robsblubot

that's the completely wrong thing to do; we've learned the hard way in Brazil with the likes of Robinho and countless others before him. If the player is not world class, he won't be able to handle world class opponents. It's just that simple. If Mourinho is not a fan of Luiz, then by all means sell him, but do get a world class defender with real technical ability to handle world class attackers. Cahill is a fine player, but at this time I reckon he just isn't good enough for England or Chelsea when playing at the highest level.

that's not what I was talking about. You praised the CB pairing even though they made a glaring mistake essentially conceding a goal. Yes, Cech stopped the shot, but Bent is just a mediocre striker. Once again, happy it was Liverpool playing Southampton today.

Just one more thing: I actually liked Andre's performance. Yes, the finishing is still missing, but the quick flicks in tight spaces, not to mention his movement, are reassuring.

So I guess you did not see the 1x1 Bent had with Cech when our defenders played up the pitch and in a freaking line! people really see what they want to see...

this type of fanboyism should have no place as we are all Chelsea fans or are we not? Oscar was clearly the MoTM when things were tough. However happy you are that Mikel scored should not really become a bigger event than the poor performance and that we were only able to play well after the shitty side that Fulham are got tired in the second half. You know football does not happen in a vacuum; we played Fulham.

What Mikel did after the 80th minute is what I want him to do all the time. A good forward run and movement! He only scored because he moved and then he got himself in the right spot at the right time. Now, until Fulham players were dead Mikel was not having a great game - had not made any runs or made any forward passes - and as they tired, Mikel grew as did Oscar. Oscar was making many interceptions in the final 20 or so minutes of the match. So, although I want to see more of that, I'm afraid it was more about Fulham than Mikel himself. Though if he had it in him all this time - like some ppl suggest - the mere fact he was able to score and produce what is expected of him, even if briefly, might give him the confidence he needs to reproduce it in different circumstances. I'm still a nonbeliever, because of the circumstances, but would love to be proven wrong by good performances in the future. Extremely worried about the team though. Fulham looked as bad as I expected them to be especially in the second half when they tired. Strong relegation contenders for me.

So glad we did not play Southampton today, because it was a bad performance. Good result but lots of work because as shitty as Fulham are, they should've scored first.

Fulham players are exhausted - which also explain how poor they ve been. Oscar motm for me easy

Match is over - Fulham players are all exhausted.

Poor game this time around vs Southampton. Moses also had a few moments but certainly not enough tat this level

Prob still win this one because of the difference in quality but it does look like the wrong system with too many stoic defenders and not enough creativity. Esp playing a poor side at home.

Mikel attempted 2 forward passes and missed them both now he's just short passing. Both mikel and Ramirez have been very poor

Two slow defenders in line and high up the pitch-very lucky bent did not score. Thank Cech for fantastic save.

He's been wearing those elastic tapes on his legs... came back from International duty and even if not directly responsible for the Everton goal - plenty to blame there including Cech - he hasn't been great either. If they are unhappy with his form then he should indeed sit this one out. It's a long long season... players will be dropped for a number of reasons. We do not have much cover in the back so he will return soon enough. If comes Jan and he is somewhat unhappy (sitting on the bench), or Mourinho is unhappy with him, he will leave (prob to Barca). Business as usual.

False dichotomy. Mata could play along with Oscar just fine; the problem is that we've already got another attacking-minded AM in Hazard. As we've seen time and time again, our midfield becomes a bit light when Mata and Hazard play behind a striker. Yes, Oscar does track back and play deep, but that clearnly hasn't been enough. People have been asking for better CMs for a long time, but I reckon Chelsea and Mourinho don't see that as a problem; they see the lack in numbers as a bigger problem.

Just like to say Cech could've been helping the team more. I'm not saying he's been bad. He has been making good saves, but he has also let some balls in that, normally, a keeper of his quality wouldn't. in retrospect, Everton scored from inside the goal box, and that's the GK area. Perhaps he's just had a slow start like, apparently, the rest of the team.

We are going to win tomorrow with a good performance -- with whatever starting XI. Different attitude can temporarily fix the lack of fluidity and is key when starting a new season.

Indeed and that only comes with experience... Both Cahill and Luiz will become better as they acquire experience. Whether they will reach JT's level of composure, well, that's a difficult to know at this point. Alex, Cahill and Terry are (IMO obviously) a bad pairing. Because they are the same player in terms of characteristics. They are both good blockers, play deep, excellent in the air and not very mobile; Cahill is a bit more pacey, but not very agile which is the reason he backs off a lot. This pairing works in certain matches, especially when we forgo possession by playing a deep defensive line.

Lampard is 35... like thirty-fucking-five... And talking about old, this is the oldest thing in the game: older players take longer to hit form. He's a tall guy too and that goes against him. They just can't ripe the benefits from their workout in practice as easily as the younger players do. He was able to hit form and perform at at very high level for many games (only) late into last season. I expect him to - eventually - do the same this season, but perhaps for fewer games. It's really up to him to keep playing at this level or not, because at his age it's all about sacrifices.

[knocking on wood] imagine if he picks up an injury... Then we'd be depending on some DM to provide the *energy*... Just imagine... Lampard would prob decide to retire in Jan...

Mikel has zero goals and zero assists for Chelsea... how can you do any worse than that offensively?! I guess individual stats are only valid when talking about short-passing completion rates - easiest ability in football. If you are saying Makelele was also better than Mikel offensively, how does that help Mikel if we've established Makelele was better defensively!? BTW, I think I know the answer to The Place to Be's question: Mikel is a bit soft and that shows on and off the pitch.

fair enough - don't really remember. It actually makes the case against Mikel a lot stronger.

nope. I've been saying that we should either seek a player as dominant defensively as Makelele, which is pretty rare I agree, *or* go for a player who is not as dominant as Makelele was (defensively), but is more rounded. That's what I see other top teams doing, with guys like Khedira & Toure. Honestly, like I said before I don't think Mikel is a bad player, but I don't think he is good enough either. He's just a tad slow and lack aggression for a an enforcer role; do you remember him ever being dirty as in picking up a red for a bad tackle?

But that's the point isn't it? As a specialist, Makalele's contribution in attack was poor, just like Mikel's (we all agree on that) - the zero assists and goals showcase that. So, since Mikel, like Makelele, is so single-dimensional (defense only), shouldn't he be as good as Makelele was to be good enough?!

I don't completely disagree with what you said, except of course about the stuff I did not say (about Luiz). Luiz is a great CB, but too old to move to a DM position. I have no doubt if he played as a DM since 20yo he'd be a lot better than Mikel, just because he is a better natural footballer. I just think that all players you listed are indeed better than Mikel in passing, pace (his main weakness in defense) even not mentioning attacking which is a bonus. Also remember Mikel has zero assists, which is pretty rare specially in combination with a zero goal tally.