The Official Thread of Chelsea FC

[Orangemac]

Chelsea should be worrying about qualifying for the Champions league. Premiership is gone this year.

If Ambromivic was giving Ancelloti £50m why were they spending it on the last few hours of deadline day. Would not be surprised to see a new manager in next year.

Surely a right back was more of a pressing concern than another striker? If they wanted Torres why was he not bought last summer?

Chelsea have serious work to do in the summer as the squad is thin and many of the 1st team are over 30.

[gawa316]

What's more pathetic, copying our banner or leaving the Shankly gates on it?

...embarrassing

[Norf Tyrone]

Chelsea should be worrying about qualifying for the Champions league. Premiership is gone this year.

If Ambromivic was giving Ancelloti £50m why were they spending it on the last few hours of deadline day. Would not be surprised to see a new manager in next year.

Surely a right back was more of a pressing concern than another striker? If they wanted Torres why was he not bought last summer?

Chelsea have serious work to do in the summer as the squad is thin and many of the 1st team are over 30.

Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Essien, Ramires, Torres, Mikel, Sturridge, MacEacheran, Bosingwa, Zhirkov, Kalou, Alex are all sub 30.

Terry and Cole are 30 and have plently of time left.

Anelka, Drogba, Malouda, Benayoun, Ferreria and Lampard are over 30.

So of the first team squad approx 6 of the 21 are over 30. I'd say the age thing is not applicable but it suits so lets not let facts get in the way!

[Norf Tyrone]

I had said all week that Ancellotti would be mad to play Torres, and in hindsight that feeeling was spot on. I felt he was hung out to dry big stlye yesterday. I know people will come back and say 'for £50 million blah, blah, blah', but the fella has had a roller coaster week. Leaving Liverpool, joining Chelsea and becomming the biggest transfer ever. So changing the system and throwing him straight in, against a team that was heavilly motivated yesterday was the wrong thing to do.


In fact the system was so wrong yesterday it was unreal. Liverpool's back 3/5 or whatever were so comfortable as everything went central. To play the diamond at home it requires two full backs bombing forward at will, and neither did that at all yesterday. When that doesn't work you need a midfield operating at a high tempo to push up on Liverpool's defence. Now Lampard and Mikel were poor, but Essien... seriously... when is he going to be dropped? He's been shocking now for the guts of two seasons yet walks into the side week in, week out.

I'll not go overboard about the penalty decisions (There was only one that was a peno, despite SKY suggesting three), as we deserved f**k all anyhow.

The positives? Luiz looks good.

[Big Puff]

has roman eventually realised you cant buy class?

[nrico2006]

Chelsea should be worrying about qualifying for the Champions league. Premiership is gone this year.

If Ambromivic was giving Ancelloti £50m why were they spending it on the last few hours of deadline day. Would not be surprised to see a new manager in next year.

Surely a right back was more of a pressing concern than another striker? If they wanted Torres why was he not bought last summer?

Chelsea have serious work to do in the summer as the squad is thin and many of the 1st team are over 30.

Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Essien, Ramires, Torres, Mikel, Sturridge, MacEacheran, Bosingwa, Zhirkov, Kalou, Alex are all sub 30.

Terry and Cole are 30 and have plently of time left.

Anelka, Drogba, Malouda, Benayoun, Ferreria and Lampard are over 30.

So of the first team squad approx 6 of the 21 are over 30. I'd say the age thing is not applicable but it suits so lets not let facts get in the way!

Most of the 1st choice starting 11 are over 30 though. 

[Norf Tyrone]

Chelsea should be worrying about qualifying for the Champions league. Premiership is gone this year.

If Ambromivic was giving Ancelloti £50m why were they spending it on the last few hours of deadline day. Would not be surprised to see a new manager in next year.

Surely a right back was more of a pressing concern than another striker? If they wanted Torres why was he not bought last summer?

Chelsea have serious work to do in the summer as the squad is thin and many of the 1st team are over 30.

Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Essien, Ramires, Torres, Mikel, Sturridge, MacEacheran, Bosingwa, Zhirkov, Kalou, Alex are all sub 30.

Terry and Cole are 30 and have plently of time left.

Anelka, Drogba, Malouda, Benayoun, Ferreria and Lampard are over 30.

So of the first team squad approx 6 of the 21 are over 30. I'd say the age thing is not applicable but it suits so lets not let facts get in the way!

Most of the 1st choice starting 11 are over 30 though.

Yesterday's starting team (Which was virtually full strength) had only 3 plus 30s, admittedly they are all in the area of the field where pace is key, but I don't think it's as big of an issue as people suggest.

[brokencrossbar1]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

[Big Puff]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

[brokencrossbar1]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

He was so bad I had forgotten him.  Big reputations, big fees, never really delivered.

[Bingo]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

He was so bad I had forgotten him.  Big reputations, big fees, never really delivered.

Mutu?

In seriousness though, I have no doubt that Torres can still do it but I can't see him fitting Chelsea's current system. Its just too crowded up top for him and Drogba. Leaving Malouda out was great, as Liverpool never got stretched and the 3 at the back could focus on Torres and Drogba. I'm not sure where Anelka was playing, more of a midfield play making but Lucas was in that position and it took Anelka out of game as well.

I do think Ancelotti has a real headache.

[brokencrossbar1]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

He was so bad I had forgotten him.  Big reputations, big fees, never really delivered.

Mutu?

In seriousness though, I have no doubt that Torres can still do it but I can't see him fitting Chelsea's current system. Its just too crowded up top for him and Drogba. Leaving Malouda out was great, as Liverpool never got stretched and the 3 at the back could focus on Torres and Drogba. I'm not sure where Anelka was playing, more of a midfield play making but Lucas was in that position and it took Anelka out of game as well.

I do think Ancelotti has a real headache.

Big problems indeed.  He can't leave out his £50m man, and the other two cannot play as support striker.  I reckon that he has to make a choice between Torres and Drogba and Malouda>  Anelka can play on the right of a 3,  Torres as your central striker, Drogba is a central striker only so would be lost on the left as I reckon he and Torres will make the same runs.  For balance ANcelloti has to play Malouda on the left.

[Norf Tyrone]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

He was so bad I had forgotten him.  Big reputations, big fees, never really delivered.

Tell me how much Flo cost, and check his record for Chelsea, and then trying making a point.

[brokencrossbar1]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

He was so bad I had forgotten him.  Big reputations, big fees, never really delivered.

Tell me how much Flo cost, and check his record for Chelsea, and then trying making a point.

Small enough money maybe but 1 goal in every 3 1/2 games isn't a great return.

[Norf Tyrone]

Flo
Sutton
Crespo
Shevchenko
Torres??

kezman?

He was so bad I had forgotten him.  Big reputations, big fees, never really delivered.

Tell me how much Flo cost, and check his record for Chelsea, and then trying making a point.

Small enough money maybe but 1 goal in every 3 1/2 games isn't a great return.

Small enough? We bought him for £300,000 he scored in one of every three games, but you haven't considered how many times he was sub. He scored against Barce home and away, twice in the quarter final of the CWC triumph, and he scored against United among many others.

In total he made less than 100 starts and scored 50 goals, and was sold for a £11.7 million profit! That's a success in my book!

In addition, Crespo was a very popular player at SB and still is. His time was mixed but he would've been a big success but for his personal issues, and Mutu the same, except his personal problems were self inflicted. Besides Mutu cost nowt!

The thing in your point is correct, Chelsea has been a graveyard for big money strikers over time. The one you're missing is Robert Fleck. Sutton, Sheva, and Kezman being in there too.

To include Torres after one hour? The fickleness of football fans!