UCL Draw Thread

[SempreJuve 62]

No more Ramires on the wing. I doubt he'd play there anyway (Thank God) now that we are a bit light in CM. I'd actually perfer Bertrand on the LW if RDM insists on using one defensive winger (which we shouldn't).

Why? If anything, you will need one.

if you play a 4-2-3-1 with Mikel and Lampard in the midfield they will get overrun by Asamoah, Vidal, Marchisio. Pirlo will be free to dictate the game. We play a 3-5-2 with wingbacks not wingers, we will play with Asamoah on the left and probably Lichsteiner.

How would you play?

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

How would you play?

Hopefully with Ramires in midfield.

[SempreJuve 62]

Hopefully with Ramires in midfield.

So Ramires-Mikel as the holding mids? Who on the wings? I assume you would play a 4-2-3-1?

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

So Ramires-Mikel as the holding mids? Who on the wings? I assume you would play a 4-2-3-1?

Well I hope we switch back to 4-3-3. If not Hazard does track back reasonably well. Keeping your defenders busy though I think is a good form of defence and will take the pressure off. I expect Bertrand/Ramires to start though (not that I want them too).

[SempreJuve 62]

Well I hope we switch back to 4-3-3. If not Hazard does track back reasonably well. Keeping your defenders busy though I think is a good form of defence and will take the pressure off. I expect Bertrand/Ramires to start though (not that I want them too).

I think without a defensive winger, in the 4-2-3-1, you will struggle a bit.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

I think without a defensive winger, in the 4-2-3-1, you will struggle a bit.

Perhaps. However I think if we play somewhere near our full capacity we'll win, with little problems. I guess Bertrand should start seeing as how you play 3-5-2. He is better on the wing than Ramires.

[SempreJuve 62]

Very confident

[capriccioso 2,545]

I wouldn't have Ramires anywhere near centre midfield in anything remotely resembling a big game. He can do a job there against the mid table shite, not in the CL. Well, maybe against that Danish team.

Its right midfield or right wing for him.

[Jase 43,479]

I imagine this is what we'll look like when attacking:

And while defending:

I would like to see 1 or 2 of our FBs be a little bit more conservative especially against the better quality teams. Can never quite understand why both have to be so high up the pitch more often than not when we have the ball. I know they are supposed to provide the width and offer themselves as a passing option when going forward. However, the amount of space left behind them and number of times we have been caught out because of that on the counter has been ridiculous. Keeping possession has been a problem for us and everytime when we get turned over(which happens a lot!), all the opposition have to do is put a direct pass into those space behind the FBs and it takes almost the entire team out but the 2 CBs and maybe the CDM as well. Suddenly we find ourselves at a major disadvantage on the counter, like what happened against Atletico Madrid! Gets worse when you have a slow player playing at RB like Ivanovic.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

I wouldn't have Ramires anywhere near centre midfield in anything remotely resembling a big game. He can do a job there against the mid table shite, not in the CL. Well, maybe against that Danish team.

Its right midfield or right wing for him.

He is terrible on the wing. He can't ever excel in that position unless we play like we did last year, which, against most teams, we won't. His energy, lungs and determination would be best suited in central midfield (especially in a 4-3-3).

Many say we need a deep lying playmaker in a 4-2-3-1. Perhaps we do but I don't really care about that. I just want two solid boulders in the pivots who will destroy play and pressure like bulldogs. Mikel is perhaps not quite that player but Ramires can be. I'd much rather that type of midfield 2 than our current one. If you don't concede goals you don't lose. That's what we should prioritise right now.

[Leif 6,006]

Juve's goalkeeper >>> Chelsea's goalkeeper. (I believe Cech is better than Buffon under pressure, but when it comes to talent and ability, Buffon is slight ahead IMO.)

Juve's defence >>>>>>>>> Chelsea's defence

Juve's midfield >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Chelsea's midfield

Chelsea's front-line >>> Juve's front-line

Juve's chemistry >>> Chelsea's chemistry

Juve's tactics >>> Chelsea's tactics

Chelsea's sudden game-changing players >>> Juve's sudden game-changing players

Juve's support (in the stadium) >>> Chelsea's support (in the stadium)

Chelsea's manager (when it comes to trophies won) >>> Juve's manager

People on here expecting us to win may be in for a shock.

I know you should always support your team and it's good to be optimistic, but c'mon. Yes, we won the Champions League and FA Cup, but we finished 6th in the Premier League (behind both Newcastle United and Tottenham) and are about to go against the Serie A Champions who went the season undefeated in the league.

I'll stop preaching about this now though!

[capriccioso 2,545]

He is terrible on the wing. He can't ever excel in that position unless we play like we did last year, which, against most teams, we won't. His energy, lungs and determination would be best suited in central midfield (especially in a 4-3-3).

That was my point entirely. We play just like we did last year because we're not good enough to do much more than that against the big teams.

Neither 'EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS, BOW DOWN AND RESPECT US NOW' nor the signings of Eden Hazard and Oscar will transform us into some sort of Barcelona, capable of forcing other teams to bus it. At the heart of it all we're still nothing more than a decent (nowhere near the levels of the 'TOP' teams) team propped up by the individual brilliance of a few players.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

That was my point entirely. We play just like we did last year because we're not good enough to do much more than that against the big teams.

We'll find out soon enough. I think you're being too harsh and pessimistic. We were not that bad last season. We were only a couple points off 4th place. Plus the whole AVB thing.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Juve's goalkeeper >>> Chelsea's goalkeeper. (I believe Cech is better than Buffon under pressure, but when it comes to talent and ability, Buffon is slight ahead IMO.)

Juve's defence >>>>>>>>> Chelsea's defence

Juve's midfield >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Chelsea's midfield

Chelsea's front-line >>> Juve's front-line

Juve's chemistry >>> Chelsea's chemistry

Juve's tactics >>> Chelsea's tactics

Chelsea's sudden game-changing players >>> Juve's sudden game-changing players

Juve's support (in the stadium) >>> Chelsea's support (in the stadium)

Chelsea's manager (when it comes to trophies won) >>> Juve's manager

People on here expecting us to win may be in for a shock.

I know you should always support your team and it's good to be optimistic, but c'mon. Yes, we won the Champions League and FA Cup, but we finished 6th in the Premier League (behind both Newcastle United and Tottenham) and are about to go against the Serie A Champions who went the season undefeated in the league.

I'll stop preaching about this now though!

GK= Even

Defense= Even

Midfield= Juventus

Attack= Chelsea

Chemistry, I guess them but we are gelling pretty well. I don't know what the support part has to do with anything.

[capriccioso 2,545]

We'll find out soon enough. I think you're being too harsh and pessimistic. We were not that bad last season. We were only a couple points off 4th place. Plus the whole AVB thing.

No, I think I'm being realistic because we are far, far from Mourinho's or Hiddink's day when we actually could show up to anyone who wasn't Barcelona and attack them. We can't do that now because our defence is so unreliable. Some days they'll never concede even if we play for 900 minutes instead of 90, other days they look like holding out for 90 seconds is beyond them.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

No, I think I'm being realistic because we are far, far from Mourinho's or Hiddink's day when we actually could show up to anyone who wasn't Barcelona and attack them. We can't do that now because our defence is so unreliable. Some days they'll never concede even if we play for 900 minutes instead of 90, other days they look like holding out for 90 seconds is beyond them.

Perhaps true but patience must be shown. Also an adjustment to the tactics.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Perhaps true but patience must be shown. Also an adjustment to the tactics.

I think our current 4-2-3-1 can work if we have the confidence to attack/counter-attack with it. We could do with buying a new centre back in January, we're only running with 3 proper centre backs at the moment and one pseudo-centre back in Ivanovic. Cahill is probably our best, David Luiz I think is only reliable when we explicitly tell him to keep it very simple and Terry is hit and miss these days as well. JT could also do with ditching Umbro boots, they don't seem to make very good studs or he wouldn't be slipping all the time

[Leif 6,006]

GK= Even

Defense= Even

Midfield= Juventus

Attack= Chelsea

Chemistry, I guess them but we are gelling pretty well. I don't know what the support part has to do with anything.

Lichtsteiner is a far superior right-back to Ivanovic.

Barzagli is superior to Cahill and Luiz easily, as is Chiellini.

Terry is probably even with Barzagli if I'm to be completely un-bias, while we have the superior left-back.

I really don't see how that's a even at all.

Also, the support of the fans has a lot to do with everything.

When Newcastle United fans were singing "Your support is fucking shit, your support is fucking shit" a few weeks ago, our fans hid for a few minutes while Newcastle went through a spell of possession. Support can be the "12th man."