It clearly is hard as we lost control of possession when he went off. We were actually looking fairly decent and able to push on for a equaliser before the sub. 

 

He busted a gut in the first half, don't recall who was latching onto the end of the pass but it was a straight up sprint between him and someone else (I want to say Galloway but not sure), he had to win and make the tackle otherwise he was in behind the defence. He also made a clean tackle in the first half, although as long as he wins them I don't care how half hearted he looks. 

 

Fabregas did play in that position when Mikel came off and looked worse there than he did further forward. 

 

We never really had any real control of possession, in the first 10 minutes of the second half before he came off, we did nothing, we carried on doing nothing after that. He wasn't the reason why we played better in the last 15 minutes of the first half either, we played better because Matic scored a goal. Scoring a goal tends to lead to a teams performance improving. He was just there, coasting his way through another game.

Mourinhos just got the hump because we didnt spend £200 mil on pogba and stones!!

 

There were other players available besides those 2. Sterling, vidal, griezmann . . . techincally there was kdb as well but mourinho burned the bridges with him

Edited September 12, 201510 yr by ArtVandalay

We are going on relegation

Really wish I was wrong about this but knew we would lose by a couple.

Ivanovic having his usual dire performance and Jose refusing to drop him as usual.

No doubt the happy clappers on this forum will be on bleating about Ivanovic' team of the season selection last year and Jose's win record. None of this is relevant now. Teams know how to play us and we are piss easy to play against.

If RLC doesn't get a chance in this team now, then he'll never get it again @ chelsea.

Really wish I was wrong about this but knew we would lose by a couple.

Ivanovic having his usual dire performance and Jose refusing to drop him as usual.

No doubt the happy clappers on this forum will be on bleating about Ivanovic' team of the season selection last year and Jose's win record. None of this is relevant now. Teams know how to play us and we are piss easy to play against.

.

Didn't think Ivanovic was particularly bad today. I do think he should be dropped but it does feel like he has become the go to scapegoat. Plenty worse out there today.

Fabregas again was pathetic, I'd love to see his stats. Furthermore, it's about time questions were asked of Costa and Hazard.

Costa is playing like the unsettled and unhappy player we keep hearing rumours about and Hazard is just so unfit, how has this been allowed to happen exactly??

On today's evidence Willian shouldn't be dropped, he seemed to contribute more in his 15 min cameo than most of our attacking 'talent' put together (including Pedro). Hazard again was mostly anonymous and, when he did get into dangerous positions, his end product was average at best.

 

What concerns me most is that, unlike Chelsea teams of the past decade, this team doesn't seem to have any rigid backbone (that allows us to play with a functional yet effective gameplan, i.e. similar to Manchester United who are grinding out results without looking anything special).

 

I'll be keeping faith in Mourinho for now, but if we fail to take at least 6 points from our next 9 then, sadly, I think Jose has to go.

Edited September 12, 201510 yr by the special one

.

Fabregas again was pathetic, I'd love to see his stats. Furthermore, it's about time questions were asked of Costa and Hazard.

 

 

 

 

 

Squawka Football Verified account ?@Squawka

Cesc Fàbregas' game by numbers: 0 tackles won 0 aerial duels won 0 interceptions 0 assists 0 shots 0 crosses

I'm expecting to see Hazard's face on milk cartons. Fabregas is looking woeful and Costa is looking like a poor mans Claridge. And I can't figure what Pedro did to get hauled off today.

Also, as dreadful as the defending was today I'm not totally convinced by Begovic. Ok, he's a decent keeper and good for someone to sit on the bench all season and give the first choice a break in the league cup but playing for at least the next ten games straight isn't ideal. I really do miss Petr now.

I'm expecting to see Hazard's face on milk cartons. Fabregas is looking woeful and Costa is looking like a poor mans Claridge. And I can't figure what Pedro did to get hauled off today.

Also, as dreadful as the defending was today I'm not totally convinced by Begovic. Ok, he's a decent keeper and good for someone to sit on the bench all season and give the first choice a break in the league cup but playing for at least the next ten games straight isn't ideal. I really do miss Petr now.

 

 

Begovic is a decent backup, nothing more. Talks of him being first choice are mental.

Operating under the premise that Courtois won't miss a great deal of games through injury over the coming years, with Cech gone Begovic is as good a second-choice as we could realistically ask for IMO.

Operating under the premise that Courtois won't miss a great deal of games through injury over the coming years, with Cech gone Begovic is as good a second-choice as we could realistically ask for IMO.

With Thibault out for three months we will have the measure of Begovic.

I decided to record the match since it was early, and I didn't have much sleep over the last few days.  I was about to watch it when I saw the score.

 

 Come on, lads, you're reigning Premier League champions, act like it. 

We are going on relegation

 

That's what I fear. I'm not one for dramatics, but unless something changes and fast, we're going to be in deep trouble.

Edited September 12, 201510 yr by soldiergirl84

Wholesale changes almost always backfire. Jose the motivator has to step up at this point and make the players realize they're playing for a top club with a lot at stake. Also some shake up is needed. I think Baba needs to get into the side and Ivanovic (love him to bits) should make way. That would at least be a start in terms of Jose accepting that there is a crisis and it needs some sorting out pretty quickly.

That's what I fear. I'm not one for dramatics, but unless something changes, and fast, we're going to be in deep trouble.

 

 

I hate to think what you would say if you were one for melodramatics!!

I wish people would stop telling other posters how to feel. If someone feels frustrated and feels the need to vent it, let them. 

 

When you tell others they're "spoilt, should support the team ffs and trust Jose no matter what", question their loyalty and start the good old "where were you when..." routine, I feel the urge to tell the lot of you to slide your collective tongues up Jose Mourinho's ass and leave'em there.

 

We've been playing like crap for a while now and the manager deserves to be slated. That's his job, to prepare the team, to motivate the players. If they appear poorly trained and unmotivated, he has to carry the biggest responsibility. Yet another embarrassing post game interview from him today to match the gutless performance on the pitch.

 

Well said.  Just because some of us (myself included) complains about the manager and the players doesn't mean we don't support the team.  With the talent in this team we should be playing better, but we're not.  What's JM doing in training? What instructions and tactics is he giving? Why keep picking Ivan?  We as supporters should be entitled to question.

If Jose cant drop underperforming players and he continue to substitute the better players then i think we need a replacement for him. I dont understand how Fabregas and Hazard are playing while Willian is on the bench. I dont even get the logic behind allowing Moses to go out on loan when Hazard is average and Kennedy is too young and inexperience for the Epl

City grab a late winner

City grab a late winner

 

Which could be a good result for us from a Champions League qualification point of view.

Edited September 12, 201510 yr by the special one

Wait, why the hell are people talking about not being convinced by Begovic? He's still one of the top 5 keepers in the league and we'd have probably conceded 5 or 6 if it wasn't for him.

We had 2 shots on target today. 

 

 

2

 

 

All the focus is on how sh*t our defence is, and rightly so because it is, but we are bloody awful going forward as well.

Just watched the first 20 minutes.... what are you doing Jose? Ivanovic needs to get out. How many more do we need to let in from our right side?

Sure we have other problems but our defense is a joke right now

We had 2 shots on target today. 

 

 

2

 

 

All the focus is on how sh*t our defence is, and rightly so because it is, but we are bloody awful going forward as well.

 

We've been sh*t all over the park. Diego hasn't been any better than Hazard, Ivanovic or Fabregas in terms of contribution. He's lost the ball so many times it becomes really frustrating for everyone involved in the attack. I think the biggest miss of the transfer window was not signing a proper striker. Our only hope is for Diego to regain his lethal best otherwise even if everyone starts firing and he doesn't we're pretty much back to the post-Drogba era.

We've been sh*t all over the park. Diego hasn't been any better than Hazard, Ivanovic or Fabregas in terms of contribution. He's lost the ball so many times it becomes really frustrating for everyone involved in the attack. I think the biggest miss of the transfer window was not signing a proper striker. Our only hope is for Diego to regain his lethal best otherwise even if everyone starts firing and he doesn't we're pretty much back to the post-Drogba era.

Falcao was signed but that's because Mourinho wanted him as his personal project to develop which is bizarre to say the least.