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Interesting player from the videos above, but concerning Neymar, it isn't his skills that impress people, but his finishing; he is able to complete his very skillful plays providing assists or applying the finish himself, which happens more often than not.

hahah Ronaldinho is a joke at 34 yo... heck I reckon he was never as good as ppl believed he was, but for Brazil he has always flopped big time. The fact that ppl expect him to deliver now at 34 playing in brazil, a weaker league, is just crazy. Just remember Oscar was just as dominant at 20 in brazil as Ronaldinho is now. Actually Oscar did very well in Libertadores too. If Ronaldinho raises a red flag it is for Brazil, not Oscar. Ppl here have to put things into perspective: Chelsea did not sign Oscar expecting him to dominate the league at 21 in his first season in another country. He's doing fine--let him play!

Congrats to Oscar (Luiz and Ramires), called up for the England friendly. It's an important call up because it's the first one by Scolari. I'd expect the Chelsea trio to start.

Cahill was indeed more solid than Iva throughout the game, but he could've costed us the game in the 5th minute when Giroud loses him very easily and has a sitter, which he (thankfully) missed. I agree Ramires decision and technique can be subpar at times (not against Barca though:P) but it's NOT a case that he is just "hard working." It's a bit more than that. He can dominate games physically with pace and even strength. He caused Arsenal players so much grief today that I almost felt sorry for them.

yeah what's up with that?! They were all upset when Arsenal were having their (tiny little) asses handed back to them in the first half...

nah my gut feeling is that RVP wanted out period. perhaps he couldn't endure Wenger's pep talks any longer.

Thought I should not have to mention that Lampard's contract is running out with no signs of renewal. Also, I'm not saying or wrote that Lampard is or has been playing deep. And frankly I don't care who plays deep, this is something that can change from match to match, depending on strategy and opponent. What I am saying though is that all our midfielders are short aside from Mikel, Lampard, and Luiz (not even proper DM/CM), but now I'm just repeating myself.

Azpi has been making defensive mistakes of late and is due for a rest. I'd start with with a very deep defensive line with the following players: Cech, Iva, Chill, JT, Cole (assuming JT is fit) Luiz, Lamps, And Ramires/Oscar in the middle (not CAM or wings) and then another line with Mata and Hazard. Striker is Ba, of course. Arsenal players are very pacey, must not give them space behind our players.

Torres is a big problem not only for the resale price but his contract. He's on City-esque pay with a long term deal. So, say we let him go for 10M and then have to pay 80% of his wages for 3 years.... that's not a good deal even when he is not delivering the goods.

Disagree. Ramires can handle physical contact, while Modric cannot. Modric is very lightweight and avoids contact at all times by moving a lot, even when playing deep. That's why I think he's not that different from Oscar (if moved deep). Chelsea need a player like Lampard, who has both technique and strength, preferably tall as well. Perhaps some Belgium who's used to wearing blue?!

You missed the "for his age" in conjunction with the league where he now plays. Some players have a much easier time against weaker opponents (more time on the ball and space behind defenders), others don't. So, what Gervinho (or Hazard) did in a different league does not really matter. Gervinho finishing has been crap and his final touch has not been any better. Hazard on the other hand shows finishing that belong to very special class of player. I think he can improve other aspects of his game, some of them drastically, but his finishing is already there IMO of course.

His finishing is absolutely crazy for his age! I can't imagine how good this kid is going to be at say 25/26! Interesting signings... Chelsea could become a dominant team in just a couple of years if all (or most of) our youngsters pan out.

are you kidding me?! 6 months left on his contract?! Are you sure? If true, I don't understand how Liverpool actually paid 12M for him. Why not just sign a pre-contract and wait till summer--spend that money on a (more read) striker on the cheap. Not like Sturridge is going to start ahead o Suarez any time soon anyway.

Agreed. Oscar is 21!!! Of course Brazil cannot rely on a 21 to win a world cup, neither should Chelsea. He's a wonderful young talent though! Ironically Brazil will be relying on another 21 year old who does wonders in the Brazilian league, but vanishes when facing stronger opposition, even U23. As a Brazil supporter I'd be more optimistic about Oscar developing until the WC than Neymar.

agreed. Just play deep with JT and Iva in the RB position. Playing with a deep defense line against Arsenal is always the sensible thing because of their pace.

We need him back because he's the best defender we've got. The only one who is absolutely dominant in the air.

^^ I concur Azpi had a terrible game, especially defensively. Perhaps time for a rest and move Iva back to the RB position for a little while. We were not good from the start to finish. Chelsea lose the midfield so easily it's not even funny. BTW, i'm not necessarily sure Lampard and Ramires were to blame for the lack of midfield display there. Whoever plays in midfield gets no help from the CAM e wingers. Those guys need to drop back and do the midfield work, otherwise we will always lack numbers.

We, supporters like players fixed in specific positions, but managers love those type of players, especially certain managers such as Benitez. Realistically, Iva will play both RB and CB, and David will play CB and DM/CM. I really like Iva as a RB against strong sides for example--defensive RB that is.

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.

I'm finishing "The Blade Itself" by Joe Abercrombie It's a completed trilogy in the mold of George R.R. Martin's song of ice and fire (i've read them all) but far far less grimm. Quite good so far, but I still have 2 more books to be disappointed.

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.