robsblubot

Seems strange to consider Rooney and Cavani for the same position, unless we are looking into getting both for different roles. Cavani is the opposite of Rooney, as in extremely high workrate - completely different type of players.

We will find out soon enough... if he starts more games next season. Mikel has started only 26 times compared to the likes of Ramires and Luiz, 42. Now, I believe his wages are over 100K weekly, so he might be unwilling to leave. Furthermore, it is very difficult to find equivalent players starting for other top sides: they no longer employ pure DMs like Mikel.

I guess you did not get my post, because it has nothing to do with what you just wrote. BTW, I also don't think much of BA. Boy he must have sold a lot of shirts...

People are missing the obvious point that Torres cannot be sold for a profit; and I am not talking about the amount paid to liverpool, I'm talking about what we'd have to pay him until 2016 to cover his wages (wherever he goes). nice explanation here: http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/chelsea-fc-transfer-rumours-news/2013/6/8/4408864/can-chelsea-sell-fernando-torres The same physical presence Ba offers (questionable as he does goes to the ground a lot) we can get from Lukaku (perhaps better). Ba does score goals, but in this day of age with the likes Lewa, Aguero leading attacks I reckon a club like Chelsea cannot start a simple old-fashioned striker like Ba. Now, if neither Torres or Ba is good enough, why would we sell Ba? Well, because Ba *can* be sold and for profit considering we've oly paid 7m for him.

not really a big fan of Prince, but the rumors tell an interesting tale: the type of player CHelsea may be after. It seems we a re looking for high workrate and high level of aggression. I guess someone did notice our midfield crumbling a few times this season, specially against that side from Manchester.

Fair point. Although I reckon Essien at his peak, before the knee injuries, was twice the player Mikel is. Also, what you say of Mikel can also be said of Torres. The fact that neither is good enough for Chelsea, makes it a "good thing" when and if we unload them.

that and they don't have any cash because the Neymar saga cost them a total of 57M euros. I think in the long run Neymar will deliver, he's only 21 after all, but their short term needs (in defense) will go unanswered for a while, which is good news to all other clubs.

Guys, the only players who are non-negotiable are the bad ones. This applies to any player in the squad, including Mata and Luiz. It's just a matter of price and opportunity. For example, as good as Cech is, and considering we've got the very promising Courtois, Chelsea would probably entertain a sizable bid for our top keeper.

Football has changed a lot--just look athe the CL finalists and how they play; and whatever Mourinho did at Real did not work very well. To be entirely honest I understand the reasons for wanting a 30M. However, I'm actually concerned about David giving Barcelona one of the few things they lack. David Luiz could become a scary player in Barcelona's system. IMO he can be a lot better than Puyol was--far more technically gifted.

He'd leave in a heartbeat. There is no way, aside from form, that a player like him would sit on the bench. If we wanted a squad player to run on the wings, well that's Moses (and we thought Marin), not Oscar.

This is a discussion we've had around here before: judging current ability is much easier than potential ability. Demba Ba is 28, his game will not change that much--same with his body. We've seen countless games of him playing for Newcastle and now Chelsea. Yes, he can improve a bit. More adapted to the team and the training, but what I see is a good squad player nothing more. He is just not technical enough for a team like Chelsea. Smaller sides can start a player like him and play to his strengths, but Chelsea need a player who can participate and link up play with the other technical players we've got. I reckon Ba just doesn't have the quality to do that (first touch, quickness, short dribbling, etc). Ba is a good player, but expecting him to be as good as A RVP or Aguero (would cite others but let's not go there) would be delusional. Ba is a lot better at finishing than Torres ATM. Ba can also handle physical game a lot better (though I feel he goes to the ground too often for a guy of his size). Everything else, other aspects of the game, I think Torres is (still) superior. Yes, my opinion is debatable, esp because confidence and form do affect technique (Torres end of the season > start of the season). Some aspects are not debatable, such as pace and quick turns, etc. With all that out of the way, let me emphasize that IMO neither is good enough to start for Chelsea. * and Torres not being good enough does not make Ba good enough either.

Fair enough. I've watched very little Santos myself and didn't think much of him for Brazil (still don't). However, it'd be like getting Hazard before he joined Chelsea, still used to a completely different tempo and defending, and then expecting him to perform against an international side. So, it does not surprise me one bit when Neymar struggles against international defending, tempo, and especially officiating. 2012: Brazil (Serie A) - 17 matches, 14 goals, and 8 assists / Libertadores - 12 matches, 8 goals, and 3 assists Pretty incredible numbers for a 20-year-old.

How on earth did you read that Hazard is one-dimentional from "Compared to Neymar, Hazard's game is a bit one-dimensional." His finishing is nowhere near Neymar's (even when comparing what they've done in lesser leagues). Neymar is a lot more creative as well. I guess we will find out very soon.

yeah I've watched Modric a lot... against far better sides than Real Sociedad and he's just a good player. His influence at Real and Spurs wasn't that evident was it? Have spurs done any worse without him? If he were that unplayable, Madrid would certainly not let him go. It's fine if you rate him that highly, but I don't. He's a good player but nothing more for me. BTW, I said replacing Modric with Dembele did not result in *much* loss of quality. Modric has better technique while Dembele is lot stronger.

IMO, Neymar has the potential to be as good as Messi. He's still 21 after all... doesn't get any fresher than 21 in my book. Whether Neymar will fulfill his potential is, of course, yet to be seen, but he is already twice the player Robinho was. There is no chance he will turn into robinho because he's already a lot better than Robinho. Hazard at the moment is better than Neymar, but Neymar IMO has a lot more potential. Compared to Neymar, Hazard's game is a bit one-dimensional.

Disagree. fullbacks and perhaps an extremely defensive holding mid may be off the hook to score, but aside from that if the player can do his job *and* score, all the better. This idea that only strikers should score is not right as you really need the surprise effect when yours attackers are taken care of. So, lets take players of the same position: Yaya scores and is a lot stronger than Modric. Fabegras, Barca rotation player, is a lot better than Modric IMO and scores plenty. Modric's replacement at spurs (Dembele) doesn't score much but I reckon they've made a lot of money without losing much quality: Dembele is about the same player right now and is younger (stronger too). I usually say being good enough on the ball is the most important thing, and it is. However, once you are good enough on the ball, and Modric certainly is, then you've got to look at other traits such as composure, aggression, long shots, etc and that's where Modric falls short compared to the alternative.

Really don't think he is or can be a world beater. He lacks a physical presence, which makes him sit deeper than he should. He ends up scoring very few goals. He has been improving though--his last season at Spurs and the few games I watched him he looked better. Still, just don't see him providing any kind of midfield dominance, esp in a two-player pivot.

That's why I did not want us to sign Ba. Ba is a good 2nd or 3rd option, which should be filled by a younger player. Ba is not good enough on the ball to start for a team like Chelsea and Lukaku could provide the physical presence when needed.

I've read that useless post where all the wrong stats are handpicked to prove the point that Mikel is a fantastic player. Yet, he rarely plays... So, I guess the stats that the Chelsea staff keep show otherwise, or at least they seem to look at them in a very different way. Lets just agree to completely disagree on this one as well.

thanks for the info, but really depressing (that we missed signing him).

Agreed, but it's not an experiment... he is just covering because of our thin squad. Having a player like him, who *can* cover as a DM/CM when needed is an asset, not a problem. Yes, I also think it was overused, but again, because we lacked squad players this season. Last season we had to play Ferreira as a CB, this season Luiz played several games in the midfield... just weird. Luiz, “We won the Champions League so last year I ate steak. Now I have chicken but I’m hungry again. When you win something, it gives you the appetite for more.” WTF?!

Ramires was dropped for disciplinary reasons. Something to do with being injured not showing up in time (he showed up late accompanied by Eva), and perhaps also not sticking around. Not a done deal for the WC-unlike Ronaldinho who showed up completely drunk-but Ramires will have to work hard AND talk with Brazil coaches/officials if he wants to secure a spot next year. This was NOT the time to not show 100% commitment though, if he wanted to play next year that is. BluesMaster, agree with need for a rest, but it could negatively affect the player's confidence. Or it could make him work even harder to make up for it and get a well deserved call up for next year.

Henrique, that's not what we are discussing.... we are discussing their effectiveness in different roles comparing them with their peers, in the BPL and abroad. After all, we need better than our opponents. Last OT from me: I thought we should've gotten Dembele and was disappointed when he moved to spurs. Not crazy about Arteta--too feeble for CM position IMO. Hard working player don't like to play for Arsenal, because they'd be the only ones doing the hard word for the little, pacey, and skilled others. But yeah, even United's CM bets have gone wrong... Anderson was one of the biggest disappointments for United and Brazilian supporters everywhere. He could've become a CM Brazil hasn't had in quite a while. Fellaini can become a very good player in that position though. But yeah, Yaya just dominates in that role.

Interesting... I think both Mikel and Luiz are not really good enough for the pivot role. in fact, I reckon Ramires is the only midfielder we've got who really shines in there. Ramires' mobility is the most fundamental requirement to play in the pivot and both Mikel and Luiz lack mobility. While Luiz is a pacey CB, he's a slow midfielder. Luiz displays more aggression than Mikel, but both are pretty slow and that is the reason players skip past them on occasion. It's very different in defense, where you've got no space behind you and opposition needs to employ short dribbling to go past you, and that's where Luiz shines. I'm not a big fan o Mikel, but I think he would be a lot better as an anchorman, a holding mid sitting immediately in front of the defense. David would prob do better in such a role as well, say in a 4-5-1 system. One of the most annoying things about our team is the lack of tactical variations... need to sort out the coaching. prob a discussion for a diff thread though.

So aside from a high score win by Arsenal, a tie against Everton will secure the 3rd spot. This late in the season, with VERY tired players (lacking cover in several positions) all that matters is to win and we did. Quality got us the win... not fitness, not effort (Villa wanted just as much), but quality.