Barbara

I'd say Torres for Willian (or Mata, or Ivanovic). Eto'o is linking up well, that first cross that Mata lamely wasted, that cheek interception in the goal, and another key pass that I can't recall to who now. He can link up with Torres hopefully. Luiz made a mistake and he's tired as hell from the trip (Ramires is too and it's visible on both their displays so far). Luiz shouldn't have started... I complained about the lineup the moment it was released. That's why. If someone should have been sacrificed for this match (among the brazilians who are very tired) it should have been Oscar for Willian because I think Eden-Mata-Willian is too 'new' and we could have used a bit of familiarity

here we go again!!!!! Finally. Go Blues!

Two new interviews for the Guardian José Mourinho interview: I want players who are made in Chelsea Mourinho willing to help with FA's commission on England's future

Club!!!! This is my choice... I fell in love with each of the clubs I support, I don't support them because I was born in a certain place, but because they won my heart and I'm so invested on them!!!! States play a big role in the clubs your support in Brazil (depending on the region). It's like mini-countries (or even countries because some of our states are as big as most countries in Europe), so the natural way is to support a club from your state if you were born in Southeast, South and some of the northeast states (the other regions normally have very small clubs and the normal thing is for people to choose a big club from another state to support). Still the club I fell in love with wasn't from my state, and while some people in my family supported the same side, most didn't. I fell in love with that club, it reached out my heart. So for me NT x club is like arranged marriage and marrying for love. Supporting NT is basically an arranged marriage, while supporting a club is sticking with who your heart chose for you. When I was a kid I loved Brazil NT and the WC. I was 14 when we won the 4th WC title and I went mental. It was an amazing experience, one of the best I have related to football, but then my Brazilian side - which sucks - won Brasileirão in 2009 (last time before that was in 1992) out of nowhere and I cried like a little girl... I invited friends over to my house as we watched the last round - we won the title by 1 or 2 points, I don't remember and for most part of the match we were losing the title. Damnit, that was one of the most intense experiences I've had with football. So it's hard for a NT to make me feel the same because I'm not as nearly invested. Then there's the corruption in CBF (our federation) and the fact that sometimes players are called for the NT to raise their price tag because of third parties interests and I'm disgusted by that especially because I'm an exception in a country that breathes football (although I feel more and more people in Brazil are getting less involved with the NT), in a country that arguably is the best NT of all time (maybe not presently, but historically [not in a Liverpool way because mind you, we're competitive right now]). So for many, many people here, people who don't have much money, who have a hard life, working hard, struggling, the NT is their happiness, is their passion and CBF doesn't give a fuck and uses the NT to make profit and to enrich agents. Those people have so little to actually look forward in their lives sometimes, but CBF doesn't give a shit. To make money CBF makes we play the most ridiculous friendlies as preparation to the WC and even when we're playing qualifying and our national league is so badly managed and planned that I can't even start with it. It's a cockblock for me, but I still think the biggest reason why I become less and less invested to the point last WC I only supported Spain and Netherlands (I supported Netherlands against Brazil in the QF and I was wearing Spain's shirt in the final) is because I've never loved the NT the way I love my clubs. The last WC I was really invested was 1998. I was much less invested in 2002 and even more in 2006. I love WC though. It's a special competition and I always watch it, the only thing is that my passion for Brazil NT dried up and I support teams depending on my mood and heart. Next year I'll support Brazil mainly because I trust Scolari to be above corruption, above the shady business in CBF and I guess being in our country also influences. But I won't support only Brazil... I'm supporting Germany and Belgium as well. Between Brazil and Germany I'm not sure which one I'm supporting harder, so if they cross paths I may not know who to support. I guess I'm very weird when it comes to NT footie.

thanks for the vid, although the song sucks A LOT - muted it just after the 1:00 mark it never ceases to amaze me how easily he passes by his opponents. He isn't a flash dribbler, actually most times he does it without dribbling, just taking on them and passing through whatever space he has... in a league such as the English, this is definitely a plus. He just needs to score the first, then nobody will be able to hold him back.

I didn't watch Belgium yesterday, but it's great news if he's playing better. I think he already played better for us against Norwich, but I also so hope he grows as a footballer because while this 'slow starter' thing isn't a detractor for young players, a mature player shouldn't go through those stages so we can't count on him for a few months per season. I'm willing to overlook this excuse for one more season, but from next season on I hope he gets his act together much sooner. In high level professional no club can afford one of their best players to take a couple of months to be on full throttle and then have a dig another couple of months later and play really well the last 3 months of the season - as I already read theories here by different people saying in France he used to have a dig in form between December and January. Consistency is a must, although it does come with age.

also he takes on his opponents with incredible easiness. He passes them by easily, sometimes dribbling, sometimes simply cutting inside. And the funny thing is that they know he'll cut inside or run by them, and still most time he's successful. So I believe the best way to go is explore this... a striker isn't a mobile enough position for someone with his skills unless we start playing a very counter-attack minded style - which I think we won't.

@KamikazeBlue, thanks. It may be sappy, but I cried.

if anything the vid above attests exactly that. To score most of the goals I've just watched, the guy must be very technical and have great skills. As for the inconsistency, the boy is 22... there's plenty of time for that to come. I'm so excited and over the moon this guy is ours and he seems to love the club so I can see him renewing his contract and staying here for a decade or something.

I don't know if it was commentated by anyone before, but we were lucky with the NTs. Despite yet another break coming in the middle of November, no players will be involved in the European play-offs (I'm not sure if Brazil have any matches scheduled, but they probably do), so it means that most players in the squad will be with us instead of risking injuries in the NT matches - which is always a relief. Also, we can use the extra training before December comes as the winter isn't normally Chelsea's favorite part of the calendar. Speaking of injuries I breathe relieved knowing none of our players had them when we have a very important match against Schalke coming next week. If anything this international break was a blessing for us as some of our players will come back to the club with renewed confidence (Schürrle, Mata and de Bruyne) for scoring goals in their teams. It must be specially important for de Bruyne - to start working harder in the training sessions and finally be selected, while Schürrle could keep the scoring boots for us. All in all it was a good break - as much as going without club football can be good anyway.

around here, I never know, Jay... I've said so many things that were understood differently from what I meant. But you were right though about a Eden x André debate starting soon. You should open the thread like you did with the Mata vs Oscar. (and that's a joke just in case, lol) But I do think we should make a test with Eden in the right and André in the left - supposing both play at the same time. Just to see if Eden has as much problem finishing in the right as André does.

did I say we should sell the player I think has the highest ceiling in the squad or you came up with that on your own? he only played there because Eden was injured, and that's exactly the point... or is Hazard cemented/stuck/buried in the LW?

who, except in the match against Norwich, has been playing in the right wing for us at all other matches he played.

he seems so much more efficient and dangerous in the left than on the right... I hope Mourinho notices that too.

andré bloody schürrle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you beast! now bring that to Chels!!!!!!

what's the point of comparing any player to Ronaldo and Messi? It's a miracle itself that they were born in the same generation. Footballers like that aren't bred every other day. They're beyond world-class, more like out-of-this-world-class. I'd call world class players I see as a reference in their position in the sports worldwide. Which should make that list quite small if you ask me... don't like the term much tbh

I meant work law enforcement actually... because as far as I understand his post was about how building stadiums were killing people here or making them homeless, or slaving them. I think we have decent law enforcement on other areas... our corruption law enforcement is lame though. But civil, working and in some place criminal law enforcement is good. I don't know about amount of police officers actually. Big cities here are more violent and Rio and Sao Paulo have areas that should be avoided... but for example the city I live in, it has 1.2M people and while there's violence I don't think it's too much, like something appalling... we must have about 20, 30 at most cities this big. My hometown has 700K inhabitants and while there was a wave of violence a few years ago, it's a quiet city... The biggest problem imo is drugs. Addicted people rob a lot around here and when they're high they simply pull the trigger or stab you because they're drugged. I think that's one of the things that makes it worse. But the kind of thing he was implying happens here, it doesn't... we are way more civilized than that.

Oscar scoring right and left is great business for us!!!!! Our strikers aren't enjoying the art of finishing into the net much these days, so keep it up when you come back, kiddo. I agree with everyone else that the comparison between Mata and Oscar is unhealthy here these days. It was relevant when they were competing for positions because our best player in recent years was warming the bench while a promising, but not exactly world-class player was filling his shoes. That's not the case anymore, Mata is getting better (sharper) and he's contributing to the team, although he's yet to find his best form. Having Oscar performing better than he did last year is actually good for us, but there shouldn't be two Chelsea FC sides here, one pro-Oscar, another pro-Mata because at the end of the day we need both of them playing their best to improve our titles chances. Oscar is better today (imo he is slightly better for us since Mata was back in the team), Mata was better for the majority of last season... I'd rather have both playing the form of their lives if it was up to me. ivanovic is better than Cole right well, as well as Ramires is better than Lamps imo or Torres better than Ba and Eto'o. So what? It's irrelevant at the end of the day who's in better form, as long as all of them perform well and we keep winning.

dude, you seriously need to come to Brazil... I don't know what you have been reading or where you have been reading, but you must be be very, very, very bad informed. The WC will do nothing to an economy that right now is far from weakened. Yeah, we have great social differences here but we're also a 200 million-people country so it takes a while for the social difference to be less evident. Clubs such as Palmeiras and Gremio are building ultra modern (Gremio's is ready already) and brand new arenas that won't be used to the World Cup - it the club's patrimony and they're improving it. Other clubs such as Internacional and Atletico Paranaense don't have any public money on their new arenas that are going to be used for the WC. So where exactly did you get the idea that building stadiums here will leave behind scorched earth, weakened economy and mind you more impoverished population? Maybe you saw something about the protests here and jumped to those conclusions or some rubbish journalism in Germany lead you to have that opinion - but the protests were for a different cause. The people want the government to make such massive investments in education, health, infra-structure because all those areas need it. I'm sure most countries also need investments in other things. You have a completely distorted vision of Brazil's current economic scenario, of how this WC will affect us and how much money flows in Brazil's economy currently. We have social problems that are being handled and they'll take a long while to be fixed. The main reason we are like that is corruption, not investments in a WC. Also nobody here is dying as you have implied twice already. I don't know in what world do you live, but the Brazil you know and the one I live are two completely countries. I have no idea which horrible crimes were committed here for the WC - except shady business involving public money. We don't need the WC for that to happen, it happens here all the time with no WC, as I said corruption is indeed a problem, everything else you made up in your mind. link me all the articles then. I'll be waiting. I want proof. Dude, I'm the first one to talk shit about this country when shit is needed to be said, but you've been lying about it for days now and it really pisses me off. Brazil isn't a nobody land as people think. We live in a very decent democracy, we have law enforcement that while not flawless like in other countries, isn't rubbish either, human rights grow more and more here every year and I think it's decent in most metropolitan areas. We have social issues, we have corruption issues, but everything needs to be taken into context. There's no other country in the world where the work law is more protectionist than Brazil. I'll repeat no other country in the world. Protectionist doesn't mean the best and neither does it exclude issues, but it's the law and I'd say in most cities it's well reinforced. One of our main problems here is public services. Like public education from kindergarten to major - we have that, but not enough; public health for the entire population - again we have that, but not enough; infrastructure issues especially in the more isolated and remote areas (although in the periphery of big cities it also happens in a much lesser scale). Our roads suck in general, which is why they're being privatized recently. We have basic needs problems in very impoverished areas, again we're a 200-million people country, Germany is probably smaller than half our states, so it takes a while to reach it all out. I can assure those employees in the stadiums have all the human conditions to do their work, they're paid what is paid for constructors in Brazil (an acceptable wage even if low, but very, very, very far from slaver-ish). A bricklayer here makes 600 USD/month (I actually made a research to tell you that) in addition to benefits to cover food and transportation (in addition to health insurance) because that's the law and it is reinforced. So excuse me if I think that while this is low, it isn't exactly the end of the world, because unfortunately in other places in the world conditions are much worse. Those people can't be killed in their work environment without it creating a great commotion in the country. Of course work accidents happen, but they aren't as nearly common as you're thinking. I mean, probably 100 times (no exaggeration) less common than you're thinking. And there's no brutality here in the way you're implying!!!! As I said human rights are big here (although far from being flawless), it's reinforced and this is no longer a nobody's land. hasn't been for a while btw.

If some think Mourinho will make any changes in the team after the squad hasn't trained together for almost two weeks, I guess they'll have another think coming. Chances are he'll start exactly the same team that started against Norwich or with at most one of the changes he made during the match (probably Eden for André) - saved injuries. Which makes sense, as why would rotation be done after coming from international duties with no proper training on that? Also I really don't get the clamor for Azpilicueta. I feel like some fans don't fully appreciate how flawless Ivanovic has been for us so far this season. Also the guy is a tank so it's not like 14 matches (or so) under his belt in two months could have possibly wore him out. And I read someone somewhere (too many pages as this is the first time I visit the thread I guess) saying that Bertrand isn't rubbish... yes, he is we have two great players to play as RFB, but only half a player as LFB because Cole these days is half the player he used to be, and it seems he isn't up to his best physically either. And I have no hopes for this scenario to change and Mourinho to see the light and sign a new left FB because he never showed he would replace Arbeloa in RM and it's really difficult to pick the worst out of Arbeloa and Bertrand.

there was a thread open last month about another article saying that Chelsea and whoever else tried to get him and he didn't go because was waiting Bayern. I tried to find that thread and my post on it but it seems like the thread was deleted Anyway... I've said back then that Guardiola doesn't like to work with strikers like Lewa and that I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't go to Bayern because of the style Pep prefers. Back then I also said that was the small hope I had for him coming to us... but even then I believe he might choose to continue in Dortmund because in the same article he said he loves the Bundesliga, that he thinks it's the best in the world and that he wants to stay there.

I watched the match (up until he played) because I was curious to see how Felipão would do it as he's even more traditionalist than Mourinho. Who says he played Oscar as a striker or as a false nine definitely smoked spoiled junk. It was the same 4-3-3 he used most of CC with Oscar as the most advanced midfielder - although some people will say that's a 4-2-3-1 with Oscar as a #10. Oscar is top3 finisher in the squad in my opinion, his finish is really, really, really good although sometimes he thinks too much before executing it (normally easier chances), so he could be used as the player behind the striker a few times if we need as I think his finishing is up there with Mata's. As for the false 9 thing I said it before, I'll repeat it. It doesn't work with anyone else not named Messi.

@hjperdeath, your sig doesn't lie I agree with your opinion and others here. The kid will turn to us better and so far we're handling without him. I don't think he would have added much given the tactics and the style of players we have here, sure he probably would have scored a goal or two, but in the matches we lost or drew I'm not sure he would have given the kind of opposition we played. Maybe yes, maybe no. Long term is great business both for the club and for the player, and even if we pay a small price this season, I'll still support it. By small price I mean having a few more goals at the end of the season that could have given us a title or not.

and how many times does that happen in every and each of our matches? We aren't counter-attack based - yet or ever is yet to know be known - so a play that happens once in a while doesn't make up for the everyday lack of action from out pivot into making us more objective and narrow.