robsblubot

KEEP ON THE PRESSURE!!!! COME ON!!! United have been poor at defending... if we keep on the pressure they will concede!

Yes, that may help Ashley, but would move Ramires out from the middle, where he's been winning the ball back and making some runs. He will have to pull one of the attacking players to the left to help Ashley a bit. Thought he was going to start this Match with Bertrand on the left for extra defending there, but ppl would've criticized the defensive approach for sure.

True, but Valencia is a great player IMO. It was RDM's job to handle that side by provide some support to Ashley.

only towards the end of the first half, but if Chelsea can keep this up they are bound to get the equalizer. Valencia is still a big problem on the right; that's manager's job!

NEEDED THAT GOAL BEFORE HALFTIME!!!

YEAH!!!!!

good header by Torres...

no one is looking good. It's fucking 2x0 for United! Hazard, Mata, and Oscar haven't are not defending well enough and have not created much up front either. Torres is pretty much the same as always. Ramires is actually playing decently considering United are winning the midfield; he's just outnumbered.

lucky united... for them it hits the post and goes out!!!

Sadly United are still controlling the match. I was afraid of this... new system, more attacking minded, with fewer players defending. The old Chelsea would've done better I'm afraid.

Second goal he was covering the wing (Ashsley wan't there), so he ran towards valencia who was able to cross to RVP. Cahill did not mark RVP well enough, the same way he missed Defoe against Tottenham, but Cahill is never criticized. However! It's really ridiculous to pick defenders as culprits when the opponents completely dominates the game.

could you explain exactly how did he lose the game? just curious...

Cahill made a mistake in the second goal, but the reason for the partial loss is because United have control of the the midfield and the game. Valencia is causing lots of problems on the right. First goal was caused by a bad/forced pass from Hazard, or was it Oscar?

few clubs can afford his wages, and he's under a long-term contact with Chelsea, so realistically, he is going nowhere. He may rot on the bench, but still happily collect his paycheck every other week. Personally, I think his problems are more physical than of motivation; his pace is gone. I really wanted to know whether Chelsea's fitness coaches think they can get him closer to his former self or not. I'm sad to say it, but it seems Chelsea have been had. Liverpool fitness coaches probably noticed he was getting slower and advised the manager to sell him.

AVB is a good manager and Spurs were missing some key players too. Chelsea just have way more quality in every position. Not particularly a fan of Friedel and Gallas selection over the alternative... well, I guess I DID like the selection against Chelsea, but wish AVB would play Lloris and Vertonghen (in CB) against the other sides (so they drop more points).

Completely agree. He's always laboring a bit when about to get a shot off... and that's all defenders need to stop it.

People need to realize that this is what Chelsea wanted to do when they started rebuilding the team. It's going to be different. More attacking, more movement, more goals, but defending won't be the same -- it can't be. There won't be as many players committed to defending as in the past. Both David and Cahill played well, with one mistake each in my book; David needs to be more aware about what's going on around him, and Cahill must never ever mark a striker, esp one like Defoe, from behind. However, like I said, defense will always be a bit more exposed than last season. Mikel, Ramires, Oscar had good a game. Hazard was even better and Mata was fantastic. Torres had a decent game, but certainly not at the same level as the others. Ivanovic had a decent game too, but also behind the other players esp Cole who was just fantastic IMO. Cech played like the top GK he is. BTW, I thought that a better shot stopper like Lloris might have stopped the Cahill shot (w/ or without deflection). I'd expect Cech to stop that one btw. Fantastic game and start of the season for Chelsea.

Just for the record, I wrote no such thing. It was mere example (to add to the many points I made or thought I did) of a player who at 38 dominates in the league. Also, please re-read what I wrote about Oscar: Oscar will probably do better for Brazil *because* he has moved to a much stronger league, which will help him fulfill his potential. Ronaldinho is shite IMHO; I know people will disagree, but that's how I feel. And I played with him a couple of times (just for fun) when he was 17. I will not comment on the rest as I've already stated my opinion once. This discussion is pertinent concerning Paulinho though, because aside from a few showings for Brazil all the data we have on him is from playing in Brazil. Now Corinthians did win the Libertadores Cup which is closer to the European game than the Brazilian league is (far more physical), and Paulinho was a key player for them. Comparing Paulinho with Romeu is difficult, because they look completely different players: Romeu is slow and seems to work best when sitting deep as a holding mid. Although Paulinho can play as a holding mid, because he's a good marker, he shines in a more versatile role.

I only measure success by trophies won, and by that Gremio and Corinthians aren't very different, despite Corinthians having far more supporters. Let's not go there though... Here's my prediction: Corinthians wont be able to contain Chelsea. Pretty much the same way Santos couldn't cope with barca. Or internacional would have fared against Inter (had they not lost to Mazembe first ). I don't think it's so much about quality of refereeing (which has been poor due to the renewal), but style, which has been the same for decades. I've heard former referees claim that it was a penalty because the attacker "was touched by the defender." Because of the above (refereeing styles), players like Ramires and Paulinho usually have an easier time adapting abroad, because European leagues demand more dynamism, defensive work, as well as strength (esp the premiere). People don't realize it, but Oscar is also a special player because he is complete. 38-year-old Ze Roberto was just MOTM yesterday against Fluminense in Rio. BTW, I expect Neymar not to do well in the next world cup precisely because he's staying in Brazil. Which is a shame, because Brazil need him to fulfill his potential. Let's agree to disagree (on the quality of the Brazilian league).

Personally, I think there is absolutely no comparison between the Italian and the Braizlian leagues. I'm a Gremio supporter and Gremio is tied with Atletico in the second place. Gremio stars include 36-year-old Gilberto Silva (playing as CB), 38-year-old Ze Roberto, and 31-year-old Elano. These players, with the exception of Elano (who was also an European flop) wouldn't get a game in Italy (or any other top league). There are many examples of old players, European flops, or pretty much just bad players starting for the top sides in Brazil. Not to mention refereeing, which is probably the worst in the world. Neymar and most other forwarders dive and are awarded with free kicks on the slightest contact. Neymar for example, has not been able to deliver internationally. Even in the olympics (playing against U23 sides), he was just another player in the squad. While people look for other reasons, I see refereeing as the main one; defending in Brazil is piss-poor. Concerning incomes, if you take Neymar out of the picture, as it should be because Santos does not pay him (only a small percentage of his income), the VERY top players make around R$500,000 a month. That's $250,000 a month, which is $115K weekly. While a very good income, that's average for Italian and especially English clubs (pretty sure Russian clubs pay far better as well). While I agree that the Brazilian league has improved, the improvements have been uneven at best. So, yes, moving from the Brazilian league to Europe would demand some adapting. Depending on the player, it can be more or less of an issue. Concerning Paulinho, I haven't seen much of him leaving abroad and all, but he seems like one fine box-to-box midfielder. People currently enamored with sideway passing would certainly prefer other type of players, but I do think players like Ramires and Paulinho can win you the midfield, and when that happens, you are very likely to win the game.

People in Brazil tend to strongly disagree with that. I know most people only see Romario, Ronaldo, and whatever creative players is on display wearing the brazilian shirt, but being able to pick up a pass and overall technique is a must with every single player in the squad including the defenders. The defenders begin the attacks, especially when they are the ones intercepting the plays. Brazilians joke: what's the point of taking the ball from your opponent just to give it right back to him. A more skilled defender will also possess a large repertoire or plays and variations, which will simply make him more efficient at stopping more skilled forwarders. At the same time, I have little respect to sideways passers. THe obvious safe passes have become "the correct way to play the game" when that's not what makes the most successful side of today tick. You take Messi off and Barca become much less. You remove Iniesta and Xavi and Barca become a dime a dozen. Barca are not strong because it can keep possession. Other sides can do that too (some even speak french). What makes Barca special is the final pass, the penetration, the assist and the attacking movement; that is quality to me and what differentiates the great from the good players. Again, it's fine if you prefer one style over another. However, David does get a lot of criticism due to the style (rather than the quality) of his play, which is especially wrong because that's what Chelsea was after when they signed him. I've seen defenders half as tall as hummels, but twice as skilled, humiliate fantastic forwarders. Maldini for example was a fantastic player who could play in pretty much every defensive position. Baresi was pretty much the same, but far more skillful and less physical (smaller too). Brazil had a defender called Mauro Galvao who was just fantastic on the ball (just unlucky to play in a shitty side 1990). @Bir CFC, it was not heroic; it was (defensive) quality. And not just Luiz, but the entire team.

As the the most skilled of chelsea's back line, he initiates the plays. Wether he kicks the ball 40 years down the pitch or not is a matter of options; most of the time, he's got no safe option and opponents are closing down. As Chelsea attempt to have more possession, the midfielders will have to constantly move and drop back to get the ball. Perhaps Chelsea thought that often times Arsenal push too many players up leaving their defense exposed to counters and long balls. Either way, it's all part of the team's strategy as defined by RDM. It's the same concerning freekicks; it's all predefined depending on freekick position. I do agree that a curling ball like Mata did is, in most cases, the better option though. Perhaps Chelsea thought Arsenal GK is not that great...

Most announcers & commentators are a joke. If the team have trouble scoring it's the FW's fault, if they concede, it's the defenders. Watching United was very telling: Scholes was a genius in the second half, but had nothing to do with the fact United lost the midfield in the first half. Scholes is a one trick pony nowadays. Announcers should praise his passing (it was fantastic), but they should have also mentioned he did nothing else, esp first half when Spurs won the midfield. Ferdinand will always always lose to Gareth on pace, but he shouldn't have to face him 1x1. Furthermore, if CBs never made mistakes, games would always end goalless.

prob not unnecessary... Clubs tend not to hand out cash for no reason. Wasn't he under contract (3 years or so)? pressure from another club perhaps?

There is nothing better than to win with a bad performance... Any team can win with a good performance, but it takes some real quality to do so when playing poorly...