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Raul Meireles

chrismada9

By chrismada9,
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BlueLion.

BlueLion. 21,491

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Meireles | Where does he fit in at Chelsea?

At the end of the transfer window all Chelsea eyes were fixated on a potential move for Luka Modric, the saga of the summer some would argue, a battle of will between player and club, however when it came to it Raul Meireles was the player that eventually moved to Chelsea in a surprise £12m from Liverpool to Chelsea, some would argue that this isn’t the type of player Chelsea need however he is a player who is capable of defending and attacking, being an able tackler as well as being able to create goals and score them.

Raul-Meireles-v-Chelsea.png

In the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge most will remember his display as he scored a goal but also put in a decent shift, over the season he did well, scoring 5 goals as well as creating 5 goals. As we can see from the chalkboard above Meireles is an able passer of the ball only misplacing 6 of his passes, based on the evidence he is comfortable in both halves, he can be attacking as well as being able to help defensively, with Mikel, Ramires and Lampard seeming to be a settled three in midfield where would a player like Meireles fit?

Mikel and Ramires have had decent starts to the season, especially the latter who made a fantastic run in order to gain a penalty against Norwich for Lampard to dispatch. Lampard on the other hand hasn’t really regained the form of the double season, troubled by injury and age he sometimes slows the midfield down and this seems to be a problem, therefore it’s arguable that Meireles would replace Lampard in a midfield three. Again, I’m going to refer back to the game against Liverpool at home and do a statistical comparison (courtesy of the Stats Centre) of the two.

Meireles-v-Lampard-2.png

Meireles-v-Lampard-1.png

On the left is the statistics of Meireles while on the right are the statistics of Lampard, the differences in styles are clear, Meireles is more of an all round midfielder while Lampard is an attacking one, Meireles made two tackles and successfully getting the ball on both occasions, Lampard made one and didn’t. In terms of passing, Lampard made more passes however Meireles has a better pass completion with near 84% in comparison to Lampard’s 79%, in open play his pass completion rate was even better at an impressive 89%. When it comes to attacking though there are clear differences, Meireles made no crosses while Lampard successfully completed two, Lampard also created three chances while Meireles only created the one in this game.

Fernando+Torres+Raul+Meireles+Liverpool+v+UWUompIjFzYl-300x200.jpg

Meireles & Torres celebrate against Chelsea

What is clear from the analysis of this game is that Meireles last season was arguably a better overall midfielder, he had 79 tackles over Lampard’s 53 over the whole of last season and had 69 interceptions compared to Lampard’s 30. However Lampard was more of an attacking influence, despite a dip in form and injury Lampard still managed to score 10 goals compared to Meireles’ 5. It is arguable whether Meireles deserves to start but his main rival for a starting place seems to be Lampard based on current form, some parts of Chelsea fans want Lampard to take more of a ‘Giggs role’, as he gets older he becomes more of a squad player making an impact coming off the bench, Meireles could arguably be his successor as the attacking midfielder in the trio although Juan Mata could also feature in what looks like a positive future for Chelsea’s midfield.

http://www.eplindex.com/raul-meireles-fit-chelsea/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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manpe

manpe 10,861

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I've been inactive for a while, but thought I'd express my happiness over signing him... I don't know why I like him, but I just do. He seems to be a passionate and tough player who gives his all in every game... Yes, Modric is more creative, but he's also weaker physically and probably worse defensively.. Plus I don't think Modric's shot is as good as his. Totally different players, but Chelsea would benefit from both.. This time we opted for Meireles because Sperms are wankers, I'm fine with it. You can't always get what you want.

And the fact that Meireles came for little money and without hassle will take pressure off him. Modric like most other big money and big hassle signings would probably have struggled for a while because of the pressure to perform miracles.

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jonnykeogh

jonnykeogh 3

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I put a post on the 'deadline day' forum, people complaining he is just another B2B midfielder I think will be (hopefully) pleasantly proven wrong. He is not a B2B midfielder in the Ramires mould, he is a more creative and technical player but also has a good engine that allows him to get up and down the pitch. That engine is an asset in that he can be found more regularly in higher offensive positions which can only benefit the likes of Torres.

The other big plus was that he handed in a transfer request so late on to force the move through showing his desire to join us. Modric never showed the same desire for me, he never pushed it as far as he could to force a move, instead prefering to save face and reluctant to waive any loyalty bonuses. I would much rather someone join who wants to play for this club.

Good luck Raul, I think he will turn out to be a very good signing.

Very valid point made here!

As for those critisizing our board, what planet are you on???

Maybe they've deserved a bit of critisism over the last few years for bringing in washed out players and not investing in youth, but we have finally invested for the future this season BIG TIME!! We currently have over 10 players who are under 25 who are possibly worthy of a place in the first team squad, but some are out on loan. We have been crying out for freshness and a long term goal and we have finally got it. We have made brilliant young signings in Lukaku, Mata, Romeu and Courtois and looking forward. Meireles was a back up to Modric, but that is great because at least we had that back up!!

Previous seasons we have let players like Deco, Ballack, J. Cole and Carvalho without really replacing them. We now have a squad with cover in every position and experience and youth in every position. Meireles may be 28, but he has a good engine. May not be everyones choice but we need a player like him.

So welcome to the Bridge Raul. Here's to a successful future!

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Tomo

Tomo 21,733

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The finger, the goals against us...It's clearly a pattern.

Maybe Suarez is the next one to score against Chelsea. And maybe he'll flip the bird to the Arsenal's fans.

If Carroll sticks his finger up at some one soon im going to shit myself.

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