robsblubot

This one was very predictable. Against a shitty side that will defend with 11 men, you need close to that number of players attacking and capable of contributing up front. JT, Cahill, and Iva can only contribute in attack in set pieces. Azpi being the only player capable of really producing anything up front, but then he's playing on the left... In the CM we have Mikel (his personal stats should be enough) and Ramires, who's more like a workhorse. Sorry, but that's just not enough at home against one of the worst teams in the league. Arsenal would have started the game with no DM for example and that would've been the correct approach.

You can't lose the football if ppl aren't really trying to take it from you. BTW, the most overrated skill in football. I don't blame him though - it was not a game for him and his stats prove it.

1,90cm is not common in the munich area... Gutless starting line-up - we deserved it.

I'd go Matic + Luiz for the City game possession + disruption would be key in controlling their excellent midfield.

Suarez is twice the player esp concerning consistency. Both are difficult, but Suarez is only difficult for his opponents - never misses training and never creates problems with his teammates.

without a doubt... how much though? that's the $$ question. Like Choulo said, being 21 does play a big part and I've seen many young players fully recover from ACL.

Fantastic lineup, but Terry will be 35...

He had a good debut. Thought our midfield was a bit on the slow side though; you could see that in quick transitions, only the AMs and Eto were involved. Neither Lamps nor Matic joined them. * watched recording so could pay attention to those things. Still rely heavily on Ramires to do the B2B thingy, or perhaps MVG once he'd back. Don't think Lamps has the legs for that any more.

Great CB work! Mechanics were just right with luiz chasing and Cahill covering. You can really see Jose's touch in the positioning... Calm presence of Matic really helps with possession and control. Cm was a bit slow without Ramires though perhaps the reason we didn't score more goals - not many players joining the attack.

Even though I agree a 40m bid would be difficult to turn down, reckon that alone would automagically make him world class in every way and form... At some point we have to respect the market; yes, it can be a bit irrational at times, but not for too long. OT: one of my fav sayings in economy goes like this, "the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent"

agree to disagree. Benzema does produce very rare moments of magic, while Higuain is more like Soldado to me. Even today against Chievo, despite his poor finishing, he was was trying hard. Benzema does not give a fuck. He misses a pass and he stops... never chases or moves the way a striker should. It's quite remarkable he's still at RM.

indeed. While Higuain has the work rate, but lacks talent, Benzema seems to have talent but lacks everything else - goes missing all the time.

Just watching Higuain miss on an empty net against Chievo.... really not a fan - overrated player who will never be anywhere near the level of Aguero.

It's not a matter of understanding, but information; sources report he's got a release clause. In my experience, players don't think like that at all. If Chelsea made an offer that is high enough to literally make his life, he'd leave in a heartbeat. Professional players have to think about their career first, because they never know about the feature (form, fitness...). What if an opportunity like this never happens again in his career?! However, I do understand Chelsea and Atletico seem to have a good relationship, so you might have a point.

at this point I'm not sure Mata staying would be good for him or Chelsea.

Only realistic striker target ATM is Costa. Would he be a bet? Sure thing, as top strikers are not for sale ATM. I'd go for him though esp if losing Courtois cannot be avoided.

well, I see that Andre won't be playing much then... Thought the whole point was that he could cover as a striker too - prob better than Ba at that.

Well that really depends on his ambition as a player. I reckon he will play even less now with another option in midfield, and that may or may not be OK with him. He's reportedly on a 75K a week, which could make him accept whatever role Chelsea will have for him. We will find out soon enough.

Nah... mid table United?! Would everton be a big match then? You are probably talking about the away game I suppose - that (draw) was a bad result as small sides have won there. Yes, Jose was playing Mikel some start of the season, so he got a run of games, but he hasn't had many *starts* lately. I thought he only had 8 starts in how many matches? I'm confused though. Do you really think Mikel is going to play more now that we've got Matic?! Reckon we'd not have gotten Matic if Jose and Chelsea had confidence in Mikel as a starter.

Yeah I too think that people who proclaim "facts" like his pass accuracy, or how many "appearances" he's got, know absolutely nothing of football; but I normally keep that to myself, and focus on specific points. If the fact Chelsea signed Matic, and before that have employed Luiz in midfield a number of times (esp in big matches), does not tell you what role Mikel has in the squad, I really think nothing else will.

This deal shows how much faith Chelsea and Jose have in Victor Moses... none whatsoever apparently.

very good read: http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3883/features/2014/01/17/4548754/does-matic-signing-spell-the-end-of-mikels-chelsea-stay couldn't agree more with this bit: Finally his passing is put in perspective. I personally believe he will never be able to reproduce what he does for Nigeria - which wouldn't be good enough for chelsea anyway. Matic and Mikel in the Pivot would make it a very slow "pivot" indeed.

my apologies then... thought it was chelsea-related. just thought that very long post on Ki a bit out of place. BTW, whether he becomes a player worth of notice at the very top level is really up to him.

And how exactly does that make him a transfer target? At the very least way off-topic.@kir no I won't as I haven't - just this one as is clearly just promoting a Swansea player for no reason remotely related to chelsea. Ok maybe my understanding of this thread is wrong... Is this a completely open transfer talk then? Honest question.

So, what does this have to do with Chelsea?! I had to stop reading after Ki was mentioned for the 13th time...