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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.

You and every pundit, analyst, and former player out there. It's some fans who want him to score on every chance he gets, even though our strikers don't seem to. Had a good game and his movement created lots of problems to city. Didn't Iva score from a ramires rebound?! It's a team game after all.

Just to emphasize this... David Luiz played 4 games in midfield for us and we've won them all. Liverpool (H), Hull (A), United (H), and City (A) Not easy matches either.

The system is helping him and he's been helping himself by showing excellent anticipation and being more proactive. The best defenders are the ones who either intercept, or make the tackle before the opponent has the time to control the football. That was what I disliked the most about him before - he'd wait and wait and sometimes even backtrack into our own box. Not anymore as he is been very dynamic and proactive. His passing can still be improved as it isn't at the same level of JT. The fact the system is helping him with a deep defense line is only relevant for a potential buyer (and perhaps England). For Chelsea, he's been actually better than John Terry lately. JT who btw sometimes seems to be lacking pace and mobility. I can certainly see Jose resting Terry for the big matches like yesterday (City).

Agreed. What if there is nothing to be fixed though? Remember we were a bit shaky defensively back then. Exposed defenders never look very good. To your point though, building a solid defense happens to be Jose's specialty. BTW, did we not win every game Luiz played in the midfield this season? And some most of them against top sides.

The whole team defended very well. Counters were executed to perfection until the final touch. Physically dominant midfield disrupted their play completely. Anything other than the win would've been a bad result after this display. Particularly impressed with Willian's defending.

One thing I've learned in football: there is no way to win without annoying someone. The more they complain about your team, the better, because it means you are annoying them, and are winning. Regardless of what happens in the second half, it was a perfect lineup for the job. I did complain about the starting XI against WH, but today it made sense - win, draw, or lose.

What if we had a defensively better player than Mike, like Makelele, and started with him and David Luiz in defense? Isn't it the same? I mean movement wise? When David moves forward the DM moves in defense. Now if your point is that we don't have that player... well maybe not. Mikel is certainly not him. Fair enough - City then. Well, player valuation happens to be the most tangible fact we can use around here. Esp considering football is a team sport and 11 play (10 really but you get the point). The influence of a single player in football is less than say in Basketball or hockey. "Barca want different things from their defenders than Jose does." Completely agree, but it's not just Barcelona, it's Bayern too. Teams going for possession dominance seem to think DL would suit them perfectly. It's all down to strategy and tactics, but if you don't look there you can't possibly explain DL valuation. BTW, Lucio at Inter (and under Jose) was very similar to Luiz. Anyway, we might as well be discussing the wrong player here when comparing DL to Cahill, because my impression was that Chelsea got Cahill to eventually replace Terry. The surprising fact has been Terry's superb form of late (no injuries either). BTW, I'm originally from the south of Brazil with a lot of German (my ancestors migrated in 1890 if someone wonders... ) and Italian colonization and my fav team there was serie A Gremio. Gremio are known to be a pragmatic side employing no nonsense defenders, etc. They've won a lot in the 90s with Scolari as manager. They just could not beat Ajax who played total dutch football with lots of possession. The game ended 0x0 in Japan for the WCC, but Ajax had all the possession and opportunities. Just to say I'm not completely against the pragmatic style, esp in certain areas of the pitch. However, the dominant sides of today are more like the Ajax of the 90s. Amusing fact: United's Van der Sar was Ajax's goal keeper back then!

Well, other types of teams and setup appear to have more good days (at scoring goals). Is it an accident Arsenal scores a lot of goals? Sorry but you are not making much sense now. Are you saying that if we had 10 chances like the one you described (clear cut) we wouldn't have had a better chance of scoring and winning the game? Are you saying that Mourinho couldn't possibly have picked a more attacking minded starting lineup? We started with Mikel?! He cannot do long balls and has zero assist in his PL career! So, David being a better passer on the ball (and dribbler) could not possibly have added a bit more to our attacking? Regardless of what you think of him as a defender. If he is what you think he is, an overall poor player, has the world gone mad? Is Brazil mad? Is the transfer market mad? How come Barcelona made a 21M bid for him last summer and CHelsea turned it down? Why is he so valuable if he is so poor? Do you and others here know something the *professionals* don't? I don't remember hearing about any interest for cahill - much less actual bids. Perhaps it's just down to personal preferences.

It's not about the number of chances but their quality. The fact is we did not produce enough quality chances we we didn't score - opinions aside.From top of my had remember Corinthians Guerrero taking him to dance. Aguero skipping past him as if he weren't there. Even mediocre Defoe beat him. So yes I see vast improvement in Cahill this season.