Stoke 0-0 Chelsea

[didierforever 7,349]

any idea of the starting line up... hope its dd who starts... flanked by flo n kalou...

[Grillinnap 129]

Ancelotti would start Torres.

[Laylabelle 9,381]

Think seeing Arsenal and Liverpool drop points made me less confident!! Hopfully can go out a get a win and take advantage early on of dropped points

[chrismada9 1,948]

Think seeing Arsenal and Liverpool drop points made me less confident!! Hopfully can go out a get a win and take advantage early on of dropped points

Yeah I agree, but we still have City and United to play yet. Arsenal and Liverpool normally battle it out for 4th place right?? :eyebrows:

[Laylabelle 9,381]

Yeah I agree, but we still have City and United to play yet. Arsenal and Liverpool normally battle it out for 4th place right?? :eyebrows:

Hopfully this year they'll battle it out for 5th...

[chrismada9 1,948]

Hopfully this year they'll battle it out for 5th...

Arsenal failing to qualify for Europe! Now that's what I'd love to see!

[Edo 2]

No-one has beaten us on the opening day of a season since Coventry City back in 1998! Hoping we can maintain that record! It only happens once every year!

[ulsterchelsea 3,221]

Hopfully this year they'll battle it out for 5th...

im hoping this year them and spuds will be battling it out for relegation :giggle:

[ulsterchelsea 3,221]

anyone else particularly underwhelmed by our line up? Looking past the initial excitement of AVB i feel that not enough has changed for us to mount a serious prolonged title challenge! I know we won all our pre season matches but against who? I would love to think that our problems from last season were all down to Carlo and that AVB,s new outlook and methodology will transform us completely but im dubious. Anyway enough with my negativity ... come on chels prove me wrong PLEASE

[BlueLion. 21,491]

No-one has beaten us on the opening day of a season since Coventry City back in 1998! Hoping we can maintain that record! It only happens once every year!

You're asking for an ass-raping with that sort of comment

[magic weeds 446]

anyone else particularly underwhelmed by our line up? Looking past the initial excitement of AVB i feel that not enough has changed for us to mount a serious prolonged title challenge! I know we won all our pre season matches but against who? I would love to think that our problems from last season were all down to Carlo and that AVB,s new outlook and methodology will transform us completely but im dubious. Anyway enough with my negativity ... come on chels prove me wrong PLEASE

Its going to take sometime before the players start playing exactly the way AVB wants them to. So we should be patient with the team to adjust to the new system and philosophy. That being said, I'd happily take 1:0 wins in this month of August.

[zolayes 14,489]

even a draw wouldn't be a bad result

[bluephoenix 1,126]

even a draw wouldn't be a bad result

draw is not good for the team morale

[Styles 9,790]

One thing I would say is that we cannot make any real conclusions on the team selection today. Sturridge is suspended, Torres suffered a concussion so really shouldn’t even be in the squad as that is dangerous and the boss has already said that he is searching for two more players in the transfer market.

So if you see some players you are personally unhappy with in the team today then don’t jump to conclusions and think that is his best team. The squad is still not final and perhaps somebody who plays today is not really in the long-term plans i.e. Ferreira, Kalou etc.

[Styles 9,790]

draw is not good for the team morale

A draw away at Stoke isn't the end of the world. They've already played competitive Europea League football so will be pretty sharp in terms of fitness. Obviously a win would be ideal but I don't see why a draw would have an impact on morale. If it was away to QPR then yeah that would be sad but away to Stoke? No way.

[Tomo 21,733]

One thing I would say is that we cannot make any real conclusions on the team selection today. Sturridge is suspended, Torres suffered a concussion so really shouldn’t even be in the squad as that is dangerous and the boss has already said that he is searching for two more players in the transfer market.

So if you see some players you are personally unhappy with in the team today then don’t jump to conclusions and think that is his best team. The squad is still not final and perhaps somebody who plays today is not really in the long-term plans i.e. Ferreira, Kalou etc.

I heard Gourlay is drawing up their new five year contracts that will be signed when they get back into london

[Styles 9,790]

I heard Gourlay is drawing up their new five year contracts that will be signed when they get back into london

LOL

DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT MAN! :redcard:

[TomCFC 356]

Not to jinx it or anything, but we've never lost to Stoke in the Premier League...