The only place to be

Hissy fit incoming

Fantastic news. Maybe a bit of fixture congestion, especially if they progress in the CL plus it keeps us top so long as United do us a favour tonight.

No, the fact that we had to use Luiz instead of Terry cost us. There is a tiny distinction. Let's see if you can find it.

Ramires has fantastic pace, stamina and agility. They enable him to get into positions faster than any other player. His problem is what he does when he get's there. He's the equivalent of using a sports car to move furniture. The car will get there quicker than a van but it's about as much use as a chocolate teapot when it does.

So we should rest players this Saturday for the match against Everton ONE WEEK later? You think they need that? I could explain why the FA Cup is important to Chelsea supporters but why waste my time? On ignore with you.

What other competition could we gain momentum in this weekend against a direct rival? And it's the FA Cup, not pot.

I'm no expert, but Dante isn't exactly a world-beater is he? He's only been at a top club for a couple of seasons, didn't make his international debut until he was 29 (by which point Luiz was somewhat established since his time in Benfica) and was something of a journeyman before that. He was playing in Belgium until the age of 26. You're talking about someone who made his international debut about the same age Leon Osman did and who has the same number of international caps as Chris Smalling. If you want to say that selection for the Brazilian national team should reflect his quality, then you know you're just setting yourself up for people listing players like Andre Santos (24 caps), Jo (14 caps) and Robinho (92 caps) who were all busts in our league. Conversely Willian and Fernandinho have 9 caps between them. Maybe the Brazilian selectors aren't the bastions of football knowledge you're holding them up to be in support of Luiz, or maybe they are.

I think lionsden has a good point though. He's a great footballer but I'm not sure he's a great defender. He has skills that a CB simply doesn't need but lacks the ones that they do. I think it's purely down to his personality and I think there's a link between his exuberant personality off the pitch and his erratic personality on it. Maybe he's got ADHD or maybe he's just immature but concentrating for 90 minutes on the runs of defenders, offside lines and through balls is fucking tough and he simply might not be up to it. I don't think anyone could doubt his ability on the ball and he is capable of playing well in defence, but at the top level you need to do it week-in and week-out. Luiz seems to like to be noticed, whereas defences are at their best when you don't talk about them. They provide the solid, stable foundation for all those fancy barstards to go and do their step-overs and what-not. I think Luiz has a deep desire to be one of those fancy barstards. I'd pick him in midfield, but every time he plays in defence I worry. I don't have an agenda, I'm not looking for a scapegoat and I actually would've preferred him in midfield over Ramires yesterday, but I guarantee that I'm not alone in worrying a bit more when he's in defence for us.

Whereas you can say stuff like everyone in the world considered in the top 5 if not top 3 CBs in the world?

As I said, it's not just about the cup (although it's always a great competition to win), but the momentum.

For all intents and purpose he was. It was only because Terry was injured that he played yesterday and it cost us.

Good point. We shouldn't criticise him because he was bought for us for big money in 2011, is an established international for a top team with over 100 caps, helped us win the Champions League and Europa League, attracted interest from top sides, has been in two team of the year selections, was third in the world player of the year and has even won the World Cup and European Championship. Oops, sorry...I confused him with Fernando Torres by mistake. Still a good point though Choulo.

No he wasn't. In fact I doubt if you'd get consensus on what his best position was, let alone him being the best in England. Also I doubt you could find 3 members who wouldn't have sold him for £40 million. I knew you'd bring that response up and it perfectly captures the point I've made throughout his time here. He CAN be world class. He CAN be the best defender in the world.....but never consistently. There's always a catch with him, a brainfart around the corner and that inconsistency is what'll kill you. He was fine for 87 minutes yesterday. Then he fucked up. I want a defender I can trust for 90 minutes, not 87 minutes. So does Jose which is why he has only selected him as a CB TWICE before yesterday's game in THREE MONTHS. That's what's so maddening about him. The conversation never changes. He's got the same faults he always did, just like Mikel. We replaced Mikel.....we'll replace Luiz.

We're playing our closest league rival less than two weeks after beating them in the league, taking top spot in the league and then having a pretty shit result away to West Brom. This is a momentum builder/killer for both teams and a statement match. They'll be focussing on Barca hopefully so we've got a great chance to assert our dominance over them. Plus it's the cup. As for Galatasaray, the CL isn't a priority this season but we should have more than enough to beat them over two legs whilst we need to get our form going again for the game against Everton.

Ivanovic should be maybe 1 yard closer but he's also got to watch the overlapping run of the full-back. Considering he's just made his way across from the other side of the pitch and is probably a little fatigued it's a minor point. The fact is that West Brom put in 20 crosses and managed one shot on target all match. If Anichebe's marker is doing his job properly then it's not an issue. In instances like this every player will be a few inches off where they should be, but the big errors are the ones where people lose their marking assignments completely. Basically - No JT.

If he left and went to a rival, I'd always fancy our chances of getting him to make a mistake. Of course there's always the chance he would have a stormer too. As for being a scapegoat, I think that's an overused excuse. It was incorrect about Mikel (who is Mr Irrelevant since we replaced him with a far superior player) and it's incorrect about Luiz.

150 pages ago The song remains the same. Three years in and what has he actually changed about his game apart from hoofing the ball out a bit more? How has he LEARNT from his mistakes?

100 pages ago Then you've got his fan club (Skipper and robguima) extolling his virtues in much the same way as they have for the next 100 pages.

I still think it was the wrong move. Ba simply isn't good enough and has contributed the square root of fuck all to our campaign, whilst Torres has been inconsistent and injury-prone. We needed another striker and Lukaku would have got plenty of minutes whilst playing and training alongside top quality players who might have actually improved his play and kept him in line off the pitch. At Everton he's faced almost zero competition for a starting spot and I'm not sure how closely related their football is to our's. It was a bad decision and to be honest I think we could've done with a striker who has 'always been known as a goalscorer', don't you?

Can't believe some people are saying they don't mind if we lose this. Four days rest after the West Brom game, no game for another week and it's the FA Cup against a rival. Strongest possible team. Luiz nowhere near defence.

Should be no doubt about him getting a contract extension now. He's a rock at the heart of that defence and the step-down to his back-ups is too great not to cost us points in tough games. Hopefully he's fit again soon because we miss him badly. His rehabilitation is complete - pay the man.

That's a fucking shitehouse comment that no proper Chelsea supporter would make and you should be fucking ashamed of yourself for making it. Seriously, you've gone down this road before with implications of xenophobia and it's a fucking pathetic way to treat 'fellow Chelsea supporters'.

No, you're ignoring his virtues and focusing on his weaknesses. Look at his 50 yard passes and free-kick attempts, and ignore his marking abilities. You have an agenda and you're scapegoating and I'M TELLING MUM!!!

Anyone want to guess what month Luiz starts another game at centre-back for us in the league when Cahill and Terry are fit? Will he ever start another one there? He didn't cost us goals at the weekend....but he made two errors, one of which was getting the wrong side of De Jong for a cross. Oh well, there's a reason he's third choice centre-back and we've already signed one young guy. I'd say it's a certainty he's sold in the summer, except he's been good for us in midfield.

Runs and runs and runs and runs, but the lack of a consistent, quality touch will always let him down. What might save him from being sold is his versatility and stamina, but I'd prefer a more composed presence in the pivot so that we can control games better.