The Midfield Dilemma

[Strike 6,958]

Chelseas recent midfield woes are plainly visible the team is missing a Regista or a deep-lying playmaker. While we may not have used a DLP in recent years, it was the power and the directness of Mourinho's midfield which recovered the ball and transferred it forward.<br />

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Ballack Lampard<br />

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Essien/Makelele

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Now that was a formidable midfield. Essien or Makelele or sometimes both together gave us defensive security while Ballack pushed the ball forward and Lampard invariably got on the end of it. But now, Ballack is retired, Essien is playing make-shift Rightback for his Daddy at Real Madrid and Lampard has lost the physical attributes that made him such a dangerous midfielder.<br />

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With the post-Mourinho team we are building, Chelsea have failed to control games this season, usually relying on counter-attacks to create goals. How often have we seen David Luiz look up and see no option for a short pass and then extravagantly decide to lump it forward? This uncovers the root of the problem i.e the inability of the team to retain the ball for long periods, and thats where a DLP will help. <br />

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The FA Cup final last season is a striking example. In the last 30 mins of the game, our defenders were desperately trying to repel every Liverpool attack when the better solution would have been to hold the ball and slow the tempo of the game. We have been linked with play-makers in the past. Remember Ancelotti wanting Pirlo? We laughed it off then but look how he has turned out for Juventus now. Then there was the summer-long Modric saga at the start of last season. We thought we dodged a bullet with Modric but recently in the game between Real Madrid and Manchester United, he came on and changed the course of the game. Of course, the price of £40 million may have put us off but then we went out and bought Raul Meireles on transfer deadline day deepening our midfield problems more than repairing it.<br />

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Last season, in the midst of our summer overhaul, I genuinely thought we would sign a deep-lying playmaker but eventually it did not happen. Some argued that Oscar could play there but during the course of this season, he has played in the pivot only once in the game against Sunderland where he looked good going forward but was unsure on what to do defensively. Kevin de Bruyne was another option talked about but he is a defensive liability in the pivot and prefers to play higher up the pitch. So now, with Lampard leaving, I think its high-time the club acted on this issue and brought in a deep-lying playmaker to supplement our hard-working midfielders and we have a precious few across Europe who fit the bill<br />

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1. Joao Moutinho Portos midfield general, who came so close to joining Spurs last summer, has been a talismanic figure at the Portuguese champions ever since AVB bought him from rivals Sporting to replace the outgoing Raul Meireles. In his first season at the club, he was a pivotal figure as Porto won the treble of the domestic league, cup and the Europa League, going unbeaten throughout the season.<br />

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He was impressive in the European Championships last summer although Ronaldo stole the limelight for the Selecção. He is a great passer of the ball, evidenced by his impressive 82.5% pass-success rate at the Euros, and gets into good pockets of space in midfield. He is not known for his goal-scoring ability and has only scored 3 goals this season but what he lacks in terms of goalscoring, he makes up for it with his technical brilliance. Chelsea have 3 midfielders who have hit double-digits in-terms of goals this season. So its not like we need more goals from midfield. Moutinho instead acts as the engine room picking out clever passes with the ball at his feet and also chasing around and closing down when not having the ball. His defensive ability puts him above other DLP's.<br />

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Contract till 30.06.2015<br />

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Transfer Value £25 million<br />

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Did you know? At the age of 20, he became the second-youngest man ever to captain Sporting Lisbon<br />

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2. Luka Modric The subject of a summer-long transfer saga back in 2011 has had a mixed season at Real Madrid. He brings the same set of skills that Moutinho does but his 4 years of Premier League experience at White Hart Lane could tip the scales in his favour.<br />

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He completed more successful passes than anyone else in the 2011-12 Premier League season 2215. Well, anyone(Joe Allen reference) can make successful passes by passing sideways or back to the defence, but Luka also made most successful passes in the opposition half with 1756 and all that with an incredible pass-success rate of 87.4%. He has shown a keen eye for playing long balls 7.9 per game which highlights his playmaking skills. He has also scored a few spectacular goals during his time at Spurs. Infact, all 4 of his goals in the 2011-12 season came from outside the box.<br />

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The one problem with signing Modric is that he doesnt offer much protection to the defence. He can certainly harry and chase the ball around. Interestingly made more interceptions per game than Yaya Toure in the 2011-12 season but my praise for his defensive ability ends there. His strength is poor and he is not much of a tackler. Also, his aerial ability is comparable to Juan Mata. With Chelsea reliant on 2 players in the pivot screening the defence, signing Modric may leave the team open in midfield but with a more defensive player alongside him like Mikel perhaps, there is no reason why he couldnt solve the Chelsea midfield problem<br />

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Contract till 30.06.2017<br />

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Transfer Worth £30 million<br />

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Did you know? Mark Viduka, the Australian striker who played for Leeds United, Newcastle United and scored the winner against Chelsea in 2006 while playing for Middlesbrough is Lukas second cousin.<br />

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3. Beñat Extebarria The 26-year old Real Betis midfielder was linked with a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window and although we didnt sign him then, the move could happen this summer. Benat, much like Modric and Moutinho, is a deep-lying playmaker but the value of signing him is that he is a good £10 million cheaper than Modric or Moutinho. Also, you dont break into the Spanish NT midfield if youre not half decent. <br />

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He has scored 4 goals and bagged 7 assists(Only Iniesta, Fabregas and Messi have more) in 24 appearances this season and is the creative hub of the Betis team. He makes on average 51.7 passes per game and key passes (1.5 per game). His passing and technical ability makes him one of the best midfielders in the La Liga today. He also has a penchant for long balls - 5.1 per game<br />

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He is an asset defensively as well. He has an average of 2 tackles and 2.7 interceptions per game. Beñat may not be the more talked about option but he is certainly a good deep-lying playmaker. At 26, he is in his prime and at his price, it could be a great piece of business if we sign him<br />

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Contract Till 30.06.2014<br />

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Transfer Value - £15 million<br />

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Did you know? Betis lost both games that Benat missed this season while they are yet to win in the 4 games when he hasnt started. <br />

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You can visit http://www.footballscores.com to keep up to date with the latest betting odds on who is to join Chelsea in the summer!<br />

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stats and data compiled from whoscored.com

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[CHOULO19 24,332]

Thank you for that, good read.

There really aren't many options out there. I am hoping that we can get Modric for a relatively cheap price since he did not work too well at Madrid. He already said once that he wants to play here.

I really miss Ballack!

[Melanicus 5,208]

I want Benat.

[xPetrCechx 13,546]

BALLACK!

[Rmpr 8,977]

Luka Modric wont go fr 30 million, he was just bought for 33mi...

Besides it, a good read!

[Spike 12,049]

I want Joao Moutinho. That bloke is a bloody terrier in the midfield.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Luka Modric wont go fr 30 million, he was just bought for 33mi...

Besides it, a good read!

Yeah but you have to realize that his move to Madrid has been a failure. I think his price has dropped. But like Strike said, my worry is whether or not Modric is suited for a two-man midfield.

Tbh, the perfect type of player we need to partner Mikel is someone like Josh. He's good defensively, disciplined. He can keep the ball and his passing way above his age and he seems to see passes that no one else sees. But of course, in reality, this won't even be considered as an option.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Yeah but you have to realize that his move to Madrid has been a failure. I think his price has dropped. But like Strike said, my worry is whether or not Modric is suited for a two-man midfield.

Tbh, the perfect type of player we need to partner Mikel is someone like Josh. He's good defensively, disciplined. He can keep the ball and his passing way above his age and he seems to see passes that no one else sees. But of course, in reality, this won't even be considered as an option.

I know it has, but Madrid just doesnt need the money and with the savings Kaka will bring them (10mi/year), there is absolutely no chance they will lose money and strenghen a rival. We are talking about Florentino Perez afterall...

Have you seen Moutinho play? He is fantastic, he really is. He has got what you want and he is perfect to work with a DM alongside on the pivot!

[Mufassir08 2,400]

You missed out on cabaye and strootman.In my opinion our top priority this summer has to be moutinho/modric with benat and cabaye as backups in case our move for moutinho/modric fails.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Have you seen Moutinho play? He is fantastic, he really is. He has got what you want and he is perfect to work with a DM alongside on the pivot!

Yeah I actually voted for Moutinho, although for me, he lacks a bit of consistency and in some games he goes a bot missing when you want your DLP to be always looking to get on the ball. I was just saying that Josh, being an academy product, should be given a chance.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Yeah I actually voted for Moutinho, although for me, he lacks a bit of consistency and in some games he goes a bot missing when you want your DLP to be always looking to get on the ball. I was just saying that Josh, being an academy product, should be given a chance.

But we cant go into a season with Josh and Rambo as our only CMs...

We need the three to be able to compete at a high level in all competitions!

[Mufassir08 2,400]

Yeah I actually voted for Moutinho, although for me, he lacks a bit of consistency and in some games he goes a bot missing when you want your DLP to be always looking to get on the ball. I was just saying that Josh, being an academy product, should be given a chance.

We can always have josh and moutinho next season.They both can be rotated and as we have learned this season squad strength is extremely important.Also this way both can stay relatively fresh.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

But we cant go into a season with Josh and Rambo as our only CMs...

We need the three to be able to compete at a high level in all competitions!

We can always have josh and moutinho next season.They both can be rotated and as we have learned this season squad strength is extremely important.Also this way both can stay relatively fresh.

Yes of course we should not rely on Josh alone, which is why I voted for Moutinho, but actually don't think Josh will be even in our squad next season.

[Mufassir08 2,400]

Yes of course we should not rely on Josh alone, which is why I voted for Moutinho, but actually don't think Josh will be even in our squad next season.

Well that would be a crying shame because i think he is ready to play a part in our team next season.

[Mundaka 243]

Too bad you didnt include Witsel but hey! Also that midfield (ballack/lampard/makalele) wouldnt be that good anymore in our current playstyle, but was a kickass one back then for us indeed.

Gonna go with modric then.

for me anyways:

1 Witsel

2 Modric

3 Moutinho / KDB

4 Benat

[Strike 6,958]

I want Joao Moutinho. That bloke is a bloody terrier in the midfield.

i hate doing business with Porto. never cheap although paulo, Carvalho were worth it.

how much u think moutinho would go for? the same 23mil that spurs bid last summer?

[Mundaka 243]

30-50M

[Rmpr 8,977]

i hate doing business with Porto. never cheap although paulo, Carvalho were worth it.

how much u think moutinho would go for? the same 23mil that spurs bid last summer?

25mi would be enough, but I would be willing to go as much as 30mi.