defender, I have faith him and I think one day he could become a great defender for us but he's still got a lot of work to do. People slate Luiz but Cole and Ivanovic made mistakes defensively as well, surprising by their normal high standards. Meireles has done fuck all for months, I don't know how he plays every game. I didn't think we did that badly but AVB should have done more to stop Napoli breaking forward, we're lucky we're still in the tie. We had a very good long spell second half but we didn't create any concrete chances, once again we lacked creativity and quality in the final third. It's going to be tough second leg as we're going to have to attack Napoli which will work in their favor. We didn't stop Napoli doing what they do best and that's playing on the counter, yes defensive mistakes cost us but blame must also go on AVB for not doing more tactically. To be fair we were lucky to even score, our goal came from a defensive mistake

I hope he stays and I still have faith in him. I can only see him leaving if this season goes completely wrong, for example not qualifying for the Champions League, going out the FA Cup and Champions League. The criticism he's been receiving is deserved though, we've been awful for months now. Our main problems lie with AVB and his tactics, he's not willing to change things, very much like previous Chelsea managers who have ended up being sacked. Ancelotti's tactics were awful at times in his second season which is why he ended up being sacked, he didn't make any changes and for periods just stuck with the same game plan all the time, we were too predictable and teams found us out. Ancelotti should have never been sacked however. Scolari was the same, his tactics worked very well at the start of the season, then teams found us out, they knew how to stop us but Scolari still persisted with the same shape and tactics each game, he didn't change things, we were playing poor and he ended up being sacked. Ancelotti and Scolari didn't have a plan B. It's very much the same with AVB now, he has made some changes, we don't play so high up now but he hasn't made any dramatic changes to the shape or personnel. We play the same way every week and it's too easy to play against, we have no width, we've been lacking width for years now. I miss the days when we had Duff and Robben on the wings under Mourinho, both were natural wingers. However, I believe AVB will be here next season. When asked about his future, he seems confident that he'll still be here which I don't think it's something he'd say if he believed otherwise. When Ancelotti was in his second season, he was constantly asked whether he would be here next season and he didn't sound assured at all, it all seemed a bit awkward. AVB is the complete opposite. One thing's for sure, if AVB had came in a couple of seasons ago and had performed the way he has done so far this season, he would have been sacked a long time ago. AVB season so far is all too similar to Scolari's and Ancelotti's second. He sets out his team to play one way, it works well for a period, then it becomes found out and easy to stop. He then continues to play that way for the rest of the season, no changes, no plan B and we end up turning into a very poor team. I understand AVB wants his team to play a certain way and it will be interesting next season when he can get some more players to suit the system. He's said his project next season will be much more important, so it will be interesting to see what happens. At the moment though, he needs to stop playing Bosingwa, put Mata in the middle and play some actual wingers.

Mata starting? He needs a rest.

Cech Ivanovic Cahill Terry Cole Romeu/Meireles Essien/Ramires Mata Sturridge Torres/Drogba Malouda/Kalou Ramires and Essien can easily play the holding role as well. Meireles can easily play the other central midfield position. When everyone's fit, that's easily our best team in my opinion. I honestly think Kalou/Malouda should be given a run of games, they are not that bad and we haven't got anyone else to put there. I think we really do need Malouda and Kalou at the moment. We have to buy a winger in the summer though.

Torres was isolated the whole game. He needed someone else up there with him. Anyway fair play to Everton. The way they set up today, is exactly how you beat us. We can't break down any team, Moyes got his tactics spot on.