Barbara

but the first taker shouldn't be based on time he has to score, on his history or anything else but current form. Hazard i s currently one of the best penalty takers in the world and definitely the best in our team. He should do it at all times he's available.

I would have given the pen to Hazard, not even because Lamps missed it. Hazard should be our official penalty taker...

baby draws a penalty he's been great today

Hazard for Schurrle? Maybe he felt that knock by Charlie Cunt Adam... I would have rested Eden still and got someone else in.

William had a great second half against Southampton, but I guess we can say this is his best match so far for us? My memory fails me, but he's been very good here. Pressing, tackling, passing, creating...

Squawka Football ‏@Squawka 1m Salah's half in numbers - 1 goal, 100% (2/2) shot accuracy, 88% (22/25) pass accuracy, 100% take on success (2/2). and I have to read he was poor beyond the goal

This is how we're supposed to approach matches, regardless of who the opponent is, but even more so against weaker opponents such as Stoke. We've been lively, fast, played WIDE (is that a miracle?), worked really well in the attack and we're very firm in defense (at least in open play). If we play like this against PSG - with Hazard in the team - I think we can beat them 2-0, 3-0. That's what Mourinho envisions from the team. Fast-paced football, even if we have possession. It was very good, I'm very happy. Willian and Salah had great 45 minutes imo. Lamps definitely improved from the first 10 minutes imo, Schurrle helped and I won't comment on the striker. I think Matic is doing a great job and I like the exchanges and 2-1's everywhere. The full backs are presenting themselves to support the wingers and allowing them to narrow, cross, shoot. It's been really good imo. Maybe I'm high on optimism though

I give up on live threads here... for fuck sake. all I see is complaint and complaint from some.

for God's sake, did someone kill your puppy, man? You just can't stop complaining. Go somewhere else with your negative view of everything... Who gives a fuck what Stoke wants here? We've been playing bad against minor sides all the time. Sides that many times only defend. Get lost already

what a shame rightfully called on offside but for so little. We've been playing so well. I'm so happy!

Salah and Willian men of the match in this first half, with my baby a bit ahead of Wills. Told you I love this lineup. It worked perfectly. The best we played in a long, long while. Both Schurrle and Salah are more objective than Hazard and Willian as wingers, we are just better - which is why we should maybe try to play Eden as #10. I don't know, I'm in love with this.

what a shot. That's how you take a shot, what a finishing. The kid is lovely And I disagree with whoever said Wililan slows down our play. We've been lively here.

MY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T STOP SCREAMING HERE

that's our most lively match in a while. I like the way we've been playing. The boys seem to be putting their hearts into it. If only we had another striker...

Lampard's been useless for a while now. Every time he tries a pass in our attack he either concedes a turnover or ruins it. He's completely out of form which is why stats sometimes mislead you, as according to Squawka that's how he's been

lively match by Willian so far. Hope it pays off.

how can a player fuck everything about a team like Torres? The Rumple-whatever guy from the fairytale that touched everything and turned into gold, has a real life version. Every time Torres touches the ball it becomes shit.

I'm not sure if he's our best #10, but I have no doubts it's the best position for him to play. He always plays better there.

I simply love this lineup. If it'll work I don't know, but I LOVE it. edit: except the striker, ofc. I can't stand to see that shitty wearing this royal kit anymore

I'll miss our kit. This is one of my faves ever - definitely the fave since I'm a fan. It's SO pretty and class

now Shirley is with 61% of the votes, lol

okay, so let's change the word. Instead of saying he's inconsistent, I'll say he isn't as consistent as I'd like him to be, although I know his inconsistency is only about his age. Or that he could step up more often or something. I feel we depend on him too much, but he isn't there yet to deliver it like in 80% of the matches he plays for us, regardless of the stats.

very good points. My only doubt is that I don't remember Brazilian attacking players succeeding that, so maybe the style is overwhelming to them. Maybe not. Brazilians aren't that much common in England to start with and the few there are more often than not defenders or pivot midfielders. Robinho was a flop (there and everywhere else), Anderson isn't an attacking player, nor is Lucas. Rafael is a defender, currently there are again tons of pivot players (in addition to those two, Sandro, Fernandinho, Paulinho, etc) we had a few defenders like Alex, Belletti but the only AM that comes to mind is Robinho and nothing should be said about him. I don't maybe the style takes too much away from their qualities. You just can't compare Oscar playing for NT and for Chelsea and I don't believe at all he has motivation issues like some believe Luiz has. It seems just that the winter sucks the life of him and he ran out of gas. Maybe for match accumulation or maybe just because it's too much for him to handle. Willian doesn't look much better, despite being on his peak age already (although still transitioning). As I said it was only a thought, maybe it's not only about those players succeeding in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Germany more than in England, but about England really taking away from their quality because of the style. Brazilians aren't much physical in general, but even less so attacking players. They're light, work better with a lot of space and even is Oscar himself isn't the exact profile of a Brazilian attacking player, he suffers just the same. I'm willing to wait, I'm more than willing to wait. Oscar is one of my fave players in the world and I love the boy too much. I've always been a fan of his since he was at Inter and even Sao Paulo (a team I hate). So I want him to succeed here a lot, but I also want him to fulfill his potential and live up the expectations, maybe English football will kill his career as I think it may be killing Mata's... I worry about Chelsea and I worry about Oscar. I have no doubt this kid has potential to be one of the very best players of his generation, but if he's not what we need, if he can't offer what we need from him because he can't overcome the difficulties playing in England presents to him... then what's the point of keeping him? But I wouldn't jump to that conclusion now. I'd wait more a year, if not two. I want it to work, but there's a possibility among many, of it not working for him or even other Brazilians. Brazilian footie is almost symmetrically the opposite of English football. Polar opposites. But I'm not writing him off as many do. I'm not thinking he isn't talented as many do. I'm not losing my patience with him as many do. I'm just pondering about what could be a deeper problem. But like Hazard he's very young, even younger, it's nearly idiotic not to wait a little bit more.

I don't like Bale as a footballer, fact is he carried Spurs last season and he's adapting admittedly fast in La Liga and Real Madrid. He provides what Carlo needs from him quite often, he scored and assisted match winners for RM quite frequently lately (or scored important goals in matches that were won by more than two goals). Do I like him? No. Do I think RM needed him? Not, at all. Can I deny he delivers whatever is requested to him? No, because he does. He's playing very well the last few months, even when he doesn't score or assist. I don't think he's much more consistent than Eden, just a tad more and we still have to remember he's adapting to a new league. Hazard is young, he doesn't perform high level in every match. He literally takes months to reach his best level and carries on it for another few months. During his peak months he still has matches where he doesn't do much, average matches as others said. If you admit that or not, it's up to you, I won't repeat the same thing over and over again. As for the chances created stats, for the thousandth time, I don't like it. It's not that accurate imo and if you read my signature, you'll learn my opinion about only looking to stats. But you're free - obviously - to think whatever you want. Zidane didn't have outstanding stats, nor does Pirlo and they're two of the biggest players this century. Messi and Ronaldo are stellar and have astonishing stats, but many amazing players didn't have that much impressive stats and were unbelievable, while many poachers have amazing stats, but are very limited footballers. I'm not labeling Bale, Neymar, Hazard, etc in any of those categories, I'm just illustrating how your point is moot in some cases imo. Zidane was inconsistent in YOUR understanding of the word, not mine, as his stats weren't the best in Europe like Hazard's chances created for example. If I take everything you said literally (which I'm not stupid to do because you didn't mean them literally), then Hazard is already better than Zidane and Pirlo - among others - simply because of a flawed stat that I really wish didn't even exist to start with. Or maybe because he's a fancy dribbler. Or an exciting player who isn't anywhere near his full potential nor is capable of producing the same level of football throughout the whole season. As I said, he was barely worth a mention from August to early december, then he was amazing from mid-december to February and ever since he's been alternating good matches and average matches (sometimes average matches in a row). I don't need to read anything, anywhere about Neymar because I've watched him play for years here. I like him as a footballer, but I like Eden much better - not that it matters to the discussion (as much as me disliking Bale doesn't matter). I agree about the diving, but if he's gone to any other club in the world he'd be taught to let it go (in Barcelona they'll teach him how to do it even more theatrically). I wasn't even comparing the players themselves, just their consistency, and said Neymar is more inconsistent now. Where was Hazard when we needed him against Palace? Against Villa? Even against Gala in one of the legs? He's had average matches lately, but he always provides the exciting dribble so people like you automatically think he had a great match just because of it or a pass to someone 30 yards from the goal, who decided to shoot on goal and who added to his chance created stats. I wasn't even talking about his quality and I said I'm quite okay with him having ups and downs, not winning us matches as he can, because I think he's too young and he'll learn. I'm not even implying he should always bail us from jail. But if he's our best attacking player by a very fair lead, it's also fair to expect more from him than from others. What do you expect to ride better, a Ferrari or a Fiat? So of course I expect more from him than from Willian, Oscar, Schurrle, Etoo, Salah, Torres, Ba (the last two I don't expect anything at all to be honest). I'm not saying though he HAS to deliver, just that he's the one who has more quality to win difficult matches for us and the only reason he doesn't do it more frequently is because he's not consistent enough yet, because he's young, and that's okay.

just noticed the socks. I LOVE the socks, I wish I was a boy to wear them