Barbara

I'm not sure that was worth a direct red... it was harsh, but I think Mourinho's pressure before the match, the players' pressure the moment of the tackle seemed to make the referee's head, but I don't know if I'd complain if he only gave Ibra a yellow

it feels like he said 'this is my match to shine'

lol Ibra

the lack of class/technique Cahill has touching the ball is abysmal

good to see we learned how to press again. I suppose that's has been our best 15 minutes of pressing the whole season. We had some good matches doing it, but today it's top class - like it should always be. I really like this formation as I've been saying since the West Ham game... we look sharp (I'd still have Zouma instead of Cahill, but I hope he has a great match)

#willnevergetoverit

Actually Willian offers near to 0 in the attack while Ramires assisted a goal last match and hit the post (instead of missing an open goal like Willian did). Early this season Rami was linking up better and had a few assists under his name. His finishing is on and off, but even then is years ahead of Willian. Also, where are the people that say Oscar never starts big games? cricket cricket cricket That said Oscar and Cahill need to back up Mourinho's trust on them.

neither I assumed you were, I was completing your previous assessment as to why he's been injured in january. We have a great medical department that fixed players known for often muscular injuries. Eva doesn't get enough credit for great work as well as the rest of her team.

disappointed to see Cahill in the lineup, but I hope he has a good match. All the rest is what I said yesterday I hoped and expected, Matic-Fabregas pivot with Ramires-Oscar-Hazard ahead of them. guess he's the one who had the last laughter? Hope he also has a good match.

we have state of art medical room with very competent professionals. We're reference in that department imo. We fixed Cesc (and others). He said after a few months here that for the first time in years he was playing without pain. Every player is subjected to being injured by another player - it doesn't make them injure prone, but unfortunate. That's what happened with him, he was hurt in a tackle, but physically he's been at top form since his move to Cobham. Actually many players arrive at the club with some repetitive muscular injury throughout their career and we see it disappear when they stay here. also, maybe I'm naive, I'm not too demanding or I'm just biased as heck about him, but I can't dare say a word about Cesc because he's already given us so much this season. Of course, I hope he continues to perform, delivering assists - hopefully starting today - til the end of the season, but he's been instrumental for us to be where we are, I can't fault him for not replicating 15 assists in almost 20 matches in the other 20 matches we still had to play this year.

Sad is seeing our own fans spreading this out every day It doesn't take his injuries and time off in those, purposefully ignores the seasons prior to those where his had better second halves. I understand cules being bitter about him, what I don't understand is our own fans holding onto those things as if they were football gospel. Now one question, the only that really matters. Did he improve us or not? Are he and his assists one of the main reasons we're on verge of winning the league or not? If the answer to those questions is 'Yes' then I'd politely ask Chelsea fans to shut about this BS. I accept and actually laugh when opposition fans say those things because deep down they're jealous. Or when media like DM write articles about it to sell papers or get hits. Now when Chelsea fans are on a broken record the about it? Shameful and ungrateful are the only words crossing my mind. Talking solely about his time with Chelsea I don't see a decrease of form by him but by the team and he played very well against Spurs and for me he's the one with the assist to the second goal even if the FA considered that an own goal.

Manchester United is the new Real Madrid. they'll buy everything and everyone and it'll be a mess. Of course the guy leading assists in Europe would be their target. Next comes RM - then there'll be a bid war and he'll end up in Manchester. Definitely an upgrade to Mata, Fellaini and whoever van Gaal plays there these days (it's hard to catch up as they have a new formation every three seconds)

Your memory fails you. He was injured during the last part of the pre-season and that's why he hasn't played in the first few games - because he was recovering. Hardly something to complain about. Anyone with the slightest tactical awareness wouldn't want Mata in their team in England (which means a few managers would want him) because he's not suitable for the style of the league and the style most teams adopt. Maybe he'd find a spot at Arsenal, but with the players they have for AM, not likely. Yes, he was CHELSEA's (not the EPL) player of the year for two years in a row, in a system that protected HIM and exposed the TEAM. Mind you, we finished 3rd - 14 points behind and 6th in those two brilliant years of Mata here because that's what comes with the package. For him to shine, he needs a team built around him. He's slow, small and weak, so the risk of giving him a free role is considerable in any league, but in England suicidal. He doesn't track back - not because he's lazy, but because he doesn't have the tools (physically or technically), he doesn't hold up the ball well - he's very quick in his thinking and he has one of the best visions in the sport currently, but with the ball on his feet, he can't hold up because he's easily dispossessed by a physical opponent and his slowness also expose the zone in the pitch he's carrying the ball. That's the thing, Mata isn't one for carrying the ball, he's one for a pass, for set-pieces and for quick 1-2's. A possession based team doesn't suit him, a counter-attack based team doesn't suit him. Few systems suit him and even less if he's not the main man with tons of freedom and a team built around him. I'm not saying he's useless, horrible, an atrocity. I'm just saying he doesn't fit modern football much and he's more suitable to leagues/teams that haven't evolved to that yet. as most teams have been evolving to this modern style of attackers defending, defenders attacking, high press at all areas in the pitch, more athletically and physically strong players, pace, stamina and whats not - less and less he'll have a chance to really shine in a big team. all big teams to a lesser or higher degree have been adapting to those things. There are few exceptions, all of which already have better options for their attack than him. It's sad, but imo, not even up to debate that the best years of his career are behind him and he was only able to shine as much as he did here at the cost of exposing our whole midfield. Which showed in our league results while he was here.

I love Creed

I think the team that will start tomorrow is the same that started against West Ham - except Matic for Cahill, with Zouma back as a CB. The team played very well in the first half imo and while Courtois had to make a few difficult saves, I think that match was more likely to end 3-0 than 1-1. That's what I expect to see and honestly what I hope to. Few times lately the team I expected Mou to get is the same I hoped to see. Also I don't think we'll be too negative in our approach. I'm not saying we'll be bombing forward, but I don't expect us to be overly defensive either.

he's in route to winning his 3rd EPL title in 5 seasons with us. I can't see Arsenal or Liverpool becoming title contenders, so it's between us and the Manchester teams and we're way more stable than both are now. He may not win 13 EPL titles, but I think he could end up with a bunch of them if the club is really betting on stability.

I'm not well informed about other teams to know where he could slot in and where he couldn't to be honest. I've been watching basically only Chelsea since the calendar year started. My point was why he was naming a list made of mostly strikers as a reason to why Mata wouldn't start at those teams. This puzzles me, as he doesn't normally take a striker position (even if he plays immediately behind the striker), but a midfield one...

why are you talking about strikers? He's a CAM....

I don't get why people are worried about a suspension. Isn't it a known fact he doesn't perform on second halves of seasons neither in big games? So missing him for Arsenal and ManU would be a blessing in disguise in their book, wouldn't it?

Chelsea fans that come to TC? Pffffff We have one of the best strikers in the world at the moment, one of the guys with the best goal-return and who has an attitude that few players - regardless of position - have. go to his thread and have a read. I don't see people 'drowning in their cum', I see a bunch of spoiled brats that don't know the first thing about supporting. They're all smiles, praise and cum swimming when he's scoring, but come from all holes saying all kind of shit when the guy goes through a very short drop of form or is taking the absurdity of three matches to regain his best form after being sidelined for a few weeks because of a ban. So, no, it wouldn't matter if he was at Chelsea or not, people would be moaning about him whenever he went 3-4 matches without scoring or had 2 bad days of linkup in a row. That's how this forum rolls. But if we bought him and sold him, then they'd be drowning in Kane's cum, sucking his D - just too keep with the analogy you chose to use.

I agree with the notion he has weak/poor second halves of season, but I also agree with you to a small extent that he hasn't been as bad as people are making him out to be this particular second half. He's been okay, but then again, most of our attackers as you said have too. Cesc and Diego missed a few matches through injury, suspension (but then again, so did Oscar), Willian seemed to have picked some form since Cuadrado arrived - but hasn't played to that level the last two games imo (dropping a bit quality, no surprise he's been benched, he's definitely tired). Cuadrado is a non-factor, Remy and Drogba didn't play enough to be part of the argument. One could make a case for Hazard, but while he's had some very good matches this calendar year, he hasn't influenced in some others. As a team we've been poor in most of our presentations this calendar year, still people will only talk about Oscar... the players are tired - we had little rotation in the squad, our bench - especially midfielders - weren't in good form to come off the bench and change a game for us, quite the opposite, they were in bad form/condition technically or/and physically. Matic even admitted after one match they aren't robots. They ARE tired, there's no doubt about it and while I wish we had rotated more, when I looked to our bench and the kind of performances they had, I completely understood why Mourinho was reluctant. Schurrle and Ramires have been sick/injured for too long, both came back rusty. Salah more often than not was an horror show (which surprises me how he's doing so great at Fiorentina. He's missed some very stupid passes, linkups, and even goals while he was here). Who exactly would replace one between Oscar, Willian and Hazard? Not to mention all our strikers picked injuries too...

I don't think anyone would offer this money for him. I think he's a nice squad member when he's not performing to his best (and good in his apartment when he's bad). As I said I don't oppose to an upgrade. If we sell him we need to sign a new guy AND a backup. If we keep him, we sign a new guy, he's the backup, the guy for certain matches, to rotate the team, or when we face some injuries. Mourinho rotated very little this season because we have an awful bench form wise. Now that Ramires is back though we have more options. Willian is in no way better than Oscar imo (all things considered), Cesc doesn't produce as much in the #10 position as he does from the pivot and Eden has rarely been used as a #10. Get us someone to start most matches, if that's the case, but there's no point selling a guy that coming from the bench can always crack a goal for us, maybe assist or give a couple of key passes. There's no need to get rid of him from the squad, from the starting XI maybe, but not from the squad.

you've been missed. I was wondering where you went the other day. Happy to have you back.

If I took most people on this thread seriously I would be pissed, as I don't, I just smirk a bit and shake my head. Oscar was one of our best players in the first half. Created that chance for Costa at mark 6, another for Hazard, a through ball for Ramires from our field, and another one I can't remember now to whom... he linked up very well with the players surrounding him and while it wasn't an outstanding performance, by the comments made by the same old people here you'd think he was awful. He pressed and ran a lot and actually when he was involved we had control of the ball, and kept possession. His second half was mediocre, but then again, was he mediocre or was Chelsea pressed, neutralized and didn't offer much response until right in the end of the match? As I said, good thing I stopped taking you people seriously a long time ago. Your bias about your own player is laughable and quite honest shameful. He deserves criticism and I wouldn't oppose at all for an upgrade. The thing is most names suggested here aren't actually upgrades or don't suit the system. The kid can make a good squad member and I liked that formation the best - recently. Just bring Matic back, so Zouma can go to the CB and play Ramires-Oscar-Hazard behind Costa, with Fabregas with Matic. Not only Ramires has been playing pretty well recently, but he (nor Oscar) wouldn't have missed the ridiculous goal Willian missed. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Mourinho replaces Willian for Ramires for a few games and if we play like we did in the first (in an away derby), I think it'll last more than a few games.

Totally agree. I'm only now watching the match and with everyone saying he passed the ball to someone that was better positioned than him... I mean, am I blind or are people? Hazard had more chances to score the goal than willian. Hazard had the keeper ahead of him, Willian had two players trying to block his shot - which one of them did (Willian still should have scored though). But had you asked me who had more chances of scoring there? Hazard imo