petre.ispirescu

Dortmund, Lyon - these two clubs in particular have decided they can't cope with today's market. Instead have decided to nurture young talent and play attacking football at the expense of trophies. And they do a pretty good job to be fair - both are fun to watch and make tons of money. On the other hand, to me it looks that the Chelsea of 2018 and I mean the board want to invest very little from their own pocket and at the same time fight for the biggest trophies. Can't have it both ways to be honest. We play dull football at the moment because the personnel is dull as well. If the board plan to follow this path of investing very little then why can't they propose something like a two year plan of totally rebuilding with young players while playing attacking football. At least it would be a win win scenario for all of us and fans won't have that big expectations either and would enjoy every matchday. The Chelsea of a few years ago would have had Sanchez snapped and playing against Leicester already.

Seeing the news he's going to leave at the end of the season - what a travesty this is. If it is his choice then fair play to him, he's not been backed enough and deserves better. But if it is the club pushing him away - then I am out for words.

We've rested 9 of our starters against Norwich, we should put at least two past Arsenal - their defence is bang average.

Can't help but laugh reading the RedCafe threads - the people that few years ago would destroy Mourinho for every word he would say, now are making a hero out of him. They say Conte is an idiot for biting the bait as Mourinho did not even mention his name, but who else did Mourinho refer to for Christ's sake??? Chris Hughton? David Wagner? Of course not... It was Conte all the time and this is not fresh news and Mourinho keeps spouting shit about Chelsea and Conte for one and a half year now. But Conte never said a thing in response in one and a half year and now when he takes action he is somehow deemed as a fool. Like Mourinho should be the only one making allegations and if somebody replies then he is an idiot for letting himself dragged into Mourinho's mind games. But if somebody does not reply to him either then he is considered a pussy and Mourinho gets all the plaudits for being that clever that nobody can't stand in front of his words. Finally there is somebody that can take Mourinho to his game and speaks the fan's mind. I truly have waited for so long for somebody to call Mourinho a senile git because this is what he is now.

Has a fart for a brain, that ball was going in, but some players are just plain dumb and have no awareness. There are so many players out there with massive amounts of talent, but brainless as fuck. Pogba and Lukaku first that come in mind atm, they simply look like those buddies you go out in town, place is full of hot chicks and they make a fool of themselves by simply opening their mouth.

Our club might have its flaws, but one sure thing about Chelsea that most of our fans (and neutrals too) will agree is that this is not a selling club and has never bent over in front of the Madrids and Barcelonas. This club has always had terrific players during the past 15 years and the only noticeable departure was Robben to Madrid in 2007. Other than that Chelsea has always kept its best players no matter which club was sniffing around. Eden Hazard is one lovely chap that you simply cannot hate if he is to go. But I am sure it will be on Chelsea's terms and not some bullshit amount Madrid will be throwing in. I don't know if it is Conte's influence or not, but for those watching Chelsea week in, week out, it's crystal clear Hazard has elevated his game to new heights for the past year and a half. If the likes of Dembele with one good season under his belt or Van Dijk, a centre back, coming from a small club are worth 100M, respectively 75M, then Hazard can't be worth less than 200M in today's market. Add a great World Cup campaign to this and the price could sky rocket during the summer.

I think that the best thing about this season is that it is City playing this brand of football and not United, Liverpool or Arsenal. For the vast majority of PL fans, myself included, City let's face it are a bit irrelevant, they are nobody's arch rivals, not even United's dare I say. But if this was United, Liverpool or Arsenal having this kind of season I think I'd have only watched 90 mins of PL every round when Chelsea was playing and then completely disconnected myself from any PL action/news/forum etc. until Chelsea's next match.

Very good defender but it's crystal clear Coutinhos on the move. No way are Liverpool a club to spend 123M on two players (Keita & Van Dijk) w/o getting anything in return. Think Coutinho leaving will have a much bigger (negative) impact than the arrival of Van Dijk. Yes he will probably improve that defence, but Coutinho is the X factor in that team.

So it has been a few months since there is a lot of talk of Alex Sandro to Paris and I've always wondered why would he go there when they have Kurzawa who is a very good player and fits their style of play. And French. I simply did not trust the rumours to be fair. But now there is a lot of talk in France about Kurzawa having been told to find a new team - Paris have put him on sale for 25M. So I guess the rumours were true in the end. Or at least it's beginning to look so.

Infos provided in this Vidal rumour are simply not to be trusted IMHO - silly wages on a long term deal for a player over 30, something that the board is not ready to do I think. Otherwise Vidal is quality and would bring something we miss at the moment and that is leadership. 31 in May but such as Fernandinho who in May turns 33 and playing the best football of his career, I think Vidal also still has at least two big seasons left at the highest level. He's also best friends with Alexis Sanchez - if by any chance this transfer is meant to work two ways and by this I mean to reinforce our midfield and also atract Alexis Sanchez here, then I say let's fucking do this. Would even pay the 30M that Arsenal is going to ask for him next month, although he might have his mind set on City for next summer. But I'd still try.

Bild quote Chile's "La Cuarta" and you just have to read that article to realize their infos are shite. He'd supposedly sign a four year deal worth 13.5M pounds per season. Yeah right, soon to be 31 singning a mega money four year deal for a club with a strict policy on transfers & contract renewals for players over 30.

The media in England is so weird and full of keyboard warriors. They'd go on and destroy anybody in the written newspapers, but when they are face to face with the managers/players in the interviews/press conferences they act like pussies. That reported saying "But you've spent money as well, 300M" seemed to be in the mood for a Mourinho meltdown, but for some reason he stopped there. Mourinho keeps talking about shit goals they concede, how lucky others are, but nobody seems to have the courage to confront him and tell him about the Arsenal match when there was no difference between Burnley playing away today and United playing away at Arsenal, or the fact that he spent absurd amounts on a brainless centre forward and an overrated midfielder that was supposed to lift United to three wins out of three after his ban was over. The vast majority of Manure fans think they're not closer to City because Pogba has missed when playing the big teams. Well he's played against Bristol, Leicester and Burnley and he's done jack shit.

I don't know but I really think that against these smaller sides, especially at home, we should ditch the three at the back formation and add an extra attacker. Also there is no need for two defensive minded midfielders.

Not writing Bakayoko off yet, still young, still a lot of room for improvement, Chelsea not having a great season either, but you have to wonder what he adds to the game these days. There is no need for him defensively as Kante and the three centre backs have a pretty easy match and offensively he's contributing nothing. Seems to be stuck in between the attacking lines where he is nowhere to be seen.

Off to Brighton for 18M. Not only the 40M quoted price last summer seems to have vanished over night, he's joining a shite club as well.

Think Rashford is going to get the dogs abuse from Mourinho from now on.

What I am about to say you can easily find on Man United and Liverpool forums these days, and by this I mean all sorts of delusional stuff like "If we would have..." and bullshit like that. I do not like it, BUT... there are four matches this season after which I felt worse than after a defeat against a big rival. 2-3 v Burnley, 1-2 v Palace, 0-1 v West Ham and 0-0 v Everton. It's 11 points dropped here by plain and pure stupidity against shite sides in matches that we have totally controlled but conceded fucking stupid goals and looked like shite in front of goal. I mean there is no shame in losing after your opponents have a good game, but fuck me look at Everton, Courtois could have read a book today in goal and still would have left Goodison with a clean sheet, West Ham have had one single chance and scored, Palace the same. Whereas Chelsea had all the ball but looked horrendous in the final third. Chelsea need to start matches on the front foot against these type of teams and score early, too many times we get dragged into their lethargic style of play and when we wake up it's too late. Conte must practice playing against double deckers and for once ditch the three at the back late in the game when we chase the win. And frankly the lack of quality wide players has ruined this season. Moses and Alonso - I'd say they would probably be the best set of back-up full-backs in the league should they sit on the bench. But as regulars - not Chelsea quality.

Hahahah what a match

Listen to Carragher after Arsenals second Hahahahah

Should happen any minute live on Sky Sports. Agree it is going to be Arsenal v Bristol and Chelsea v City.

I agree mate and I hate to say it but there is a lot of things to learn from this season's Manchester City. The Mancini and Pellegrini era - there is nothing special about it - but the current Man City are a perfect example of how football should be played and how things should be done in the transfer market. They replaced the two buffoons Hart and Bravo with a young, modern and very good GK, Ederson. They needed full backs urgently to replace old timers Zabaleta, Sagna, Clichy, Kolarov. Lost some attacking players Iheanacho, Nolito, Navas, Bony - had to bring somebody and went on to buy Bernardo Silva. 99 out of 100 managers would think a midfield of David Silva and De Bruyne is unbalanced because there is no big lamp post like Matic or Fellaini there, nor a headless chicken like Ander Herrera to chase every player's ankle like it is a personal trophy. Not for Guardiola though. They are playing beautiful football and breaking records because they are that good. Part of me hates it because it's Man City doing these sort of stuff instead of Chelsea, but the other part is glad because there is finally somebody to completely destroy the myth that in England you cannot play this sort of football. They did not penny pinch in the transfer market and got their transfers done the first time asking. We need to be clever in the summer and get our transfers done early. Identify the positions and players we need and get it done fast. No more Zappacostas and Drinkwaters. Azpilicueta, Christensen, Kante, Hazard and Morata should be the only outfield players to remain in the starting line-up. Others need to be replaced and have on the bench or sold. Do we want to compete with the big clubs? Then must bring two top full backs, two top midfielders, one top centre back and one top winger at least. If not we'll be watching City turning this into Scottish PL until Guardiola gets bored and leave.

Can't be fooling ourselves here, truth is our only chance of going through was drawing Istanbul. In or out of form Barcelona or the fact that they are not the same like a few years ago, it simply does not matter - we are not good enough and our tactics fit the high pressing teams like a glove. Five at the back works for the short term and never against the big teams. And this is a fact. And to complete the misery - Cahill is one of the centre backs and there is no decent full back in Chelsea's squad. I'm always the optimist, but I truly fear this is the tie where Hazard decides there is no point in extending that contract and forces a move elswhere. Same goes for Courtois. Why I am saying this? Because not only we have a poor back line (bar Azpi and Christensen), but if we're going to play five at the back with Marcos Alonso, Cahill, Moses/Zappacosta there, not only we'll be unable to string two or three consecutive passes, but Hazard and Morata will be feeling so isolated upfront, they'll wish they'd have been left on the bench rather than having to chase shadows throughout the two legs.

United v Juventus Paris v Real Barcelona v Bayern Chelsea v Besiktas

Inb4 people light another candle on our grave thinking we've already drawn Paris even though Monday is still five days away, look at United's possible opponents - Bayern, Juventus, Real Madrid, Napoli, Sevilla, Leipzig/Porto. City could face - Bayern, Juventus, Real Madrid, Basel, Sevilla, Porto/Leipzig. Liverpool v Bayern, Juventus, Napoli, Real Madrid, Basel, Leipzig/Porto. Spurs v Bayern, Juventus, Napoli, Basel, Sevilla, Leipzig/Porto. (As @BlueLyon quoted me before, I agree Napoli should go through - they beat Feyenoord and wait for a City win in Ukraine. Guardiola is clever, he'll go there for a win and help Napoli advance to next round. He already beat Napoli, knows how to beat them and surely will want them instead of Shaktar to go through and possibly face the likes of Paris, Barcelona, United) Everything is centred on Chelsea and how we will draw one of Paris/Barcelona next, but wouldn't it be funny as hell for us to draw Besiktas, whereas at least two out of the other four English teams get a nightmare draw? Haha

Minutes after tonights match - "Willian is shit. We bottled it." Monday after we draw Besiktas next and United & City get Bayern & Real Madrid: "Thank God for all the wasted chances. Thank you Willian." (Drank to much, yes I know... haha)