Branislav Ivanovic

[Blue_Fox_ 2,086]

Ideally we should have 4 CB and 4 FB for proper rotation.

Terry will be soon gone, maybe at the end of this season, if he'll be here next season he should be 4th choice CB.
Ivanovic will be also gone quite soon and if he really has to stay he needs to be moved back to CB.

This would leave us for next season with just Cahill, Zouma, Dave and Baba.
We would have to buy at least one fullback and one CB for next season,and i'd prefer to see us get a proper LB rather than an RB.
What i'd like to see would be:
CB: Cahill, Zouma, Stones and Terry

FB: Dave, new LB, Baba and Aina.
This for me would be ideal for our defence.

[the wes 7,212]

Well, scouts probably have an instruction to look for big full-back, 6'0 tall and powerful, just as Jose likes. Finding another Maicon would be ideal.

Ashley Cole wasn't 6'0 tall and mourinho sign him

[Term-X 7,891]

Chelsea planning for life without Branislav Ivanovic as Jose Mourinho orders scouts to find suitable replacements for the defender

So, Azpi...

I've been waiting for that headline for a long long time.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Hopefully, albeit wishful thinking, this "scout" mission is to find Azpilicueta's understudy at RB.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

Ashley Cole wasn't 6'0 tall and mourinho sign him

Yeah but wasn't Ferreira a right-back ? Mourinho likes one of the full-back to be imposing figure : Ferreira, Gallas, Maicon, Chivu, Arbeloa, Ivanovic. Typically, there's one big full-back, I even think he sees it as some sort of an obligation in the team. That's why Ivanovic started last 60 games in the league.

[Oscar 441]

Could just play cb....

[manpe 10,861]

Yeah but wasn't Ferreira a right-back ? Mourinho likes one of the full-back to be imposing figure : Ferreira, Gallas, Maicon, Chivu, Arbeloa, Ivanovic. Typically, there's one big full-back, I even think he sees it as some sort of an obligation in the team. That's why Ivanovic started last 60 games in the league.

Did you just call Ferreira an imposing figure?

[El P. 1,354]

Brana, thanks for everything. It is not "natural" for a player to decline THIS much in a period of a one year. Feel sorry for him, tbh, he is actually not that old.

We still love you very much, you'll be great addition from bench.

[rohitmohanihm 39]

I think he should be moved back to CB i do think he is faster than Terry and Cahill so maybe a partnership with zouma can give us a quite fast and mobile back 4 with baba and Azpi.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I think he should be moved back to CB i do think he is faster than Terry and Cahill so maybe a partnership with zouma can give us a quite fast and mobile back 4 with baba and Azpi.

That's what frustrates me most. Had we gotten a top fullback during the window that is capable of slotting into the starting XI then Iva would have been an extra option available to solve our CB issues.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

Yeah but wasn't Ferreira a right-back ? Mourinho likes one of the full-back to be imposing figure : Ferreira, Gallas, Maicon, Chivu, Arbeloa, Ivanovic. Typically, there's one big full-back, I even think he sees it as some sort of an obligation in the team. That's why Ivanovic started last 60 games in the league.

Ferreira, Arbeloa are not exactly strongmen. being 6ft tall, which is still rather small imo, does not make you an imposing figure.

Skill is much more important in modern football than athleticism. Not that it is irrelevant. Esp. in the epl you can't have 11 matas on the pitch. most successful sides as bayern or barcelona feature some degree of athleticism but with a clear emphasis on skill.

As for Mourinho, he probably played iva throughout last season cos he scored some prettty vital and brilliant goals not many fullbacks would score. he gave us offensive balance regarding willians lack of goal threat. not that it was a great tactic but as long as it worked....

[Jase 43,479]

He played OK today but on the other hand, it's kind hard to judge considering Arsenal didn't really test him that much, especially after they went down to 10 men.

[didierforever 7,349]

he was good. before the yellow, stuck right to sanchez, fouled him whenever possible and did not let him turn often. after the yellow, was too scared to go close to him plus arsenal did not do much.

[Oscar 441]

If we had Dani Alves with the amount of space every team gives ivanovic....

[Henrique 9,133]

He played OK today but on the other hand, it's kind hard to judge considering Arsenal didn't really test him that much, especially after they went down to 10 men.

Arsenal got tactics completely wrong, since they could terrotize our defense exploring our right side, instead they were playing with a CF that is not exactly a CF. No surprise Walcott probably breaked the record of off sides in one single match.