awtysst

I think next year will be JT's last year as a starter. With so many games there will be others who get starts at CB. Year after he will get fewer than the majority starts at CB and will slowly be phased out over a couple of years. My selection as captain would be Cech. He is only 30 and as a keeper can still be a top flight keeper for 5 more years. Throughout the CL Cech played magnificently. He was the reason Chelsea got past Barca. He made many outstanding saves all year and kept CFC in many a game. Considering his service to the club it is only right and fitting that he be given the captain's armband when JT retires.

I hope the Hulk saga ends soon. I would like CFC to extend their best offer to Porto and give them a 1 week deadline. If the deal is not done within 7 days, cut bait and look elsewhere. Last year Chelsea spent all summer trying to get Modric. Articles in various "sources" claimed CFC were upping their offer as the summer progressed. Finally in the 11th hour when it was clear Modric was not coming, The Blues settled for Mierles. CFC must not waste the whole summer going after a player who is unavailable at the price they are willing to pay and lose out on countless great options.

Let's first see who is on the team, who is the manager, how the team is gelling, and the draw before we start talking about the 2013 CL. Besides, the 2012 CL was tough enough to win. There needs to be more celebration about that victory until july!

I'll agree with that. I guess my thinking is that I don't want to throw too much at him right away. He is still a youngster. I would prefer to develop him strengths right now. Let him learn to be a Drogba type player first. Then after he has mastered that skill teach him how to be a skillful striker.

I wonder if the Spurs front office is kicking themselves right now. They could have sold high on Modric for 40 mill last year. Now, they are getting a much lower 25 mill offer for him AND are not in CL. Id offer 26 mill for Modric.

I favor the style that favors the player. Which style best fits Lukaku's style. There is no reason to try to make him into something he isn't. If he is a Drogba type of player, send him somewhere to become that type of player. If he is more of a Van Persie type, then send him on loan to develop those skills. Why spend all that money on him and then not develop him in the way that fits with his skill set rather than try to make him into something he isnt?

The players are to blame. At this level players should be able to do the following: 1. Forwards: Kick/head a ball into the opponent's goal when you are a feet feet away. This is not happening. Drogba and Torres have been utterly woeful. 2. Midfield: Not give the ball away easily and pass the ball to the people wearing the same shirt as you. Any number of MFs are to blame here. 3. Defense: Not allow the other's teams players to get around you and get easy shots on the goal. Not to be a sieve. The players aren't doing the basics. Headers are going wide, shots are being pulled, possession is being wasted, and defensive is suspect at best. You can't blame the manager when the players can't do the basics.

Just becuase a player knows his role does not mean he knows the game. What tactics does Cole really know? I would venture to say these guys know VERY little about tactics. In most sports the most successful coaches are usually not the ones who were superstars, it was the guys who were bench/role players. Role Players really get the strategy and intracacy of the game the superstar doesn't. Take Michael Jordan: greatest basketball player of all time. You would think he would be a great manager since he really knew the game. If anything he has been the WORST manager/owner/Front office executive. He does not understand tactics nor does he really get how to build a team. But the bigger issue here is the fact that the older players simply have not bought into the AVB philosophy. This is pretty much an issue which RA created by giving the players too much power. He allowed the players to run off managers. While I agree its good for players to talk and express their feelings to the manager, they simply cannot refuse to buy into the manager's philosophy. To put it another way. Let's say you have been working for a company for a few years and you get a new boss. The new boss has a different style of management than your previous one. The new boss has different expectations and wants you to produce your work in a different way than the previous one. You can talk to your boss and show the way you are used to doing it, but ultimately it is the bosses call. If you continue to refuse to do the work the way your boss wants, you will be fired, and rightfully so. You will be replaced with someone who does conform to the bosses' ways. It's an issue of management and labor. Labor can certainly express dissatisfaction, but at the end of the day management makes the rules. This is what is happening at CFC. The older workers don't like the ways of the new boss. Well, if they won't conform, its time to let them go and replace them with people who will.

I got to say I am pretty disappointed. Chelsea signed 3 players: Cahill, De Bruyne, and Bamford, but I was expecting a move to help them solidify CL for next year. Cahill is a solid CB but Chelsea's problem has been scoring goals. They keep playing 1-0, 1-1, or 2-1 games. Cahill won't help with that. De Bryune looks like a great talent, but he is off to Genk for the rest of the year and likely on loan all of next year. Bamford is very young and nowhere near EPL first team. I really thought Chelsea would look to get another midfielder to help the attack. I really fear that today's result a 1-1 draw with Swansea, which the Blues lucked into a draw and really deserved to lose, will be a harbinger of what to expect. I may be overreatcing, but I am now worried they will not even qualify for Europa and will end up around 7th or 8th overall.

Thibaut Courtois: check. Romelu Lukaku: check Kevin De Bruyne: looks to be on his way. Perhaps Hazard would like to play for Team Belgium...I mean Chelsea!!!

I actually like the move as this is a move for the future, not the present. KDB is only 20 years old (turns 21 in June) and will spend the rest of the year at Genk. Next year he can come to the EPL and spend a year at a side like Bolton to get some playing time and get acclimated to the EPL. Then the year after he can get playing time for Chelsea. At that point he will still be only 23 years old. Getting him now in summer means he can train with the squad in the summer and we don't have to worry about another club coming in and swooping him up or creating a bidding war. If you identify him as someone you want: go get him now.

Not only that, but he could also help the team with the FA Cup.

The team cannot operate in fear and assume the manager will be fired at the end of the year. The team MUST do what they can to improve and get better. AVB needs to go ahead and make the decisions to bring in the guys he needs AND a certain Russian needs to allow him the time to do so. The team cannot keep firing coaches every couple of years. AVB MUST be given the time he needs to overhaul the team to play his style. Currently they play something of a hybrid. It is unfair to evaluate him when he is forced to place square pegs in round holes.

Except that after the trade window, Chelsea began to play well and were in contention for 1st place late in the season and made the CL comfortably. While Torres didn't do much, I thought Luiz did very well last year.

It would be a fantastic deal for Chelsea, ok for Frank, and decent for LA. Chelsea could move forward with the youth movement and give youngsters like Romeu and perhaps even McEachran (perish the thought!) the playing time they need to develop. It would be ok for Frank becuase he would likely get more minutes, but I am not sure he is the right kind of player for MLS. He is not a runner and will need to adjust his game. It is decent for the Galaxy. They get a solid player but maybe they can get some publicity and maybe it will get Chelsea to play the Galaxy in a road friendly. The problem with the MLS is that most American soccer fans don't care about it. The proof is in the ratings. A TAPED (not live, taped) broadcast of the Chelsea-Liverpool match that aired at 2 in the afternoon pulled a TV rating almost twice the viewership of the LIVE MLS championship game that started at 9pm. American soccer fans care about the EPL, Champions League, etc.

From ESPN On the Move: http://blogs.soccernet.com/onthemove/ Today's updates: 1. "Chelsea are locked in talks with Real Madrid over a £25 million move for Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to the Daily Express." 2. "Other reports link midfielder Steven N'Zonzi with Chelsea." 3. "The Blues are also tracking 17-year-old Crewe forward Nick Powell, according the The Mirror."

I am a dumbass! I didn't even bother to count the number of players in my formation! I was thinking I was being so brilliant by finding a way to better utilize Luiz. Oh well. Glad I am not in charge of lineup choices or I would be fired on the spot!!!

Or even try this one: ---------------------------Sturridge---------------------------- Mata---------------------------------------------------------Hazard ------------------------------ Luiz------------------------------------- New Attacking MF------------------------------------Ramierez ---------------------------------Romeu---------------------------------- Cole-------------------------------------------------------------Ivanovich- -----------------------------Terry-------Cahill(addition)------------------I --------------------------------Cech------------------------------------------

A more balanced attack may be to leave Mata on the wing, put Sturridge in the Striker spot, and put Hazard on the other wing. An interesting team would look like this: ---------------------------Sturridge---------------------------- Mata---------------------------------------------------------Hazard New Attacking MF-------------Luiz-----------------------Ramierez ---------------------------------Romeu---------------------------------- -Cole----------------------Terry-------Cahill(addition)------------------Ivanovich --------------------------------Cech

1. I think our options are much better than people realize. Lukaku and Sturridge need minutes at the striker spot. They are the kinds of players who need regular minutes to develop and grow. 2. Yes, he is 33/34 and will sign for the team that gives him the most $ and years. That won't be here. You sell him in order to get something. 10 million(if it is that little) is better than nothing. 3. The team is not in a strong position to win PL or CL. Chelsea is built to win trophies not finish in the top 5. Since the team can't win, its time to do what needs to be done to put a winner on the field for next year. For Chelsea, this is a perfect time to revamp the lineup. The season is pretty much done anyway. NOW is the time to get the kind of players AVB needs and get them minutes in the lineup as they begin to learn how to play together. Then, when next season arrives they can add maybe 1 or two more pieces, and already have built in chemistry. This is a game of chemistry where you have to kick the ball not to where your teammate is, but where he will be. The only way to be able to anticipate is to have good chemistry with your teammates. And that takes time. Use this season to acclimatize the new guys and next year Chelsea can be a force in PL and CL.

6 million for a 25 year old? Can't be much of a playmaker then.

I did enjoy his performance. I like DD as a player. But, the issue is he does not want to sign a contract here. If he was willing to sign a contract then there is a worthy discussion of how best to use him. But that's a moot point becuase he doesn't want to sign the contract. We cannot risk him leaving on a free transfer. It's hard to sell legends, but, its important to upgrade the team. The money that could be raised for him could be used as part of the money to get an up and coming hot shot. If the choice is sell him in January or see him leave for free in the summer: I sell him. And yes, the more goals he scores, the more we may be able to sell him for in January!

Agree. I would also like the idea of going after more Barca B prospects and players on the main Barca squad that can't catch a break.

Agreed. He has a lot of potential but needs playing time to develop. He should go to a smaller PL team to get playing time and experience.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. I am willing to sacrifice one year of CL next year if AVB can get his types of players in and get them used to playing on the team. Thus sacrifice one year for multiple year success down the line. Again, we will have to agree to disagree on this matter.