Chelsea 2-1 West Brom

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Lukaku will not be playing on the wing. I would imagine our front 3 would be Malouda, Torres and Anelka. Unless AVB springs a suprise and plays with 2 up top Torres and Drogba. Would expect us to make a statement in this game, first home game of the season and a real chance to show what we are going to be about this season. Losing Cech is a blow but we should be able to soldier through until Man Utd without him.

Do you think AVB will play 4-3-1-2 like he did towards the end of the Stoke game with 2 strikers and Anelka a little bit behind them? Honestly I did not think it worked too well for us.

[EskWeston 696]

Do you think AVB will play 4-3-1-2 like he did towards the end of the Stoke game with 2 strikers and Anelka a little bit behind them? Honestly I did not think it worked too well for us.

I doubt he will do, i would think it will be a 4-3-3 again. The only real question is how does AVB intend to rotate Torres and Drogba?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I doubt he will do, i would think it will be a 4-3-3 again. The only real question is how does AVB intend to rotate Torres and Drogba?

I hope not, that's what got us knocked out of the CL last year.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

For me, though, it's all about us, and about us creating opportunities. I honestly feel at the moment that we still crave attacking width. On Sunday at Stoke we had Jose Bosingwa - who played well - as our best wide outlet going forward, with Ashley Cole doing the same on the left in the second half. If we're relying just on those two I feel we'll play too narrow.

It looks to me as if we're almost forcing the ball into the danger areas at times. Our current wide forwards don't naturally drop to the flanks, and when you're a player like Fernando Torres, who likes to run at goal, you need players high up the park supporting you. As you saw at the Britannia, he's making dangerous runs, but without support the gaps he creates quickly close.

Clive Walker

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/TalkingPoints/0,,10268~57909,00.html

[robdog 2,084]

HILARIO

IVANOVIC ALEX TERRY COLE

McEACHRAN

BENAYOUN RAMIRES

DROGBA LUKAKU

TORRES

I noticed you had Ivanovic in your 11. I haven't read or seen anything to suggest that Bane is fit to play. Do you have any info??? I was thinking that Bane could be involved in this match as well & I would like to see him. Also, I wouldn't mind to see Rajkovic either. I noticed he has been still w/ the club & been involved w/ the training sessions. Might as well introduce him to EPL action. Baggies would be a perfect fit for this lad.

[Tomo 21,681]

We need to wrap Hilario up in cotton wool the next few weeks, the thought of being left with Turnbull is giving me nightmares.

[manpe 10,855]

I noticed you had Ivanovic in your 11. I haven't read or seen anything to suggest that Bane is fit to play. Do you have any info??? I was thinking that Bane could be involved in this match as well & I would like to see him. Also, I wouldn't mind to see Rajkovic either. I noticed he has been still w/ the club & been involved w/ the training sessions. Might as well introduce him to EPL action. Baggies would be a perfect fit for this lad.

I think AVB said in press conference that Ivan is fit, I might be mistaken though

[robdog 2,084]

We need to wrap Hilario up in cotton wool the next few weeks, the thought of being left with Turnbull is giving me nightmares.

Yeah, but this match vs the Baggies would be a good run out for Turnbull. I think he is solid, just needs some more experience.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Can't wait to see Kalou score our first goal of the season and earn himself a new five-year contract.

[Laylabelle 9,296]

Yeah, but this match vs the Baggies would be a good run out for Turnbull. I think he is solid, just needs some more experience.

Saying that though they pulled out some surprise results last season...dont want this to be another one

Turnball can be good..ish...but will admit every time he goes to catch the ball just think 'eeeeeeeeeek!!!'

[dave30 728]

at the time i was very disappointed in avb for playing both Mikel and Ramires in Stoke . Obviously now i can see the reasons for playing mikel , but whats the point of somebody ( josh ) playing so well in pre season and then not getting played , same goes for yossi whats the point in only giving him 5 minutes we needed his creativity from the outset ?

[manpe 10,855]

at the time i was very disappointed in avb for playing Mikel and Ramires in Stoke . Obviously now i can see the reasons for playing mikel , but whats the point of somebody ( josh ) playing so well in pre season and then not getting played ?

How do you know he won't be played? You guys should stop judging the team's selection like it was for the whole season... based on the hardest away game in the league... Josh would have been broken in half in that game + Lampard was probably more effective in defending their set pieces. Playing a youngster the whole season in every game can have an undesired effect, that's why they come to regular football gradually over a period of time, not in a bang and then take over the world immedietaly. Some of you guys are unbelievable.... if he hasn't even touched the ball for the first team in a month or two, then I'm in on it, but now... I wish some people would just shut the fuck up over the team selection as if they were all Van Gaals, Bobby Robsons and Mourinhos. Many people were sceptical over playing Torres, they were proved wrong... why do you think Josh would have done better than Lamps in that game? None of the teams in pre-season put that kind of pressure on our players like Stoke, none of them closed you down like that, none of them were hoofing long balls and tackling as if there was no tomorrow. Have some faith in our manager will you?

[dave30 728]

How do you know he won't be played? You guys should stop judging the team's selection like it was for the whole season... based on the hardest away game in the league... Josh would have been broken in half in that game + Lampard was probably more effective in defending their set pieces. Playing a youngster the whole season in every game can have an undesired effect, that's why they come to regular football gradually over a period of time, not in a bang and then take over the world immedietaly. Some of you guys are unbelievable.... if he hasn't even touched the ball for the first team in a month or two, then I'm in on it, but now... I wish some people would just shut the fuck up over the team selection as if they were all Van Gaals, Bobby Robsons and Mourinhos. Many people were sceptical over playing Torres, they were proved wrong... why do you think Josh would have done better than Lamps in that game? None of the teams in pre-season put that kind of pressure on our players like Stoke, none of them closed you down like that, none of them were hoofing long balls and tackling as if there was no tomorrow. Have some faith in our manager will you?

Lampard was just invisible against Stoke . The point im trying to make is that i didn't see the point in playing two more defensively minded midfielders together against a team that is notoriously tough to break down . What infuriates me is that some people on here seem to think josh is made of glass , and that he needs to be slowly induced into the team as not to put to much pressure on him . What im trying to say is that we could have entered the opening fixture with slightly more creativity and play those who have played well in pre season .

[manpe 10,855]

What infuriates me is that some people on here seem to think josh is made of glass , and that he needs to be slowly induced into the team as not to put to much pressure on him.

You think otherwise? I trust AVB's judgement on those matters a bit more... a lot more actually

[dave30 728]

You think otherwise? I trust AVB's judgement on those matters a bit more.

i do , i believe if your good enough you should play simple as whatever your age could be . and i don't believe he is particularly week as a player far from it in my opinion . i trust in avb to im just expressing my opinion as a fan on a certain minor point in a previous game surely that's sort of the point of a forum .

[manpe 10,855]

Ok, fair enough... I was more generally responding to people who attack AVB's decisions aggressively, almost with a "sack that shit" type of feeling and who are having preconceptions based on one game. Everybody calls for club's patience in its manager, but the fans never seem to have patience of their own. If it was up to the fans, he'd probably be already sacked

[St Abramovich 175]

Anyone think Benayoun will start?

[dodojojo 510]

Anyone think Benayoun will start?

I would like Benayoun to start. Hodgson will order all his players to stay in their own for most of the game and I think a #10 like Yossi will help spot some passes for Torres.

But it looks like he's off to Spurs and as a precaution, he probably won't be played. Imagine if he got injured and it scuppers the Modric deal?