Strike

i think it will still be a 4-2-3-1 with slight variations. It will be interesting to see what roles he has pegged for Mata, de Bruyne and Oscar. No. I think it won't end well if Drogba comes back

Source: Opta but not up-to-date with full season. Published in April

If we don't sign a striker, I think it's a sign of Jose's faith in Lukaku. Eden could work as the false 9. What he will do well is draw defenders out and open up space in behind to run at the defence but for me, it's the position of an unconventional striker dropping deep than an attacking midfielder going forward. I recall Eden Hazard playing as the false 9 for Belgium vs England. The problem he faced was that the defenders coped with him because he was outnumbered in attack. Belgium had lot of the ball in the final third but had nowhere to go with it. Space is everything in a false 9 system and In fairness, England sat back in numbers and cut down the spaces, so they had plenty of cover in defence but that's the problem Chelsea will face. A team which defends deep and in numbers can easily cope with Eden at the tip of the attack

Indian contingent is growing. Welcome

Robbie used the false 9 formation against Juventus. personally, i'm not a fan of it. only reason Robbie considered it was because the alternative was Torres I think.

Success rate of crossers in Premier league Not bad given Chelsea's lack of aerial challengers

this is a chance for some of the young boys to show that they merit a more aggressive loan

Yes. Mata - Hazard and Schurrle/Oscar/de Bruyne as the 3 attacking mids. all those players can play any position in the attacking midfield slot. the problem with going 4-3-3 is our best player - Mata.on the wings is much less effective than in the middle but I think Oscar will thrive in a 4-3-3 with a midfield of de Rossi- Oscar - Ramires

yeah. that is true. keeps switching with hazard/oscar

haha.. yes. fans on all night. max speed. pretty much the norm here.

Mata on the wing is not bad. He did fairly well in the first few months under AVB but knowing how good he is in the playmaker role, he shouldn't be shunted to the wings

Mata on the wing is not bad. He did fairly well in the first few months under AVB but knowing how good he is in the playmaker role, he shouldn't be shunted to the wings

Apparently his singing initiation took place last night. No word on what he sang though

de Rossi can be paired with any of Lampard, MvG, Ramires, Mikel, Essien in midfield.

Fulham may get into the transfer market now

30 degrees is Winter weather where I live

Great. Now the Cricket thread is an English wank-fest.

oh. i forgot he was with italy in the confeds as well.

Apparently de Rossi is not included in Roma's summer training camp? if true, this is the clearest indication that he may well be leaving Roma

Kept the Match downloads section running and always approachable on PM. Big thanks for your work, Doni

I hope it's not his posts on the Cricket Thread

This is a good chance to shine for some of the academy boys and youngsters , club should loan each on on merit this time. is it BST or GMT? I mean, conversion an hour early?

Belgian contingent united

This is turning out like a badly written 90's soap opera

is it BTSport's choice? If yes, then they must be nuts