VinnyGee

Rahman and Hazard linked well on the left against tel aviv in our previous champions league outing. Rahman had pace, power and stamina allowing him to drive forward on the overlap giving Hazard the opportunity to come inside and do damage or knock it wide to Rahman to put one into the box. Daves a right back anyway so no problems there. Zouma is young and needs guidance, Terry can't offer that to him from the bench. I think Zouma has the makings of a defensive leader and he won't learn that playing alongside Cahill. I'm not saying Cahill can't do his job, I'm saying that when David Luiz played alongside Terry he looked like he knew what he was doing...says a lot about Terry as a leader as well as world class defender

Willian, Begovic and Ramires were outstanding today, they showed real desire and a never say die attitude. Ivanovic had a very poor game defensively where he was getting outpaced and pushed off the ball and going forward where his crosses and headers were lacking quality. I think we should be playing Zouma and Terry centrally with Dave and Rahman as full backs.

I'm a big fan of Ivanovic and his performances this season seem very uncharacteristic and appear to have led to detrimental performances for the team (opinion ;-) certainly not a fact). His contract runs out at the end of June 2016 and I haven't seen any speculation regarding its renewal so perhaps this is affecting his performances on the pitch?

Nice perspective, just to add a little something...we won our first league title 10 years ago and prior to that we've simply enjoyed top flight football and any scalp we could get. Champions league success is a privilege not a right and this time we missed out. As supporters we should look for positives and "support" the club instead of being negative. Thats what Arsenal do...leave that sh*t to them!

Those are premier league stats and I think they are very acceptable for a midfield player

one bradford fa cup

I agree that Mourinho got it wrong...but you can't blame the players if they are instructed to play a certain way by the manager? Ok he got it wrong and we dropped out of the champions league...I can't think of any other manager i'd rather have at Chelsea. However if anyone thinks someone else could do a better job it would make an interesting discussion...suggestions please?

Positive vibes...lets not become fickle like those Arsenal "supporters"

Mate can't be worse than the 2008 champions league final. This sh*t happens...didnt work out for us today but we have lots to look forward to.

Fabregas is inconsistent? 86% pass completion rate, 15 assists and 2 goals in the premier league in his first Chelsea season?

Compared to me he is :) Ok fair play Willian is 26, who would be a good replacement for Willian? As a point of discussion it would be interesting to hear peoples opinions...

Compared to Hazard I agree Willian and Oscar look below par but if you look at their stats they have done a good job for us this season. Both are young lads competing in the best league in the world for a club challenging for the title. With respect, I think you would find it difficult to replace both these lads with the same quality and remain within financial fair play regulations.

well said...sums it up in a nutshell

Would be interested to know what you would expect from the team in a second leg tie at home with the scores at 1-1? edit: From a tactical perspective as a manager

I believe Mourinho intended to go for the 0-0 and probably would have succeeded if Zlatan remained on the pitch. The way we played in the first half up until the red card was solid with no chance of conceding and every chance of scoring on the counter, especially with an away goal advantage. The sending off seemed to give PSG more impetus and our game plan didn't appear to have any contingency in place to cope with the situation. There was a moment when Costa ran to the bench asking for some direction and it seemed like they hadn't prepared for such an eventuality. Ironically the pre-match press conference highlighted the fact PSG were the most aggressive team we've faced all season ahead of league 2 and league 1 sides we've played in all domestic cup competitions. Goes to show how influential Mourinho can be as the referee has taken note and sent off their best player in the first half! It's unfortunate to lose on this occasion but you can't win anything without taking a risk. On this occasion the risk hasn't gone in our favor but you gotta appreciate what Mourinho was attempting to do and hats off to the team for trying their best.

Just watched the entire press conference as I didn't get a chance earlier. It's good to have him back! Not showing the same bravado as the first Chelsea press conference nine years ago but after being at two top flight clubs in Europe and winning 6 trophies since leaving Chelsea he's changed his perspective. I think he'll be around for a while...very intelligent guy. Liked the way he spoke about other managers especially Moyes.

Crespo: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgv2LJYf1Yk

Apologies for the lack of attention to a thread I created, however all the responses have been brilliant and this analogy of fans representing salmon facing the annual grind, hardship, commitment and persistence is bloody amazing! Since I originally posted this things have changed quite significantly and It would be interesting to know if opinions regarding management are still consistent? Happy New Year all!

If you compare Lamps to his nemesis (aka Gerrard) then you would have to agree Lamps is influencing his respective team in a far more positive way right now. Both players have been closely compared throughout their careers but in their twilight years Lamps definitely has the edge.

I'd like to empathise with Bluehatters insightful analysis of Ba's contribution to their club and also what he can potentially offer as a Chelsea player. Newcastle have made some very astute signings recently with the likes of Ba, Cisse, Cabaye et al which certainly shows how introducing players into a team at the right time in their career can inject a massive performance boost. This not only improves the respective position they play but also encourages players around them with belief and confidence. Although we won 5-1 today and Ba scored 2 goals, I don't think we can simply say without him it would be 3-1. His contribution goes beyond that and If gets the opportunity he deserves i think we are looking at the genuine replacement for Drogba.

Torres is a great Chelsea player when he's on the bench watching Ba showing him what's expected of a Chelsea striker. If he's unable to show some form now he has some competition then the club's better off without him. I agree that insults are unnecessary and would love Torres to perform but the fact is it hasn't happened, his presence actually inhibits the teams performance so why should I show him any support? As a Chelsea supporter I don't see why I should show any loyalty to a player who detracts from team performances, especially when fellow team members make unnecessary sacrifices to help him integrate.

Very unfortunate result tonight against a team which the bookies had at 14-1 to win. A striker is expected to give the rest of the team some confidence that he will score if the ball is fed to him. RVP and Suarez are currently doing the business for their respective teams and Ba is the third highest scorer following these two. Hopefully he gets an opportunity because he looks like a useful player.

Hello everyone, proud to be a member here. Despite being a supporter for a long time, I felt compelled to join based on recent decisions by the club which I feel strongly about. I've already jumped in feet first and voiced opinions in various threads but the club comes first and foremost and whatever I say is based around this philosophy. Wishing you all a merry xmas and happy new year!!!

You're right...he does play for Nigeria! Sh*T...for some reason I thought he was English!!! He's better than Sturridge and Shaun Wright Phillips but can't explain why...I can only say that he looks like he's going to do something useful when he gets the ball.

Lets look at the statistics while Torres was at Liverpool by season: 2007-2008 33 goals 2008-2009 17 goals 2009-2010 22 goals 2010-2011 9 goals Chelsea have basically bought a player whose goal scoring ability has shown a trend of declining. There should not really be any surprise that he is not scoring goals. If any of us were to buy a striker for our club, i'm guessing the first thing you would check is his ability to score goals? Maybe i'm missing something here but I don't think this is rocket science...