New CM? Or stick with Mikel and Lamps

[Mustafa 885]

With Lampard looking weaker by the day and John Obi Mikel still not looking reliable enough ... should we get a new CM/DM or should we stick with Mikel and Lamps ?

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

With Lampard looking weaker by the day and John Obi Mikel still not looking reliable enough ... should we get a new CM/DM or should we stick with Mikel and Lamps ?

Weaker by the day? Lampard got better as the season went on and Mikel was excellent in the 4-2-3-1. We'll need someone to replace Lampard eventually, but I can see someone being bought next season and being worked into the lineup.

[Mustafa 885]

Weaker by the day? Lampard got better as the season went on and Mikel was excellent in the 4-2-3-1. We'll need someone to replace Lampard eventually, but I can see someone being bought next season and being worked into the lineup.

To be honest the whole squad got better towards the end of the season because of RDM... but I dont think Obi Mikel can do what Essien could once do and what Makelele made his name doing! And if Lampard is to stay, we need a reliable player alongside him to shield our back four because with Lampard's attacking intent, he'll be going forward a lot and the opposition can hit us on the break and thats where Mikel will have to be responsible.

[Kojo 4,676]

Mikel is a huge risk, i think he will go back to square one.

[Justin_3d 1,140]

Modric for the Lampard role!

....well that is the new role Lampard is currently occupying of deep-lying playmaker.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Ramires and Mikel for me. With Lamps rotating with Rambo, Romeu rotating with Mikel. Essien and Meireles as stop gaps.

[Kojo 4,676]

Modric for the Lampard role!

....well that is the new role Lampard is currently occupying of deep-lying playmaker.

Espeically if he is going for 25 mill.

It annoys me when people thought that Lampard can fulfill that role all for next season aswell, Lampard needs to be a squad player from now on, it would be interesting to see him coming on as Cam now and then also, we know he can get goals in those positions.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Think the Modric going for £25m rumour is false tbh.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

To be honest the whole squad got better towards the end of the season because of RDM... but I dont think Obi Mikel can do what Essien could once do and what Makelele made his name doing! And if Lampard is to stay, we need a reliable player alongside him to shield our back four because with Lampard's attacking intent, he'll be going forward a lot and the opposition can hit us on the break and thats where Mikel will have to be responsible.

The entire squad didn't get better. Sturridge was much worse under RDM and Mata was better under AVB as well. Ramires, Lampard, and Mikel improved under RDM. Most of the rest of the players were about the same. Lampard was one of our best players last season. We have to transition him out, but to get a guy to play instead of him next year would be insulting and counter-productive and Ramires and Mikel as our back 2 would be giving up way too much in terms of ball movement and creativity. Lampard played 49 matches last season. Let him rest a little more this season and play in maybe 40 matches to keep him fresh. He'll still be an effective player. (Paul Scholes is 4 years older than Lampard and is still a good player). The idea that we need to replace Lampard immediately is ludicrous. He could easily have 2-3 more seasons as an excellent player. Mikel, I think it depends on the system. In the 4-3-3, he moves the ball a little too slowly. In the 4-2-3-1, he's amazing. Just hi-lights, yet again the problem with doing your transfers without a coach in place.

[francozola 2,040]

We need more quality there imo. Lampard though great under RDM last season, as ElNinoProdz pointed out the entire squad stepped it up quite a few notches. There aren't any guarantees he (and Mikel) can continue the same form for an entire season now. And he is getting older, so whether it be this season, or next season we'll have to bring someone of real quality in.

Essien is utterly past it and Meireles is an average player who will do an okay-ish job when called upon from the bench/against lesser teams.

The entire squad didn't get better. Sturridge was much worse under RDM and Mata was better under AVB as well.

Sturridge had been poor since December. He got an injury around the Tottenham (A) game and was never the same since then even though he got a couple of goals (Spurs, Birmingham). AVB kept playing him, while RDM dropped him and used Kalou

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Espeically if he is going for 25 mill.

It annoys me when people thought that Lampard can fulfill that role all for next season aswell, Lampard needs to be a squad player from now on, it would be interesting to see him coming on as Cam now and then also, we know he can get goals in those positions.

Exactly, let's take out maybe our best player ever who tied us for first in goals and was third in assists in the league last season and who played better as the season went on and just put make him a squad player. Not because he's not effective but simply because he's 34. Yeah, makes lots of sense.

[Kojo 4,676]

Exactly, let's take out maybe our best player ever who tied us for first in goals and was third in assists in the league last season and who played better as the season went on and just put make him a squad player. Not because he's not effective but simply because he's 34. Yeah, makes lots of sense.

YEAH GOOD JOKE THAT!

Lampard was awful till RDM came, and he was on form when RDM took over. He's 34, losing his stamina, he clearly isn't going to be as consistent. Great logic that like lad, because he's going to give the exact same stats next season aint he, people don't age i guess, age is just a number that's why your girlfriend is probably 9, and your 80 tryna bungee jump.

If a manager has logic then he wouldn't start Lampard next season, he's getting old and for his position he will have to do way too much consistently every week.

[coolhead23 1,147]

Wouldnt mind anyone other than Mikel!

[Spike 12,049]

Yohan Cabaye

Esteban Granero

Nuri Sahin

Javi Martinez

Adding any of those four to the Lamps - Mikel partnership, will make me happy.

[Santiago. 1,500]

No Grenero please

[English Freak 456]

Mikel is a big risk.

The likes of Romeu, McEachran, Meireles should be good enough as rotation players.

I still think Tiote would be a solid addition to our midfield...because we don't have a class DM at the moment.

Yohan Cabaye

Esteban Granero

Nuri Sahin

Javi Martinez

Adding any of those four to the Lamps - Mikel partnership, will make me happy.

Cabaye & Martinez would be awesome...not too sure about Granero..he's not consistent enough.

As for Sahin, there were rumours that AC Milan are trying to sign him on-loan..

[Spike 12,049]

Mikel is a big risk.

The likes of Romeu, McEachran, Meireles should be good enough as rotation players.

I still think Tiote would be a solid addition to our midfield...because we don't have a class DM at the moment.

Cabaye & Martinez would be awesome...not too sure about Granero..he's not consistent enough.

As for Sahin, there were rumours that AC Milan are trying to sign him on-loan..

Granero is pretty good, he reminds me of a lightweight Xabi Alonso. José prefers him to Sahin, anyway.

[Shane 2,275]

Bring in Fellani and we have enough centre midfielders imo.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

YEAH GOOD JOKE THAT!

Lampard was awful till RDM came, and he was on form when RDM took over. He's 34, losing his stamina, he clearly isn't going to be as consistent. Great logic that like lad, because he's going to give the exact same stats next season aint he, people don't age i guess, age is just a number that's why your girlfriend is probably 9, and your 80 tryna bungee jump.

If a manager has logic then he wouldn't start Lampard next season, he's getting old and for his position he will have to do way too much consistently every week.

Lampard was not awful under AVB despite your historical revisionism. He had a poor run of games but then again, so do most players every season. He played 23 games in the PL under AVB and had 9 goals. And come off it. I never said that Lampard isn't going to age, but the idea that he's going to go from being a very good player for us, key to us winning our trophies, to a squad player one in one season, is ridiculous. . I gave the example of Paul Scholes who is 38 and still a good player. Lampard played 49 matches last season. Maybe he can't do that again, but he can be very effective for 35-40 matches which is enough to be our primary creative, deep midfielder.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Sturridge had been poor since December. He got an injury around the Tottenham (A) game and was never the same since then even though he got a couple of goals (Spurs, Birmingham). AVB kept playing him, while RDM dropped him and used Kalou

Sturridge had a fantastic December but you're right, he started playing worse before AVB got the sack (as you mentioned-after the Spurs game around Christmas). Still, he did play much better under AVB than under RDM (which makes sense because he was moved from RW to RM which was always going to be a horrible fit for him.). Mata is the more interesting case because he was brilliant under AVB but I thought his game took a big dive under RDM. Some of that was probably being tired, but some of it was also the system which relies more on defensive play and counter-attack which is not Mata's strength. This is one of the difficulties the new/old coach will have. How to integrate a system that brings the best out of most of our players when our players are not all meant for the same system. This is why we all want a long-term coach who can be in charge of buying instead of the nonsense we've had over the past few years. .