carrickblue

The one good thing you could say for Willian tonight was that at least he got into positions where he could score; if he's going to follow-up strikers like that he will get quite a few

if we are picking players based on performance Dave, Bertie, Essien and Torres could deserve a few starts

Jose doesn't look very happy

I think we need to sharpen up a bit or these guys will get back into the game

JT on for Ramires - I hope that's with Saturday in mind and not an injury

I think Dave is doing well. Torres and Essien have been great. Ramires as well. Willian looks a bit lost to me but it does seem as though Mata is working hard to get back and cover when we lose the ball

I too thought the one thing Mourinho would bring to last year's team would be more solid defensive performances and an end to conceding goals like Basel's winner last night. I do think some of his substitutions have been a bit odd so far. Under the cosh against Bayern 2-1 up with a few minutes to go I felt we were crying out for someone to be a presence in midfield - last night was the same, will Michael Essien ever appear at these moments? We need to be able to confidently shut up shop and see games out, watching us recently we appear to lose concentration as the game goes on. I'm still confident Mourinho will find a combination of talent that will serve us well but at the minute it seems we've too many similar players and we have to go through a process of mix and matching to find out what works and what doesn't

Still he is right that the doom mongers in the football press are getting the boot in very early, it's usually November before things go tits up for us. I wonder if the media in Spain are announcing a catastrophe at Valencia tonight after losing to a small club from Wales?

OK - I take it back Swansea completely bossed that second half, the scousers are still a work in progress

"would be a nightmare".....they are in the top 4 mix already and growing in confidence. I agree lending Moses to Liverpool was madness I wonder who thought that was a good idea. Of Liverpool's next 5 matches only one is against a team in the top half of the table and that is Newcastle. Meanwhile we're playing Spurs, City are facing United....by the start of November, Liverpool could be 6 or 9 points clear

i hate to see us playing in a black strip and we never seem to get a result when we do - the white strip would be my first choice away from home every time

Is there anything significant in Michael Essien being left out of the Champions League squad list? Suggests he'll play in the Premier League I guess, but I wonder whether Van Ginkel couldn't have been included on Squad List B for the Champions League.

Without Fellaini and Lukaku (I'm assuming he can't play against us) - it's hard to see Everton creating too many chances. If we don't have enough to get a win here we're in trouble.

I think Lukaku will benefit from another year on loan. Even at West Brom last year he was often put on for the last 20 minutes - he needs regular starts and he wasn't going to get that at Chelsea. I thought when he came on against Bayern he looked a bit out of his depth, but he is only 20. In a year or two he'll be a monster for us.

Still we refused to let Ba go to Arsenal on the grounds they are close challengers - so presumably that means we've made a calculated decision that Liverpool are not contenders and so it's safe to let them enjoy having Victor Moses. I have a feeling that this move will become permanent, maybe in January maybe later. I don't like us strengthening Liverpool but I think the relationship with Rodgers is a factor here, same goes for Steve Clarke.

Lots of positives from tonight - we held Bayern with 10 men for an hour and were in front twice. The only negative, if it is one, is that Lukaku was clearly out of his depth at this level. I felt he looked a bit lost from the moment he came on - wasn't at all surprised that he fluffed the penalty. But never mind, he'll learn from that and in time I am sure he'll prove to be a really strong addition to the squad. Wasn't it great to see Jose urging the Chelsea fans to get behind the team - a bit different to the FSW

i thought we looked good against Inter but tbh i'm not that concerned about preseason, it's when we hit the end of October and forget how to win until February that gets me every season - hopefully Jose will sort this....

For all the Suarez fans here - do you really want Chelsea FC associated with his antics? The guy has at least one screw loose. I wouldn't touch him with the proverbial barge-pole

i still can't get my head around our interest in Rooney. it seems like the Torres scenario all over again, here we are about to invest in a player who many believe is past his best. will he fit in our team? will he show the hunger for success we expect of our players? at the end of last season i was quite happy with the thought of Lukaku returning - that alone in my opinion was likely to be all we needed to be the real deal in the premier league

This is a great post - deserves more than just a "like"

i can't believe José would want this guy in the squad. it'll not happen

Lukaku - strong, young,hungry, will physically overwhelm most defenders. Problem solved.

Great to have 2 British teams drawn together lol

Great to have 2 British teams drawn together lol

What a load of b*****ks if we were all going to rely on organic growth the premier league would be a mess like the Scottish premier league. That's going well isnt it?