robsblubot

That's even more pointless... Mourinho was also improving the team... so if you skip N games from the start of the season, his numbers would also be in the right direction. If HIddink was hired for that goal he got the easiest job on earth. BTW, you keep saying Matic is not world class, but that's really not the point is it?

sorry but these stats are pointless... you are comparing unequal situations. do you know how Hiddink would have fared when getting fat players at the start of the season? Because I don't, but suspect that it would have been pretty much just as bad.

Very difficult to buy that though - u buy a prospect like stones and hope he develops a sense of when to do what. Reckon with ball playing defenses Kompany is as good as it gets - still not good enough for some.

Gotta decide if we want another row z defender or one who plays football like Stones. You can't go both ways... Without going I I extremes like luiz, ball playing defenders will incur into more risk and that's expected even welcomed. Complaints like that Kompany makes more mistakes than Cahill make no sense to me. Stones is very technical - that's the type of defender he is. And a very good one at that esp considering his age.

That'd be giving way too much praise to people's opinions around here. There something called reality out there: pecking order, transfer market, valuations... There is a reason Hiddink career has been waining. There is really no comparison between Jose's and Hiddinks career especially lately. And I am hardly a fan of The football Jose usually produces. We are making no progress. We are playing 28yo squad players while the youngsters get no minutes or are loaned away. We are not finding solutions to our problems merely creating new ones. One of the few good players we had will be leaving soon opening yet another hole in the squad. dark times ahead.

Although I agree that his passing is, and has always been, subpar, he plays in a very high tempo. Everything becomes more difficult, including passing, when you are always on the move and always running/sprinting into contested areas - getting bumped along the way. In that regard we got exactly the player we bought - he has not changed his style over the years. Now if he demands to be in the starting XI, then he needs to go. Rotation would be OK, but we don't really rotate at Chelsea.

he's in top form as Torres got in top form for us... after 50 muscle injuries his top form for us was about 70% of his top form at pool... Pato at Milan could be any player on pace... not anymore. And yes, the brazilian league is on the slow side - seira A style - so Pato will struggle.

Must be a Spanish thing then BTW, I am quite certain that if Matic doesn't play enough games he will hand in his transfer request. So, I hope we know exactly what we are doing, because he will do very well at Juventus or elsewhere - perhaps another PL club? Sought after players don't stay on the bench for long because they (and their agents) know that their market value will diminish if they don't play.

Indeed! It does not establish correlation (one out of 11+) much less causation. take the last match as an example: the double defensive cms was a manager option and it did not work. had he (manager) opted for not replacing fabregas and things might have happened ... in the exact same way, because we were under pressure and that was the main cause! We might have even lost the match had Fabregas stayed on. we just don't know and it's also silly to pretend we do. Now, why we cannot impose ourselves is a team discussion, not about an individual. Personally I would not field any player wearing that stupid mask. I don't believe they can play at the same level wearing it - unless it's Torres.

his story - injuries slowly chipping away his blazing pace - is scaringly similar to Torres'...

agreed - waste of time. However, Rodgers would not take an interim job. I'd still hire him as a manager at much lower wages than a top manager and see what happens. If he fails, replace him as usual, otherwise it's a big win. Of course we are playing below our level, but the squad is pretty bad (numbers and quality) - it has no business in Europe. Concerning your discussion about Matic, I wonder how they explain, logically, that the same player they call shit played so well for a whole year and a half, is priced in the 30+ millions, and is sought after... then I stop wondering because perhaps there is no logic to it.

Perhaps one of the misconceptions with Oscar is that he lacks consistency - thought that myself at some point. I have a different opinion now: I think he is very consistent in that he typically performs much better against weaker sides and vanishes against tough opposition when he's been tightly marked. The same applies to other players who also seem to "only lack consistency" even though they've been at the club forever. Perhaps they are just not good enough? Oscar was expected to develop and that has not happened... for whatever reason. Yes there is a possibility that he becomes a better player at Juventus or elsewhere, but it may be a risk that we will have to take, because he's certainly not improving with us.

Ivanovic has been a sure starter with most if not all managers. Unfair to compare him with the legend. Yes Ivanovic is on decline, but reckon the club thinks he can still contribute given the right protection and strong pre-season (different from what we had this season).

I think he meant players who can actually start a PL match. Reckon we don't have many who can. exhibit A: last FA cup game.

Bonuses are usually not factored in wages. In fact, the most known players have other deals on the side which are also not in it. Wages are the base salary the player gets from the club. We do have squad players in the 75K a week, so hardly surprising.

oh absolutely, but the premise is that he wants to go. In which case, there is little the club can do. Worse possible outcome is that you force a stay, but fail to convince and motivate the player, so you end up losing both, the money and the player. These are the times the staff have to earn their pay.

well we can only hope we'd have funds, to add and replace a few players, without having to touch Hazard's sale money - assuming he does get sold. Otherwise we cannot possible replace him anyway. Seen this over and over again: sell a top player and get a few meh to replace him. BTW, they all want to go to Madrid. It has something to do with it being owned by a large bank.

If Hazard really wants to go, and the evidence seems to suggest that, then we should definitely cash in. Then we may need to sit on the cash for a season. Don't know if that would work with FFP or whether we'd care about it, but sit on the cash and wait for the right player at the right time to make the investment. The worst time to buy is when everyone and their mamas know you, the buyer, have money to spend.

1. Distinctly remember Matic and Luiz in midfield giving us the best record against the top sides ... ever? MOTM was a toss between him and Luiz... short memories around here. 2. Yes, you can compare players with different characteristics, but then you'd be comparing types not quality. Unless you value certain abilities, which would favor matic as what he does is quantifiable more valuable to sides than a pure defensive DM. Neymar can't play alone so he needs someone like Oscar next to him. 3. Disagree again here. That's just his label in the lineup. Sometimes he's the DM and sometimes he is a CM. He's definitely a CM when playing alongside Mikel for example. And more of a CM when next to Ramires. More a DM with Fabregas. Even Mikel isn't your typical DM type. 4. He played at a very high level since he joined us and was very consistent too. In my book he deserved every bit of praise he got; just as he deserves the criticism now along with most of the players.

get him on the cheap then? he is a good player and will be useful at the right price.

Are you discussing Matic or the forum perception of Matic? What does it have to do with him being considered one of the key players in our title winning season? One single great performance? Please go back and check his scores - he had several MOTM performances. When you compare Makele with Matic you lose me - they couldn't be any more different. Even Mikel, who can still be quite different, at least sits back, while Matic roams. Makele was a great destroyer, but also one of the most technically limited player I've seen in my life and would not like him in the team. The game has moved on. I honestly don't even see Matic as a DM. He's more like a DLP or CM which is what the modern game demands. Posts like this honestly surprise me because you complain about his characteristics as a player, while that is exactly what we bought! It's akin to buying Diego Costa and complaining why he is NOT scoring from headers. I am waiting for you to manage to put Mikel and Dynamism in the same sentence...

Well, I was not the one drawing definitive conclusions based on a single game and against glorious CP. Disagree. This is the time to experiment and give minutes to the young players whenever possible. If not, what is the job requirement for Hiddink? Not drop?! If so, that's the easiest job in the world! Take on a millionaire squad and make sure they play the bare minimum. I could do that too... not that I am qualified, but would be much cheaper. Play Matic and Ramires in CM or Mikel and Fabregas or Mikel Matic. Fabregas and Matic only against weak opposition at the bridge. The rest is Jose team down to ivanovic. Tactics?! Just let Terry do that on the pitch... Missed opportunity...

Will quote bein sports: nobody cares about Chelsea anymore specially with a tampon manager (tampon is mine :)). We can't get top 4 and are nowhere near CL contenders. btw who said I did not enjoy it?! But this is mourinhos squad down to ivanovic. Is he good enough now? I am thinking ahead and rehashing ideas and players isn't the way to go.

Please loan him so he can actually play and improve on the areas that need improving. If he can't get minutes when we are winning by 3...

Do not ignore the quality of the opposition. this was weak opposition. They have been on a good run, but they are A poor side who will go back down the standings soon enough.