Boring, boring Chelsea

[BlueLion. 21,491]

People have had a continuity with Chelsea that is now regularly, to the medias delight, being undone.

We're now on a par with the team pre Abramovich days - trying to scrape a CL place.

Reasons for this as far as I can see

1) -interference from owner and board into key personnel changes which has repercussions all the way down the food chain

2) An ageing -eye on their next lucrative job, group of well fed multimillionaires who've done the double.

Remedy - not necessarily the 'youth' -though Sturridge, McEachran can come good Players that are yet to achieve silverware, andless kneejerk board changes to management .

I absolutely agree. I think that goings on behind the scenes are affecting the players. It was hardly harmonious last season, but the football we played certainly did not betray a lack of confidence.

[EskWeston 696]

No movement, under-hit passes; generally insipid play devoid of any imagination or creativity.

Boring.

Absolutely right. And it is becomming very frustrating. The thing is what is the solution. I like him a lot but i am starting to question Carlo at the moment, unable to get the players playing the way we should, unable to make tactical subs to turn a game - Torres should have stayed on when Drogba came on, it was clear a straight swap would make no difference.

[zolayes 14,489]

When we were dominating and winning well ,,it was due to our midfield supremacy..that has vanished ,,Essien still has energy but his distribution is

woeful ,,Frank seems to have lost both energy and touch . It is too much to ask of Ramires to carry the whole of midfield . This is the area where

I feel we are losing the battles we previously won . As a result the service to the strikers is poor.

[zolayes 14,489]

When we were dominating and winning well ,,it was due to our midfield supremacy..that has vanished ,,Essien still has energy but his distribution is

woeful ,,Frank seems to have lost both energy and touch . It is too much to ask of Ramires to carry the whole of midfield . This is the area where

I feel we are losing the battles we previously won . As a result the service to the strikers is poor.

[Krypt 241]

i must say rammy has impressed me lately he really is a great prospect for the future he just seems to run forever i think he made one mistake yesterday and if it wansnt for luiz he would be my man of the match.

We could really do with ballack deco and joe cole (type) back ups for when our main players arent performing.

[pachman40 357]

Boring football is part of what I was thinking watching yesterday but more accurately I think is predictable football. It seems we've been figured out and Fulham were properly prepared for us and we just didn't have that talisman, that creative spark, that imagination required to break down an organized team. We were passing sideways and looking for another player to figure it out... except for some new guy that nobody could predict (overhead kick as a cross?).

[Kostas 1,468]

The football we played between Ipswich and Sunderland away was actually very good.

Agreed but the most obvious difference is that it was mostly a different set of players against Ipswitch and Sunderland let us reach the end of their box without challenging our players.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

When we were dominating and winning well ,,it was due to our midfield supremacy..that has vanished ,,Essien still has energy but his distribution is

woeful ,,Frank seems to have lost both energy and touch . It is too much to ask of Ramires to carry the whole of midfield . This is the area where

I feel we are losing the battles we previously won . As a result the service to the strikers is poor.

Absolutely agreed. The likes of Fulham and Liverpool were bogging down the midfield, and unlike in the past, we've not been able to re-establish superiority in the middle of the park.

Agreed but the most obvious difference is that it was mostly a different set of players against Ipswitch and Sunderland let us reach the end of their box without challenging our players.

Granted, but nevertheless, we've played better against superior teams than Fulham this season as far as I'm concerned.

[Swoopz 183]

First everyone is crying for firepower, aguero and Torres have more posts then everyone else combined. We finally get one of the best strikers on this planet, and now the problem is our midfield? When we get our midfielder, cech will be out of form we're going to have to get a new keeper. The problem lies deeper then our starting lineup. It lies within the mechanics and chemistry of our team. There is no passion in our play, no drive, only sloppy desperate energy. Were burnt out for a reason.

[steve5221 91]

Certainly we are very slow in our buildup play, which is allowing teams to defend deep against us. How about putting Luiz and Ramires in the centre of mid - they are very quick and sharp...

[HRiver 1,512]

I think that Luiz is fine as CB. We need more confidence in defense.

[Laylabelle 9,359]

Boring flat frustraing annoying performance but fucking hell what an end! That was just mental and thank fuck for Cech! Made it less bleh this game is shit and more 'omfg what is going on?!!?'

[Luke 60]

Am I the only one that thinks we could really do with Benayoun in our midfield right now!?

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Am I the only one that thinks we could really do with Benayoun in our midfield right now!?

Well I did. Then I remembered how we said the same thing about Lampard & Essien. Then I just lost hope

[Luke 60]

I feel he is more attack mined than Essien, he will get into the box more and look for that killer pass. We need either him or Zhirkov in there to breathe a bit of life into our attacking play because Malouda/Essien/Lampard just havent realy shown me anything in the last 5 games or so.

[Shane 2,275]

Let Drogba go in the summer, and start Sturridge and Torres with a creative midfielder behind them.

Both of there movement, pace and finishing with good service would be unstoppable.

[HRiver 1,512]

Benayoun and Ramires could really work together methinks.

[steve5221 91]

Yossi is underated a good little player. He's knackered his achilies though and players are sometimes never the same after that.