Closed Chelsea v Cardiff

[Special Juan 27,439]

I'm not normally shouting from the roof tops about 3-0/4-0 wins but I think this will be one.

I think we will just out pass and out class them all over, I expect a clean sheet and hopefully people like Eto'o get a goal and Willian starts.

[We Hate Scouse 10,286]

Cardiff have sacked their head scout and replaced him with a 23 year old work experience student

and we think we have it hard with manager changes?

Before his role as head scout, he was doing maintence work for them. What a step up

[Neira 19]

I'd like to see Kevin as well, possibly in the number 10 role which he performed brilliantly well in during preseason. Give Oscar who flew halfway across the globe a rest. Mata/Willian on the right and Schurrle on the left.

I put my money on a spot in the stands again for Kevin.

[The Skipper 20,593]

I'm not normally shouting from the roof tops about 3-0/4-0 wins but I think this will be one.

I think we will just out pass and out class them all over, I expect a clean sheet and hopefully people like Eto'o get a goal and Willian starts.

Severely underrating Cardiff mate. They'll be a tough nut to crack. They're better than Fulham, Hull etc. and could potentially be as hard as the Norwich game IMO.

But of course anything could happen.

[Special Juan 27,439]

Severely underrating Cardiff mate. They'll be a tough nut to crack. They're better than Fulham, Hull etc. and could potentially be as hard as the Norwich game IMO.

But of course anything could happen.

Not the way I feel or see it, but like you say....anything could happen.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Severely underrating Cardiff mate. They'll be a tough nut to crack. They're better than Fulham, Hull etc. and could potentially be as hard as the Norwich game IMO.

But of course anything could happen.

I agree. It could be like the Villa home game last season where an early goal blew the doors open, or it could be a very tight affair where we have tons of possession but struggle to get into the box. Then you're looking for a moment of magic from one of the usual suspects to unlock them.

We need to be high tempo from the very beginning, get a goal and then force them to open up a little because the one thing they will probably be is disciplined in defence.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Cardiff have sacked their head scout and replaced him with a 23 year old work experience student

and we think we have it hard with manager changes?

Turns out he's the friend of Vincent Tan's son.

[Jase 43,479]

I agree. It could be like the Villa home game last season where an early goal blew the doors open, or it could be a very tight affair where we have tons of possession but struggle to get into the box. Then you're looking for a moment of magic from one of the usual suspects to unlock them.

We need to be high tempo from the very beginning, get a goal and then force them to open up a little because the one thing they will probably be is disciplined in defence.

Will be nice if we can kill the game off early, something that we hardly do these days. Can then at least conserve some energy for the key game against Schalke in mid-week.

[Barbara 15,149]

If some think Mourinho will make any changes in the team after the squad hasn't trained together for almost two weeks, I guess they'll have another think coming.

Chances are he'll start exactly the same team that started against Norwich or with at most one of the changes he made during the match (probably Eden for André) - saved injuries.

Which makes sense, as why would rotation be done after coming from international duties with no proper training on that?

Also I really don't get the clamor for Azpilicueta. I feel like some fans don't fully appreciate how flawless Ivanovic has been for us so far this season. Also the guy is a tank so it's not like 14 matches (or so) under his belt in two months could have possibly wore him out.

And I read someone somewhere (too many pages as this is the first time I visit the thread I guess) saying that Bertrand isn't rubbish... yes, he is we have two great players to play as RFB, but only half a player as LFB because Cole these days is half the player he used to be, and it seems he isn't up to his best physically either. And I have no hopes for this scenario to change and Mourinho to see the light and sign a new left FB because he never showed he would replace Arbeloa in RM and it's really difficult to pick the worst out of Arbeloa and Bertrand.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Will be nice if we can kill the game off early, something that we hardly do these days.

Exactly.

I havent seen us do that on regular basis since the Double winning season.. Back then we used to score early, kill the game and enjoy ourselves all together (players and supporters) till the end.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

I think Ba starts for this one because of his good performance against Norwich and because he didn't have international duty and would be the freshers and also because, with Torres out, Jose would want to save eto'o for Schalke.

If Torres is still out, i reckon Mour is gonna go for Eto'o against Cardiff and maybe wait for Torres to be fit for Scalke. If not, Eto'o for both matches.

[Jase 43,479]

Exactly.

I havent seen us do that on regular basis since the Double winning season.. Back then we used to score early, kill the game and enjoy ourselves all together (players and supporters) till the end.

Our attack can't convert chances on a consistent/regular basis these days. And, there always seem to be 1-2 mistakes in our defence every time. Doesn't make us feel totally safe and confident like it used to be.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Like to see KDB in the pivot, please

[polo 18]

Cardiff is not the Barca

[Barbara 15,149]

hate it, too. There is nothing more corrupted and shamelessly commercialised than international football. The qualifications are full of needless games against midget states, most national football associations are a bunch of undead jackasses. Tournaments take place whereever the most money is paid to Blatter and his fellow parasites. Thousands of families are forced to move and even killed to built stadiums in countries whose infrastructure is completely overchallenged. During the WC, local shops are forced to close so McDonalds and other sponsors don't have competitors. In countries like South Africa, Brazil, a tournament leaves behind scorched earth, a weakened economy, even more impovered population, fleeced by a bunch of corrupt old twats and global corporations. This slaughter is sold as a big party to the media. Horrible crimes committed in the name of sports. One of the most disgusting aspects of our time.

dude, you seriously need to come to Brazil... I don't know what you have been reading or where you have been reading, but you must be be very, very, very bad informed.

The WC will do nothing to an economy that right now is far from weakened. Yeah, we have great social differences here but we're also a 200 million-people country so it takes a while for the social difference to be less evident.

Clubs such as Palmeiras and Gremio are building ultra modern (Gremio's is ready already) and brand new arenas that won't be used to the World Cup - it the club's patrimony and they're improving it. Other clubs such as Internacional and Atletico Paranaense don't have any public money on their new arenas that are going to be used for the WC. So where exactly did you get the idea that building stadiums here will leave behind scorched earth, weakened economy and mind you more impoverished population?

Maybe you saw something about the protests here and jumped to those conclusions or some rubbish journalism in Germany lead you to have that opinion - but the protests were for a different cause. The people want the government to make such massive investments in education, health, infra-structure because all those areas need it. I'm sure most countries also need investments in other things. You have a completely distorted vision of Brazil's current economic scenario, of how this WC will affect us and how much money flows in Brazil's economy currently. We have social problems that are being handled and they'll take a long while to be fixed. The main reason we are like that is corruption, not investments in a WC. Also nobody here is dying as you have implied twice already. I don't know in what world do you live, but the Brazil you know and the one I live are two completely countries. I have no idea which horrible crimes were committed here for the WC - except shady business involving public money. We don't need the WC for that to happen, it happens here all the time with no WC, as I said corruption is indeed a problem, everything else you made up in your mind.

Is it? I have not seen any people killed in bid to host EPL games, but in Brazil this happens every day. Doesn't help denying that. There are millions of pieces of evidence of the brutality the Brazilian government applies towards their own people to force through this tournament.

link me all the articles then. I'll be waiting. I want proof. Dude, I'm the first one to talk shit about this country when shit is needed to be said, but you've been lying about it for days now and it really pisses me off.

Brazil isn't a nobody land as people think. We live in a very decent democracy, we have law enforcement that while not flawless like in other countries, isn't rubbish either, human rights grow more and more here every year and I think it's decent in most metropolitan areas. We have social issues, we have corruption issues, but everything needs to be taken into context. There's no other country in the world where the work law is more protectionist than Brazil. I'll repeat no other country in the world. Protectionist doesn't mean the best and neither does it exclude issues, but it's the law and I'd say in most cities it's well reinforced.

One of our main problems here is public services. Like public education from kindergarten to major - we have that, but not enough; public health for the entire population - again we have that, but not enough; infrastructure issues especially in the more isolated and remote areas (although in the periphery of big cities it also happens in a much lesser scale). Our roads suck in general, which is why they're being privatized recently. We have basic needs problems in very impoverished areas, again we're a 200-million people country, Germany is probably smaller than half our states, so it takes a while to reach it all out.

I can assure those employees in the stadiums have all the human conditions to do their work, they're paid what is paid for constructors in Brazil (an acceptable wage even if low, but very, very, very far from slaver-ish). A bricklayer here makes 600 USD/month (I actually made a research to tell you that) in addition to benefits to cover food and transportation (in addition to health insurance) because that's the law and it is reinforced. So excuse me if I think that while this is low, it isn't exactly the end of the world, because unfortunately in other places in the world conditions are much worse. Those people can't be killed in their work environment without it creating a great commotion in the country. Of course work accidents happen, but they aren't as nearly common as you're thinking. I mean, probably 100 times (no exaggeration) less common than you're thinking.

And there's no brutality here in the way you're implying!!!! As I said human rights are big here (although far from being flawless), it's reinforced and this is no longer a nobody's land. hasn't been for a while btw.

[robsblubot 3,530]

Brazil isn't a nobody land as people think. We live in a very decent democracy, we have law enforcement that while not flawless like in other countries, isn't rubbish either, human rights grow more and more here every year and I think it's decent in most metropolitan areas. We have social issues, we have corruption issues, but everything needs to be taken into context. There's no other country in the world where the work law is more protectionist than Brazil. I'll repeat no other country in the world. Protectionist doesn't mean the best and neither does it exclude issues, but it's the law and I'd say in most cities it's well reinforced.

Great post! I do disagree on the law enforcement bit though: it is rubbish.

However, I do understand where you are coming from in response to the claims made, which I agree couldn't be farther from the truth. People also do not realize Brazil is a country as large as the US, so when they Brazil this or Brazil that, they really ought to be more specific... otherwise it's like comparing NYC to say, Omaha.

On law enforcement, my dad is a retired police officer and he tells me that the number of police officers on the streets in Brazil is roughly the same as 50 years ago... Number of murders, and other violent crimes, is still way too high.

[cripji 16]

Chelsea Loanee Christian Atsu scored a cracker 4 Ghana in their 6-1 demolition of Egypt. This guy has a great future ahead of him.

[Barbara 15,149]

Great post! I do disagree on the law enforcement bit though: it is rubbish.

However, I do understand where you are coming from in response to the claims made, which I agree couldn't be farther from the truth. People also do not realize Brazil is a country as large as the US, so when they Brazil this or Brazil that, they really ought to be more specific... otherwise it's like comparing NYC to say, Omaha.

On law enforcement, my dad is a retired police officer and he tells me that the number of police officers on the streets in Brazil is roughly the same as 50 years ago... Number of murders, and other violent crimes, is still way too high.

I meant work law enforcement actually... because as far as I understand his post was about how building stadiums were killing people here or making them homeless, or slaving them.

I think we have decent law enforcement on other areas... our corruption law enforcement is lame though. But civil, working and in some place criminal law enforcement is good.

I don't know about amount of police officers actually. Big cities here are more violent and Rio and Sao Paulo have areas that should be avoided... but for example the city I live in, it has 1.2M people and while there's violence I don't think it's too much, like something appalling... we must have about 20, 30 at most cities this big. My hometown has 700K inhabitants and while there was a wave of violence a few years ago, it's a quiet city...

The biggest problem imo is drugs. Addicted people rob a lot around here and when they're high they simply pull the trigger or stab you because they're drugged. I think that's one of the things that makes it worse.

But the kind of thing he was implying happens here, it doesn't... we are way more civilized than that.