Blue Colored Sky

He was all over the place at times. His lack of stamina takes its tolls. A proper back-up to Matic is another position on the pretty long list now of necessary upgrades in the future.

Two things a) he stopped being completely complacent with sky high ego and nonchalant with everything he does b ) Hull City run out of gas, they didn't press so one of biggest weaknesses of Ivanovic wasn't exploited Still, good second half but his performance in the first was unexplainable. How the hell you can be so complacent without respect to an opponent when you're fighting for the title and your rivals won their respective matches ?? This alone deserves some big punishment. Another thing his absolutely loss of any decent acceleration, sure he wasn't sprinter in any moment of his career, but now he's definitely on a steady regression with his physique therefore he can't press opponent for his life and that's a big problem . When Jose picks that up ? If we want to play pressing game and be efficient in that, you can't play him, simple as that.

Let's not forget about the most bizarre thing that happened today on the pitch - Ramires overhead kick pass to Ivanovic. Man, his thinking is something else, what the hell he's got in his brain we will never know for sure.

WTF ? Iva played a) slow, nonchalant pass b ) to Thibaut who was closed down by an opponent and had minimal time to reaction c) to Thibaut's weakest foot d) at the moment when we just conceded goal and were still shocked, opponent was on top of us And I could possibly think of more. Yet 90% goal at least was on Thibaut 50-50 I'd say at most is on our goalkeeper. Apart from that mistake, he was amazing. My MotD alongside, of course, Eden. His mental strength, reflex, commanding of the area and that calmness is amazing but collecting long balls is something else, head and shoulders above anyone at this level. He's right up there with Neuer. I'd pick him over Cech every day of the week, he's way better and at least this is the right call from Jose.

Total clown. First of all of many many things is that his attitude stinks, he's complacent to it's finest. What the hell he is thinking ?? So nonchalant with everything, that what happens when you give someone a lifetime place in the team. He's a root of many bad things, he invites the pressure on us in every game. For fuck sake, Jose, please do something about this !

Bring Azpilicueta on. We lack his pressing game badly. And not in place of Filipe ffs but this knobhead Branislav Ivanovic, who is complacent to the finest, his ego is on the Moon already !

He has to be filthy good, because demands are higher for squad players than nailed-on Mourinho troops.

At least Filipe starts. Fuck yeah. (But of course it's Azpi who looses his spot, despite doing nothing for that)

Mourinho can't kid us anymore. LOL, it's not a nazi camp, there's Internet and Television when we watch many big teams that can bring players through. Very recent example, PSG brought their Academy product, Adrien Rabiot, when they needed to score in the last 10 minutes. Mourinho can't even imagine that situation of course, but you can do this and this Academy player can actually help you like Rabiot helped PSG to go through. How does that compare to bringing RLC on (for example) to help you to score vs Southampton AT HOME, who also would replace very poor players that day like Oscar/Willian/Fabregas to bringing Rabiot on, in the last 10 minutes when you need a goal in a knock-out competition, playing AWAY in a competition where owners demands are huge and at stake is manager's head ? Jose's thinking is broken if he thinks that Academy players can't help. Mourinho basically said what I've been thinking for a long time - the demands from young players from the Academy here are bigger than first team players ... For real, if he says "The level of demand is high. The pressure is big. It is not the same to play in a club where people just accept a so-so performance, or a so-so result" so what exactly players like Oscar, Willian, Ivanovic, Cahill do in the first XI if we don't accept so-so performance ?? Again, Academy player can't play so-so, they have to set the world on fire from the beginning while many of first XI can play poor and they still play and still play. Total bullshit. And the last thing from me, you can't introduce players when you chase result, that's his thinking right, fair enough, but you can introduce them when you're winning comfortably ? So let's bring RLC on when we're winning 3:0. But of course RLC isn't even on the bench. If you don't have youngsters at least on the bench your intentions are that you don't give a fuck to introduce them. Otherwise, you would find a way to find a one spot on the bench. Others managers somehow do this, he can't, unless there's injury crisis. Overall, utter utter BS.

Consistent and doesn't disappear when big game arrives. Broad and hard to shove off the ball - he's definitely an upgrade on Oscar

He was pretty crap for Porto well at least to that extent that Porto didn't sell him for 30m plus but rather for 12m. He has good season now but I propose to buy Naldo. He has a good season too, currently one of the best defenders in Europe. But nah, Varane or bust for me. Unless that really nothing can be done about that so there're other options like Stones, Manolas etc. but Varane is so perfect that other options will always be with some flaws : not proactive, not tall enough, not fast enough, not good on the ball, not good in the air, not agile enough, doesn't deal great with pressure and hoofs the ball too much; Raphael Varane has it all, he's complete defender, if he will work with Jose again he will be back in contention of elite's defenders in Europe.

I wonder if Cesar is happy about that. Because I'm sure his absence is 99% down to his constant deployment on the left. Otherwise he'd get his selection. After all he was 1st pick on the right in the World Cup. For me he's better than Carvalaj and Juanfran, but they're more ready to play in that spot whenever they get a nod unlike Cesar who after one and a half season playing on the left would probably need a couple of games to readjust himself. Now, he's one of Mourinho's 'soldiers' but I don't think he's overly happy that his boss ripped him off of his place in the national team. Let's wait until Filipe Luis looses his place in Brazil team. By Mourinho's unthinkable stubbornness, he can rid off 2 players of their place. And how many times does Mourinho talk how much his players are not happy when they can't go for the national team ? Many times I heard that from him.

Not gonna lie, I'm excited after the press conference. Of course it's better not to get carried away, but Jose at least speaks about Ruben in direct person, not kid, not youth, but he "recognise" him as a player and that's hugely encouraging for me. I'm so desperate for this to happen that I can't do nothing but admit I'm left with high hopes now. DAMN.

I am sure we'll address those things, especially physical man in midfield. Can't imagine that Jose says "Nah, fuck it" having money in the bank.

No more banging goals to increase his price. Marotta and Raiola are tied up, they can't continue more media campaign and bump the price to 120 millions ... Maybe we finally come back to Earth and talk about real price like something in and around 60 millions of euros.

You just reminded me how it was. Press conference, interviews for Sky. Fantastic PR talk, then boom 8 minutes to ensure he doesn't have enough time to screw things (right ?) ... We'll see. Jose said that he's here to stay and here to play. Not only to stay but to play. Very bold and clear statement in my eyes. How much to play ? At least 900-1000 minutes ? That would do for the first season. No one convince me that a player from London, who has big connection with this club and came through from one of the best Academy in Europe is able to derail title challenges by playing that kind of minutes. Next season is gonna be big, we can verdict if that's all PR talk or a real thing. No excuses finally.

With this badge on a shirt, it's not so hard to imagine that !

I'm watching him I don't know which time already, some crazy number. And I still enjoy his game so much. He's prototype my kind of player. Two-footed. Technique, vision, intelligence, movements, good athlete and that directness, no-nonse skills, only eye for something to happen. FFS, how you could not choose him but Willian and Oscar, it's crazy. One last thing while I'm watching him again I scratch my head around and think how the hell someone's got an idea that he has to be prima donna, one star man of a team. Who made up that bullshit ? He's very much functional team player with his skill set and intelligence.

1) Isn't available ? Roma already chased the result I think and he hit them on a counter - it's normal. Salah shows that he's one of the best Chelsea players for counter-attack 2) Which teams ? I watch Premier League for many years now and it's a rare commodity if team knows how to keep things tight at the back. Most of them don't have a clue how to stay compact. Only this season I'd point to over half of the teams that don't defend properly.

Compare Zouma and Azpilicueta pathways to KDB one. Zouma was 3rd choice centre back since the summer. We didn't buy another central defender to block his way IIRC. If we supposedly signed Benatia then it would be a whole different story. Even without this signing, it demanded a consistent shit performances of Cahill for Zouma to have a proper sniff only in a January ! Azpilicueta already had a year to settle in the team and in the league, played huge amounts of games prior to Mourinho's arrival. At first, Ivanovic and Ashley Cole were the starting players but it also demanded shit performance of Cole, especially that travesty at Newcastle, to have a look in. It was rather pissing off at Cole, more than anything else, that caused Mourinho to convert right-back to left-back, since Mourinho isn't known for changing someone's position. And last thing, Azpilicueta had a direct way to the team, since he was a first replacement. Let's not even compare this with KdB situation, when there was 30m pounds signing for his position right at the end of the window. Also was 20m pounds signing earlier in the window, also for his position. Two new players to accommodate. Plus someone as talented as Hazard, plus our two times player of the year Mata, plus our boss pet Oscar ... Jesus ... Oh, let's not forget that there was also allergic reaction to any thought of rotation from Mourinho. Plus KdB was 22 yo, new league, new environment. This mission to break-through in a short period of time was like impossible. I simply can't put a blame at all on Kevin. NONE. Maybe he could be a little more patient, BUT, he didn't see any encouragement from manager that the situation will change so if the club is after you and pay serious money to put you on a stage vs. this sick situation, I know what I'd choose. Lastly, it's no coincidence how quickly our players want to be sold. Mata went as soon as offer arrived despite his love for this club, KdB the same. Schurrle also was happy to leave despite his fondness of London, Salah already said that he doesn't even consider coming back to Chelsea. Demba Ba also was happy to jump out of the ship quickly and also doesn't speak extremely well of the situation in Chelsea. All in all, it is what I already said, Mourinho absoulutely removes any kind of confidence from his squad players. For some, he's brilliant, he plays them week and week out despite shitness, gives them a blanket when there's a cold, takes extremely care of them, they can play piss poor yet they will have enough time to retain their form and for the other ones he's pain in the ass, who sucks up any hope and care for football. And when he FINALLY plays them after a huge break, they can look like they wouldn't even break into Shrewsburry team. Simply shit and bereft from any kind of passion. It's a pity that Kevin didn't turn out to be the player under this Mourinho protection. There was a hope after Jose's comments on him back in the summer but then Willian and 30m pounds purchase happened. I fear that Cuadrado is on the same route, he already played without even a pinch of confidence last Sunday and we saw how shit he was. Let's not even say that he's that shit, he isn't. Does Mourinho already works his magic on him ?

"I am not closing the door to Real, but I'm not opening it either" This last sentence just had to be said, making the whole statement irrelevant. Of course Mino wants to invite them in a bidding war. Why he would say so otherwise ? He apparently talked with Chelsea already so now he expects a conversation with other part who is keen on Pogba and who can afford him. Agent talks. When Real will be involved we're out of the race I think.

Well Sturridge was English and also excellent (even more awesome than Kane) and fought for the title but Hazard beat him in last year's trophies in both Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards (Sturridge qualified also for the latter since he turned 24 just 2 weeks after the start of the season, yeah I know, stupid rule).

Why everyone is choosing Kane for PFA YPoY ?? EDEN HAZARD IS ELIGIBLE TO WIN PFA YPotY TOO. If I see that people suggest that Eden Hazard should win Player of the Year but not Young Player of the Year, despite also being contender for that award, then there's no logic at all.

I think 60 millions of euros is about right. I hope they cut a deal. After all, not even a year ago, 60 millions was a price for Pogba, but then Mino Raiola started to do his magic in the media.

He forgot about 1) Champions League money from next season will be about 12-15 millions more each year, 2) Chelsea no longer have to bear about 50 millions loss made in 2012-13 season, since the 2015-16 will start a new monitoring period (if someone doesn't know FFP is accounted in 3years period), 3) Since 2016-17 season it's highway to big spending through 50 millions additional money each year thanks to new Premier League deal. It will practically put to bed all the talks about FFP as long as Chelsea don't increase wages to some exorbitant level 3a) While waiting to get to this almost unlimited spending spree, Chelsea can spend very big this this year by offsetting some of their players, either on loan or currently in the first team. Since 2016-17 it won't be necessary at all to sell in order to buy. Chelsea can spend big this summer without sells or spend very big with a couple of sells.