Is our midfield good enough?

[Styles 9,790]

More specifically are our group of central midfield players good enough?

We have an awful lot of athletic, robust and powerful runners but we are very low on midfielders with ability to play a quick and precise passing game.

We need players that create gaps and angles for passes and that know how to move into space. We have no combinations in midfield, that open up space drawing opposition players out of position.

Our midfield needs a major overhaul. We need to start getting technical ball players instead of runners like Essien, Ramires etc. Even Lampard for all his quality is very average as CM knitting play together. We need thinking footballers capable of creating chances for their forwards. Drogba, Torres etc are getting absolutely no service which is shameful.

[Wilson 358]

No. We have two attacking midfielders (who have been plagued with injury), Lamps and Benayoun. Time to bring in a couple attackers. Hamsik and Dzagoev.

[Henrique 9,133]

O love Lampard, but his season has been really poor. If you ask me I would say that Ramires and Essien are doing better than him. We need one playmaker on the summer. Our best starting XI in next season should be like that:

Cech

Luiz

Terry

Cole

Ivanovic

Essien

Ramires

( new playmaker)

(new striker)

Sturridge

Torres

[Wilson 358]

So you wanna ditch Lampard out of our system and formation? That would be very wise. NOT! That is just ridiculous.

[Henrique 9,133]

So you wanna ditch Lampard out of our system and formation? That would be very wise. NOT! That is just ridiculous.

whats your point ? or you just think that Lampard should stay forever as a starting XI, jut because he is a legend and that kind of thing ?

[Gianfranco_Z 202]

We need someone who will take players on, and is creative with the ball open up space etc... our midfield is too Pedestrian.

I don't know what is wrong with Essien, he has been shocking this year... Ramires is quality though, and Frank? I don't know if it's the time he spent out of the side or not fit etc... who knows? but axe Malouda imo get someone who actually takes players on

[Guest justin_3d]

Chelsea needs a winger and a creative midfield.

Neymar and Ganso are my choices.

Other then that, up front looks promising for the "future" with Sturridge and Torres.

Also Lukaku might not hurt to get.

[Wilson 358]

whats your point ? or you just think that Lampard should stay forever as a starting XI, jut because he is a legend and that kind of thing ?

No but he's still a great player, his time isn't up yet.

[Rambo 1,729]

whats your point ? or you just think that Lampard should stay forever as a starting XI, jut because he is a legend and that kind of thing ?

Yup, everytime a player is out of form, commits a mistake or get's injured he is automatically not up to Chelsea standards and must be replaced immediately.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

The system has to change next season.

4-2-3-1 is the only way I can see us being able to cater for all the quality we have in the side:

Cech

Ivanovic/Bosingwa, Luiz/Alex, Terry, Cole

Essien, Mikel/Ramires

Malouda/Ramires, Lampard, Zhirkov/Marek Hamsik

Torres/Drogba

Its a nice and radical thought...

[Tomo 21,733]

Can i start by saying Lamps is and always will be a Chelsea legend but we should consider using in next season in the same mould as Utd use Scholes.

Players in their mid 30's rarely cope with being used 3 times a week, use Lamps sparingly we will get more out of him, heard of the phrase less is more?

Josh McEachran is 17, young, in-expierenced but struggling to justify not playing him he seems confident and offers something else, what the worse that could have happened if we brought him on for the last 10/15 minutes in this and the Liverpool game, Carlo can bring him on at Villa Park and COM Stadium with the score tight but not craven cottage, why?

Despite the moment of madness at the end our defence looked so much more comftable with Luiz in it, i cant remember a clear cut chance for Fullham all night.

The worse thing about last night is we have got atleast 2 and a half weeks till our next league game.

[Styles 9,790]

Our midfields take 5 touches each to control the ball and pass it along, in that time the opposition have got back into position.

Watch this video and look at how quick and sharp the passing is. All one touch, passing through gaps and players moving to space. Even Arsenal are capable of doing this.

We have an unculutured midfield full of runners with little technical ability.

[Tomo 21,733]

Our midfields take 5 touches each to control the ball and pass it along, in that time the opposition have got back into position.

Watch this video and look at how quick and sharp the passing is. All one touch, passing through gaps and players moving to space. Even Arsenal are capable of doing this.

We have an unculutured midfield full of runners with little technical ability.

Thats what i was thinking, obviously i doubt we would do it that fast, but more urgency on the ball and not 10 touch then pass sideway would have helped yestoday.

This is why (despite his tender age) im struggling to justify Josh not playing often.

[Styles 9,790]

Thats what i was thinking, obviously i doubt we would do it that fast, but more urgency on the ball and not 10 touch then pass sideway would have helped yestoday.

This is why (despite his tender age) im struggling to justify Josh not playing often.

The things that excite me the most about McEachran is he seems to technically very good and cool under pressure. Only Mikel in our team meets that description, all the others seem to have a complete meltdown as soon as they get pressure from the oppisition and end up giving the ball away or taking aim at goal from 40 yards. The amount of times Lampard and Essien try to force balls that are simply not on is just incredible and then on occassions they can't even make the simplest of passes Jesus wept.

If we had midfielders that built play we would be so much better.

Here's another video enjoy

[Fulham Broadway 16,860]

That counter attacking speed of movement which has been so devastating was gone last night.

It was obvious if Chelsea started slowly, then Fulham could shore up their defences everytime. It was the same with the bindippers. Essien showed some promise of regaining his old form, but it comes to something when Kalou is our ''in form'' striker now...

[Krypt 241]

The system has to change next season.

4-2-3-1 is the only way I can see us being able to cater for all the quality we have in the side:

Cech

Ivanovic/Bosingwa, Luiz/Alex, Terry, Cole

Essien, Mikel/Ramires

Malouda/Ramires, Lampard, Zhirkov/Marek Hamsik

Torres/Drogba

Its a nice and radical thought...

The system could do with Changeing now. Teams have learnt how to cope with us thats why the goals have dried up. They park the but and counter attack , if we changed the system and trained hard at it and dont tell the press that were going to do it , it would suprise teams we need width the 4-3-3 was great last season we played it well , but Carlo needs to change things before its to late.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

4-3-3 works, if you have pure wingers.

Anelka is not a winger, but got by on that pace he had. That's gone now. Malouda was great last season on the left, but now, he's gone back to that same infuriating player we say back in 2007/08. Zhirkov is nowhere to be seen either, and probably wouldn't get his chance at left-wing.

Sanchéz would be a good one if we're serious about playing 4-3-3, so that's the right-wing sorted. Now we need a left-winger. And before someone says it, Kalou is not a winger

[Madmax 9,219]

We knew before the season started that our midfield is too similar, especially after we got Ramires. Lampard's injury and subsequent lackluster performances have just magnified what was already evident. We would have been better with Benayoun around.