The only place to be

It's not just money. Sportsmen want to play at the top level every week (well most of them do). Very, very few top players have winning the French league on their bucket list.

That's debatable and there are various criteria you could judge it by. I think the Portuguese league has a very good shout to be above the French league. Both Porto and Benfica are ranked higher than any French team in UEFA's coefficient team rankings. The Portuguese lague also have more European Cup wins than the French league (as does the Eredivisie). The Eredivisie also has higher average attendances than the French league (using 2012 stats, so maybe it's changed) which are roughly the same as the English.....Championship. The reason the English Premier League has more money and better exposure isn't an accident.

He was the player that was really making the difference in the first three, four months of the season.

Why do the players leave then? Why don't players stay in the French league?

We're signing a striker in the summer so the best Lukaku can hope for is to be the second-choice striker, which isn't going to be easy if we keep Eto'o around. I agree about De Bruyne though and Jose was quite happy to keep him around but De Bruyne wanted to leave. The kid was happier getting a certain start for a slightly above mid-table Bundesliga side than fighting for a spot in a title-challenging Premier League team (unlike Schurrle who worked his bollocks off and got starts). If that's his attitude then fuck him.

If Jose wants to sell Jose then he can and I think most supporters would accept it. He's a very promising young player but he was signed alongside a number of other players who seemed to fit different styles of football. What we have now is a guy who wants his team to play a very specific brand of football and isn't afraid to sell his 'best players' in order to sign those who suit the system better. If Jose doesn't fancy Lukaku and is happy to sell him (for a considerable profit as well) then I'll trust him. But I'm fairly certain we have the funds available to buy Costa without making this type of move in the market. His release clause is £32 million. What selling Lukaku might do is enable us to strengthen in other areas like midfield and left-back.

He's played 126 minutes from a possible 900 minutes since Matic was signed. That's included a few matches where David Luiz was injured as well which when you consider that for the majority of those minutes he was bought on to shore up the midfield, a job Luiz is equally adept at in my opinion, doesn't bode well for Mikel's future here. If he's happy just to play a small role as a bench player collecting his wages each week (doing a Bogarde) then I suppose he can but personally I'd like to see that role taken by a younger player who can use those minutes to gain experience and eventually become a useful first-team player. But the simple fact is that Mikel has been replaced with a player who is so much better it's not even funny. It's weird that because for a couple of years there were people who were saying just how important he was to the team, how he was one of the best in Europe in his position. They even had annotated pictures to demonstrate just how key he was to what he did for the team. Weird that only Inter have been linked to him.

Can't see us ever dealing with Spurs especially when there's interest reportedly from Dortmund and Atletico. I wouldn't dismiss the idea of him leaving out of hand either because if Jose doesn't rate someone he doesn't get all sentimental about it. He let Mata, De Bruyne and Essien go so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Lukaku is allowed to leave for a tidy sum so we can purchase players who fit what Jose wants. Personally I'd be sad to see him leave. He's got faults but he scores goals consistently and seems to be back in top form following his injury. If we do get Costa and then re-sign Eto'o then there's not a huge amount of minutes left for him so maybe a loan to the continent next season is on the cards. He'd still be very young after another season away and ready to step into the squad.

The guy has really proven me wrong. It wasn't him I was ever against, but his signing (and the loaning out of Lukaku) and I felt that he might've lost that hunger that made him so great. He probably won't be world class again because he's lost that explosive pace but I think that really shows what a technically brilliant player he actually is/was. Look at someone like Torres who lost his pace and becomes a pussycat and it's clear just how good Eto'o is that he can still be such a good player without that burst of speed. We really did miss him when he went off because he makes such intelligent runs. Still not too sure about what happens with him next season because he probably deserves more than being the third striker but I'll trust Jose to do whatever he thinks is best.

It's the John Obi Mikel decisiveness. Just pass it backwards son.

Starts for Southampton against Spurs today. Looks like he should be up against Lennon as well which could be a real test.

Got very vivid memories of going to Palace as a youngster. Selhurst Park is one of those old-school London grounds, very simple and a lot like The Valley - a real throwback. Anyway I'd start the exact same team. Rami is still out and Schurrle did enough to keep out Willian, plus I'd be inclined to play him anyway after his performances away to Stoke and Fulham. If Eto'o is fit then he starts but I think that's unlikely. Want to see Luiz get another run out in midfield and the rest of the team pretty much picks itself. Palace haven't won a game in five and at home to United they were happy to concede the vast majority of possession, but still posed a threat. No fucking around with this lot, no looking beyond this game and we'll probably need a piece of magic from Hazard to unlock them.

The problem is the lack of depth. Shaw, Azpi and Ivanovic could be interchanged depending on who we're playing, plus Ivanovic isn't getting any younger. What might be a wrinkle is Nathan Ake. Been playing a lot at left-back in recent months and he's looked good, but he could simply become a John O'Shea-type utility player who can fill in rather than being a centre-back exclusively. But it's a pertinent point about Azpi - he's probably the form left-back in the league and sometimes you don't want to mess with a good thing.

What was interesting yesterday was seeing that he actually stayed back for corners. I think that was simply Jose keeping things simple and having him fill Rami's role at corners but he can be a real threat if balls come out to him for a long shot, although in time maybe we could use him at set-pieces alongside Matic, Cahill, Terry and Ivanovic and leave Azpi and Oscar back. The guy certainly has it in him to hit shots from 30 yards, plus he can pick a pass. Just needs to get his stamina up there and he's a real option for next season.

1 goal in 10 before his injury. 3 goals in 4 since. Maybe he just needed that rest but he seems to be getting back to where he was early in the season.

I really am not as anti-Mikel as I used to be, mainly because I don't have to watch him play as much anymore. This thread is noticeably less busy since Matic signed as well so if he does move on then I'll wish him well and maybe even miss him a tiny bit. Simply doesn't have a role here next season if Luiz does step into midfield full-time and there's still Ramires, Chalobah, Van Ginkel and Lamps to be decided on.

Needs to do it over a few more matches but I like the balance between him and Matic. Both are defensively strong, both good in the air, both like to roam forward at times and both can pick a pass. His concentration issues don't just disappear when he's in midfield, but maybe he's a little bit more engaged in that position and any mistakes can be covered by the defence. He's better than Ramires at least.

Hard to take too much from that performance, he still looks a little bit downhearted at times but he's got two goals and an assist this week which is a massive improvement on the last few months. Needs to keep playing his way into form for us to do anything this season. Encouraging but nothing definitive.

Three, but we might appeal to make it four or five.

That's unexpected. Great goal and the keeper had no chance with the curve on it. Beckham's was better though.

He's the best full-back in the league. Love the guy's consistency, his workrate, the fact no-one gets past him and he's getting better and better going forward. A trio of him, Ivanovic and Shaw next year is mouthwatering.

One of those special days where everything just goes for you. The best start to a match I can remember since those first twenty minutes against Barca with Duffer and Eidur going nuts and a result that sits alongside the 5-0 thumping of United....and on Wenger's 1000th match Was never all that worried about this match because....well it's Arsenal. Jose's got Wenger's number but the way we absolutely dismantled them was just beautiful. Crowd were in fantastic voice too and drove home Mourinho's comments about Wenger in style. The Arsenal fans didn't even seem surprised about what happened. Shame that the media might focus on the red card being given to the wrong player, but it was as complete a performance as we've given in a long time. Everyone played their part and stepped up in impeccable fashion and it was a fabulous response to last week. Could've kept the intensity high and really run the score up but 6-0 at home to Arsenal on Wenger's day is just amazing

Speaks English really well now and seems such a great guy....would love for him to really knock it out of the park if he gets a run in midfield (figuratively speaking).

This is what you don't understand. Chelsea of 2003 were still playing Manchester United of 2003, Liverpool of 2003, Arsenal of 2003, Everton of 2003, Newcastle of 2003. You're the best team in France. Well done. You're the tallest midget, the slimmest kid at fat camp, the big dick in a tranny convention. It doesn't matter. Unless you want to secede and move to a different league people will only tune in to watch PSG vs Monaco for the foreseeable future. Chelsea aren't great because we're simply Chelsea, or because we're wealthy. We're great because we're tested EVERY week against top teams in matches people watch all over the world. PSG can't buy that.

Meh, there's a whole forum full of people here who 'observes and mocks me'. They also get to watch a top team play in a top league. Anyway, I have no problem with Ligue 1. I have no problem with the Russian league, the Swiss league or the Dutch league either - I just don't think they're of high a quality as other leagues. I think players who go to these leagues aren't looking to test themselves against the best opposition week in and week out. That's not an unfair view is it? If this is the case then why are these players going to these clubs then? I'm not ignorant of Chelsea's own financial backing but we also play in one of the best leagues in the world. That is a massive draw for players and fans of football alike. We don't think our national team is the best. In fact most of us don't even like the national team 11 months of the year.