Blackburn 0-1 Chelsea

[TacticalBlues 2,817]

The biggest thing was the clean sheet, scrappy as it was it goes down as our first 1-0 win under Boas - I think.

[The Big Drog 1,110]

^^am I wrong or is it that the 3 players you listed are deep-lying playmakers and you are comparing them to a pure "holding midfielder"? I don't think mikels role was ever to get as far forward as they do. From what I know, those two roles are defined a bit differently. Just saying. Could be wrong tho.

Alonso and Pirlo probably are allowed to get forward more than Mikel but they are deep lying playmakers and I continously see Mikel mentioned as a deep lying playmaker on here. If you were going for direct comparisons then Busquets and Javi Martinez are two that play the Mikel role but both play is significantly better than he does. To me an out and out holding midfielder is a tackler, a ball winner and someone who then starts attacks ala Makelele, De Jong, Yaya Toure (when he plays there). As I've said Im not having a go at the shielding defensive midfielder position, when done well it is hugely effective (Busquets, Marcos Senna, Javi Martinez) I am saying though that Mikel isn't in the same league as those players and that is the problem.

[Sheva. 5,373]

The biggest thing was the clean sheet, scrappy as it was it goes down as our first 1-0 win under Boas - I think.

Yeah (not counting preseason)

[Milan 17,835]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncJRGdLKRac

[Sheva. 5,373]

Nice find

[didierforever 7,349]

ohh. sorry mate just get a bit toushy when it comes to drogs.

[Tommy10 478]

goalkeeper: cech

defense: ivanovic - terry - alex - cole

midfield: mikel - lampard - ramires (romeu 90min.)

attack: mata (meireles 82min.) - sturridge - malouda (torres 45min.)

cool.. we won another difficult 3 premier league points away vs blackburn!!

damn.. we need to play better football, okey i accept we played away vs an premier league club, never easy,

but our russia boss roman abramovich has the cash money, we have the africans, we have the dragon´s fc porto connections!!

damn.. we need more technique coaches, we need to play like fc barcelona, this is work since years, technique killers,

jose mourinho the special one & andre villas boas are world class manager´s,

but we need more coaches/workers who are psyho technique freaks like me, what ya all think??

[manpe 10,857]

but we need more coaches/workers who are psyho technique freaks like me, what ya all think??

I agree... we've all been blind, blaming the players, while we totally lack psycho technique coaches