The Official Thread of Chelsea FC

[corn02]

Fair play to Chelsea.

GAA your point about Liverpool's back four not being capable is nonsense. Aurelio, Skrtl and Arbeloa are all excellent ball carriers and very comfortable in possession and are good passers. They just happened to have a bad night.

[new devil]

Hats off to chelsea - fantastic performance. i'd disagree abot the reference to JM's halcion days - i don't believe mourinho's teams ever played like that, full throttle for 90 minutes. the pressure chelsea pressed onto the liverpool defensive midfielders was the key. they weren't allowed set anything up and two key things followed from there: 1) gerarrd never got a pass in a decent position the whole night, and 2) the back 4 had to play too much football and proved they weren't capable. The blueprint is simple to knock liverpool out of their stride.

In Mourinho's first year in charge we played some great stuff.  But I will agree from then on it was downhill.  Managed to win a second league paying some mediocre stuff.

Second point I will agree.  Expect to see Sam Allardyce learn something for Saturday!  Nullify Gerrard and Torres and Liverpool are a mid table side.

The best part for me was hearing the voices of all the Chelsea hating, Liverpool supporting 5Live commentators!!  This morning Mike Ingham sounded like the world was about to end.

Is this a new phenomenom, the importance of Torres and Gerrard? It is one thing knowing that you have to stop a player and actually doing it. As for Torres they won plenty of games this year when he was injured. i remember beating United without either of them.

Take the two best players out of any team in the world and there would be a huge difference..look at united last sunday...missing rooney and vidic and they were horrible

[corn02]

Hats off to chelsea - fantastic performance. i'd disagree abot the reference to JM's halcion days - i don't believe mourinho's teams ever played like that, full throttle for 90 minutes. the pressure chelsea pressed onto the liverpool defensive midfielders was the key. they weren't allowed set anything up and two key things followed from there: 1) gerarrd never got a pass in a decent position the whole night, and 2) the back 4 had to play too much football and proved they weren't capable. The blueprint is simple to knock liverpool out of their stride.

In Mourinho's first year in charge we played some great stuff.  But I will agree from then on it was downhill.  Managed to win a second league paying some mediocre stuff.

Second point I will agree.  Expect to see Sam Allardyce learn something for Saturday!  Nullify Gerrard and Torres and Liverpool are a mid table side.

The best part for me was hearing the voices of all the Chelsea hating, Liverpool supporting 5Live commentators!!  This morning Mike Ingham sounded like the world was about to end.

Is this a new phenomenom, the importance of Torres and Gerrard? It is one thing knowing that you have to stop a player and actually doing it. As for Torres they won plenty of games this year when he was injured. i remember beating United without either of them.

Take the two best players out of any team in the world and there would be a huge difference..look at united last sunday...missing rooney and vidic and they were horrible

Yes obviously.

I am missing the point here I think? Essien done a good job on SG, but of course he got very little ball into him. Teams have dropped men back on Gerrard before and it hasn;t work. Just because he didn;t skin Essien it doesn't mean he is a poor player.

[new devil]

Think hes trying to say essien is one of the best man markers about...and would have to agree with that

[The GAA]

The back 4 were horrible in possession last night. how many times were they caught on the ball or simply row Zd it?

Gerarrd hasn't been man marked too often but it obviously can, and now will, be done. however, the key element of chelsea's gaem plan, which i have not seen done effectivey thins season, was lampard and the german pressing alonso and to a lesser extent lucas to force the back 4 to start moves.

[Declan]

That was as good a performance from Chelsea last night as I've seen from any team. Excellent stuff all round and completely outplayed Liverpool. If they continue to play like that they'll be hard to beat even by Barca

[corn02]

The back 4 were horrible in possession last night. how many times were they caught on the ball or simply row Zd it?

Gerarrd hasn't been man marked too often but it obviously can, and now will, be done. however, the key element of chelsea's gaem plan, which i have not seen done effectivey thins season, was lampard and the german pressing alonso and to a lesser extent lucas to force the back 4 to start moves.

No arguments that they were terrible, but as I say they ha d bad night and have proven themselves as great ball carriers throughout the season.

Mascherano was a big loss no doubt.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Hats off to chelsea - fantastic performance. i'd disagree abot the reference to JM's halcion days - i don't believe mourinho's teams ever played like that, full throttle for 90 minutes. the pressure chelsea pressed onto the liverpool defensive midfielders was the key. they weren't allowed set anything up and two key things followed from there: 1) gerarrd never got a pass in a decent position the whole night, and 2) the back 4 had to play too much football and proved they weren't capable. The blueprint is simple to knock liverpool out of their stride.

In Mourinho's first year in charge we played some great stuff.  But I will agree from then on it was downhill.  Managed to win a second league paying some mediocre stuff.

Second point I will agree.  Expect to see Sam Allardyce learn something for Saturday!  Nullify Gerrard and Torres and Liverpool are a mid table side.

The best part for me was hearing the voices of all the Chelsea hating, Liverpool supporting 5Live commentators!!  This morning Mike Ingham sounded like the world was about to end.

Is this a new phenomenom, the importance of Torres and Gerrard? It is one thing knowing that you have to stop a player and actually doing it. As for Torres they won plenty of games this year when he was injured. i remember beating United without either of them.

Take the two best players out of any team in the world and there would be a huge difference..look at united last sunday...missing rooney and vidic and they were horrible

Chelsea were without Carvalho and Anelka (top scorer in the Prem)...

[Billys Boots]

Chelsea, with Essien playing well, are a formidable outfit - they really, really missed him for most of this season.

[Dinny Breen]

Chelsea, with Essien playing well, are a formidable outfit - they really, really missed him for most of this season.

Agree with that, I know a few of us rate him highly here but outside Chelsea he doesn't seem to get the plaudits he deserves, one of the 1st names in my Premeirship XI..

[corn02]

Chelsea, with Essien playing well, are a formidable outfit - they really, really missed him for most of this season.

Agree with that, I know a few of us rate him highly here but outside Chelsea he doesn't seem to get the plaudits he deserves, one of the 1st names in my Premeirship XI..

I know most Liverpool fans I ever talk to rate him as high as you would.

An absolute class act.

[Dinny Breen]

Sorry should have qualified that, the English media don't seem to rate him or maybe that's my perception but Chelsea would have been closer to the top if had been available all season.

[magpie seanie]

Essien is a proper all round midfielder. I would say the best in the world in that position. They don't make them like that any more.

Thought JT was very unlucky to be booked but as it happens the second leg might be not the worst game to miss.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

As I said after the game last night

There's a reason why Chelsea aren't top of the table by a mile

that reason - the fella in the blue shirt wearing #5 being injured all season

[GalwayBayBoy]

The back 4 were horrible in possession last night. how many times were they caught on the ball or simply row Zd it?

Gerarrd hasn't been man marked too often but it obviously can, and now will, be done.

Not everyone has Essien though to do that. He has the combination of power and pace to keep up with Gerrard. I don't see too many others in the Premier League who could do it.