Closed Chelsea 1-1 Sparta Prague

[The only place to be 11,313]

Can't add much more to what others have said.

Torres is absolutely shot. Morons (well one moron in particular) like to defend him by attacking our midfield for not creating enough chances. By my count he had FOUR clear-cut opportunities and he fluffed each of them. Not just that but his passing was awful. When the crowd laughs at you when you get hit in the bollocks by your own player, it's time to fuck off.

Ramires makes up for what he lacks in quality in enthusiasm - but I'd rather have someone with better ball skills please. He only has a place in the team if we're going to let the opposition dominate possession and try to hit them on the counter-attack, and I don't think that's a solid plan to be a top team. Therefore, if we plan on winning stuff on a consistent basis then we should probably sell him.

Bertrand is a very solid left-back.

Mata played 90 minutes less than three days before an away trip to the Champions. Rafa - You're A Cunt. You're not Chelsea, you'll never be Chelsea.

Eden is starting to look like the player we bought. It takes time for players to get used to a new league but he's definitely getting there. It was the right decision to bring him on but we shouldn't have been in a position like that in the first place.

Sparta were unlucky not to beat us. Their fans were tremendous and they fronted up. Quite honestly the thought of at least two more games in between the West Brom, Fulham and West Ham games terrifies me. We've got ONE POINT from these teams already this season and we're going to lose prep time and rest time for key players when we're being pressured for a top four spot. But let's just take it one game at a time and then if we do fuck up it'll be a nice surprise.

[bushman 2,043]

I am a bit surprised to see the above poster using such an eloquent tongue to describe Chelsea team.

One might agree about Ramires though. Personally, I do not think he is much help in the middle. He cannot score, his defensive work is too erratic, most of the times I saw him playing rough tackling...however he makes up for it by his relentless stamina.

Well, was Sparta unlucky to win last night ? Perhaps, Chelsea were unlucky to convert their chances, then ?

[edetarod 2,155]

Ramires is useless against teams who sit deep

[Laylabelle 9,535]

Torres was just a tree!

2 cup comps and in both ooer!how long will this last i wonder

[Special Juan 28,141]

We look weak as a kitten when teams come at us, I am worried about Sunday.

[Buffalo talks Blue 85]

We look weak as a kitten when teams come at us, I am worried about Sunday.

Oh crap! What if Sunday's performance is worst than this?

[The Skipper 20,609]

Yeah, agree with The only place to be on almost everything, especially re: Bertrand. He had a good game at his natural position. He's definitely good enough to allow us to rest A. Cole. He should play there more often IMO.

[xPetrCechx 13,571]

No way, Jose! Chelsea supporters fume over banner crackdown

Chelsea angered some of their fans by removing banners before Thursday night's Europa League clash against against Sparta Prague.

A 'Rafa Out' banner directed at under-fire manager Rafa Benitez, which had been a regular feature at Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, was taken down before kick-off.

And there were claims a 'Come Home, Jose' banner, backing former manager Jose Mourinho to return and replace Benitez, was also removed by ground staff.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2282449/Chelsea-crackdown-Rafa-Benitez-Jose-Mourinho-banners-Sparta-Prague-tie.html?ITO=socialnet-twitter-mailfootball&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=socialnet-twitter-mailfootball

[bushman 2,043]

There is no need to keep bringing these banners, is there ?

We all know, Rafa is on his way out. What´s the sense of it ?

[rEcKLeSs_CFC 5]

Thanks to Torres that he reminded me how good a striker Drogba was for us with every chance that he wasted.

[xPetrCechx 13,571]

There is no need to keep bringing these banners, is there ?

We all know, Rafa is on his way out. What´s the sense of it ?

'Come Home, Jose' is a good one...

[bushman 2,043]

'Come Home, Jose' is a good one...

It might be. Wait & see would be more appropriate.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I don't get some of the gloom here. I thought the performance was pretty good. We made some mistakes at the back especially Cahill and Azpi but on the attack we managed to create so much (22 shots) and were a decent striker away from scoring 4-5 goals.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Juan Mata was poor last night. He's the one that needs the rest.

Overall a great night out. The Bridge was very subdued; nothing to get excited about in the freezing cold at all. Hazard's goal alone was worth the admission fee. Either way, play like that against City or even Steaua Bucharest and we'll get slaughtered.

Chant of the night - JOSE MOURINHOOOOOO, JOSE MOURINHO!

[Mustafa 885]

QPR, Brentford, fulham, for me were worse, as with better finishing we should have lead at half time in this game.

OH MAN ! Fulham was awwwfull... That was the first time he dropped Mata.. and a sign that we cant fairly lack luster without him and to this day dont understand why he dropped Mata and Hazard for the QPR game, a London Derby ffs !

[Liquidator 5,176]

Can you sort out your hate priorities, please. You can't say that Torres missed many good chances and then say that Rafa's tactics didn't work. Rafa tactics are to produce chances. The players responsibilities are to execute them. Also Rafa has scope to make substitutions. His substitution of Hazard for Oscar was greeted boos by the usual ignorant boo-boys, yet it produced the winning goal. Kudos to Rafa.

As for Torres - goalscorers need confidence. He has been the object of the yobo boo boys for months . In Japan the "loyal" supporters booed him and Rafa as they did in Sparta and various other grounds. This must be a first for a leading club.

You and some of the other haters on here are obsessed with Rafa's appearance. Is it because you are yourself fat and merely expressing a form of self-hatred. Or is there some other deep-seated reason you don't want to tell us about. I notice a lot of the Rafa haters are also fascinated with Mourinho's appearance .....hmmmmm

As for the substitution. I wanted Rafa to take Oscar off long before he did. I know some of you thought he played a good game. I thought he reverted back to the bad form he showed before Rafa started dropping him from the starting 11. Time and again he lost possession of the ball through bad passes or inability to keep the ball under control - a kick forward two feet too far right into the feet of a defender. And because he did this in their third he left us open to counter attack time and again. When Rafa took him off I felt that the midfield would relate better to the attack and it would be more penetrative.

• Well quite clearly he did. If Ba was up front the game probably would have been out of Sparta's reach by half time
• We were not booing the substitution you moron, we were booing the fact that la mierda was staying on the pitch offering absolute fuck all as usual while one of our creative players was being substituted.
• Wow fuck me Rafa must really be a tactical genius to notice that things needed changing didn't he? Its not like we were getting outplayed by a side we would probably have demolished under Mourinho. It was obvious to everyone that Hazard needed bringing on so why does Rafa deserve respect for doing the bloody obvious and bringing on a player that everyone in the stands could see we needed. We are not even the supposed 'tactical genius' either
• That's right. Loyal supporters who had paid thousands of pounds to travel to the other side of the world to see the wanker jog around giving 20% in every game he played. Why should we show him respect if he isn't going to show us respect by playing to the best of his ability? He can't even be fucked to jog towards the penalty box these days let alone jump for a header
• Nope.
• Yes Oscar was not at his best but he was nowhere near as bad as Torres. We could have brought Hazard on for Torres and put Victor Moses up front or play with a false number 9. Torres lost the ball far more than Oscar (and Oscar was actually trying) and it would usually end up being his fault that they counter attacked either because he would run into a player or not give Oscar, Moses or Mata an option to pass to so they would lose the ball. That's right, the same Fernando Torres who got all the plaudits against Barca last season by trying to dribble past 4 players on the edge of our box in the 92nd minute, losing the ball and not being arsed to track back and instead decided to jog aimlessly towards the halfway line. He was then incredibly lucky to get the ball and score yet he got all the praise? He is the one who consistently puts us in danger

[edetarod 2,155]

I don't get some of the gloom here. I thought the performance was pretty good. We made some mistakes at the back especially Cahill and Azpi but on the attack we managed to create so much (22 shots) and were a decent striker away from scoring 4-5 goals.

oh wow, 22 shots and 1 goal

that is truly abysmal

[AndersonBLUE 819]

What's wrong with that? He gets out of the way into the more central aera in case of keeper's parry or cross into the box

Nothing, just funny considering he got belted in the stomach a few mins earlier

[Stingray 9,441]

...but on the attack we managed to create so much (22 shots) and were a decent striker away from scoring 4-5 goals.

This sums it for me. Actually, it is starting to sum up our entire season. Every team has bad games, makes mistakes - especially in a transition season guided by a mismatced manager. But the amount of chances Cli-Torres misses will put any team into shallow waters.

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

Ba would have scored a hat trick with all the chances Torres got yesterday.Winning this competition with Torres starting every game would surely be an achievement.