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Wilshere was fantastic tonight. Arsenal's MOTM against a strong Barcelona side. Would Chelsea ever trust McEachran to start a game against Barcelona at 19? Never in a million years. The club have to make a decision soon, they can carry on with players that don't have a quarter of his ability on the ball or they should make a plan for him and give him proper playing time. He is 18 soon and isn't much younger than Wilshere but one of them has a manager that sees his ability and is letting him grow into a marvellous player.

He is that good and the team should be shaped around not just him only but a clever group of technical ball-playing midfielders. Jack Wilshere and Fabregas are both talented. Josh needs another player similar to him backed up by a DM and let them run the game. Here are two videos for you to watch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qeCKS9fqos

That's about the only they could teach him. Infact I would love for McEachran to teach some of them how to play a forward pass through a gap instead of knocking it sideways. Maybe Luiz and McEachran could put on a clinic for the Chelsea midfield on how to pass the ball forward without losing possession.

He's really not. They are nothing like him in terms of his style of play. He is a Latin style CM making clever passes knitting play, a central dribbler opening holes and creating forward momentum. Against Marseille he was making unbelievable passes through tight gaps none of our midfielders would even see, he was keeping possession despite having a man pulling at his arm or kicking at his shins. That is a gift. He is learning absolutely nothing sitting on the bench watching Lampard, Essien and Ramires unable to hold possession further up the pitch or create openings for those around them. What sort of tuition is that? What is he learning exactly? If this kid was Spanish the whole world would be raving about him.

With respect I disagree. Although Ancelotti's saving grace is that the squad has been completely mismanaged for years and he has also had injuries to key players.

John Terry will still be an automatic first team player for at least another 2 seasons. Physically he isn't very mobile anymore but he can still read the game and his positioning is very good. The smart thing to do would be to limit his game time to 30, 35, 40 apps to prolong his career but somehow I don't think he'd take too kindly to that and nor does somebody like Ancelotti have the balls to drop him often.

Would somebody like Hiddink or Mourinho be getting better results with this set of players? The answer is emphatically YES. Ancelotti was tactically inept for a lot of last season that however was masked by winning the league title with the lowest points total since 2003. Let's be hones the league last year was very weak, no standout teams and Chelsea were by a single point the best out of a bad bunch of teams. Maybe tactically inept is a bit harsh but he is rigid in his style of play and his ability to change the game from the sidelines with a sub or jig in formation/aprroach/build up play is embarrassingly poor for a manager in his position.

I take it you're some sort of blogger or journalist writing a piece?

Agreed. He has a high football IQ coupled with fantastic technical ability, that much is clear already. What I love most about him is he doesn't panic on the ball even when the opposition player is close. Some of our current midfielders panic like amateurs and get rid of the ball if a player comes within 5 yards of them. What the club need to do now is find another young player with similar qualities for him to play with in midfield. Wilshere has Fabregas with him backed up by a technically competent midfielder in Song. They are all ball players comfortable in possession and able to pass and play. Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets the same. We seem to have an overload of runners like Ramires and Essien who aren't too clever with the ball at their feet. Mikel, McEachran + new CM is our future. Ramires is a valuable squad player. Essien is woefully out of form and is no longer the same player with two busted knees. Lampard is 33 soon and is nearing his end. He cannot and should not be an automatic starter after this season.

Sounds like the words of a desperate man. So clueless tactically he wants players to carry one doing the same thing regardless of results. It is a sign of madness, doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results. Why should somebody like Torres for instance continue to believe in a system that creates no chances for him? All that running for wha exactly? Can sombody just answer one question for me; why do the fullbacks attack so much yet they are incapable of crossing the f**king ball? What exactly are they running up and down for? They get into good crossing positions then knock it back in field? Wtf is that about?

Sadly a large amount of Chelsea fans have never taken to Drogba for one reason or another. But it's their loss if they can't appreciate one of the greatest ever Chelsea players. Supporters of most other clubs would worship Drogba if he played for their team but at Chelsea they turn on him as soon as the goals stop. No wonder he seems to have a better relationship with Marseille fans despite only spending one year there, they absolutely love him.

Are all these shots people are complaining about clear chances on goal or just speculative long efforts? We rarely make enough decent chances for supporters to be complaining about poor shooting. For example Essien rarely hits the targets with his shots but thats because most of his shots are from long distance with many bodies in front of him and he really shouldn't be shooting from there anyway.

Probably the most depressing loss of the year for me. Liverpool are an ordinary side low on quality with nothing much more than effort to offer. And they beat us, comfortably at that. This game just highlighted how unimaginative our midfield is and that their ability to pass and move under pressure is weak. Essien in particular was exteremly poor in this aspect.

We really are in a battle for 4th with Tottenham and maybe even a resurgent Liverpool team. There is a real chance we could miss out.

Our biggest problem, not just this season but the last few years, is creativity. Our fullbacks get forward an awful lot but they can't cross. Our midfielders are powerful athletes and runners but they don't really play one two's, create space and opportunities for the forwards. Everybody seems to blame the forwards but they are absolutely starved of service. We need wide players with speed that can cross or a clever player inbetween the midfield and strikers with that can create chances. Benayoun could play the role to some extent but unfortunately he has been out for so long.

This.

Going to be a long wait for Torres' debut. Won't have signed in time for tomorrow and apparently there's a gentlemans agreement that he won't play against Liverpool on Sunday. Next game is away to Fulham on the 14th of Feb.

Bolton idiots! :lol:

I've been thinking is there any way we can criticise the board/protest at the way the club is being run?

Agreed. But it's still £48m being spunked on one player. Real catch-22 this one!

...by the Chelsea board.

Harry Harris is known to make up rumors for publicity. Do not believe a word that man says infact believe the opposite of anything he does say.

Agree that Drogba tends to drif wide now in order to find space. But Essien, Malouda and Anelka are not fantastic passers. Josh is not even worthy of being mentioned because he hasn't played a single minute of serious football. Lampard is the only fantastic passer. Essien infact is really starting to worry me. His passing is really poor and the two knee injuries seem to have taken away his incredible athleticism. He is nowhere near the player he use to be.