The only place to be

He's still underrated, and I'm as guilty of it as anyone. Maybe we should name him Luis Bakero and he'd get more notice. Temperament-wise he can go both ways but he's a real dark horse to make it here.

There isn't. Amongst the Chelsea support you'll find a number of views on what the line-up should be. Then there will be the teams they expect Chelsea to name. Some might think Mikel or Lampard should be in, others that Cahill or Luiz should be. I doubt you'll see any supporters who 'expect' De Bruyne to start though. That would be a 'surprise' (or to use your word, 'shock') pick, as it would go against what people expected.

The supporters.

What has Oscar done to deserve dropping? I'm not surprised to see you suggesting this line-up but it strikes me as odd.

Regardless of the role Lampard is playing, you said he had 10 or so bad games but then said Hazard was unfairly dropped when he's had a similar start to the season that Lamps has. It's this inconsistency with judging players that I don't quite understand, especially when Hazard has competition like Schurrle and Willian who are in good form and probably deserve a game.

Lampard didn't have 10 or so bad matches though. Hazard also hasn't been in sparkling form, showing glimpses here and there so why that's unfair I'm not sure especially considering the form of Schurrle and Willian.

That is a lie. How could I 'not like' empirical data? In fact I have no problem with 'sideways passes' because they're necessary in that position, so I would suggest you are mistaking me for someone else. I think that might be the case here. From what I can understand of this line, no I wouldn't say he has brought us forward 'leaps and bounds' but he has been a solid presence in that midfield position for most of the season.

Since when has Oscar been under-performing? He's been our player of the season so far right up until the point we shifted him to the right-wing against Newcastle. I'm hoping he'll be back in the middle today, putting in one of his all-action performances like he has been this season. Wouldn't that just 11 Mikels? I wouldn't be too surprised if we went with the same team that beat Schalke in the first leg.

Is anyone expecting Kevin De Bruyne to start tonight?

This is pretty much the only thing I agree with from your post. The rest is your opinion presented as fact, with no facts or empirical evidence to back it up. We're lacking in the midfield position so absent players grow in stature - the same has happened with Azpilicueta since he has found himself out of the team.

I can think of plenty of instances where it is talked up in American sports, where 'clutchness' can define a sportsman. I personally think people look far too much at the FIFA stats of a player and completely ignore the fact that the top two inches are the most important part of a sportsperson's body. David has every single tangible aspect of the game down - it's the intangibles, the focus, the commitment to each and every game that is being called into question. It's been that day since almost day one at this club too. The fact that there's an apparent prescribed reaction to his 'drops in form' should be a worry shouldn't it? The fact that the same questions have been brought up time and time again in his two and a half years at this club must be ringing some alarm bells, and yet people in this thread have said he needs a bit more time to grow and mature. No-one is doubting his physical abilities. We've all seen him show that he can be amongst the very best defenders in the world, but it's the fact that fans seem to expect him to throw in something unbelievably stupid once in a while that could be his downfall.

Would love to see Juve lose tonight. Something about their club and supporters that I've never liked.

I was still saying in the summer that any decent offers should be considered because I didn't think he had the right mentality. His recent performances seem to be supporting that notion. I actually defended him when he was put into midfield because I thought he did a decent job considering he was a CB first and foremost. Here you're talking about the physical and footballing attributes, when I commented on the mental side of the game. I like what Luiz can do, I like his pace, his power etc. So does Jose. What I don't like is the attitude he displays at times, the relaxed, laid-back performances and brainfarts. We conceded against City not because of Cahill, but because of a very, very rare error from Cech. Trust me, Mourinho wants men who play for one another and give 100%. Fine. We disagree on that but that seems to be the crux of the discussion. BTW - there are no 'minor sides' in the Premier League. That seems to be David's view though.

I completely disagree. I think you're completely underestimating the importance of mentality in sportsmen. Luiz is blessed with tremendous physical attributes - the kind that John Terry could only dream about. But JT has the mentality, will to win, bollocks, whatever you want to call it that has made him a great player. He's not going to beat players for pace, but he'll outfight them and he won't give up (although he's not perfect). Luiz needs to start showing that now, not 12 months down the line because he won't be here if that's the case. I don't think you know Mourinho. The one thing Mourinho wants in a player is that he play for his teammates and not let them down. Cahill might not be as technically gifted as Luiz but I've never seen him bottle a challenge or give less than 100% for the shirt, for the club and for the fans in the stands. Until he can be bothered to show up for the games against Cardiff and Newcastle which aren't as sexy as Barcelona and Man United but still cost the same for the blokes in the ground who support their team week-in and week-out, then he's not going to be in the team.

He's 26. We don't talk about players like Ramires and Mikel in terms of potential. Luiz should be approaching his prime and yet he's still prone to switching off and making boneheaded decisions. At what point do you stop expecting him to grow up and accept that he is who he is? Maybe we should listen to the man himself when he says, I don’t need to prove anything. Everyone knows who David Luiz is

How many of those games were in midfield? Whilst I'm not going to get to hung up on whoscored and their ratings system, let's put his 7.03 rating into context. Terry - 7.4 (this season) Oscar - 7.24 Cahill - 7.06 Luiz - 6.5 Discussing these ratings is a little pointless at times, but even by that measure he's had a severe downturn in form and looks like being dropped for a second time in the space of a few weeks. And there are plenty of fans who are pissed off about that bottled challenge.

Looks like he'll be dropped for the second time in recent weeks after a poor performance in the league. blah blah blah bounce back blah blah blah word in his ear please Jose blah blah what's Barca's number again?

His problem isn't that he's not a good player or that he has some deficiencies - that's excusable. His problem is that he loses focus, gets lazy, looks laid back and pulled out of a challenge on Saturday. Those things are inexcusable and verging on dishonest. If a striker beats him for pace or out-jumps him for a cross when Luiz is giving his all then that's not a problem because it happens to the best defenders. But if he's gifting the opposition chances because he's not 100% committed to the cause then he can fuck off. I'd take Gary Cahill making an honest mistake over David Luiz putting in the type of performance he showed against Cardiff every single time.

Subtle.

Not to pick on you, but this is exactly the type of kneejerk, short-termist thinking that is far too prominent in our support sometimes. Bertrand played well against Arsenal, so it warranted a start against Newcastle. What about Cole's last game which was against Man City (and not Myaichi)? Doesn't that warrant a start? No...it must be because he's being picked on reputation.

He's got to bring the same commitment to the cause that he brings for Brazil. He can't switch off against teams like Cardiff just because they're only Cardiff. JT shows the same level of commitment every game because it doesn't matter which club he's going up against, it only matters that he's pulling on the blue of Chelsea. That's what a leader is. That's the leadership he showed on Sunday when Luiz really didn't.

Link? I don't think he bottled it at all, and the ease with which some people slag off legends of this club is not one of the nicer things to emerge in recent years. It tends to lend credence to some of the barbs aimed at us from other clubs' supporters.

Not sure if there's a need to bring the nationality of supporters into it. Seems a strange line to take.

People seem to be judging Lamps based on how he played in the last game, rather than the last 7. From the Spurs game on he's been solid if unspectacular and it's not like we have a Gundogan or Witsel on the bench.

I don't think I noticed.