Ramires

[Sovieticus 743]

I still think we should have made a bid on Yohan Cabaye. Experienced international midfielder, performed consistently in the EPL, knows how to make accurate short & long passes....and he can hit a sweet long shot..

PSG got a bargain at 19 million euros.

I trust Mourinho...but Lamps isn't getting any younger and Ramires isn't the answer for the pivot. Hopefully we strengthen the midfield at the end of this season

Why not Matuidi?

[The Skipper 20,593]

Why not Matuidi?

We've already got a Matuidi in Ramires.

[Barbara 15,149]

I disagree that Ramires is a central player in Mourinho's tactics. That's Oscar while Eden is the star.

The thing is Ramires is the only player we have with such a profile to play in the midfield and he's definitely a Mourinho kind of player. So he offers Mourinho some versatility, but here's hoping that one between Salah or André really make it here, so we don't depend so much on Ramires' pace and never see him again in the RW. If in the pivot I rate him a 6.5, 7 at most, in the wing I don't rate him at all, but I'd go with a 5 if I had to really do it. I'd really love for Mourinho to sign a better player for the position, but he just won't. So here's waiting that maybe we move to a 4-3-3 in the future and either Oscar or Willian drop to the midfield.

I'm not ungrateful and I'm not disregarding everything he's done for us - although agree with whoever said he's been living off of a goal against Barcelona and is overrated for the exact same reason. But Chelsea three years ago and up to this season had different goals than the team Mourinho is going to get together. The stakes will rise and that's the problem keeping Ramires imo. With stakes higher than the ones we have, he simply doesn't cut. He barely does as it is. It's just our pivot has been so incredibly poor the last few years, that Ramires was more important than he should, but that's because the bar was just too low.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

We've already got a Matuidi in Ramires.

The only thing they have in common is that they're black. Matuidi can actually pass a ball and he is very composed in the final third.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

I disagree that Ramires is a central player in Mourinho's tactics. That's Oscar while Eden is the star.

The thing is Ramires is the only player we have with such a profile to play in the midfield and he's definitely a Mourinho kind of player. So he offers Mourinho some versatility, but here's hoping that one between Salah or André really make it here, so we don't depend so much on Ramires' pace and never see him again in the RW. If in the pivot I rate him a 6.5, 7 at most, in the wing I don't rate him at all, but I'd go with a 5 if I had to really do it. I'd really love for Mourinho to sign a better player for the position, but he just won't. So here's waiting that maybe we move to a 4-3-3 in the future and either Oscar or Willian drop to the midfield.

I'm not ungrateful and I'm not disregarding everything he's done for us - although agree with whoever said he's been living off of a goal against Barcelona and is overrated for the exact same reason. But Chelsea three years ago and up to this season had different goals than the team Mourinho is going to get together. The stakes will rise and that's the problem keeping Ramires imo. With stakes higher than the ones we have, he simply doesn't cut. He barely does as it is. It's just our pivot has been so incredibly poor the last few years, that Ramires was more important than he should, but that's because the bar was just too low.

I think Jose knows what he wants. People say he's a Mourinho type of player, but Mourinho's Madrid team didn't have a Ramires. Mourinho has proven that he can win with different types of players. If he doesn't have a Drogba, he can work with a Higuain. If he doesn't have a Makalele, he can work with a Xabi Alonso. He has his systems and ideas, but you don't win what he has won by buying clones.

Don't forget about van Ginkel. The kid was our best player in pre-season. I was surprised by how quick and strong he was, and how many interceptions he was making, how many plays he broke up. His passing range is also impressive, and he scores goals too (ok, he didn't show that in pre-season, but his goal-scoring record is impressive). He is that 8 we were talking about the other day. I know Mourinho rates him highly, as evidenced by the way he talks about him. I have very high hopes for Marco and his style of play supplements Matic's perfectly. The kid is a "crack". Either that or splash the cash on a world-class CM, but that cash needs to be spent on a CF.

I didn't like the way we played against Galatasaray. I didn't like it because that's not how big teams play against teams like that. It angered me far more than the City FA cup result and I don't believe for a second that Jose sent us out to play that way for 90 mins. We just didn't have the quality in the midfield to retain possession and have any sort of tempo. Iman (who?) and a washed up Melo dominated us. Only God knows what will happen against {Modric/Xabi/Di Maria} or {Fabregas, Iniesta, Busquets} or {Kroos, Thiago, Lahm/Martinez}. Cech probably also didn't trust that pivot, because he kept on thumping it, and thumping it to oblivion.

Oscar as a CM, I don't like the idea, tbh. Oscar is a 10 and Mourinho has already declared him to be HIS 10. He also said 4-2-3-1 is his favourite formation, and that formation suits a high pressing game the best. It's difficult to press the opposition high up the pitch with a 4-3-3. Plus see what happened to Anderson at Man United when Ferguson changed him from an AM to a CM. Oscar's playmaking will develop, I'm confident about that. He just struggles to create his own space, but has no problems playing with space. He looks so much better when he has space on the wing. But these things come with experience. It's not easy to be a number 10 in this league because those are the players that suffer most from teams that park the bus/plane.

[The Skipper 20,593]

The only thing they have in common is that they're black. Matuidi can actually pass a ball and he is very composed in the final third.

Matuidi is more composed on the ball but you're telling me they both aren't box to box, ball winning midfielders first and foremost?

[Sovieticus 743]

Matuidi is more composed on the ball but you're telling me they both aren't box to box, ball winning midfielders first and foremost?

I think he just added more about Matuidi

[Barbara 15,149]

I think Jose knows what he wants. People say he's a Mourinho type of player, but Mourinho's Madrid team didn't have a Ramires. Mourinho has proven that he can win with different types of players. If he doesn't have a Drogba, he can work with a Higuain. If he doesn't have a Makalele, he can work with a Xabi Alonso. He has his systems and ideas, but you don't win what he has won by buying clones.

Don't forget about van Ginkel. The kid was our best player in pre-season. I was surprised by how quick and strong he was, and how many interceptions he was making, how many plays he broke up. His passing range is also impressive, and he scores goals too (ok, he didn't show that in pre-season, but his goal-scoring record is impressive). He is that 8 we were talking about the other day. I know Mourinho rates him highly, as evidenced by the way he talks about him. I have very high hopes for Marco and his style of play supplements Matic's perfectly. The kid is a "crack". Either that or splash the cash on a world-class CM, but that cash needs to be spent on a CF.

I didn't like the way we played against Galatasaray. I didn't like it because that's not how big teams play against teams like that. It angered me far more than the City FA cup result and I don't believe for a second that Jose sent us out to play that way for 90 mins. We just didn't have the quality in the midfield to retain possession and have any sort of tempo. Iman (who?) and a washed up Melo dominated us. Only God knows what will happen against {Modric/Xabi/Di Maria} or {Fabregas, Iniesta, Busquets} or {Kroos, Thiago, Lahm/Martinez}. Cech probably also didn't trust that pivot, because he kept on thumping it, and thumping it to oblivion.

Oscar as a CM, I don't like the idea, tbh. Oscar is a 10 and Mourinho has already declared him to be HIS 10. He also said 4-2-3-1 is his favourite formation, and that formation suits a high pressing game the best. It's difficult to press the opposition high up the pitch with a 4-3-3. Plus see what happened to Anderson at Man United when Ferguson changed him from an AM to a CM. Oscar's playmaking will develop, I'm confident about that. He just struggles to create his own space, but has no problems playing with space. He looks so much better when he has space on the wing. But these things come with experience. It's not easy to be a number 10 in this league because those are the players that suffer most from teams that park the bus/plane.

I agree with everything, I'm just cautious about Marco because the boy is 20 and had an ACL injury, so I think his future only God knows.

I think Oscar isn't sacrificed in Brazil NT playing as the most advanced midfielder in the 4-3-3 we have. I don't want him in the pivot, I cringe every time someone suggests him to move there in the 4-2-3-1 because he knows how to tackle. He tackles well for an AM, but he isn't strong enough or defensive enough to do it well as a pivot player, even if a B2B that normally is less defensive and allowed more space in the attack. He isn't a #8, he doesn't even have the physic for that... so I guess we agree on that too.

[The Chels 2,502]

I'm getting bored of slating him but honestly... Awful once again; he just loves giving the ball away and falling over at the slightest bit of contact!

[Jase 43,479]

Chelsea midfielder Ramires wants a spot in Brazil's squad for 2014

[vergil_sparda 26]

We've already got a Matuidi in Ramires.

Marco Veratti?

[Yeboii 1,844]

Chelsea midfielder Ramires wants a spot in Brazil's squad for 2014

It would be weird if he didn't

[yuvala 2,167]

Rami: "Our stadium looked beautiful again! Thanks for your support! You're our 12 player! The title run continues!!"

But.. I thought it wasn't our objective.

Jose is about to get angry

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Rami: "Our stadium looked beautiful again! Thanks for your support! You're our 12 player! The title run continues!!"

But.. I thought it wasn't our objective.

Jose is about to get angry

Rami "the mole" ))))

[yuvala 2,167]

My new sig

[zyzz 711]

I know it's the heat of the moment and all that but he hasn't learned anything from his brainfarts. Football IQ=0

[Milan 17,853]

Dirty player with more than awful passing and more than often without brain. I will not miss him in the following games and I would definitely not miss him if he left in the summer. I would send him in one package with Torres.

[duo11bluecl 207]

25m for this guy and we would be robbing whoever offers that. Where the fuck is the warrior that scored against Barca, now we have this diving, dirty useless skinny fucking player. Does he excel at anything?