venom2011

<br /><br />Rooney RVP Carrick Vidic De Gea Evra and now Mata - these are not average players. A front 6 of Torres Hazard Willian Schurrle Lampard and Ramires - no great shakes there ( in terms of output not talent ) if the oppo manage to keep Hazard quiet. Swap managers and the teams would swap positions in the league, that is how close I believe the teams to be.

<br /><br />There us a huge difference between the first time he was here and now. Having players around their peak is a massive boost. <br /><br />People complain that we go negative at times, yet that is precisely how Mourinho has brought us to the top of the league. This team in it's current state is not ready to consistently dominate big games. The first ManU league match and I remember all the complaints, well look at the difference in the respective team positions now. And how ever delusional some fans may be, there isn't a big difference between the quality available to Chelsea and ManU.

This passing has been woeful. Can't string 5 together and the efficiency on the counter is terrible. Can't complain with the scoreline though

<br /><br />Are you seriously saying that Essien's game is similar to Falcao? Other than strength there is nothing they have in common. A player who has a major part of his game developed around his physical attributes ( energy, strength, speed) is at high risk of an ACL issue ruining his career. Ramires is one such player, Falcao is not. Whether he can mentally recover is another question. <br /><br />50 million is a big fee, but a Falcao anywhere near top form is worth every penny.

<br /><br />Different type of player though. Falcao is a finisher through and through with excellent technique. He has never relied much on his physical characteristics other than strength. But still 50m on a 28 year old is a big risk although when in form he is the best pure CF in the game.

I've said this before but here it goes anyway: His Brazilian teammates call him a little genius. Jose chose him to build his squad around even when we had one of the best in the world in that position. If you consider nothing else, that alone should make you think twice. He is an extremely well-rounded footballer and he is excellent in many areas. But of course it is easy to put him down when he's gone off the boil. And never forget that he's just a youngster in only in his second season in Europe. He still has much growing to do.

It still saddens me to see the way his career has gone. An absolute beast of a striker. He would have made us clear favourites. He is probably the closest thing to Van Persie and is pure quality in all departments.

I enjoyed it. Not a very deep story but thrilling indeed.

So Cech decides if Courtois plays for Chelsea? And here I thought the Fergie-Moyes situation was ridiculous. As always, Jose will base his decision on merit. He believes and has said outright on many occasions that a person/manager/player should not be judged on past achievements. He is here to create the best possible team. We want to see the best possible Chelsea. Everything else takes a backseat to that objective.

I can't agree with this at all. I absolutely hate seeing Ramires on the flank but Willian is nowhere near as bad. Willian has got a very good skill set, similar to Hazard fact, but he just needs time to work out his game. Certainly he is not as productive as he should be. Don't forget this is the first time he's playing at top level and he is coming from Russia. I think next season will be his breakout season.

Agreed. Even if Barca are not a good as they were a few years ago, hitting them on the counter is still the best tactic against them. No teams other than maybe Dortmund and Bayern have that scariness on the break like we do. Ramires, Hazard, Willian, Schurrle and now Salah are dynamite, even if the end product is not always there just yet.

Pairing Mikel with Ramires in that game really killed it for us. And honestly I've never seen a CM make a forward run, receive the ball and pass it backwards as often as Mikel in that WHam game. I think he has a role to play though - generally when Jose switches to 4-3-3 to protect a lead.

I think it's a toss up between Luiz and Ramires. But Luiz and Matic are simply the most rounded CMs at the club - good defensively, strong in the air, good energy, good technique, progressive with their passing. Neither player is world class yet but they offer more in that position than the other candidates.

Jose should change his stance by saying 'Some people' are specialists in failure - directly after a Wenger-related question. Everyone walks away happy.

This is the discussion point that I find most interesting when comparing players. 'Hazard is going to be the best in the world' 'But Ronaldo was better than him at his age so I doubt it' It is completely nonsensical to compare players based on their ages unless they have grown in a similar standard of team and in similar league quality. Fabregas at Oscar's current age had played in arguably the best league in the world for 6 years and alongside some of the best talents in the world. That experience is essential in allowing a player to fulfill their talent. If you had to compare Drogba and Bendtner at 22, you could easily make the case that Bendtner is/will be the better player. Drogba later finally got the experience at top level football which turned him into a world class footballer.

I find that very unlikely. All his national teammates have praised his immense talent - some calling him a genius, Jose discarded MATA for him, and his work ethic is top notch. The combination of superb raw talent and great work ethic very rarely leads to failure. You must remember that someone like Ronaldo had similar traits (albeit a different kind of player) and even he took 4 seasons before he really blossomed. I think you'll be very happy once he inevitably becomes more consistent and improves his decision making.

Full vid http://www.dailymotion.com/unCFCTV#video=x1c39gf

Agreed on all accounts except for the bit about the squad being expensively assembled as a key driver for performance. The cost is less of a factor if the players are young, as has been the club's policy for a few years [ i.e. if you buy 6 Januzajs it will cost you a princely sum but the team will be hugely inconsistent for a number of years]. I suppose in the current state the Arsenal and Chelsea teams are two halves of the same coin. Both inconsistent but for different reasons. Oh and I would definitely take Giroud over anything we have right now :)

Certainly. There are no excuses and Jose offered none. It was just a poor performance. You say world class players but I see world class talents and our team is probably one of the least cohesive in terms of the midfield and attacking areas. Arsenal and City have players who have a combination of being at their peak, having experience in a top league and playing together for quite a while. Looking at our front 6 - Oscar- Young, nowhere near peak. Only second season in Europe Hazard - Young, second season in a top league. Willian - 1st season in a top league, coming from a very poor league Eto - Way past his peak, coming back into a top league Matic - Recently coming back into a top league. These are not world class players (yet, Hazard aside), at their peak and with decent experience playing together - hence the little horse analogy and not prioritising winning the league. There will be inconsistencies. Fans should expect that and moan less.

Training for the game could only have been one day max. The starting XI was almost identical. The players would have rested on the Sunday, trained Monday and then nothing but light workout on game day. There are many possible reasons for a flat performance - tiredness/lack of rotation, constrained preparation, inexperience and the list goes on.The important thing to remember is that the players learn, Jose learns and we're still top.

Two big clubs in the 90s and their matches were always shown on local channels, The same coverage was not given to the likes of Chelsea, Leeds etc. I can honestly say that I've met maybe a handful of Chelsea fans in Cape Town in my day to day life. Although of course there are quite a few who meet up at bars for games. The support may very well be greater in central/western Africa.

Well the boy is still only in his second season and is pivotal to the way Mourinho wants to play. There is no one I'd rather have in the 10 position but yes his all-round game and productivity need to improve. Same goes for Willian. The work rate is great but they need to offer more going forward.

Exaggeration. Mistake - perhaps but not a massive one. The choice to take them off was also not terrible. Oscar was having a stinker and Torres offers more at defensive corners. We still had enough quality on the pitch to see the game out.

People complain when youngsters aren't given a chance. Well if you don't play one of the world's biggest talents then something is amiss. Matic was class today. As was Cahill. Our attacking band switch positions well but other than Hazard their actual movement is truly awful sometimes. Not enough runs into channels and behind defences. Hazard has the ball near lower left of the box, cue no one to make a run around the back. Hazard has the ball near the byline, cue no one to make a far post run. Without Lampard it really is a big issue.

Agreed. No problem with that and offers something a little different to what we have. I can't wait to see Hazard, Willian, Ramires and Salah on the counter. Oppo will piss themselves.