The Rotation

[kellzfresh 7,229]

The teams with the most money always come near the top of the league. ManU last year actually didn't have much depth last year. They had fantastic depth at striker and attacking midfield but everyone else they were bare. We had our best season overall under Ancelotti where were we had pretty poor depth.

Are you sure we had poor depth? i think i remember after that season, we let ballack, deco, beletti, and 3 other senior players go and only replaced them with only two players (ramires and someone i cant remember) which cost us to go trophyless

[Sheva. 5,373]

Why are Madrid the reference point though? i know it was Mou's last team, but it's not like they won anything with the fewer options they had.

If anything, our squad right now is built to last a whole season - something we couldn't have said last season. We had to play Bertrand or Ramires on the wings more than a few times, and that hurt us due to how restricted both are in the position. Not to mention Yossi and Marin who never did anything of note while coming off the bench.

Now we can still field good teams when we have games every 3 days, or an away trip in Europe and not lose a tremendous amount of quality.

Finally like Mourinho said - I'd rather have a team with too much options and quality than one with few like last season or even worse, the season with Carlo when all we had on the bench were youth team players.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

You put schurrle twice

Bayern munich last season

strikers: Pizaro, mandzukic, gomez, Patrick Weihrauch

Attacking mid: robben, ribbery, muller, shaqiri, kroos,

central mid: gustavo, schwienstiger, martinez, tymoishook, emre can, Mitchell Weiser

defence: rafinha, lahm, alaba, contento, vanbuyten, boateng, badstuber

http://espnfc.com/team/squad/_/id/132/season/2012/league/ger.1/bayern-munich?cc=3888

We slagged them for having too much, they won the trebble

I know having excess doesnt guarantee titles but every single time we won the premier league have you seen how much depth we had that season???

Hazard just picked up a knock training for belgium, so what if he's out for months were back to struggling without qualities again.

Injuries are part of the reason for big squads not just keeping fresh legs

I think you actually just proved his point because, last season, some of those players barely got a few minutes for Bayern all season.

[English Freak 456]

To the original poster, I feel that until January, we will have too much depth.

Ba and someone else will leave and that'll leave us with 7 options for 4 positions.

My guess (after January):
Strikers: Eto'o, Torres, Schurrle (fill in when needed)
Attacking Mids: Hazard, Mata/De Bruyne, Willian, Oscar, Schurrle
CM's: Ramires, Mikel, Lamps, MvG, Essien

[Term-X 7,891]

Willian - Oscar - Hazard

[hjperdeath 2,226]

I see Wilian - Mata - Hazard eventually playing as the main ones. Bring back the Robben and Duff days. Oscar settling in deeper.

[Term-X 7,891]

Oscar settling in deeper.

Nothing to suggest that will be happening. Mourinho had plenty of time to experiment in pre-season.

If Lampard is favoured over him in the pivot, that tells you all you need to know. Mourinho won't be restricting Oscar in a deeper role like what happened with 'former' CAM Mikel. He's Brazil's number 10 for a reason..

It's been posted before, but this is the single greatest article ever posted on a Chelsea player. 'Zonal Markings' Michael Cox on Oscar..

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1713?cc=5739

[hjperdeath 2,226]

Nothing to suggest that will be happening. Mourinho had plenty of time to experiment in pre-season.

If Lampard is favoured over him in the pivot, that tells you all you need to know. Mourinho won't be restricting Oscar in a deeper role like what happened with 'former' CAM Mikel. He's Brazil's number 10 for a reason..

It's been posted before, but this is the single greatest article ever posted on a Chelsea player. 'Zonal Markings' Michael Cox on Oscar..

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1713?cc=5739

I barely think so. Even though on paper he starts in the #10 role, he's always fallen deep. I see him slowly making the transition. have read that long ago.

[Term-X 7,891]

I barely think so. Even though on paper he starts in the #10 role, he's always fallen deep. I see him slowly making the transition. have read that long ago.

Unlike Mata he works harder for the team, tracks back and uses his physicality, and offers a lot more to our overall game. Once Hazard/Schurrle & Willian get into their stride, the wings will be 'CHELSEA' personified, just like in the Robben/Duff days. Thus, less emphasis and over reliance on the CAM. If Mata went missing last season and before... we lost.

[hjperdeath 2,226]

Unlike Mata he works harder for the team, tracks back and uses his physicality, and offers a lot more to our overall game. Once Hazard/Schurrle & Willian get into their stride, the wings will be 'CHELSEA' personified, just like in the Robben/Duff days. Thus, less emphasis and over reliance on the CAM. If Mata went missing last season and before... we lost.

Agreed, hopefully everything works out, still got a bad feeling that despite the potential, Willian will have a problem, but that's problem the negative me thinking.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Why are Madrid the reference point though? i know it was Mou's last team, but it's not like they won anything with the fewer options they had.

If anything, our squad right now is built to last a whole season - something we couldn't have said last season. We had to play Bertrand or Ramires on the wings more than a few times, and that hurt us due to how restricted both are in the position. Not to mention Yossi and Marin who never did anything of note while coming off the bench.

Now we can still field good teams when we have games every 3 days, or an away trip in Europe and not lose a tremendous amount of quality.

Finally like Mourinho said - I'd rather have a team with too much options and quality than one with few like last season or even worse, the season with Carlo when all we had on the bench were youth team players.

It's not about Real Madrid. Every team is about the same. For example, in 38 Premier League games last season, 16 outfield players started at least 10 games for Man City and that's with a bunch of injuries. They had a total of 5 players start more than 10 games at the 4 most attacking positions they only had 2 more who started a single game (including Scott Sinclair's 2 starts). We have NINE players for those spots that other teams use 5, 6 players for ad that's not including Ramires who is capable of playing there. That's way beyond the depth we need..

[Strike 7,474]

Essien