robsblubot

Perhaps you are both right?! Just saying that it is difficult to assess cause and consequence sometimes, especially because we don't have the behind the scenes info. We don't know the size of Pep's contribution in relation to Barca's academy. It oculd be that the players (and team) were bound to flourish at this time...

Isn't Modric too lightweight when you consider that most of the other midfielders are lightweight as well? We've got only 3 players with power and height in the midfield: Lampard (leaving when?), Mikel (international duty), and David (when moved there). Not sure Modric is what Chelsea is short of right now; just get Oscar to drop deep and you have a similar player.

How is having an odd brain fart worse than being supar, or not as good, or not as confortable on the ball? My answer to the above question would be that the difference is the "when" mistakes happen: with the odd brain fart, it will be random but likely during easy games, more about cockiness, and bad judgement. On the other hand, lack of quality will hurt you when it matters most, in really tough matches when your opponent puts your defenders in difficult situations. IMO, it's all about giving you an edge. As dependable Ivanovic is, I don't think he gives Chelsea an edge, especially when playing CB. It's really interesting that the English call a player "proper", or "dependable." These are good atributes in a player, but not essential. The player MUST be good enough on the ball, because otherwise another player who's better than him will have the edge. It's still a competition; individual disputes take place all the time during a match. I'm not worried about Luiz. He's an excellent player who can play for any top team in the world. He's also young for a defender and will become more composed in time--it is far more difficult to improve ball skills than any mental aspect of the game for example. I personally think he'd be perfect for Barcelona, but as a Chelsea supporter and one who likes to play the CL, I certainly don't want to lose Luiz esp to Barcelona. I cannot imagine winning much at that level with Iva and Cahill in the defense, even with both being dependable proper players. Let me emphasize my point by saying that employing dependable players used to be good enough before Roman bought the club. I was already a chelsea supporter back then. However, right now, when Chelsea aim to fly higher, and have, dependable just isn't enough.

Indeed, and IMO Iva is better as a defensive RB, so move Luiz back to re-establish a fantastic pairing that Terry+Luiz is. The prob of course is that we are short in the middle, esp holding/center mid position. (Romeu injured and Mikel away)

not sure where the disagreement is... the fact is that unless you are going to buy 11-15 players at once, your formation MUST work with the players you current have at your disposal. Over time you can tune by letting some go and signing some players, but if the formation you've got isn't working, change it! Just find it strange not to want to sign a good/excellent player because he may not be perfect for this double-pivot role.

why do ppl keep repeating "pivot?!" This can change at any time, especially when new players are signed--never adapt players to the formation, but the formation to the players you've got.

lol that's exactly how I remember Taison (misspelled Tyson ) from internacional... NOT for Chelsea unless he's a completely different player now. I haven't seen him play for years though.

I thought he was very poor esp in the second half; manager prob thought the same because Suarez subbed him immediately creating lots of probs to their defense. Suarez was so much better when he came on; well, he is the better player in every aspect of the game and by a wide margin. Let's agree to disagree then, because I think Sturridge is a mediocre player (as in average).

we all agree he was never given a proper chance, but the question is why? Because Chelsea coaches did not like his haircut? Or perhaps they did not like what they saw in training? Perhaps they think he just isn't good enough? Sturridge applied a nice finish against nobody and then vanished as usual. The difference in quality between Suarez and Sturridge is just astonishing...

wow! after the game Cahill had I'd say a proper CB since Chelsea supporters don't like ball playing defenders (Rio, Phil Jones, Luiz...). Gary Cahill can do no wrong. ^^ Cahill + Iva solid?! 2 games, 2 early goals one of which at home and a loss. Make no mistake, against a decent side today's defensive performance would have led to a defeat, Ba or not.

Completely agree! It's the fucking 4231 which is defensive plague assailing most top clubs in the world, especially England. Like any other formation, you need the right players for it, but because everyone wants to play like Barca and Spain, they think 4231 is the "right" formation. To me the definition of a good manager is to employ the better system, which includes the formation, for the players he's got. The fact that Benitez hasn't changed the system that much from RDM worries me. BTW, is Oscar under any special bulking up schedule? Just wondering as it is a good time to do it.

Indeed, his fitness levels may have dropped of late (top clubs test their players often), but then if he performs well where it matters... I think it was a tactical mistake (by AVB and then RDM) to make Lampard drop deep in a Gareth Berry role; it was a waste of talent. A player with his finishing should be allowed to shoot, not to mention that box-to-box players are pretty rare. Now, if he's got an offer from say LA Galaxy for a 3-4 year deal, then he should definitely go, because it's going to be great for him. He can always return to the club as a coach later on.

I guess we need David Luiz to have a great performance to beat bottom feeder QPR at home...

So you are saying Carroll is more skillful and more English than Sturridge? How much was Carroll, 25m? It's all about the number of top clubs and the available national pool, which is quite limited for English clubs.

Still, the evidence is that Chelsea (coaches and whoever the manager is) don't think Sturridge is good enough. We can either trust they have more information than we do (I tend to be in this group), or we can think they are wrong based on the little information we have. Another piece of evidence we have is the very low price of the transfer; considering his age, status, nationality, he should be in the 20m+. Also, did any club, other than Liverpool consider a move for him? Isn't that strange?

they are opinions like most others here, or elsewhere, founded by watching the freaking games. However, personal preferences aside, how many managers and coaches have not considered Sturridge good enough to start? How many managers have played him on the wing as opposed to striker position? How much more evidence does one require? I for one, have had enough of Sturridge and trust the chelsea professionals--well paid coaches and Managers who coached him for years--to have made the right decision.

^^ there wasn't worst player! When we win a tough game away from home, we have to realize, or at least consider, that all players did their job. Luiz passing was lackluster, but his aggressiveness and power were definitely something Everton struggled with. Lampard was the old Lampard (no pun intended) because he was freed (by Luiz) from the mundane midfield work to move up field and take shots at goal. That's where he shines! Make him sit back and pass sideways is a waste of a great player!

Back to the so important first touch. I've watched a few matches of Ba and don't think much of his first touch; as in, he is either scoring or he is not in the game. Torres on the other hand is a bit more difficult to describe. I've seen INCREDIBLE first touches by him, like in the WCC against Corinthians, when he takes a long ball before it hits the ground, controlling it and finally taking a shot on goal. I've also seen Torres loses control of the football in a bizarre way. Can one be cautiously optimistic about Demba Ba? One who has been on the other side of the "the grass is always greener..." saying far too many times.

Completely agree! The defensive side of his game needs a lot of work... however, being consistent now, the aspects he needs to work on are certainly workable. It is far easier to learn how to tackle than it is (learn how) to control the ball if you don't yet know how. Hazard has perfect first touch and I've played with folks with perfect first touch before, so I know. Though in games like this one, the manager wouldn't have started Hazard if Ramires weren't on the other side of the pitch offering what Hazard does not. It's all about balance. When Hazard gets some rest, and spend some time in the gym, I won't be one saying he's a flop or something like that; it's just the natural development process of a young player.

The medical will prob include a MRI on his problematic knee.

lol OK, say you are right and Torres' first touch is just as poor; don't we need a player with sublime first touch, so he can really shine in tough matches where players get very little time on the ball? I'm just not optimistic about Ba scoring as many goals for Chelsea. I guess we will see--should we sign him of course.

well, Moses has a good first touch, but Ba does not. Good player, competent goal scorer, but certainly not comparable to Torres IMO (quality on the ball that is).

Personally, I don't rate him too highly. Cole is twice the player IMO. Cole is a lot quicker and defends far better; Baines is only better in attack, and not by a huge margin.

winning and playing well, but Vila are making it so easy... no pressure on the ball whatsoever.

One question: how do you know? I for one find it hard to believe all these 4 managers asked Luiz not to "bomb" forward and still had Luiz as a first choice CB even though Luiz apparently did not do as requested... Another piece of evidence: were we any less unbalanced when Luiz did not play? Like when our defense was shit with Cahill and Iva against West Ham. Also, one player cannot make a team unbalanced. His run should either have been covered, OR the manager should've instructed him not to make the run(s). You cannot have it both ways (that David is the cause of the unbalance). If he were instructed not to make the run, and still did (according to you has been doing that through 4 different managers), then why does he still play?!? If he was instructed to make the runs (to me the only logical explanation), then why did the other players NOT cover him? Because the team is unbalanced and I have my own theories of why: something to do with math and number of players defending. Final point: David should always be making forward runs when we play a shitty side like Leeds.