Chelsea Thread 2013/14

[supercrystal7]

This amused me from Eto'o

<a class="postlink" href="http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/chelsea-fans-eto-o-benitez-treatment-rant-104936766.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/ear ... 36766.html</a>

He since retracted those statements and claimed that the media twisted what he actually said, in 2007 way before he might have been obligated to pay us lip service. He hit out personally at Mourinho after that game and now he's one of his greatest supporters (and one of his biggest assets at Inter). If Rafa had apologised or tried to explain himself his time here wouldn't have been so bad.

Rafa is Liverpool at heart and Liverpoo/Chelsea as you know is quite a big rivalry especially with all the Champions League games and New Money vs the Establishment.

Anyway what's your feelings on Mata not starting today? This match highlights precisely why Mourinho does not have Mata in his first team. Schurrle is showing the discipline, speed and defensive work that Mata lacks. The same for goes for Oscar. Hard to see how Mata fits into the team.

 

[matthew_pike]

Their defence - like ours - still lacks strength in depth.

Spot on IMO

 

[Castiel]

Rafa is Liverpool at heart and Liverpoo/Chelsea as you know is quite a big rivalry especially with all the Champions League games and New Money vs the Establishment.

Anyway what's your feelings on Mata not starting today? This match highlights precisely why Mourinho does not have Mata in his first team. Schurrle is showing the discipline, speed and defensive work that Mata lacks. The same for goes for Oscar. Hard to see how Mata fits into the team.

Oscar is better in a counter attacking system than Mata. What people are forgetting is that we can't play a counter-attacking style against most teams in the league, because they will defend deep against us and concede most of the possession. This is where Mata shines.

 

[supercrystal7]

Rafa is Liverpool at heart and Liverpoo/Chelsea as you know is quite a big rivalry especially with all the Champions League games and New Money vs the Establishment.

Anyway what's your feelings on Mata not starting today? This match highlights precisely why Mourinho does not have Mata in his first team. Schurrle is showing the discipline, speed and defensive work that Mata lacks. The same for goes for Oscar. Hard to see how Mata fits into the team.

Oscar is better in a counter attacking system than Mata. What people are forgetting is that we can't play a counter-attacking style against most teams in the league, because they will defend deep against us and concede most of the possession. This is where Mata shines.

The thing is it's not like Oscar is bad at this either and is still only 21. Mata will get his fair share of games I agree, but in the big games he probably won't start and that is going to cause problems.

 

[Castiel]

The thing is it's not like Oscar is bad at this either and is still only 21. Mata will get his fair share of games I agree, but in the big games he probably won't start and that is going to cause problems.

Mata is a LOT better at it. If he played for Bayern, for all their attacking talent, I reckon Mata would have unlocked us. He does it consistently better than anyone else in the league, and it's those games against the backs to the wall defenders that decide titles.

There isn't a suggestion of discontent from him. He's had interviewers ask him about his future and he said he has no intention of leaving and that he's very happy. He isn't even bad at counter attacking because he can release faster players better than anyone else we have. He's just not good at these games where you need your midfield to put in a shift. He was pretty anonymous against Bayern and Barca the year we won the CL (except for his exceptional ability with set pieces), even though he ran his heart out he isn't physically imposing at all. There will be plenty of games for all our attacking midfielders, and each of them brings something different to the table.

 

[supercrystal7]

The thing is it's not like Oscar is bad at this either and is still only 21. Mata will get his fair share of games I agree, but in the big games he probably won't start and that is going to cause problems.

Mata is a LOT better at it. If he played for Bayern, for all their attacking talent, I reckon Mata would have unlocked us. He does it consistently better than anyone else in the league, and it's those games against the backs to the wall defenders that decide titles.

There isn't a suggestion of discontent from him. He's had interviewers ask him about his future and he said he has no intention of leaving and that he's very happy. He isn't even bad at counter attacking because he can release faster players better than anyone else we have. He's just not good at these games where you need your midfield to put in a shift. He was pretty anonymous against Bayern and Barca the year we won the CL (except for his exceptional ability with set pieces), even though he ran his heart out he isn't physically imposing at all. There will be plenty of games for all our attacking midfielders, and each of them brings something different to the table.

Oscar's first season in the Prmeiership last season and he will improve a lot. Ultimately it comes down to what Mourinho wants to do. He did start Mata against Villa, but he will want to form a partnership between his first team..

He may not have said anything, but he is human and nobody is happy being on the bench for big games let alone a player like Mata. I agree vision is often neglected when people judge counter attacking players and Mata is very good at releasing players, but it's the other bits which let him down.

If Mourinho plans to play Hazard-Oscar-Schurrle for most big games then he is going to want them to gel. The reason you lost today and did not win on Monday was not down to tactics, but the counter attacking play not being as sharp as it should and will be in a few weeks.

 

[Castiel]

Oscar's first season in the Prmeiership last season and he will improve a lot. Ultimately it comes down to what Mourinho wants to do. He did start Mata against Villa, but he will want to form a partnership between his first team..

He may not have said anything, but he is human and nobody is happy being on the bench for big games let alone a player like Mata. I agree vision is often neglected when people judge counter attacking players and Mata is very good at releasing players, but it's the other bits which let him down.

If Mourinho plans to play Hazard-Oscar-Schurrle for most big games then he is going to want them to gel. The reason you lost today and did not win on Monday was not down to tactics, but the counter attacking play not being as sharp as it should and will be in a few weeks.

Certainly wasn't putting Oscar down, he's a brilliant player in his own right. But the heights Mata hit last season were phenomenal. He carried us through the league for long stretches and I'm certain he'll be vital to us again, especially when it comes to grinding out points. He and Oscar are in competition for that number 10 position and they both offer different styles to that role. I'm very happy with the balance we've got there.

I'm very encouraged by today's game. Would have been nice to win (perhaps a bit of intervention from fate for Munich) but hopefully Jose and the players will galvanise and push on. Our defending already looks excellent. I wouldn't trust many other teams in the league to contain that Bayern attacking line and successfully counter them as well as we did. But we've got a few gears to go through yet, and that's the most exciting part. It's similar to 2004 in many ways. He built from the back and the rest just got better and better as the season wore on. If it follows the same trend we'll be a force to be reckoned with.

 

[GHoddle]

Anyway what's your feelings on Mata not starting today? This match highlights precisely why Mourinho does not have Mata in his first team. Schurrle is showing the discipline, speed and defensive work that Mata lacks. The same for goes for Oscar. Hard to see how Mata fits into the team.

But Mata's just a different class even to the rest of the talents in the Chelsea attacking midfield. For me, the sacrifice in speed is more than made up for in Mata's case by his outstanding ability on the ball and ability to pick out passes. And Mata's now slow either, he's just not as quick as Hazard, Willian, Schurrle, Oscar, etc. If I was Jose I'd be playing with Willian--Mata--Hazard behind the striker.

 

[mcmanus]

Probably been said but I want City players to run from outside the D and twat penalties at full pelt top corner like Sideshow Bob did. An 8 foot Schmeichel would have no chance.

 

[Marvin]

Rafa is Liverpool at heart and Liverpoo/Chelsea as you know is quite a big rivalry especially with all the Champions League games and New Money vs the Establishment.

Anyway what's your feelings on Mata not starting today? This match highlights precisely why Mourinho does not have Mata in his first team. Schurrle is showing the discipline, speed and defensive work that Mata lacks. The same for goes for Oscar. Hard to see how Mata fits into the team.

Oscar is better in a counter attacking system than Mata. What people are forgetting is that we can't play a counter-attacking style against most teams in the league, because they will defend deep against us and concede most of the possession. This is where Mata shines.

True

Chelsea wont be playing Man Utd and Bayern Munich every week, and Eto'o may give them a lot of extra attacking potential.

If Chelsea had attacked Utd and Bayern, they'd have probably got heavily beaten. Nothing wrong with being pragmatic.