Barbara

he completely made sense. Mourinho sense

Transfer news: No bids from Tottenham or elsewhere for Chelsea's Juan Mata

I don't see either. Mourinho had made it clear his favorite formation is 4-2-3-1 and he said formations such us 4-5-1 and 4-1-4-1 are BS because they're still 4-2-3-1. He tried the 4-3-3 thing, I personally hated the formation he chose for that one, so I'm relieved he's going to stick with 4-2-3-1 although with the right players in, I still think 4-3-3 is the best for us (I just don't like his selection of a midfield in the 4-3-3 he tried). I still believe he's trying to replicate his successful RM formula here. Whether they won the titles or not, Mourinho made them contenders for everything when they were Barcelona's little bitch in Spain and had exited CL in R16 for six years in a row. It was a new experience for him and I think he was delighted to work like that which is why he wants the same here, which is why he pursued a winger of the same caliber as di María (although he would have loved if Willian was a leftie) and something we did not have. I don't know what he plans to do with Oscar/Mata, but it's clear to me he wants the power to come from fast wingers in addition to the creativity coming from the CAM, so I guess Willian and Hazard are given in the starting XI he hopes to consolidate. That allows him to move either Kevin or André to the LW when Eden is tired or unfit - especially André whose left foot is there only to complete his body making him much more suitable for the LW rather than the RW He's also very focused on bringing a striker because he really dislikes the whole false 9 idea. If our strike force doesn't get things done - whether with a new striker or not - he will have to try to convert any of our AM into a striker and those guys would unconsciously drop deep a few times in the match - out of habit - and it drives him crazy . He likes his striker to be ahead of his AM, dropping deeper only to help defensively, but if you want to see Mourinho frustrated ask his strikers to drop deeper instead of being in the last third to link up and finish. Reason why he kept Milito (at Inter) despite not being a brilliant player (very far from it)

fine, but no bunny costume! And they better win. We didn't even score against them in the two EPL matches last season...

never said such a thing, only that I'd dance it myself. Now for those of you who enjoy some Latin America goals' narration, here is my fave Brazilian narrator during the Cardiff x City match. Have fun http://www.espn.com.br/video/351219_ingles-gols-de-cardiff-city-3-x-2-manchester-city

I expect Kevin to start tomorrow over Mata because this is an important game and only a blind couldn't see how much he improved the team against Hull whereas an unfit Mata only slowed down the game against Villa (not a criticism to Mata... the guy needs minutes, but he's still far behind the others fitness wise). As for the future, I don't think we'll loan him because José gave him his word he wouldn't be loaned. I know the situation changed with Willian's unexpected arrival - who wasn't at the scope of new signings then because who would have thought Anzhi was going to go on sale? So I guess José will keep his word even if the situation changed. Now I also think he won't play much, if we work with 60 matches for the season I think he'll start 10 and be benched 50. Out of those 50 I see him coming into 25-30. Had Willian not been here, I'd say those numbers would be 20 and 40 (with him coming as a sub in 30 of those).

Manchester United vs Chelsea – Old Trafford, August 26th - 8pm UK time The Match There are a lot of expectations as both teams that have dominated the Premier League in the past decade go head-to-head once again. The main source of buzz surrounding the match may not necessarily come from the rivalry between the clubs but the ongoing pursuit of Wayne Rooney. Chelsea have made two bids for the England strike and both were rejected by Manchester United who insisted the player is not for sale but his future still remains uncertain at Old Trafford. Rumours then also surfaced this week that the main reason Chelsea signed Brazilian attacker Willian from Anzhi is to replace Juan Mata who may be involved in a swap deal in order to purchase Wayne Rooney. However, Jose Mourinho said in his press conference that he does not want to reduce the quality but rather add more of it to the squad. So the Blues fans can rest assured for now. In addition to the pursuit of Rooney – which Mourinho assured there will be another bid coming after this match – the managers’ dugout will also attract public attention. It is the first official match at Old Trafford in 26 years where home dugout will not be occupied by Sir Alex Ferguson but instead, his successor David Moyes. Being in charge of Manchester United for 26 years is definitely a long time and for veteran players such as Ryan Giggs, it would represent a whole different feeling altogether as he has never played under any other manager. Although the Red Devils are a compact team that did not change much of their squad with the exception addition of Wilfried Zaha, there is likely to be impact on the players as a whole without the authoritative presence of its former manager, especially in a big game like this where United are facing one of their contenders for the Premier League title. In the away side dugout, however, will be a familiar figure leading the Blues. Mourinho returned to the club earlier this summer having left Stamford Bridge six years ago and even though some of the players he worked with back then are still at the club, the squad he inherited now is unlike the one he had in his first spell. The Portuguese manager no longer possess a squad of strong, physical and experienced players but rather a very young and talented squad that is blessed with many attacking talents of creativity and flair. This remains a challenge for the Chelsea manager to see how he turns this group fascinating players into a cohesive unit but it is one that ‘The Special One’ relishes. Head to Head Since the Premier League began in 1992, there have been 42 matches played at home and away between both sides. Focusing specifically on league matches at Old Trafford, Chelsea have won 6 times, drew 7 and lost 8 at United’s home ground and the most common scoreline result is 1-1 having occurred four times. On the other hand, Chelsea’s biggest win at the ground is a 3-0 win achieved back in December 2001 while their heaviest defeat is also a 3-0 scoreline suffered in April 1993 and January 2009. The Blues have scored 26 times but conceded 31 goals in the 21 league encounters at Old Trafford and there was only one occasion where neither side scored in a 0-0 draw played in April 1995. At Stamford Bridge though, Chelsea have beaten Manchester United 8 times in the Premier League while drawing also 8 times and lost on 5 occasions. Overall in the head-to-head record between both clubs in all competitions, there have been 72 wins for United, 47 for Chelsea and the encounters ended in stalemate 49 times. Team News Manchester United Even though David Moyes has only managed two competitive matches so far, it is expected that he will stick the 4-3-3 formation previously used. He fielded the following team and formation and in his last match against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium: de Gea Jones (Smalling) – Ferdinand – Vidic – Evra Carrick – Cleverly Giggs Valencia – Welbeck van Persie Rafael, Nani, Javier Hernandez and Ashley Young would not be available for selection as they recover from their respective injuries but Moyes still have a strong squad of players to select from: Goalkeeper – David de Gea, Anders Lindergaard Defenders – Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Fabio Midfielders – Anderson, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Shinji Kagawa, Tom Cleverley, Wilfried Zaha, Antonio Valencia Forwards – Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie Despite the game taking place at Old Trafford, many predict Moyes to setup his team to sit deep and hit Chelsea on the break and rely on their star striker Van Persie to score the goals. Chelsea Just like in previous matches, David Luiz continues to be the only absentee for Jose Mourinho. The Brazilian has not played a single minute since the pre-season tour in United States and is unlikely to feature against Manchester United. Otherwise, Chelsea boss have a fully fit squad to choose from: Goalkeepers – Petr Cech, Mark Schwarzer Defenders – John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ryan Bertrand, Ashey Cole Midfielders – John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Marco van Ginkel, Ramires, Oscar, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Victor Moses, Andre Schurrle, Kevin De Bruyne Forwards – Fernando Torres, Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku Juan Mata has recovered from his minor injury and although he played against Aston Villa on Wednesday, the Spaniard did not look fully match fit and Mourinho said in his press conference afterwards that he should have perhaps used more fresh players as some looked tired having played 2 games in four days this early of the season which resulted in an average performance. Taking the manager’s comments into consideration, it is likely that Lampard – who played the full 90 minutes against Hull and Aston Villa – will find himself this time on the bench. Mourinho also admitted that he will continue rotate his strikers and after featuring just a few days ago, it is unlikely that Ba will be in the starting XI which leaves the door open for Torres or Lukaku to replace Ba. In regards to the formation, the team has predominantly been playing the 4-2-3-1 system but also, at times, line up in a 4-3-3 setup during matches and with the potential changes due to tiredness and rotation, Mourinho could begin with this starting XI: Cech Ivanovic – Terry – Cahill (Luiz) – Cole Ramires – Essien (Mikel) Mata (de Bruyne) – Oscar – Hazard Torres (Lukaku) Having said that, it should not be of a shock if the manager deploys a different formation from the one he used in the first two league matches to surprise Man United. Key players After scoring 26 Premier League goals last season which led Man United to the title, there is no doubt that Robin Van Persie is the key player for his side. The Dutchman has been in clinical form since joining the club last summer and has continued that goalscoring form this season having netted 4 goals in wins over Wigan and Swansea in the Community Shield and Premier League in recent weeks. He also scored twice against Chelsea last season when the two sides met at Stamford Bridge in the league which resulted in a 3-2 win for his side. Additionally, his team-mate, Danny Welbeck, has seem to found his knack of scoring again after netting twice against Swansea, which was one goal more than what he achieved in the whole of last season’s Premier League. For Chelsea, the spotlight has been pretty much shared by several players since last season and it continues to be that way this season with the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Mata, Lampard and De Bruyne capable of causing damage to any opposition. However, the key player for the Blues in this encounter could be Romelu Lukaku with his hat-trick against Man United on the last day of last season for West Brom – where he was on loan at - still fresh in the memories. The young Belgian striker scored 3 goals back then and helped his side to fight back from a 3-goal deficit twice to draw 5-5 against the Red Devils at the Hawthorns in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last ever game as manager. Moreover, he scored a total of 17 league goals for the Baggies, which was more than any Chelsea player managed in the league last season and will be keen to impress if given the nod to start at Old Trafford and spoil David Moyes’s first home game in charge as United’s manager. Match Odds Manchester United to WIN - 11/8 Draw - 23/10 Chelsea to WIN - 2/1 (Odds obtained from SkyBet) Coverage The match can be seen live on Sky Sports as it kicks at 8pm if you are living in UK or otherwise, it is also televised live on NBC Network in the United States and Al Jazeera if you are in the middle east. There should also be many match streams available online for viewing if you do not have access to any of the said channels. Also, if you happen to be busy or unable to catch the game live, follow TalkChelsea on Twitter as it will be providing live match commentary as the game unfolds. Click Here To View Article.

if we beat them - something we didn't do once last year - I'll do the dance myself

he's Willian's personal life friend. I'll translate because I don't know if someone else already did it) I won't translate it all because there are a lot of expressions that only make sense in Portuguese - slang and stuff - some of which I don't even know the meaning (I personally love 'O choro é livre' it reminds me of my brother who says it all the time and can be translated to 'Moping is for free') "Everything has its perfect timing. Friday my whatspp flashed a message from my friend @willianborges88 saying: 'bro check the sports sites'. Saturday he sends me this picture [i guess it's the one where he's wearing the #21 shirt in a stretcher] and says: 'my dream came true. I've cried, I've laughed, I've prayed, I've come to my knees and I don't even know what I feel anymore, I can't even type, it's more happiness than I can take, I'm signing with #Chelsea'. As I read those words a movie of his story was shown in front of me. Someone I'm honored to say I'm friends with and the small part of his story I've known in those 7 years we've been friends made me as happy as he was. From Celso Garcia to London. An exemplar professional, he left Corinthians the year the team was relegated and in 38 matches he scored only twice, being criticized by many, but having the support of others. But who knew him never doubted his potential. He went 'hiding' into East Europe (Ukrainian football). [People said] He went there only because of money. This boy is going to disappear in the football world. A year from now and nobody remembers who he is anymore. Still he went and have accomplished things that were until then unknown [i guess to him] such as being national champion many times, winning the UEFA League, winning best player in the league and more. That was how he built a winning career without ever losing the focus. I'm not going to name the many that were a step ahead of him in their careers and who dismissed a fellow player. If I mention the names it's going to cause a stir because they don't even play amateurs leagues now. A cab driver didn't want to take us because it was two black boys wanting to have a ride in a cab. Who called him a mercenary doesn't know what they're talking about. Thanks God those stories belong to the past. From now on only great things are to come and we'll laugh about it all. And here we are, friends, family, fans e you @WillianBorges88 thanking God for this chance that few will have in their careers. Nowadays the boys aren't even out of youth yet and their bodies are already covered in tattoos, holding a mobile and wearing fancy clothes, going to VIP areas in the night clubs, scoring half a dozen bodies and thinking they're already top players. Freeze the emotion, hold back a little, consolidate the career first before owning the social networks. Becoming a player is easy, the hard part is having a job and playing. There, I said it. Willian is Chelsea and the moping is for free" I really love how emotional Willian is about this transfer and I guess the old rumors that his dream has always been playing for Chelsea are true after all. He wouldn't send such messages to his friend if it was just another move for him.

don't know if someone translated it. I'm on page 100 'My dream came true. I'm very happy to be in the best team in the world. Thank You, Lord'

I'm late to the party, but I think this is a different league we have this year, so celebrating City losing 3 points - regardless of to who - is what I'm going to do. I expect a close run between them, us and United, so every time one of them drops points, I take it as a win for us. Of course it's too early, but they may miss those points 9 months from now. I hope they do. Also, City lost, let's do a happy dance!

he's my master (and idol), but I'm still far from his level. Maybe some day I could add the apprentice trend on my title member. Peace. Pupil or something. It'd feel right because he's definitely the one I look forward to

thanks, lovelies Well, I'm not exactly a supporter of the deal - I think we should have other priorities, but then again I don't know if they tried other players and were rejected... It's quality and I shared earlier what I think Mou has in mind (although who knows?) - in the Mata thread - and I hope it improves us considerably because 32M is a lot of money.

I clicked the yellow banner and it brought me to page 103... so the deal was made official?

so if I misunderstood your point, I'm sorry. I don't think I did... you were implying that there's nothing out of this world to play 60 matches when in Brazil players play 80. Not only I disagreed about it because the referential isn't the same as play is more physical in Europe so 60 matches there is much more demanding than 80 here, but also I questioned if anyone here does play 80 matches at all. I don't think the outfield players play, but if they do, you can't compare it to the 60 matches there... Consequently I believe rotation is necessary. As well as whoever was defending the Willian deal - which I don't defend btw. I don't think we need him. The quality has nothing to do with being intelligent or having a high opinion (there hundreds of people here, some will think Willian is a great sign, some will be doubtful, some hate it, there's no better or worse opinion, the same goes to Mourinho. I may have said a lot of BS, but that's my opinion and probably a few others think the same (or I suppose they do given they liked the posts), others the opposite (some even quoted me), others couldn't care less - that's the beauty of a forum, or at least that's why I joined... to discuss, to agree, to disagree, to learn, to share). But I'll draw it for you. It's how the discussions have been dragging about the same thing in a negative way. So just yesterday there was a de Gea debate, that ended with members calling each other names, I say comparing Europe and Brazil amount of matches is nonsense you call me names because I didn't quote you although it was just an opinion about something I read in the thread and I made sure I wanted to address the opinion, not the poster, people who disagreed about the Willian deal dragged the conversation to exhaustion and consequently some twisted words saying others consider Mourinho god when nobody stated it (and I think saying in Mou we trust is just a vow of confidence by giving him a chance to show what his plans are before saying he shouldn't have done it). Others twisted more words saying that people thought they knew better than Mourinho (something I'm sure nobody had the presumption to think when they showed their disagreement about the deal) and then they dragged it again and a few pleasantries were exchanged through the way. All of that was only yesterday and I'm sure there was more and I'm just forgetting about it. That's what I'm talking about. Maybe some people love to read it, but some others have been showing their discontent about how people are going too far too often. Who said anything about intelligent? You tell me to check my English, maybe we should do it together as we live fairly near to each other... I gave all examples about what I consider bad quality and while I called it childish and petty and I didn't call the opinions stupid or lacking intelligence although calling people names is stupid imo. And just so we don't make it yet another one of the petty arguments, if you have something else to say and I have something to add, I'll do it in a PM. edit: CHOULO19 & 30 minutes and I'll finish the preview. maybe we should post later after the Willian discussion wears down a bit, what do you think?

23 points... nuff said. This gw is doing just great

good, when I start coming here for people to hold me high or low, or when I start giving a shit about it, I'll send you a memo, until then I'm here to discuss football and mainly Chelsea. If I disagree or agree with their opinion, I'll post, sorry if I'm not into the trend of twisting words, posts, getting personal and calling people names. It doesn't make me superior, it just makes me (and a lot of people who made their opinion known in the many threads) fed up with the childish behavior lately. At the top of my mind I can mention at least 4 people who complained about the ~quality of the posting just this week. It's a lot of things, it's a lot of shit being said about players, about the club, about the manager, about the board, the owner, members personally attacking members and calling them names - or cheap short. Trust me, a lot of people complained in addition to me, and I'm sure they don't give a shit either if someone thinks they're superior, cheap short or whatever. I stand by my words compare the physicality of Europe and Brazil is nonsense. Although I don't have stats of every player that plays in Brazil, I doubt we'll find many (if any) outfield players that get 80 matches under their belt in a season.They rotate in the state championships, and even in Brasileirão (Brazil's league) when they reach the final stages of Libertadores and Brazil's Cup. Oscar played 64 matches for Chelsea last season and we didn't reach both domestic cups finals... so playing 60+ matches is a reality. I guess all people were trying to point out is that the many matches wear players down preventing them from continuing to play high level and increasing a lot the risk of injuries. Tennis players play much more in a year and some matches last hours, not only 90 minutes and they rely on only themselves. Nobody is stupid to say a professional football player can't play 60 matches... but the reasonable people were just arguing that it takes its toll on the players and they drop their level. I gave you all the reasons why I think the comparison is nonsense, I won't repeat myself. If you feel offended by my disagreement on your opinion, in an open thread, there's nothing I can do. Muzchap if that subforum ever comes to life, please, be kind enough to me - as you've been since my first day here - and let me know about it. I'm in dire need of such place.

which was pretty obvious from your first post, tbh I don't even bother to write certain kind of posts anymore. I also agree with what Muzchap said much earlier in the thread... discussions derail, words are twisted, and the rubbish is growing as well as stupid discussions. Anyway, I understood your point and I actually agree... And comparing the amount of matches in Europe with the amount of matches in Brazil is nonsense... maybe that's one of the reasons why teams use reserves (and sometimes even youth players) in the minor competitions in detriment to the final stages of bigger ones, they use the state championships basically as pre-season (we don't have pre-season matches here) and also why the quality is so bad even now that the clubs actually have more money spend, not to mention the high number of injuries... or how much of a joke is comparing the physicality of EPL to the competitions we have here [it's laughable] (not that it had anything to do with your post, but it's among one of the things I've read and wanted to address). I stopped reading Rooney's thread weeks ago, and although this one is quite new (the thread is old, the discussion is new), I feel like I already read it all. The same petty arguments have been dragged to exhaustion. I'm not taking away anyone's right to agree or disagree with the signing, but the way the same thing is repeated exhaustedly is sort of tiring. You click on the thread hoping to find some discussion about how the player could be used, alternatives, formations, etc... but it's the same discussion again. I do hope once the deal is confirmed and it becomes a current squad player thread the discussion about why we shouldn't have signed him doesn't carry on. Of course it will though.

yep. Tomorrow I'll post. If you guys have the odds and TV coverage to provide me - or tell me where to get them, I'd appreciate

what now? (pretending they didn't misspell his name)

I'm not sure if Willian threatens Mata. I do hope Mourinho isn't desperate enough to have Rooney - who I don't even rate that high as a striker - so he'd be willing to give ManUtd the one man that could improve their squad and make them even stronger. Willian threatens Kevin immediately, as he'll play where Kev has played in the first match, so I expect Kevin to warm the bench a lot this season. He'll probably start most matches there and there will be a lot of them when he won't be used - and a lot of them when he'll come as a sub. Something like 50/50 coming from the bench and a few starts. Mata could fight with Oscar for the CAM position and I think Mourinho favors Oscar in general because the team is less dependable on Mata now than it was last year and definitely much less than 2 seasons ago. And that becomes even clearer when he's strengthening the wings - so creative (and aggressive) play can come from there. The moment we got Eden and Oscar Mata automatically became less crucial for us because he could divide the creative work with them. Of course both needed a season to adapt, but my expectation has always been that in this season Mata would be less crucial because he was going to share the job with Eden and Oscar even more. It doesn't make Mata any less of a player, but it's only natural that where there was only one good AM and now there are three that the stats get shared between them. But then now we have Willian (nearly) and if Mourinho is bringing someone better for the position he initially wanted Mata to play it can mean two things: 1) He's directly replacing Mata in the position he wanted to use him and Mata will lose space in the team 2) He's moving Mata back to where he thinks he might be better (center). Here there are two sub-scenarios: move Oscar to a CM or DLP position and have Mata as the CAM or have the two fighting for the CAM position. Nobody but Mourinho has the answer to what his plans are. It could be diminishing Mata's influence in our squad or it could be cementing his position as a CAM. I'll give my two cents... and this is purely a guess. Mourinho found a perfect working formula in RM during his spell there. He had plenty of issues outside the pitch and the situation was unbearable and he decided to leave to the one place he knew he wouldn't have those problems. He's aiming to have the same formula here: two top players in the wings (Ronaldo, di María) + one creative CAM (Ozil) + one striker (Benzema/Higuain). When he arrived at Chelsea he had issues in half those positions and his first idea was to move Mata to one of the problems (RW) until André was ready to be the guy there (and then Mata could play on both positions, RW and CAM) - reason why I think we signed André in the first place. In the meanwhile (while Mata was in the RW) he would use a boy he sees potential to be what he needs in the middle (Oscar) who also has the high work-rate he loves. He didn't have a problem in the LW with Hazard and let's not talk about our ST situation. Then Anzhi goes on sale and he sees the perfect guy to strengthen one of his wings for real - instead of having to adapt Mata there (he must have watched Mata playing in the wings last season and he must be aware that it doesn't come close to his results in the middle). So while he's still having trouble to solve the ST, he solved one of the areas he thought we could improve to reach the level he has in mind. Now I have no idea what he plans to do with Kevin (it's obvious Moses will be loaned). I think Kevin was one of the main reasons why we were so amazing in the first half against Hull. Maybe he'll become an immediate sub to Willian, which makes me wonder where André will play then. Of course any of them could replace Eden in the LW, but the player I see Mourinho investing the most is Eddie, so I expect Hazard to play as many 90-minute matches as his shape allows him to. But he's no machine and his body may complain at the last third of the season. If we solve the ST issue (and I do hope we bring a new guy), André's prospects are even worse because he could be played as a striker down the road. Also counting that he'll loan Moses we still have a 23-player squad and while I don't take it literally that he wouldn't work with 23 because he said he prefers 22, that one player costs us money on monthly wages and maybe it isn't entirely up to him.

It's Ivan

whether or not de Gea is better than Cech or even good at all, can we all agree - except Jay - that we hope he fails Monday? At the end of the day anyone could make a mistake, the best keeper ever, and I hope he makes a mistake Monday, or isn't good enough, or we are too good for him. It doesn't matter what happens as long as the ball rests on his net.

yeah, but I'm not sure he won't transition through a false 9 before getting there. I agree I think he can be striker already, I've said it in this thread (or in Torres', not sure) a few times. If our problem with the striker situation escalates, André can always offer an alternative and if it comes down to that I do hope it's an improvement. I think his technique is limited. He isn't a disconcerting talented player - something a striker can always use - but maybe that's due to his age. Maybe with time he becomes our very own van Persie He's fast, he has a decent touch, he shoots well. The technique I meant isn't to shoot, but to create the fancy play before shooting. It's not about flashiness sometimes, but resources to do the unexpected or to make much out of little space, limited chances, etc... All that said, I'm still not 100% sold on him. I don't fear he'll become the next Marin as someone suggested above, but something about him makes me a bit unsure. I hope it's just because I haven't seen enough of him. Class and and natural technique can't be learned or taught. The guy either is born with it or not. It doesn't seem to be his case, but I know too little about him to really stand by that statement. For now I'm hopeful and seeing him as a promising alternative, all while being a bit unsure

that's what I said in the Willian thread. If Willian comes I think there's a possibility for us to play with André as a false 9 or just as a striker. He has the tools to do both I just feel like he's going to take a while to adapt - as expected - but yeah, he could be moving more and more forward as time goes. To this day I'm still feeling sorry for the chip against Hull that was just above the goal. Poor thing. I want to believe Roman, Mou and the board actually have a plan other than demoralize and make Spurs look like idiots.