Maverick

It isn't fair to compare Rafa at Pool and Carlo at his time here for the simple reason being Carlo has not had the luxury of the transfer kitty (estimated above 150 million) that Rafa enjoyed at his time in Anfield. The first real buy under Carlo have been Torres and Luiz and having seen them both play I am confident that he has the ability to gauge players far better than Rafa ever did. Therefore it makes sense to back Carlo on building a squad in a period where we are clearly going through a transition and need an experienced manager. Carlo to me beats Rafa hands down in the way he conducts himself and doesn't go about whining even after he has had money available.

It was pretty much the same mistake that we did with Sinclair, he wasn't a winger but we always saw him as one because he had amazing pace. At Swansea he plays as a striker and its pretty evident that he was never a winger. I would not fancy seeing Borini as a winger.

Christmas would have come rather early in South west London.

Doesn't do a lot with the talent available either, too defensive in his approach and I wouldn't want us going down that lane.

You could probably throw these names into the mix - Louis Van Gaal Martin O'Neil I'd still prefer Carlo over most of the names barring Hiddink. Its clear that Carlo is a coach that relies on the system and the starting 11 to deliver and in a scenario where things dont go to plan he struggles to change tactics/ make subs that create any substantial impact. Though what Carlo does bring to the table is a proven record and calmness around him. I dare say the 70 million spent during the winter is a testimony that Roman still backs Carlo as a manager.

We'd be rather foolish to Swap Lamps for a player whose been out injured for the last 8 months. Besides I dont think Kaka is the same player anymore since he is behind Ozil in the pecking order. Add to it Kaka is not a box to box midfielder like Lampard and that would be critical to our balance. Hamsik has been pretty good for Napoli this year though he has committed his future by signing a new contract (if I recall correctly). I was watching Porto in action last night and I felt Joao Moutinho is one player that we could do with in our midfield. He is a lot like Deco in terms of being a good passer and being creative but he was able to stand up to the physical stuff thrown at him.

I honestly feel its your heart that has picked that side because after seeing what happened last night it would be daft to play Torres and Drogba together. Its just not working right now and the return leg is too big a gamble. There is no way Alex would be up for a game of this magnitude with literally no game time and to drop Ramires in current form seems a little odd to me. I'd personally want to see this lineup for the return leg. CECH Essien IVANOVIC TERRY COLE MIKEL Ramires LAMPARD ANELKA KALOU DROGBA

I'd be glad to see Torres and Drogba start this one with Anelka playing behind the two, not sure if thats what Carlo is thinking since its generally Malouda + Anelka/ Kalou with Drogba/ Torres. Bosingwa will probably have the toughest test today and I hope he is up for it. I hope we seal the tie tonight but I guess thats asking for too much.

Add Uncharted to that and its a very impressive lineup of exclusives for the PS3. As much as I like Forza its just Halo that could possibly give the PS3 exclusive a run for their money. So if the topic is about the battle of exclusives then there is only one winner for me.

Yes he did but he was provided a paltry amount in the transfer market before we parted ways. I recall no less than 3 free transfers (Sidwell, Ben Haim and Pizarro), which was probably an indication that the relation between the two were not the same. Jose has also gone on record and stated on more than one occassion that he should have left in the summer of 2007.

Roman has shown his backing by providing a 70 million transfer kitty, if thats not an indication please tell me what is. Specific to the game I believe we'll win at home and draw away. The fact that the CL is the only hope of silverware this season should make us hungrier than United. Its going to be one of those big European nights and I am hoping we get the better of them again !!

Let's hope its not Kakuta all over again.

Not sure what purpose this thread serves. If your registered on this forum, that in itself is good enough to suggest that you have an attachment with the club.

After last night's result I'd love him to stay on a little longer.

I'd love to see United humiliated by 3 goals for most of the game against any given side. The look on Fergie's face - PRICELESS

I guess you're mixing up the facts a little here. I dont recall at any point where he was left out of the squad when fit. Last year he was used more of a left back and this year he has been used in the midfield. He got his chances when Lampard was fit and infact did fairly well before he was injured. Honestly I dont see him matching Malouda's form last season. Its good that Malouda now has competition for his spot but to suggest we sell one of our consistent performers based on poor form would not be the most intelligent move.

There is surely a difference but to prove himself at Chelsea he'll need to start more often (like he does at Bolton) which looks a little tough given Carlo rates Kalou ahead of him. As much as I am excited with his performance at Bolton I fear we may lose another bright prospect.

Speaks volumes about our patience levels !!

Not surprised at all with the decision.

Last weekend was the only opportunity he had to play Kakuta and a game against City is not best suited for experiments. P.S: FYI Gael has been cup tied in the FA Cup.

We let Miroslav Stoch go after a very impressive spell at Twente, I wouldn't rule out a sale if Bolton does match our asking price.

Excellent post and pretty much sums up where most of our fellow fans go wrong. There are a lot of players that will hang their boots in the coming few seasons and it would be the biggest mistake to look for like to like replacements. This could be one of the reasons our youngsters who play in attacking front generally dont get a look in since we always look for a Drogba/ Anelka in them. Sturridge is an ideal example of a player being played out of position and unable to cope with it. Sturridge is no Drogba but he is a bloody good prospect who has a different set of attributes to his game than the Ivorian. Will he get a look in at Chelsea? Yes maybe another dozen of 10 minute cameos under the current regime.

Heading back home, hope to see confirmation/ the chopper land by the time I reach home.

Here we go again !! :unsure:

You could attribute it to a lot of aspects but the biggest factor is that Drogba looks a shadow of the player we saw last year. It could be the malaria or down to motivation but our attack looks unlikely to relive the form of last year. We can choose to ignore the problem but it looks likely that we need a new star to spearhead our attack and to me Torres is the only option in the league.