Closed Chelsea 0-0 Man City

[badenblue 21]

oh well , i agree he has lost some pace , but he still has more pace than many strikers and it's the managers job to make him watch his old videos and help him get his confidence back (in which all ancelotii , avb and rdm failed ) . Benitez will get his confidence back =P

Lost some Pace! he is almost standing still, 4/5 times he was loose and away on his own against City, and it was like he was running in thick mud Kompany & Nastasic had no trouble catching and dispossessing him every single time, watching old videos will not help at all, just inform him he has loss that edge that got him away from defenders, so Ancelotti, AVB and DiMatteo have failed to restore his confidence, does that not tell you some-thing, sorry your rowing up stream without paddles if you think FSW will restore his confidence, I wish he could, I really do, but he has Shevshenko mark 2 written all over him.

[Joker10 946]

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/11/26/chelsea-0-0-manchester-city-early-caution-from-benitez-results-in-a-dull-game/

[SeB 1,281]

I'll publish my piece tomorrow.

But I'm really pissed off to see everyone did the same piece than me , with some of the points I make and the others I didn't though was precise enough. And I have the same charts than Zonal Marking with the positioning of the defensive interventions to show the difference with parts of games where we did press and others when we didn't.

I don't often do match reports as I precisely think everyone else does the same. Being more precise requires a bit more time, just enough to see dozens of other blogs doing the same

[Rmpr 8,977]

@SeB, care to explain what you are talking about?

Thanks!

[SeB 1,281]

No, we do not need someone to stay back & just become a better passing Mikel/Busquets. We need someone who is going to be able to track back & distribute from deep whilst also being able to join the attack with late runs & put the ball in the back of the net - THAT is what Lampard is all about. He needs to play in tandem with Ramires - sit deeper to cover when the other ventures forward, & vice versa. Ramires would obviously track back a little more often than Lamps, not only because he has the fitness to do so for 90 minutes+, but also because he is even better than Mikel defensively as today's match proved yet again.

That is how a 4-2-3-1 should be employed, not with a defensively strong but offensively redundant Makelele-moulded holding mid like Mikel. He is designed for a 4-5-1/4-3-3/4-1-2-2-1 that lets him just sit in the pocket behind the two more attacking central mids & sweep everything up. In this system that we play, if we are to get the very best out of Mazcar, you need to be able to contribute far more than that. You need a box-to-box playmaker & proven goal scorer to pick up the pieces & make things happen from outside the box, because our front three like to play in & around the box - which opens up so much space between the two central mids & the edge of the box it is actually unbelievable sometimes.

Example: in the match today, I believe around the 53rd minute, Ramires took a long range shot on following said space being created thanks to the usual probing of Oscar & Hazard on the left side of the box; & it was a pretty good effort too, but usually he doesn't strike it that well, let alone actually put it in the back of the net. This is the exact area that Lampard thrives in, where he has picked up the ball countless times which has consequently resulted in the ball being buried into the back of the net countless times shortly thereafter - either through the power & precision of a 30 yard shot from one of the best strikers of the ball in the history of the game - or a moment of ingenious incisive creativity that plays in a teammate. This is why we have missed him so dearly, because he is what we need, in our current situation especially, more than ever.

In the past he may have had more freedom to sit further up the field, but at the same time he has never abandoned his defensive duties as a central midfielder - he & Ashley Cole together used to boss the left side of the pitch both going forward & back because their positioning is just that good when we are under pressure & their will to get behind the ball once they lose it is impeccable. So he clearly has the discipline to play a deeper role - as he did for much of last season. It would be hard to argue that his performance in that position wasn't vital in overcoming the best teams in the world & ultimately obtaining the most prestigious accolade in the history of our club.

& what so many who just blindly declare 'he is too attacking & likes to be in the box' - do you really not realise just how many goals Frank has scored from outside the box as well as various ridiculous positions in & around it? Most of them have come from when he has decided to stay back in case we lose the ball & only when it looks as if things are opening up, makes the late dash to the edge of the area or into the box. We currently do not have anyone besides Oscar who provides that genuine known-&-feared goal-scoring threat from long range - so when everyone rushes to close him down overtime it appears a shot may be on - he needs to have someone else to offload the ball to in that space he has now created. Someone who actually has the ability & accuracy to test & often beat the keeper whenever possible.

Ramires just simply isn't clinical or creative enough to take up that role himself, he excels at more direct play with his pulsating dynamic runs & formidable ball-winning abilities. But of course we all know that he has the ability to score some wonderful goals & opportunities too. However, Mikel contributes nothing in this sense. Absolutely zilch. So what is the point in essentially having another defender in midfield? It is simply stagnating our play in the middle of the park & further up the pitch because he just does not influence the game enough - & in reality he never has done. He was not designed to do so admittedly, but therefore if you cannot change his attributes - then you must change the player.

We need a Scweinsteiger, a Gerrard playing in the middle of the park to conceive & dictate the attack with their ability on the ball. & guess what? We have a player who exceeds those two individuals - one who is recognized as the best performing midfielder in England & Europe over the past decade - & yet here you are telling me he doesn't deserve a place in the starting line up?

I broadly agree with you but I think we can cope with Mikel. Mikel has been restricted into a scholar, tidy role in 4-5-1-lookalikes. But I do think he's a bit more to offer because his passing range is good technically speaking. He's much more creative than many think, his passing accuracy doesn't suffer from being 70 or 25 yards to goal

He's really not the tidy Mikel anymore in that midfield 2, as I tried to show here he's some tricks in terms of movement or passing (vertical penetration, toward Torres)

http://theweststando...chester-united/

Of course life would be easier with a Modric (personally not so sure), Xabi Alonso etc... able to pick team mates vertically, and especially giving deliveries with pace (Gerrard's hollywood passes). But right now this kind of player won't be available.

The main concern about Lampard is match fitness in my eyes, there's a lot of ground to cover in that double pivot. But it seems that Benitez asks a more static double pivot (that's mainly due to attackers henceforth being available enough not to force the double pivot to carry the ball up by themselves)

[Tomo 21,730]

oh well , i agree he has lost some pace , but he still has more pace than many strikers and it's the managers job to make him watch his old videos and help him get his confidence back (in which all ancelotii , avb and rdm failed ) . Benitez will get his confidence back =P

When he fails under Benitez then go back to Liverpool on loan in January and fails again (leaving us stuck with a Torres at rock bottom next summer) will you accept he is finished? or will the next excuse be he hasn't returned to Athtletico yet.

[SeB 1,281]

@SeB, care to explain what you are talking about?

Thanks!

I'll publish my report of the game with charts etc... And I saw everywhere that a lot of people have done the same.

That's about wide men's positioning, the way to get the ball out of the back and the counter attacks Chelsea did

[BlueSanti 290]

” Form is temporary , Class is permanent “

Fuck me hard; I can't belive this.

[SeB 1,281]

Fuck me hard; I can't belive this.

You don't become crap from one day to the one after in Sports, there's obvious reasons there has been explained enough times in the past. Torres has his wrongs but he's into a vicious circle.

[BlueSanti 290]

You don't become crap from one day to the one after in Sports, there's obvious reasons there has been explained enough times in the past. Torres has his wrongs but he's into a vicious circle.

Not sure if sarcasm or not.

[communicate 2,703]

No, we do not need someone to stay back & just become a better passing Mikel/Busquets. We need someone who is going to be able to track back & distribute from deep whilst also being able to join the attack with late runs & put the ball in the back of the net - THAT is what Lampard is all about. He needs to play in tandem with Ramires - sit deeper to cover when the other ventures forward, & vice versa. Ramires would obviously track back a little more often than Lamps, not only because he has the fitness to do so for 90 minutes+, but also because he is even better than Mikel defensively as today's match proved yet again.

That is how a 4-2-3-1 should be employed, not with a defensively strong but offensively redundant Makelele-moulded holding mid like Mikel. He is designed for a 4-5-1/4-3-3/4-1-2-2-1 that lets him just sit in the pocket behind the two more attacking central mids & sweep everything up. In this system that we play, if we are to get the very best out of Mazcar, you need to be able to contribute far more than that. You need a box-to-box playmaker & proven goal scorer to pick up the pieces & make things happen from outside the box, because our front three like to play in & around the box - which opens up so much space between the two central mids & the edge of the box it is actually unbelievable sometimes.

Example: in the match today, I believe around the 53rd minute, Ramires took a long range shot on following said space being created thanks to the usual probing of Oscar & Hazard on the left side of the box; & it was a pretty good effort too, but usually he doesn't strike it that well, let alone actually put it in the back of the net. This is the exact area that Lampard thrives in, where he has picked up the ball countless times which has consequently resulted in the ball being buried into the back of the net countless times shortly thereafter - either through the power & precision of a 30 yard shot from one of the best strikers of the ball in the history of the game - or a moment of ingenious incisive creativity that plays in a teammate. This is why we have missed him so dearly, because he is what we need, in our current situation especially, more than ever.

In the past he may have had more freedom to sit further up the field, but at the same time he has never abandoned his defensive duties as a central midfielder - he & Ashley Cole together used to boss the left side of the pitch both going forward & back because their positioning is just that good when we are under pressure & their will to get behind the ball once they lose it is impeccable. So he clearly has the discipline to play a deeper role - as he did for much of last season. It would be hard to argue that his performance in that position wasn't vital in overcoming the best teams in the world & ultimately obtaining the most prestigious accolade in the history of our club.

& what so many who just blindly declare 'he is too attacking & likes to be in the box' - do you really not realise just how many goals Frank has scored from outside the box as well as various ridiculous positions in & around it? Most of them have come from when he has decided to stay back in case we lose the ball & only when it looks as if things are opening up, makes the late dash to the edge of the area or into the box. We currently do not have anyone besides Oscar who provides that genuine known-&-feared goal-scoring threat from long range - so when everyone rushes to close him down overtime it appears a shot may be on - he needs to have someone else to offload the ball to in that space he has now created. Someone who actually has the ability & accuracy to test & often beat the keeper whenever possible.

Ramires just simply isn't clinical or creative enough to take up that role himself, he excels at more direct play with his pulsating dynamic runs & formidable ball-winning abilities. But of course we all know that he has the ability to score some wonderful goals & opportunities too. However, Mikel contributes nothing in this sense. Absolutely zilch. So what is the point in essentially having another defender in midfield? It is simply stagnating our play in the middle of the park & further up the pitch because he just does not influence the game enough - & in reality he never has done. He was not designed to do so admittedly, but therefore if you cannot change his attributes - then you must change the player.

We need a Scweinsteiger, a Gerrard playing in the middle of the park to conceive & dictate the attack with their ability on the ball. & guess what? We have a player who exceeds those two individuals - one who is recognized as the best performing midfielder in England & Europe over the past decade - & yet here you are telling me he doesn't deserve a place in the starting line up?

It's true that a good 4-2-3-1 is meant to be mobile but I don't agree that Lampard is the answer.

Gerard and bastian are playmakers, they are much more skillful and better passer compare to lamps. I'll take lampard over them anyday if I want a box to box player but for deep playmaking role, Gerard/Basti are much better.

Lampard strength (beside his finishing) is on his off the ball movement and his energy. You cannot expect him to sit back and boss the game. AVB tried last year and it was a failure. He looked uncomfortable playing that role.

[super_frank8 186]

I broadly agree with you but I think we can cope with Mikel. Mikel has been restricted into a scholar, tidy role in 4-5-1-lookalikes. But I do think he's a bit more to offer because his passing range is good technically speaking. He's much more creative than many think, his passing accuracy doesn't suffer from being 70 or 25 yards to goal

He's really not the tidy Mikel anymore in that midfield 2, as I tried to show here he's some tricks in terms of movement or passing (vertical penetration, toward Torres)

http://theweststando...chester-united/

Of course life would be easier with a Modric (personally not so sure), Xabi Alonso etc... able to pick team mates vertically, and especially giving deliveries with pace (Gerrard's hollywood passes). But right now this kind of player won't be available.

The main concern about Lampard is match fitness in my eyes, there's a lot of ground to cover in that double pivot. But it seems that Benitez asks a more static double pivot (that's mainly due to attackers henceforth being available enough not to force the double pivot to carry the ball up by themselves)

I'm sorry but in terms of passing, Mikel is good, but he is by no means brilliant in terms of technical proficiency or consistency - & truly lacks creativity in my honest opinion. He's great at playing the simple pass - but more is required than that with only two central midfielders. & in fact whenever he does actually try something slightly more audacious & ambitious - it more often than not results in us giving up possession. He is also fine with carrying the ball when there is plenty of space around him (as most players are) because many opposition players in fact allow him to have it such is his reputation for being a notriously ineffectual player offensively, but the real problem is that once he does start to venture further forward closerto the box, someone will eventually come to close him down & he simply doesn't have the ability to go past them on his own & by the time all of this has happened the other options around him that might have provided a goal scoring threat have been marked up & therefore he has no choice but to yet again play the simple, yet ultimately ineffective & arbitrary pass - all due to the simple fact that he can't shoot for his life, & he fails to spot the less obvious runs of players across the final third. It doesn't make him a bad player by any means - but when Ramires can defend equally as well as he does, it truly makes his place in the team an essentially redundant one since we lack offensive potency in the middle of the park more than ever before. & that is because it is the first time in a long time that we haven't had Frank available to resolve this issue.

I would honestly rather have David Luiz in Mikel's role in this system, & in fact that's probably actually why Luiz decides to make those random runs forward so often - because Mikel is basically the 5th defender in this system & it is really not helping the likes of Mazcar when we need another goal-scorer & opportunity-creator forward due to the perpetual underperforming Torres. Ramires can't do it all himself, & the fact is that he doesn't quite have the touch or ability to pull off the world class defense splitting passes & 30 yard pile-drivers that Lampard has built an illustrious career on.

It perplexes me when you say 'this kind of player is not available' - because that very player who embodies what we need has been arguably the best midfielder in the world over the last decade & is still at the club; albeit out injured at the moment. He can pull of those 'hollywood passes' just as well as Gerrard can - & he does so even more consistently too, being Lampard's main advantage over Gerrard who is slightly more reckless & does make occasionally costly mistakes a little more often than he should. Alonso would be ideal of course & so would Modric, but in an attacking sense, Lampard is more effective than both & we really do need his prowess in the final third to actually finish some of the numerous chances Mazcar create - as well as provide the service & delivery that only he can.

[super_frank8 186]

It's true that a good 4-2-3-1 is meant to be mobile but I don't agree that Lampard is the answer.

Gerard and bastian are playmakers, they are much more skillful and better passer compare to lamps. I'll take lampard over them anyday if I want a box to box player but for deep playmaking role, Gerard/Basti are much better.

Lampard strength (beside his finishing) is on his off the ball movement and his energy. You cannot expect him to sit back and boss the game. AVB tried last year and it was a failure. He looked uncomfortable playing that role.

Are you fucking serious? So Lampard is suddenly not a playmaker, when he has been one of the most effective in the history of the game? He may not be a typical deep-lying playmaker in the sense of sitting back in front of the back four & lobbing balls out, i.e. Alonso - but that is because his game is about so much more than that. So okay if you want to be specific about it, he is an 'attacking playmaker' (exactly the same way Gerrard & Scweinsteiger play) - but the fact is that he is a playmaker because he so often conceives the attack from his own half or in the middle of the park - the only difference being that he also often finishes it or provides the final assist himself. Maybe you haven't watched him in action as much as I have down the years, but you should have a look at the positions he has got both goals & assists from. His strength is not only in shooting & movement, it also lies in his ability & composure when he has the ball, & his sheer intelligence when it comes to his long & short range passing is part of that. You hardly ever see him surrender possession cheaply during a game - I can't say the same thing about Gerrard because he takes unnecessary risks much of the time as well as slightly more frequent misplaced balls.

& it is perplexing that you believe they are both more skillful than Lampard on the ball & somehow better passers - I think you should re-educate yourself on the legend that you are talking about -

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mmYEi2jre4

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4LCqNciODk

-

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HBxEkY5SpQ

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfUnQkJkYoU

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z9omf4_MaM

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDULa8sSDTU

& that's only a miniscule of what I would include in my own highlights reel for him.

If you're comparing him under AVB's reign to RDM's/the rest of his Chelsea career then you will see the problem - it was the absolute fucking shite manager, not the player. & he was playing with Mikel in the middle not Ramires - THAT is the problem. Did you even watch the semi-final against Barca last season? Without him we would have been dead in the water with 10 men & no way back. A single word class pass changed the entire game. If that isn't skill, then I really don't know what is.

[Strike 7,210]

this can improve and Drogba scored 20 goals per season only twice , and he played for us for eight seasons lol I mean 157 goals in 351 matches is not a good record either =P and he is our LEGEND for scoring that conner in UCL lol no hate but still thats unfair

torres is nearly 30 now

[Backstreet09 499]

When he fails under Benitez then go back to Liverpool on loan in January and fails again (leaving us stuck with a Torres at rock bottom next summer) will you accept he is finished? or will the next excuse be he hasn't returned to Athtletico yet.

Oh well if he fails this time , then it will be his fault

[SeB 1,281]

Not sure if sarcasm or not.

Wake up, you're not in a video game.

[kellzfresh 7,228]

No, we do not need someone to stay back & just become a better passing Mikel/Busquets. We need someone who is going to be able to track back & distribute from deep whilst also being able to join the attack with late runs & put the ball in the back of the net - THAT is what Lampard is all about. He needs to play in tandem with Ramires - sit deeper to cover when the other ventures forward, & vice versa. Ramires would obviously track back a little more often than Lamps, not only because he has the fitness to do so for 90 minutes+, but also because he is even better than Mikel defensively as today's match proved yet again.

That is how a 4-2-3-1 should be employed, not with a defensively strong but offensively redundant Makelele-moulded holding mid like Mikel. He is designed for a 4-5-1/4-3-3/4-1-2-2-1 that lets him just sit in the pocket behind the two more attacking central mids & sweep everything up. In this system that we play, if we are to get the very best out of Mazcar, you need to be able to contribute far more than that. You need a box-to-box playmaker & proven goal scorer to pick up the pieces & make things happen from outside the box, because our front three like to play in & around the box - which opens up so much space between the two central mids & the edge of the box it is actually unbelievable sometimes.

Example: in the match today, I believe around the 53rd minute, Ramires took a long range shot on following said space being created thanks to the usual probing of Oscar & Hazard on the left side of the box; & it was a pretty good effort too, but usually he doesn't strike it that well, let alone actually put it in the back of the net. This is the exact area that Lampard thrives in, where he has picked up the ball countless times which has consequently resulted in the ball being buried into the back of the net countless times shortly thereafter - either through the power & precision of a 30 yard shot from one of the best strikers of the ball in the history of the game - or a moment of ingenious incisive creativity that plays in a teammate. This is why we have missed him so dearly, because he is what we need, in our current situation especially, more than ever.

In the past he may have had more freedom to sit further up the field, but at the same time he has never abandoned his defensive duties as a central midfielder - he & Ashley Cole together used to boss the left side of the pitch both going forward & back because their positioning is just that good when we are under pressure & their will to get behind the ball once they lose it is impeccable. So he clearly has the discipline to play a deeper role - as he did for much of last season. It would be hard to argue that his performance in that position wasn't vital in overcoming the best teams in the world & ultimately obtaining the most prestigious accolade in the history of our club.

& to those who just blindly declare 'he is too attacking & likes to be in the box' - do you really not realise just how many goals Frank has scored from outside the box as well as various ridiculous positions in & around it? Most of them have come from when he has decided to stay back in case we lose the ball & only when it looks as if things are opening up, makes the late dash to the edge of the area or into the box. We currently do not have anyone besides Oscar who provides that genuine known-&-feared goal-scoring threat from long range - so when everyone rushes to close him down every time it appears a shot may be on - he needs to have someone else to offload the ball to in that space he has now created. Someone who actually has the ability & accuracy to test & often beat the keeper whenever possible.

Ramires just simply isn't clinical or creative enough to take up that role himself, he excels at more direct play with his pulsating dynamic runs & formidable ball-winning abilities. But of course we all know that he has the ability to score some wonderful goals & opportunities too. However, Mikel contributes nothing in this sense. Absolutely zilch. So what is the point in essentially having another defender in midfield? It is simply stagnating our play in the middle of the park & further up the pitch because he just does not influence the game enough - & in reality he never has done. He was not designed to do so admittedly, but therefore if you cannot change his attributes - then you must change the player.

We need a Scweinsteiger, a Gerrard playing in the middle of the park to conceive & dictate the attack with their ability on the ball. & guess what? We have a player who exceeds those two individuals - one who is recognised as the best performing midfielder in England & Europe over the past decade - & yet here you are telling me he doesn't deserve a place in the starting line up?

Exactly!!

The last three matches has proved to me that ramires is more important than mikel in the pivot. He makes more tackles, has more energy and stops counters for us.

We have been trying to find the best partner for mikel in the pivot instead of the best combination in the pivot. Ramires is the one that makes mikel look better, because every other person paired with Mikel and the pivot was terrible. And I think ramires and lampard would be perfect against small teams that sit back and defend.

If people watch our games more often, they would see those chances that oscar creates for ramires or mikel and they always seem to shoot off target. If lampard was there we would have scored more goals. It will even make defenders more cautious of lampard and end up freeing mata for a pass.

Ramires and lampard would be more attacking, but that's the point especially against SMALLER TEAMS. They will always sit back and mark our trio and a GOAL THREAT from the pivot would be a big boost. Ramires is already a boss on stopping counters and the rest of our player will pressure high up the pitch and win the ball early. Leading to more goals...

Ramires doesn't venture foward for brazil, so if paired with Lamps he will definately do the same and stick back.

[SeB 1,281]

I'm sorry but in terms of passing, Mikel is good, but he is by no means brilliant in terms of technical proficiency or consistency - & truly lacks creativity in my honest opinion. He's great at playing the simple pass - but more is required than that with only two central midfielders. & in fact whenever he does actually try something slightly more audacious & ambitious - it more often than not results in us giving up possession.

One more time I don't disagree with you but you seem unable to make the slightest nuance possible. Mikel doesn't lacks creativity, he has the vision and the technical ability (what Meireles didn't had, he had the vision & not the execution) to pick some great passes at times.

I'm the first to say he could unleash his play in a less restricted role in that double pivot. But keep hammering the same clichés about his passing range/choices is annoying. Watch again the sequence where we get the two corners before Cahill scores, whatch how Mikel picks Mata with a chipped pass (to my extent, playing through or above an opponents line or/and through space is creative play).

Mikel lost sometimes possession when he was upper on the field, but most of the time that's because he hasn't the right option around him.

He is also fine with carrying the ball when there is plenty of space around him (as most players are) because many opposition players in fact allow him to have it such is his reputation for being a notriously ineffectual player offensively, but the real problem is that once he does start to venture further forward closerto the box, someone will eventually come to close him down & he simply doesn't have the ability to go past them on his own & by the time all of this has happened the other options around him that might have provided a goal scoring threat have been marked up & therefore he has no choice but to yet again play the simple, yet ultimately ineffective & arbitrary pass - all due to the simple fact that he can't shoot for his life,

That's way too simplisitic in my opinion. Mikel's ball retention is outstanding, on the ball he's slow but he keeps the ball close to his feet. That's the trademark of the very best players on the ball, being fouled because opponents can't even put a foot on the ball.

Against packed teams, Mikel has much more purpose than the 'he only plays backwards, fuck him he's not penetrative at all'. Not only he's able to pick the vertical pass at times (again, not saying his main game relies on that but he has the ability to do so, that's what you seem to deny) but he can be a good holder of the ball when he decides to outnumber the last third. That has very much of a rugby tactic but then he can fix a defender and then, free space for a 3rd man run.

When you can't congestion more a packed team, you have to attract it or make the players coming out of their position.

& he fails to spot the less obvious runs of players across the final third. It doesn't make him a bad player by any means - but when Ramires can defend equally as well as he does, it truly makes his place in the team an essentially redundant one since we lack offensive potency in the middle of the park more than ever before. & that is because it is the first time in a long time that we haven't had Frank available to resolve this issue.

Mikel's use of the space and positioning in defensive situations is much better than Ramires. I genuinly love Ramires but in terms of defending he's much more relying on pace and 1vs1 challenges to recover than positioning/intercepting etc... Mikel isn't redundant at all, he just cannot unleash his game from a game to the one just after considering he played 4 full seasons in a very restricted role. I do think he's on the way to find his role, and I do think as well that he's far from being an issue, either in midfield or in the whole team.

I would honestly rather have David Luiz in Mikel's role in this system, & in fact that's probably actually why Luiz decides to make those random runs forward so often - because Mikel is basically the 5th defender in this system & it is really not helping the likes of Mazcar when we need another goal-scorer & opportunity-creator forward due to the perpetual underperforming Torres. Ramires can't do it all himself, & the fact is that he doesn't quite have the touch or ability to pull off the world class defense splitting passes & 30 yard pile-drivers that Lampard has built an illustrious career on.

Please be coherent, aren't you even able to notice that if a central defender can push forward, that's because of the space he's been given at the start? You can never expect that from a midfilder without relying all the time on his ability to give an accurate final delivery (coupled with the proper run). Ramires' last services are outstanding but we can't expect 100% from him.

Basically, a players' play is based on runs, with or without the ball. That's like vectors on the plan, there's one place where he starts his run from toward a point where he ends his run. That's not because a winger cuts inside that he's a better center forward, do you see what I mean?

Luiz goes forward to outnumber the zone in front of him. If we consider his wise runs forward, that's always because the team in front of him is static and closed down by the opponent who marks every player likely to receive the ball. That hasn't very much to do with Mikel being an extra-defender.

Actually that's the opposite, Luiz's wise runs forward implies Mikel to sit back and take Luiz's position. Not the opposite. And that's a normal part of a given gameplan or reaction to a given situation when the defenders has no passing options

It perplexes me when you say 'this kind of player is not available' - because that very player who embodies what we need has been arguably the best midfielder in the world over the last decade & is still at the club; albeit out injured at the moment. He can pull of those 'hollywood passes' just as well as Gerrard can - & he does so even more consistently too, being Lampard's main advantage over Gerrard who is slightly more reckless & does make occasionally costly mistakes a little more often than he should. Alonso would be ideal of course & so would Modric, but in an attacking sense, Lampard is more effective than both & we really do need his prowess in the final third to actually finish some of the numerous chances Mazcar create - as well as provide the service & delivery that only he can.

Okay, so I said Lampard is crap and Gerrard is better than him. Basically you didn't understood anything of what I tried to say.

My point was that Lampard can't play every game and can't hold such a big role every week (don't understand 'he's unable to hold that role' ), and that Mikel is able to be a decent option in terms of vertical penetration via a pass. There's no Gerrard/Lampard or Lampard/Mikel comparison.

Just a simple observation on the current situation and the current squad we have to play games with.