Barbara

don't worry about it. He's nowhere near to losing his spot at Brazil's starting eleven. The boy is burnt out, given the insane amount of matches he's played in the last 20 months, it's understandable, especially when you look at him and can't see a very strong guy. I think he should be benched a few times... we'll need him at his best at the end of the season, especially around April. We have depth, we can play Luiz alongside Matic and have either Lamps or Ramires (kill me) in the AM, but I think we should be resting Oscar now... I'm sure he'd understand if Mourinho did that.

idk, but the guy is more often than not a pain in the arse!

for fuck sake, are you really nit picking even on this? Dude, let me break some news to you... you don't get to say what people should write or not. That's the lesson you keep missing about being part of a forum.

so how was the match? Only sober comments though (and I'm not excluding alcohol drunk, only pessimistic and negative drunk) I had a party at the school today and missed it Worth watching a replay on internet?

died when he was 2 or 3.

"So we have to take care of him" Aww... Mourinho always speaks so affectionately about Oscar - more than about anyone else - that it tears me up a bit. I think he sees the kid quite like a son - especially because he must know what happened to Oscar's father. Anyway, I do hope we get to see the best of Oscar again. We need our best players to step up again, and Oscar is one of them.

this thread. I don't mind (much) discussing Mourinho's attire, but seriously, did it come to a point he's compared to Pep even in the wardrobe department? It comes to no surprise the media is the way it is. People actually go around doing it, so they might as well write the garbage they always do because public to read it they have. What's the point of comparing their clothes? Seriously!!!!! Who gives a shit if Guardiola dresses better than Mourinho or not? And why Mourinho doesn't have an excuse to dress whatever way he wants? Yeah, I get that some people are interested to discuss it (I'd understand better if it were just some loose comments about his wardrobe, no comparison, no lack of excuses argument), it doesn't change the fact that's one of the worst discussions I've seen in this forum. But the comparison to Guardiola is ridiculous! The only good thing I've got from this convo is that José - like me - has a Yorkshire Terrier and that's because I'm completely in love with the breed, so one more thing to love Mou for me

This guy right there is my biggest idol in the sport currently (players in activity). there's no one bigger or that I like more than Javier Zanetti - I ignore or even forget he's an Argentinean. But he belongs to Inter and Inter belongs to him. He should (and probably will) stay there. This is just one of those wild rumors that make no sense and still some editor approves and it get published. The word legend is small to Il Capitano.

A professional cunt who also plays football? That's the only description that comes to mind. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4G using Tapatalk

exactly where we stand now :ph34r2:

Thank you. I laughed hard when I read people saying they'll win the treble. lol forever at how some overrate them. Top team, but in no way they'll win the treble. Yeah, the EPL title is theirs to lose - and I think they might. They were never real contenders in UCL. They're faves in the domestic cups though. My bet is they'll end the season with two titles Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4G using Tapatalk

Wenger was more subtle on his jab, but he took one saying José was afraid of failure... should José stay quiet? Hell no!!!!!Do I think he was a bit too harsh? Yes, but Arsene begged for it and he wasn't quiet in his place as he lied in his in press conference. Quiet my arse and he's got what he asked for. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4G using Tapatalk

I'd love to know why he hasn't played. My point was just that it bothers Mou to give explanations about players he doesn't select although if asked he should and shouldn't complain about it. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4G using Tapatalk

no, he says journalists should talk about the guys hes does pick, not the one he doesn't pick. I remember one of his first interviews back here when a female journo from Brazil asked about Oscar and he thanked her for asking about a player that was playing and not the ones who aren't. It seems a clear message to me he doesn't like to justify why he keeps players out of the team.

maybe it is. But we're a team with high and constant pressing. It demands a lot more from the whole team than all other styles. Our players run, tackle, press and move a lot. We probably lead the league in some of stats. I think it's a physically demanding style we have with a lot of new players (whether all of them are used or not): Etoo, Willian, Matic, Salah, Schurrle. A few old players (Terry, Lampard), guys still completing their adaptation to the physicality (Oscar and Hazard) and everyone adapting to a style that wasn't here before Mourinho. Also someone posted stats about our results with less than 72 hours of rest (mostly negative - or exclusive, as if memory doesn't fail it were only draws and losses). I doubt that's a coincidence seeing our style of play.

probably especially team selections. He never seems to have much patience when questioned about it.

It's not simply or even fatigue. Many of our Portuguese members who watched him week in week out reported he has stamina issues. Then he starts a bunch of matches in a short period of time in a league way more physical, tiredness - which is different from fatigue - and lack of energy (and consequently mistakes) are expected. Not rocket science. The guy has a flaw/limitation and we should use him wisely. 'Good thing' he is cup tied in UCL and from now on he'll play mostly once a week (don't think we'll have any double journey in a EPL week).

Even if he keeps form - he's never had a good passing and he has very limited vision. With Matic in the team he moves from #6 to #8. While his lack of technically to pick a pass and to make a dangerous transition already linking up to the attack bothered me before, he was the DM then and that was less required from him. But now with Matic playing as the DM and he being the #8 I think his flaws are going to be even more exposed and it's going to be very painful to watch unless he miraculously fixes it over night. A number #8 needs to be more technical than he is. It's something we can overlook in a #6, but it's way harder to overlook it in a #8.

fixed? as it's my own account here whatever setting I have shows it for me.

I don't get how Kompany can get praised if we looked like all kinds and shades of shite. We offered them nothing to handle, so I suppose saying he did a good job is either obvious or whatever things you read on TC...

Well, as promised, today on my birthday celebration in the samba pub I did the dance I bet I would if we beat City. (I posted it here because I'm not sure how many of you actually check the community board and I couldn't remember all of you who collected the bet ) As we did it twice, so did I http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/17659-keeping-my-word-bunny-dance-by-barbara/ I'm shameless.

I think many of us had a lot of expectations because we know him, because of what he plays for Brazil and what he did last season for us, especially the second part. So you sort of expect the player to carry on. It never happened... so I don't deny he's been poor, I just don't think he is as poor as people make him out to be. As for the nationality thing @James, I think you got it wrong. Every football country has a preference for how their players play. It's no secret Luiz isn't the English kind of CB. Even when he was at his best here - which made his market value reach the skies and big teams want him - some English people still criticized some of his antics as a CB simply because that's not how they see the game and the CB function in a football team. At least on my part and behave it has nothing to do with xenophobia, but stating a fact. Culturally, Brazil for example, sees and approaches the sport almost in an opposite way England does. Does it make our way or your way right or wrong? Not necessarily, although a discussion about what's better may even take place. But it does make us value different things. What's a consensus though is that he's had a bad season, he's a downgrade to both Terry and Cahill in central defense and we hurt when any of the two are missing and Luiz has to replace either of them. Some matches we hurt more than others, but Luiz hasn't been able to give us the stability Terry or Cahill gave us this season. There are no valid argument against that... although I disagree with some about the extent of how poor he's been. He's been no poorer than the rest of our defenders last season, for example, imo - which means I'm saying Cahill, Ivanovic and Terry have been poor most of last season, sometimes alternating the bad form between them, sometimes at the same time.

pretty pic, it looks a lot like Angie (Jolie) I do agree Luiz became like that lately, but he used to think much better and he has vision. I just think he's been uptight lately and something is wrong with him mentally. If he can't get over it, then he's better off of the club. He's much more intelligent and has better vision when playing for Brazil. He's half decent in those aspects in the midfield, but nothing impressive. His season as a CB has been really poor, although I don't think he was as poor as people rated him today.

He has qualities, I'm not denying them (and neither are you) and pace isn't the only one. He's played a DM many times for us (every time Mikel didn't play) and he's a little warrior and a ball stealer with his tackles. But what's the point of winning a tackle if 2 seconds later he gives it back to the opponent with a bad pass? Ofc he doesn't miss a pass for every tackle he wins, but his % isn't ideal imo - regardless of how much that is statically, I'm talking about feelings and watching the game, I won't even bother to check what's his pass accuracy stat. I agree with you on how he misses possession too much, but another thing that really bothers me is that he doesn't think. I know it's harsh to say it, but he seems to do everything on instinct. It doesn't seem he thinks before executing. His vision is very limited and sometimes he makes some dumb/poor decisions. I'm not talking about splitting passes, but just thinking before executing and trying to figure if that's viable or maybe even the best option. He seems to do things automatically and that sometimes work and sometimes it doesn't. His tackles aren't as much important when he plays as a B2B or as a DM (the #8 position) as they are when he plays DM (#6), so his best asset in that position is pace, but his pace really is worthless if he offers stupid turnovers, does nothing useful with the ball and wrecks our transition. The #8 is more influential in the transition than the #6 (although the latter should also be influential). In a club with ambitions as big as Chelsea will have from next season on, we can't afford such a hole in our system. He's not a liability per say, but he's annoyingly frustrating a part from his tackles and pace. There isn't one match where Ramires doesn't make me feel like hitting my head in the wall at least a few times with his passes, selfishness (around the box going for nonsense shots) and bad decisions. have no idea about the tablet thing mate, I've used my iPad as a glass rest 80% of time since I bought it two years ago

I was the first to say he was our best player and essential for our good form at the start of the season. But now we have a better option in Matic (even Luiz is better than him in the pivot right imo, although they offer different things and he has some advantages over David in the position) and we can afford to go without him a few matches - something we couldn't months ago, not only because he was at his best form for us (in the pivot position, not in the RW or anything related to scoring), but because the alternatives were worse. David Luiz while not very fast, isn't slow either, and ofc whoever we play there (Lamps, Mikel especially) we'd miss Rami's pace, but how much does he pace makes up for his inability to pick a pass, to make the right decision in the final third and have bipolar finishing? Not much imo. We can live with less pace because we have Hazard and Willian who are very fast themselves. Luiz is decent if the pace is important to cover someone or recover himself when he's caught out of position. So we have alternatives, if is going to be fit and fresh for the UCL games that Matic can't play. I'm not saying Matic just magically solved our problems, is fully adapted or is flawless. I'm just saying we can afford it. In all honesty, Matic made even more aware how weak our pivot has been in the last few years... when we used to moan and hope for a better player there I had an idea in my head, once he arrived - and is still far from his best for us - I got the real picture. It's been worse than I thought. It doesn't take away all the hard work and the very good moments Rami had for us there - which were many and the reason why I grew sympathetic of him. I used to really dislike him when he played in Brazil and even more when he joined us and was eaten alive in the league. But he won my moderate likeness with his own hard work and results. But just because he's been great for us in a period we had a terrible pivot, it doesn't make him the guy who should play every match and have his contract renewed for 10 years. I have little hope to see him off of Chelsea (I don't see clubs sending tempting bids and we won't let him go unless it's a very good bid), I don't see Mourinho diminishing his importance in the team, so I guess he's here to stay. But at least, don't play him as a RW. It KILLS me every single time. He's had very few good matches in the position...