remains of the day

I’m just as surprised as Skipper to read this. How can anyone dismiss his talents or place any limits on his potential based on two starts? It’s not as if he even performed poorly. In both of those starts the kid got into great goal scoring positions, created a handful of chances for his teammates, showed great skill and ball control in tight areas. Even scored a cracking goal against Stoke and against Swansea, was overall the best attacking player on the pitch. Stats wise he received the highest rating on whoscored for his performances in both starts. Are we actually going to ignore all of these things and just focus exclusively on the missed chances?

The media lovefest and the waxing lyricals about Gerrard I can take, but these sort of comments from sanctimonious, holier than thou Liverpool journos does my head in..... The "right way"? Child please! Didn't you spend 63 million in the summer transfer window? Didn’t your club recently record a loss of over 40 million?! The way you've conducted business is hardly a panacea for ethical practice so how about you step down that fucking high horse of yours.

It is an astronomical figure for a 19yr old fullback, but I just have a feeling he'd be one of those signings that in a few years from now we'll all be saying "man that was money well spent."

I think we as fans like the idea of having talented young players with “world class potential” in the team but yet many of us can’t handle the inconsistent performances that these players tend to display. We all love the club’s new policy of signing young elite talents like Hazard, Oscar et al (now the latest one people want is Kovacic) but the moment these players go through a poor spell, as most young players do, some begin making theoretical shopping lists and casting their eye to who should be brought in to replace them. Oscar has areas that he needs to improve in, but when you sign a player for their potential that's what you're gonna get. Obviously they're not going to be the finished product. If you look at any of the other elite young talents (Hazard aside) how many of them have been able to perform consistently through out the season? Pogba was fantastic at one point but has been borderline mediocre for much of 2014. Gotze has showed flashes of top performances here and there but for the most part hasn't really set the world alight since his move to Bayern. Same goes for Neymar. Isco……... is he even alive?? What I'm saying is that it's normal for young players to constantly oscillate between spells of highs and lows, especially those playing for top clubs where there's a lot pressure - pressure that can take a toll on their performances. So I'm just finding these talks about offloading Oscar and bringing in Reus, Griezmann or whoever, kinda premature. Patience people.

It’s not just their work rate and physicality, it’s also the fact that out of all the teams left they’re the one settled side. That in itself should not be taken lightly. Us, Bayern and Real Madrid all have new managers who have only been working with their respective teams for less than a year, which might explain why a very good side like Bayern have some vulnerabilities. Simeone on the other hand has been molding his team for a few seasons now so while they might not have the best individual talent, they’re very much a “well oiled” side. Most of the players are fully adapted to Simeone’s system, all the parts are ticking and any obvious weakness has been ironed out. I think that's what makes them more dangerous than the other remaining sides (especially when you also factor in their athleticism and fighting spirit). And they're also very much a cup team as well. They might not have experience competing in the semis of the CL but they tend to do well in cup competitions. Having said that though, we sure as hell won't roll over for them and I think we'll make it difficult for them. Should be a cracking match. So stoked for this!

I try not to pay attention to transfer rumours but this guy is VERY reliable when it comes to news relating to Nigerian players or about the national team. Looks like there's a damn good possibility Mikel will be off in the summer transfer window.

On the whole burnout point - I've done a lot of work on burnout among elite athletes and it doesn't seem to me that he's going through that. Usually athletes who are burnt out not only show signs of physical exhaustion but also a loss of internal motivation. I don't think that's the case with Oscar. He might have played a lot of matches earlier in the season, but that really shouldn't cause burnout or any sort of long standing fatigue. My guess as to why Oscar has gone off the boil is that even when he was in form it was very apparent that he had some room for improvement and quite a few areas he had to work on. He started off the season on fire but at age 22, it's very difficult to maintain that form simply because opponents eventually will work out his weaknesses and figure out ways to stop him, which I think is what's happening now. Hazard can still pose some threat even when he's being double triple marked but Oscar can't - at least not yet. His technical skills are not yet as refined as Hazard's nor does he have Hazard's strength to beat off x number of players. So that he's being targeted more by the opposition could be one factor. I'm also not all that sure it's a coincidence that his performances started to really dip when Jose began playing Willian alongside him instead of Schurrle. It just seems to me that Willian and Oscar essentially duplicate each other's roles in that both are players who facilitate and link-up play but don't counterbalance each other. I think Oscar needs a lot space to work in and Willian isn't the type of player that provides that whereas Schurrle makes a lot of runs off the ball and naturally pulls defenders out of position. So it's possible that Oscar's impact has been reduced because Willian has been occupying the space that Oscar would otherwise be playing in. Those are just two guesses, totally could be way off mark.....

Yeah I guess that’s a fair point but I don’t think anyone is denying that it wasn’t a hard experience for him and the hatred you're talking about comes from a small minority. The point of frustration I think some on here have isn’t so much about Torres himself but more so the preferential treatment that he’s continuously given from the fan base when the way he’s behaved or the way he’s handled his situation really doesn’t merit that. I think that’s the point you're not acknowledging. Its one thing to empathize with Torres (that’s perfectly fine) but it’s an entirely different thing to treat him favourably - especially when his attitude for a large part of his time here, I’m sorry to say, was shittier than shit. That kind of preferential treatment is unfair to some of the other players who themselves have gone through similarly tough experiences while still managing to maintain a far more positive attitude than Torres could ever muster in his first two seasons here; and his poor attitude wasn’t just one isolated incident – this guy would constantly sulk on the bench, didn’t look at all bothered on the pitch, stormed down the tunnel, moaned after we won the champions league - that doesn’t even begin to compare to the indifference he showed after our FA cup win when he sat there flipping through his phone like he couldn’t give a shit while every single one of the players celebrated our FA cup win. No other player would get away with that let alone still have the backing of the supporters. At what point do we admit to ourselves that the preferential treatment some on here show to Torres has passed the point of empathy and is now just blatant favouritism?

mmhmm, go 'n girl! Preach. it.

I think what we saw in the 2nd half against Fulham is the difference Hazard can make when he's given more allowances to roam and get on the ball in dangerous positions versus when he's confined to the wings with how many or so players marking him. I'm not sure if the change was deliberate but moving him centrally - to the no. 10 position worked very well and he completely owned it. He was pretty much everywhere on the pitch in the 2nd half and had free license to get involved and facilitate our attacking play in ways that he was unable to in 1st half. I don't think he's afforded the same freedom of movement when he plays out wide. Look at the space he had to pick that pass for Schurrle's first goal. He wouldn't have had that spatial luxury if he were out wide. I don't know whether Hazard should be played more centrally, I think it depends on the kind of opposition we would be facing. What I do know though is that he clearly struggles to adapt his game when he's being heavily marked....of course the lack of movement around him from his teammates doesn't help, but Eden is the team's biggest attacking threat and Jose needs to figure out a way that makes it easier for him to get on the ball in positions where he can better influence the game. In recent games he's been looking a bit too isolated on the left wing. That pass for Schurrle's 2nd goal - actually both of his passes for Schurrle's goals - is the kind of creative magic we've been missing these past couple of games and it's the kind of creative brilliance that Jose needs to utilize more. Thought Hazard's vision paired with Schurrle's movement and clinical finishing was such a breath of fresh air.

Don't think it's unpopular at all. I see it differently though and I think this kind of thing really depends on your ethos as a football supporter. Of course we all want the team to emerge from both ties victorious, but in the grand scheme of things this game against Galatasaray is just another game. It's not a cup final. It's not a match against a top rival. It's not a derby against a hated opposition like QPR. Or even a game against a club where there is a notable historical rivalry like Leeds. It's a round of 16 knockout match for a competition that, for all intents and purposes, we're not making a strong challenge for. I get you, we want the team to win and of course we want the club to progress as far as possible in the competition. I hear that. But our desire to see our team win should not completely overshadow celebrating a player who, were it not for his contribution just a short season and a half ago things might have been very different for this club today. It's not just about showing appreciation for a legend but about expressing gratitude to an ex player that almost single handedly gave us one of (if not the most) happiest moment of this club's history. I'm not saying that his name should be chanted once that whistle blows, but in the return leg he deserves a huge applause and he deserves to hear his name sung before the match begins. If he happens to score.....well I see absolutely nothing wrong with clapping politely and then getting right back to supporting the team. This isn't something that's an uncommon practice. Hell, even some sections of the villa fans applauded Lampard when he broke the goalscoring record last season at villa park and this is someone who isn't even an ex-player let alone a club legend. So it really comes down to your ideals....to some supporters it's all about the team winning and everything else comes secondary. Nothing wrong with that at all; but the way I see it, victories and success become..... well sort of empty and less meaningful if you can't be selfless in honouring and showing great appreciation to legends who were central to making them possible, even if they're returning back in the colours of the opposing side.

I think you're completely way off the mark. Like wayyyyy off and to be perfectly honest, it sounds like you're being skeptical of Matic just for the heck of it and not because of any substantiated reason. It's not like this is some unproven youngster who suddenly came out of nowhere, played 4 matches and is now being overrated by the supporters. This guy was the best player in the primeira liga last season and is highly regarded by Portuguese pundits as one of the best DM in Europe. Way before the news even broke that we had made a bid for him, a few on here (myself included) actually said that the club should look into bringing him back. So it's not like we're all praising him based on 4 matches. Even in those 4 matches he played, it's obvious to any objective viewer with two functioning eyes that he's an upgrade from Mikel. Of course there are some flaws in his game that Matic needs to iron out but looking at the match stats from these last couple of games, he's been among our highest rated performers. So I really don't know what you're beating on about. Seems an awful lot like "moaning for the sake of moaning" thing.

Oh I see.....so, it's not "fickle" and "spoilt" to criticize Lampard continuously and to criticize Ivanovic continuously but it's unacceptable and knee-jerk to criticize Luiz and Mikel....players that you basically like? Right? The player politics on this forum is really becoming something of a joke.

No, I thought today was one of Luiz's better performances, even though he wasn't particularly solid but he was decent. Ramires' current form is something else. I'm at the point where I literally hold my breathe, and mutter a little prayer each time someone passes him the ball. He really shouldn't be starting matches in this form. When Terry returns, I won't be surprised to see Luiz replace Ramires in midfield. Already, he's been subbed out more times in the last couple of games than the whole of last season. Haven't gotten that comparison before, so it's probably just in that pic, but hey, I'll take the compliment!

I have a lot of appreciation for Ramires for reasons I won't go into, but he's definitely become my favourite player in this current Chelsea team. But even I will admit that if we have any ambition of challenging for the champions league in upcoming seasons and generally regaining some dominance in Europe then there's absolutely no way we can continue to persist with him as 1st choice in central midfield. There are some areas of the pitch you can get away with playing a technically limited/inconsistent player without the team's performance being dragged down but centre midfield is where the game is won and you simply can't control games (particularly against good sides) with Ramires in midfield. @Barbara, I completely agree with every word you said. But the funny thing is, everything you've just said about Ramires, in my eyes, also very much applies to Luiz as well particularly the bit about "Ramires not using his head." It's not a coincidence that since their arrival, our midfield has been weak and our defence has been shaky. This season, we've looked a much better side without Luiz as first choice and I can only imagine how much more we can improve with a real top class centre back.

I think some are underestimating how incredibly difficult it is when you're playing against top opposition that has the advantage over you in physical & mental freshness. City were just more energized than we were. I think it's really as simple as that. Every time hazard or Willian received a pass with their back to goal, Kompany would surge forward immediately and would make a strong tackle. It's very hard for the attacking players to win those kind of battles after playing a tough away game three days ago and another three days before then. And of course, if the players are not winning their individual battles then the opposition grows even more in confidence and just like that, you're on the back foot. It was a disappointing performance, but I wouldn't dwell on it too long. The worry though for me is that our general build up play is substandard for a team challenging for the title and that's not just a conclusion that I've drawn from this game but something that's evident over the course of the season. I get that we're a counter attacking team but in games like this where the opposition is clearly more rested, stronger and tactically setup to prevent us from counter attacking, what then is the plan? Jose needs to figure out something because we're almost entirely reliant on scoring goals from counter attacks. There were periods in the game where city allowed us time on the ball knowing full well that we're quite poor in working out openings. The difference in quality between City's combination plays, quick passes, movement etc and the way we build our attack is just staggering. Hopefully with time, the team can improve in this.

I don't want to slag him off especially since he hasn't seen much playing time, but he just didn't look at all bothered when he came on. It's getting to the point where I rather see Schurrle upfront ahead of Ba. Can't be any worse than Ba.

Going slightly off-topic but I think we should all spare a thought for this utd fan. As disappointing as last night's result was, at least we can take solace in the fact that our team will only get better. This team is very much one that's in the ascendancy with 1 or 2 players away from being a very strong unit . What can utd fans cling to for hope? They're moving backwards with a manager who has absolutely no track record. For all their noise about plans to spend big in the summer, there's really no guarantee that they'll be able to bring in the players that they need to take them forward. All the top clubs will be competing for those players and if they don't secure champions league qualification, then it'll be all the more difficult. That's the sad reality facing Utd fans. We on the other hand - the future looks bright for us and we're making huge progress. We have a promising squad that will continue to improve, we have the money and we have one of the best managers in the game who the board (and fans) seem to be fully behind. While the future looks promising for us, there's a cloud of uncertainty looming over united's future and this utd fan knows it, make no mistake about it. These jabs he's making really just reeks of nothing but fear. You're fooling no one @JayC

In theory, I like the idea of having the option to bring a player of Mata's calibre and quality off the bench. We don't have top class centre forwards and we might not have the best starting XI in the league, but we do have strength in the depth and that gives us an advantage in the title race over a team like Arsenal and it allows us to be able to compete with city. Do we want to put ourselves in a position where we're having to scrounge around for a good enough replacement this late in the transfer window and allow ourselves to be at the mercy of being ripped off by clubs looking to capitalize on our desperation? Finding a quality player this late could easily cost an arm & leg. How much of the money would be left after we bring in a replacement? And would it be worth the hassle? On the other hand though, does Mourinho trust mata enough to rotate him with Oscar? We played a team in a lower division than us, and still Mata remained on the bench. What's the point of having a quality option like him on the bench if he's not able to play in the way mourinho wants him to? How much of a use can he be to us if he's unable to fit into the manager's system? There're many things to consider and I think it comes down to weighing the benefits with the risks. For me personally, if Kevin were still here I wouldn't even hesitate to send Mata to man utd. I love Mata and he would strengthen them considerably, no doubt. But 37m for a player that's our 4th choice attacking midfielder is shrewd business despite what the press would have you believe. That money on top of our already vast transfer budget would strengthen us far more than Mata would to Utd. That's the way I see it.

You're telling me that Marco, in 18 apps, could score 4 goals. 3 assists. Create 23 chances and in addition to that, still take on a leadership role on the pitch and in the dressing room? You're suggesting that we should release a player who (despite being 36) still puts in quality performances, is an ambassador to this club and who contributes to this club in ways that no youngster can match just to save (in the grand scheme of things) a bit of money? That's what I call penny wise, pound foolish. I'm sorry. If cutting down the wage bill is something that is required in order to comply with FFP, then the pressing concern needs to be finding a way to get players like Essien and Torres off the wage bill - players whose contributions are not justifying their high fees. The wages of those players needs to be the priority (in terms of meeting ffp regulations) over players like Frank (or Terry) who, are not only still delivering on the pitch, but play important roles in the dressing room and to the overall identity of the club.

Well, I guess how he responded to Ash/Lukaku was diplomatic, by his standards. To answer your question, it's hard to say how Mourinho could have responded to Mata. Sometimes he’s direct, other times he’ll say something like “[pause] if you’re asking me........ if I like that kind of behaviour in a player, then I would say no.....”. You know? At times he shows his disapproval of a player's actions without actually coming out to criticize them directly. And definitely, Mourinho is a lot more withheld than he was before. I remember the Birmingham match at the bridge - this was in his first season here - and Mourinho was pissed off with Joe Cole for basically showboating too much. In his post-match interview he said that Cole needs to play for the team and not himself and if he does that next time he’ll be on the bench. Mourinho now won't be that obvious in his criticism of a player's behaviour, but nonetheless he'll still find a more subtle way of letting it known that he's not happy. So maybe you're right, maybe he's become more diplomatic in his responses but he's still very raw. On Mata - I'm not saying we shouldn't disapprove of his reaction to being subbed but my issue is (and it's already been said many times) from some of the reactions here, you wouldn't know that Mata's behaviour was a minor incident. I think people are taking for granted how professional he's been to the point that it now seems like people are being a bit too entitled. Two matches into the season, Ozil walked down the tunnel not even bothering to shake Carlo's hand when he was subbed early. Two matches! Regardless of whether he's been average, Mata is used to receiving plaudits, he's used to being the fan favourite and he's used to being the main man, now suddenly he's not, but yet (except for this one occasion) he's still been so professional and positive. What more do people want?

So what you’re saying is that Mourinho felt comfortable with showing his disapproval of Cole’s actions (even if doing so risked adding fuel to media speculation) because Cole (unlike Mata) is not a priced asset and also because he might be leaving next year? Okay, can definitely see where you’re coming from in that. The point about Lukaku, I don’t see how being a youngster on a contract, matters. He’s still an asset – an asset whose contract is expiring in two years, if I’m not mistaken. Kdb is also an asset and that surely didn’t stop Jose from letting it be known (that at one point) he wasn’t working hard enough in training. I think the point I’m making here is that Jose hasn’t shied away from showing his displeasure when a player has stepped out of line or when a player is underperforming. Regardless of whether Mata is a priced asset that the club hopes to cash in on, If Jose truly felt that Mata’s behavior was inappropriate, if he does in fact think that Mata was challenging him then (I think there’s enough evidence from past examples) to assume that he would let his disapproval be known in some way. Even in the minor situation involving Hazard and his lost passport that resulted in Eden missing training, Jose still made it clear that he wasn’t happy with Hazard. @Barbara Re: your point about perspective being everything.......amen, sista. I think Mourinho is everything but diplomatic (though he could be when he wants to). He doesn’t give standard answers when responding to incidents especially when he’s displeased – and it’s precisely for that reason he tends to make headlines. He often says things that are very raw, some might call it controversial. Of course he's not going to publicly lambaste Cole & Lukaku (these are his players after all) but he still made it clear that he was less than pleased with their actions, would many managers do the same? I don’t think so. When Pellegrini dropped Joe Hart, the reason he gave was because he wanted “rest” him…..when Mouinho was probed on why he dropped Luiz, he straight up said he didn’t like the way Luiz performed against Newcastle. Whatever his motivations are, he's often upfront (publicly) with his feelings. I personally love that about him. So, you’re absolutely right. Perspective is everything…..and more.

Yeah don't know how true both of your comments are. In fact I'll confidently say it's not true, at all. Mourinho didn't have a problem in showing his disapproval when he was asked about Ash attending Arsenal's Christmas party nor did he have a problem in completely telling off Lukaku for his loose tongue with the media and he sure as hell wouldn't hesitate one second in putting Mata in place if he felt Juan was indeed questioning his authority, as you both seem to believe. When it comes to his players' behaviour, Mourinho is very transparent in his responses. Some might not like it, @The only place to be you yourself were surprised & uncomfortable with the harsh manner he publicly responded to Lukaku, but that's Mourinho, he's real, he's authentic and he says it how it is. He's not one to give cookie cutter, politically correct, diplomatic responses. If he felt Mata's behaviour was out of line and a challenge on his authority, while he won't say "Mata acted like a cunt and for that he'll be locked up in the Cobham dungeons and be forced to look at boobs for the rest of the season" but he'll have absolutely no qualms in letting his disapproval be known. Re: Oscar's dive, I think TorontoChelsea pretty much said it. My own take is that people generally tend to place far too much focus on the dive itself when the focus needs to be on better (and consistent) officiating and rules in place to penalize players for simulation - if need be, retrospectively. Oscar dove, from Chelsea fan perspective - it was a poor error in judgement, nothing more. It wasn't costly to us and he later went ahead to put in a fantastic performance. From a football fan perspective - the referee was excellent, spotted it and Oscar was rightly punished. Simple as that. Now Iva's dives....that's a far bigger issue to me.

@Barbara Of course you have every right to hold this viewpoint of Mata but the moment you dish your opinion out on a public forum then people have their own right to comment, scrutinize and challenge that opinion. Fyi the post of yours I read (and I read it very carefully) was the one where you called Mata’s reaction a “spectacle, pathetic display”. Those were you’re exact words. You then argued that Mata’s reaction meant that he was questioning the “superior choice” of Mourinho. I think that's a knee-jerk claim, but whatever. Then you called him “a spoiled child” and questioned how many professional players would be seen doing that (btw quite a few have done worse). So to answer your question, yes I did read your post and your comments in that post doesn't at all sound like the words of someone who understands or acknowledges that Mata's reaction was an isolated incident and one that was uncharacteristic of him. I think what truly boggles my mind about all of this, is that what you're calling a "spectacle, pathetic display" was one minutia moment of frustration where Mata showed some visible signs of annoyance and gestured towards the direction of the pitch. That’s what has got you, Alex and others on here, up in hands and practically foaming at the proverbial mouth? You're going on about the “Juan Mata fanboys”, using mockery terms like 'Saint Mata' and making wild speculations about mata “questioning the authority of Mourinho”…. I mean, real talk, what the deuce is this? I’m I in some kind of alternate universe where Chelsea FC is now a totalitarian regime ruled by a superior master? Where Juan Mata is public enemy no.1 and anyone caught sympathizing with him gets flocked for questioning the authority of the master? Seriously. Because some on here prefer Mata over Oscar and don’t agree with Mourinho for marginalizing him, is that what merits this ridiculing and labelling of them as ‘mata fanboys’? I think we should get one thing straight, we’re all Chelsea supporters here and each of us supports the club in whatever way we deem fit. I support this manager and while I might not agree with his handling of Mata, I accept it and understand his decision. If a fellow supporter doesn't like the way Mata is being treated, then that’s their prerogative, it doesn't make their interest in the club any less than yours which is basically what you and a few on here seem to be implying - that you and you guys alone, the "non-Juan mata fan boys" are the ones who truly hold the best interests of the club. The beauty about supporting a football club is that not all supporters will see eye to eye but yet we still support the club and defend its integrity in the best way we know how. You don’t like the way some on here overly sympathize with "poor, little, innocent Juan Mata" while painting Mourinho as a villain? Hey I get that and you're entitled to be critical of that attitude. But what you're doing is now turning Mata, himself into a villain because of your annoyance with these 'mata sympathizers' and that's not right at all. In any case, labels like "mata fanboys" creates nothing but unnecessary divisions. Chelsea football club is not an authoritarian regime. Mata is not an enemy of the state and those who sympathize with him are not some kind of rebel group out to bring down the special one. They're supporters with opposing viewpoints. At least that's what they told me to say, bad joke!

What a tackle that was. Remember this moment in the game so well and I thought, well shit.....that ball is going in the back of the god damn net, then out of nowhere came Cahill with that tackle. Just unbelievable. He's seems a lot more assured in his defending and just.....more confident. Hopefully that continues.