It's also quite funny because that was the season we won the Champions League 

 

Exactly, that's what I kinda said our worst season ever turned out to be probably our best?

 

Classic change of events, United were doing so well that season bound for glory, and we ended up having a much better season than them.

Other then that probably the season we sold dixon

 

Please let's never talk about selling Kerry, I still haven't quite gotten over it..

Willian seems to stop with the ball too much. I just don't understand it. It gives us no advantage and gives the opposition enough time to get back into shape while he stands over the ball for 10 seconds.

Was better than Salah yesterday but played a ridiculous 30 yard ball in the final 10 minutes when we needed composure.

Also felt he stopped tracking his man for the fourth goal watching it back.

Try 78/79 5 Wins all season in a 42 game season!! 22 points 2 pts for a win back then. No money but the hardcore turned up week in week out. Would be interesting how many would turn up now if the football went back to that.

Interesting comparison, if you had to choose which one would you prefer over willian and malouda? Personally I'd go with Willian.

 

Malouda at his best was a match winner, and at his worst was anonymous.

 

Willian at his best is a cog in the machine who won't let you down. At his worst he's a slightly less efficient cog in the machine. He's not dead weight but he needs the players around him to carry him.

 

Put it like this. He cost £26-30 million and has rarely looked worth it, to the point where he should once a week write a letter to Fernando Torres, Andrei Schevchenko and Shaun Wright-Philips thanking them for being bigger flops than he was. Honestly, at this point in his career it's only our crappy spending elsewhere that saves him from being labelled a flop. And the song. 

 

I can't think of many players who cost as much as him yet get such a free ride from the media. I think he's saved from this because at least once a match he will chase down the goalkeeper and force him to kick the ball away a fraction earlier leading to everyone screaming in unison 'workrate!'. Overrated defensively because offensively he's lacking. 

Wow, why dont you say what you really think Blue Daze?!

Wow, why dont you say what you really think Blue Daze?!

 

Haha.

 

Sorry, I've probably gone in there a bit hard but I think it's the thought of us signing Douglas Costa combined with us probably selling Cuadrado that as me a little frustrated.

 

Cuadrado to me is an upgraded Willian, whereas Schurrle offers us something totally different - directness and goals. Ideally we'd get shot of Willian and play Cuadrado on the right with Schurrle off the bench when we're chasing games but that's not going to happen because no-one would offer us more than we paid for him.

 

I reckon if I asked people on here to name their favourite players then it would be the likes of Drogba, Lamps, JT, Franco, Ossie etc. players who stepped up and won us games. Men of character. Hazard showed that this season, Costa always fights, Matic carries players along with him. Even Schurrle has won us games and taken it on himself to have a go (sometimes too much but that's another issue). 

 

Willian to me is a shirt-filler, much like Mikel. Until we replace him with a better player then I think we're going to be a level below where we could be. 

Malouda at his best was a match winner, and at his worst was anonymous.

Willian at his best is a cog in the machine who won't let you down. At his worst he's a slightly less efficient cog in the machine. He's not dead weight but he needs the players around him to carry him.

Put it like this. He cost £26-30 million and has rarely looked worth it, to the point where he should once a week write a letter to Fernando Torres, Andrei Schevchenko and Shaun Wright-Philips thanking them for being bigger flops than he was. Honestly, at this point in his career it's only our crappy spending elsewhere that saves him from being labelled a flop. And the song.

I can't think of many players who cost as much as him yet get such a free ride from the media. I think he's saved from this because at least once a match he will chase down the goalkeeper and force him to kick the ball away a fraction earlier leading to everyone screaming in unison 'workrate!'. Overrated defensively because offensively he's lacking.

Agree with you to some extent, although malouda had a season and half of putting in consistent performances, the other 3 and half seasons, he was pretty poor.

I'm probably a little biased though as I was very disappointed with replacing Robben with malouda.

Willian might not win us as many games as he should, but he is a pretty consistent 7 out of 10 imo. Maybe not good enough to start, but reliable to see plenty of minutes.

If someone told me he ran 20 kilometers today i'd believe them. What a match.

He just keeps running, at the same pace, with the same intensity for as long as he has too.

He started the game badly, as did a lot of players but came out on top.

 

We always know what to expect from him, good work rate. Not a great improvement by any means, but it's nice to see him grab something out of the game, wicked delivery.

 

I don't think this is any turning point though, we still need replacements for two players who are likely to leave, best hopes we get Cuadrado.

Phenomenal performance. You don't win games like that without people working their balls off. 

 

Oh right yeah, he didn't score so he's sh*t.

Terrible going forward tonight. But didn't half put in an unbelievable shift.

Where does this guy get all his energy? Amazing!

Great shift put in by Willian and Oscar too. more for their defensive work than their attack but Willain started strong from the second half and was running non-stop the full match until he was subbed with a few mins to go.

I thought he was great. If he lost the ball, he generally got it straight back

I thought he was great. If he lost the ball, he generally got it straight back

Agreed, and when others lost the ball he was back there too, especially at RB when Branna goes wondering. Perhaps his attacking play was left wanting but without his effort and enegry to retrieve the ball each time it could have been a different story. Good shift.

Phenomenal performance. You don't win games like that without people working their balls off. 

 

Oh right yeah, he didn't score so he's sh*t.

 

Are you deliberately misrepresenting the criticism he's received or do you genuinely believe that it's only because he doesn't score that he gets stick?

 

How about he doesn't do anything with the ball, constantly slows down play and has a complete inability to play an incisive pass from open play?

 

Oh right yeah, he ran around a lot so he's great (see, we can both make stupid comments).

 

Put in a good ball for the goal though and put in a good shift but I'd love a winger who actually poses an attacking threat, if for no other reason that it would give Hazard a little bit more space. 

Are you deliberately misrepresenting the criticism he's received or do you genuinely believe that it's only because he doesn't score that he gets stick?

 

How about he doesn't do anything with the ball, constantly slows down play and has a complete inability to play an incisive pass from open play?

 

Oh right yeah, he ran around a lot so he's great (see, we can both make stupid comments).

 

Put in a good ball for the goal though and put in a good shift but I'd love a winger who actually poses an attacking threat, if for no other reason that it would give Hazard a little bit more space. 

 

It's quite obvious that it was a joke, although it's interesting how you are so quick to go straight onto the offensive and criticise him again...

 

Calm down.

It's quite obvious that it was a joke, although it's interesting how you are so quick to go straight onto the offensive and criticise him again...

 

Calm down.

 

And why is that interesting? I've never criticised his workrate, but the guy cost £25-30 million to play as an attacking midfielder and the best thing you can say about him is that he runs around a lot.

 

Personally I think we can do better which is why I criticise him. 

Willian played lots of incisive passes from open play yesterday. Stood up to be counted when we needed him, well done.

And why is that interesting? I've never criticised his workrate, but the guy cost £25-30 million to play as an attacking midfielder and the best thing you can say about him is that he runs around a lot.

Personally I think we can do better which is why I criticise him.

You did day his work rate and defensive contribution is overrated... That's kind of a criticism

He was obivously good with his immense workrate but other than that he was absolutely abysmal in terms of attack total brainfade in final third.

 

If he provided some support to Hazard we could have owned them but because of his inefficiency in attack Hazard got double man marked for most of the game.

For all the stats buff in love with whoscored.com, apparently he was their mom yesterday

 

http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/905470/Live/England-League-Cup-2014-2015-Chelsea-Liverpool

You did day his work rate and defensive contribution is overrated... That's kind of a criticism

 

His workrate is good, but it is overrated by many because he really doesn't have that much to offer. In our team where hard work is mandatory he really isn't exceptional.

 

He had a good game yesterday but if we want to be a top European team then I think we need to replace him in the starting XI.