Filipe Luís

[LAM09 6,744]

Sure he is at fault to an extent as a defender with the ball being played into his area, but the ball should not even had to be played in. I'll let people decide themselves who should take the bear's share of blame for the two goals we conceded, but not one of them is called Filipe.

Iva has to take more of the blame for letting the ball get crossed in, but Luis could have been more aware. As I said previously, he was to blame to an extent.

Overall, he should be our starting LB.

[manpe 10,861]

Iva has to take more of the blame for letting the ball get crossed in, but Luis could have been more aware. As I said previously, he was to blame to an extent.

Overall, he should be our starting LB.

I can agree with that.

[manpe 10,861]

Would love to see him in midfield too:

Eden Costa Wil/Ram/Cua

Luis-Cesc

Matic

Azpi JT Zouma Iva

Courtois

The problem is that with this line-up Ivanovic plays. He needs to be dropped for Azpilicueta and we don't have any other LB to play there other than Luis. I think it's unwise to start inventing the wheel when we have obvious mistakes to fix at first.

[Myself 793]

BEST FULLBACK IN THE WORLD. bar Lahm

I've been saying it since his days at Atletico. I'm just going to wait until he gets an extended run in the team so I can be a hipster and say 'I told you so'

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Wow. People are really overcompensating and exaggerating because they want their previous opinions about how he should start to be proven right too much.

I think he was very good on the ball and was a breathe of fresh air to have a fullback who is actually technically comfortable on the ball. But he made several positioning/decision making errors; the kind that we all grill Iva and Cahill for. Overall a decent performance, nothing more.

I don't realistically expect him to have displaced neither Azpi nor Iva with today's performance. I think to begin with, Jose started him today mostly because he was expecting Hull to play 3 at the back.

As for "best fullback in the world", honestly that's just Liverpool fans level of delusion, imo

[manpe 10,861]

But he made several positioning/decision making errors; the kind that we all grill Iva and Cahill for. Overall a decent performance, nothing more.

The difference being that Ivan and Cahill have had ages to rectify their mistakes, they haven't. Luis hasn't had a chance to even live into the rhythm of the team, let alone have his positioning spot on from the get go. I think why people are mostly disregarding those positional errors is because they see the potential in him if given a fair chance to bed in. Plus he is far more competent in attack than Cesar. His performance wasn't flawless of course, but neither have been Azpilicueta's or Ivanovic's. Out of the two full-backs today, he was by far the better one. He doesn't deserve to be dropped.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Wow. People are really overcompensating and exaggerating because they want their previous opinions about how he should start to be proven right too much.

I think he was very good on the ball and was a breathe of fresh air to have a fullback who is actually technically comfortable on the ball. But he made several positioning/decision making errors; the kind that we all grill Iva and Cahill for. Overall a decent performance, nothing more.

Okay, I'm going to have go for a long one here. You do realize he hasn't played a game in over a MONTH right (vs Burnley, a game he was brilliant in mind, unfairly dropped) and that the lack of overlapping threat from the left flank has made us ridiculously predictable in attack for a long while?

I'm not even sure what the point of your comment is, specifically you mocking the idea of Luis being the "best fullback in the world". He is at least in that conversation. Last season, he was widely considered to be the best left back in the world until he came to Chelsea that is and he hasn't been managed properly.

The reason Azpilicueta was dropped is that he's been crap in the last two games and is hopelessly inadequate in assisting our attacks, unable to make even simple forward passes. Just rewatch the games vs PSG and Southampton, it was painfully obvious. Let's face it, the only air crosses we deliver into the box are from Ivanovic's inconsistent deliveries and that's about it. Filipe Luis on the other hand is a big threat from the left with his air crosses and even found Costa with a couple today. His attacking threat also dissuades teams from ganging up on Hazard when he drifts out-wide, which is one of the reasons we wanted to sign Luis in the first place!

Teams have figured us out and I don't think Azpilicueta is worth that trouble. He has been far from impressive this season, compared to last. I think from now on, anytime Azpi makes poor positional errors, I'll go to his thread and highlight these errors. That way the myth that he's this blameless, indomitable defender will be questioned. Because when he does make mistakes, I rarely see comments like yours on his thread, and believe me, he's made quite a few this season, especially with his tendency to tuck in to centrally. Azpilicueta is still decent on the left, but nothing more, infact I'm sick and tired of him playing there as it doesn't work anymore and I feel he's been on a steady decline since April of last season i.e the errors vs PSG and Sunderland immediately spring to mind. He seems to be in a way living off his reputation pre-April of last season.

It's just that no one goes to Azpilicueta's thread to rave and rant about the mistakes he makes, they are simply swept under the carpet, but the minute Luis plays his first game in over a month....

And I'm not even saying Azpilicueta is not a great player, but he's being done no favours by being played out position.

[dmode 113]

Okay, I'm going to have go for a long one here. You do realize he hasn't played a game in over a MONTH right (vs Burnley, a game he was brilliant in mind, unfairly dropped) and that the lack of overlapping threat from the left flank has made us ridiculously predictable in attack for a long while?

I'm not even sure what the point of your comment is, specifically you mocking the idea of Luis being the "best fullback in the world". He is at least in that conversation. Last season, he was widely considered to be the best left back in the world until he came to Chelsea that is and he hasn't been managed properly.

The reason Azpilicueta was dropped is that he's been crap in the last two games and is hopelessly inadequate in assisting our attacks, unable to make even simple forward passes. Just rewatch the games vs PSG and Southampton, it was painfully obvious. Let's face it, the only air crosses we deliver into the box are from Ivanovic's inconsistent deliveries and that's about it. Filipe Luis on the other hand is a big threat from the left with his air crosses and even found Costa with a couple today. His attacking threat also dissuades teams from ganging up on Hazard when he drifts out-wide, which is one of the reasons we wanted to sign Luis in the first place!

Teams have figured us out and I don't think Azpilicueta is worth that trouble. He has been far from impressive this season, compared to last. I think from now on, anytime Azpi makes poor positional errors, I'll go to his thread and highlight these errors. That way the myth that he's this blameless, indomitable defender will be questioned. Because when he does make mistakes, I rarely see comments like yours on his thread, and believe me, he's made quite a few this season, especially with his tendency to tuck in to centrally. Azpilicueta is still decent on the left, but nothing more, infact I'm sick and tired of him playing there as it doesn't work anymore and I feel he's been on a steady decline since April of last season i.e the errors vs PSG and Sunderland immediately spring to mind. He seems to be in a way living off his reputation pre-April of last season.

It's just that no one goes to Azpilicueta's thread to rave and rant about the mistakes he makes, they are simply swept under the carpet, but the minute Luis plays his first game in over a month....

And I'm not even saying Azpilicueta is not a great player, but he's being done no favours by being played out position.

Thanks for this comment. Couldn't agree more

[BlueLyon 9,359]

you have to note that he also starts every two months, im sure with regular time, his positioning would improve.

He was beasty defender for atletico.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

His pure ability to keep the ball under pressure should ensure that he remains with the spot. Even when Hull was on us and pressed badly, he was the only one who was calmed and was able to keep the ball. Fantastic, but the he passed to Cahill/JT and the fun was over.

How the hell no one from our defenders can keep the ball under pressure ? We're top level club or what ? In every other big club there are defenders who can keep the ball for a long period but ours hoofs the ball in every occasion and they invite extra pressure. And then they can't deal with that pressure because everyone is shit in one on one too. I hate this. Filipe is a breath of fresh air.

He made one glaring mistake, the one that is day-to-day basis to Cahill and Ivanovic. It happens to Azpilicueta too. But we're used to that, aren't we ? Then there were a few positional errors but I don't even want to discuss that. I don't want to cultivate that sick culture of demanding more of youth/squad players than from nailed first XI from Mourinho untouchable troops. I noticed that he was better in the air than normally.

When I look on Filipe I don't know how we can waste him here. Pure quality in attack with that technique, intelligent pressing, alongside Hazard he is the best in dealing with pressure on him; he is a sick full-back all in all.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

He made some errors and was beaten quite easily on occasions, but some of his passes, especially his first-time balls into feet, were something you don't get from Azpilicueta.

For me, it's quite simple - if you're okay to sacrifice some defensive solidarity so you can increase the attacking output of your defensive unit, you play Luis. If you need to consolidate things, you play Dave. Unfortunately we don't live in a world where we can have the best of both. We have two very good, very different full-backs on the left, and I'm excited to see how Mourinho utilises them. I think his selection to play Dave against high pressing sides like Southampton last weekend, and then playing Luis away from home against a defensive three, was spot on.

[Leif 6,006]

how on earth can't we have the best of both worlds??? Azpi on the right and Luis on the left??? You know, the positions they're supposed to be in?

Fuck Ivanovic

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

Hope he is allowed to leave...doesn't deserve to sit on the bench

[CHOULO19 24,332]

The difference being that Ivan and Cahill have had ages to rectify their mistakes, they haven't. Luis hasn't had a chance to even live into the rhythm of the team, let alone have his positioning spot on from the get go. I think why people are mostly disregarding those positional errors is because they see the potential in him if given a fair chance to bed in. Plus he is far more competent in attack than Cesar. His performance wasn't flawless of course, but neither have been Azpilicueta's or Ivanovic's. Out of the two full-backs today, he was by far the better one. He doesn't deserve to be dropped.

That's all well, but it does not really change what I said/meant: He made several positioning mistakes and got beaten too easily a couple of times. Hence the talk about an 'incredible performance' and 'world's best full back' are ridiculous exaggerations.

Being the better fullback yesterday does not really say much as Iva probably had, imo, one of his worst performances yesterday in the first half. To begin with, Azpi didn't deserve to get dropped in the first place. But he was for tactical reasons.

I was one of the first people to call for Azpi-Luis fullbacks, in fact I was one of the few who wanted Azpi-Bertrand from the start of last season. Obviously Jose has other ideas and will not go for that on a regular basis. Exaggerating and painting Luis's performances as world class when he is yet have anything close to that in a Chelsea shirt, won't change that. It helps with the 'cycle of moaning', but it does not change reality, unfortunately.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

1)Okay, I'm going to have go for a long one here. You do realize he hasn't played a game in over a MONTH right (vs Burnley, a game he was brilliant in mind, unfairly dropped) and that the lack of overlapping threat from the left flank has made us ridiculously predictable in attack for a long while?

2)I'm not even sure what the point of your comment is, specifically you mocking the idea of Luis being the "best fullback in the world". He is at least in that conversation. Last season, he was widely considered to be the best left back in the world until he came to Chelsea that is and he hasn't been managed properly.

3)The reason Azpilicueta was dropped is that he's been crap in the last two games and is hopelessly inadequate in assisting our attacks, unable to make even simple forward passes. Just rewatch the games vs PSG and Southampton, it was painfully obvious. Let's face it, the only air crosses we deliver into the box are from Ivanovic's inconsistent deliveries and that's about it. Filipe Luis on the other hand is a big threat from the left with his air crosses and even found Costa with a couple today. His attacking threat also dissuades teams from ganging up on Hazard when he drifts out-wide, which is one of the reasons we wanted to sign Luis in the first place!

4)Teams have figured us out and I don't think Azpilicueta is worth that trouble. He has been far from impressive this season, compared to last. I think from now on, anytime Azpi makes poor positional errors, I'll go to his thread and highlight these errors. That way the myth that he's this blameless, indomitable defender will be questioned. Because when he does make mistakes, I rarely see comments like yours on his thread, and believe me, he's made quite a few this season, especially with his tendency to tuck in to centrally. Azpilicueta is still decent on the left, but nothing more, infact I'm sick and tired of him playing there as it doesn't work anymore and I feel he's been on a steady decline since April of last season i.e the errors vs PSG and Sunderland immediately spring to mind. He seems to be in a way living off his reputation pre-April of last season.

It's just that no one goes to Azpilicueta's thread to rave and rant about the mistakes he makes, they are simply swept under the carpet, but the minute Luis plays his first game in over a month....

And I'm not even saying Azpilicueta is not a great player, but he's being done no favours by being played out position.

1) I do not realize that, and I don't think that that can be 'realized' in the first place seeing as it is an opinion and not a fact. I don't believe there can be facts in that particular analysis because the variables are too many to account for. I think we've recently had several issues in offence, one of them might be the lack of a natural RB, but the main, imo, is the loss of form and confidence in some key players, as well as injuries and suspensions. As I replied to manpe above, how often he has been playing is irrelevant to my post since I was addressing the exaggerations made about his particular performance yesterday.

2) No he isn't. He may have been considered in the top 10 or something like that last season, but no non-Chelsea fan would even mention him in the list of best fullbacks in the world now. Even most Chelsea fans would not in my experience. It seems that idea only exists in the minds of some of the posters on here. The idea is exactly this: to criticize this notion that is so off the charts from the general consensus, it's like when Liverpool fans call Emre Can as one of the best in the world...

3) That is about as incredible an exaggeration as the "amazing performance" by the "best fullback in the world". Crap is Ivanovic's first half performance yesterday. Azpi has not been "crap". I think the biggest advantage that Luis brings is his technical ability on the ball which allows him to link up with the midfield and allows the team another outlet to keep the ball better. But I do not think he is a "great threat" in the final third. Yes, he overlaps more often than Azpi and tries to get involved more, but he rarely actually creates real danger. I mean Azpi has 3 or 4 assists in his 33 appearances Luis has Zero in 23. Actually if you go back, most of the dangerous crosses that Luis has created actually come from very deep (which is an important ability, don't get me wrong). I honestly think that the supposed change he brings to Hazard's game is mostly imagined.

4) Again complete exaggerations and so out of sync with the general football opinions and probably reality. Unlike Luis, if you ask unbiased football fans, most would tell you that Azpi is the best fullback in the league, at least defensively, and even one of the best in the world. I think Azpi has been our most consistent defender and least prone to mistakes. Even JT has had more off days than Cesar. It is true, he's made a few minor mistakes here and there, but that's only normal. I can point you to 4-5 obvious mistakes in Luis' performance yesterday and that is literally true in almost every single match he's started for us. And you can point to lack of games, but the reality is that he's played 23 matches for us, started 20 of them, and even when he started 5 matches in a row when Azpi was suspended, he was still making positional mistakes and getting beaten too easily in the fifth game. Good luck in finding and posting Azpi mistakes in every game is all I will tell you.

In raelity, there is no conspiracy to highlight Luis' mistakes and hide Cesar's, why would there be? On the contrary, people on here are going out of their way to exaggerate and hype Luis's performances because they are desperate to see the expensive new signing/toy play and (probably rightly) sick of Ivanovic.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

He made some errors and was beaten quite easily on occasions, but some of his passes, especially his first-time balls into feet, were something you don't get from Azpilicueta.

For me, it's quite simple - if you're okay to sacrifice some defensive solidarity so you can increase the attacking output of your defensive unit, you play Luis. If you need to consolidate things, you play Dave. Unfortunately we don't live in a world where we can have the best of both. We have two very good, very different full-backs on the left, and I'm excited to see how Mourinho utilises them. I think his selection to play Dave against high pressing sides like Southampton last weekend, and then playing Luis away from home against a defensive three, was spot on.

Just bench Iva. I like that motherfucker but its time for him to be benched. If not for rest of season, at least for next three games.

[The Chels 2,502]

2) No he isn't. He may have been considered in the top 10 or something like that last season, but no non-Chelsea fan would even mention him in the list of best fullbacks in the world now. Even most Chelsea fans would not in my experience. It seems that idea only exists in the minds of some of the posters on here. The idea is exactly this: to criticize this notion that is so off the charts from the general consensus, it's like when Liverpool fans call Emre Can as one of the best in the world...

You clearly don't rate Luis very highly but that doesn't mean others don't. Simeone clearly did and so did Real Madrid's assistant head coach:

"Atletico had an amazing season last year, but Filipe Luis was their best player. We [Real Madrid] played them five times and I watched them on countless other occasions. He never seemed to make a mistake."

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/326409.html#xHrzG1RKQ2gzlOAj.99

The 'best player' in the team that so nearly won both La Liga and the CL was (according to you) maybe in the 'top 10 or something' of best FBs in the world and is now not even in contention? You say no non-Chelsea fan would put him in that top bracket, well rival staff did and you should read the Atleti forum because they (still) do.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

You clearly don't rate Luis very highly but that doesn't mean others don't. Simeone clearly did and so Real Madrid's assistant head coach:

The 'best player' in the team that so nearly won both La Liga and the CL was (according to you) maybe in the 'top 10 or something' of best FBs in the world and is now not even in contention?

So that ONE quote is supposed to prove it? I can post a quote by Jose saying that we signed him because we wanted an experienced squad player and say "would the best LB in the world be signed to be a squad player?". And since when is top 10 in the world in a position an insult?!

Seriously, though, did anyone seriously think he was the best in the world last season? I certainly didn't hear anyone saying that until we closed in on signing him and people started saying it to try to justify the high fee. Certainly no one was mentioning him with the best in the world 2 seasons ago. Would any non-Chelsea fan seriously put him in the top 5? 10?

On any account, Atletico's success was/is down to the system and not superstars. No one in that team that won La Liga would be considered in the best 2-3 in the world in their position except Costa. Miranda was hyped a bit last season but the general opinion about him is back to normal now.

I do rate Luis highly. I think he's an excellent experienced player with great technique, but the best in the world? Not even close.