Barbara

that's actually a good point and it may be one of his flaws... he does help influential players peaking, but as none of AM except Willian and Mata are close to peaking (they're on their peaks imo), he's struggling and the players are struggling. I'm pissed, but I'm also patient, we all knew it would happen, we all knew it wouldn't be easy at first. WORD

and when was the last time Mata did it? Look man, I'm not defending Oscar, I think he's been terrible the last three games. But Mata didn't have ONE brilliant match this season and he played a streak of them in October. I even agree with you (had a post saying that in the first page of the pre-match thread) that this match (and others like this) are more suitable to Mata than Oscar imo. Still seeing how Mata has been playing it may win us a match (like Oscar and others won us matches this season with one saving goal or assist), but I don't think it's the answer to our problems. When the guy you claim is the answer to our assists and creativity can't create half a chance when he's in the pitch, regardless of who's behind him and what a mess behind him is, I don't expect him to come next match and solve our problems. That can be Mata, Oscar, Willian, Hazard, whoever you want to name. All of them haven't been good enough. For me bottom line is this.

Actually what I meant is it wouldn't have changed. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. I've seen players enter and play less than 15 minutes and change a match. He did absolutely nothing. I don't oppose to him starting next match. I said he should have started this one... but I don't see him making any difference if his attitude and performance is what he's shown. He played against Arsenal from the start and was far from brilliant - except the brilliant goal - and you totally missed my point. My point isn't about Oscar or Mata - I made it crystal clear, my point is this same lineup played amazingly well two weeks ago and for most of October... do what's the real problem here? That's what I'm asking, that's what I'm trying to find an answer to. If you think Mata is the answer to fix our problems I'll tell 3 things 1) God bless you 2) I hope you're right 3) Chances are you aren't right. Our problems can't be fixed by one single player imo, if they could whoever is that guy would have showed it in training sessions and then in matches - starting or coming as a sub, because Willian for example earned his place in the starting XI and right now in the front he seems to be the only one who did it. Hazard, Oscar, Schurrle and Mata did all of the same in the matches (minutes) they played and it wasn't just enough. at least now I can blame him on something!!!! Man is completely deluded if he things that. That was a shit performance through and through except the very end when they showed urgency. Mourinho is deluded indeed and if he doesn't wake up from the lalala land he's living, we won't stand a chance in this league...

I refuse to vote for anyone... Willian was the less bad imo simply because he at least tried to do something - although still short, but not worth a MOTM vote, not enough for that.

that's the bloody problem in my opinion. They don't show enough urgency, will or whatever until things are fucked up or we're gifted a goal (like against Schalke midweek). Those guys make a lot of money, can they put a little more effort (not to say heart) in their displays? Ofc not all of them have those problems, but really, we're lacking determination and hunger. We can have Messi and frigging Ronaldo in the team, if they don't show hunger, they're useless.

well this is the team that played Schalked midweek sans Mikel and Schürrle... Hazard had a good assist (I won't comment on the penalty they robbed WBA with), so I won't say Eden was a detractor (although not a contributor apart from the assist either) and Lamps was decent. So why does the team play their socks in one match and just walk the park the next? How much this is Mourinho's fault and how much those guys are playing like shit? I can't say. I don't see a problem with our lineup today. I would have played Mata instead of Oscar from start, but if anything Oscar played better than Mata did imo, so that would have accounted for nothing. I see more problem with the players having crappy moments (Ivanovic, midfielders (except Willian imo, who was decent), Cahill and today even Terry!) and I see them not being focused and determined enough. Mourinho has to do something about it, but I don't think team selection is the problem here, neither is the system. I guess we have a collective brainfart. I don't want to give any credit to the november shit, but the change from the team that played ManCity and Arsenal to the last two EPL games is palpable. The players that were working, the system that was working two weeks ago, look like shit now.

Mata who's done absolutely nothing since he's in the pitch? We need the players to show better attitude 90 minutes. It seemed we only decided to really press once they scored... I'm not blaming Mata, I'm not saying Oscar should play. But this is a collective terrible display again...

at least a goal, pls

here's the thing Mata... we need you to think this is last season. ktksby

@, @CHOULO19, @, lovelies, what are we waiting to get rid of this?

I don't see us getting a draw out of it, let alone a win

Ivanovic has been shit a lot of times today, but this goal is totally onhis account

Mourinho... of all players in the team he uses as example the guy that falls the most with less fouls called? I don't think he dives (only once in a very long while), but he falls way too easily. At the minimum contact sometimes he falls. In all seriously Hazard must fall at least 4 times per match when no foul happened. The difference is that he seems to think any minimum contact should be counted as foul (which makes him perfect to play in Brazil ), so that's not diving, it's being either naïve or not being adapted to England physicality. Now I agree that's completely different from diving - something Neymar (and all Barça players for that matter) has a mastering at. But the fact remains some people will call what Eden does diving (wrongly). Maybe Mourinho is playing with FA again, by hinting referees aren't calling fouls on Eden that they were supposed to call. Most times though I feel that the contact really wasn't enough for him to drop on the pitch as he does.

Here is hoping Eden will do a Rafael Nadal thing and will be super riled up this weekend and will have the performance of the year. Here is praying it carries on after that

I don't remember your old posts except you giving him stick for not playing Mata, so I'm not sure what else I mixed. It's one thing to say you're going to do something and circumstances change - like it did with both Lukaku's and Kevin's situations - and you end up doing something else (something that happened with people around the world every second as we can't predict the future) and it's another completely different to lie about a fact widely known by too many people (every employee in Cobham, all players, people in France, etc) that already happened. How can Mourinho have lied about Eden missing training and get away with it? Do you really think if he lied Hazard and his agent wouldn't deny the story? Or are you so deep in your theory that you think Mourinho blackmailed Hazard and his agent to deny the truth? Did you know the club's PR guy is in all those conferences and Chelsea is bigger than Mourinho and wouldn't allow something like you're suggesting to happen? I'm sorry for being so rude, but dude, this whole thing you're suggesting is a bit nuts... sorry for my reaction, but I'm actually shocked you're implying something like this could happen. Eden Hazard missed a training session, there are more witnesses about it in Cobham than people posting in this forum. There's no way Mourinho would get away with a lie like that, and there's no way if he was lying that Eden and his team wouldn't defend him... please tell me you don't really think that's actually possible.

wth did I just read?

further offtopic: share that pic with me!

somehow I've missed this comment the first time answering to you... I can't believe you're suggesting Mourinho is lying and the press is creating something that doesn't exist when there were reports even in Belgium - where no press would be interested in staining his image - about his passport loss. Did you see pics of him in France? I did... not sure if those were manipulations though as you seem so convinced Eden didn't miss training. If you did some research before saying nonsense you'd see that Mourinho tried to avoid saying what really happened as much as he could. He wasn't looking for an excuse... but well, it seems like kellzfresh just said... you're looking something bad to say about Mourinho here, so now you're even bending the truth... I guess this discussion is officially done.

dude, totally not the point... Hazard missed a training session, it shouldn't go unpunished. Everyone agrees on that but you... That's the only reason he missed the match as far as we know and that's reason enough. And please, are you now comparing Messi and Ribery to Hazard, who you said yourself, is too young to be consistent? As I said, we disagree. Hazard missed a match as he should, so he'll think twice before accepting commitments abroad after a terrible (collective) match and ahead of a very important match. I'm sure he will, as accidents like the one that happened to him, happen and he may not want to risk it in the future.

Based on what he said on his interview about how happy he was with the three players behind the striker I wonder if Mourinho won't keep the three intact. He may get Hazard to replace Schürrle just to prove to Eden everything is dealt with for his training session missed (I agree that nothing more than a game should be done, although in Brazil sometimes the player is fined by the club as well, which I think is appropriate, if I miss a day of work the school may discount it from may payroll). Schürrle had a good match, but nothing spectacular imo, so dropping him for Eden is okay. If he decides to keep Schürrle, I think it's okay too as Hazard didn't play particularly well against Newcastle (who did?). The other possible change could be Mata for Oscar, simply because this is one of those games that suits Mata imo. Oscar did nothing to be dropped imo, as he still offers more collectively to the team than Mata does (creatively neither has been impressive in their last two matches, so any edge Mata has in that department is based on potential, not recent performances). I doubt Mourinho will do it, but I'd be okay if he did. I'm pretty sure he'll start both Oscar and Willian and I guess it's 50/50 between André and Eden. As for the changes in the back... I wish he didn't change. One match before an international break will do nothing to Luiz's form. Azpilicueta was miles better than Cole (Bertrand if recovered is a valid option though) and I think Mikel worked well with Ramires. I can see him rewarding Lamps' assist with another start. I wouldn't mind in this particular match either as I think this is the kind of match Lamps can play well for us, basically for the same reasons I think Mata could. So I'd say Cahill is a given, Cole has about 30% chances of starting and Lamps 60%. Personally I don't care much about most players starting. With the exception of Cech, Terry, Cahill, Ramires, Willian and Eto'o (as Torres is injured), anyone else he decides to play is okay (although I'd love Cole to warm the bench again). Our problem against Newcastle was attitude and I don't see this team making the same mistake twice in a row. They don't want to piss Mourinho off with bad attitude in such short term and that's why I think they won't. Hazard, Mata, Schürrle, Oscar, Mikel, Lamps are all playing good enough to justify their selections if they play, and except a few combinations that are bad (such as Mazacar and Mata + Lamps), whoever play has all conditions to make a good match and get us the result.

disagree with every single word. First, Hazard didn't play because he missed a training session, not because he was all of the same as the rest of the team against Newcastle. We don't know if Mourinho would have started or benched him otherwise, and he already assured he's back on Saturday, either starting or in the bench. if there's one player no one can complain about receiving chances is Eden. When he was playing really bad he still started every match. He only missed matches when he was injured, in League Cup matches and now yesterday for the reason I just said. Luiz has been playing bad, what do you expect the manager to do? Cahill is playing better, I don't care about what's going on in Luiz's head when Mourinho has been giving chances for him and he has improving only slightly. Against the teams we played lately, having a CB in bad shape could have led to a loss, and it certainly led to conceding goals. So why is he supposed to play Luiz based on his form last season if his form this season can compromise? No one (or very few) questions that Luiz in form is better than Cahill, but he's not in form and Cahill is... Now I guess your post was really about Mata (given many others you've written in the subject) and you added two very bad examples to make it 'general', but the problem is Mata. Mata played enough in October imo and while he was good in some matches, he wasn't great in any. So wasn't Oscar imo - who dropped his level from the start of the season - which could have worked for Mata, but he didn't capitalize imo. Thing is when neither are creating plenty of chances, and they haven't in their last few matches, (although Oscar did create a couple against City, and two real/clear chances in the match against Newcastle, and Mata created a couple against Arsenal) Oscar gives more stability to the midfield than Mata does. So it's yet another case where the player (Mata) hasn't performed that amazingly and someone more useful (not necessarily better) has been chosen. Then one could say it's the lack of matches. Look at Willian and give me that argument. Guy hasn't played for months before joining us, has barely featured in September (I only remember the Swindon match) and then he played very well for us in October, although he isn't the shadow of who he was for Shakhtar yet... So I don't get why professional players will behave so unprofessionally (especially Luiz and Hazard in your example) and leave the club when they have been given plenty of chances (Luiz) or even been selected when others were playing better (Hazard). As for Mata, I think he's been playing fairly enough and I think Saturday's match is perfect for him... he's the only one that would have something to complain about, but even then, not that much if you ask me, as he didn't capitalize any of his chances - especially when Oscar dropped his initial level - with outstanding performances. Another primary mistake in your post is questioning why Bertrand - who was injured - didn't play. I guess you didn't get your facts right through and through. And question Mourinho about those three, especially the first two, seems out of place imo. There's no tactical reason or change in the system that justifies Luiz's dip in form, so how can you blame Mourinho for him making the same kind of mistakes he's always done? Or how is Mourinho responsible for his dig in form? Hazard is widely known as someone who takes a while to build form (slow starter), so how come Mourinho is the one detracting his performances? Mata was injured and missed pre-season and struggled to recover his best form ever since, which can't be blamed on Mourinho. Instead I see Terry, Torres, Ramires, Oscar, Mikel playing better since Mourinho is here. Terry, Oscar, Mikel and Schürrle went out there and credited Mourinho on their improvements. So I really can't agree with your post when I see players in bad shape because of reasons that aren't related to Mourinho and also see Mourinho recovering players that some have already even written out partially or completely. So we can agree to disagree.

are you kidding me? Azpili's smile in that picture is doing things to me! Rafa always smiles like a 3yo kid in pics, poor thing.

I was waiting for a replay, but it never came. ***************************************************************************************************************************************** He was the one who started the counter, passing the ball quickly to Willian in that second goal by Eto'o. He was good today, but he needs to start making more for the attack, creating chances or scoring. He's been quieter than at the beginning of the season. I was so happy with him trying something new in the City match, even if he missed many passes, he was going for the bold move and I thought it was purposeful on his part, just not sure if by his own initiative or if guided by Mourinho. The fact at the occasion he came back from HT keeping the same bolder behavior I was led to believe either Mourinho asked it from him or was okay with it, as later in the match when Willian came in bringing instructions from Mourinho, he stopped going for that kind of pass. Maybe Mourinho asked him to play a more tactical role today, after a bad match against Newcastle - still not as bad as many made it out to be. I wan to see the City!Oscar again, even if he misses half the attempts trying to go for the bolder and unexpected pass. He has the skills, he just need to start doing it more often.

sure, ofc. I'll search them again edit: there you go http://cassimayniac.tumblr.com/post/66220203372 http://blueeeflag.tumblr.com/post/66222175758/rafael-nadal-and-chelsea-chief-executive-ron

Torres is injured anyway, but supposing both are fit I think there should be a real rotation between them, with each starting 50% of matches He was absolutely amazing today. And people should notice that our strikers have been scoring consistently since last month except the Newcastle match where they didn't get any service at all.