Closed Chelsea 0-0 Man City

[Amblève. 4,995]

but for someone you labels as your LEGEND ?

Big words coming from someone who thinks Torres will come back.

[HNKS 508]

Torres has not only lost pace but also the ability to intelligently place himself. Why is he always in our midfield? Players like Long always stay on the last defender and create a threat. Read the strikers manual TORRES!

[Jype 6,398]

How the hell can villa fans claim they invented acknowledging a player in whatever minute that represents their shirt number then get upset that someone else does it?!

What a deluded bunch of Villa fans.

I have seen that happen countless of times before, usually when a club legend plays his final match before retiring or moving on. Just because Villa fans only came up with this in the year 2012 when their captain got sick doesn't mean it wasn't invented decades ago. There's hardly anything unique left in football anyway and every chant as well as other ways of supporting the team have probably been done before so no reason to get butthurt over it.

[Muzchap 8,966]

He's only 28 , and he still have that pace , we all saw that against Liverpool =P

The only pace he has ever shown, was that when he was whisked from Liverpool to CFC in a Bentley...

Since then he's confused and is playing like David Bentley...

Maybe he should have gone in a Falcao-on (awful pun based on Ford Falcon)

Even I feel shame at this post... Oh well it is Monday!

[Stingray 9,441]

and crictising him wont make him a shit player =P

He does a good job at that himself actually. For an extended period even :-) Bingo!

[badenblue 21]

but for someone you labels as your LEGEND ?

Drogba is a legend because every important game, ie. cup finals, semi-finals & top table games he was our man on the spot & one who no matter what could be relied on, his final kick/goal for Chelsea won us the Champions League Trophy, before that goal Drogba produced a piece of vintage magic to level the scores & he did it in spectacular style with only 120 seconds remaining in the CL Final, that goal brought us back into the game.

[Kez 2,727]

What a deluded bunch of Villa fans.

I have seen that happen countless of times before, usually when a club legend plays his final match before retiring or moving on. Just because Villa fans only came up with this in the year 2012 when their captain got sick doesn't mean it wasn't invented decades ago. There's hardly anything unique left in football anyway and every chant as well as other ways of supporting the team have probably been done before so no reason to get butthurt over it.

Far too sensitive! I wish petrov all the best but getting upset over this is ridiculous!

[badenblue 21]

” Form is temporary , Class is permanent “

That is a valid argument if you are 100% fit in mind & body, Torres is not, he has loss his speed and without that he has lost his confidence, thus even second rate defenders are able to deal with his threat, I am afraid that, "the Torres of old" is just a memory, maybe good enough for Liverfool, no where good enough for a club that challenges for the top trophy's every season.

[Backstreet09 499]

Drogba is a legend because every important game, ie. cup finals, semi-finals & top table games he was our man on the spot & one who no matter what could be relied on, his final kick/goal for Chelsea won us the Champions League Trophy, before that goal Drogba produced a piece of vintage magic to level the scores & he did it in spectacular style with only 120 seconds remaining in the CL Final, that goal brought us back into the game.

Oh well , it was Lampard's perfect delivery that Drogba headed in , not to mention Torres won that conner and well that Legend also gave Bayern a penalty in the extra time , which Robben failed to convert =P

[Backstreet09 499]

That is a valid argument if you are 100% fit in mind & body, Torres is not, he has loss his speed and without that he has lost his confidence, thus even second rate defenders are able to deal with his threat, I am afraid that, "the Torres of old" is just a memory, maybe good enough for Liverfool, no where good enough for a club that challenges for the top trophy's every season.

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

[badenblue 21]

The only pace he has ever shown, was that when he was whisked from Liverpool to CFC in a Bentley...

Since then he's confused and is playing like David Bentley...

Maybe he should have gone in a Falcao-on (awful pun based on Ford Falcon)

Even I feel shame at this post... Oh well it is Monday!

David Bentley! is that Roy's son?

[Stingray 9,441]

Oh well , it was Lampard's perfect delivery that Drogba headed in , not to mention Torres won that conner and well that Legend also gave Bayern a penalty in the extra time , which Robben failed to convert =P

you need an exorcism :ph34r:

[badenblue 21]

Oh well , it was Lampard's perfect delivery that Drogba headed in , not to mention Torres won that conner and well that Legend also gave Bayern a penalty in the extra time , which Robben failed to convert =P

You point is?

[Mufassir08 2,400]

And just to correct the torres fanboy it was mata's corner from which drogba scored not lampard's.

[Backstreet09 499]

You point is?

that was our only conner of the match lol if torres hadnt won that , Drogba wouldnt have scored that Plus if Cech hadnt saved that penalty , you guys would have killed drogba by your critcism by now lol

[Backstreet09 499]

And just to correct the torres fanboy it was mata's corner from which drogba scored not lampard's.

oh ohkay , but the corner delivery was perfect

[Heisenberg 1,824]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EVcljkmvCI&feature=g-all-u

Glad to see that he said 'NO' when he was asked about the team's performance in attack , and glad to hear that Mata Oscar & Hazard defended too much for him

[super_frank8 186]


Not sure lamps is the player to complement ramires, frank game is about going forward and attack the box what we need is a player who will stay back and distribute the ball


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?