Blue Colored Sky

Goal of the season : Schurrle vs Burnley but honourable mention for all-defenders goal against PSG a.k.a. one of the most retarded goal I've seen. Moment of the season : whole Everton : Chelsea 3:6 match - crazy actions, Diego Costa banter on Coleman, Martinez and whole Everton whining and finally relief by putting the game to bed by nice Diego Costa goal from Mikel back-heel assist

3 months under Hiddink in 2008-2009. Barca beat Real 6:2 in the Bernabeu, then 3 days later comes to Chelsea and is completely outplayed with pure tactics and without parking the bus thing. That was awesome. I really don't remember 2004-05 that well. It's difficult to say, now you think that Carvalho was the best CB ever walked on the Earth, Makalele wasn't dribbled one single time, every Lampard long shot was dangerously going into the top corner, Robben dribbled everything walking with ease. But reality was diffrent for sure. Diffrent times. I use Mourinho words when he was asked in 2010 about Carlo Ancelotti's double "You can't compare my Chelsea with his Chelsea, you can't compare my Manchester United with his Manchester United, you can't compare my Aston Villa with his Aston Villa. You can't compare, simply you can't "

It's wrong. Let's bid 60m for Dybala then. Or Vietto. New Aguero and all that shit. The fact is he hasn't showed anything at the biggest stage. Only Serie A. I really don't see the player like he is portrayed by many. He has long way to go, for me he's still far from Vidal level from last few seasons. He has dips in form and doesn't control games well enough. Belters here and few nice passes there really doesn't make him 60m£. Maybe 50 to 60m€ with add ons and agent fees. Besides that ridicoulus price is just fabricated by his agent and Mariotta, Juve general director, they cooperate to milk someone. I put that few pages ago, his price a year ago was 40m€ by those two gentelmens so let's stick to that. They know that Paul is sexy footballer and with flashy things want to bait everyone to believe in the price in 80m€ region. Let's back to earth. He's good player with big potential and for that potential someone can pay big. But that doesn't mean doubling his value. I would love to have Pogba here, make no mistake. I think 50-55 maybe 60m€ with all costs included (which is 38 to 44m£) is fair price for him but not 80-100m€ plus some astronomical fees for agent and of course taxes. That's insane and I'm sure Chelsea won't commit themself to that.

Blimey ! Miguel Delaney just wrote about this http://bet.unibet.co.uk/football/premier-league/driven-jose-mourinho-angry-vindication-just-important-joyous-celebration

So you actually think that Varane would be on the bench because Cahill is here ? Zouma is 20 years old kid with still much to learn about positioning. He has his time. Varane is way ahead of him in his development. If we really want to subdue to any big side we face, let's not sign fast, proactive, ball-playing CB. But if we want to really go toe to toe with them and play like a comparable side, then CB is no 1 priority.

Urgh ... does La Liga isn't so competitive as well because you have one giant who just win, win and win ? So that's a very hard competition to face from Real Madrid manager I imagine. He basically lost La Liga in autumn in 2012-13, that's how competitive this league is. And this is football we're talking about. Even when you have an obligation to win against Granadas and such, unlike in basketball, voleyball and handball, you really can lose such games. The Bale thing was simple. He said the Bale stuff when he was La Liga manager which is somewhat understable. But having the jibes on other managers and trying underappreciate their achievements. That's really not nice. On occasion contradicting himself so much is even less nicer. And the last thing, I remember when in Chelsea TV post match interview last season he counted his achievements. And he said like every trophy he won wasn't easy to get. Winning Champions League with Porto, getting Premier League from Invincibles, winning treble with Inter, winning the league against best Barcelona in history ... But others achievements weren't easier either. I don't know why someone has to feed his ego so much and create a bad taste even in good moment. How Jose beat the world vol. 18. Why ? Let's live in peace.

Stones better on the ball than Varane ? You couldn't be more wrong. I think the general opinion is that Varane is an elite ball-playing centre back. He could do the job in the midfield with his crazy passing skills. He's comfortably with either left and right foot, has fantastic technique, is able to release ball very quickly therefore is not so much prone to pressing. While I find Stones decent but nothing more than that. Varane is much faster than Stones. Varane is not 'pacey', he's an extremely fast player. For sure the fastest CB combining both acceleration and top speed. For me there's not real comparision between potential of Varane and Stones, Varane is miles ahead any young defender. But it's not so much of an underapprecition of Zouma, Stones, Laporte and Marquinhos, just Raphael Varane is that good. Varane's ball-playing skills as well acceleration and lateral speed as height and strenght as domination in the air as his composure and reading of the game make him one of a kind talent. Not comparision with any young defender. If he really can't move from Real then fine but I think Chelsea and Mourinho should do everything possible to sign him then think about alternatives.

There are not lies 'here and there' but complete reverse in his approach. You can't expect English team win 4th in the row ? United won 3, were behind Chelsea by total 1 point in 2010, won in 2011 and were level with City in 2012 and won in 2013. So they have won 5 in 7 years and didn't win 7 in 7 only by like 1,5 points. Juventus was 7th when Mou was there, Milan haven't won the league since 2004 and just lost Kaka. Inter won already 3 titles on the bounce before Jose and Mou own admission was that only Roma was a threat in his time at Inter. Cavani was a noob when Mou was there and Ibrahimovic was transferred to Barcelona. Besides that's not the point, the point was that the Italian league was the most difficult from tactical and disciplinary point of view as Mourinho admiited several times. Now Spain. His own words are that the Spanish League is the most difficult league to win. He said that, everybody knows that. And now it's even more difficult because Atletico became a force, Valencia are reborn as a force, Sevilla is always pain in the ass and they're very strong and there's Real and Barca. You seriously can't say it's easier than the Premier League if anything it's more difficult because you have to win win and win because you have wonderful team like Barca. And to be fair those 5 afromentioned teams are stronger than 5 teams from Premier League. There are Granadas that are lagging behind but Mourinho's Real slipped on them in 2012-13 and was left out of the competition for championship, so it's not easy at all when you have such an obligation to win. Lastly, I know why Mourinho is saying this. He said in the interview in reaction to Bale's words that La Liga is better than the Premier League that Bale thinks like that because he's there currently. So I understand this but it's a complete U-turn and there is only one thing that pains me. Because Jose said previously how hard is for managers to win anything and how hard this job is and how managers should get more respect for what they do, for the pressure they face ... Yet he jeers somebody's else achievements and underappreciate it which is contradiction to what he said. And that's not nice. And it's even more weird when he for example teases Pep achievement in winning Bundesliga because Pep has an obligation to win it but it's still a huge pressure on him. And Jose endured such pressure and such obligation in 2012-13 when he gave up title challange in autumn even though he had an obligation to fight till the last days. Then he endured unbearable critics from everywhere because he failed to win against Granadas and such. He should remember that. Or maybe he erased that memory from him completely.

Courtois, * Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, JT, Varane**, Zouma, Filipe Matic, Fabregas, Schneiderlin, RLC Reus***, Willian, Koke****, Hazard, Bertrand Traore*****, Cuadrado Diego, Lacazette/Benteke****** * Don't care who the bench goalkeeper is tbh. Green or that lad from Fulham. Whatever. ** Varane is no 1 priority. He would change our game with proactivity and ball-playing skills. Alternatively there're Otamendi, Manolas, Sokratis and Stones. *** Him or Bale or Sterling. But Reus is the best, Reus rules. He's for counter-attack, pressing, counter-pressing, possession football. He's got it all. **** Or Pogba or Isco. But Koke seems to me the most realistic option. ***** Does he get the work permit though ? That's much more important question than "Is he good enough?". He is. Can easily slot as 3rd striker as well. ****** Basically someone with either technique or strenght to hold up brilliantly and with ability to invite others to the game. Some alternative to Diego Costa. I wouldn't give edge to any from the two. There're Dybala and Icardi looming as well but I would prefer someone from the first pack.

Jose is an absolute joke when he talks about other leagues while he is now in the Premier League. Lol. It's complete U-turn in the approach, in what he says comparing with what he said between 2008-2013. And there's one single fact I'd like to point at. He says that you cannot score in the Premier League so many, with convincingly margin yet in the last season both Liverpool and Man City scored 102 goals in the Premier League and the same 102 goals was the record in the Spanish La Liga until 2012 (which was set in 2011 by Real Madrid themself). I don't want to dwell to much in this but he talks so much bullshit and contradiction things that it is funny in some ways. Who he wants to kid though. Especially by this sarcastic comments about other leagues and how kit-man would have won them all. Probably he talks particularly about Serie A even though he said that Italian league was by far the most difficult from tactical point of view and the most difficult to prepare for every match because every opponent knew so much about tactic and discipline. But Juventus 4th win in the row is probably regarded as sub-par achievement now by Jose comparing to the great Premier League title.

He should add "But I also lost my nailed-on place in the national team because he constantly plays me out of position ..."

If he had brain, decent technique and consistency, I'd agree. But let's face a single fact that he so often misses 5 metres pass that you can't praise him for his versatility.

Like if any style of penalty taking is giving 100% success. Found out ? It was poor penalty, first and second and last foremost. If than correctly then if goalkeeper stays he has to score closer to post. Just look at his Lille penalties when he was supposedly 'found out' by goalkeepers.

Went for : 1. Hazard 2. Courtois 3. Fabregas 1. Because he's the best player since day one until now. Consistency and utter quality. 2. Because he has bed in in the league seamlessly. It just shows his class but one thing that he impressed me and why I was waiting for his arrival is his ability with collecting long balls. He just bosses this element which I hugely missed since 2006. Also he made first real mistake only until 31st January, it's immense for someone new in the league. Apart from that he showed mental strength and won us points and he is 22, already nominated for Ballon D'or AS A GOALKEEPER despite not being flashy like Neuer. 3. Because he has changed our style and added something which our midfield begged for. From Lampard/Ramires/Meireles playing as our main creator to Fabregas, it's huge, positive step forward. That's the type of player we needed and after missing out Modric in 2011 I genuinely thought that we gave up in principle signing creative midfielder. Of course I can't forget that he went AWOL from January becoming player a couple levels below and he is in and around useless in big games but he symbolizes step in positive direction. His general play until late December won us points, we finally started to play good football against every team below our level. And that's for now outweights his disappearance in big games/second part of the season.

From the first team I really think that Cahill departure is likely. We'll most probably (and to be honest we have to) buy new CB. Then you have JT, Zouma, *new CB* and Iva for a cover. Mourinho already showed that he can drop Cahill. He's one of the main reasons that holds us back in our play. And to add to the fact that contract talks are dead for year now, I don't see Cahill being here long-term. Unless he wants to be 4th choice CB.

This team just beg for width. Other thing is that Azpilicueta made crucial defensive mistake by which Filipe would be almost crucified.

So poor yet so ... normal ? We've been playing in and around exact way for months. Surprise, couldn't predict that fortune will turn ...

I have this strong feeling that this is a plea for Chelsea board to improve the team in the summer. And rightly so. If you stand still you move back and for consecutive dominance Chelsea certainly need more quality. Especially that so many English teams have big resources now. It's weird since AVB was learning under Guardiola in recent times when he was on trail in Abu Dabi. He also said back then that Jose is his teacher but his style is closer to Guardiola's.

No, on 8th August, Saturday. They want to bring earlier start in order to give national team more time to prepare for Euro 2016.

I read that the Community Shield 2015 will be played on 9th August, Sunday. So it's actually after the start of the season.

Since when you can buy the players whole year ?

I don't get how anyone but Jose can win Manager of the Year. Let's start with that, for 2 seasons, Chelsea were top for majority of that time, close to 300 days. Result = 0 manager of the month awards. Man City during those 2 seasons were leaders for 15 days + 9 days tied at the top = 3 manager of the month awards for Pellegrini. So if you cannot give MoTM award for someone who was at the top for majority of his time being the manager you have to give him Year award, right ? When I see Southampton, fine, but they're 7th now comparing with being 8th last season. Hardly an upgrade, they're still outside of Europe now. Even if they lost many players, I think everyone imagined that they're so stable now with their budget and Academy players, that safe standing in the middle of the table will be theirs. Probably they overachieved but one thing is overachieving while being doomed for mid table and another coping with being doomed for first position - and responding with being at the top for whole season. At the end Southampton made minimal progress while Chelsea made far bigger in my opinion. Others like Monk and Pearson are out of contention. Monk only added bigger insurance for safe standing while Pearson probably survived with club which got promotion with over 100 points and are above only ONE last season Premier League team. Pardew ensured survival for 2 teams. But I can't consider this as enourmous achievement since he had to be above only ONE last season Premier League team (other than Sunderland, above Burnley, who have budget good for Eredivisie and QPR who couldn't score away for majority of the season). So all in all it shouldn't be contention at all. Others don't compare with being at the top for around 300 days and still waiting for first proper recognition. Jose is only one winner.

I'm sure not so soon because deal started in 2013 for the next 10 years and we're currently only in 2 years of this with 8 years left. Bayern had 5 years left in their current deal so doing maths I think Chelsea will renegotiate their deal in 3 years time. On the other hand I think Nike would pay big now but Chelsea are tied long term with Adidas. While there for sure are some renegotiate clauses not sure that deal can be break.

Oh yeah because shooting 2 times on target in 180 minutes against QPR and Man Utd, which somehow gave Chelsea 6 points, is well-made recipe for success.

We should not be looking for backup to Matic. In my opinion we should upgrade from Oscar to Isco/Koke/Pogba. And turn Mikel and Ramires into 1 but quality midfielder. Matic dropped the performance in the second half of the season, possibly he has physical issues. On top of that we have Fabregas who has blip in the second part for umpteenth time already. We need 3rd midfielder who would be treated at the same level as two above not someone who would be doomed to backup role.