Closed Chelsea 1-0 Steaua Bucharest

[Sheva. 5,373]

It's tough to watch Lampard fail to do his job every other game, and still play because he's the only option considered for that role.

I thought with our lack of options, Mourinho would at least consider playing Oscar or KDB there, but never. Oscar is better than Lampard in almost every aspect; fresher, faster with or without the ball, aggressive etc etc.

IMO there's no reason why he can't be our Modric kind of player, but instead he starts as CAM and actually stays in that position for less minutes than the other AM's

I know it won't happen though, so hopefully Mourinho is seriously considering adding another option in there, if we care about winning something this season.

As for this game overall - we didn't play great, but should still have been at least 3-0 with the easy chances Ba and Hazard missed. Schwarzer motm for his record-breaking debut

[Korea 734]

You guys know we played 4-3-3.

What pivot?

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I love what Lamps has done for CFC and I feel he has great purpose from a leadership standpoint but I tired of seeing him as a regular now. He's a once every 3 game performer, he needs to be getting less time on the pitch now.... Its getting ridiculous.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I love what Lamps has done for CFC and I feel he has great purpose from a leadership standpoint but I tired of seeing him as a regular now. He's a once every 3 game performer, he needs to be getting less time on the pitch now.... Its getting ridiculous.

And play who instead?

I'm getting tired of people bashing him when we lack other options. Last night wasn't a vintage performance by any means, but it was measured and controlled. He's still the only one of our midfielders who can play the occasional ball forward and provide some attacking impetus from that position.

Every player was muted last night, but at least he didn't fuck up like Mikel did. How he gets caught in possession and nearly gifts Steaua a goal from nothing I don't know because the one thing he's supposed to be good at is 'shielding' the ball. Thank god we're being linked with Matic because this might signal the end of his Chelsea career.

All in all it was a shit game to be at. No-one seemed up for it and once again the lack of quality in key positions was evident. Happy for Schwarzer to get a game because he deserves it after a great career, nice to see Luiz back in the team and put in a mistake-free performance under no pressure whatsoever, nice for Ashley to get back into the swing of things and grow into the game and that's about it.

Not quite sure why Willian is getting so many plaudits because I thought he was pretty ordinary and wanted to see De Bruyne come on for more than 10 minutes. So we're through as probably the worst group winners in the competition bar United.

[didierforever 7,349]

And play who instead?

I'm getting tired of people bashing him when we lack other options. Last night wasn't a vintage performance by any means, but it was measured and controlled. He's still the only one of our midfielders who can play the occasional ball forward and provide some attacking impetus from that position.

Every player was muted last night, but at least he didn't fuck up like Mikel did. How he gets caught in possession and nearly gifts Steaua a goal from nothing I don't know because the one thing he's supposed to be good at is 'shielding' the ball. Thank god we're being linked with Matic because this might signal the end of his Chelsea career.

All in all it was a shit game to be at. No-one seemed up for it and once again the lack of quality in key positions was evident. Happy for Schwarzer to get a game because he deserves it after a great career, nice to see Luiz back in the team and put in a mistake-free performance under no pressure whatsoever, nice for Ashley to get back into the swing of things and grow into the game and that's about it.

Not quite sure why Willian is getting so many plaudits because I thought he was pretty ordinary and wanted to see De Bruyne come on for more than 10 minutes. So we're through as probably the worst group winners in the competition bar United.

agree with everything u said except for the last part. i feel willian was brillint last night. especially in the first half when oscar seemed a little off-pace and hazard was getting double or tripled marked. willian was dynamic, poppong up everywhere, chased the ball down brilliantly on a number of occasions and if his decision making in and around the box had been a little better, he could have had a couple of assists easy.

[The only place to be 11,313]

agree with everything u said except for the last part. i feel willian was brillint last night. especially in the first half when oscar seemed a little off-pace and hazard was getting double or tripled marked. willian was dynamic, poppong up everywhere, chased the ball down brilliantly on a number of occasions and if his decision making in and around the box had been a little better, he could have had a couple of assists easy.

I like Willian's workrate and I've thought he should be given a go in the middle more, but I just felt he was a little off last night. Maybe I dozed off and missed some of his contributions (which is possible because that match was a good cure for insomnia) but I thought he was a little up-and-down to be honest.

I'll have to watch the game again....with some strong coffee.

[bushman 2,043]

Somehow, an underwhelming display from Chelsea against a team who offered a very little resistance.

In my view, plenty of spluttering performances are seen by Chelsea in recent weeks. This team, hopefully draws a weaker side, if there is one from now on, wins a game or two, but that´s about all I see from Chelsea.

The Blues will face either Milan, Zenit,Leverkusen,Olympiakos or Galatasaray.

As they say, perhaps luck will be on Chelsea´s side ?

[didierforever 7,349]

dont understand the bashing we are getting here. it was a professional performance. we did what was expected of us , and that is to get a WIN. or would people like us to play as good as we did against stoke but end up losing the game. after being a goal up, the onus was on bucuresti to do the attacking and press us for the ball, they dint and we dint need to do anything else than keep the ball among ourselves. so what the hell are people cribbing about? its time for some fans to really grow up!!!

schwarzer - dint have anything to do for about 80 odd minutes until bucuresti atlast had a shot on goal. still he should keep the GK spot for the next match. 7/10

iva - good performance. a couple of times he made a brilliant dash down the right only for willian to ignore him and once hazard put him thru but it was too wide for his liking. defensively it was a flawless performance. 8/10

DL-JT - brilliant performance from the 2 CBs. luiz was phenomenol. dint try anything fancy with the ball, but still put in more useful/critical balls than FL and Mikel combined, i think. defensively, too i think he was brilliant. booted everything out of the way if he was in 10% doubt and i just hope he can keep this up. JT was his usual self. 9/10

cole - had a lot to prove in this match, and i feel he did. start of the first half, he felt a little dodgy and slow and almost got caught on the ball in our own D, but i feel it was a decent performance. could have done better on a couple of occasions inside the bucuresti box. 7.5/10

mikel - horrendous. was he sleep-walking. his only role in the team would be to shield the back 4 and not give the bloody ball away when in possession but he did none of the 2. a woeful performance from our only recognized DM in the squad. high-time for a change. we need a DM in winter. no doubt. 3/10

lamps - nothing flashy. bucuresti were too deep and we in genral had no penetration for lamps to make his trademark late runs and effect the game. so attackingly he was simply left to taking 30 yard shots. defensively he was okay, put in some crunching tackles and sliding tackles. 6/10

hazard - tried hard but was double-tripled marked the enitre match. just get a feeling that he plays best with mata on the pitch. 7/10

oscar- seemed off the pace in the first half but that would be acceptable. but good closing down off the ball, good defensive work but again, those balls to break down defences from our main AM missing. 6/10

willian - the only forward/midfielder who was having an effect on the match. very dynamic, great on the ball, brilliant forward runs and movement too, but just his decision making was a little skeptical. 8/10

BA - got a goal but overall poor performance. but i would take that one goal ahead of torres' workrate and blah blah blah... could have so easily got a hat-trick. that ball from willian to find him 2 yards from the goal was orgasminc but at the same time, the miss gave me a de-erection. dint win aerial duels too and after watching DD play for GALA and again effecting the match from a mere head down of the ball. just shows u the poor-quality of strikers we have. unfortunately there is no immediate remedy and solving the problem of the mid should be our forst concern. 6/10

subs -

schurrle - was okay. a bit direct but the other 10 men around him barely wanted to play so even he gave up. 6/10

rambo - does what he does best. hope mikel can learn a few things from this guy. 7/10

kdb - felt he was great in the 12-13 minuted he got. that change of play from the left wing to find hazard on the right wing was just OH MY GOD!!! some of his runs were great too. dont think he will get game time in the next match but just hope he can rip sunderland apart in the COC. 8/10

[bushman 2,043]

dont understand the bashing we are getting here. it was a professional performance. we did what was expected of us , and that is to get a WIN. or would people like us to play as good as we did against stoke but end up losing the game. after being a goal up, the onus was on bucuresti to do the attacking and press us for the ball, they dint and we dint need to do anything else than keep the ball among ourselves. so what the hell are people cribbing about? its time for some fans to really grow up!!!

schwarzer - dint have anything to do for about 80 odd minutes until bucuresti atlast had a shot on goal. still he should keep the GK spot for the next match. 7/10

iva - good performance. a couple of times he made a brilliant dash down the right only for willian to ignore him and once hazard put him thru but it was too wide for his liking. defensively it was a flawless performance. 8/10

DL-JT - brilliant performance from the 2 CBs. luiz was phenomenol. dint try anything fancy with the ball, but still put in more useful/critical balls than FL and Mikel combined, i think. defensively, too i think he was brilliant. booted everything out of the way if he was in 10% doubt and i just hope he can keep this up. JT was his usual self. 9/10

cole - had a lot to prove in this match, and i feel he did. start of the first half, he felt a little dodgy and slow and almost got caught on the ball in our own D, but i feel it was a decent performance. could have done better on a couple of occasions inside the bucuresti box. 7.5/10

mikel - horrendous. was he sleep-walking. his only role in the team would be to shield the back 4 and not give the bloody ball away when in possession but he did none of the 2. a woeful performance from our only recognized DM in the squad. high-time for a change. we need a DM in winter. no doubt. 3/10

lamps - nothing flashy. bucuresti were too deep and we in genral had no penetration for lamps to make his trademark late runs and effect the game. so attackingly he was simply left to taking 30 yard shots. defensively he was okay, put in some crunching tackles and sliding tackles. 6/10

hazard - tried hard but was double-tripled marked the enitre match. just get a feeling that he plays best with mata on the pitch. 7/10

oscar- seemed off the pace in the first half but that would be acceptable. but good closing down off the ball, good defensive work but again, those balls to break down defences from our main AM missing. 6/10

willian - the only forward/midfielder who was having an effect on the match. very dynamic, great on the ball, brilliant forward runs and movement too, but just his decision making was a little skeptical. 8/10

BA - got a goal but overall poor performance. but i would take that one goal ahead of torres' workrate and blah blah blah... could have so easily got a hat-trick. that ball from willian to find him 2 yards from the goal was orgasminc but at the same time, the miss gave me a de-erection. dint win aerial duels too and after watching DD play for GALA and again effecting the match from a mere head down of the ball. just shows u the poor-quality of strikers we have. unfortunately there is no immediate remedy and solving the problem of the mid should be our forst concern. 6/10

subs -

schurrle - was okay. a bit direct but the other 10 men around him barely wanted to play so even he gave up. 6/10

rambo - does what he does best. hope mikel can learn a few things from this guy. 7/10

kdb - felt he was great in the 12-13 minuted he got. that change of play from the left wing to find hazard on the right wing was just OH MY GOD!!! some of his runs were great too. dont think he will get game time in the next match but just hope he can rip sunderland apart in the COC. 8/10

No one is looking for pretty football only. I certainly look for much better than what I saw, last night.

Your analyses are somewhat too optimistic, in my view.

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

Happy with the 3 points but I just felt that we could have done much better.

[didierforever 7,349]

No one is looking for pretty football only. I certainly look for much better than what I saw, last night.

Your analyses are somewhat too optimistic, in my view.

maybe, but for me the MAIN thing is a win. no one is going to remember how we played against stoke in 2 weeks' time, the only thing people will remember is we lost 3-2 against a team who had scored 6 goal in 7 home matches before this (i think).

december is a hectic time, u need a few games like last night's where u can literally sail thru. this game was exactly that. so on the whole, i am not going to compain one bit about last night.

[bushman 2,043]

maybe, but for me the MAIN thing is a win. no one is going to remember how we played against stoke in 2 weeks' time, the only thing people will remember is we lost 3-2 against a team who had scored 6 goal in 7 home matches before this (i think).

december is a hectic time, u need a few games like last night's where u can literally sail thru. this game was exactly that. so on the whole, i am not going to compain one bit about last night.

Well, I agree with you on the win. However, these unconvincing wins can not go on for much longer. Soon, much better teams are coming & Chelsea just might get clobbered. Personally, I am not looking for a win at all cost only. I would prefer to see Chelsea playing football & not a hoof ball only.

[didierforever 7,349]

Well, I agree with you on the win. However, these unconvincing wins can not go on for much longer. Soon, much better teams are coming & Chelsea just might get clobbered. Personally, I am not looking for a win at all cost only. I would prefer to see Chelsea playing football & not a hoof ball only.

its not like all we are doing is putting in unconvincing wins.

whu - 3-0, one of the best performances this season

soton - 3-1, should be 3-0 without the first 10 seconds and another brilliant performance.

sunderland - 4-3, brilliant attacking display countered with hopeless set-piece liability.

stoke - 2-3, brilliant football but hopless defending.

after recent performances, we needed a steady display rather than a flamboyant one. after conceding 6 goals to 2 of the worst attacking teams in the PL, we needed to go back to the basics and do what was need-ful. this match was exactly what the doctor ordered.

[bushman 2,043]

its not like all we are doing is putting in unconvincing wins.

whu - 3-0, one of the best performances this season

soton - 3-1, should be 3-0 without the first 10 seconds and another brilliant performance.

sunderland - 4-3, brilliant attacking display countered with hopeless set-piece liability.

stoke - 2-3, brilliant football but hopless defending.

after recent performances, we needed a steady display rather than a flamboyant one. after conceding 6 goals to 2 of the worst attacking teams in the PL, we needed to go back to the basics and do what was need-ful. this match was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Well, the above teams are not the teams I would consider as strong teams. Those games the team like Chelsea must be winning, I feel. Then you continue about " steady display " when was the last time we have seen it, apart from a few sputters here & there ?

Yesterday´s match was what the doc ordered ? LOL.

[didierforever 7,349]

Well, the above teams are not the teams I would consider as strong teams. Those games the team like Chelsea must be winning, I feel. Then you continue about " steady display " when was the last time we have seen it, apart from a few sputters here & there ?

Yesterday´s match was what the doc ordered ? LOL.

strong teams like city? arsenal? well we won both our matches and we wiped the floor with schalke who were our main opponents in the group stage. so what are u cribbing about?

the doctor ordered a win, winning the group and a clean sheet. i saw all the 3 things happening, unfortunately people need to find fault in everything.

[WilsonMay 12]

Cole physical is not as good as before i can see, we really have to find a replace of that role. I would prefer AZP play as RB.

[bushman 2,043]

strong teams like city? arsenal? well we won both our matches and we wiped the floor with schalke who were our main opponents in the group stage. so what are u cribbing about?

the doctor ordered a win, winning the group and a clean sheet. i saw all the 3 things happening, unfortunately people need to find fault in everything.

Against Citeh = lucky win, Arsenal = not the strongest line-ups on both teams, Schalke = not the strongest team...not convinced here. Last night´s game, just a shitty team from Romania.

I am not looking for faults here. Perhaps, you & I have completely different view on Chelsea as to what this team should be all about. Personally, I feel there are 6 or 7 players on this team who are not performing well, at all. I would like to see them playing as Hazard had in recent games. These guys are paid well, but most of them are playing dick.

[Tomo 21,736]

1-0 win, not a great performance but a relatively comfortable win. If we could have done that more often in the league we would probably be top.

An average but comfortable 2-0 win against Palace would make my weekend. Give me that over a you score, we score 4-3 any day.