Barbara

what a finish by Schurrle

I'm orgasming all over Cesc. This is perfect

so that's how it feels to have an actual striker? I feel in cloud nine...

Filipe Luis is incredibly white, so something blue just pops, I don't know how you guys can't see. And yeah, I can only see Azpili, but I checked Cech out too, but Azpili is mesmerizing. Can't.Stop.Looking

It's Burnley, not Brazil mate, so yeah, that's too much to ask

I barely glanced his way. With Azpili nearly naked in the pic do you really believe I stared anywhere else? I looked the picture over all and the blue thing popped. I can't believe nobody saw it. The only body I was mesmerized checking out was Azpili's.... won't even deny it.

nope, for me it's like that. No team looks convincing at this stage. Not even the eventual champions. City certainly didn't last season. Arsenal was the team playing nice between August and September last season as far as I can remember. How am I supposed to demand a team that has played together only one time - if that, when Mourinho is saying he won't use his first team now because some of them are still out of shape, to already play well? I think you and I have different opinions about the matter, but for me with so many key players still out of shape, key players arriving now, demand good performances now is insane. The team will shape up soon, and then you start imposing your style. we disagree even in the way the last three EPL champions showed us. Arsenal was the team playing well at the start of last season and we were the best team in the league at the start of the 2012/13 season and we needed the very last match to confirm a third place, 14 points behind the champion in that season. Playing well as we did through August-September back then did us nothing because when the best teams finally reached quality, we weren't able to compete with them... which is why in a previous post I said I like the idea to playing big teams very early in the season, especially ones going through a lot of changes like United. We should have drawn United early again. Too bad we didn't. But we drew City, let's see what happens there...

We have half of our first team contingent with only two weeks of training under their belt. They're not even in form at this point, so I think it's hard to ask us as a team to already perform good football so early in the season. Don't take me wrong, of course I want to see us dominating those smaller sides, but that comes with time, as the season progresses. We have three new key-players that are new to the team (two of them even new to the league). Mourinho certainly will abandon the plan B he used from December on and will go back to his original plan for the team (high pressing and direct, fast attacking, keeping the ball in the opposition's half whether we have it or them). We won't be as defensive. He'll probably continue from where he stopped in November last season... so I expect a couple of months for the tactics and players to settle. Meanwhile they'll improve physically. It's important for us to show progression. To regress a match or two in the first four weeks of competition is no big deal imo, but from then on the team has to go in a crescendo until everything is settled and it's all about polishing and growing chemistry and understanding.

for me it's too early in the season to demand those things. The team is far from being the final product, all I care now is the result. For the team to shape up and improve tactically and technically it'll need at least a month. Right now all I care is a good result - especially in the first official match of the season. I think the playing quality will gradually improve in the following weeks and it's too much to ask for the team to already win and dominate. I swear that's the last thing in my head now. So yeah, I'll take some lucky goals and questionable or unconvincing performance in the first 2-3 weeks of the season, as long as we win those matches. I'll start thinking about the team playing nice football only mid-September. Probably after the international break that I know we'll have, but I don't know when it is.

I'm welcoming a 1x0 with all my being, but I'd be delighted if we managed 2x0

I'm not sure we'll be impressive tomorrow either. First fixtures are tough... I won't judge any of the title contenders for their performances this week and next. The same way I won't judge us either.

Actually if you look at every match, everyone had tough games, first rounds are always tough - especially for big teams because their players normally join the pre-season later (even worse in a WC year). Mid and bottom table teams have been training with most of their players for longer, and then all the factors you pointed out in your previous post. That's why last year I was very happy we drew ManUtd in the third or second fixture. It's better to face a big team early in the competition... our 3-4 first fixtures are all challenging imo - which could eventually help us in the 5th day-match against City away.

well, at least it's blue. So it can't be that bad Have no idea though. I think it's sort of creepy to have those hidden around my genitals tattoos but to each their own.

I didn't mean any personal attacks, TOPTB, I just mentioned all the discussions where Oscar's name was thrown yesterday that I could remember of. You weren't the only one tot compare him to Ramsey either.

as most things in life, those are the two sides of the coin. You're as right as he is, although I agree with him.

^^ actually Costa is winning this competition tbf. He was moving towards, then he stopped, literally jumped on the ball and scored the goal. It's plastically amazing how he was able to do that. He's special and Jose is in love. I'm in love with in love-José.

we saw it first hand with Hazard the other day. It's great that he's so great with the teammates and has such a great attitude. Do you have a link for the source @Sh0n3x?

tbf Oscar's name is thrown in every discussion in this forum lately. Talk about bread, and add an Oscar comment. He's been brought in convos about Moses, Salah, Ramsey, Mata and not to mention the damned shirt number. You need to visit your beloved Mata thread though. Oh, you'll be happy it moved 2 pages only today although you might want to skip the actual posts.

I don't get how people can be so harsh on a kid who hasn't even played a complete season with us. It's harsh and unfair in my book. He's young, he's new to the league and he came from frigging Switzerland. They don't scream physical league to me (although I wouldn't have a clue). Yes, he's erratic, and he has to polish a few things in his game. At age 22 what have you guys expected exactly? Especially amidst a transition to the hardest league to fit in? Give the kid a break and have some trust in the manager who decided he could be useful. Mourinho brought him here with a plan, and that's to have five (six if you count Ramires) players for the AM positions that wouldn't mind being down in the pecking order - probably because he's aware of his age, his own progression, etc. He won't always be okay with that, but now he seems to be. He will start matches, he will get some play time and as others said, it doesn't look like he creates problems or complains about being in the bench. Give the kid some time to get used to the league, to settle in the tactics and to mature. All those things considered, he's done very well so far if you askd. I really am a patient person (except when it comes to stupidity, then I have no patience at all), but it's hard to stay quiet when many people are trashing a 22yo that came from a soft league and has only 4 months of Premier League football under his belt. Also this idea that we must have 22 top players in the squad is delusional. Not even the top of the top teams have top class cover to all positions in the pitch. Salah is fine, he wasn't a waste of money, there wasn't anywhere else we should have spent that money and everything is okay. We finally have depth in the midfield as a whole (pivot and attacking) and I wish we had a third striker that could offer the same as Salah can as 5th AM. We have 10 players for 5 positions and while some of them aren't that amazing, they're decent enough - as it should be. Again, a squad of 22 amazing players isn't possible even on FM...

Not unexpected from José. The six players he means are Courtois, Hazard, Schurrle, Oscar, Willian and Ramires. Ramires can't play because he's suspended, so we're left with five among those six. I see us playing with four at most, but more likely with three. Oscar and Willian compete directly for the same spot imo, doesn't matter if playing centered or in the RW. So I guess we start with Courtois and Hazard and one between Schurrle, Oscar and Willian. If I know Mourinho as well as I think I do, he'll start with Willian and bring Schurrle early on in the second (at most at 60 mark) if we aren't winning yet by then. I see Oscar getting few minutes, if any in the first match. Given the scenario, my only doubt is if he'll start Luís or not. I have a nagging feeling he won't, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if he does, I'll go with my feeling then. Courtois Iva - Terry - Cahill - Azpili Matic - Cesc Salah - Willian - Hazard Costa I could also see him starting with Torres in a 4-4-2 replacing Salah. For the next two matches where he said he's probably going to choose his team based on physical condition, I think Ramires will play and we'll move to a 4-3-3. The best thing that has ever happened to us was the first four fixtures that will gives us time to prepare and settle before meeting City away. Everton away is just the perfect test in a third round, for us to fix anything that could still be out of place. Let's not forget we dominated them last year for the whole first half before we conceded that stupid goal and ended up losing the match. I think we could be competitive against them, have a breather with Swansea at home and be ready to play City.

show off! I'll be lucky to have 20! But I did finish ahead of you last year and I plan to do it again (come on, I need some comfort prize with the awful first day I had) edit: they were just added and somehow I made 26 points.

I'm only having Gerrard for the crazy amount of penalties Liverpool is always regarded. He's their #1 taker... and somehow his assists stats are still expressive. One between him and Ramsey will bite the dust soon if they don't give me tons of points. Do you have any idea when Benteke is expected back?

at least having Ramsey made up for the lack of Sigurdsson, so I won't complain much about my midfield. I brought Hazard for the long term, I don't even believe he'll have a good start of season, but I believe he'll tend to be more expensive as time goes by, which means I don't have a four 9-pound men midfield, but three at 9 pounds and one at 10pounds. My odd striker Weimman scored, so that's good. Still I foresee a couple of changes coming in the next two rounds for me. I might drop Jagielka for someone else 5.5 pounds or lower and if Lambert doesn't start well the campaign for Liverpool, I might change him too. The moment Benteke is back in form, I'm getting him though, doesn't matter when.

half the thread saying Ramsey and Arsenal didn't look good, the other half complaining that Oscar isn't as good as Ramsey

I bet Mourinho is willing to send our players to be trained by Karanka. He's someone Mourinho's trusts not only in a personal level, but also his credentials as a manager, as Mourinho himself was one of his mentors. If only Boro had a more competitive team, we could actually use of some of our youngsters being sent there to gain match time and experience. But I think a few could still benefit from it. Is there the same one loaned player per team limit for the other divisions as there's for the EPL?