The Big Drog

lol I bloody love David Luiz.

From the Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2064500/Roman-Abramovich-sees-Andre-Villas-Boas-man-Chelseas-crisis.html

Sorry for multiple quoting, bit of a mis-hap.

If Barcelona had your attitude then they wouldn't have hired Pep Guardiola in the first place and then they wouldn't be the force that they are today. We have had Champions League winners and even a World Cup winner as the manager of our team and they have all ultimately failed to deliver. Just because they have been successful in the past is no sure fire guarantee that they will be successful at our club, as has been proven. Lets look at the positives, AVB has a style he is trying to implement. We knew what we were getting when we paid a world record fee to buy him out of his contract at Porto, that is an attack minded coach. If we had wanted a defensive coach there is any number we could have chosen from who wouldn't have cost half as much as AVB but we didn't want one of those because, in case you have forgotten, we were painfully bland towards the end of Ancelotti's reign and we needed something to spark us into life. AVB has clearly been hired for the long haul. As he himself said, we haven't paid a fortune to bring him in only to pay another fortune to sack him. We got Mata and Meireles, two AVB type players, now we need to build on that, we need to invest again in January and in the Summer to bring in more players that suit the kind of game AVB wants us to play. This constant chopping and changing of managers is insane and imo is the main cause of us being in such a bad position now. No manager gets enough time to see their vision through and as a result we are left with dregs of managerial regimes. No manager has had long enough to get rid of the deadwood at the club and to bring their own players in. Transition doesn't happen overnight, it is gradual but if you have different managers with different ideals coming in every 18 months you end up with the status quo rather than actual transition. Lets give AVB time to make actual change, I believe he has the personality to enforce such change and judging by the fee that Roman paid for such a young coach, he probably has the same belief in AVB.

Just on that, yes the Premier League is quicker and more physical but football in La Liga is far more subtle, technically superior and every bit as challenging for a defender as the Premier League is, though the challenge is a different one. You could argue that a La Liga team with technically gifted players and their style of ground passing are more adept at exploiting a high line defence than simply a route one English team.

Ye that is entirely correct, I'm just saying its not unheard of for an old, slow player to play as part of a successful high line defence, even though the circumstances between Terry and Puyol are quite different.

Not only Neville but Redknapp too, much like they have done with Per Mertersacker (before he even played a game in an Arsenal jersey) they have earmarked Luiz as a player to constantly criticise. His performance today didn't warrant criticism, it was generally good.

Just on the high line thing. I realise the circumstances are different but Barcelona play with a high line with the even older Puyol at the heart of their defence so....

btw maybe Gary Neville should consider that defenders who look like they are "being controlled by a 10-year-old playing on his Playstation”. generally don't start for the most successful country in football history, David Luiz does so somebody must see something worthwhile in him.

I agree, he could be a very useful option as a winger if we were to give him that opportunity, he always looks very threatening going forward. If not then he would have been a handy option to have to deputise for Cole at left back because Cole looks very jaded at the moment.

I'm sure like a lot of the posters on here today, I'm furious about the result and Id say like a few I'm going to get a bit of a going in from a few Liverpool fans (most of the lads on the team I play for are Liverpool fans ) but reacting with mindless anger doesn't help anyone, instead I prefer to discuss what went wrong and why it went wrong, its important that we all look at the bigger picture.

I'm stunned that Drogba is actually receiving criticism after that performance. I agree that change is needed and that the deadwood should be removed to allow new, younger players who fit AVB's style to come into the squad but Drogba shouldn't be put in the firing line for criticism, he was easily one of our best players today.

I agree mate that Ashley's form has been questionable and Im not alleviating him of some blame for the goal, Johnson did skip past him too easily for my liking but for me the main portion of blame lies with Malouda for his outright refusal to do his job. All that was required was basic covering from a winger, stuff you are taught from a young age.

Im sorry but take a look at any top team in the world. Spain, Germany, Barcelona, Real Madrid. They all play out from the back. AVB should be applauded for trying to implement such a system, as should Cech for following orders. Any midfielder playing for a big club should be able to take on that ball and find a pass, he had more than enough time to do that. The problem is that Mikel isn't good enough to do that. The problem here firmly lies with the player, rather than Cech or AVB who simply want us to play a more modern type of game, the way it should be played. The issue isn't the lack of a tackle one Johnson gets into the box, that's simply the icing on the cake, the real issue is just how poorly positioned he is in the first place and how apathetic his light jog was to get into a position to cover the inside of Cole once Johnson takes control of the ball, if he rushes back into a covering position (as a real player should) then there is no goal.

I think some posters on here are forgetting the reason we brought in AVB in the first place. Lets not forget how utterly toothless we looked under Ancelotti, lets not forget how bloody soul crushing his status quo style of management was towards the end, at the end of his reign we looked entirely directionless. How isn't this transition? David Luiz has only been at the club a few months, he is a young player, new to the English league being established in our team. Ramires the same. Juan Mata the same and Daniel Sturridge is just becoming a regular in our team too and Torres has only been at the club a few months aswell. That's 5 our of 11 starting positions that have been changed. It's not only the personnel that are being changed but its the style of play, AVB clearly has a vision as to how he wants this team to play and he is trying to firmly stamp his mark on the team with that style of play. Personally Im glad we have a manager who wants to do something to prepare us for the future, who has a clear vision of what he wants and isn't simply picking the regular bunch and re-hashing Mourinho's old tactics. The period of change between old and new is very much a transition, it is the football definition of transition. btw I bloody hate Jamie Redknapp, his vendetta against Luiz is laughable and his suggestion that Torres should have started over Drogba today is simply wrong, Drogba was excellent leading the line today, occupying two centre backs, hopefully he can build on the performance today.

Im not really sure how he can be blamed. He most of the big decisions right. Drogba over Torres was the right choice. Luiz at centre back and Ivanovic at right back was the right choice. Bringing on Sturridge second half was the right move. Is it AVB's fault that Michael Essien (our first choice holding midfielder) has the knees of a 90 year old? No, which is why Obi Mikel is starting games, it's not his fault that Obi Mikel is so bloody slow on the ball. It's not his fault that Florent Malouda refuses to cover the wing back, I mean unless he physically runs onto the pitch and pushes Malouda into a proper position, there isn't a lot he can do about it, its up to the player. AVB's decision to switch to a 4-2-3-1 got us back into the game today, some of the football we are trying to play is excellent but the problem is some of the players aren't good enough to play that way, it's that simple.

Ridiculous individual errors cost us that game. Granted our first half performance wasn't vintage stuff but by the same token we didn't deserve to be going into half time a goal down, a dreadful mistake from the slow, clumsy, lumbering Mikel cost us the goal. Second half we were terrific, switching to a 4-2-3-1 we were on the front foot from the word go and deservedly got an equaliser through AVB sub, Daniel Sturridge. Again an individual error killed us late on and just like it was against Arsenal, Florent Malouda is at fault. Take a look at Johnson's goal again and take a look at Malouda's position for it, there is no justification for where he is stood but whats worse is his complete lack of effort to get back and cover Cole once Johnson gets possession and his weak excuse for a tackle summed up the entire scenario. I think we can safely say we won't be winning the Premier League this year but that doesn't mean that this should be a year wasted. We have to accept that we are undergoing a transitional period at the club, we have to get the team in order and the first port of call come January or the Summer needs to be to offload the deadwood in this squad. John Obi Mikel should not be a Chelsea player, you don't win Champions Leagues (which Im assuming is our ambition) with a John Obi Mikel in your starting 11. The 4-2-3-1 looked very good when we put it into practise and I believe it should be the permanent system, in Mata we have a natural number 10 and Sturridge is very comfortable out on the right but the problem is we don't have a left winger of the quality required, Florent Malouda does not belong in this squad. Kalou does not belong in this squad. We desperately need a left winger and soon, we need a creative midfield player too. AVB is getting stick already for this but he is doing the best he can with the group of players he has at his disposal. He didn't buy Mikel, he didn't buy Malouda and he isn't in charge of transfers. The high line defence had nothing to do with our loss today, it was simply awful individual errors from two sub standard players. However if we are looking for a happier note, Drogba was excellent up front today, lets stick with him as the main striker. Lampard looked very good when he moved into the deeper role in the second half and Luiz and Terry looked generally solid. All of that being said, its a dreadful result and it pretty much kills any small hopes we had of winning the title and worst its Liverpool that inflicted that loss. Some real changes need to be made.

Im a huge Drogba fan, he is my all time favourite player but I think he definitely shouldn't start against Liverpool. He hasn't been at it this season, when he has played he has been poor, throwing him in against Liverpool would just be hoping against hope that he will suddenly come good. He has just overcome an injury, he is just coming off a suspension and his form in the last couple of months has been dire, there is absolutely nothing there to suggest that he will do anything against Liverpool. Torres on the other hand has scored a few goals, he has looked lively, he isn't in top form either but he has been in significantly better form than Drogba and he is the man who we should be putting our faith in.

While Torres isn't firing on all cylinders he is still in better form than Drogba. I do agree that we could do with a central playmaker to get the best out of him but even sans that he is a better bet than Drogba right now.

I dont know if anybody saw it last night but Germany entered a masterclass in their 3-0 destruction of The Netherlands. It was absolutely sublime, at times jaw dropping football from the Germans, their 3 goals were of the highest quality (the first two in particular are as good as it gets), everything they did was crisp, quick and stylish. Not only that but they did it without the heartbeat of their team, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and their captain, Philip Lahm, not to mention they didn't even find a need to use arguably the best striker in Europe this season, Mario Gomez. With the vast quality in depth they have, the incredible players at their disposal (Muller, Ozil, Klose, Khedira and Kroos were all standouts last night) and their style of playing combined with the expcted German team ethic, they are, and have been for a couple of years, my pick to win the Euros.

Hey Im wondering where is the best place on the net to buy football jerseys in terms of reliability, cost and the amount of choice available. In particular Im trying to find somewhere to get the Germany 2011/2012 home kit but if anyone knows a good site to buy from could you please name them, it would be much appreciated.

Given Drogba's form and seeming lack of fitness I think Torres starting is a pretty safe bet.

Full credit to you Alex and the rest of the admins. I was on a forum previously where homophobic abuse was tolerated and even abuse of those with special needs was tolerated too. Im delighted to know that the admin team on this forum wont stand for such disgusting behaviour and that such a manner was dealt with swiftly and clinically, good work.

I really dont fancy the Ivanovic/Terry partnership against Suarez, you would think the threat of Suarez is pretty much ideal for Luiz so hopefully he gets the nod at the heart of the defence. Id also like to see a Ramires, Meireles, Lampard midfield.

Full name: Jason Ryan Age: 19 Nationality: Irish Height: 6 ft weight: 10 stone positions(s): right wing, left wing Favourite number(s): 7, 11 Two special abilitys: fastest player on my team, some decent skills mine two bad sides: Outright refuses to track back, I enjoy shrugging my shoulders players that are similar to me: Id say I try to play like Gareth Bale but my attitude is very Nic Anelka like.