Chippy

A draw would be fine but I have a sneaking suspicion (hope) that Jose is weathering the storm and we'll get forward better late on in the game when City's quick closing down will have tired them out a bit. Shurrle on or even Remy to exploit it if it's all square on 65/70 minutes

I'm not looking forward to a whole 45 minutes with Rami on a yellow, Fabregas is having a hard time getting into the game but hopefully that will change as the legs out there tire. Fo r me Shurrle should be first sub on for Willian unless we score and then Mikel could come in.

Just to clarify, I wouldn't have started Drogba if it were my choice but I can understand why Jose did, there is no right or wrong about it, Jose made the decision and it might help bring Didier on and sharpen him up which even if he only plays bits here and there could make up and surpass the result against Shalke, especially if as I believe we go on to win the group anyway. As Just said above, Drogba has been written off before and although he is now 36, a couple of years out of the most competitive games have left him rusty...I think he can shake that rust off and still be an asset.

I had the same worries but still don't agree that Jose got it wrong, in my opinion it was worth the risk to keep Drogba fully part of the team and get him nearer to fitness, yes we now have younger and quicker back up to Costa and Remy looks a good player but an injury to Costa would mean a fit Drogba would be a must. I think that was Jose's thinking rather than any emotional or mates type reasons for starting him. I dont think Drogs is the player he was but I do think he has enough left to be a threat in any standard of football if he gets match sharp, he is thirty six but he's in much better shape than a lot of strikers who have done the business at his age and will adapt his game once he has had enough game time to understand his own limits. I know it feels risky but I have faith Jose understands the risks and will weigh up the situation with more insight than any of us.

A lot of talk of Didier not being the right choice, not being a CL or premiership quality player and of Jose being wrong to start him, lets just give Jose the benefit of the doubt and hope that including Drogs in a few important games when Cost needs a rest will not only keep him keen and keep him involved in the whole atmpsphere in the squad (can only be a good thing) but lets hold fire on being so cut and dried on how much Drogba has faded until he has had a series of appearances and got up to full fitness. We all have opinions on the right and wrong players to start games but Jose gets paid a lit of money because he is a very good judge, the team he put out showed that he was totally right in assuming that even with an un match fit Drogba in the side the game was fully within our grasp, on another day the same eleven would have put it to bed. I expect Jose factored in the possibility of a bit of a slip up but believed in his instinct that in the scheme of things it could be worth the risk, a slight wake up call to the lads at a key time and a run out for a legend and a new face might just give the group more determination and the equaliser might just raise the concentration levels as well. Our results so far have been superb, we can't win every game and the squad is a work in progress, there's hopefully a lot of games to come and Jose will use the squad wisely so hopefully the usual november stumble might not derail us this season.

Fabregas, Drogba, Hazard and Remy all had good clear cut chances that would have put the game out of sight, Terry put the ball in the net after being blown for a foul that didn't look like a foul so the talk of Shalke more than matching us for me is a bit over critical. My main concern was that the players looked like they felt (as I did) that they could go up a gear any time they needed to, when th other team has a few sniffs and gets some determination that isn't always possible and is made more difficult when you are using the game to bring players up to fitness. No blame for Drogs from me and none for Jose for starting him, he will do a job in bit parts this season and keeping him a big part of the team won't be a bad idea come seasons end, in all fairness Remy should have got the start but had we been two nil up with twenty to go Costa would have got his rest, Drogs his start and Luic his CL taster. It's all even after a game and we are not going to rue this too much in the group we are in, I'm sure if anything it'll keep us on our toes and stamp out any complacency before it takes hold.

We'll still win the group, Drogba needed the game time, Costa needed the rest. Remy looks a decent addition and can play a few different roles, I think he's taking to being a blue already. Frustrating but I'd rather be sitting with a point from one game in the group with Costa fit for city than having three points and having him miss the game, I done fourty quid on 4-0 so not a good result for my betting account.

Mourinho seems to have identified what was missing from last season very well, there is no reason for me to imagine that he got the Mata decision wrong when you think about the money concerned. Oscar has been given a totally different role here by Jose and it's a role that Mata couldn't play the way the manager wanted him to, Oscar could look a far more threatening attacking option if he didn't follow the managers instructions but then he'd likely follow Juan out the door. We have great options in midfield and casting my eye over to UTD with any feelings of regret when I see the difference players Jose has chosen have made is something I won't be doing even if they did look good against QPR.

Costa again for me, Hazard was great and we have threats all over the park which must give opposition managers nightmares when putting a game plan together to try to counter them. Big shout for the manager who recognised where Swansea were having a bit of their own way and brought on Rami to sort it out, it's great to have good players on the pitch and waiting on the bench and a manager that really knows when to use the ones for particular jobs. I liked the look of Remy and had a feeling he'd score on his debut, good for his confidence and pleased he done it in blue rather than the unthinkable had they not bottled at his health problems. Salah's mazy run was nice to see, he seems to be a confident player and looks to want to take his chances to impress. Swansea will trouble anyone they play if they are allowed to get in a rhythm and stay there.

I just had exactly the same problem, I couldn't make a team and leave out Charlie Cooke, Bobby Tambling, Ron Harris, Eddie McCreadie, Peter Osgood etc and every decade seems to have its standouts that I couldn't ignore...it would be difficult enough to pick one from the Abramovich era let alone from a lifetime of supporting the club.

1. Chelsea 2. City 3. Liverpool 4. Arsenal 5. Man Utd 6. Swansea 7. Spurs 8. Everton 9. Southampton 10. Stoke 11. Newcastle 12. Sunderland 13. West Ham 14. Aston Villa 15. Hull City 16. Leicester 17.Palace 18. QPR 19. West Brom 20. Burnley

I swapped Tim Howard for Courtois before the game...didn't expect to concede three though.

Costa for me, always makes the right runs, brings others in to the game, defends and works hard for the team and does that strange thing strikers are supposed to do.

We all see thing different but for me he's been pretty poor.

At around thirty five minutes I said to the missus that I expected Ramires to make way for Mikel second half, hasn't got into the game enoughe for a player with his engine and I expected Jose to shut up shop second half... all change now and it looks like we might need to score again to win this.

Amazing...our back up 3rd striker

Blimey

I'll be happy when Torres eventually leaves here and not because of any personal dislike or agenda, purely because I don't think he's good enough (which isn't his fault). The arguments about us winning the CL or Europa a bit flaky for me, yes I was celebrating like a nutter when we won the CL, Robbie had us so determined and managed it against the odds, Torres played a part but that isn't to say that had he not been in the side we wouldn't have won it...my personal belief is we'd have won it and done better in the league with the back up striker at the time getting more games, in those games where the back up was unfit, whoever had have played in his place even if that was a false nine would have likely had as much influence on the results. I'd much rather see a youngster as our third choice instead of out on loan if we can't bring in another striker and believe it's best for us and Torres if he was to move on, he might well still reach a good level in another league and be able to get some pride and confidence back, whether or not that's as important to him as the drop in wages he'll be needing to take I'm not sure and it must be a difficult decision as I'd imagine losing something like seventy five grand a week would be noticeable even to someone as well off as he is.

I think we already did

If he go's it'll ruin a lot of our fantasy dream teams...

I wonder if it would push him over the edge if we managed to bring in another striker and Jose made it clear he was then fourth choice? still wouldn't surprise me if Roman and the board still somehow want him here, although I can't fathom what the reasoning could be.

In my last post when talking about the possibility of a turnaround in the top two, I obviously meant top two on ability and not on final table position...to be honest I forgot all about the scousers

The main thing with City is the strength in depth, to have players like Jovetic, Dzeko, and Negrado to look to when Aguero is injured or needs a rest is just plain greedy, we need to hope Costa can stay injury free and pl;ay a lot of games, I think he brings the other players into the game well when he holds the ball up and gets involved a lot better than Torres so even a dry spell from him should mean we have more threat than last season and we should cope with goals chipping in from the midfield, . The worry for me is an injury to him would mean Drogs rolling back the years and punishing himself with back to back games or the more worrying prospect of our third choice striker attempting to lead the line, without slating him for no reason as it's been done many times, in my opinion if he has any future where a decent contribution here is likely to occur, it's playing wide of the main striker and I think that's where he'll get his chances if Costa can stay injury free. I think it's going to be another tight season at the top and it's already looking interesting, I won't confidently predict a turnaround of the top two from last year unless we add another striker but it's too early to judge really, I've got a feeling January could see us panic buying if we don't do it quickly though.

in case anyone thought my last post was a bit out of character... 25 Aug 14 / 21:55 Bet Winnings Man City v Liverpool – Man City 3-1 @ 12/1 + £65.00 O/1891960/0001909/F 25 Aug 14 / 17:40 Stake Man City v Liverpool – Man City 3-1 @ 12/1 - £5.00 O/1891960/0001909/F

well Pleased with the consolation goal at the end for the scousers