JDY

Ander Herrera is slightly overrated but I wouldn't be against going for him. I don't know why some have come to the conclusion that Ramires is poor technically. He is infact very good technically but his problem is that he can't see the killer pass, and his decision making in the final third let's him down. You shouldn't need him to be able to split defences when we have Oscar, Mata and Hazard infront of him. He adds a good balance to the team alongside Mikel, and doesn't leave him exposed like Lampard did often. There's no written rule of the type of players you must have in the double pivot, but the more creative player who is tactically excellent and solid defensively are very hard to come by in today's market.

On the topic of Dortmund it would pain me to see Klopp go to someone like United when Fergie eventually retires. An excellent excellent coach. In my opinion, tactically he's up there with the very best at this present moment.

Totally forgot about Ricky, there were a lot of question marks at the time we sold him but it turned out to be a good decision. As long as we continue to have a reasonable amount of success on the pitch I see no reason why anybody should be worrying.

Indeed. The only decent player in recent years I can think of is Robben, and we got double what we paid despite him being very frustrating with injuries in his final years.

Him and Bakkali are the stars of Belgian youth football. Really excited to see this kid come through.

Would love them to throw a spanner in the works and give it to Falcao.

Was at the game tonight and despite losing I thought we were excellent. Baring the first 20 or so minutes, I think that's the best we've played going forward this season. I was unsure before this match whether we could challenge the two Manchester clubs this season, but after seeing us completely destroy them for a good majority of the game (Up until the Torres red), I'm convinced we can put up a very strong challenge. If anything I think we can take more heart from this game than them. There was plenty of United fans gloating outside the stadium. It's embarrassing if any United fan is overjoyed by anything other than getting the 3 points. I was annoyed with the ref, but what a performance we put in. Can't fault any of them.

Agreed. I've missed those trademark driving runs from deep!

Aye, the second part wasn't directed at you.

Apparently you aren't allowed to give credit for a good performance if he has frustrated you in the past. Atleast that's what it seems. It's getting boring seeing comments like; 'Wait and see the haters come out after one bad performance'. But if you praise him, you get accused 'bashing' him in the past. Can't win with some people.

Have been really impressed at how good he is tactically, his work rate is also exceptional and he isn't afraid to get stuck in. Hopefully he continues to develop, so far so good!

Another excellent game alongside Rami!

Depends how desperate the buying club is, and in Liverpool's case I'd imagine they would go all out to bring him in. Don't forget we signed Cahill for £7m in January and his contract was expiring in the summer.

It's very different. I sit in the MH Upper and there is singing sometimes, but the lower tier is where to go. Followed by the Shed, they've been getting louder over the years and you're right next to the away fans.

He would've probably been more than a squad player if we ended up in the Europa League, so it would've been a gamble for me. Not so much now given the players we've been able to bring in due to the CL win.

All the home games live, and a few away games. Most away games on TV however. The guys who sit directly behind me go to all away games, including U21 games. Serious dedication but requires a lot of time travelling. I would like to do that but don't have the time at the moment.

So so pleased with the performance today & the result. Going to keep this short, but we haven't even hit second gear yet and we are still picking up the points. This was our first real test and we reacted excellently. Terry and the midfield two of Mikel & Ramires were brilliant in particular.

Had a good game today alongside Rami. This partnership is looking promising.

Didn't think the Hulk situation was as bad as this: "Zenit St. Petersburg have been sent a fake bomb with a photo of summer signing Hulk attached to it, Russian police have confirmed. The authorities were called to the club's training ground to discover the pretend bomb, making this the latest incident in a string of disruptions since the striker was bought from Porto for a reported £32m."

Truth. Maybe we both overreacted in the heat of the moment. Regarding your post, If the season start is anything to go by, then it would suggest he is. I haven't seen Mikel try to get around the pitch as much as he is, ever before in a Chelsea shirt. I didn't say it means he isn't doing a good job, just that it shows that he doesn't understand the role he's meant to be playing, or that he's trying to do multiple jobs at once, which would be harsh on him. The insane interception stat from the other night is reminisce of a deep holding player, who sits off the opposition, reads the game and makes interceptions. Mikel did that the other day, but also looked like he was given the job as the destroyer also. That may be a fault of Mikel, reverting to what he's been used to doing over the years, or the incompetence of Lampard, so he's forced to do two jobs. It depends what combination you think fits best in the double pivot. Exactly, which is why he's not suited to the role he's been given. I was being slightly harsh on Mikel before, which in some ways shows the faults of his midfield partner, rather than Mikel himself. If you had a more defensively adept midfielder alongside him, you'd see the difference.

I'm glad that Wilkinson bloke is banned for them. Can be a right dirty git at times, similar to Bardsley when we play Sunderland.

What's the problem? Instead of reverting to abusive outbursts why don't you say what you didn't like about the post.

Loved his goal last night, was also fantastic tactically. Great full debut for the lad.

Firstly, Vidal is more of a ball winner than a B2B midfielder. Marchisio is the one in the box to box role, Pirlo as the regista, and Vidal as the destroyer. Rewatch the game and you'll see how well he performed in the role. Mikel is meant to be our destroyer, hence why he's been getting around the pitch much much more than we've ever seen him in a Chelsea shirt (than previously in the anchor role). However he defended last night the way he's been used to for many years. Didn't you find it a coincidence that they had so much space in midfield? The extra man didn't help, but Mikel stood off them and played in the withdrawn role he's done over the years, instead of doing what the destroyer is meant to do, and get around the pitch shutting down the midfield, stopping their runs from deep. Not only isn't he mobile enough to be great in this role, but he is often forced to do multiple jobs due to Lampard's suspect positioning at times. What you described in the latter part of your post isn't the job he is meant to be doing, that's the job he was previously doing for years.

The huge interception stat only shows how badly he understood his role. He is meant to be the destroyer/ball winner but is trying to play multiple roles (mostly due to Lampard) If you want to know how the role should be played have a look at Vidal's stats from last night.