Jase

Chelsea have been drawn to face German side Schalke, FC Basel from Switzerland and Romania’s Steaua Bucharest in Group E of the 2013/14 Champions League group stage after the draw was held in Monaco yesterday. The Blues - tipped 9/1 to win the competition on SkyBet - will be reasonably pleased with a much kinder draw this time around in comparison to last season when they were thrown into the same group as Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Nordsjaelland which saw them finished third in the group. However while Jose Mourinho’s side will be confident in progressing to the knockout stages, he would want to ensure his players to take each game seriously and avoid any complacency and unnecessary slip ups. Incidentally, all three Chelsea’s group opponents qualified for this stage of the competition through the play-offs. Schalke only just squeezed past Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki 4-3 on aggregate while similarly, Steaua Bucharest defeated Legia Warsaw on the away goals rule following 3-3 draw on aggregate. Only Basel comfortably brushed their opposition from Bulgaria in Ludogorets Razgrad aside 6-2 over two legs. The Blues, moreover, also have had two previous meetings against each of the oppositions in the group. Chelsea and Schalke last faced each other in the 2007/08 Champions League group stage – the season Mourinho left the club and was replaced Avram Grant. The 2012 European Champions eased past the German club 2-0 at Stamford Bridge before drawing blanks in the return fixture at the Veltins-Arena. Both sides then finished top of their group that season and they will look to do the same again with the head-to-head fixtures looking decisive. Schalke will host the English side in Gelsenkirchen - the venue where Jose Mourinho won this competition with Porto 9 years ago - on Matchday 3 before traveling to Stamford Bridge for the second game on Matchday 4. FC Basel will be one of the more familiar opponents for Chelsea having just played against one another three months ago in the Europa League semi-final with the Blues then winning 2-1 in Switzerland before easing to a 3-1 success back in London. However, the Swiss side still possesses enough quality to cause an upset as seen two seasons ago when they eliminated Manchester United from the Champions League group stage before going on to beat Bayern Munich in the next round. Chelsea will first host Basel at Stamford Bridge on Matchday 1 before heading to St. Jakob’s Park in the return game on Matchday 5. Much like Basel, Chelsea will also be familiar with Steaua Bucharest after eliminating them from last season’s Europa League round of 16 back in March. The Blues did however suffer a 1-0 defeat in Romania then before overturning the deficit in West London, winning 3-1. The first group encounter between the two will take place in Bucharest on Matchday 2 and the second on Matchday 6 at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho will hope to take advantage of the favorable draw and qualified for the Last 16 as early as possible in order to allow him and his side to focus on other competitions. The full group fixture list and game dates for Chelsea can be seen here. Click here to view article

He only earns about 60k wages p/w right now and there were talks that he will earn 100k p/w instead in his new contract, whenever that will happen. And don't think he would want to change his number to 25. He likes the No.10 and got it after, funnily enough, Benayoun gave it to him.

Thanks! And this has come somewhat out of the blue and what's with his hair? Looks like Mario Gomez!

Wrote a piece previewing this game against Bayern. Have a read.

Oh dear. Cheers for pointing that out and the compliment.

*bump*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZiHcudNj8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogyuIEtBS6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1iFeDStNYQ

Don't think that's a personal opinion. It's an opinion of all Chelsea fans really. And Schurrle isn't considered or shouldn't be considered as a ST at all given his main role is a wide player. He can play at ST but that's not his main position. If we don't get in another ST, then Ba will unfortunately go and Torres stays. We'll then have Eto'o, Lukaku and Torres as STs.

Think I saw somewhere saying it is 25m but another 5m or so as add ons/bonus and stuff like that.

Thinking it's stretching it to say Ba and Torres will go because we signed Eto'o. Ba looks like the casualty as a result of this purchase, unfortunately, while Torres will stay unless we get another ST in.

Sky Sports said he only cost about 25m pounds.

Kaka announced earlier that he wants to leave Real Madrid because it is the best for him and the club while Torres continues to sulk, rot himself here and cheat 175k p/w wages of us...

Wow, that's lengthy.. Cheers for the info.

Blimey. Just came into the thread and saw pages of rubbish posts! Have deleted a number of them and @JayC, please stop derailing the thread and refrain from starting any verbal fights with other members. If you want to talk about the Man United game, do so in the proper thread and not here. Do so again next time and you would be punished rightfully! And it would also be helpful if you guys don't respond (too much) to any out of topic posts and just report if there is any silly thing happening.

Locking this thread. Discuss anything related to him in his newly created player thread. http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/16711-22-willian/#entry752523

Willian was confirmed as a Chelsea player on 28 August, for a fee in the region of £32m, after Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had reportedly contacted fellow Russian billionaire Kerimov personally. Clearly happy with the late change of destination, the Brazilian international commented "I'm very happy to be here, it's been a dream of mine to come and play here. Chelsea are one of the best clubs in the world, and now I'm going to play for one of the best managers in the world, so I'm very happy and looking forward to it." Willian made his Chelsea debut as a substitute in a shock home loss against FC Basel, and made his full debut for the club in a League Cup win against Swindon Town the following week. He scored his first goal for Chelsea on his Premier League debut, a sublime long-range effort against Norwich City that clinched a 3-1 win for the Blues in early October. Having been eased into the Chelsea side by José Mourinho, by December Willian had established himself as a regular starter along side Oscar and Eden Hazard in the triumverate of attacking midfielders behind the striker. By the turn of the year he was consistently demonstrating his skill in attacking areas and his notable workrate was no doubt a factor in Mourinho's evident faith in the Brazilian. He scored his second goal for the club against Southampton on New Year's Day. Reflecting on his move to Chelsea in January 2014 he told the FIFA website I kept an eye on Chelseas fortunes after they first tried to sign me. I developed a bit of a soft spot for the club. The problem was that Shakhtar didnt want to let me go. And then Anzhi came in and met my release clause fee, he explained. But that made my desire to play for Chelsea all the stronger. It took a while, but now Im here, and I couldnt be happier. Click here to view the record

Have posted our group's fixtures along with the days and dates in the first post. Can check there for convenience should you wish to do so.

Heard Gigi Becali was recently sentenced to prison for a wrongdoing (can't remember what), right? Otherwise, waiting to hear him talking trash once again.

No need to create another thread. Just this to discuss about our summer transfers.

The Match Chelsea go head-to-head against Bayern Munich once again in the 38th edition of the UEFA Super Cup on Friday in Prague at 8pm BST and it promises to be an intriguing encounter. Many have been looking forward to this game ever since both clubs claim the two club European honours back in May as Chelsea and Bayern Munich won the Europa League and Champions League respectively. These two sides will need no introduction as they last met just over a year ago in the dramatic 2012 Champions League final in Munich. The Blues famously clinched their very first Champions League success on 19th May last year, after overcoming the odds by beating the German giant 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 stalemate after extra time. Much then has been made about Bayern wanting to get their revenge over the Blues and although one of their key players Thomas Muller admitted they have a ‘score to settle’, he was keen to play down the idea ‘revenge’ after last season’s treble win. "We've got a score to settle with Chelsea but last season healed those wounds, so I don't really think about it anymore and nor do the team” said Muller. After the Bavarian ended the 2011/12 season as runners-up in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League, they turned into a rampant force last season and brushed aside all comers on their way to claiming all the three aforementioned trophies. The German international then went on to insist that their aim is to continue proving his club is the best in Europe by winning the UEFA Super Cup. "Our target now is to beat Chelsea. We want to show that it was no coincidence we won the Champions League and that we're still among the best in Europe. We're especially motivated going into this game". The objective and focus, however, is very much different for their opponents Chelsea. The Blues was also involved in last season’s UEFA Super Cup but suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid in Monaco and defender Branislav Ivanovic has said he and his teammates want right the wrongs of that night. "We're taking this game very seriously. We didn't manage to win this trophy in 2012, so it's good to have another chance. We will be really motivated and will do everything we can to win. We're going to play it like a final" he told UEFA.com. His manager Jose Mourinho has also echoed his sentiment in that the team should approach the game with a full confidence and look to test themselves against the best, despite managing a younger squad than his Friday’s opponent. “We can compete against them; when you compete eye to eye it means you think you can win, and we think we can” said the Portuguese manager in his pre-match press conference yesterday. While no doubt the football world’s main focus will be on this game, there is also interest shown towards the rivalry of both sides’ manager – Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. The dislike between two figures have been well publicized after having faced no less than 15 times across various competitions between 2010 and 2012 especially when Mourinho was managing Real Madrid and Guardiola at Barcelona. They were constantly involved in public spats with one another and even though they are now managing different clubs, Mourinho was provoked when being asked questions about Guardiola during his press conference earlier and he responded in anger. Watching two of Europe heavyweights clash with one another is already fascinating as it is but with these subplots around, it only intensify this content even further. Both Chelsea and Bayern Munich will want add another trophy to their success and win for different reasons and for the managers, they would relish the opportunity to get the better over the other once more in a game neither would want to lose. About the Teams Bayern Munich Pep Guardiola’s side head into this game in decent form after recording 3 wins and 1 draw from the first four Bundesliga matches. Their 100% record in the league came to a grinding halt on Tuesday after conceding a late equalizer away against Freiburg. Many had expected Guardiola to implement the infamous ‘Tiki-Taka’ football style of Barcelona at his new club Bayern but that has not been the case. The Spaniard has the kept the same playing style of the club by continuing to play with wingers in Ribery and Robben with the only minor tweak coming in midfield. Under previous regimes, the Bavarians have typically deployed the 4-2-3-1 formation but under the new manager, he has inverted the midfield three thereby turning it to a 4-3-3 formation which was his favoured system at his former club as he wants his team to dominate the game through midfield. The former Barcelona manager has been utilizing Bastian Schweinsteinger as the deepest midfielder of the three with Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller ahead of him looking to support the attack. Bayern’s backline of defence remains the same consisting of ‘Alaba-Dante-Boateng-Lahm’ though Lahm has been deployed in midfield several times by his new manager. Despite only minor changes being implemented, Bayern Munich have yet to fully convince in their matches played so far as they continue to adapt to Guardiola’s demands. On occasions, his side have looked laboured in possession with passes being made in non-threatening areas and not creating any real chances and also a lack of proper pressure defensively mean they can be caught vulnerable and exposed to attacks especially in counter attacks Chelsea Similar to their opponents, Chelsea also come into the game in reasonably good form having won 2 and drawn 1 of their opening three Premier League with the players putting in encouraging performances although Mourinho was criticized for his negative approach against the English champions Manchester United. Otherwise, the Portuguese tactician is looking to build a side that represents his image and also one that is capable of playing attractive football particularly with plethora of attacking talents at his disposal in the likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar and Kevin de Bruyne. The Blues have showed glimpses of the offensive and exciting style of play against Hull City that Mourinho is looking to build and he would also want to instil the tactical discipline and defensive solidity into the team so that it provides a platform for his young talented squad to express themselves, especially after experiencing troubles of having the right team balance offensively and defensively in recent years which has proved costly in matches. Past Meetings (vs Bayern Munich – W1 D1 L1) 2004/05 Champions League Quarter Finals 1st Leg (6th April) - Chelsea 4-2 Bayern Munich 2004/05 Champions League Quarter Finals 2nd Leg (12th April) – Bayern Munich 3-2 Chelsea 2011/12 Champions League Final (19th May) – Bayern Munich 1-1 Chelsea [Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties] 2013/14 Season Recent Form (Last 5 Games) Bayern Munich (W4 D1 F12 A2 CS3) 5th Aug: German Cup 1st Round – BSV Schwarz Weiss Rehden 0-5 Bayern Munich 9th Aug: Bundesliga – Bayern Munich 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach 17th Aug: Bundesliga – Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Bayern Munich 24th Aug: Bundesliga – Bayern Munich 2-0 Nurnberg 27th Aug: Bundesliga – SC Freiburg 1-1 Bayern Munich Chelsea (W2 D1 F4 A1 CS2) 18th Aug: Premier League – Chelsea 2-0 Hull City 21st Aug: Premier League – Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa 26th Aug: Premier League – Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea Team News Bayern Munich Pep Guardiola rested many of his key players against Freiburg on Tuesday and his gamble backfired after seeing his side conceding a late equalizer and Bayern’s 100% record in the Bundesliga in the process. It then got worse for him as Schweinsteiger went off injured late on against their league opponents with a sprained ankle and is labelled doubtful for this game. Another player doubtful for this game is Javi Martinez, who has yet to feature under Guardiola with an abdominal injury but he is likely to be on the bench at most, if given the green light, as his lacks match fitness to start. Other absentees for Bayern include summer signing Thiago Alcantara who has been ruled out for two months with a ligament injury and defender Holger Badstuber after suffering his second rupture cruciate ligament injury in six months back in May and was ruled out for ten months. On a positive note, Guardiola’s other summer signing Mario Gotze has recently just recovered from a thigh injury and started against both Nurnberg and Freiburg this past week and may well be in the starting XI again as he looks to get back to 100% match fitness. Guardiola, otherwise, still have a strong squad to choose from: Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Tom Starke, Lukas Raeder Defenders: Dante, Daniel van Buyten, Rafinha, Jan Tilman Kirchhoff, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm, Diego Contento, David Alaba Midfielders: Franck Ribery, Javi Martinez, Arjen Robben, Xherdan Shaqiri, Mario Gotze, Mitchell Weiser, Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos Strikers: Mario Mandzukic, Claudio Pizarro, Patrick Weihrauch Doubtful: Bastian Schweinsteiger (sprained ankle), Javi Martinez (abdominal injury) Injured: Thiago Alcantara (ligament injury), Holger Badstuber (cruciate ligament injury) Chelsea In comparison to his counterpart, Jose Mourinho does not have any injury headache to deal with and he has been boosted this week by the return of David Luiz from injury. However, the manager was keen to point out that the Brazilian defender will not be thrown straight into the action as he looks to slowly integrate him back to the team. The game should also see a few changes being made to the starting line-up as nine players - Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Hazard and Oscar – have all played 3 games in 9 days recently with Mourinho looking to rest certain players and provide opportunities to others to regain their match fitness. However, the new signings Willian and Samuel Eto’o will not be involved for this game as they had only signed for the club in the past two days but should feature sometime soon in upcoming fixtures next month. Other than that, the manager has a fully fit squad of 23 players to choose from: Goalkeepers: Petr Cech, Mark Schwarzer, Jamal Blackman Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ryan Bertrand Midfielders: Michael Essien, Ramires, Frank Lampard, Oscar, John Obi Mikel, Kevin De Bruyne, Marco van Ginkel, Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Andre Schurrle Strikers: Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba, Fernando Torres Stats and Facts 1. Jose Mourinho has faced Pep Guardiola 15 times in all competitions - with Inter Milan & Real Madrid vs Barcelona – and has won just 3 of those meetings – W3 D5 L7. 2. Pep Guardiola has failed to beat Chelsea in 4 European matches - D3 L1. 3. The UEFA Super Cup remains one of the only two trophies Jose Mourinho has yet to win along with the FIFA Club World Cup. 4. Jose Mourinho lost one and his only previous appearance in this competition back in 2003 when his – UEFA Cup Winner - Porto side lost 1-0 to Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan. He then guided the same club and Inter Milan to Champions League in 2004 and 2010 respectively but left the club shortly after. 5. Bayern Munich have participated in the UEFA Super Cup the most time without winning – lost to Dynamo Kiev in 1975, Anderlecht in 1976 and Liverpool in 2001. 6. Chelsea will be playing in their third UEFA Super Cup and their previous record reads W1 L1. They defeated Real Madrid 1-0 in the 1998 – managed by Guus Hiddink then – but lost 4-1 to Atletico Madrid in 2012. 7. Chelsea have won 7 of their 14 European matches against German oppositions – D3 L4 – while Bayern Munich recorded 14 wins, 13 draws and 11 losses in 38 matches against English teams in Europe. Match Odds (Final Result/Full Time) Bayern WIN – 8/11 DRAW – 11/4 Chelsea WIN – 7/2 (Odds obtained from SkyBet) TV The match can be seen live on Sky Sports 1HD or ITV 1/ITV HD if you are from the United Kingdom. Alternatively, you can also catch the game FOX Sports 2 in the United States, Al Jazeera Sports if you are from the Middle East or Ten Action in India. There should be many match streams that can be found online if your local sports channels are not broadcasting the game or if you happen to be busy and cannot catch the game live, follow TalkChelsea on Twitter as it would provide live match commentary on the action. Click here to view article

Our Champions League's group fixtures: 18th Sept - vs Basel (H) 1st Oct - vs Steaua (A) 22nd Oct - vs Schalke (A) 6 Nov - vs Schalke (H) 26 Nov - vs Basel (A) 11 Dec - vs Steaua (H)

Would have preferred FC Copenhagen or Austria Wien over Steaua but happy with the group. Still gonna be tricky but decent and better than last season's one!

Full Drawn Groups: Group A 1. Manchester United 2. Shakhtar Donetsk 3. Bayer Leverkusen 4. Real Sociedad Group B 1. Real Madrid 2. Juventus 3. Galatasaray 4. FC Copenhagen Group C 1. Benfica 2. Paris St. Germain 3. Olympiacos 4. Anderlecht Group D 1. Bayern Munich 2. CSKA Moscow 3. Manchester City 4. Viktoria Plzen Group E 1. Chelsea 2. Schalke 3. Basel 4. Steaua Bucharest Group F 1. Arsenal 2. Marseille 3. Borussia Dortmund 4. Napoli Group G 1. Porto 2. Atletico Madrid 3. Zenit St. Petersburg 4. Austria Wien Group H 1. Barcelona 2. AC Milan 3. Ajax 4. Celtic You can obviously check them anytime in the first post of this thread...

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3441538 It's OFFICIAL!