ChelseaVeteran

Cech 6 Cole 6 Terry 5 Luiz 5 Ivanovic 5 Mikel 5 Lampard 6 Hazard 6 Ramirez 7 Mata 5 Torres 7 Bertrand 7 Sturridge 6.5

The sending off obv made a massive difference. To be fair to Robbie both of his changes made an impact and we saw his faith in Mikel as he played on even if he did make errors. Torres looked Sharp but had no support even before the red. Way too many long balls and again no shape. The amount of times I saw Nando on his own running at 3 defenders with no options was unbelievable when at the other end Aguero Tevez and Nazari were playing 1 2's for fun. Hazard did look positive but not good enough defensively on the left if you ask me I actually prefer Ryan in that position . I've had mixed opinions on Sturridge in the past but seriously he forces chances and looks positive every time in possession for me he should be starting games this season. Overall sending off or no sending off Man City were more dominant and more of a threat going forward. Let's hope we try to play some football v Wigan.

The issue is nothing to do with him being foreign or being able to be articulate I'm talking about personality. And BTW I'm mixed race born in Britain and speak 3 foreign languages fluently including Italian so I don't underestimate anything. Also others saying press conf have no relevance, my issue is with the content of his comments not British media or sky sports. His comments portray his way of thinking which has to do with everything as a manager .He has to transfer his ideas into the way we perform. So for example if he's saying Chelsea are not going to be playing free flowing football fair enough they need time but the impression I got was that he was talking about in general as if that isn't his style. Seriously this is a forum isnt it ? If I think he's a bit dull and depressing when he's talking about one of the most exciting projects in football at the moment that's just my opinion.

I hear you there but when comments are implying our business on the park isnt gonna be free flowing its got everything to do with our football and I def give a rats arse about that.

Firstly this is by no mean an attempt to have a bash at Robbie I'll never forget what he did for us last season as long as I live. I'm gonna say this regardless. It seems to me he's very robotic in his press conferences always saying ' the right thing' repetetive and a tad boring , I would've liked to of heard a more enthusiastic manager considering our recent glory and the new signings. It's all a bit predictable tbh. The guy sounds like he came back from a funeral every time his mouth opens. Comments on Sky Sports this morning. They reckon Robbie has told Chelsea fans not to expect free flowing football this season. Are you serious ? Come on what a thing to say one day before man city. Obviously the players won't gel overnight and obviously not everyone's had the same amount of training how many times do we need to hear this broken record through a monotone lifeless Italian accent . Chelsea are no Barca ? What kind of headlines are these. Those of you who have supported the club pre abrom days will know Chelsea were always a free flowing passing team.It's a philosophy Ruud encouraged and it feels like people around the world are being misled with what our playing style actually is. I don't mean to sound harsh but judging his mannerisms and comments it seems to me he doesnt know what to expect from Chelsea in these opening games. He says what's safe to cover himself. Not enough training no time to gell players late back from Olympics well focus only as far as the next game. Expect to hear this tommorow evening regardless of the result. Come out of the shell Robbie Roman wont sack you for showing some personality once in a while.

A lot of people under estimating this one. A win against man city first game would be massive for confidence going into the new season .I'm super envious of you guys who are going. Does anyone think Mata will get a start seeing as he's only recently re joined ? Hope he's involved at some point.

Babayaro was great for us too

Drogba lol

I agree with you that Meireles doesn't deserve special mention for the loss but I dunno how you can say that about Torres I think with the amount of service he got he was actually quite decent and even improved when on the ball or running at players Shooting was a bit rusty but how many chances did he get? He obv wernt happy with coming off or the service he got but that just shows how hungry he his to do well for the team. A couple mins after he came off I saw him laughing and joking with JT on the side so he soon got over it. Seriously like I said in the topic I just posted it wasn't down to any particular player ,it was more general team issues like shape and organisation.

I really felt that the players felt uncomfortable in this 4 3 3 shape.Furthermore Hazard completely neglected his position ,the movement was completely missing and to be fair to Torres he looked hungry but received no service. Seems like we've got a bunch of creative midfielders playing out wide that just wanna come inside which makes it tight and congested. Our passing did look a lot better when Mikel was introduced and we have got key players missing I would've liked to see us get to terms with a comfortable shape against Brighton. We keep saying its pre seaon but we're 1 week away and that was close to our starting 11. I hope this pre seaon is just a wake up call.

Well said. Drogba is a legend and deserves to be next to Zola and so on. The guy gave everything to bring success to this club . It's ridiculous how someone can watch what he's achieved see him score in so many finals terrorise the best defenders in the world for so many seasons,power a header to equalise in the Cl final score the winning pen and say he shouldn't be listed with Chopper,Bonneti. What a joke lol. We hadnt even won the league since 50's. He comes in helps us win a ton of trophies and certain fans wouldn't call him a 'legend'. Imo was as big to us as Henry was to Arsenal.

I'm glad you mentioned that about Hazard when you compared his touch to Cruyff, I thought the same. His first touch is incredible. Even in pre season he recieved some overhit passes and just killed the ball dead spun around and accelerated . A lot of football fans are claiming he's over rated or might not cut it in the PL. If you ask me that's B S .Believe the hype.

Its a hard one I think everyone needs to be on point as a team rather than one player being the 'key player'. One thing I have to say is Cech was on his game towards the end of last season I reckon he's gonna be massive for us.

The Nigerian coach often said Chelsea are restricting Mikels talents as naturally he is more of an attacking minded midfielder. He's done a great job infront of the back four but I agree he his capable of a lot more, he is responsible for covering that area so will always be creatively restricted. Regardless he's been a beast for us and seems a great guy on and off the pitch. Loyal Chelsea player.

I would like to see Robbie give Chelsea a good playing style and bring a new footballing philosophy that can be associated with the club. If that means a trophy less season then so be it. I would like us to play with not just heart and organization but rhythm ,fluency,flair, composure. I want to see consistency in the way we play. Being confident in possession and enjoying freedom to express creativity. Champions league qualification is important . We have a phenomenal squad of players this season and in terms of quality Intelligence experience youth, I dont think there's a midfield in the premier league with as much potential. Id just be happy if we get the team gelling this season. Is that realistic under Robbie?

Correct me if I'm wrong but is Bridge still on loan to Brighton? If so do you reckon we'll see another handshake snub ?

I initially said Benayoun to get offloaded but when you put it that way I guess theres no harm in him being used as cover .Its just that the standard of quality in Chelsea's midfield has raised ALOT, he is still a great player so to be honest I'd rather see him progressing his career in another team than rotting behind the scenes with us. Either way as long as Malouda goes....

Having Mata back against Wigan would be a massive boost ! This new Chelsea look will have to to start gelling together quickly if we're going to have a good campaign. I hope Robbie allows this to happen without tinkering too much like our earlier Italian friend,

Thanks ,just joined it.Im willing to bet that every team in this league will have Hazard in it. Admin feel free to get rid of this thread.

Ahhh lol nice one .

I know this isn't everybodys cup of tea but those of you who like Premier Fantasy League, I was thinking of creating a league for The Shed End Forum Members. If your interested just PM me and I'll get it sorted ASAP and message you the code. If you havn't already you can register and pick your team here . http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ Let me know what you think. Dan

Hazard and apart from a couple of mistakes I think Mikel is looking quite decent ! Marin looks electric and very agile but I noticed when he got himself into some good positions he was a bit too wastefull wheras Hazard looked a lot more composed. When I watch Marin the name Jesper Gronkjear comes to mind. I hope thats not the case but yh those three.

Yh I remember reading something similiar to this. I appreciate what your saying but in my opinion I think he can still improve his condition and be a usefull player for us next season. 28/29 years old isnt that bad for a centre mid like Essien. He has unbelieveable stamina and is reliable in a variety of positions.If hes not in the first team, hes at least a decent back up player. And btw if Essien had this problem from the start then i dont know how Ive seen him play some unbelievable games from the MH stand carrying these knee problems, just shows how much of a fighter he is.

The club doctors also said Sam Hutchinson would never play football again. I agree wih you about Oscar and Josh but seriously Essien is still usefull.

Malouda, Miereles, Benayoun. I cant understand why people keep saying Essien, the guys got a lot left in him he could be a very usefull player for us this season. Hes looked like one of our sharper players in pre season aswell. Less than 2 years ago people would argue hes the most complete midfielder in the country. An unlucky season plagued with injuries causing a lack of sharpness and our own fans are talking about getting rid of him ?