Ivanovic is apparently a  favourite of the owner

Think that connection is worth noting when he perplexingly plays week in week out despite being as other posters have stated the weakest 

part of the back 4, surprising when other options are available to takeover that position............loyalty valued over performance, ah the Russian is

sentimental after all. 

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, General said:

Ivanovic is apparently a  favourite of the owner

Think that connection is worth noting when he perplexingly plays week in week out despite being as other posters have stated the weakest 

part of the back 4, surprising when other options are available to takeover that position............loyalty valued over performance, ah the Russian is

sentimental after all. 

 

 

 

You've got it. Now Luiz is back from nowhere, another favourite.

Lets hope Aina or Azpi plays RB agains't Leicester and Alonso at LB and both have great games so Ivanovic might be dropped for Arsenal.

3 minutes ago, jack_super_class said:

Lets hope Aina or Azpi plays RB agains't Leicester and Alonso at LB and both have great games so Ivanovic might be dropped for Arsenal.

But we've seen it before over the last couple of years.

Luis, Baba, Bertrand have all came in, made the defence look better, more balanced and then we revert to type the next game.

Sounds harsh but hopefully Ivanovic doesn't get a new contract this summer because it's the only way I think we can move on and evolve.

12 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Luis, Baba, Bertrand have all came in, made the defence look better, more balanced and then we revert to type the next game.

I'm not fan of Ivanovic, and we should seriously have been looking for an upgrade after last season. But...this isn't really true. 

Luis and Bertrand would probably be better now, but at the time they definitely did not make the defence look better. Our best back-four was the one that played, and the one that got us the title. 

And Baba was actually worse than Ivanovic during the worst season Ivanovic ever had for us.

14 minutes ago, Ready Player One said:

I'm not fan of Ivanovic, and we should seriously have been looking for an upgrade after last season. But...this isn't really true. 

Luis and Bertrand would probably be better now, but at the time they definitely did not make the defence look better. Our best back-four was the one that played, and the one that got us the title. 

And Baba was actually worse than Ivanovic during the worst season Ivanovic ever had for us.

Baba is the weakest example of the three but I do think that Ivan has, in the last couple of seasons, played regardless of his form.

Last season he was bad more games than not and despite having spent a large fee on Baba and despite our bad form and despite the port results neither Jose or Guus gave him a run of games to try and settle into the league and play his way to a bit of form.

This is half the reason why, in my opinion, the defence got as bad as it did last season. As a club we're slow replace players who've been at the club for extended periods. We seem almost too sentimental and that's why players and coaches keep getting re signed.

I still can't believe we sold Felipe Luis back to Atletico when he'd barely ever gotten a chance, what a joke that was.

16 hours ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Luis, Baba, Bertrand have all came in, made the defence look better, more balanced and then we revert to type the next game.

I think your overall point is valid, but I don't agree with this. Other than a couple of games (PSG was a stand-out) I wasn't at all impressed with Rahman's defensive contribution and certainly didn't think it made for a more balanced defence!

Bertrand's only real run in the side came in the Benitez season when Cole was out injured, or when he played further forward, and while I did (and still do) rate him as a Chelsea squad player, I wasn't particularly impressed with him then.

I do agree about Luis though, a top player, I was gutted when he left (although I understood the reasons why).

8 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

I think your overall point is valid, but I don't agree with this. Other than a couple of games (PSG was a stand-out) I wasn't at all impressed with Rahman's defensive contribution and certainly didn't think it made for a more balanced defence!

Bertrand's only real run in the side came in the Benitez season when Cole was out injured, or when he played further forward, and while I did (and still do) rate him as a Chelsea squad player, I wasn't particularly impressed with him then.

I do agree about Luis though, a top player, I was gutted when he left (although I understood the reasons why).

I always thought Bertrand looked decent whenever he played, it just baffles me that we've gone through three other left backs since we sold him meanwhile he's outperformed all his replacements. 

1 minute ago, ForeverCarefree said:

I always thought Bertrand looked decent whenever he played, it just baffles me that we've gone through three other left backs since we sold him meanwhile he's outperformed all his replacements. 

I thought he was (and is) a good player but he seemed to fall off form during that season. I don't think he's outperformed Luis though (especially at Atletico), he's an excellent footballer.

Luis was a terrible decision by the club. He is one of if not the best LB in Europe and he just didn't get a decent enough chance at it here.
 

If we showed some faith and ambition Luis on the left and Azpi on the right would have solved so much of our problems at the back (not all of course).

Beginning to taint his legacy at Chelsea for me now.

Has been awful since January 2015, we're nearly into 2017 and he still plays and even more embarrassingly so, he's our vice captain.

Shouldn't have offered him a new contract. Also, before anyone says this is an overreaction. Look at Arsenal's 3rd goal and watch him jog back. JT despite being slower than a coach would have busted a gut to get there.

I can't understand the reason behind putting him in every game to the starting line.

 

27 minutes ago, JMaher94 said:

Beginning to taint his legacy at Chelsea for me now.

Has been awful since January 2015, we're nearly into 2017 and he still plays and even more embarrassingly so, he's our vice captain.

Shouldn't have offered him a new contract. Also, before anyone says this is an overreaction. Look at Arsenal's 3rd goal and watch him jog back. JT despite being slower than a coach would have busted a gut to get there.

What makes me mad about us offering Ivanovic a new contract was that there was no hesitation to give him one. With Terry, we had to wait until the f**king season was ending before they gave in. I still to this day don't believe Terry would have got a new contract if he didn't come out and say something. It's sickening that someone like John Terry, probably the player that has put more into this club than any other player in our history, had to come out and say something just to prolong his Chelsea career. If Ivanovic can get a new deal without hesitation, even though he has been terrible for nearly 2 full years now, then someone like Terry, who is actually still our best defender, should easily get one too.

Edited September 24, 20169 yr by Scott Harris

what is surprising now if he plays good and I think I'm beyond putting any blame on him anymore.. The decision for him to be on the pitch isn't his.. 

Whats more annoying is that we already have 2 really good Right Backs already at the club, its not like we have to play him.

2 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

Whats more annoying is that we already have 2 really good Right Backs already at the club, its not like we have to play him.

 

When Conte played Alonso at the right and Caesar at the right today to try out, I though (and still hope), that is the beginning of the end of Ivanovich at RB. Sadly Caesar was not impressive today as an RB and neither was Alonso as an LB. I fully expect Conte to play Ivanovich as RB again for the next game.

Ivanovic will be first choice right back for the entire season regardless of form.  It's chiselled in stone at the Bridge now.  Will probably get a new one year contract extension in January.

3 hours ago, lchk said:

Ivanovic will be first choice right back for the entire season regardless of form.  It's chiselled in stone at the Bridge now.  Will probably get a new one year contract extension in January.

Yep, agree. He will be the first name on the team sheet next Saturday.

Football ain't rocket science. Totally lost all respect for Jose for not seeing the bloody obvious ... will Conte go the same way ???

this is beyond a joke now.

It may be a question of difference in leagues, but Baba Rahman started off a bit uncertain, but quickly found his form for Schalke. Maybe, just maybe, al Baba Rahman needed was a bit of trust from his coaches, a run of games and an adjustment period so he can catch up tactically. He's young, so he will make mistakes.

Defensively I think Chelsea looked no worse with Azpi on the right, Baba on the left than the Ivanovic + Azpi combo. Baba was no worse than Ivanovic in defence, but he offered width and more attacking options. 

I didnt think baba was that bad to be honest. Especially when you take into account his age, and the fct he was coming to a new league.

I think his price tag had people expecting to be more polished than what he was.

I thought Baba was pretty awful, but compared to Ivanovic I think even resigning Yossi Benayoun and sticking him at RB would be an upgrade.

Seems Ivanovic has an answer to our problems: Focus more...

So for the last year and a half while we have been sh*t, it's been because Bran and his mates have been thinking about the price of Beans in Tesco instead of bothering to mark 5 or 6 Liverpool players from a free-kick.

It's such an easy solution! Which begs the question...

WHY THE f**k HAVEN'T YOU BEEN f**kING FOCUSSING FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS???

Away game against a London rival and top-4 competitor and whoops-a-daisy our team forget to focus and we get spanked 3-0 by the Arse.

Tip for Ivanovic: When your form is dogsh*t and your fans are already heavily criticising you, don't come out and use "lack of focus" as the reason for our defeats!

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/10592900/branislav-ivanovic-says-chelsea-need-more-focus-after-arsenal-loss

When is this so-called footballer going to do a Gary Neville and call it a day?  If he has any pride and love for the club anyway.

Not happening as the Board will award him a 5 year contract next summer!