robsblubot

nah - Napoli may want him, but that's about it.

Even his manager criticized his form... Is he the best player in the league or isn't he? Because if he is, then we can and should criticize him. Hazard looks out of shape and is playing like shit just like a few others. He regularly comes back from vacation a bit chubby and slow and for a short guy like him who relies on dribbling and pace, this is pretty bad. I for one am very disappointed with his attitude - Messi and Ronaldo look unattainable ats to be honest.

however according to many here if jose drops Ivanovic we will stop conceding goals... That's the problem with hyperboles... No, I'm not saying he's in playing well, but there are other players, like the beloved Hazard who are also playing like shit. So, picking on Ivanovic because he gets ripped by 2 on ones makes no sense to me. Concerning him being a slow RB - originally a CB - that's not news is it? He's always been a slow RB and Jose seems to like it. Jose should and prob will drop him because of his dreadful form, but others also deserve a drop but won't. @The Chels... he's got the OK to attack from the manager - watch his positioning and movement. Something is always gotta give and his defensive side does. Again, nothing new here.

Don't have any problem with the realization we've got underperforming players, but the not acting on the right ones... Terry was fine before getting subbed and we did not improve after that. Now he subbed Matic and aspire... And that did not work. We have a lot of underperforming players but Jose is making things harder with his messages aka weird subs.

Hazard and Ivanovic could def lose a few of pounds

Looks chubby... better let him play often to lose the extra weight...

Forget about fitness level... some of the players look fat! lack of professionalism seems to be the main reason for this terrible start.

We have all watched how "well" the team has been playing... So, is Remy scoring 3 goals every practice against our completely off form defenders?

That's how managers lose the locker room...(had he done it) by publicly criticizing their players. Why is ok for hazard to be off form but not ivanivic ? There are a number of players in very poor form.

There are some who believe that the fact Mikel takes time on the ball and chooses the safe pass must be seen as a style or virtue; at the very least something to be cherished and used sporadically in certain games. Others, like me, think that he is just laborious on the ball and he needs time in possession because he has no choice: that's what his tiny footballing brain and technique allow him to do. He's a bad player... it's just that simple. I'm just very glad he doesn't play often - specially under Jose.

And of course it's completely OK for them to go "poach" a player in Argentina.... hypocrisy at its best...

He did give em a transfer request because his agent - rightfully so - instructed him to. That's the job of the agent: getting the best deal for his client. We are all thinking about Chelsea, after all that's the whole point, but Stones must feel awful right now. He knows this form may be temporary - in which case this would've ended up being a bad deal for us - that this is his ceiling as a player, or he can pick up a long time injury... who knows?! I'm sure all these scenarios are going through his head. From the perspective of the player and his career, this was a rotten move by Everton.

Great fictional piece - well done!

you are comparing a 28-year-old bench warmer to youngsters without any experience. Obviously I am not saying sell Mikel and use one of those kids instead. Zouma would have done the same prob better as he tackles better. So, once we get one or two defenders Mikel will get even less playing time (he does not play much under Jose). Aside from that, a number of cheap DMs out there could provide the same cover - some with a bit more intensity and technique. Once again, our opponents have better players (than Mikel) sitting on their bench IMO.

While I agree in terms of numbers replacing a player like mikel - who hardly ever plays anyway - isn't very difficult.

Just to raise a point that these young players need to show they deserve minutes in training first. It's easy for us and their agents to say they did not get opportunities when they look average in training - why would the manager select them if there are better options? With smaller clubs we can add clauses specifying playing time, but bigger clubs won't have any of that.

Better technique than Cahill and pacier than terry - get him already. He's obviously green now, but you don't get these players after they turn into world class - that's what Chelsea is trying with a couple of players.

Revenge of the moderators ... Older players often have a slow start as it takes longer for them to get fit. Nothing new here.

Can't really imagine playing a top club away from home and starting Diego, Hazard, Pedro and Fabregas. Defense line suffers when defense (system!) up front is lacking. Doubt anyone ever thought Terry and Ivanovic were ever pacey players - and they certainly did not lose what was left of their pace during vacation. Aside from a slow start from a number of players - fabregas had another shocker for me - we are going to concede a lot with so many players who are defensively inapt. hint: all players defend and all attack. It's the same every season when the defense isn't protected the back line shows it.

Out of context - should not post from phone...

You know that that the numerous coaches Chelsea club employs do watch the almost daily practices, fitness training sessions, tests, run physicals on players so they know how well their lungs work, etc and thousand other things we have no clue about. With all that information at their disposal, they make decisions concerning current ability and potential ability/development. Potential, Lukaku's case, is far more difficult to assess because it involves a number of different variables that these professionals not have access to. On the other hand, current potential is far easier to assess: Remy doesn't play because he does not impress in training. Perhaps he does well in training as he does well most of the time he plays. Costa is a lot better than Remy and Falcao if regaining any sort of fitness, is twice the player, so I really don't understand what people want from Remy... win the CL with him up front? Honestly, that's delusional. Concerning Lukaku, which is what this thread is about anyway, I don't blame the club considering how far off he is/was from becoming the player we needed. The question was really about whether he was willing to wait or not (going on loan once again) and he chose to play. It was probably right for him as he needs the time and the minutes to become a better player. I'd still be surprised if he ever becomes a world class striker, as I think his ceiling is much lower than that due to his limited technique.

Dp

Well then he was clearly unhappy about his wages and that has been fixed, so they were accurate...

He is the supposed to provide the service, not receive it.You are an optimist.

John terry should be thanking mourinho for sparing him from the trashing in the second half. Jose said we played better in the second, but then how bad it's going to be when we play bad? 5 or 6?!