Montana Fan

Jose is getting it all wrong at the moment. When you saw the team sheet, you knew we'd struggle. He shuffles players but doesn't change anything. Everyone can see it but Jose. We're still hamstrung with a right footed left back and Ivan offering very little on the right. Fabregas and Ramires aren't enough cover in midfield. I think the players see the problem and are frustrated. It's out of character for Jose to play so many attackers. We've got to focus on keeping some clean sheets first. That's how Chelsea and Jose win. Swap Loftus-Cheek, Zouma, Matic or even Mikel in the midfield instead of Fabregas and we might have had a chance today. Changes are needed. We have to build from the back and stop leaking goals. Baba needs to play. Ivan has to be dropped. Beef up the midfield with a 4-3-3. I'd play: Begovic Azpi Zouma Cahill Baba Ramires Matic RLC Willian Falcao Pedro It's frustrating we've had these same problems since last season but we're not correcting them. We've known about our fullback problems since last season and we never gave Luis a chance. I think Matic's decline is linked to his ridiculous suspension last season. I think Costa has struggled since his suspension last season. And I think these incidents and all the talk of a campaign last season continues to hurt our mentality. When the team don't get a call, their heads are dropping. They get frustrated if the game isn't going their way. Costa getting involved in flare ups isn't helping the team focus either. Quit moaning about the refs, Jose. Our tactics and our mentality are the problem. Sort it out.

There was a classic moment in Jose's press conference. A reporter asked him something like "You say you've been pushed hard this season, how hard did Arsene Wenger push you?" Everbody laughed. Jose wouldn't answer, just said it was a top question. I'm not seeing many predicted lineups here. How do you think we'll set up? I think we'll play like against United, focused on keeping a clean sheet while trying to knick a goal on a counterattack. I don't think we'll need Zouma in midfield for this one. I'd go: Courtois Azpi Cahill Terry Luis Ramires Matic Oscar Fabregas Hazard Drogba(assuming Remy and Costa aren't fit) I seriously doubt Mou will drop Ivan at this point though.

How about Luis at CM? He looked sharp against Burnley. It's unfortunate Ake hasn't gotten much time on the pitch. He's looked good in his cameos but it would take some brass ones to throw him into a cup final having not played for months. I can't see Jose doing it. I expect Rambo and Fabregas in the middle but would love to see Cech Ivan Zouma Terry Azpi Fabregas Luis Willian Oscar Hazard Costa

Bunch of twats. This decision is even more appalling in light of Costa's 3 match ban. Apparently they could punish Costa because the ref didn't see the incident even though it happened right in front of the linesman and, although it was a dead ball, at the center of the action. I don't believe for a minute that the officials didn't see it, it's just that there was nothing in it. On top of that farce, the FA could somehow prove Costa's intent even though he made no stamping action, didn't look at the player, etc. Barnes goes flying in dangerously with studs up on both Matic and Ivanovic, quite clearly intentionally to all who've seen it and he gets no punishment because the referee claims to have seen the challenges and judged them fair!? It's a f**king joke and a disgrace to the game. The only way the FA saves any face is if they overturn Matic's red card, and we all know just how unlikely that is. I know this is way over the top and not at all the right response, but I'm so outraged by this garbage treatment by the FA, I'd back the club forfeiting the Capital One Cup final in protest. Our best players, some of the best in the league, are having their careers threatened on the pitch and nothing is being done about it. The FA is essentially sanctioning it with their inaction. It's an extraordinary situation and what other recourse do we have? We have to go on to win the league cup and the league and show these twats that no matter how hard they try to stop us, Chelsea will be champions.

I don't think you can talk about our recent form without addressing the elephant in the room: the referees and the media campaign against us. Diego was clearly off his form in the last 2 games and why was that? Because he was banned for 3 games as a result of the media campaign against him. But even before the Costa ban the tactic that teams are using against Chelsea is to foul the sh*t out of Hazard and Costa. It's been going on all season and because we get no protection from referees, it's working. Teams are allowed to kick lumps out of us, stop shots with their arms, rugby tackle us on corner kicks and push Diego over in the box and nothing happens. The Burnley match was a disgrace, but I think the PSG match was equally bad. As an example, Ibrahimovic hacked down Hazard from behind to stop an early counter attack and Veratti cynically tripped him to stop an attack. Both instances were the clearest yellow card offenses you'll ever see and the ref let them go. An early yellow card for Veratti would have changed that game. Letting him off set a precedent and PSG continued with their tactic of cynical fouling at every opportunity. The ref lost control of the game and Hazard was lucky not to have been injured by a dangerous lunge from Veratti later on. The way the referees are calling Chelsea matches, it's as if we're required to play to an even higher standard to overcome all the fouls, handballs and cynical tackles are opponents are allowed. It's bad for football. How many neutrals want to watch a weakened Chelsea due to Matic's suspension take on Tottenham in the cup final? Not many. Everyone wants to see two full strength teams have it out on the pitch and may the better side win. We're not getting that at the moment. We're getting disgraceful results like the draw with Burnley.

I think this could be a good opportunity to play Oscar in the deeper role. I'd put Cuadrado straight into the side too. Courtois Ivan, Zouma, Terry, Azpi Oscar, Matic Cuadrado, Willian, Hazard Remy

After seeing the horrific tackle he put in yesterday, for which he was rightly sent off, I say he can go. 10m pounds sounds about right.

Imagine a midfield of Willian, Oscar, Cuadrado, Matic and Ramires. It's the all work-rate side. Suffocating.

To be fair to the City fan here, they had a howler of a call go against them this season. Aguero got a yellow card for diving when he clearly should have been given a penalty. The refs have really made a lot of blunders this season and not just against us.

I've just read that this will be JT's 650th Chelsea appearance and 520th as captain. He's played every minute of our 22 premier league games, only conceded 4 fouls and has not received a single booking. There's no debate to be had. He's the best center back in the league. Kompany would be lucky to crack the top 10.

How about Wenger leaving his technical area to accost Jose? He got no touchline ban or charge whatsoever. Jose gets done for sarcasm and criticizing the media. The lack of consistency is the problem.

What's missing in this discussion is the reason for the Costa-Can incident. Diego was trying to get the ball back into play quickly and Can deliberately and cynically kicked it away. That's the sole reason Can's leg was there for Diego to step on. It's unfortunate that the story of this game has become Diego's supposed "crimes". The story should be about Loserpool's cynical and negative tactics. They were disgraceful. From early on in the game it was clear that Liverpool's defense couldn't live with our attack. They got away with so many blatantly cynical fouls I lost count. It was obviously their tactic. Why isn't this the story being told about the game? Liverpool started 5 defenders, 3 defensive midfielders and no striker, and still had to resort to fouling our attackers time after time. It was the only way they were going to stay in the game. The biggest disgrace of this game was Oliver letting them get away with these tactics. Early on Sterling cynically wiped out Costa to stop a counter attack and didn't get a yellow card. That no-call and then the penalty not given set the tone. Lucas must have taken out Hazard a half dozen times. The Henderson hand ball was the clearest yellow card offense you'll ever see and he got away with it. Why isn't the crap, one-sided refereeing the story being told about the game? Costa didn't "stamp" on Can. He stepped on his leg. Why all this outrage? It didn't hurt him one bit. I doubt he even has a bruise. There was no violent, stamping motion and no intent to injure. Whether he meant to do it or not is highly debatable. I expect he probably meant it but that's only my opinion. And how was his action any worse than Can's reaction to it? He charged at Diego and shoved/punched him in the back. How was Diego's action any worse than Skrtel and Gerrard getting in Diego's face, or Markovic charging into Luis from behind? That's all equally violent conduct for me. If the FA are going to start investigating, charging and banning players for every questionable incident in a game, where does it stop? Let them play the damn game. Michael Oliver had a terrible game and Liverpool are a crap team at the moment. It's disgraceful that Diego and Chelsea will be the one's paying the price.

Markovic took an obviously deliberate and violent action against Luis. Why hasn't he been charged? This whole thing is a farce. Oliver was a disgrace and the FA is a joke.

Cech Azpi, Cahill, Zouma, Ake Ramires Mikel Salah Oscar Schurrle Remy

Oscar for his two, top-class finishes.

That should quiet some of the grumblings about Lampard. He didn't help them at all today and if anything they looked worse after he came on. Navas, Fernando, Fernandinho, Milner, Demichelis, and Lampard are all pretty average. I can't say I'm too worried about City after watching that performance. The season is over half over and Arsene finally stumbles onto his best 11. He got it right today but they're still 13 points off the lead. They looked good today and I think they'll push on for 3rd or fourth.

^Thanks Davey. If any Chelsea fans show up in Helena, Montana, I'll gladly buy them a pint of local craft beer. We may be in the middle of frozen-over-nowhere but we have some excellent breweries. Cheers.

I'm having trouble pasting the link here, but David Hirshey has a new column on ESPNFC that perfectly illustrates the media bias against Chelsea and Mourinho. The whole column insults and ridicules Mourinho and Chelsea fans, displaying the very anti-Chelsea bias the writer is ridiculing Mourinho for commenting on. The lack of self-awareness is astonishing. It's not just the British media, anti-Chelsea bias has come to America too. He paints a picture of a pub filled with "hordes" of Chelsea fans and only a lonely pair of City supporters as if they're some kind of small-club underdog. The dumbass probably mistook a bunch of Everton supporters for Chelsea. Everton are quite popular in the US largely due to having Tim Howard in goal. He also goes on about how uneasy and nervous Chelsea fans are following the draw to Southampton and loss to Tottenham, calling the latter a "convincing" loss and a "fiasco". The whole column is just a pile of crap. If the media want to focus on clubs in crisis and anxious fans they should be writing about ManU, City and Arsenal. ManU are a shambles and are only in the top 4 because they get so much protection from referees. If they want to talk about players diving they should look at DiMaria. He's as light as a feather and liable to go down under the slightest of touches, arms flailing, rolling around, and screaming at the referee for a foul. He's done little to improve a struggling United side but still I get to hear commentators talk about how he's "taking the Premier League by storm". Van Persie shoves the ball into the referee yesterday in a pathetic fit of petulance, and everyone involved, as well as the media simply look the other way. Costa would have been pilloried in the media and charged by the FA for pulling a stunt like that. Diving, play-acting, and getting in referee's faces happens in virtually every game. So why are Chelsea the ones singled out for criticism? Because columnists and pundits like this muppet Hirshey simply don't like us. We're the class of the Premier League and they just can't stand it.

I'm a little concerned with the Matic and Fabregas partnership. We're struggling to deal with pacey midfielders and the defense isn't getting much cover. Some credit to Newcastle for playing well in the first half, but we were crap and very lucky not to concede. Newcastle were playing through our midfield with ease. I said it at the beginning of the season and I still believe Fabregas should be playing further up the pitch. He was anonymous today in the deeper role. Ramires and Mikel are the better options next to Matic. I'd love to see Ake given a game or two in that spot as well. Long-term I think we should be looking for a better partner for Matic. We got the win and our lead at the top back so happy days. I hope we learn from that first half though. That was the worst we've played all season.

And a red card for Gibbs. How did the ref miss that? It was blatant.

Is that 4 straight clean sheets? Mourinho will be pleased.

Dowd was comically bad. I thought he missed a couple handballs early on. He missed two clear penalties on the same play. Wasn't calling fouls on Hazard, Drogba and others, but was whistling and carding us for every little thing. Did any one else question an offside call late in the second half? They got Hazard but I didn't think the ball was played to him. I think Van Persie was just offside for one of their best chances. Both of Ivan's cards were DiMaria dives and I'm simply amazed he got sent off for that. Disgraceful refereeing. I'm not disappointed in the draw though. It was an exciting match with a poor ending. United were dangerous in the first half but I don't think they troubled us too much in the second up until that dodgy free kick. We're still top of the table and undefeated. That takes the sting out of conceding the late equalizer.

That's a dive for me. Nothing in it.

I've got to say I'm confident we'll win this one. Our midfield and defense are in tip-top form. We were comfortable against Arsenal and completely dominated Crystal Palace and Maribor. I don't think it matters whether Drogba, Costa or Schurrle start up front. With Ivan, Luis, Matic, Oscar, Hazard, Willian and Fabregas clicking, all the striker has to do is hold the ball up and get into scoring positions. Drogba can more than handle those duties. The way we're dominating possession lately, I think United will be living off scraps hoping for counter attacks and set pieces. With their sh*t defense that won't be enough. 1-3 Chelsea win. We owe Falcao a good hiding from that Super Cup debacle. Courtois Ivan Cahill Terry Luis Matic Fabregas Willian Oscar Hazard Drogba

Spurs wasted a number of counter attack opportunities. I'm hopeful Chelsea will be able to exploit that weakness in the Arsenal midfield. Ramsey and Arteta out injured should aid our chances.