Chelsea190512

We haven't gone backwards. We just haven't gone forward.

Fabregas was awful

After schurrle I don't think we have a single long range shooter in the squad. Maybe Matic has the potential to.

Silva looking very very good in the Baggies game. On a side note Toure seems to have remembered where the net is now. That second finish was sublime with the side foot. Sterling isn't looking too impressive but that's expected new team and new players, seems to constantly dispose of the ball to Silva whenever he gets it and really should have scored the third for City. But yeah they seem to be further ahead in the return to full match fitness than we are. Everything seems fluid.

Jose should know better than to slate one of his own. The same way criticising an individual player's performance publicly is uncalled for so is this. Talk about adding fuel to a fire. He suggested he knew Hazard wasn't hurt but just tired. That could be interpreted as him condoning a player feigning injury to get his breath back and hold up play. The medical staff are there to treat players not to make decisions about whether to enter the field of play or not. Surely he should have mentioned Courtois's decision to foul Gomis and leave Chelsea a man down too.

I have nothing against him he's a wonderful player. Fabregas with the ball is a creative genius. But he's playing as a central midfielder so the onus is on him to help marshal the midfield and protect the back four. Bearing that in mind how many times do you see players skip past him like he's not even there. There's a reason some think our midfield is what held us back from progressing further in the champions league.

This is on my personal preference. A 4-2-2-2 Kahn Cafu - Beckenbauer - Bobby Moore - Maldini Zidane - Pirlo Garrincha - Messi Pele - Ronaldo(Brazilian) Subs- Ash Cole, Terry, Xavi, Maradona, Ronaldinho and Romario

Perhaps but what about the other games where he was invisible for most of it

This wasn't like Di Maria where excuses are thrown around regarding poor form and homesickness etc. In Luis's case he just had a player who the manager favoured in his position ahead of him in the pecking order.

I feel like Mourinho is too pragmatic to evolve Chelsea into a fluid attacking outfit Fabregas is ineffective in every big game Mikel's ball retention skills are severely underrated

Could end up at Bayern as a replacement for Ribery.

--- EPL and Europe ---- 1. What's your predicted EPL top 4? (and Chelsea's finishing place if outside top 4) 1.Chelsea 2. Man United 3. Arsenal 4. Man City 2. 3 EPL teams to be relegated? 20. Bournemouth 19. Watford 18. Leicester 3. Premier League Top Scorer? Aguero 4. Premier League Most Assists? Fabregas 5. Player of the season in the Premier League & In Europe? (answer both) PL; Hazard, Europe; Messi 6. Young player of the season Premier League? (23 and younger at start of the year) Coutinho 7. Champions League winning team? Chelsea 8. EPL overachieving team (relative to finances) West Ham/Palace 9. EPL underachieving team (as above) Liverpool 10. EPL most improved team (based on finishing ladder position from one year to the next) Everton, Crystal palace 11. EPL biggest declining team (as above) Southampton 12. EPL manager of the year 1. Jose ---- Chelsea ---- 1. Chelsea best player? Oscar 2. Chelsea top scorer? Hazard 3. Biggest improver? Oscar 4. Biggest decliner? Sad to say but head says JT 5. Surprise packet (Chelsea player who will do better than most think) Remy 6. Biggest disappointment (opposite of above) No one 7. How far Chelsea will go in the Champions League (group stage, round of 16, quarters, etc) Final 8. Broadly how well Chelsea will do in the cups (FA and League) FA cup will be a must win, league cup not so much expect to see us reach semis at least. 9. Most over and under used Chelsea player this season Most used Hazard, Costa --- Under used Remy

Messi's twice the player anyone in the world is.

Arsenal kill off Lyon 6 nil. United beat Barcelona 3-1 and we're there like we don't care. Yes it's a meaningless friendly but we look so unfit like we can't be bothered.

Diego Costa is surprisingly photogenic looking at the kit release images.

Not released yet but I saw the trailer for Suicide Squad and Jared Leto as the joker seems very interesting. Obviously he's facing a lot of negativity from people who feel he can't match up to Ledger's portrayal of the joker. but I think from the trailer he seems very capable and genuinely creepy.

Azpilicueta. Puts his heart on the pitch every single game. Operates at 110% and no less.

Arguably but Di Maria had some of his best performances at Madrid in central midfield under Ancelotti.I see I haven't even got him on the bench big omission on my part there. Just imagine he's on the bench.

I haven't picked this on current form but rather the best possible team if all played to the best of their abilities imo. A 4-1-4-1 formation. De Gea Zabaleta - Kompany - Terry - Azpi Matic Sanchez. - Rooney - Di Maria - Hazard Aguero Subs: Koscielny, Schneiderlin, Mata, Silva, Costa

Firstly sorry for the time taken to get this up. Have had a lot on past few days but had the time now. So let's see. Http://startingeleven.co.uk/user-formation/52235 Formation. I've opted for a slightly unorthodox 4-3-3 but because of the players in the team who boast many attributes in different positions. The formation will be flexible sometimes becoming a 4-2-3-1 and if needed even a 4-4-2 when defending. Keeper. Given in between the sticks his shot stopping ability alone is reason enough for him to warrant his place. Helped Newcastle qualify for Europe a few times and was part of squads that finished runners up in the Fa Cup. Defence. Vidic and Kompany are two of the best central defenders the premier league has seen and will be for a long time. Vidic will marshall the back four and dictate from a deeper position acting as cover for anything that somehow finds its way through the defence which is very unlikely. Kompany will act as more of a ball playing defender closing down and applying pressure while having the ability to push forward with the ball after retrieval. Now to the full backs. Firstly Lee Dixon Arsenal legend with reason and one of the best right backs in the league's history. He has over 600 apps and almost 30 goals which is pretty impressive. Started his career as a winger so is more than capable of attacking and pushing forward to support. Same applies for Ashley Cole on the left side. The best left back in the world for a long time. Like Dixon equally adapted to be both a defensive presence and an attacking presence. Midfield. I have my two metronomes who really need no description. My centre backs will play the ball in to either Scholes or Alonso who will both be sitting and operating from deep spraying passes and dictating the tempo of the game. When attacking they can play either shortpasses and opt for a slower build up or pick out the marauding runs of Cole and Dixon on the flanks. Both have the ability to score from long range so that is another weapon in the team's arsenal. Both would be effective in screening the defence and neither is shy of their defensive work. Operating in front of the two pacesetters will be Y. Toure who is another player who lit up the premier league he will have the license to bomb forward and support attacks and also will track back when needed. His close control and quick 1-2 passing will allow him to be a threat in the no.10 position when needed but his physicality and presence will suit him just as much in the central midfield role. And just like Alonso and scholes is more than capable of scoring from distance. Attackers. on the right will be David Beckham who will be using his pinpoint passing and crossing to pick out his attacking teammates with drilled in low crosses and dinked passes to the opposite flank where Tevez will be waiting to cut in and shoot. Tevez will be on the left side of the three up front and will predominantly cut in but as seen in his time in the league he is a very hard working and tenacious forward so expect to him be all over the pitch popping up and causing problems. Up front spearheading the team is none other than Robbie Fowler nicknamed God by the kop end. You can't get a nickname like that without reason the prodigal son will be causing havoc for opposition defences with his smart movement and trickery before using that wizards left foot to pick out a spot in the net. He is more than capable of drifting out wide to pick up the ball and even dropping deep. With Tevez and Fowler interchanging defences will be bamboozled. Bench. Richards for cover at both Right back and centre back coming on when needed to shut out games and even when chasing in order to revert to a back three late in trailing games which I doubt. Owen arguably could be in the first team but I think he is better suited to coming on later in a game against tired legs which he will expose with searing pace and clinical finishing. Yeboah is a wildcard of sorts as his sheer unpredictability will allow him opportunities to capitalise late in games by coming up with special moments or just taking digs from anywhere.

Mine will be up in a few hours

Still a while left till I finish Season One. But so far it's so gripping and intense.

Prison break! I need help. Watched 12 episodes in a row last night (and this morning) so addictive.

Ooops double checked to see if anyone had him and still thought he was calling Ferreira King Paulo. My bad. Okay so I'll take Micah Richards instead.

For my last two picks. I'll take Tony Yeboah just in case I need someone to score a late volley from around the 30 yard range. And my second pick will be a defensive reinforcement when looking to shut out games so for that I will take a guy described as a "Rolls Royce of a defender" Ledley King. Such a shame injuries took their toll on him. Have a look at his recovery tackle on Robben covered so much ground to time the tackle to perfection.