............................................ CECH ............................................

............IVANOVIC .............. TERRY ...... ALEX .................... COLE

................................ESSIEN ...... SCHWEINSTEIGER ......................

.................. LAMPARD ......................................OZIL

.....................................................AGUERO (In No.10 Role)

.......................................... DROGBA

Thou shall not pass, thou will deliver, thou can pass and boss teams off the park !

............................................ CECH ............................................

............IVANOVIC .............. TERRY ...... ALEX .................... COLE

................................ESSIEN ...... SCHWEINSTEIGER ......................

.................. LAMPARD ......................................OZIL

.....................................................AGUERO (In No.10 Role)

.......................................... DROGBA

Thou shall not pass, thou will deliver, thou can pass and boss teams off the park !

You're a brave man to leave Anelka and especially Malouda out, the team might go on strike ala France ;)

Cech

Ivan Alex Terry Cole

Essien Schweinsteiger Lampard

Muller Drogba Malouda

Cech

Ivan Alex Terry Cole

Essien Schweinsteiger Lampard

Muller Drogba Malouda

That I like.

Cech

Ivan Alex Terry Cole

Essien Schweinsteiger Lampard

Muller Drogba Malouda

Looks good for a first XI, now we need a second XI from the rest of the squad, assuming the 3 Portugese players are leaving......

Turnbull

Bosingwa Matic Bruma ???????

Yossi Mikel Zhirkov

Kakuta Anelka Kalou

Looks like we may have to rely on some youth players for our second string.

I also think we need decent cover for Ashley at LB, Zhirkov is not that player, he must player further forward.

Looks good for a first XI, now we need a second XI from the rest of the squad, assuming the 3 Portugese players are leaving......

Turnbull

Bosingwa Matic Bruma ???????

Yossi Mikel Zhirkov

Kakuta Anelka Kalou

Looks like we may have to rely on some youth players for our second string.

I also think we need decent cover for Ashley at LB, Zhirkov is not that player, he must player further forward.

Van Aanholt at left back mate, looks a belting player.

Or Bertrand, the guy that (at the same age) kept Kieron Gibbs out of the Norwhich team. Either he hasn't developed, or we're really under using the guy considering how well Gibbs is rated nowadays.

Also liking these potential lineups, a couple of those German midfielders wouldn't go amiss ;)

............................................ CECH ............................................

............IVANOVIC .............. TERRY ...... ALEX .................... COLE

................................ESSIEN ...... SCHWEINSTEIGER ......................

.................. LAMPARD ......................................OZIL

.....................................................AGUERO (In No.10 Role)

.......................................... DROGBA

Thou shall not pass, thou will deliver, thou can pass and boss teams off the park !

you have the exact same chelsea dream team line up as me :D high 5 ! except i'd still have malouda in starting 11

star,

why on earth would you want lamps and ozil out wide when they are better centrally, and why would you put aguero in the no.10 role when it is nowhere near the best way to use him and especially when you have a player like ozil in the side?

also if aguero is the no.10 then that team has too many players behind him and not enough player for him to pass into. we woudn't be able to keep the ball well because too many of our players would be behind the ball.

play 2 from lamps, essien and schweinsteiger flat, with one of the latter two holding. then ozil behind drogba and aguero and you have a side that would actually function. those players are perfect for the diamond.

other than that, an exciting 11 and I wouldn't complain if they lined up for our first game. (just as long as carlo puts them in their proper positions!)

4-3-3!

Cech

Ivanovic - Alex - Terry - Cole

Essien - Schweinsteiger - Lampard

Özil - Drogba - Malouda

I don't think Özil would fit into our midfield in a 4-3-3 formation, he doesn't work enough defensively to do so. As a winger he could cross a lot into the middle of the field, while the right back provides width. Think it's the only way to fit Özil into the team and maintain the same formation. Schweinsteiger would be a perfect addition to the team.

I don't want Ozil (I'd actually prefer Sneijder) but definitely want Schweinsteiger to join.

I don't want Ozil (I'd actually prefer Sneijder)

Yep I want to be in your gang!

I don't want Ozil (I'd actually prefer Sneijder) but definitely want Schweinsteiger to join.

Seconded.

Bollocks mod, thirded then.

Edited July 4, 201016 yr by dkw

I'll go with that. I've said it all along, Oezil looks lost when there's a DM to mark him, and considering the fact that we need to break teams down, who play DMs... well, I can't see him being much use for us.

Schweinsteiger has pace, and creativity from deep in midfield as well as the ability to track back. Him and Essien working together in tandem would be immense, one can sit, the other go forward and vice versa.

If we're living in dream land, someone to play the inside right position would be nice. I heard that Messi is looking for a change in scenery after achieving all he can with Barcelona (yes I did make that up, I too could be a journalist). An insider at the very top of Barcelona has even intimated that a bid in the region of £12.50 and a bag of those awful pork scratchings you tend to get in cheaper pubs may be enough to tempt them.

I agree with G4 that Lampard and Ozil would be wasted in those positions and Aguero would be, at best, half as effective as he could be.

I would be happy with Essien and Schweinstieger in deeper roles with both given the freedom to break forward rather than being restricted to a strict holding role. If we buy Aguero he has to be played up front alongside Drogba rather than played as a number 10 and if we are seriously interested in buying him then I hope to God it as a striker - if we want a number 10 and are prepared to spend big then spend it on a number 10 not on a 'he can also play there'

Ozil would be a decent signing with the future in mind however I would not be too fussed if we weren't interested. Three good games and he is suddenly a superstar - he could just as easily have three poor games and people will say he is not what he has been hyped up to be.

I don't want Ozil (I'd actually prefer Sneijder) but definitely want Schweinsteiger to join.

I don't want Ozil too! :) And I'd like to see Schweinsteiger in Chelsea too!

Aguero - 30+

Ozil - 20+

Bastian - 25+

Plus the 6 million for Benayoun, i somehow dont think we will spend that much money on players this summer.

I can see us signing one player of that quality from the three you've listed and signing very good young squad players to make up the numbers from those departed.

Plus the 6 million for Benayoun, i somehow dont think we will spend that much money on players this summer.

If we go on our last few years in the market, Yossi could be our one and only signing this year!

First XI:

-------------------------Cech

---Bosingwa-----Alex---------Terry-----A.Cole

-------------Essien----------Schweinsteiger

---------------------Lampard

-----Aguero------------------------Malouda

-----------------------Drogba

Bench: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Zhirkov, Mikel, Benayoun, Kakuta, Anelka.

I wouldn't mind that. At all. If Boss goes, then Ivan would immediately fill his shoes quite easily, I just think his pace down the right is perfect to match Ashley's on the left. Essien, Schwein and Lamps in the middle would be outstanding, and that front 3. Wow.

Edited July 4, 201016 yr by Ruh Buh Juh

Looks good for a first XI, now we need a second XI from the rest of the squad, assuming the 3 Portugese players are leaving......

Turnbull

Bosingwa Matic Bruma ???????

Yossi Mikel Zhirkov

Kakuta Anelka Kalou

Looks like we may have to rely on some youth players for our second string.

I also think we need decent cover for Ashley at LB, Zhirkov is not that player, he must player further forward.

Surely Sam Hutch would play there?

star,

why on earth would you want lamps and ozil out wide when they are better centrally, and why would you put aguero in the no.10 role when it is nowhere near the best way to use him and especially when you have a player like ozil in the side?

also if aguero is the no.10 then that team has too many players behind him and not enough player for him to pass into. we woudn't be able to keep the ball well because too many of our players would be behind the ball.

play 2 from lamps, essien and schweinsteiger flat, with one of the latter two holding. then ozil behind drogba and aguero and you have a side that would actually function. those players are perfect for the diamond.

other than that, an exciting 11 and I wouldn't complain if they lined up for our first game. (just as long as carlo puts them in their proper positions!)

Good point Gulllit, think your formation would work.

I'm kinda thinking Lamps, Essien, Schweinsteiger and Ozil would interchange like the way the Dutch have played in the World Cup, the only time I saw us playing that way last season was at Sunderland last season early doors, to me it was one of our best performances of the season.

That would mean of course the width being provided by Ivanovic and Cole, but as we all know Ozil has caused loads of problems for defenders ( notably Ashley ) drifting wide and inside.

These Ashley to Real Madrid stories are worrying, wish the club would just come out and say he signed a new deal here not so long ago and he is not for sale. Real Madrid usually get what they want that's the big problem.

First XI:

-------------------------Cech

---Bosingwa-----Alex---------Terry-----A.Cole

-------------Essien----------Schweinsteiger

---------------------Lampard

-----Aguero------------------------Malouda

-----------------------Drogba

Bench: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Zhirkov, Mikel, Benayoun, Kakuta, Anelka.

I wouldn't mind that. At all. If Boss goes, then Ivan would immediately fill his shoes quite easily, I just think his pace down the right is perfect to match Ashley's on the left. Essien, Schwein and Lamps in the middle would be outstanding, and that front 3. Wow.

Ivanovic on the bench?? No WAY! ;)

Ivanovic on the bench?? No WAY! ;)

I just see Bosingwa as the more natural right back! Nothing against Ivan, he's an incredible player, but given the choice, Boss would be my first-choice right back.

Yes, more natural, but Ivanovic is fantastic player, I'd like to see him in a first squad next season!

--------------Cech--------------------

Bosingwa----Terry---Alex----Cole

----Schweinsteiger--Essein---

--Lampard--------------------Zhirkov

-----------------Ozil-------------------

-----------------------Benayoun

---------------Drogba--------------

I really want Zhirkov to get more of a run this year