Smallest squad we've had?

[LDN Blue 7,903]

It's not even strikers department I'm worried about, it's the lack of defensive options in midfield. Mikel, I'll defend him when needs be, isn't right for the "style" of football we're trying to play and Romeu isn't getting his chances/lacks match fitness even if he was thrown in. I think if we'd have pursued Modric again our squad would be near-perfect. I believe we're lacking severe depth in midfield. Yea we've got the attacking options of Hazard, Mata, Marin, Moses etc. But we've only got Mikel, Meireles & Romeu to give us some cover at the back.

That cover is vital in attacking football cause as we saw yesterday, we're quite vulnerable on the counter attack. We lack that link between defensive & offense. QPR signed Granero from Real Madrid.. I can't believe a player like that is ending up at QPR because he'd have fitted perfectly into our system!

Other than that, I'm satisfied.

[King11Didier 916]

Seriously? I hope you are kidding. He had ONE bad game and some people don't want him to play there anymore. Wake up, open your eyes and start looking at the squad positively. Ivanović is maybe not the very best right back offensively but very, very decent when defending.

One bad game?From the start of the season he haven't ONE GOOD game.Yes he scored 2 goals but they were so easy that Torres could scored them.He is VERY bad at Defending from the start of the season.Very slow and he stays too far from the attacker.

[Rowan_Osborn 58]

Unlucky against City? Restricted our ability to defend? Ivanovic should be at center back so he can defend from there. Not out at RB where some slow cunt/Kolarov can get past him. (YES EVEN KOLAROV OUTPACED IVANOVIC WTF) If Ivanovic was at CB and Luiz wasn't, I reckon he would tried to close Tevez down a bit earlier preventing the ugly bastard from working space to score, rather than Luiz sitting admiring his ugly face letting him do whatever he wants. We restricted our own ability to defend by being lazy and just waiting for other players to do something.

Ivan was the best RB in the league a couple of seasons ago. He is a better RB than he is a CB. Being a player down clearly effected our ability to defend. I agree Tevez shouldn't of been given that much space. He run across the whole edge of the box and not one player put in a challenge. No DMs helped but the defence should of been able to cope.

We will take a while to settle in defence as our new AMS offer little cover and we played last year with a lot of cover in these positions, this is why Ivan is getting exposed. We play better with Bertrand because our fullbacks are used to the cover. When we gel as a team we will be able to defend more effectively. I still think we need a quick CM to play alongside a more defence minded one, Ramires would be perfect for this, as this would prevent us being exposed by speed.

[Rowan_Osborn 58]

It's not even strikers department I'm worried about, it's the lack of defensive options in midfield. Mikel, I'll defend him when needs be, isn't right for the "style" of football we're trying to play and Romeu isn't getting his chances/lacks match fitness even if he was thrown in. I think if we'd have pursued Modric again our squad would be near-perfect. I believe we're lacking severe depth in midfield. Yea we've got the attacking options of Hazard, Mata, Marin, Moses etc. But we've only got Mikel, Meireles & Romeu to give us some cover at the back.

That cover is vital in attacking football cause as we saw yesterday, we're quite vulnerable on the counter attack. We lack that link between defensive & offense. QPR signed Granero from Real Madrid.. I can't believe a player like that is ending up at QPR because he'd have fitted perfectly into our system!

Other than that, I'm satisfied.

We can't defend against pace, as our defence is very slow. We need a faster CM in either Lampard or Mikel's position to help us counteract this.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Ivan was the best RB in the league a couple of seasons ago. He is a better RB than he is a CB. Being a player down clearly effected our ability to defend. I agree Tevez shouldn't of been given that much space. He run across the whole edge of the box and not one player put in a challenge. No DMs helped but the defence should of been able to cope.

We will take a while to settle in defence as our new AMS offer little cover and we played last year with a lot of cover in these positions, this is why Ivan is getting exposed. We play better with Bertrand because our fullbacks are used to the cover. When we gel as a team we will be able to defend more effectively. I still think we need a quick CM to play alongside a more defence minded one, Ramires would be perfect for this, as this would prevent us being exposed by speed.

Na I disagree about Branna being a better RB than a CB. At full back he is constantly exposed for pace, he hasn't got the pace to recover if he fucks up. I have been saying he should be used at CB rather than RB for ages but everyone seems to think hes the worlds best when hes clearly below average at RB. If you put anyone with a bit of pace to compete with him then he is fucked, like a fat kid running away from a tiger. Imo Ramires is played on the right to compensate for Branna being slow but its clearly not working and when you've just bought a RB who is billed to have great potential you should play him. Why he didn't get the nod was beyond me.

I agree about the fact our attacking midfielders offer no defensive cover but they are there to do their primary job which is create space and chances. Oscar getting stuck in last night was encouraging though.

We do need time to gel but I'm sick of seeing Branna at RB, hes fucking useless there. Can't cross, can't keep up with people, seems clumsy at times bla bla bla list could go on.

[CRonaldo 55]

Well it's a way of seing the team...

Just remember that before this one and after the 3 wins in PL, it would have been totally different, with comments like "Mikel: very strong DM", "Luiz: best CB in the world" and many others.

It's just one loss.

Ok it's bad, but the same thing done yesterday afternoon would have give totally different results.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Lol wtf.

[Rowan_Osborn 58]

Na I disagree about Branna being a better RB than a CB. At full back he is constantly exposed for pace, he hasn't got the pace to recover if he fucks up. I have been saying he should be used at CB rather than RB for ages but everyone seems to think hes the worlds best when hes clearly below average at RB. If you put anyone with a bit of pace to compete with him then he is fucked, like a fat kid running away from a tiger. Imo Ramires is played on the right to compensate for Branna being slow but its clearly not working and when you've just bought a RB who is billed to have great potential you should play him. Why he didn't get the nod was beyond me.

I agree about the fact our attacking midfielders offer no defensive cover but they are there to do their primary job which is create space and chances. Oscar getting stuck in last night was encouraging though.

We do need time to gel but I'm sick of seeing Branna at RB, hes fucking useless there. Can't cross, can't keep up with people, seems clumsy at times bla bla bla list could go on.

Azpicuelta should of definitely played last night. As for Ivan, when I've seen him play at CB he has been very poor, I wouldn't replace Cahill or Luiz with him to be honest. Thats a good shout about Ramires playing to compensate Ramires, he is clearly a better CM than a RW so theres no other reason to play him there, especially when our CMs haven't been up to scratch. Oscar did well last night, I reckon he could do well at the holding CM role. Ivan has popped up with some good goals for us, but his attacking play is otherwise quite poor and he does make mistakes quite often in defence, the city game was a good example, he always shows good determination though.

[gary gordon 1,777]

Brana is being wasted at RB and everybody, including he would tell you the same.. David Luiz is a good defender and should be given a go in the holding role as he is very capable of moving up, holding the ball, beating his marker and passing forward unlike our current one.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Azpicuelta should of definitely played last night. As for Ivan, when I've seen him play at CB he has been very poor, I wouldn't replace Cahill or Luiz with him to be honest. Thats a good shout about Ramires playing to compensate Ramires, he is clearly a better CM than a RW so theres no other reason to play him there, especially when our CMs haven't been up to scratch. Oscar did well last night, I reckon he could do well at the holding CM role. Ivan has popped up with some good goals for us, but his attacking play is otherwise quite poor and he does make mistakes quite often in defence, the city game was a good example, he always shows good determination though.

If we put Oscar as a CDM you automatically take away his premission to roam. Plus hes not really a tackler as much, he would be essentially the same as Lampard in there, pointless really! If Oscar is turned into a DM I will also cry

[Rowan_Osborn 58]

If we put Oscar as a CDM you automatically take away his premission to roam. Plus hes not really a tackler as much, he would be essentially the same as Lampard in there, pointless really! If Oscar is turned into a DM I will also cry

I dunno i reckon he could do a job there, I'm just trying to think of a way of putting all these creative talents to work, got to think that we will also have Piazon to fit in in a couple of years time, as well as maybe Thorgan Hazard. The future looks good attack wise. Hopefully Chalobah will progress well this year and he can take up the DM role. I wasn't thinking of Oscar as a CDM more of a role like Modric had at Spurs. We turned Mikel into a DM as well, he used to be attack minded

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

14 Chelsea players are out on loan at the moment.

These 14 range from Chalobah to Essien.

[BlueDutchy 63]

14 Chelsea players are out on loan at the moment.

These 14 range from Chalobah to Essien.

23 players are out on loan at the moment. That's across every age group, that's a lot of players and it is a good sign that our academy is improving.

• 1 Petr Cech Was let down by his defenders. He is a goalkeeper, not a magician..
  
• 2 Branislav Ivanovic Safe as a centre back only.. He should never play on the right again.
  
• 3 Ashley Cole Our best defender no doubt
  
• 4 David Luiz Needs to be put in the holding role. He cannot be the last line of defense. Way too risky.
  
• 6 Oriol Romeu Stuck behind Mikel and Meireles
  
• 7 Ramires Practically useless in the position he is playing
  
• 8 Frank Lampard Let's face it, As much as we love him, his style doesn't suit what the club are trying to build
  
• 9 Fernando Torres Maybe getting to his best, but is definitely no Didier Drogba..
  
• 10 Juan Mata Won't be long till he gets burn-out
  
• 11 Oscar Got tons of talent but is still very young
  
• 12 Mikel Don't get me started..
  
• 13 Victor Moses Pretty exciting prospect. Has talent but lets see how he goes in a top 4 club
  
• 15 Florent Malouda Should have been sold
  
• 16 Raul Meireles Useful squad player
  
• 17 Eden Hazard Best signing since Frank Lampard.
  
• 19 Paulo Ferreira Useless
  
• 21 Marko Marin When he is fit could be usefull.
  
• 22 Ross TurnbullUseless
  
• 23 Daniel SturridgeWhen he learns to play for the team and not himself he can be useful. Until then, useless...
  
• 24 Gary Cahill Will probably captain the side one day.
  
• 26 John Terry Needs to take his defense to an all new level. Our different playing style means he will be on the run most of the time.
  
• 28 Cesar Azpilicueta Hopefully the player we have been missing.
  
• 34 Ryan Bertrand Good but needs a few years.
  
• 40 Henrique Hilario Useless
  

We are facing a very risky season that could see us slide down the table if we get hit with injuries. We need to blood a few youngsters and hope to god there is a gem among them. We are in really deep shit with Torres and Sturridge being the only strikers we have.. We should have at least kept kalou or Lukaku if we weren't going to sign somebody else..

I disagree with you. Luiz isn't a holding midfielder, in fact all the arguments why you want him to be a holding midfielder are arguments why he shouldn't be. Is there any good, 'risky' (to quote you) holding midfielder. Was Makelele risky? Is Busquets or even another type of holding midfielder: Modric? A holding midfielder needs to be a safe choice who doesn't lose the ball. As a defender Luiz already loses the ball too many times, it would be even worse as a holding midfielder.

Cahill is too average to become our captain (I hope). Yes he is English and more of a leader than, for example Luiz, but Cahill is never going to be so 'untouchable' (i.e always a starter) that he would be our captain. He is not so that talented. When he and Luiz partnered up, they both showed that they don't have Terry's organising skills.

Ramires isn't per sé useless in the position he now plays (altough it doesn't suit him). Our playing style just doesn't bring out his strengths. He can't make those runs behind the defense because we play more offensive. The fact that you 'won't get started' about Mikel says enough. He has been one of our best this season and he was good at the end of last season.

[Liquidator 5,176]

• 1 Petr Cech Was let down by his defenders. He is a goalkeeper, not a magician..
  
• 2 Branislav Ivanovic Safe as a centre back only.. He should never play on the right again.
  
• 3 Ashley Cole Our best defender no doubt
  
• 4 David Luiz Needs to be put in the holding role. He cannot be the last line of defense. Way too risky.
  
• 6 Oriol Romeu Stuck behind Mikel and Meireles
  
• 7 Ramires Practically useless in the position he is playing
  
• 8 Frank Lampard Let's face it, As much as we love him, his style doesn't suit what the club are trying to build
  
• 9 Fernando Torres Maybe getting to his best, but is definitely no Didier Drogba..
  
• 10 Juan Mata Won't be long till he gets burn-out
  
• 11 Oscar Got tons of talent but is still very young
  
• 12 Mikel Don't get me started..
  
• 13 Victor Moses Pretty exciting prospect. Has talent but lets see how he goes in a top 4 club
  
• 15 Florent Malouda Should have been sold
  
• 16 Raul Meireles Useful squad player
  
• 17 Eden Hazard Best signing since Frank Lampard.
  
• 19 Paulo Ferreira Useless
  
• 21 Marko Marin When he is fit could be usefull.
  
• 22 Ross TurnbullUseless
  
• 23 Daniel SturridgeWhen he learns to play for the team and not himself he can be useful. Until then, useless...
  
• 24 Gary Cahill Will probably captain the side one day.
  
• 26 John Terry Needs to take his defense to an all new level. Our different playing style means he will be on the run most of the time.
  
• 28 Cesar Azpilicueta Hopefully the player we have been missing.
  
• 34 Ryan Bertrand Good but needs a few years.
  
• 40 Henrique Hilario Useless
  

2 Branislav Ivanovic Safe as a centre back only.. He should never play on the right again.

And does that opinion come after he played badly for 4 games? Have you not reminded yourself that he has been one of if not the most consistent and reliable player in our squad for the last 2 years

4 David Luiz Needs to be put in the holding role. He cannot be the last line of defense. Way too risky.

He will still be just as prone to lapses in concentration and making silly tackles as a defensive midfielder. His building from the back style of play is how the club wants to move forward with regard to style

7 Ramires Practically useless in the position he is playing

If we played him as a defensive midfielder there would be people moaning that he is not strong enough/ cannot pass/ his pace is not being utilized. He is not useless just because he has started the season not very well

9 Fernando Torres Maybe getting to his best, but is definitely no Didier Drogba..

Back to his best? He was awful last night and usually spends most of the match standing on the halfway line

10 Juan Mata Won't be long till he gets burn-out

How about looking at him in a more positive light? He was our best player last season and his great work this season has gone largely unnoticed due to the presence of Hazard. Yes he might get burnt out soon but the club do apparently want to give him a rest soon.

12 Mikel Don't get me started..

What on our best player last night? He may not be great but he does do his job well and does not moan considering he is naturally an attacking midfielder (where he plays for Nigeria)

19 Paulo Ferreira Useless

The same Paulo Ferreira who has been a fantastic servant to the club, has never moaned when he does not play and has done very well when he does have to play? The man who always keeps Bale quiet?

23 Daniel SturridgeWhen he learns to play for the team and not himself he can be useful. Until then, useless...

You are right that he plays for himself but I personally didn't find his 13 goals and 7 assists to be useless last season

40 Henrique Hilario Useless

Has played quite well and done an honest job when needed.

[warnie_666 1,081]

You think so? I've pretty much summed it up how i see it. And trust me, I'm one of the least negative on this board.

Wonder why you didnt start this thread ahead of the Atl Madrid game if thats the case.

One bad game and all of a sudden you start looking at how shit our players are.

Talk about knee jerk reactions here.

[warnie_666 1,081]

Firstly, Our "Smallest" squad was during Ancelotti's second season. We have a squad of 24-25 players. So I dont get this "Small" squad let alone calling it "Smallest"

• 1 Petr Cech Was let down by his defenders. He is a goalkeeper, not a magician..
  
• 2 Branislav Ivanovic Safe as a centre back .One bad game doesnt make him shit at RB. He has been a brute of a RB for 2-3 seasons now...he can afford to have an average season for once..
  
• 3 Ashley Cole Our best defender no doubt
  
• 4 David Luiz Really? He was shit against Atl. Madrid but this "Put him in Holding Role" pisses me off. This guy was a ROCK last season
  
• 6 Oriol Romeu Stuck behind Mikel and Meireles
  
• 7 Ramires Does not have technical ability to play the pass and move. More suited for the Lump the ball and Run game.
  
• 8 Frank Lampard He needs to stop making those runs in the box. He is a fucking Holding midfielder not an attacking midfielder. Everytime he makes those runs, Mikel is left exposed.
  
• 9 Fernando Torres Maybe getting to his best, but is definitely no Didier Drogba..
  
• 10 Juan Mata Won't be long till he gets burn-out
  
• 11 Oscar Got tons of talent but is still very young
  
• 12 Mikel He himself mentioned in an interview that he is finding it tough this season. Obviously cus his style isnt suited for an attacking free flowing football.
  
• 13 Victor Moses Pretty exciting prospect. Has talent but lets see how he goes in a top 4 club
  
• 15 Florent Malouda Should have been sold
  
• 16 Raul Meireles Useful squad player
  
• 17 Eden Hazard Best signing since Frank Lampard.
  
• 19 Paulo Ferreira Useless
  
• 21 Marko Marin When he is fit could be usefull.
  
• 22 Ross TurnbullUseless
  
• 23 Daniel SturridgeWhen he learns to play for the team and not himself he can be useful. Until then, useless...
  
• 24 Gary Cahill Will probably captain the side one day.
  
• 26 John Terry Needs to take his defense to an all new level. Our different playing style means he will be on the run most of the time.
  
• 28 Cesar Azpilicueta Hopefully the player we have been missing. i hope he is fast as fuck.
  
• 34 Ryan Bertrand Good but needs a few years.
  
• 40 Henrique Hilario Useless
  

Squad is good. One bad game doesnt make them bad players.

[chelseathebest 150]

Prices are too inflated in the January transfer window. Besides, when has buying a player in January ever helped anybody?

Papis Cisse to Newcastle? Nikica Jelavić to Everton? There is more of course.

We might have some problems regarding strikers. I don't think Torres is the class we need, but still I know he's always gonna take place in the starting 11 (although I would prefer Danny over him).

I know there is always Danny to jump in, but RDM just doesn't seem to trust him.

We will see how will that work out, and at the end of the day, there is always january. Already noticed some rumours about Falcao moving to Chelsea in january. Would be f**king awesome

Other positions are pretty good filled.

[Hysteria 159]

And suddenly Ivanovic is a championship/second division RB? Come on.