Closed Man United v Chelsea

[robdog 2,084]

Sign for the game tomorrow

Sign for the game tomorrow

Good shit there. Let's hope DC plays. If does I think Phil Jones will be doing this all match

[Myself 793]

Nope. What's the problem with that?

What's wrong with it? It's not true. Maybe in March it will be, but not right now.

MU are yet to face any good teams so far

Swansea, Leicester and Everton are all good teams.

[Barbara 15,149]

sorry guys, but di María is not a flavor of the month. He's been a key player for Carlo's success at Madrid last year, their most instrumental player after Ronaldo.

I don't like comparisons, so I won't pick who's better between him, Hazard and Fàbregas... but anyone who says he's the best out of the three won't shock me at all. He's an amazing player.

Cesc and di María are players on their peak, playing the best football of their careers, it isn't even fair to compare Hazard to them now. Hazard has more flair, but the other two have such amazing vision, technique, football intelligence and they are goal scorers (just they aren't too much in positions to score and normally assist).

[Hutcho 8,443]

Yep. We can lol United as much as we want. But they can cause us problems when they have the ball going forward.

Defensively they are shambolic and mourinho is a specialist in exploiting that whilst keeping it tight against teams with a stacked attack.

Still hope and think we will win. But this is no walk in the park no matter how bad United have been recently, especially if we are without Diego Costa.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

sorry guys, but di María is not a flavor of the month. He's been a key player for Carlo's success at Madrid last year, their most instrumental player after Ronaldo.

I don't like comparisons, so I won't pick who's better between him, Hazard and Fàbregas... but anyone who says he's the best out of the three won't shock me at all. He's an amazing player.

Cesc and di María are players on their peak, playing the best football of their careers, it isn't even fair to compare Hazard to them now. Hazard has more flair, but the other two have such amazing vision, technique, football intelligence and they are goal scorers (just they aren't too much in positions to score and normally assist).

Last year that was Modric or Bale for me.

DiMaria is a very good player but he's never EVER been the focal point of a teams attack. Cesc has, Hazard has. If after this year DiMaria plays out of his skin for the entire season he will be in the conversation, right now he's the new kid on the block who everyone is in awe of because he's fast.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Swansea, Leicester and Everton are all good teams.

I mean big teams, like us, City, Arsenal, Liverpool. Even they're yet to face Soton too. That's 10 games home and away against a very good team. My point is that they're not tested yet this season. Well they lose to Swansea, Everton is in their worst of form when facing MU this season.

[robdog 2,084]

sorry guys, but di María is not a flavor of the month. He's been a key player for Carlo's success at Madrid last year, their most instrumental player after Ronaldo.

I don't like comparisons, so I won't pick who's better between him, Hazard and Fàbregas... but anyone who says he's the best out of the three won't shock me at all. He's an amazing player.

Cesc and di María are players on their peak, playing the best football of their careers, it isn't even fair to compare Hazard to them now. Hazard has more flair, but the other two have such amazing vision, technique, football intelligence and they are goal scorers (just they aren't too much in positions to score and normally assist).

Last year that was Modric or Bale for me.

DiMaria is a very good player but he's never EVER been the focal point of a teams attack. Cesc has, Hazard has. If after this year DiMaria plays out of his skin for the entire season he will be in the conversation, right now he's the new kid on the block who everyone is in awe of because he's fast.

I will go on a bit further & say if Di Maria plays in the World Cup final, Argentina would be Campeones. He didn't & the rest is history. Getting back to this match, I would love a bore 1-0 win. I love it when everyone calls CFC boring boring Chelsea, but all those fools that say that will be staring at Chelsea balls as they look up at the top of the Table.

[Stats 7,142]

There is a reason why Di Maria and Alexis sold by RM and Barca

Disagree totally. Di Maria was arguably Real's best player last season. Ronaldo scored all the goals but Di Maria created so much of them. You ask any Real fan who was their best player last season and they would tell you it is between Ronaldo and Di Maria. Di Maria was not sold for footballing reasons. Also using that theory is quite irrelevant. It is like me saying Torres is better than Sturridge because we kept Torres and sold Sturridge. But who is better? Sturridge by far. Clubs make errors and I was surprised that Real sold him but you know what they are llike in the transfer window? They always want to buy players for astronomical fees who sell shirts etc. That meant Di Maria was sacrificed. You ask most Real fans who they would rather have in their team, James Rodriguez or Di Maria and most would have Di Maria imo.

Both Hazard and Di Maria are very quality players. I wouldn't necessarily say one is better than the other but it is not a ludicrous statement to say Di Maria is better. He is not just some flavour of the month as well. He has been one of the most consistent players in Europe for a while. His form at United is not no luck. He is a quality player.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I will go on a bit further & say if Di Maria plays in the World Cup final, Argentina would be Campeones. He didn't & the rest is history. Getting back to this match, I would love a bore 1-0 win. I love it when everyone calls CFC boring boring Chelsea, but all those fools that say that will be staring at Chelsea balls as they look up at the top of the Table.

You may be correct in that assertion, there wasn't much in that game at all. Don't see where that is valid in what we're talking about though...

You're right though back to the game.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Disagree totally. Di Maria was arguably Real's best player last season. Ronaldo scored all the goals but Di Maria created so much of them. You ask any Real fan who was their best player last season and they would tell you it is between Ronaldo and Di Maria. Di Maria was not sold for footballing reasons. Also using that theory is quite irrelevant. It is like me saying Torres is better than Sturridge because we kept Torres and sold Sturridge. But who is better? Sturridge by far. Clubs make errors and I was surprised that Real sold him but you know what they are llike in the transfer window? They always want to buy players for astronomical fees who sell shirts etc. That meant Di Maria was sacrificed. You ask most Real fans who they would rather have in their team, James Rodriguez or Di Maria and most would have Di Maria imo.

Both Hazard and Di Maria are very quality players. I wouldn't necessarily say one is better than the other but it is not a ludicrous statement to say Di Maria is better. He is not just some flavour of the month as well. He has been one of the most consistent players in Europe for a while. His form at United is not no luck. He is a quality player.

Bale? Modric? To each his own I guess...

DiMaria is a very good footballer but I need to see more before I say he's a world beater. Madrid lost him and haven't skipped a beat... That is telling.

And he was sold for footballing reasons. They bought Bale who took his position, they shifted him deeper and he played well going forward, they sold him and bought Kroos who is a better fit.

[robdog 2,084]

You may be correct in that assertion, there wasn't much in that game at all. Don't see where that is valid in what we're talking about though...

You're right though back to the game.

The cherry is right there for the taking, but IMHO the EPL is the hardest league in Europe. Every team plays with reckless abandon & tries to get points. I was looking at the Keys & Gray Show on BeIN Sport last night & they had Boudewijn Zenden about how crazy it is. He should know cause he played in Holland, England, Spain & France. This is another example of how tough this league is. We all know that manure have a good shot of stopping our unbeaten run, but also know their defense is total crap. A win would separate us from the rest, but it will be a tall order in old crapfort. I feel confident though w/ Jose @ the helm & I can't wait for KO. Wish it was in 5 minutes from now. Come on Chels!!!

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

sorry guys, but di María is not a flavor of the month. He's been a key player for Carlo's success at Madrid last year, their most instrumental player after Ronaldo.

I don't like comparisons, so I won't pick who's better between him, Hazard and Fàbregas... but anyone who says he's the best out of the three won't shock me at all. He's an amazing player.

Cesc and di María are players on their peak, playing the best football of their careers, it isn't even fair to compare Hazard to them now. Hazard has more flair, but the other two have such amazing vision, technique, football intelligence and they are goal scorers (just they aren't too much in positions to score and normally assist).

Di Maria isn't a goal scorer, his highest ever tally in his career is 11 goals. His goal scoring record in the last 4 seasons is 9, 7, 9, 11. Hazard on the other hand has scored 12, 22, 14, 17 in his last 4 seasons.

Prior to him virtually playing out of his skin last season, Di Maria was known to be an inconsistent player, a fantastic player on his day, but he had many bad days and that's why Madrid wanted to sell. His reputation seems to have been boosted tremendously off the back of an outstanding season, a great performance in the CL final and Man United paying over the odds. Way too much revisionism.

Hazard is definitely a better player than Di Maria and has been for most of his career . I'm not going to go in depth into it as I normally do because it's a match thread, but it's just amazing how some other guys have such extraordinary reputations here, while Hazard just has more "flair".

[Barbara 15,149]

Di Maria isn't a goal scorer, his highest ever tally in his career is 11 goals. His goal scoring record in the last 4 seasons is 9, 7, 9, 11. Hazard on the other hand has scored 12, 22, 14, 17 in his last 4 seasons.

Prior to him virtually playing out of his skin last season, Di Maria was known to be an inconsistent player, a fantastic player on his day, but he had many bad days and that's why Madrid wanted to sell. His reputation seems to have been boosted tremendously off the back of an outstanding season, a great performance in the CL final and Man United paying over the odds. Way too much revisionism.

Hazard is definitely a better player than Di Maria and has been for most of his career . I'm not going to go in depth into it as I normally do because it's a match thread, but it's just amazing how some other guys have such extraordinary reputations here, while Hazard just has more "flair".

he knows how to score them. In a team with Ronaldo, Benzema and others he wasn't in the goal positions very often. He doesn't hesitate in front of the goal, he doesn't have a bad decision making in front of the goal. Given where and how he plays he just doesn't get in the positions often enough.

Did I ever say Hazard is just flair? No, I didn't.

Thing is a dribbler is normally perceived as a better player simply because of the flair, talent and tricks. And while that might make him better than others, sometimes it doesn't. I said clearly I wouldn't pick the best and I highlighted things about players such as Fabregas and di María that sometimes aren't given credit enough like players who dribble (although di María has quite some dribbles on himself).

And just because he's definitely better in your opinion, doesn't mean is a fact. I'm not even disagreeing, but you guys always speak about players' comparisons and use terms such as 'X is definitely better than Y' as if your opinion was a fact.

I like Ronaldo better than Messi. Tons of people agree with me and tons disagree. There's no definitely.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Di Maria isn't a goal scorer, his highest ever tally in his career is 11 goals. His goal scoring record in the last 4 seasons is 9, 7, 9, 11. Hazard on the other hand has scored 12, 22, 14, 17 in his last 4 seasons.

Prior to him virtually playing out of his skin last season, Di Maria was known to be an inconsistent player, a fantastic player on his day, but he had many bad days and that's why Madrid wanted to sell. His reputation seems to have been boosted tremendously off the back of an outstanding season, a great performance in the CL final and Man United paying over the odds. Way too much revisionism.

Hazard is definitely a better player than Di Maria and has been for most of his career . I'm not going to go in depth into it as I normally do because it's a match thread, but it's just amazing how some other guys have such extraordinary reputations here, while Hazard just has more "flair".

He's never been the main man... If Ronaldo was Batman, Bale was Robin DiMaria was Bat Girl... still a super hero but come on.

[Stats 7,142]

Bale? Modric? To each his own I guess...

DiMaria is a very good footballer but I need to see more before I say he's a world beater. Madrid lost him and haven't skipped a beat... That is telling.

And he was sold for footballing reasons. They bought Bale who took his position, they shifted him deeper and he played well going forward, they sold him and bought Kroos who is a better fit.

Bale and Modric were excellent yes but I excluded them because they were no better or worse than Di Maria was imo. I like Hazard a lot and I am a massive fan but I would argue that DI Maria produces consistencies of quality more than Hazard does. Don't get me wrong, Hazard had a very good season last season but he has his games where you see him rip apart an opponent then a next match he is not as effective. Real are starting to click but there have been times this season where you feel they could have done with him. They lost to Sociedad 4-2 and the creativity was just poor. For me there is no way someone can claim Di Maria is a worse player than Hazard when he has been playing brilliant football for quite a while not. It is totally oblivious to mention him as a flavour of the month. He is like Hazard an amazing player.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Disagree totally. Di Maria was arguably Real's best player last season. Ronaldo scored all the goals but Di Maria created so much of them. You ask any Real fan who was their best player last season and they would tell you it is between Ronaldo and Di Maria. Di Maria was not sold for footballing reasons. Also using that theory is quite irrelevant. It is like me saying Torres is better than Sturridge because we kept Torres and sold Sturridge. But who is better? Sturridge by far. Clubs make errors and I was surprised that Real sold him but you know what they are llike in the transfer window? They always want to buy players for astronomical fees who sell shirts etc. That meant Di Maria was sacrificed. You ask most Real fans who they would rather have in their team, James Rodriguez or Di Maria and most would have Di Maria imo.

Both Hazard and Di Maria are very quality players. I wouldn't necessarily say one is better than the other but it is not a ludicrous statement to say Di Maria is better. He is not just some flavour of the month as well. He has been one of the most consistent players in Europe for a while. His form at United is not no luck. He is a quality player.

Well there is always a footballing reason why Real decided to sell Di Maria

With James coming, the manager has to choose between James, Ronaldo, Bale, Di Maria. And Carlo choose to sell Di Maria. Somebody must know why.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Bale and Modric were excellent yes but I excluded them because they were no better or worse than Di Maria was imo. I like Hazard a lot and I am a massive fan but I would argue that DI Maria produces consistencies of quality more than Hazard does. Don't get me wrong, Hazard had a very good season last season but he has his games where you see him rip apart an opponent then a next match he is not as effective. Real are starting to click but there have been times this season where you feel they could have done with him. They lost to Sociedad 4-2 and the creativity was just poor. For me there is no way someone can claim Di Maria is a worse player than Hazard when he has been playing brilliant football for quite a while not. It is totally oblivious to mention him as a flavour of the month. He is like Hazard an amazing player.

He's done that for only one year, last year... Before that no one ever mention DiMaria and consistency in the same breath!

And on their day who produces the better overall quality?

If you even try and say DiMaria....

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

he knows how to score them. In a team with Ronaldo, Benzema and others he wasn't in the goal positions very often. He doesn't hesitate in front of the goal, he doesn't have a bad decision making in front of the goal. Given where and how he plays he just doesn't get in the positions often enough.

Did I ever say Hazard is just flair? No, I didn't.

Thing is a dribbler is normally perceived as a better player simply because of the flair, talent and tricks. And while that might make him better than others, sometimes it doesn't. I said clearly I wouldn't pick and I highlighted things about players such as Fabregas and di María that sometimes aren't given credit enough like players who dribble (although di María has quite some dribbles on himself)

(a) And where does Di Maria play exactly? He was basically played as a "second left winger" / CM in Ancelotti's 4-3-3 last season to accommodate Bale, but he's spent majority of his career on the right wing.

(i) Hazard is much more than just flair, tricks and what you're saying. It's not a matter of "perceiving." He's a huge creative force and a brilliant passer.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

As if the Galaticos are gonna let a world class player in his prime leave their team. Come on...

[Stats 7,142]

Di Maria isn't a goal scorer, his highest ever tally in his career is 11 goals. His goal scoring record in the last 4 seasons is 9, 7, 9, 11. Hazard on the other hand has scored 12, 22, 14, 17 in his last 4 seasons.

Prior to him virtually playing out of his skin last season, Di Maria was known to be an inconsistent player, a fantastic player on his day, but he had many bad days and that's why Madrid wanted to sell. His reputation seems to have been boosted tremendously off the back of an outstanding season, a great performance in the CL final and Man United paying over the odds. Way too much revisionism.

Hazard is definitely a better player than Di Maria and has been for most of his career . I'm not going to go in depth into it as I normally do because it's a match thread, but it's just amazing how some other guys have such extraordinary reputations here, while Hazard just has more "flair".

He has never needed to score with the likes of Ronaldo in his team. He creates and that is the sort of player he is. Look at his creativity and what he does on the football pitch. Just look at his stats at United in a short period of time. We have bought in Costa and that has taken the pressure of Hazard. The link is Hazard scores less because we are more of an all-round team with more capable goalscorers. Last season Di Maria was exceptional and what I have seen he has been nominated ahead of the likes of Messi for best American award in La Liga last season. Sanchez is Arsenal's main man and you see he has scored like 6 more goals than Hazard I think so far this season. That does not mean he is a better player, just that his team has more reliance on him than we do on Hazard.

Well there is always a footballing reason why Real decided to sell Di Maria

James coming

Di Maria was outstanding and it was not because he was an inferior player, Real decided to cash in. Many Real fans will tell you that James Rodriguez was not needed but that is Real for you.

He's done that for only one year, last year... Before that no one ever mention DiMaria and consistency in the same breath!

Last year is enough. Costa had his real quality season last seaosn but that is enough to recognise him as one the top strikers in Europe. Di Maria is in the same category. As I stated above he has been nominated ahead of some serious contenders as best American performers in that league. Says a lot. You can see the difference Di Maria has made to United already.

There are some real biased/oblivious views on here. People are talking about Di Maria like he is some any decent player. He is quality and like I was saying, it is arguable to say he has put in more consistent performances than Hazard.