Blue Gino

Why is it, according to some fans, Chelsea's fault that Nat hasn't had a great season on loan? Isn't he yet to finish playing a full 90 mins for either one of his two loan clubs this season? He's taken a step back for whatever reason and this is down to him, not Chelsea making a poor decision finding him a club, especially one like Boro hurting for money yet still took on his 30k a week wages and his return is underwhelming to say the least.

Hard to predict if any major lineup changes take place with a week to rest up for this one. For me, David Luiz needs to be re-insterted at DM alongside Matic who has displayed better next to him. These two paired up with a weeks rest can break up Martinez' possession based game and hopefully get the attack rolling to get more than a fat zero when it comes to shots on target.

If Mourinho went out there with the likes of Salah, Schurrle, Lampard, Schwarzer, etc, and lost he would have been blamed for not taking the FA Cup seriously. A competition he often said he has much respect for. He went with a strong squad and unfortunately they were gassed for the most part and frankly taking two of three meetings including the double in the league was more than I could have expected with the depth City has. He's doing the best he can with the players he has at his disposal and much better in terms of where they've placed in the league the past two seasons. Drawing the match at City and forcing a replay would only hamper Chelsea's chances at the PL crown anyways.

I'm not saying David Luiz is dog shit....but homeboy stunk.

I think he did well with the little minutes he was given. Hard to get into this current side at the moment with the way they are performing.

Well isn't the club required to carry association trained players? Mou said he wants to fill in a few spots on the first team with academy players next season. The players on loan are still very young and have a ways to go, too early to call.

Welcome Kurt, stay humble and work your tail off this preseason.

Bayern have already told Kicker magazine that money is playing a large part in this and they can't come to an agreement and Kicker call this the player's farewell. I'd say never say never, especially when Jose is in charge.

That's if Zouma is even in the squad next season and not loaned out. Omeruo and Kalas could even be loaned out again next season or ply their trade at fullback with the loanee club. Regardless he's a talent with a bright future and he's great value to be had at the asking price.

He was diagnosed with "TLT".. Trophy Lifting Tendonitis

Getting Matic back after the Luiz move is a lot better than Zinedine Zidane saying you're idiots for letting Pogba go and he never returning. Only when the Special One is your manager is this possible. Thank you Jose.

I hope this concludes a lot faster than De Bruyne to Wolfsburg which is taking forEVer!

Just goes to show how desperate fans have become when they will welcome this nutjob

Yeah Eto'o missed some chances but it's gotta be tough not knowing when you're playing and the few chances you get define if you're playing next match. Just like DeBruyne, Willian, Schurrle and Mata. The only sure things getting penciled in are the back four, Lampard, Ramires and Hazard. Eto'o needs to play with another striker up top so he can make his cutting runs, he's not built to stand with his back to goal and pretend to be Didier. He and Ba would work really well with Ba holding up the ball and Eto'o slashing past him. Torres has had his lion share of chances, I say let Eto'o get another run out there but in tandem with Ba.

I'd be good with the sale of Courtois to Barca if Messi is part of the deal, otherwise nah.

Jose used the same excuse today with "he lost his fire when he left for the money in the Russian league" but clearly he like the other two are a shell of themselves. Ship all three out on loan or by sale. Just get them out of here. Might as well play without a striker at this point.

I can see the bus arriving for this match being a home match and no Ramires. I'd like to see Torres and Ba start and Chelsea throw the kitchen sink at these bastards but they won't.

Luiz is frustrating for many but going forwards he's fun to watch. Rafa got it right playing him in the pivot. Unfortunately he plays in a position where there's no room for failure, he has to be rock solid like J.T. His xmas clips and funny instagram photos are like a cute puppy you love to pick up and cuddle with but he frustrates you when he shits the bed.

Lukaku talks about being among the world's best but he's miles away from the names he's thrown out there like Zlatan. Martinez is more refined than Lukaku and should the price be negotiated in Chelsea's favor, go for it. The title is there for the taking this season.

I like Barkley a lot. Incredible work rate and movement off the ball. I'd take him over any of the other rumored transfer targets. He's young and some call unpredictable but so are most of Chelsea's loanees who are nowhere near making the impact Barkley could in midfield. Ake is with the youth squad and Chalobah is riding the bench. Who else is there? Loftus-Cheek who will need two or more seasons on loan just like Ake? Mata is most likely gone and probably Luiz so that'll help fund what will likely be a crazy price tag in the summer.

All the press is going off is Hazard's absence during one match and allegedly being uninterested in training. All hateful speculation. Hazard is happy and wants to become as good as Ronaldo under Mourinho. Mata on the other hand says all the right things but his World Cup chances are being snuffed out so he's definitely gone in January and the funds will be invested in a DM or LB. Maybe NBCSN doesn't cover football nightly but they do a hell of a better job than Espn or Fox Soccer ever could with coverage.

I know it's a must win but I don't think it would hurt the team's chances to start Schurrle at striker with DeBruyne included in attack.

Fredy is saying the right things publicly not to offend the Inter fan base and while the club say they would like to evaluate the future and hope Fredy is part of it, they aren't exactly saying "not for sale" either. Gaurin and Ramires in a 4-3-3 would be awesome.

Jose said at this point last season Chelsea were 11 points behind and the title was decided. Today they are 2 off. For all the critics calling Mou the master of ugly football, Chelsea had more shots on goal with only 38% possession and that's not bad considering how poor Chelsea are with the final ball. Not to mention they more creative and aggressive side in the first half. Chelsea are within a shout in the standings and have the January window around the corner to strengthen. Although in my opinion it will be more selling than buying.

I like this lineup, not too many flair players on the pitch and more strength in the middle to retain posession. Chelsea leave with a win 1-0, lots of heart attack moments at the back for sure.