TimY

Yessss. Hope he can get time on the pitch. Lad need it. Being v unlucky this year.

Delighted no Torres. Respect to AVB. Need 3 points and Drogba is firing and not try to take Wigan too lightly. Maybe if we are three goals up, give him 10 minutes.

yeah deffo need Rambo for Spuds. Think quite a few of our players are on a yellow card to miss the next match and won't be surprised if AVB left Rambo out 'cos of it.

Is Josh one of the Subs?

Damn didn't see Rambo Luiz out. Rambo might not have started 'cos he was on a yellow card and need him for Spuds.

Good line up. As expected. Probably wishful thinking that Josh would start.

I hope to see: Cech, Cole Luiz, Terry, Ivan, Josh, Romeu, Rambo, Mata, Drogba, Studge Will be v surprised if Drogba don't start.

I thought Drogba has been getting better with each game. He was absolutely dire in the first few matches and no wonder when he probably thought wasn't allowed to compete for a place in the team when Torres keeps getting pick ahead of him even when Torres was doing badly. As soon as he got a bit of a run, he is showing sign of his old self. I think Drogba has been drifting in and out of games is because he is still not 100% match fit so he needs more games rather than less. Fair enough. I have to watch a few more games of Torres to see. Yeah, it was that Kalou assist he did and which he would have put away himself in the past. He had another like that in the same game and got beat. Also, against Norwich the only time Drogba and Torres played together, Drogba did a pass for him and the defender beat him to the ball. Don't think he even bother running for it even tho he was closer to the ball than the defender. From speaking to a few pool fans, they said he hasn't been the same since the injury and my recall of his prime, he is the shadow of himself. When Sheva wasn't turning it on for us, there were no clamor for him to be played every game and given chance after chance to prove himself. Not sure why it is so different for Torres.

yeah, not sure why Roman keep splashing out on a player after a major injury. Don't think he realise how important pace is for guys that base their game on intelligent runs. Thought he would do badly considering how we play but never thought he would do this badly for us. I expect Drogba start today and can't see any reasons to change since he just came back into the side and got a few games under his belt. Is not like he has been playing every game this season like Cole has been pretty much. Why does he need a rest? Question I ask you is do you not think Torres has lost his pace? He still have that movement to run in behind like it was Swansea (?) when Mata lob the ball behind their defenders for him to run behind and score. But at Newcastle when he was further out, he got beat when put through. Can say all about workrate and confidence but if he has lost his blistering pace, he won't be half the striker he was in his prime.

and how he made Senderos' pants completely brown. I don't think I have seen a player so fearful of another in a football match. Quaking with fear when Drogba was baring down on him. Something I regularly takes the piss out of the arse supporters when I talk about Drogba and they can have no come back apart from sit quietly contemplating their disgraceful embarrassment.

It has to be time served at the club and place in the team. I won't have Joe Cole anywhere near as a legends when he was a bit part player for us and in and out of the team. Is not about how much you liked to watch the player on the field. Otherwise, I would say Robben. Ashley Cole as well.. I don't qualify as legend maybe due to the time he spent at Arsenal. Not sure. JT, Lamps, Drogba is it for the current squad. Cech not yet when he still have plenty of time and not the end of his career. Dare I say it, Gallas and Poyet would probably have gotten in before they became turncoat and went to Spuds. Still can't get over Poyet kissing the badge for them. Totally lost it there for me.

We signed Torres last year because it seems Roman love strikers that makes intelligent runs. Just look like a Roman buy rather than to fit any system. Torres is like Sheva apart from Sheva is a clinical finisher. AVB was bought in to play that Barca high line pressing game where we have all the possession in their half of the pitch. If we were champions and playing that style of football, buses will be parked week in and week out. We need strikers that can unlock defences and there are two types of players to do that. Skillful players like Messi to unlock defence or the more direct players like Drogba to break down defence. Torres is the last type of striker we need even if he was on form. The fact that he is off form and looks shot from his injury, I can't see how he can come good for us. A lot of wishful thinking by his fan club that likes him due to his looks than facts. I dunno, AVB ruling out selling him this transfer window so maybe he still has something left. I just think it might just be because there are simply no buyers this transfer window and ruling out the summer sale so in hope Torres would perform better.

You need to understand what style AVB has been bought in and trying to change towards. He is trying to have us play like Barca with high line pressing game. With a high line pressing game, the pitch will be compressed even more and and their won't be the space that Torres thrives in. Torres needs space in behind defenders and if you see with both Barca and Spain, teams tend to park the bus against them and Torres would be useless. The only difference AVB has compared to the Barca system is he tend to empathises on the fast counter attacks when losing the ball in transition but unlike in Porto where he was only manager for a year, once you are the top dog in the league, it would be harder to do counter attacks simply because other teams would give you too much respect to come out to attack you for those counter attacking opportunities. Personally, I think AVB started Torres for that reason and why he thought he could use him. I think if Torres were on form, we could still use him for a good time before all the buses get parked. Like at Newcastle when they thought we were under the cosh and came all out to attack us. If we were rollin in teams week in and week out, would Newcastle be attacking us like that? No. The bigger problem is that Torres seemed to have lost a yard of pace. If that is the case, I think he is done as a top class striker since his game is based around it. I can't remember him once leaving a defender for dead like what Studge is doing week in and week out. Confidence matters but I think it is much more than that and the injury he finished him.

wow can never get Messi in 2011. The club accept my £120 million offer but Messi wanted £400k a week with £20m sign on bonus plus £20m agent fee. Could only afford like £275k a week. Got Cavani instead and he works really well with Torres. Banging goals in for fun.

Good article. As much as I hate to say it, I am not sure Cech is the gk for AVB's style long term. AVB wants to play the high line pressing game and would require the sweeper gk like Valdes and Cech's distribution is not the greatest nor is one on one his main strength. Hope to see Cech would be able to adjust to it. Seems like Barca's blueprint is causing sweeping changes to the way football is being played. http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/12/06/chelsea-valencia-villas-boas-deep-tactics/ 'Another beneficiary of Chelsea’s change in approach was, oddly, Petr Cech. A goalkeeper isn’t usually considered to be directly affected by tactics, but Cech’s strengths don’t lie in saving one-on-ones (the Arsenal game showed that) which often occur when a side plays a high defensive line. Instead, with Chelsea sitting deep and Valencia having space to fire in a few long-range efforts, he was able to use his height to make some impressive full-length stops.' Personally, I am not sure whether the high line pressing thing can work in the Premiership since it requires high intensity pressing that might just not work in a faster pace game. Would be interesting to see if AVB can implement his philosophy in the Premiership.

Thought he was one of the best players I have seen. It is the combination of his reading of the game and his world class passing ability that made him so great. If it was just one or the other he would not be rated as much. In the modern game probably not as effective since now need more rounded players especially with all the high intensity pressing that Barca seemed to have gotten everybody to do. But in his day with the DM-AM clear split, thought he was one of the best AM around.

yeah, most pool fans seem to want him back if given the chance. Unfortunately, Dalglish has moved away from the counter attacking style that pool used to play and don't think he would want him back even if we offered him. The problem with saying stick with him and he'll come good is that it has no basis in reality. He doesn't suit the way we play and from games it seems he has done a Sheva/Owen. Unlike Drogba whose game is not based on running off the shoulders off defenders, Torres game is and although I still see the movement he has in spotting the pass but he can't do anything with it without that extra yard of pace. I hope I am wrong as otherwise we are going to take a bigger loss on him than ever. We'll see during the ACN if he can still do a job.

Yeah. Think he plays like little pea. Fast and lots of scrappy goals. Might have work permit problem tho.

Even before his current injury, he just didn't look the same from his previous injury. He was like a force of nature in his prime and wasn't the same when he came back. :( I dunno. Maybe a squad player when Rambo is out or even defender right in times of need.

Exactly. I thought Torres just wont' suit us even if he is on form because when we start to roll teams over week in and week out, teams will park the bus and Torres is not the type of striker that can unlock a deep defence. He plays best when teams come out to attack as he need space and why always seem to do well against Man U but against teams that park the bus, he plays like how he does for Spain - useless as he can't work in tight spaces. To win the Prem, cant see how Torres would fit in even if he was on form. Funny thing is that since we started to play counter attack, it actually suits Torres better. But from the game at Newcastle when he got caught by their defenders after being put through on goal twice, I thought he has lost his pace and the one trick he had that made him a world class striker he can't even pull off. Dunno, AVB came out and said he will keep Torres for this xmas and for the summer so he must still see something in him. I think from his Porto days AVB likes fast counter attacking style when the opponents lose the ball in transition but once you are beating teams week in and week out, I think he will find counter attacking style don't work so well. Even Napoli is finding it harder this season because teams get wised up to their counter attacks.

Neah, when he plays well, I'll give him the praise he deserves. But he is playing atrociously. Poor first touch, lost his pace, totally anonymous in most games and it is like playing with 10 men with him on the pitch. I am not moaning that he plays badly but so many from his fan club is calling for Drogba head so we can see another inept performance from him for his confidence. Sorry, the club comes first rather than the player. Chelsea FC not Torres FC.

on and on about him to start a game ahead of Drogba. I expect to see more posts saying he should wait his turn and prove it in training. Seems there are enough Lampard posts about how he should lump it not being first team but no matter how crap Torres plays, he gets plenty of excuses and we should somehow play an off form player to build his confidence. How about playing a player that can get points for the team?

Thought it was quite appropriate to use that size font with the amount of people from Torres FC fanclub that can't stop going on and on about him. Don't seem to understand we should players on form and Chelsea comes first rather than Torres.

Think Essien would find it hard to get back in the team.

Judge for yourself: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16153017.stm He was asked those questions and he answered honestly. Don't see anything wrong with it and understand his frustration being the first season he has been dropped or subbed when he is fit. Rather that than do a Bogarde collecting pay checks for nothing.