Corner

I agree with that, but there have been games where one of them could have been rested. Or making some substitutions late on when he could have taken a player who needed a rest off earlier. I don't mind so much with Hazard and Moses, but Mata's stamina isn't the best. He's not as naturally fit as Hazard, Oscar or Moses. But, after today's win I don't want to complain. He made the substitutions early when the game was already put to bed.

Absolutely delighted, my favourite Christmas present so far. Lampard getting his 130th goal in the top division on his 500th start. That moment with Terry and Lampard after Lamps had been subbed off, it was just lovely.

Fucking hate how commentators make it sound like United dropped points just because they were bad. Did they completely fail to see how good Swansea were and how much they dug in to get that point?

What I don't understand is this: in almost every press conference Benitez did for the first few weeks in charge, he mentioned how the squad was unfit because of lack of rotation. What does he do? Plays Mata, Hazard, Moses and Torres in every single game.

I agree that's a good deal for everyone. But I think he has the ability and potential to become a great player. Sturridge's problem is his attitude, he already seemed to think he's great. So he will never strive to be better.

Yes, that would have been disastrous. But that does not mean that every manager should have no control whatsoever over transfer. Obviously, a healthy and productive relationship between the manager and the board is required. And also an intelligent manager that knows how to build a team. Scolari's methods are questionable at best. But like I said, that should mean that managers should have no control. There are managers out there who are idiots when it comes to transfers and there are managers who are very clever.

Just want a win of course. By my god, I'm desperate for a clean sheet. (I'm sure Cech is too).

I will never understand how you managed to sign Messi! (I think we MAY have gone off topic here).

Well of course Pep and Jose are on another level, but I just think Pellegrini wouldn't be a bad alternative. Yes, speculating can be very tiring.

You're probably not too far wrong mate. If we ever find a manager who Roman trusts enough to allow him to sign players himself, that will make me a very happy Chelsea fan. But we all know there's only one man that will have these privileges. A certain Pep Guardiola.

I'm not understanding how it's a joke? All we can do as fans is speculate, and that's what I'm doing. And in my opinion, Guardiola, Mourinho and Pellegrini are three of the best managers around. All we can do is throw a bunch of names into the hat of potential managers.

To be honest, I'm almost certain that our scouts recommend Emenalo a lot of players that are not that well-known but have A LOT of ability and potential, but those recommendations probably get turned down because they're not 'big names'. But we're improving on this front over the past while, thankfully.

You brave man. It's certainly not a terrible option like a lot of people seem to think it is.

Málaga actually signed him from Valencia for €6m. What a bargain that was!

Of course I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be?

He scored a cracker against Real tonight.

Málaga are banned from playing in Europe next season because they haven't paid off their debts. And unless they pay them off this season, they will also be banned from Europe for another three seasons on top of that. They have Isco of course, but a lot of people would argue that we don't need another attacking midfielder. But I think competition between players is a good thing. I mean, look at how much Mata, Oscar and Hazard have all had to play this season. If we're looking for a great left-back to replace Cole, then Natxo Monreal would be an excellent option. Ignacio Camachio is also an excellent holding midfielder who does the 'dirty work' for Málaga. He sits in front of the defence and wins the ball back constantly. He's also very comfortable in possession. Obviously, not every Spanish player is going to be a success in the Premier League, but if we persist with this style of football we've been playing this season then players like Isco, Monreal and Camacho would fit in very well here.

Not really. There are other options. Pellegrini being a very good alternative. He's proven at the top level. Real Madrid finished the season with most points in the league they have ever had, and now he's doing amazing things with Málaga without even getting paid. He's getting every single Málaga player to play week-in week-out for him, even though they're also not getting paid. His man-management skills are brilliant. And just to put the cherry on top, he could bring that attacking, short passing style of football that Abramovich wants.

This seems like the most sensible and the most likely option to me.

I didn't say Mourinho can't do long-term. I said we don't know because he has never wanted to. And it's not like he had the chance, that was just never his aim with any of the clubs he has been with. Mourinho bought a bunch of players already in their prime when he was with Chelsea. That's not planning for the long-term, that's trying to achieve instant success.

That's just the thing, I don't know. No one knows because he has never been interested in a long-term project. Mourinho likes to complete his challenge and move on so he can complete his next one. And please don't make it sound long Mourinho has been treated unfairly at every club he has been with because that is not the case. 'Has he every had the chance to work long-term anywhere?' Of course he has, he just wasn't interested in doing that. Mourinho left Porto and Inter Milan by choice. He wasn't forced to do anything. And he's going to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season whether he gets sacked or not. No one is forgetting what he did at Porto, I'm not sure what makes you think that. Mourinho is a fantastic manager, but he's not the be all and end all of managers. He doesn't fit with the objectives our club is striving for over the next few years. He's perfect for a club like Man City or PSG, like Toronto already said. Whereas a manager like Guardiola, Klopp or Pellegrini would be perfect for us. In my opinion, Mourinho will never be interested in a long-term project because in his mind he is bigger than the club.

Definitely. There's no way Madrid will want him when Mourinho is gone.

It seems to me that a lot of people think that any player who would cost under £50m is 'average'. That's just bizarre.

There's a big difference between buying a bunch of players already in their prime and building a squad based on a mix of youth and experience. Mourinho is an amazing manager with great man-management skills and a genius tactician, but he's not someone who rebuilds a team based on a philosophy and youth players. Mourinho is the perfect manager if you want instant success, but not for the long-term. But it's hard to judge how good he would be if he was a long-term manager at a club because he leaves before you get the chance to see. Mourinho was amazing with us before but that doesn't mean he will be a success if he was our manager again. Our aims are completely different than they were back then. We're trying to become a stable club with a long-term vision.

Dropped Iker Casillas, who is a player not exactly out of form, is their captain and is a club legend. Why? Because he disagrees with Mourinho and because all of this politics bullshit. I've loved Mourinho for so many years, but I've grown tired of him and his shit this season. Not many people think they're bigger than Real Madrid.