Barbara

The main thing about Oscar is his versatility to play as an AM in whatever way you want. Some things he does better, others not as much, but I don't think there's one thing he's bad or below par. He's showed he can be creative and I think it's only a question of sharpening and time. He's the youngest of our midfielders... he has time to sharpen it. He has everything to be the most complete footballer in his generation (not necessarily the best because while he does everything well, I don't think there's one thing he excels).

@remains of the day, it makes sense everything you said, and I agree. Mourinho isn't always diplomatic, but his own tongue seems much more tamed now than it was in the past. In those three examples I gave I think he took the diplomatic answer, although you're right and he's showed his discontentment with Romelu. I can't say about Cole as I didn't follow because I didn't care. I still would like to know what could he have said if he disapproved Mata's reaction? I can't see him saying anything about how out of order he was... he knows why he's reacted like that and he's seen that a thousand times and he knows he'll see another thousand. I just came across this (from Mirror) Which is sort of what I said I think Mourinho would have said to Mata... I think you guys have a point that maybe Mou didn't think Mata was questioning his authority - or maybe he's just ignoring it, knowing how difficult it is for the player. I don't think he'd criticize Mata on his poor behavior publicly and I don't think he approves of reacting like that, but I do think he would never make it a big thing. He knows he will frustrate a few players here. He's frustrated Ash, Luiz, Schurrle, Mata, Kevin, all strikers because none of those guys have regular starting, all of them rotate. So while I think Mata was disrespectful in his reaction, I don't think a manager of Mourinho's caliber would make anything out of it. He reacted, but that was about it. He didn't call Mourinho's mother any names or called a press conference to say shit about him. It's a minor incident from Mourinho's pov, one he's used to.My reaction is exclusively about how I despise that kind of reaction, but even then I've never said Mata should be punished. He shouldn't. It's a minor episode in the big scheme of things... just a lamentable episode still imo.(ps: I've changed the convo to Mata's thread because I don't think it has much to do with Oscar. I never related both incidents or the reactions from us about them, so I'm moving it where it belongs imo. I think most people's reaction towards Oscar's episode and Mata's episode aren't correlated or interdependent)

it's hard to deny how 'balanced' Arsenal's fixtures are... Anyway, I think Liverpool and then us are the one who left the worst behind them already. If ManCity keep their away form (in general, not only against the top teams in the league) I'd say that will be their detractor. I hope they do

Interesting article, coming from Daily Mail of all places... It's a fair analysis imo and it show why Mourinho isn't marginalizing Mata THE NUMBERS GAME: Why Mourinho is RIGHT not to play Mata... but Hazard, Oscar and Willian could fire Chelsea to the title edit: does this guy read TalkChelsea? I can't count how many times a few of us said those two things!!!!!

the problem is history for shallow people is restricted to titles, but it's much more than that. Ofc titles are important, but this club has a beautiful history, filled with passionate fans that continued to support Chelsea even when we weren't winning much (or anything). When we were relegated and promoted again. It shows a history of true love and passion, and not the kind of fans that only 'choose' the club because of titles prospects, which isn't wrong or lesser, but it certainly doesn't bide well for those people accuse others of the same. It's like the pot talking about the kettle (or whatever the saying is ) They call us plastic because they think we've only added supporters when money was injected and we were capable of winning titles. Why do they think people chose Liverpool when they were winning consistently? Because they like an ugly cock? Spare me the lecture. Plastic fans are the fans that abandon the club in the hard moments, everyone had their own reasons to choose a club and they aren't more or less valid than others as long as people don't jump ships (I have a problem with 'stopping' supporting a team and starting supporting other, it makes little sense in my head, but who am I to say it's wrong? the most I'll say it's plastic, but that's about it). I'm really tired of their shit and I'm not exposed to much of it.

I'm one of those people that isn't so sure he fits our system... but then I read people saying that if he was here he'd probably score more goals than our currently ones, but that still he isn't a Chelsea player. I'm honestly The only reason I'm not sure he's a Chelsea player is because I don't know (can't predict, I'm sort of lost when it comes to him) if he'll score as many goals with us. If he does, I don't care about his inconsistent first touch, his lack of stamina, and his lack of technicality in some kind of plays. I only still have doubts because I think maybe those aspects will prevent him from scoring frequently based in our system, but if they don't, then what's there to question? The kid is 20. 20!!!!! It's not like he doesn't have time to improve those areas and if he just can't improve them, but still can score often and end seasons with 20-30+ goals for us, I honestly don't see the problem.

where's that South Park gif when we need it? ORGASMIC stuff! I think the best is yet to come when it comes to him. He was adapting to the physicality and the league itself last season (and while I think he's adapted mostly, he hasn't completely, exactly because he's a 'light' player or whatever should I call it). Now he's adapting to maturing his game, something I don't think any of his previous managers were that worried about. They capitalized his talent and gave him freedom to do his thing. Mourinho is turning him into a more completed player, that once reaches his full potential will be rewarded with even more freedom. I don't think he'll miss or lose any of that, it will come back when he's fully adapted, comfortable and confident playing this league, this team, under this manager. Every time I stop to think about when this time is finally here I find myself with a broad smile on my face. I swear I do.

do you honestly believe, Mata, would have been grumpy after Chelsea won an important match? In all honesty, what kind of person do you think he is if he does that? I agree with @ and @The only place to be because that's how Mourinho handled Kevin's discontentment, Lukaku's not ideal comments, Luiz's supposedly wanting to join Barça and I'm sure other tricky situations that happened since he's come back and that I'm forgetting to say now. So your idea not only doesn't make sense because I can't see Mata ever being grumpy or crank or even bitter about his team winning an important match no matter how frustrated he was (and he had at least 40 minutes to cool down a bit, which I think he did), but it also doesn't make any sense for José to expose the possible changing room problems he has to the media. I just posted in Mata thread that I don't think José will allow this to become a problem between him and Mata, but I'm also positive he's had a conversation with Mata about his reaction. Now do you expect him to expose all those things to the media? How would that benefit him or Mata or Chelsea? I'm not even implying said conversation was something like 'you better not behave like that again otherwise there will be consequences', but more like 'I do what I see best for Chelsea and the team, that's my job as the boss here, and sometimes it won't be what you, Oscar, Willian, etc... want, but still that's how I'll act'. I honestly don't expect anything different from what was said publicly and I think that's how things went privately between him. That if Mourinho didn't take a chance to use the episode and give a message to the whole team and not only Mata. He knows he will upset a few players with his choices because all players want to play, but he can play only 11. I'm sure he's had this convo before, but I suppose little reminders now and then are necessary. edit: perspective is everything Only now I saw @remains of the day's post on the matter and the fact she and I have completely different approaches of how Mourinho's managed those situations just show perspective is very subjective. I didn't follow Ash's episode closely because I don't care, but am I wrong and didn't Mourinho refuse to give an opinion about it, saying there was nothing for him to say? Lukaku said a lot of BS (from Mourinho's perspective at least) until Mourinho finally answered, but he didn't say anything bad about Lukaku, just that as he likes to talk to so much he should tell why he left because he said everything but that. How is that detracting the players? I'd love to read what's the Mata's version Mourinho could have said that is the equivalent of what he said about Ash and Romelu... because I think he was very diplomatic in all three and he could have said that Ashley didn't have any business going there and that if he misses them so much he can ask to leave, no one is holding him back, or how Lukaku should learn how to speak less and play more and stop saying all sort of bullshit - whether he's baited by media or not. Now this is how I perceive those three situations. He could have been straight about it, he chose to be diplomatic in all three. He's ignored Lukaku's for a while. Romelu had about 3-4 interviews with a few unnecessary words and Mourinho was mum, until he finally addressed it and in a very mild way imo. But well, this is my perception. Now I want to know what's the equivalent of the Mata situation would have been if he thinks Mata did anything wrong. I'll be delighted to learn what that could be because in all honesty I can't imagine.

Mourinho wouldn't be the manager he is if he answered to those kind of things in a 'vindictive' way, given some of the players he's managed in the past. When was the last time you saw him detracting about one of his players to the media? How many things have Lukaku said and how many times have Mourinho been questioned about that move, until he finally said Romelu should say why he really left Chelsea? People expecting Mata to be punished by that, are deluding themselves imo. Now go ask him if he'd allow his son - who's training to be a footballer - to behave like Mata did. Go ask him if he approves it. He knows it was a heated reaction, filled with anger and frustration. he wouldn't let this affect how he manages the team, especially if Mata is good for the team. He NEVER took Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid except for technical reasons even though Sergio Ramos kept doing what he did which was a personal attack more blunt and more articulated with the media. He's managed Ballotelli (sp?), Sneijder (for different reasons, I'm sure you know better than me) and all kind of challenging players. Mata isn't a challenging player. He had an outburst. Mourinho overlooked it. Did you expect him to do what? To bench Mata forever as a punishment? If Mourinho allowed those kind of things to interfere in his management, he would have 'ended' (in the club) a lot of his players careers and he didn't. That was the thing Spanish media never understood about the Casillas gate. It wasn't personal, it has never been personal. Casillas was dropped in a more permanent way when he didn't do half the things Ramos did and said, and Ramos was kept in the team after being dropped shortly because of bad performances. The same happened with Pepe. ******************************************************************************************* Now I've seen some posts about Mata in the Willian thread and I didn't read all posts in this one yet. But people are saying we should sell Mata to make money and buy the players we need. We just released our financial report and we had no problems meeting FFP requirements in a year we were kicked out of UCL in group stage. Our new Adidas contract will show only in the next financial year, so we don't need to sell Mata in order to buy the players we need to sign. I'm positive we'll start selling some of our loaned players (Moses, Marin, a few others). The reason some of those players are loaned isn't to sharpen them enough to be Chelsea material, but to give them exposition enough to value themselves more than they would be valued if they were partially squad members here. Only the young prospects are there to be polished and grown. But slightly older or plain older players will be offloaded, if not next season (summer window) than at most another more. I don't think Mata will be sold and I have doubts if de Bruyne will as well. De Bruyne mostly likely will leave, but I still think he'll be loaned. As José said, the players don't have control in this situation. If he wants to play Wolfsburg, I'm sure the Germans won't refuse a loan opposed to nothing at all. do you have a source, mate? Thanks

we better talk about boobs than argue about Mata - given how heated the discussion was. I regret nothing Come on, Jason, everyone has boobs... this is mainly a men forum. Don't be so shy

that's basically my body, so I guess it represents me well opening it Surely I don't. Did I say member X, Y, A are blind fanboys? do I think there are some? Well I do simply because it's statistical, I'm not calling anyone specifically except me on Mourinho.

well, I guess I was the one to introduce the term in the thread, and I have been very active in the Luiz/Cahill discussion, so I thought I was included in the group of people you meant. I don't regret using the term. Being a fanboy/girl isn't a problem. Being blinded by it is. We all could be subjected to that, I'm sure I've been in the past (may still be about Mourinho actually)

and still they went to the Cahill thread and said he was the best CB playing for us and David rightfully deserved to be benched. Or recognizing him as our best man in the pitch, not only among the defends, but the whole team. There, mister, is the difference between fanboying/girling and still being able to see instead of being plain blind. Cheers!

I don't have footy novels, but I have 13 novels. Want the ebooks?

now onto the part I guess it's up to discussion (and I know there are people that thought the 'free show' he provided was okay, but that also think Mourinho is right on how he's been handling Mata, so this is again a general answer based on some posts I've read and my general opinion in the matter, consider this a reset) Calling what Mourinho did based EXCLUSIVELY on performance and form is marginalizing Mata makes no sense in my head. When was the last time he had a great match for us? I think he had a good match against Arsenal in the League Cup (nothing spectacular, but still a good match). Recently (I always mix matches when they're too close to one another) he had a good match in the EPL - one he's started - but in all honesty those were the only worth mentioning matches he had in the 15 he started (and let's not ignore the 3 he came as a sub because Oscar and Willian proved coming as a sub doesn't take away your chance to destroy a match, no matter how many minutes unless it's the 85-90 mark sub to gain time). So how is that marginalizing a player? I will never understand why people use PAST form to justify a player staying in the team CURRENTLY when there are others doing better. Oscar was dropped, Willian was dropped, Schurrle was dropped. Anyone but Eden Hazard was dropped in that AM and that's because Mourinho chose to give confidence to the guy he thinks will be our Balon d'Or winner in a couple of years. Mourinho is absolutely right in his assessment imo and it seems the people voting for Balon d'Or agree, as they chose Hazard (rightfully) and not Mata as the Chelsea player to be part of the list (now if any of them deserved to be in the list is another discussion, but supposing one of our players deserved, that player is Hazard imo). He's the manager, he has the right to make that choice and we have the right to disagree and argue. I see the dividends of his choice in the pitch. Hazard has yet to play a match or a span of them like he did in the very beginning of EPL and the very ending of the season last year, but I look at him now and I think he's a better player, he's more important to us, he's improving and I just support Mourinho's choice all over again (as I did since the beginning). The problem is people wanted Mourinho to choose Mata to be his guy, but he chose the more talented player in the squad instead. They seem to forget Mata was injured and when he was introduced in the team other players had already pre-season and official matches under their belt, had adapted better to the drills and what Mourinho wanted from them. He had to catch up, that's why he was dropped before he even had a chance. Then ever since he's been giving chances and those chances progressively increased. He had more chances in November-December than in September-October. But the naked truth is he did nothing or very little of the chances he's received and Willian and Schurrle who's received less chances and are still adapting to the league had better matches (not overall, but certain matches). Schurrle even won us matches and it's ridiculous that after scoring two goals against Stoke we made his efforts to be lost (just like Oscar's against Juve last year) by allowing the opposition to draw or win. I won't even mention the many matches Oscar won us either with goals or with the balance he's gave to our midfield because that's unfair with Mata... I'm going to support Mourinho marginalizing any player that currently doesn't show good football and I can't be against him pushing a young kid, who's 22, to his limits while he's alternating good and bad matches (at some point I wanted Eden to be dropped from a game to push him to react faster, I don't remember now if he was dropped from UCL or EPL - I guess he was in UCL, but whatever Mourinho did, worked, because he's been the best player for us in the holiday's period - which is the most demanding period for players in England). I defended Mourinho benching Schurrle at times and I also complained about Mourinho dropping him for no reason whatsoever when he was playing well. I did the same with Willian. Mourinho's made mistakes - like any manager does - but I don't think he's made one mistake on handling Mata (as far as I can remember). Does he play better in the middle? Yes, he does. But he's been playing as a winger his whole career in Spain, so it's not like Mourinho asked him to play a position he's never played before. We have a weak pivot, but our FB are good defenders. They defend very well, I'd place my biggest defensive liability near the guys that defend better rather than guys that need help instead of providing it. Why Mourinho had no problem playing Eden in the middle in the last two matches? Because he knows he can press and tackle. Mourinho looks what's better for the team as a whole... he can't (actually he can, but he won't, and that proves why he's one of the top managers in the world) put Mata in his best position where he may or may not create a lot for us (he hasn't so far, and every single match he's played for us this year he's spent some time in the middle. in some it was where he spent less time, but in others where he's spent more time. Go to Squawka and check heat maps and action maps), but where he'll expose even more one of our deficiencies. It's not rocket science, it's very simple actually to understand why Mourinho plays him more in the wing than in the middle. He's slow, he doesn't naturally tackle, he doesn't press well, he doesn't have the instinct. The system is based in pressing and dispossessing the opposition and the system based on our results and our positions in UCL and EPL proves to be more effective than the ones we had in the last two seasons (actually since Carlo, but we're talking about Mata here). Still those are my arguments to defend Mourinho's approach and I don't mind people refuting them with whatever others arguments, so feel free to answer back about it. As for the pitiful display of rage, frustration or whatever after he was subbed, I'm mum from now on. You may want to answer, and that will be the final word about it. This is how I feel about the episode. @, shall we open a thread thanking Mata for the two amazing years of football he had for us and how we appreciate everything he did and how we hope we'd continue to do it somehow? It could sort of be a statue (or altar) to recognize him. Maybe that way people won't jump to the ridiculous assumption people who criticize Mata for his below par matches this season, disapproving reaction and being rightfully benched based on performance will understand we aren't ignoring, forgetting or not being thankful for what he's done here... I'm not being sarcastic at all. I'll have a lot to say in said thread, A LOT because present time I don't have much positive to say on his football presentations (when there was something good from him, I did), but I could use a place to pay my respect and gratitude.

this was originally on single post, but I'll split it in two because it's two completely different subjects (at least for me) that keep getting mixed together here. cc: @Strike I think that was a pathetic, childish, bratty, unprofessional display. Did my not ideal knowledge of the language got me misunderstood? Or isn't display something like a moment or a reaction opposed to what words such as nature, character, profile - that in my head give an idea of permanent while display only gives the idea of an occurrence? You guys think it's nothing worth mentioning because he's always had exemplar behavior. I agree on his past behavior, just because he's always been great, it doesn't give him a free pass to be called on his ridiculous actions when he was subbed. If you think his actions are worth of claps or just his reliever, after being frustrated, or whatever, good for you. I don't like such behavior in any professional, especially when it wasn't entitled at all. He didn't have a good match, he contributed with nothing except a 1x1 with Hazard my grandma would have made the same pass. Why on hell could he be mad at Mourinho as his gestures seem to clearly show (not only totally skipping his usual handshake, pat in the back, or whatever kind of greeting, but gesturing towards where Mourinho was). I could imagine a lot of ways of Mata showing frustration towards himself and his performance in the pitch, but that wasn't it. I could be wrong, the same way all of you could. You think he ignored Mourinho, and gestured towards him while saying a lot of things only people around heard based in whatever track of thought you could possibly justify it, shows frustration towards himself and not his boss, okay, I got it. If a guy reacts that strongly ABOUT A SUB I suppose he's frustrated at BEING SUBBED. My bad for interpreting what happened in such a non-expected, non-logical way. As for the fanboy term, well some people just are, what do you want me to call them? I'm not saying everyone who loves or likes him are fanboys, otherwise I'd be one... I really like Mata and my twitter account is a testament to how I worshiped the guy last season (as I joined the forum last June). There's only one player in this team I'm a fangirl of and that's not Mata (or Oscar) and I won't get offended if someone calls me that (I even had that as my member title here for a while and I'll change it back again) because that I am (and go see how many times I've criticized Eden even being clearly a fangirl of the kid, just because I love the kid beyond words, think he's the best thing ever since slice bread doesn't mean I won't disapprove his actions when they're bad in my eyes or when he's in bad form). So if people get offended by the label is because they're defensive about their own behavior, otherwise, that's wrong on being called a fanboy/girl? So we have to be serious all the time, rational and not appreciate a player on a personal level? If only it was the reality... I'm too happy it isn't. If it doesn't blind me about a player, it's all good in my book. I was just clarifying I have one opinion about an isolated episode and another opinion about Mata as a professional football player all things considered. I won't overlook his bad behavior just because he has credit. If you and the rest of the world does, good for you guys. Stop calling me on that! Yes, forums are for discussion, but this discussion about what people FEEL and THINK about a player's reaction came too far. You come here, you post your opinion about the incident, I post mine and so does everyone else. Why people feel they have a right - just because this a forum - to call people on their feelings about an incident is beyond me. Discussing if he should leave or not, discussing if he fits the system or not, if Mourinho is right or wrong about benching him, it all makes sense because you give arguments people maybe didn't consider. Those are opinions, you add a lot of things to the discussion. Now you keep coming back on how we feel about an incident makes no sense! I feel Alex has been ganged up by all of you simply because that's how he feels about any football player with such behavior. This is how we feel, we didn't choose to feel like that. Speaking about me, this is my reaction towards any football player whatever his name is Mata, Hazard, Cristiano or Javier Zanetti! Shall we now discuss why I love peaches but can't stand eggplant? Or shall we discuss how much toxins modern agriculture puts in our food everyday even when we decided to eat fresh food? Questioning why I disapprove bratty displays is the same as questioning why I dislike eating eggplants. It shouldn't be up to discussion.

Are you sure? poor André got a chair seat smashed on his arm lol

how did I miss this? I bet his hair gets a lot of jokes, and things like this, lol then he tried to pay back... well, sort of x

He wasn't second choice to Karim. Mourinho simply rotated the two of them as stats show: 2012/13 Karim: 34 starts; 20 subs Pipita: 30 starts; 18 subs 2011/12 Karim: 40/12 Pipita: 28/26 2010/11 (when Pipita had surgery and spent more than 3 months without playing) Karim: 31/17 Pipita: 22/3 I love him and so does José and he likes José a lot as well, but please, he ain't worth 60m not here, not in Mars.

Yeah, I think a bit from Inter, more from Madrid, but not a carbon copy of either. Dortmund exposed some of RM's weaknesses and Mourinho is aware of that (although the first SF leg was a combination of an ineffective system, but also players not turning up at all) and I guess that's why we aren't exclusively a counter-attack system. I mean neither is RM, but I feel we work the ball much more comfortably than they do. They prefer countering than building up, I don't think we do. We're comfortable doing both, maybe even more building (giving the players we have in Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Mata, Schurrle, KDB. The only ones I do feel are counter-attack players are Schurrle and in a lesser extent Hazard). The one thing we don't have that Inter and RM had though is a strong pivot. Khedira/Alonso and Cambiaso/Motta/Chivu (especially the latter) are a much better pivot than any combination we currently have. I'm positive one of the two clinical signings Mourinho said we'd have during the summer include a top CM he'll probably 'steal' from one of the Champions League teams, otherwise he'd sign them now. The same applies to the striker. He worded his sentence in such a way about the two signings he thinks we still need to make me believe those guys are currently playing Champions League and why invest a lot of money in a player that won't be part of the most important tournament we currently play (although I like EPL more and that's very important too). It does resemble Dortmund as you said, but I don't think quite either because 1) they're faster and more urgent 2) they have Lewa, and Mourinho knows having a lethal striker is a vital part of Klopp's system. They attack fast and intensely because they know Lewa will get the ball in. But you're right and maybe the final product is a Dortmund style. To be honest, I haven't watched Dortmund that much as I'm really not a Bundesliga fan yet, but the few matches I've watched it was from them in UCL and BL. As I said I think it's high pressing (high both in quantity as the zone in the pitch where the pressing is done), attack-based (building or counter-attacking) with a solid defense. Such combination of things will allow us to play without dominating possession, although against some sides we will dominate it (just like Madrid did). It's almost like describing Dortmund, but I don't think we are as urgent as they are. They're faster imo, more objective, but then again this is German football we're talking about, so saying that is almost redundancy. Still I think that's the difference, although there's some urgency when we have the ball, it's not as much as Dortmund. Complete football as you put it. We could be wrong about it, but all signs show that direction imo.

I said in my very first post that it was one time thing and that I hoped it would become a once-in-a-lifetime thing. The same with Oscar diving, I hope. So if you want to call me on something, at least read all my posts in the matter. I never implied he's an awful person, a completely unprofessional guy. I just think his bratty behavior IN THIS ONE situation was poor and unprofessional. Am I allowed to think as much without 1) people thinking I don't have a right to do so; 2) people thinking I'm labeling him as unprofessional? Just because he only did it once it doesn't mean it wasn't an awful reaction IN MY OPINION. I never crucified the guy, never said he should leave and that after this episode he won't be able to stay. I don't even want him to leave because it's better for Chelsea if he stays. The fanboys who want to apply for his agent or his father position are the ones saying he should leave where he's appreciated because it's the best for him. I want the best for Chelsea, not for Mata, Oscar, Hazard, etc... The best for Chelsea is having Mata and see if with time he can adapt to the system he currently doesn't fit. Even if he can't, the matches he does take part he could give an assist or score a goal that would win us the match (although he only has one of each in 15 matches for us, plus 3 subs). None of my posts here say he should leave cuz I don't want him to leave. Is it fair for him to stay and be a squad member? I don't care if it is or not, I'm not a player supporter, but a Chelsea supporter. For Chelsea is better to keep a player of his caliber, although if he doesn't accept being a squad player - like he is in Spain - then I suppose it'll become a problem. If it's a problem, then put a request to leave. Mourinho did say his door is open... As for the scenario, MANY members already showed their disapproval of players such as Rooney, who's done the same in the past (much more subtly) or who's put a request to leave. The thing is Mata sold his image quite well and most people bought it. He's the poor little Juan Mata, that is the kindest person ever born into this world and about to be canonized as the first living Saint of all time, a victim of bad, bad, evil-intended, maleficent Mourinho who doesn't value the POTY for two years in a row as he should. Bad, bad Mourinho for punishing little Saint Juan Mata by replacing him for a guy that's been playing better and who basically won us the match poor little Mata did nothing to win.

He is Mourinho's main man and the portuguese has said (or implied it) many times. The thing is like @borriske wisely pointed out is that he isn't consistent enough to fulfill that role completely. But Mourinho doesn't mind it. He knows he's only 23 (or will be in three days ) and he's learning and I guess he's never been managed and coached like he is now. He was used to play what Mourinho called last week street football. So I'd assume he was given freedom to just use his talent to dribble and run by opponents and capitalize on that, but top level football is much more than that, so he's adapting. Mourinho is doing everything he can now for that to become a reality as soon as possible. Now to answer your question about if it should be done or not... It worked wonderfully well with Sneijder (centered) at Inter and even better with Cris at RM (in the wing). Mourinho doesn't make his teams dependable on his biggest start as Barcelona is dependable on Messi. It's a different kind of stardom. It has more to do with freedom than dependance. RM didn't look as bad without Cris as Barça without Messi and there's a reason for that. Mourinho chose a system that benefited Cris' style, but mainly all players we had (and players he lately added to the squad) enjoyed the system too. Guardiola built a system for Messi and around Messi. It's no secret there's no player like Messi (not only his quality, but even his style is hard to find), so the moment you build a system for that player and he's injured, you're screwed. Mourinho will do the same (as he did with Cris) with Eden imo. Our system is clear as light imo, and it fits Eden, but also fits a numerous of other players in our squad and while none of them have the same quality as Eden, we'll cope because Schürrle, Willian, Oscar, while having completely different characteristics can fit the system. We'd miss Eden's quality just like any team in the world would miss if their best player is injured or being rested, but I don't see Chelsea becoming dependable on him, but I can see a system being built where he's the most important guy, the player with more freedom and who'll be more benefited by the style. I can't wait until he's consistent enough (it's no complaint, the kid IS a kid still). We'll be orgasmic

I've said it a few times, I think Eden falls too often (and he's been falling way less lately) because his whole life he's been used to that kind of contact being called a foul by the referee. It's an adaptation issue, he isn't still used to the physicality of the league, especially with someone with his style. He never ever looked like a diver imo, just a guy who expects minor physical contact to be a foul. Reprogramming your brain and body requires time... I don't think we currently have divers in the team and Oscar tried to force a penalty and maybe even a red card when he should have tried to score and done it with fair play. I don't think Eden's ever did that with us. But he did fall many times in the box and outside the box, but he was honestly expecting the amount of contact to be enough to be a foul, as it is in France and I'm positive in Belgium too. I know no other league that allows physical contact as English (one of the reasons why I love it more than the others)

how come if he refused to greet Mourinho and if he pointed towards his direction in the sideline bitching with gestures, body language and probably language too? He was absolutely pissed at Mourinho, my interpretation of that is very clear, but you're right, it's my own interpretation. I think you guys see what you want to see... but I won't discuss it anymore. As I said (and it doesn't apply to you) had it been other guys in our team or players hated around here, they'd be criticized til tomorrow. It's Mata so people find a way to defend it.

well, Mate. I've voted for him only a few times this year, I don't have a default vote like some around here do. I guess the guy that gets two assists and a goal can be voted MOTM and 85 people agree with me. Now that's a surprise, isn't it? People voting to the guy who's directly responsible for all three goals we scored. We are such fanboys!!!!