Chelsea Legend 11

Schwarzer Azpilicueta - Luiz - Cahill - Cole Ramires - Mikel Schurrle - Oscar - Hazard Eto'o Would love for Mata to get another go but I doubt it.

Fellas if this is pulled off its a cover signing, not someone who goes right into our XI. Those moves happen in the summer... He will provide a bit of relief for Ramires and Lamps nothing more.

Not easy to answer

I've come to understand that there are a few people on this board who come here just to defend the opinion they formulated in the past. They watch the game and criticize the players they either don't like or who is playing in the place of the guy they do like. Very few people here can watch the game objectively and without some personal bias.... I have a Chelsea bais, so when a player comes on and does his job i.e a striker scores the match winner I tend side with the opinion that he had a good game. Eto'o should start Southampton, he was poor against Swansea but made amends yesterday with a huge goal. If we're not going back into the window for a striker we need some consistency. You get consistency through repetition and Eto'o needs more of that to find a rhythm

And he knows the Prem already

Really? Are you forgetting the effort that was parried away in the second half? Are you forgetting the link up plays he had with Oscar and Hazard? What about his game was poor? You're confusing... That's the point!!! Ivanovic comes off and his sub is an England international. Who were you expecting, Mata?

You got Drogba on your kit but you don't know what a striker is... Objective: Score goals and provide outlets for midfielders, did that to a tee... Almost had two goals today as a matter of fact.

My two cents worth... A few things really stuck out for me today, Eden Hazard is blossoming right before our eyes. Every time he gets on the ball, whether it be in space or in tight spots, he's looking extremely dangerous. This team is ever so slowly starting to become his team... You can tell everyone is starting to elevate their game at this time of year but he's taking it to another level. If we actually cultured David Luiz in a midfielder would there be any need for Pogba or whoever else you can throw out? Here's what I see about him, he has great ball winning instincts but is sometimes a bit too rash. He has good defensive awareness for a CB but as a DM it is exceptional. He's at his best when he has the ball in possession and loves marauding forward. He is a fantastic long range passer and can deal with aerials well... Honestly, Chelsea need to do the right thing after the world cup and train him for DM... it will save us from having to buy big (€45m for Matic??? really??) And focus on other areas on the pitch. He can play there and can probably be one of the best in the world if given time to adjust. Eto'o was fantastic today. The goal is precisely what has been missing from our strikers, not the actual goal but how it was scored. Timed it perfectly to get in front of Skrtel and just stabbed at it with his left. That sort of hunger and awareness got the ball across the line, kudos to him. Its says something about our squad when we lose Ivanovic at RB and his substitute is Ashley Cole... That is the reason I feel we're gonna win the league, by comparison Liverpool lost Joe Allen and brought on some dude name Brad Smith? I didn't like Oscar game all the much today. Felt like on the key areas on the pitch to manufacture a scoring chance he often picked the wrong option, dwelled on the ball or gave it away. He worked hard but his final third work wasn't quite there.... Vital win where we basically showed our depth of squad against a top 4 contender, if we manage to get a striker, with Hazard an emerging world beater, we can be deadly... Disgustingly DEADLY

I love this stuff. The guys the match winner and he calls him poor... LOL The objective of every striker is to score goals, when they do, particularly when its a match winner its job done.

check his conversion rate and then come back to me...

Nah... Let him continue marauding the areas on the pitch he's most comfortable. We are less likely to win with a winger who has a poor conversion rate playing striker, then we are with a striker with a poor conversion rate at striker. Lone striker duties are more than just scoring goals.

No one can deny his talent... He is a head case but with Jose I feel he can be controlled. Also, didn't Milan get him for €20M last year? his value couldn't have appreciated that much. No one can tell me a strike force of Balotelli, Lukaku and torres(obligatory eye roll) wouldn't be a menacing proposition

I can. his conversion rate is piss poor... Has been for years. He's a better winger than he is a striker.

This is what I'd like to see and I hope Jose follows suit. 4-3-3 Cech - Maybe not as obvious as year's past but still bang on. Ivanovic - we lose pace and precise passing on the flank but Liverpool as susceptible to set pieces and Brana is a beast. Cahill - will make more sense when you see my midfield three. Terry - captain Azpilicueta - pace to stay with the flankers. Luiz - Pace of passing and a disruptive/combative player, good on set pieces. Lampard - great experience and goalscoring prowess Oscar - genius who like to put in a tackle and plays with great energy, Ramires with more offense and less tackling. Schurrle - Pace and passion, willing to track back and take on a shot. Hazard - Our best player. simple. Torres.... at some point he's got to start playing football right? I know this won't happen but I feel that is the recipe for a successful game against Liverpool. Jose will have his own ideas which are much more in depth than mine but in my head we have the legs and passing in the midfield, a rock solid back 5, and pace and directness on the flanks.... An unknown up top.

Not sure I like 3 in the back against a team that is scoring for fun. Doubt Jose sees that as a viable option unless we're chasing the game.

My sentiments exactly. Tired of coming here and reading 'we're Chelsea we should win easily' As if anything has ever been easy for this team. We've been inconsistent and that inconsistency should always be in the back of everyone's minds despite who it is we're playing against... There have been more nervy W's than easy cake walks and more draws and loses than sure things. Liverpool will come here full of confidence and give us a real game, we need to show up or we will get opened.

Don't get all cavalier unjustly, the reason why there is caution is because Suarez has been brilliant and Chelsea have been inconsistent all season... No one can predict which Chelsea side will show up. Do I think we have the qualities to win? Absolutely! But I also see Liverpool as a very dangerous very capable of putting 3-4 past us... Its not the game to start talking about how brilliant a side we are.

Call me crazy but I wouldn't mind seeing Willian play deeper in a 4-3-3 with Lamps and Mikel.

Some things to consider. - Liverpool have yet to be tested on short weeks... They've been good mainly because they had the entire week to prepare for opponents. - Suarez hasn't scored in any of the big matches (Tottenham the only exception) he tends to bottle it against big opposition. - Ramires miss is huge... Only highlights the need to go back in the window in January for cover. Van Ginkel would've been useful here. - Torres is allergic to the ball against Liverpool. Demba Ba seems like the best choice here though I doubt he will play. If we are gonna take it to them at home and play progressive football then the only real solution without Ramires is Oscar replaces him and we play 4-2-3-1. Cech Ivanovic - Luiz - Terry - Azpilicueta Lampard - Mikel Willian - Oscar - Hazard Ba That's what I'd do and ask Oscar to play box to box.

Schurrle up front? What kind of idiot see's they have a new defensive partnership which is creaky and plays an inexperienced striker to counter? Torres will start and rightly so... My three behind him would be hazard, mata and Willian. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Worse than the Sun.

The hate Mikel gets from Chelsea supporters is hilarious... He's not better than Mikel! He's brings a completely different skill set to the table. Its about adding a different dimension to the midfield not because one guy sucks and this guy is better.

If you ask me Jose wants to play more 4-3-3 and at current we don't have the right compliment of mids to make it so. A midfield 3 of Mikel, Ramires and Guarin have the right kind of varying qualities to function effectively... I my head at least. At any rate in Mourinho I will always trust.

its already happened... a couple times

That report is rubbish