Barbara

okay, now to what really matters, pls

Arsenal got F for fail. We got E

from what I read in Brazilian media that's the deal. According to how many appearances (not results) he has this year, there's some sort of clause in his contract to be renewed automatically. So let's suppose, if he appears 30 times, a second year contract is guaranteed - although they didn't detail how many appearances that is.

you said yourself is pointless and still did it. He was young, he was bitter and he used to have a big mouth. All of which he got over over the years, so yeah, it's pointless, but still it finds its way being posted here

I'm all for our group be all #3 in the pots reunited in a group with Schalke, Basel and Steua. Well, I think we have good chances to have a good group although statistics and probability prove we could have a deadly group again. But pot by pot I think in #2 we only have to avoid PSG and Juve (that's 75% working for us and I don't mind playing Atlético) Pot #3 we have to avoid Dortmund and City - another 75% possibility of that happening (how laughable is that City is in pot 3 and so close to pot 4?) Depending on the combination of what we get from the two first pots, having Napoli from the #4 isn't even that bad, so I don't think there's anyone we should avoid in pot #4. The teams to really avoid are only those 4 I mentioned - and I only included City because it seems like lately we can't even score against them, let alone beat (and that even includes friendlies. ugh! annoying)

is it even possible? I mean, with the players and manager we have? I don't see how we could be slightly challenged to even be stupid, let alone getting stupid for real, hehehe nice draw

That post is so perfect and beautifully written that I want to marry it and have all of its kids (sorry for the double fangirl moment). Simply liking it wouldn't have made it enough for me.

It's an obvious improvement from what we had. My main point about transfers is that sometimes - most times maybe - you can't get who you want. We tried a few guys in addition to Rooney, I'm sure. We couldn't get them for one reason or the other. So people saying (not the post I've quoted, but I've just read a few of those back a few pages) or implying that we should have gotten Rooney instead. Hello! We've tried at least 2x probably 3 bids and we were rejected. Are we supposed to force players and clubs to accept our bids now? I like Lukaku - I'm not 100% sold into the future ballon d'or material that some here believe he will be - but I think he's promising just fine (the comparison with Drogba though is a stretch imo, as I don't think he has a few tools Didi had some of which you're born with, don't learn). José has my 100% support about how he's handling the boy: adding him minutes, but without adding pressure on his shoulders. What people fail to understand is that he isn't proven at Chelsea yet. Look at Ba - who's older, more experienced and already the final product. He scored in NU and couldn't do the same for us. Do you think that's because the shirt color changed or he unlearned how to play football? No, it's because no one plays against NU the way they play against CFC. So that's why I think it's wise to use Romelu without pressuring the kid. It just sucks that while we do it, Torres is the alternative. And please, saying a guy like Eto'o who still has a lot of football on him is second best to Romelu Lukaku? That's a joke. People haven't heard/watched Samuel in a couple of years and think he's done. They'll have a newsflash when he starts playing for us. In time: it doesn't mean that's my dream signing. The guy I really wanted was either Falcão (who couldn't come because of UK regulation against players managed by investment groups) or Lewa (who only wants Bayern). Cavani was way overpriced imo, I'm not exacly a Rooney fan although I agree those guys would improve more than Eto'o does. I do have some hopes about something that is not unlikely at all. Lewa is adamant on going to Bayern, but Pep is adamant on playing without a target striker (or without any proper striker at all). If Pep stays - and chances are he will - how come will Lewa go to Bayern if he's not the kind of player Pep needs (or wants) in his formation? So if Bayern doesn't want Lewa what will Robert do? He could stay at Dortmund (I would if I were him) or he could accept one of the many bids will come for him. We could be one of those. He said he wants to stay in Bundesliga - he believes it's going to become the best league in the world in the within the next 5 years - but he also says that because he's signalizing about his move to Bayern. I'd rather have Eto'o than the three we have today, and to say Romelu is a better option than Samuel now it's nearly disrespectful. But then you check the member's flag and it makes more sense. That has to be explanation because I can't really understand how someone can even think that! This post has nothing to do with what you said first - and the post I've quoted. You said with all letters that Lukaku is a better option to play than Eto'o. IMO (not the truth or a fact, just my opinion) that's laughable. I agree Romelu proved he can play EPL. He just didn't prove yet he already can play at CFC. And of course Eto'o didn't prove he can play EPL if he never played here! But with his experience, it's easier to adapt. He's well rounded, I don't think he'll have many issues - but a few, probably. Still less than Romelu would have starting all matches now.

lmao I really had a laugh on this one. And then I was :banghead:

the love of my life. We got reunited after a vacation with my bf. Now I'm happy again

I've seen this joke so many times around. Can explain to me? Thanks On Chelsea TV just now they showed him training with the others. So he already trained

sometimes I still have this error too, Zolayes and what I do is hit the back button to take me back to a page I didn't have the error, I clear the cache and then proceed to try to open the page I was trying. It worked at all times.

no matter what happens, it doesn't get worse than being raped away and at home by 7 goals oh Barça... good memories

The plan didn't work as well as Mourinho wanted. It's too early, the boys aren't there yet. I think it's a mix of some myths this forum has and a few events in the match that resulted in the astonishing knee jerk. I'm one of the first the say I was frustrated with our attack, but that was because we were poor - poor as in the players and their decisions in the pitch. Maybe not the best game plan, I can't judge because the boys played subpar and I don't feel like I can properly assess the game plan. So many stupid easy passes, bad movement at some points and just overall lack of inspiration. You know a plan doesn't work when the players play well and still you can't make things happen. I don't think anyone dares to say offensively that was the case last night. I was frustrated because ManUtd was even worse imo if you take into consideration it was their first match at home in the season. They didn't play better than us - although their best player in the pitch Rooney did more (attack wise) than any of our players. But our defense was well prepared and frustrated the few attempts they had. Now you add those match facts (a bit of inaccuracy in the pass, a bit of lack of inspiration, good marking from them on Eden, etc) to the TalkChelsea myths and you have the overreaction. Myth #1 - Lukaku must play at all matches - preferably starting. The frustration in our attack in many posts here touches the Lukaku issue. While I think he could have played, I don't think it would have made much a difference because the problem was a bit before the CF imo. Whoever comes to this forum and reads things here must feel like Lukaku is the best thing on football since Zidane... the overrating is all over the place and I must agree with one or other brave mate that once in a while dares to say he hasn't proved anything wearing a Chelsea shirt yet. One might wonder he won us the UCL, EPL and EL given some of the posts. Myth #2 - good performance defensively = parking the bus. This is so laughable I'm not going to cover Myth #3 - Mourinho is defensive and we can't win titles like that. Mourinho knows how to set up a defense. It's a huge aspect of his team. He's not defensive by any means though. Someone who starts with 4 attacking players can't be called defensive. It just didn't work, I don't know if because we didn't train it enough, lack of chemistry, too early in the season, not the guys for the formation. The reasons could be many, but Mourinho isn't defensive. Myth #4 - Comparisons between Mou, Robbie and FSW. It took a while for Benitez to improve (slightly imo) the team, Roberto, God bless him, is very weak tactically. This is the third official match with Mourinho in charge. How about we give him a few months and then we compare the team under Benitez and di Matteo because that's only fair. Comparing this match against Utd with the matches under Rafa after he was working with the team for months isn't fair. Mourinho is good, not god. Myth #5 - Mourinho is god. This one also happens here often but hey, if I have to join any bandwagon, that might the one. (Actually I'm part of the Brazilian bandwagon, silly me ) I also believe we all misunderstand each other very often. So if we say we're frustrated because we could have won, it doesn't mean we are saying the draw was such a bad result. In a 38-match season long a point at OT is nice. 3 points would have been better. Newsflash, sometimes we have the chance and don't win. I remember my first post (or second) in the fixture thread... I said it was great to play Utd at OT so early in the season because both teams would still be a work in progress and I don't think once Moyes has a grasp of the team playing there would have been as uncomplicated as it was yesterday. That right there is something positive. Another misunderstanding is when one complain doesn't mean they can't see the positives. They just decided to focus on the negatives. There were negatives and positives last night - just like basically 96% of football matches. Personally despite the negatives - and I posted more about them I guess - the defense is one of the things I was looking forward the most once Mou was announced. In the past we parked the bus in some matches to a T, but many times in the last two seasons, under AVB, RDM, FSW we were poor defensively and conceded stupid goals, against weak sides sometimes, despite trying to play defensively - sometimes parking the bus, others not. Mourinho always starts his work defensively. That's where he fixes problems first. I'm actually impressed that only 3 matches in the season and we already look like that. Ivanovic, Cahill, even Ramires were the guys playing for us in some of the horrid defensively matches we played only months ago. It impresses me because it feels like magic. I'm not saying for example our defense won't look horrible let's say in three days against Bayern. It could for Mou's work is still too early and there will always be - regardless of the manager - matches when a poor individual performance will give away a match (hi Ivan x Swansea), but I'm quite happy with the progress we made there. So the defense is where he starts his work, but I expect in months to see the team progressing offensively and God help us, that pivot will improve because it's still bad.

one thing doesn't justify the other. I think the game plan was okay on paper and the players didn't execute it. He could have tried to fix it, but he seemed to be okay with the 0-0. That's my whole point though... we weren't a defensive team tonight. We defended well, but our problems in the attack weren't because of a defensive formation. I understand what you mean, I'm frustrated too because I feel like those two points could have been added, but the team is new, Mou has just started, I think we should give him time and also the boys. I criticized them, but I know it's maybe asking too much too soon. Let's see in a few months as you suggested. I think we should keep in mind the team is too young and the management is new

he came as a sub in the middle of 2H in one of those, didn't he? My memory sucks. After he scored four goals in two matches in the regular season and seeing how good he is, I was concerned especially because we were lacking David Luiz. He was superbly marked today - and he wasn't inspired either. Still Welbeck had better chances than him and if there's one thing Robin is a master is on his positioning. He was about 60-70% of his usual, but we also completely shut him down which is always good and adds confidence to the backs.

we didn't park the bus at all today though. We had a crazy solid defense, but we played with 4 AM most time. We tried to attack. The boys were uninspired maybe, but we didn't park the bus and that's the difference on knowing how to have a reliable defense that will allow you to play your game from relying your game by playing only your defense. No criticism against Robbie from me, I'm just trying to praise Mourinho's work here because I think it's due

one thing I'm aiming to post since my first post, but I forgot, good at least it'll now have a post of its own. In the two matches Robin played against us last year he scored. He was completely invisible today. Our defense was amazing. The entire block. While they were pathetic, I think we only made it worse. Mourinho seems to have made it his priority not to lose (although I believe we could have won), but it seems like Moyes aimed for little more than that and the little effort they had we silenced. There was only one concerning moment when Welbeck - still worse than Torres - missed that header in such a Welbeck way. But that was it and I don't even think it was a mistake by us. Also the only decent player on their side was Rooney. Still while he tried a lot we were able to neutralize his attempts efficiently. We didn't miss Luiz at all - and I don't mean he shouldn't play. I mean it as a compliment to our four men behind. I was apprehensive before the match because we didn't have Luiz and van Persie can make a lot from very little. We marked him perfectly and David wasn't missed. That's how good in setting up defenses Mourinho is and also how seriously our 4 backs are playing. They were solid, serious and stopped Rooney's attempts and Robin from even attempting.

and that's the only mistake done by the referee in that dive. Cole should have been booked for shamelessly having a Barça player moment. Sorry but your obsessions with referees favoring ManUtd and harming us is hard to understand. The JT pen could have been called or not. It's up to interpretation. The mistakes he did was about booking. Should have booked Cole for the dive, should have booked Valencia for trying to break Oscar's legs and should have never booked Kevin when he got elbowed. I even think Kevin fouled Robin, but it wasn't for a yellow and Robin should have been booked for the elbow.

you do have a point of players doubling and tripling on Eden most time. It annoyed me at some points because it meant two things 1) there were players unmarked somewhere 2) those players must have been sitting in the bleachers because when opponents double/triple their marking in one of our players, you take advantage of that instead of watching the guy be killed by the opponents all by himself. But there were times when they weren't doubling over him and he went to the horizontal pass instead of going vertical... but you do have a relevant point.

I think you missed my first post where I address our entire AM and pivot... I was just answering to a post that was supposed to prove us that Hazard did something substantial in the match when in reality he didn't. He wasn't the only one, the formation wasn't the best, but you can't take away from individual performances. If the attack midfielders try and go for the plays, do the linkups, dribble (effectively) and try everything and we don't score because the formation was stupid and there wasn't a player to do the linkup with them, then I blame the manager alone. But it was a collective unwillingness to win (and score) from the manager to the players...

I'm serious, I edited my post. I meant: 'I'm NOT saying he's shit, or he should warm the bench' (but I ate the NOT when typing) because I'm not crazy. I just think he's still too quiet. I understand why he's quiet during pre-season, but this is the third match already and he still seems too quiet. Is it a criticism? Only a mild one, it's more like a plea for him to wake up and start showing his magic.

actually no, there was a NOT missing when I said he's not shit, so I'll have to fix that. sorry. (can you edit your post too please?)

and how many good chances came from those 7 plays? How he offered something to the match? Please, stats like that only cover a very invisible presentation. He wasn't the only one though, so I hardly blame him, but he's not even shadow of how he started, let alone finished the season. I see no progress from pre-season at all. And I'm NOT saying he's shit, he should warm the bench or anything... I'm just saying right now he's playing the same as Mata played - except Mata had no pre-season between extended vacation and injury. This is the one match he could have solved for us and he did nothing except add a couple of stats that won't marginally give him anything except support of biased fans who might even vote for him as MOTM because no matter how shitty - or invisible like today - he plays, there are always people saying he's the best in the pitch (not saying you think so). And you can't blame Mourinho for how utterly harmless Hazard was in a match he could have killed. He did nothing, he tried a couple of dribbles, but most time he received the ball he did nothing deserving of mentioning...

on paper a point in OT is good, but whoever watched the match and felt the same, really is settling for too little. That match couldn't have been more uneventful... We had a chance to score a win because their team was pretty pathetic. You don't play in your own turf so pathetically like that. It seemed like they were playing away. Moyes was afraid of what Mou had planned and the unexpected formation only contributed to that. I think it wasn't a good formation, but honestly, with how our AM played today Ronaldo and Messi would have trouble receiving a ball to score. So Torres, Lukaku, André it doesn't make a difference imo. Eden needs to get a grip... this isn't pre-season anymore, not sure if he realized it. He tried, but he's still too shy, too harmless, too quiet. Yeah defensively he tried, but that's not what he should be putting his best efforts. The same could be said about Kevin in the first. André and Oscar were only slightly better - as they actually had a couple of shots on goal - that were really either off or harmless as well, but still better than doing nothing at all. Then in the second half it seemed like Kevin was going to do something while Oscar seemed to have entered sleepy mode, but Mou took Kevin off. So that's why it felt like a waste. In theory is a good result, but the actual match was an invitation for us to show attack prowess and be at least dangerous, but our AM was null and void. Our pivot with Lamps in the first half was terrible. He didn't mark, he didn't distribute, he didn't do anything other than point to others who they should pass the ball to, lose possession, pass the ball to the defence and nothing else. I'm not going to blame Mourinho or exempt him because he didn't play... when he planned to have 4 AM I bet he thought they would try... I don't know... to score. They tried nothing. So the lack of target man may have been a mistake. I wonder what would have worked when the team was simply uninterested. And ManUtd was pathetic. I know I said it already, but really, that's not how you play at home. Moyes showing some of his true colors: respect the big competition, even in your own turf... pathetic from him and from the team