robsblubot

true from the player's perspective. however, for the club, all it matters is whether Lukaku would be able to contribute more than Demba Ba, which is not that difficult. Lukaku has made a case that he could be more influential than Demba Ba in my view. Well, I guess it's not all that matters... Difficult to know how disruptive Lukaku would've been as a 3rd striker had he stayed. Despite his technical deficiencies, Demba Ba is very professional and appears to be a team player (not to mention a good guy). @Stingray, that's not bias as most if not all world class strikers have been very good technical players. His technical ineptitude will always hold him back, no matter how powerful and quick he may be. He still can improve technically, but it's the toughest area to develop.

good points. Though I'd insist by saying that a duck is still a duck no matter what you call it. I'm all for rounded players, but when you have Arteta as your most defensive player in the midfield in a tough away match, there must be something wrong with your strategy and/or tactics. The other players are even more lightweight. Is it fair to ask Cazorla to go and win all aerial duels for example?

Chelsea starting XI for a tough away game (City): Petr Cech Ivanovic Gary Cahill John Terry Azpi Matic David Luiz Ramires Willian Eden Hazard Eto'o * 3 offense and 8 defense minded players. Arsenal starting XI for a tough away game (liverpool): Szczesny Sagna Per Mertesacker Koscielny Monreal Arteta Wilshere Oxlade-Chamberlain Ozil Cazorla Giroud * 5 offense and 6 defense minded players. * I'm being nice to Arteta here as he's hardly DM material. I honestly don’t know whether Wenger is arrogant, clueless, or both… And the funny thing is that Arsenal fans have been brainwashed by Wenger and think that it was a sensitive way to face a tough away match… I know Flamini was unavailable, but how about spending some money on defense players? Or how about using another defender (in midfield or defense), like some *other* managers do when needed. You know what some folks call tactics and formations...

He (or they) was not 100% which is why they rested Ramires. City took too much from the players, spec midfield. Ramires Matic and Willian ran more than 7 miles in the City match.

Wenger is massively overrated... Yes, he's good at building good teams on the cheap, but that's about it. Not a single word about the absolutely ridiculous starting XI he chose for a tough away match against Liverpool?! Flamini may not have been available (his own fault there is no sub for him), but another manager would've played a defender in midfield, or a 3-defender system, anything. BTW, not complaining as I absolutely fucking loved it, but his strategy is puzzling sometimes.

agreed but the 50 yard pass to Hazard was even better - Hazard did not even have to stretch his leg to pick it up. We just have to hope that he has the discernment about when to go for a more defensive stance, like he did in the CL final back then. And he needs to throw himself in front of shots more as his blocking was nowhere to be found. He can't rely exclusively on anticipation.

Understand where you are coming from, but you've just said Mikel is just as bad... We never said Mikel should not play football for example; just that Chelsea could/should do better than him in that position. And I agree he's just as comfortable as a deep lying CM or even moving ahead. He's a lot better than Fellaini for the same price - bargain!

indeed and that's the amount of risk it takes to win big. Yes, Terry would've been a more solid option with better aerial and blocking. Luiz didn't do the offside line well enough and that's going to become a problem as he moves to midfield and then back to defense. Why should've played with a more solid backline against newcastle at the bridge? Take for example the 2nd goal: Luiz (bad?!) instincts made him move to the left, even though Chelsea was not completely out of the woods yet. Still it paid off because he was there to quickly pull the counter, which found willian in pace. There was another play where Luiz sets up Hazard with an absolutely perfect 50 yard pass. The decision of when to play luiz in defense, or in the middle, or not at all depends really on Mourinho's tactics, obviously. Aside from WH game, Jose seems to get this better than any other manager. Look at what happened to Arsenal when they started with a single holding mid away from home - if you can call Arteta that.... In contrast with WH match, this was a perfect line up to beat a weaker side into oblivion, which is exactly what happened.

lol there are a million of other things more likely to change: job, wife, car (in this order) I've been supporting Chelsea since pre-abra time (Hasselbaink was the ST). I can support Mikel and other *decent* players as I'm used to it. And Barcelona of all things... crap there is no 'vomit' emoticon... or Spain... Bayern would have more chance, since it's where my ancestors came from (that area). They wear red though, which is just unfortunate. so... nope Chelsea it is. TPTB, I think everyone agrees CG is indeed doing a fine job.

So, you really want to talk about David Luiz? Sorry I won't bite. I was actually referring to Mikel.... and how you need something different when you are playing a small team at home. Go again... read between the lines. I'm sure you gonna find something you can work with.

I have no worries about "my boy". I thought it was Chelsea who paid 25m for him - I didn't spend a dime. Actually think he's doing fine in the middle and helping the defense very well apparently. I see football in a far more pragmatic way than that though; that makes me pay far more attention to player valuation than most here. But since we are not discussing me (I'm not that interesting)... "The fact is that we are playing as a team at the moment, but teams require each player to do what is required of them and not freelance." precisely! Different systems demand different tasks from their players. When we spent 25m for a defender of a very peculiar style, I have to assume we knew what we were doing. But once again, that was not my point. Now saying 1/11th or 2/11th of the team is solely responsible for the current defensive record - not to mention those 2/11th were playing when the record wasn't very good at all - sounds kinda crazy to me. next we are going to discuss how Mikle is the perfect passer with his 89% accuracy....

Really can't discuss the point I did not make. You seem to read between the lines until you have something to work with. I am criticizing the idea that whether 11 players defend well or not is down to 1 or two players - it's really not supposed to be controversial... 1/11th!

Identity.... such naive thinking... Thought the club was owned by Roman and whatever he wants the club to become that's his decision alone. Perhaps you are the one who should deal with it.

That if you torture numbers long enough, they will admit to anything. That causality is exaggerated and overemphasized (or even wrong); yes, I've done it before, but always try not to read too much into it. In a more practical terms, if we start Bolton's midfield and attack in front of Terry and Cahill we will go bottom of the table in no time. And Cahill would look very much like the Bolton player he once was. The difference is that Terry would also turn into a Bolton player in no time (prob retire ASAP to stop the suffering). When I read these forums, it's as is we were discussing an individual sport. Or perhaps doubles, since apparently Terry and Cahill are evidently a magic pairing. There is obviously some proud nationalism going around; though I've learned to keep my own excitement in check to avoid major disappointments in the future. Some here are a bit too young for that. So, you forgot the terrible defensive run we had with Terry and Cahill? If you attribute our defensive solidity to solely Terry and Cahill form, then you have to say they were equally culpable when our defense was in shambles; both of which are absurd ideas. The team as a whole has improved and with that defense looks more solid. That Cahill fits Jose's deep line defense has already been discussed before (we all agree on that) - can you imagine Terry or Cahill starting for Barcelona and running around the opponents half?! Frankly YouNameIt's point was not controversial at all (though less about the players and more about mechanics) and merely stated that it's a team game. It's not only a team game, but the players more involved during the match are midfielders not defenders or strikers. 11 players play and defenders aren't really the most important players on the pitch.

Plus his work rate in tough matches is at least as good as Eto's (far superior than Torres'). No-brainer if attainable.

Right but Lampard was never a deep lying CM. He's been playing there because of necessity (team's and his). He's at his best - or at least was - when near the opponent's goal where he can score goals from mid and long range.

Don't waste your time. Around here, strikers score and defenders defend. Holding mids defend and pass sideways, and AMs attack. God forbid if they leave their predetermined position and try to do something different. When we were conceding 3 goals per game with JT and Cahill in defense, it must have been because they had a cold or something - obviously nothing to do with the rest of the team like you imply. Also, Barcelona are weird and Bayern speak German.

sure just some folks are adamant about having a lefty as a left back - because of the tight spaces and added width. I've seen perfect crosses from Azpi from the right, but never from the left.

that he is. He's also very inexperienced and young. Would he feel comfortable playing Barcelona in Spain? Or another European giant. Would Chelsea feel comfortable starting him in those already challenging conditions for experienced players? There is some degree of risk as SOTON are very small compared to Chelsea - they don't really compete in Europe.

The difficulty is that we don't need a top left back for the future, which is what Shaw is right now, we need a top LB right now! We are playing Azpi on the left because Jose, and I reckon other coaches, see a dip in form from Cole. It'd be unfair to acquire Shaw, play him, and then expect consistency of a world class player from an inexperienced 19/20 year old player. Whether we get Shaw or not, we will ALSO need to sign a LF for the starting XI. Unless of course, Azpi will permanently move to the left.

Courtois is out of line actually. Liverpool's gk is just stating his ambition and wanting to become #1 keeper for his country is expected of him. What does Courtois want?! Man these kids need some PR lessons ASAP

Cavani is already a world class striker. Costa is showing signs of having the potential to become a world class striker, but risk of him not reaching that level is high. Don't really know the other, Mario.

Surprisingly agile for a guy of his build. It's early days for him, but he does look like the real deal as a CDM or CM. Very rounded player with excellent technique. He's truly a good passer because his rage of passing is wide, even when under pressure. Exciting player to watch and I don't think we are still in the position to complain about our CM options. Esp once MvG is available.

To you point, every time he (Torres) shows determination on teh pitch, he plays well. Every time I remember him having a good game, he was chasing down players, making lots of runs, etc. When he is not doing any of that, his work rate is low, he's usually useless. Whether it is something he can improve I don't know - it might be that that's who he is as a player.

We wouldn't been playing CL had it not been for his goals in the final few games last season. All we need is for him to hit form at the right time for a great boost. Contract wise it all depends on the options he may or may not have, but I reckon we could entice him with a player turn coach type of deal like Paul Scholes got at United.