While I'm hugely excited by the prospect of our absolutely disgusting barrel of riches we have at our disposal in terms of attacking options, I do wonder who is going to make way out of the oscar / mata / hazard trio.

it seems that jose rates KDB highly, and I'm beginning to think he'll be a near certain starter for us this season if fit. jose also says that mata is the only left footed player he has who can play wide right and cut inside, and add that to the fact that he's f**king amazing, surely mata has to start?

is it therefore likely that oscar drops out? or does he play behind an attacking three in the pivot alongside a.n.other?

I'm inclined to think that jose will play bison; he looks fit again, sharp in pre season, measured and punishing in the challenges, and while admittedly so far the games played have been against poor quality opposition, I think the signs for our bison are positive and I'm reluctant to draw a line under his chelsea career just yet.

sadly think that oscar could perhaps be the one who misses out as a regular starter this season. .

thoughts?

Unless one of Oscar and de Bruyne moves to CM, id wager de Bruyne will be above Oscar in the pecking order

He'll be in the first team with KDB perhaps gradually replacing him if he performs better.

How many variations of a "what will the starting eleven be" thread can we get to?

this isn't a variation of starting line up, simply pitching the idea that oscar could drop out of the squad prompting discussion on a ... ermm.. discussion forum.

silly us eh.

this isn't a variation of starting line up, simply pitching the idea that oscar could drop out of the squad prompting discussion on a ... ermm.. discussion forum.

silly us eh.

 

Didn't you know? We're only meant to have about 5 threads on the whole forum.

Didn't you know? We're only meant to have about 5 threads on the whole forum.

five seems a lot mate. we really need to pare this forum down.

back to the torres thread we go.

five seems a lot mate. we really need to pare this forum down.

back to the torres thread we go.

I thought this was the torres thread?! Bloody hell, so many threads confuse me!!!

If Mata moves out wide like we all expect. I think Oscar will definitely begin the season as our starting center midfielder/CAM (whatever it is these days) with Hazard and Mata on the wings. And unless KdB outshines him significantly when he gets on the pitch then that'll probably be the trio behind the striker, hopefully Lukaku. But that is a whole other thread that we could start up and talk about for ages.

I think De Bruyne can be an amazing CM and be a perfect fit in the pivot. Don't know how Mourinho sees it but I want to see;

 

-------------Essien-------------De Bruyne-----------------

 

----Mata---------------Oscar-------------------Hazard----

 

Essien/Mikel

De Bruyne/Ramires/Van Ginkel

Mata/Moses

Oscar/De Bruyne/Lampard

Hazard/Schurrle 

 

This would mean there are 2 players per slot with many being flexible to play another role. Mourinho also has the option to switch to 4-3-3 without substituting anyone. 

................Cech...............

Ivan.....Luiz.....JT.....Cole

...............Essien..............

......Ramires.....Oscar.....

...Mata..............Hazard...

...............Lukaku.............

I would swap kdb and Oscar in that formation.

I think De Bruyne has the most potential in the CM role though reminds me so much of Schweinsteiger in the way he plays just feel he would dominate the midfield more than Oscar would and that Oscar would be more influential in the CAM role. 

whoever starts in that lineup against hull in a few weeks time, I can't f**king wait. Just leaning towards a lineup which excludes oscar, with mata and hazard out wide and kdb in a central role, van ginkel and essien in behind.

all of a sudden we have so many options. Our team is f**king scary.

................Cech...............

Ivan.....Luiz.....JT.....Cole

...............Essien..............

......Ramires.....Oscar.....

...Mata..............Hazard...

...............Lukaku.............

Azpi is my first choice RB and wouldn't have Essien in the starting line-up, KdB at the moment.. Do some chopping and changing and get back to me with the results.

You'll be marked accordingly.

In a 4-3-3 Mata plays wide right but he has to play centrally in a 4-2-3-1, why would you change what worked so well last year?

In a 4-3-3 Mata plays wide right but he has to play centrally in a 4-2-3-1, why would you change what worked so well last year?

Did it work so well?

I've not been convinced since we switched to 4-2-3-1 especially in the league where we have has our worst two seasons under Roman since adopting it.

Personally I feel that overall our squad is more suited to 4-3-3.

It's mostly that we don't seem to have a midfield pairing suited to 4-2-3-1 and whoever plays there always seems to be sacrificing a lot of their natural game, especially Ramires.

I think people are underestimating oscar because of his slowish end to the season, and kdb' form in pre season.

Oscar has had a full year in english football, and last year he was run into the ground.

I think he'l really impress this year, especially after he's starting the season off the back of his first break in around 2 years.

Did it work so well?

I've not been convinced since we switched to 4-2-3-1 especially in the league where we have has our worst two seasons under Roman since adopting it.

Personally I feel that overall our squad is more suited to 4-3-3.

It's mostly that we don't seem to have a midfield pairing suited to 4-2-3-1 and whoever plays there always seems to be sacrificing a lot of their natural game, especially Ramires.

 

I think that De Bruyne/Van Ginkel and Essien/Mikel are perfectly suited to the 4-2-3-1 De Bruyne and Van Ginkel both have physical aspects to their game but they also have consistent passing and vision which is needed. If Ramires found a consistency in his passing he would be very good for a 2 man pivot but cos he isn't he needs another midfield partner to cover his limitations. So Lampard/McEachran both technically and tactically astute without massive physical talents would suit Ramires well and compliment him. IMO the 'pivot' needs 1 all round player, so Real Madrid have Alonso and Khedira, Bayern have Schweinsteiger and Martinez and Dortmund have Bender and Gundogan. Gundogan Khedira and Schweinsteiger all have at least decent pace good stamina and good technique. Khedira is more of a sitter than the other 2 but that's because Alonso is more of a playmaker from deep than Bender and Martinez. 

 

Chelsea have the men to pull off the pivot imo but I don't know if that is how Mourinho will see it but it will be interesting to see De Bruyne converted to cm alongside Mikel.

Well it won't be Mata or Hazard, so if KDB is going to be in the starting XI it would have to be for Oscar unless we're just going to throw caution to the wind and play both, with one of them playing deeper next to one of Essien/Mikel/Ramires, which doesn't seem like something Jose would do.

 

All I know is that I can't wait for the season to start so we can start discussing things that are happening and not just speculate over things!

Did it work so well?

I've not been convinced since we switched to 4-2-3-1 especially in the league where we have has our worst two seasons under Roman since adopting it.

Personally I feel that overall our squad is more suited to 4-3-3.

It's mostly that we don't seem to have a midfield pairing suited to 4-2-3-1 and whoever plays there always seems to be sacrificing a lot of their natural game, especially Ramires.

You misinterpreted me, I was not favouring any of the 2 formations and I believe we go into the season with the option of playing either and Jose will decide on a game to game basis what he wants to do. What i was saying was that if we do play a 4-2-3-1 that Mata should play centrally like he did last season with such great effect. My comment was directed at people who are doing 4-2-3-1 formation and putting mata wide right.

Edited July 31, 201312 yr by Kun Aguero

I haven't seen KDB enough to say if he should play in CM instead of Oscar, but ive seen enough of Oscar last season to say id love Oscar to play in CM.He has the workrate and the defensive qualities to play there.He would be much better there than out wide in my opinion. For now i would have KDB on the right,Hazard on the left with Mata central if we play 4231.We could even play 4321 and have the 2 players behind the CF with free roles to be narrow and sometimes to go out wide like Anelka and Malouda did sometimes in Carlo's 4321. 

 

Playing a 3 in midfield will suit Ramires.Lampard and Van Ginkel much more than 2.Just nice to have these options and depth something we lacked last season.

Mata wide right is very effective though. Under Di Mateo Mata on the right and Oscar centrally made both players stand out and with Hazard they were at their best playing Mata right Oscar central and Hazard on the left. When Benitez took over and put Mata in the centre Oscar looked lost and Mata wasn't (for me) actually that much more effective if at all.

 

Regarding dropping De Bruyne in the pivot I would personally love to see him there as he looks like he could dominate the midfield from deep and link defence to attack beautifully. Think he'd be far more effective than Oscar dropping into the pivot

Check out the story "Chelsea fly to America" on the official website. It lists the squad flying out, and it seems to be based from defensive to attacking from top to bottom. The last defender named? David Luiz with his forays into midfield. Then Mikel who is our most defensive midfielder, then it goes through our other midfielders before getting up to the attacking mids and finally Torres, Ba and Lukaku.

 

Oscar is named between Ramires and Essien, and KDB is very advanced named between Schurrle and Torres. Crazy? perhaps but it looks like DeBruyne will get his chance alongside Mata and Hazard, and Oscar will be behind them.

I think people are forgetting how much better Mata was when moved centrally, most users on this forum spent the majority of this season saying it was non-negotiable that he be moved back out wide.