Everytime I think about us getting Varane, I can't think of a single reason why Madrid would sell him. Okay they sold us Makelele and Perez is still there, but he's still getting plenty of minutes and Pepe isn't getting any younger plus he signed a contract extension. Maybe start a new game with a Stones-Zouma partnership.

 

Yeah I do agree with you, I think Varane is already a better defender than Ramos and looks set to become one of the next generation's top players. There is really no reason why Real should sell him (not that their transfer policy has been particularly wise in the recent past but still...), plus he is currently working with a brilliant coach in Ancelotti.

 

I more or less gave up hope after he extended his contract at the beginning of the season but those 'Varane to Chelsea for £20m' articles keep popping up and I can't help but get my hopes up, even if they are entirely baseless. Heh unfortunately the most recent Football Manager game I have is 2006... Gary Cahill is still a youngster!

Yeah I do agree with you, I think Varane is already a better defender than Ramos and looks set to become one of the next generation's top players. There is really no reason why Real should sell him (not that their transfer policy has been particularly wise in the recent past but still...), plus he is currently working with a brilliant coach in Ancelotti.

 

I more or less gave up hope after he extended his contract at the beginning of the season but those 'Varane to Chelsea for £20m' articles keep popping up and I can't help but get my hopes up, even if they are entirely baseless. Heh unfortunately the most recent Football Manager game I have is 2006... Gary Cahill is still a youngster!

 

They would be mad to sell him. But it seems like Carlo favours Pepe and Ramos in central defence, why though I'm not sure. Varane is arguably the most talented young defender in Europe. They'd be mad to sell him but then you never know with Real Madrid. They did sell Di Maria after all who was one of their very best players the season before. 

On a scrap of paper at Selhurst Park last March, Jose Mourinho scribbled down the one word lacking from his Chelsea team after they had been beaten by Crystal Palace.

 

At Upton Park, Mourinho’s side showed ‘balls’ of steel, surviving a difficult game against one of those teams — and at one of those grounds — where anything can happen. Chelsea have the mentality of champions.

 

Their celebrations at Wembley on Sunday told a story, linking arms and sliding to their knees in front of their supporters after they had beaten Tottenham 2-0 in the Capital One Cup final.

 

There have been markers at key stages of the season: a 2-0 win over Arsenal in October, 2-1 at Liverpool the following month and their stunning performance in the 5-0 win at Swansea in January.

 

This 1-0 victory at West Ham was another. Chelsea’s bond is strong, building this resilience in the dressing room as the season has progressed.

They looked impenetrable, especially in the closing stages as West Ham pushed for an equaliser. Their work-rate is phenomenal, a team fighting for each other as they close in on their first Barclays Premier League title since Mourinho returned to the club.

 

He described himself as a kid after he ambushed the trophy celebrations on Sunday, but it is on nights like this when the big boys go to work.

Look around the Chelsea dressing room and it will be difficult to separate some of these players when it comes to voting for the PFA Player of the Year in a few weeks’ time.

 

John Terry, exceptional against Tottenham at Wembley, must be in with a shout. Incredible as it sounds, he last won it in 2005.

Thibaut Courtois, returning in goal in place of Petr Cech, was exceptional. His first-half save from Diafra Sakho was top class. He oozes confidence, taking responsibility as the last line of defence after Terry’s early booking for a foul on Cheikhou Kouyate.

 

The doubts that crept in after a rare mistake in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City in January have been eradicated. Mourinho has made the right call to make him first choice. 

 

Cesc Fabregas, what with those 15 assists in the league since his move last summer from Barcelona, will also be in the running.

Then there is last season’s Young Player of the Year Eden Hazard, the tormentor-in-chief down Chelsea’s left last night. He scored with a clever header from a cross by Ramires in the 22nd minute to secure his side’s 19th league victory of the season.

Sometimes he leaves you drooling. His composure on the ball, coupled with that ability to be able to run with it when he is looking at the options around him, are made to look like pure instinct.

 

Some of the twists and turns, creating space by leaving Carl Jenkinson and James Collins wrong-footed, were of the highest order. So what has changed since last season, when they gifted Manchester City their second Premier League title with a series of faltering performances?

They have the bottle for the big occasion now.

 

At Wembley last Sunday, Mourinho turned to a television camera and squirted water all over the lens after Terry had opened the scoring for Chelsea. Here they washed West Ham’s faces again.

 

For many different reasons, some tribal and some because of an irrational hatred of former player Frank Lampard, who has since left Stamford Bridge, away at West Ham is always a tough fixture for Chelsea.

 

To their credit they always seem to survive the taunts, the songs from the terraces that are usually directed at the captain Terry and his mother. Chelsea’s captain always appears unmoved by it all.

 

But there was more last night. When Kurt Zouma was fouled by Collins just before half-time, West Ham’s supporters sang ‘You won’t let him on the train’ when he was waiting for treatment.

 

Naturally those chants, given the dreadful incident on the Paris Metro before Chelsea’s Champions League clash at Parc des Princes last month, should be discouraged. Chelsea are the big noise in football right now, the team to beat as they prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the return leg of their last-16 Champions League tie next week.

 

Increasingly Chelsea look like a team determined to power on and finish the job in the Premier League after feeding off the scraps last season.

After this, the message from Mourinho was loud and clear.

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2979985/Jose-Mourinho-embedded-winning-mentality-Chelsea-look-set-win-title.html

We are still in a great position, but last year the moment we had the league within our own hands (win the remaining games and it was ours) we bottled it. Literally the very next game, losing to Sunderland.

 

Looking at how we capitulated against a lower league team in Bradford and shipped 4 goals, and looking at how we let a 10 man PSG dominate us and go out of the CL with a whimper, and at some of our performances in the league over the last few months, I am not seeing the mental strength that has seen Chelsea squads of old to glory.

Yeah the mental strength isnt there. We are way, way off a typicla josé team. In the past we didnt have a problem closing a game out. We just completely shut up shop. The players knew it, opposition knew it and the fans knew it. These days we completely fall apart with a lead its a full on panic front to back and we have to rely on Courtois to save us. Luckily City are on dire form atm or else they would have passed us long ago. Neither us or City have looked much like Champions since Christmas. Honestly, at this point Im more worried about Arsenal then City. They look to have really picked on form and have finally found a CM pairing that works well. Thankfully they still have Wenger who is still likely to cock it up. Doesnt look likely the eventual winner will have more then 80 something points and if we manage not to lose at Arsenal we only have to beat Leicester, QPR, Sunderland, Hull, Palace and Stoke to clinch the title. No matter our form, we should be able to pull of that feat. Going out of the CL and FA cup looks like a blessing in disguise

Yeah the mental strength isnt there. We are way, way off a typicla josé team. 

 

Too many South Americans who aren't up for the fight.

 

When you think back to Jose's first Chelsea side it was filled with players who were captains for their national teams or their previous clubs... Leadership ran through the team all over the pitch. 

 

Now there's an apparent mental fragility to us. 

 

We need a new Ballack, Lampard or Makelele in the midfield, a strong presence and leader in the middle of pitch. 

The way the points stand, there is more chance of Man City being overtaken by one of Arsenal or Man Utd than there is of City overtaking us. They are one point ahead of Arsenal and two ahead of Man Utd with the same number of games played; we are six clear of City with a game in hand.

 

I think we need to calm down a little bit.

People seem to put a lot of weight behind Real Madrid having a logical/sensible transfer policy. Their transfers never make sense.

Mark my words, Varane & Bale will be Chelsea players next year !

People seem to put a lot of weight behind Real Madrid having a logical/sensible transfer policy. Their transfers never make sense.

Mark my words, Varane & Bale will be Chelsea players next year !

What makes you so sure?

I'd put my house on Bale going to United if anywhere.

Varne and Bale would cost around £100 million.

When was the last time we spent that amount in a single transfer window?

What makes you so sure?

I've just got a feeling they will be, the murmurs from Spain regarding Bale have started somewhere IMO and it's not the first time or a one off either, I think there is some truth behind it and at the end of the day the spoilt brats that attend the bernabau tend to get what they want.

Regarding Varane, he does still get games but I'm sure he knows he's going to be one of the best players in the world in his position in the not so distant future, and as I recall Jose played him pretty regularly while he was there? Why would he settle for 1 in 2 games when he could come to Chelsea and be one of the first names on the team sheet and potentially a future captain

Obviously they may choose other clubs, but I believe we're the most attractive option, always challenging for titles, always in the CL, always, in a terrific city, wit state of the art facilities.

Also the new sponsorship deals and the potential resale value of some of our current players that we could offload, I think financially it's possible.

So to answer your question I'm not going to make up some insider knowledge nonsense, I just have a feeling that something big is going to happen this summer for us.

I'd put my house on Bale going to United if anywhere.

Varne and Bale would cost around £100 million.

When was the last time we spent that amount in a single transfer window?

When have we ever had a £40m a year sponsorship deal? I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen but I honestly believe it's possible for us, and IMO that would set us for nearly a decade.

I think United will go for Ronaldo instead which I think is a mistake but it would be due to sentimentality with him, still a cracking player but over 30 now, Bale would be the better buy but as I say I think the fans in particular would be more receptive to Ronaldo.

When have we ever had a £40m a year sponsorship deal? I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen but I honestly believe it's possible for us, and IMO that would set us for nearly a decade.

I think United will go for Ronaldo instead which I think is a mistake but it would be due to sentimentality with him, still a cracking player but over 30 now, Bale would be the better buy but as I say I think the fans in particular would be more receptive to Ronaldo.

I hope you are right.

Bale and Varne would take us to the next level up with the Munich's and Barca's.

I jsut find it hard to believe we would spend a near £30 million on Cuardrado if we thought we could get Bale.

Bale wouldn't leave, certainly not to play for Chelsea.

Then again, Fabregas...

Bale wouldn't leave, certainly not to play for Chelsea.

Then again, Fabregas...

London would be appealing no doubt.

It's jsut that if United want him then they get him, so much financial clout over everyone else.

We can definitely afford both Bale and Varane but... I doubt we're going to spend that much. We also need some good CM/DM cover because both Ramires and Mikel are far from reliable.

If we hadn't just spunked £27m on Caudrado then maybe we might go for someone like Bale, but it's too late now.

I didn't get to see MOTD the other night. I assume they took Pellegrini to task for a bunch of City players surrounding the ref just days after that self-righteous guff about his players never doing that.

I didn't get to see MOTD the other night. I assume they took Pellegrini to task for a bunch of City players surrounding the ref just days after that self-righteous guff about his players never doing that.

Ha! And an item in today's Times sports section which mentioned crowding the ref posted a photo of...one of the many possible teams as an example...yes...Chelsea!

HELL NO IS THE ANSWER XD

this thread was another one of those knee jerk reactions

No is the answer you are looking for... Love how people set up these threads in preparation of a knee jerk just so they can say "I told you so" load of bollocks...

Told you all so!

Well that's put a smile on my face.

 

More of a hysterical howling than a smile, to be fair.

Is Arsenal about to catch us or overtake us?

Nooooooooo, they're not!