ABSOULUTELY DISGUSTING! I have seen the Richmond Kickers, an American third division club, defend free kicks better than that! Bordeaux did play a fine match. But, to surrender a goal and three points like that is just terrible! Who was that standing still? I think Mikel was one of them.
Is Chelsea too weak up front? Right now, I’d say the problem is more inconsistency and lack of an alternative strategy than weakness. Anelka’s ability to find the back of the net is not a problem. Joe Cole, Malouda, and Kalou have all had good matches. But, they have had too many games where I just wanted to throw something at my TV. And I don’t see where the problem is in playing a 4-4-2 that will include Di Santos against some weaker league competition. Anelka and Drogs (after the suspension of course) could prove productive as well.
January? First keep Drogs from going to Inter without getting the best replacement possible. Podolzski, Roman shoud have gotten him instead of Sheva in the first place! Martins would be a bit of a headache during ACN seasons. But, is a growing powerful striker. Schweinstiger was fun to watch in the Euros. I’d have no problem with him at the Bridge.
Whomever is selected, Phil ought to get Di Santos more involved, explore the possibilities of a 4-4-2, and demand consistency from the wingers.

And the next time anyone does not challenge a header on a corner kick, that player or those players should be fined!

Honestly, I was quite shocked by the performance Chelsea put on the pitch today. In the first half we were looking pretty sloppy. Second half a bit better, still not enough to break down the organized Bordeaux defense.
That free header from Diarra, I mean it is amazing that nobody marked him. I think it is John Terry who should’ve stopped Diarra.

Ferriera for Joe Cole when a score line is 1-1??? Wow, very very impressive move by Scolari. Looked like he thought we would better go for a draw instead of bringing Kalou in the game and try to change things around.

Drogba, the man is really messed up. He is too far from his best. I think we won’t see the real Drogba in Chelsea shirt again. Maybe we will see him playing his best at Inter or somewhere else. After the final whistle, the man was smiling so wild and seemed like he was so happy to see his old dawgs in his adopted country and he did not have any worry about the result or whatever. Okay, fine.

Anelka had a fine game. I mean he showed enough determination and fighting. He did not have the service he usually does. But 1 out of 1. what can we ask from him any thing more than this? Loved the goal.

Tactically, Scolari will never match Mourinho. We would never concede the goal like we did today under Mourinho. I understand it is a bit nervous moment for Scolari. The Drogba’s meeting stuff, injuries and our lack of Plan B have been influencing our performance and match preparation. Scolari is still an elementary student to European football. With some crucial games approaching, this coming month could determine how long his future would lie at the Bridge. I heard that he is already in Madrid’s new manager’s list.

disappointing performance by our part, but Anelka proved that when given the chance he has the killer instinct like any other forward in the world. Cool as a cucumber for that glorious finish.

In chelsea FC site , there were a voting what is the result against french side

I choose DRAW. you know why ? it was my feeling. and there is a shame that we have to go to the next round as a second team .

Now only GOD know who is our opponent in first knock-out stage Arsenal ? Barcelona ? Man Utd ? Inter ?
Liverpool ? Juventus ?

Hope to beat Young ARSENAL at least !!!!

@6 – Luckily, we will not face english sides no matter if we finish first or second. Unluckily , we will have either face Barca , Inter Milan or Juventus .. LFS will be tactically exposed ..

Guys relax, in europe we don’t face a x, y, z team , we face A or B or C team. So it is difficult to win .. Look we scored today and for next game,we will have dear Deco back , so we can win or even draw against Cluj …

If good luck prevails, ( Roma defeats Bordeaux), we will qualify . By that time, Essien will be back and we will have a Plan B ..

If not, we will play in UEFA cup, where we will play a D or E or F team and have good chance to win ..

I am pretty sure that Felipao wanted to get Drogba for somebody else (possibly JC?) instead of Anelka – but when Nic finally scored, Drogs was already ready to come and it made no sense to put second striker on the pitch. So Anelka had to make the space. But it was not a good tactical move – Drogs should have sat down again and Nic should have stayed on the pitch. His pace and movement would occupy the whole defensive line of Bordeaux enough to prevent all the back four of Bordeaux from getting involved in the attack. Drogs was invisible as usual these days, but this was not a game for him – he is ready to demolish the defense under siege, but not a counter-attack player.

THE REAL REASON BEHIND US REACHING THE CL FINALS WAS TEN CATE!! YES I SAID IT….
SO NOW THE LOSS OF CLARKE IS NOT HELPING OUR CAUSE….!

Yo, #4- you are so right. Mourinho would have never permitted such a lazy performance on a set piece. Indeed, I don’t remember Ranieri’s Chelsea allowing such riddiculous goals. Clarke was the perfect hinchman to TSO and held the squad together when Toad took over. Who is instilling and maintaining team discipline? Phil, get the boys together. Sunday is coming and a loss to the Gooners will not be tolerated.

@9. vovka we did nothing to Bordeaux today let alone… bother their defense…… were u watching a different game?? we hardly muster a decent attack so i don’t know how Anelka would have occupied the Bordeaux defense…. when we could not even get out of our own half to trouble them

it math so bad.both Chelsea and Scolari have many problem.><.

Well I think it would be terrible for us to finish second in the group just based on the fact that a team of our stature should never finish with the teams we had to play… Cluj and Bordaux should have always been 12 points in the bag, both home and away!

But in reality of the situation, I am starting to wonder whether there really might be a difference between finishing first or second in the group for the knockout stages is just a matter of picking our poison. Obviously taking first would give us some better options as an easier route to advance to the latter stages, but at the same time it doesn’t.

Here are the facts, we will not be facing Roma in the next round due to the fact that teams cannot play each other straight off of the bat after being grouped together. so Roma is out of the running as our KO stage opponents. It is also a rule that teams from the same country are not to face each other in the first round of the KO stage so that rules out Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool! And now what we have left is clearly far from a bag of goodies. That leaves (based on who I’m assuming will make it through)…

If we finish second…
1) Inter Milan (could potentially finish second, but I think JM will beat Werder)
2)Barcelona
3)Atletico Madrid (if they finish tops in their group)
4)Bayern Munich or Lyon
5)Juventus

If we finish first…
1)Panathinaikos or Anorthosis (I am personally going with Henk Ten Cate and the Greek side)
2)Sporting Lisbon
3)Atletico Madrid (if they are ousted by Liverpool)
4)Villareal
5)Bayern Munich or Lyon
6)FC Porto
7)Real Madrid

Now you may notice we have more opponent prospects if we finish first and that is only because I assume (with probable cause) that all the other English squads will top their groups, therefore clearing them from contention with us! But like I was saying before, it seems to me that it is a matter of picking ones poison. But in reality, I would hope that we don’t draw Barcelona or the likes of Bayern Munich if it happens the Germans finish first. I think that if we finish second, we should hope for Atletico Madrid or even Lyon. Other than that, I see no real difference in drawing either Inter Milan, Barcelona, Juventus or Bayern Munich. It will be a case of picking our poison so to speak.
Now when we examine our options for opponents if we happen to top the group, we clearly have more room to breathe (to some extent). But to be honest, all teams that make it to the KO stage generally have a chance at making a run. Personally, I would hope that we can avoid the Greek side as teams like these which are “foreign” squads tend to provide hostile environments for their opponents. Look at the scare we nearly had with Fenerbahce last year in Turkey. I would also be hopeful to avoid Bayern Munich (if they finish second) and of course Real Madrid. Now I am less afraid of Madrid than I am of any of our other prospects just based on their situation, but with the quality players they have in van der Vaart and Sneijder, we’d do best to avoid them! Now if you really look at the other choices, the only real “easy” game would be if we drew Anorthosis assuming that they pull it off against the Greek side, which to me is highly unlikely. In that case we should be praying for Sporting Lisbon and after that Atletico, Porto and Villareal would all provide stern yet “safer” tests for us to ride over.

But really, I think its a matter of which poison we end up with, because I am sure it would be “easier” if we finished first, but to tell you the truth, this years CL is looking to set up a really difficult road back to the final whether we would have won today or not! No excuses though for such an under par performance and that horrendous defending that led to such an easy goal.

P.S. – And for those saying that would never happen under JM, did you see what happened to his squad against the Greeks? Lets stop sulking over his absence and move on already, he won’t be returning any time soon and we all should honestly rally behind our boys now, especially under LFS as adding NEGATIVE pressure will do nothing to help the cause.

Oh and did I mention that we should pray to God we don’t draw Barcelona! That is probably my most feared option because they are looking way too silky at the moment and Lionel is just unbelievable. Everything the man touches is golden.

@14 – If we finish first , we will play the second leg at home .. That is the only advantage I see.

chelsea 2 cluj 0 and roma 1 bordeau 1 will see chelsea qualify as winners

WTf!!

We want to avoid Barcelona, we want to avoid Jose Mourinho’s Inter milan, we dont want to play hostile foreign teams, God made some rules not to play against Arsenal , not Bayern or Lyon and both Madrid teams have match winners. Cmon guys, lets face the reality, bcos of our stupid game we had today, we are not going to get an easy outing in round of 16. And its not the spirit of winners to avoid teams. I would say we better face a tough opponent in round of 16 and eliminate potential threats in QF or SF. After all its Champions League, and we are playing among the best in Europe.

PLS tell the man, LFS that the team desperately needs some confidence now. I am not able to wait until the weekend to face Arsenal. If we dont win the match, i feel its the coup de grace to our confidence. I have already posted earlier, what CFC needs is a manager with long term vision some one like SAF, but this guy looks like a 2 years manager.

What we need with immediate effect is a 4-4-2 formation with anelka and drogbas both starting. I dont know why its taking so much of time for LFS atleast to try this formation. I sometimes feel that AG has done a better job in trying out formations than LFS.

I dont agree if we say only Deco is our creative midfielder. Bullshit!! When you have a quality player like Lamps, i dont think Deco is going to add anything extra to the midfield. But i leave the question of Ballck or Deco , GOD, no extra midfielder, 2 striker pls. And for gods sake, please dont call Malouda and J.Cole as wingers!!!!

4-4-2 diamond formation with Lamps , DD and Anelka upfront. I bet we see even more of Lamps in this role.

————–Cech————-
———–Back 4—————
————–Mikel————-
–Essien/Deco————Ballack
———–Lamps—————–
—-DD———Anelka——

By the Way , if you caught a glimpse of Benzema’s goal, what a beauty. I dont know, but he should end among top 2 0r 3 strikers by the end of this season in Europe. I curse myself picking Luca Toni ahead of Benzema in my fantasy team. I spent more money on Toni and got less points. fuck man, you know its a very difficult task to pick teams. its not as easy as we talk. I really got pissed of by my strikers that i picked up , toni and ibra, but the best value turned out to be Benzema and Klose, its one way of tracking who really does well in europe and who are just over hyped players in the media.

why would you want to face the better teams now with there being more potential to be knocked out quicker? I don’t understand that logic when we can let the bigger teams face each other and knock each other out while we can try and get the easiest games possible?

I think it would have been a challenge either way we look at it. And I did overlook the little thing called home field advantage for the second leg. Well, all the more work for us to do in the first leg. We’ve been faced with these odds before and we did it against Valencia two seasons ago and we can do it again! All are players should be up and running and ready to go come the round of 16 and we should all be expecting a different type of Chelsea in regards to strength and depth!

hey #18..wtf do you see in mikel!! Everytime we have lost a match is due to that guy…andu talking about J. cole he’s the most intellegent winger in the blues side..

Cech
———–Back 4—————
——— Essien———-
Cole/Deco————Ballack
———–Lamps—————–
—-DD———Anelka——

This is the time that Scolari must show determination in his team and apply the PLAN-B

i think age of chelsea players, hada very big impact to our performance for this season. if u noticed, once we failed to complete our attck & got counter attack, there is always a big gap between attacking & defending. juz my 2 cents

i´m really surprised by inability of world class LFS to change formations and tactics. I´d rather question today, is he really qualified to be a club – coach? Even AG tried few things to turn things around. Is LFS over cautious and afraid that he might lose? Otherwise whats the reason behind bringing in Ferreira for Joe Cole when it was 1-1, and there were only few minutes left? He didn´t have enough confidence to win agains Bordeaux, did he? and if its going to continue like this, our roads to CL would come to end in qualifying round, wouldn´t it?

a diamond will e better for all our players i reckon, it will gibe bossy and cole more space to egt forward form the wings, they shuld be providing the width whilt the midfield does what they do best, and dd and anelka attacking the balls whipped in form the likes of cole, bossa, deco, lamps, jc and so more. Anelka should be playing off drogba. please bur adriano or ballotelli in winter. Balllotelli can play striker and as a winger, he is a wonderwkid and will be one of the best players in the world soon.

its time to leave the 4-5-1

WE WILL LOSE AGAINST ARSENAL,IF WE PLAY LIKE THIS

I am suprised by LFS tactics .. Anelka plays well after the first goal is scored. Here he removes Anelka ??

his plan A itself is failing badly.

12. denver: Bordeaux had to change its play after the first goal – and here I see the right place for Anelka to scare its defence by a quick counter-attack to come anytime Bordeaux lost the ball. It is not only about if he really gets the ball… he can occupy the defence simply by constant movement and changing positions, so they have to take care of him. A static Drogba is of no use at this stage of the game.

27. tbf: right u r… as well as most of the people here… it is definitely time to try 4-4-2 or maybe 4-1-3-2, at least in some games, otherwise our game is going to be too much predictable.

Last but not least: my wish of starting 11 against Arsenal:

Cech – Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, A Cole – Mikel – J Cole, Lampard, Deco – Anelka, Kalou

this is well-suited to exploit the biggest weakness of present Arsenal – defensive midfielder and central defence. There seems to be inexperienced Song on DM and a fragile old-style duo Gallas-Silvestre at the centre back, while at the wings Arsenal is still strong (Clichy and Sagna, resp. Walcott and ?) The midfield line is well-suited to make some quick combinations and open a space for the attacking duo.

I would appreciate to see Drogba in this match (there would be much space for Anelka in that case, as Drogs can occupy both defenders at a time), but Kalou is a good decision – he is quick and able to make surprise movements, as well as a team player. He can play both a wide winger and a central striker – which adds a flexibility to this starting 11. Much better then picking Malouda again, again and again…

ARE CHELSEA ENTERING A CRISIS ? THIS WILL BE WORST WITH A DEFEAT OF SUNAY DERBY

I agree with most of you who are calling for a change of formation. In order to play 4-2-2 we have to have both Anelka and Drogba available at the same time they both should be in form. But it is not happening in a near future.

I hate criticizing our own players but I really think when our mid-field is not creating anything, the likes of Malouda and Joe Cole have to take the responsibility, try to create something and break the defense. At the time they are not doing that and just waiting for a ball when they got it still not able to make something out of it. I almost forgot Joe was on the pitch. We can’t always play to our mid-field’s strength. Sometimes they have an off-day. I thought Lampard had a really frustrating game yesterday. He did not have someone who could help and understand him. When Lamps not playing well or not creating anything the whole Chelsea teams stops. The Lampard-Mikel-Ballack mid-field is not as effective as the Lampard-Mikel-Deco one. I also thought we were really missing Deco. When Deco is on the pitch Lamps did not have to play that deep as he did yesterday. The Milan kid was at the center of everything Bordeaux did. He might be the reason why our mid-field could not have the commanding performance.

Wat I saw yesterday from the game was that they wanted it more then we did!!!
@31. bookcengham , I agree wit you, that milan kiddow was really good.

@21. Bijesh Dhakal, Nepal
ARE u kiddin me mate???? how can u blame mikel for out loss????????????????

I agree wit some of you, our midfield who ever is playing should have more impact on the game then we did yesterday and the game before that.
I saw the inter game yesterday and they didnt play good at all, losing at home and all. After the game TSO admitted they played bad and he took full responsibility for the loss.

EVERY problem (on the picth that is) CFC faces LFS should have an answer for it. thats his job.

If we dont make it to the promise-land (CL final) we have only ourself to blame. injuries are part of the game and even if we have had the most injuries in europe no body gives a damn about that!!!
I recognize the teams that will go through to the KO-stage are gonna be good.
As long as we get the homecourt advantage I dont really care who we play. ofcourse its good to get an easier side (on paper that is) but in the end of the day, to be champion you have to beat who ever you stand in ur way. am more then ever worried about our own form/formation. Were is our winning spirit? Where is the Chelsea SWAGGER? were is the pride??

I am really looking forward to the game on sunday. Being a local derby agains one of the big4, its gonna be a great game. I hope Arsenal brings their Agame and we can show what we are all made of (CHAMPIONS). its a massive game, but what ever the outcome of the game is, doesnt mean shit in the end. cause its a long season and as long as we stay right up their come the second half of the season we will do alright.

I dont think we will actually sign anybody in jan. I dont know what to say about this drogba-story, other then he is innocent untill he is proven guilty. BUT as someone observed in this blog, he didnt seem to worried about the result yesterday and he had a chitchat wit the milan kiddow. Maybe they were talkin about how they gonna shine together wit ac-milan next year?????

LFS thinks if WE dont win the last game agains cluj, he might as well be in brazil. atleast he is feeling the heat=)

I got a feeling we gonna get a reaction agains arsenal and its gonna get ugly for the gunnors.
We are the best team in europe, but that wont mean shit if we dont come to play on a daily basis.
COME ON CHELSEA!!!

am out like LFS will be if shit dont get on the right track soon.

4 the record I think LFS is good coach. BUT am really annoyed and pissed off right now.

/go blue

wht i dont get is why even have substitutes Big Phil if your not gonna use them ?? I mean, DD fr anelka i can get to an extent, bt paulo fereirra in for joe cole ?? it was silly man, we played a pathetic game (did any1 notice maloudas presence in the MIDDLE of the field instead of the wings..wtf ?? =S)…im just hoping we beat Cluj (pathetic as a chelsea fan to actually HOPE fr this !)…

@Bijesh Dhakal, Nepal,
What are you smoking? How can you say everytime we have lost a match is due to Mikel?Mikel may be young but you cannot put him and Joey on the same sentence when talking about Midfield operations.Can Joey play DM?no.Can he play CM?no.Can he play AM?yes but very inconsistent here.But Mikel can play all these roles very well and with much consistency.Infact,presently Mikel is more important than Joey to CFC team.Why do you think he has always survived in CFC despite the talents that is in our midfield[Makalele,Essien,Ballack,Lampard and Deco]?The names in our MF would scared any young aspiring player from our team but in Mikel’s case it has been different.The young lad have always fought for his place and have held his own(Compared to Joey,who months ago was scared when he heard tales of the arrival of a certain player called Robinho in our squard).

@ chaka
does everything have to revolve around Joe Cole?? whatever good is done in a match at any position it is because of Mikel, i am pretty sure u are going to get him the assists for all the goals we have scored, by hook or by crook and every defensively solid play is because of him, while Joe Cole is the reason for all our defensive frailities, tell me Chaka when did u see Mikel play as an excellent AM?? what are u on?? stop putting up such silly comments, which make no sense, the TEAM played bad, the TEAM was at fault, the TEAM had no desire, the TEAM were overrawed by the Bordeaux players attitude and the TEAM lost the plot and were luck to get a draw…the players who played well were all in the black jersey…

Yeah, Mikel has already established himself as a integral part of CFC and he is very unique himself in this role. He can play as an attacking MF, CM or holding one as he is doing this season. I don’t think he will be benched when Essien returns.

The Arsenal game. What a game it would be from a fan’s point of view. But a bit nervous one for the players and Scolari. I’ve said it many times in this blog that Wenger’ kids can beat any team on their day but they have to be very special to steal all three points from Chelsea at our home soil. Both clubs have some difficulties at the moment. The Gallassie and Drogbatic dramas are everywhere dominating the press.

First of all, we will see how Scolari can motivate the players for this game. The confidence may be a bit lower but the players themselves should be so hungry and aggressive on Sunday after couple of the not-so-good results. On the other hand, the Arsenal dude Faberglass says that Arsenal must beat Chelsea to stay on the tittle race.

I want to see the Chelsea spirit on Sunday which I haven’t seen in this season. The players may have thought we are the best in Europe after some sensational results. Our confidence was sky-high. But we can’t play like that all season long, of course we will have bad times. So, now is the time to show what Chelsea is capable of and send a message across the country that we are serious contender for the tittle. The opponent is Arsenal, according to the Arsenal dude they do not play for a draw and always go for a win. So, then isn’t it the opponent we want to play at the Bridge who doesn’t play defensive football???? Sweet, finally we can see some entertainment at the Bridge.

Why does Chelsea continue with the 4-5-1? Mikel is a good player, but what does he bring offensively in the DM role? Just another square pass in the midfield is all I see. I think Lampard and Deco/Ballack can handle any midfield themselves. Chelsea needs to boost attacking play by switching to a 4-4-2. I didn’t see the game yesterday, but most teams just play so defensively against Chelsea and try to score on the counter attack or set piece. Chelsea need to have a 2nd option up top to support Anelka and get on the end of crosses by the outside players.

podalskie rate was 15 million we want to buy him or we can sign tiger for free

@ #37

so true its not even funny. at least you notice that teams just pack it in and then try and burst on us. didn’t see much of that with Bordaux though, I just think we were exposed by their sheer will and out flat form, but still… teams are doing this to not only us. Only team that I see able to compete against any style is Barcelona because their passing and technique is just so fluid. Of course it helps to have the best footballing brain on the planet in Messi, but in regards to all there other players such as Xavi, Iniesta and the like… they have graceful one two combos that just pick the tightest defenses apart. We need to have the ability to choose that option when teams do decide to pack it in.

guys I don’t want us loose a game or draw and then …. “GIVE A RESPONSE” or i mean i dont want to see a W-L-W-W-L-W-L-D-W… thats not chelsea!!! fcuk that man…. I want back our damn consistency!! win win win … and maybe and odd draw……. but this chelsea under scolari is turning into bullshit……. this is not liverpool……
we win games week in week out!!! under JM we have a fucked up season…. which caused us to loose the tiltle to manu (because Roman didint want to give JM cover at the back) we came second…. but we were NEVER inconsistent…..!!!
we (fans) cant even tell or cant have faith that we WILL win the next game…. we have to be wondering or…. will them team show up today!!!
I dont mean to press the panic buttom….but ….what about Rijkaard if he fails(scolari)
for the record their is only one man who can lead my chelsea and thats!! JM!

4-2-3-1 or 4-1-3-2….. we need back our efficiency!!

I dont think Wilkins the right man for the number 2 spot….. maybe we should go for someone who can teach these players one touch football…. someone similar to Hank Ten Cate but more people friendly

hej blue-mates
I Just saw FA Youth Cup on man u TV, and Chelsea just schooled united at old tra.. 3-2.

/go blue

@ 43. kuhulai its 3-1 on the chelsea site
http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~1469395,00.html

@44. denver the game ended 3-2 for chelsea
Welbeck scored for man u in the end of the game to reduce it to 2-3.
it was one of the few youth games I have seen. it was an open game, and chelsea were effective, scoring three goals out of four shots on target.
man u did play well, it was really nice to beat them at old trafford.

Watching the first half of that game made me wanna throw up. Zero shots. Then we get a huge break with that Anelka goal, but we were thoroughly outplayed and definitely deserved to lose. Another pathetic performance, but I fully expect a vengeful backlash vs. Arsenal otherwise there’s gonna be some problems within Chelsea.

And for you morons who are saying Mourinho would have never let Chelsea players allow that headed equalizer, his own team lost at home to Panathinaikos. You all need to understand that players win or lose the games on the field, not the coaches. Don’t blame Scolari for Chelsea’s woes. He’s had to deal with the pressure of taking over a team with extremely high expectations and injuries to many key players.

So this is what we have resorted to …. the backlash…. God help the next team we face….. they are gonna get it…… these performances make me sick!

question….. why doesn’t Cech wear the full orange keeper suite again…. only the orange top and black shorts??

JUST PLAY Nico and Drogs together in the Arsenal game, screw it if we lose at leas we can see what happens.

A few words for LFS. You shouldn’t try to fix what’s not broken. Chelsea were doing relatively better last year under AG. You have to admit that. We were still rock steady. We just had some bad luck along the way. AG didn’t try to change Chelsea. He let them play the way that gets results and the points needed. Even if it was ugly and boring.

I thought LFS said “winning comes first before attractive football” ??? if he thinks winning is more important than he will revert Chelsea back to it’s old ways as our plan B or even A, seeing as how his plans don’t seem to work anymore.

in the match agaist cluj
bosin carvaliho/alex terry acole
mikel
joe cole malouda
ballack/deco
drogba anelka
win the game in 1st half itself
che 3 cluj0 hope roma bordeau draw

For all the stupid analysts from Nepal, who doubts on the abilities of Mikel,

“Mikel is the perfect replacement for Makelele. No, not even Essien can fill in Maka’s shoos”, take my words and etch it anywhere in the world.
And to all the fools who thinks that Mikel can only give a square pass, i repeat the words of my most favorite and the best footballer in the world of our times, Zizou,

“Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine? ”
(referring the purchase of Beckham and selling Maka), such is the importance unnoticed players like Maka / Mikel brings to the side by making square passes. If Mikel quits CFC today, i am gonna hang myself if SAF or professor Wenger is not going to grab him by tomorrow.

hmm…there is alot for scolari to do…no plan B, and nw i hear dhe is unsettled due to lack of funds….and drogba is poor ..i dunnu y…the whole team cant play when our plan A is shut off

@ joeblue,
You are so obsess with Joey no wonder you fail to see that my comment was a response to a certain Napel man’s comment. You posed the following question to me:”tell me Chaka when did u see Mikel play as an excellent AM?” In the AFN cup for his country Nigeria.Infact he scored a beautiful goal in that same competition some years ago.Did you watch the world youth competition where he was the second best player in the tournament and Messi was first?What role did you think he played in that competition?He was switching lanes as a CM and AM.Even the FIFA president did not fail to notice the talent of the young lad(Blatter wispered some words into Mikel’s ears and gave him a tap on the back when giving him his silver medal).You also said I should “stop putting up such silly comments, which make no sense”.It is no silly comment to say that Mikel is a much more better and complete player than Joey.This statement is clearly true.It only sounds silly to you becos you are a Joey fan.I dont hate Joey but its just fact that he is one of our most over rated and inconsistent performer.Even Malouda have played better than him this season.

LOL chaka u make me laugh, there are dozens of players who play well in youth competitions, or the ACON, to state a fact Mikel did not even get selected for the olympics for Nigeria and if i am not wrong they reached the final, thats besides the point what i am saying is that its one thing to be a great talent its another to bring it on to the big stage, dont forget that Mikel is yet to SCORE a goal for Chelsea, let alone become an AM, he cant shoot, he cant head, he cant score we all know that, when Essien came in he too was expected to become our next Makelele, what happened?? he played CDM at first then CM, sometimes AM, RB and he has been magnificent teach time, why cuz time after time he showed he is much much more than a defensive midfielder, that goal agnst Arsenal, the one agnst Valencia, the bison performance agnst Arsenal in the 1-1 draw at Emirates when we were 10 men, and hell he proved it to us that he just dint come here to stand, pass square and get a tackle in, Mikel will have to do a lot lot more to prove he is anything more than what we have seen so far, u have to perform in the CL, in the EPL, the biggest competitions if u wanna be one of the best, and dont give me the crap abt him not getting a chance, a great player does not need chances, he makes his own luck, and Mikel just needs to look to his side to see Essien and see how its done…

48. denver: maybe he doesnt want to look as a dustman anymore :)

49. xerxesk: Impossible… Drogs is suspended for throwing a coin to the stands in Burnley… but nice idea anyway :)

everybody: u cannot find a better prospect for DM post than is Mikel!!!

Was just wondering whats the age difference in Mikel and Essien?, both are splendid players and have their own strenghts and weaknesses, id leave it to that.

@55. joeblue
you know that mikels main job is to cover up while the midfielders and even AC and J B go forward.
But I agree wit you Joe Cole is a very creative player.
am I gonna pick on over the other? Hell no. We need both of them to bring their A games 4 chelsea.

but we gotta give Mikel his props. remember he is still young but he is doing superb job. With the players we got u cant really blame him for not scoring. Wit time hopefully he will add that to his reputuar. when he does that, he will be one of the best i the world if not the best.

J cole have had to many injuries to be consistent so far this year. But hopefully he will get on a run pretty soon. we really need him. When he brings his A-game he is a matchwinner for us.
And Mikel is our Glove (basketball term).

AM really happy both these to players wear chelsea shirts.

About LFS, I would be stupid to question his ability. but when our team aint playing well he needs to find answers. We didnt draw last game do to the header in the end. but cause of luck of spirit maybe fetigue and poor coaching??!!. and thats LFS job to sort out.
Everyone have bad days but lately I got this feeling we dont care much and/or arent hungry enought. should I remind the players we havent won jack shit yet?????

I agree wit you Denver, we cant really talk about reaction everytime we lose or draw. Nowadays everytime think they can not only draw agains us but actually BEAT us. what is next the world is coming to an end???

After almost winning both big titles last year, this year is the “takeover”. Nothing less then A CL and/or EPL is a failure.
BUT to coin a phrase from Mourinho “keep our chins up”!!!

Come on chelsea we can Do it!

@ 55. hey JoeBlue, Mikel is yet to score a goal for Chelsea? He scored one of the top CFC’s goals of 06/07 season. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZK4BRN6D9w watch it.

He has never played as AM for Chelsea. He does not have a chance to show some of his talents in the Blue shirt because we have the best players in that position. Mourinho played him in CM but that was not enough either because he always was the one to sit behind and break the opponent’s attack. 06/07 season, when Joe and Robben were injured, Mourinho played 4 central midfielders, Lamps-Mikel/Makelele-Essien-Ballack.

I saw the interview of Algerian National Team coach, he was unhappy with Mikel’s role in Chelsea. He was worried about one of his best talents where Chelsea not using his full ability and wasting his treasure.

I don’t think he can’t shoot, head or score. I think Chelsea haven’t give him the opportunity to do that. I am pretty sure If Mikel played as AM he would’ve scored for Chelsea in his first 5 games.

This season, Mikel has been playing as DM, sitting just in front of center backs, clearing everything he can. I think he is doing fabulous job and has been one of the Chelsea’s most consistent perforemers. How many DMs of his age are doing what Mikel does??? I don’t think there is many. I also saw some improvements in his performances this year. Hiss passing and holding the ball has improved. In 2 years of time he will become one of the best in the business. I just want him to become more the P.Viera type of player.

Mikel didnt get selected for olympics becos his coach thinks he did honour the invitations he has sent to him before the tournament.It was never becos his coach saw any flaw in him.Its also silly of you to think that the ACN is not a big stage.Have you ever watched any of the prevoius competition?And mind you Mikel has performed in what you classify as a big stage.Remember Chelsea vs Porto at the bridge some years ago under TSO.Who do you think came in for Makelele at half time to change the game for us?Mikel.During the FA cup final some years ago under TSO.Who was our engine that made Manu MF look lame on the pitch?Mikel.The list can go on and on.You were also trying to drift from our point of arguement which was Mikel/Joey to Mikel/Essien.Your drift shows than you are fully aware(even if you dont want to admit it) that Joey is no match when put against the likes of Mikel.It also shows that you are fully aware(even if you dont want to admit it) thatMikel belongs to the class of talents like Essien.Be objective for once my brother,Joey is an inconsistent chelsea player that likes experimenting skills ,which he has no talent for(remember the lame leg overs,the weak dribbles,and silly twists over the ball),on the pitch.

Correction:Mikel didnt get selected for olympics becos his coach felt he did not honour the invitations he sent to him before the tournament

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=596905&sec=england&cc=5901

I dont understand what fun i get after reading about Felipao and professor’s friendship. Is LFS drifting away? Why is he praising the football played by Arsenal? Is it not going to affect the moral of our team? I think, instead he should be intimidating the opponents. LOL, Professor does not deserve the same respect ( a bottle of french or brazilian wine :) ) shown to SAF by TSO. At least in this respect, i have a high regard for our ex-manager TSO and the way he intimidates the opposition.

Ok a question , who do you think are best 3 manager in EPL this season so far,

My picks

1. O’Neil
2. Hughes
3. Rafa

Does any one think something else?

My picks

1. Harry Redknapp
2. O’Neil
3. LFS

Harry is such a great coach. He had done tremendous job at Pompey and has been building brand new team in Spurs. I heard he is one of the front-runners of BBC’s the personality of the year award which he should truly deserve.

O’Neil, he is so passionate about his job and players. He makes Aston Villa from a mid-table team to one of the top 5 clubs in the country. I would not be surprised if they get a Champions league spot.

Everyone knows what Scolari has done at Chelsea. I think he is doing good job there and of course we will judge him by how many silverware we win in the end of the season.

58. kuhulai ….. well said man!!!! ” keep our chins up” !!!!!
we all just want to see our team do well.. after all we do have one of the BEST squads in all of Europe! so we expect the best!
Its just hard to go from wining (consistently) and having self belief (THANKS JOSE!!) to inconsistency and unsure of ourselves.

” keep our chins up”.. men!!

guys suddenly we all became coaches the is playing well in premier league we dave some problems in CL
but i have faith on Scolari….

I dont like Liverpool but Rafa was the only man who, on occasions could out think JM!!!

Rafa is a very good tactition.but he is not a commanding power as jose.

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

to speak of the best managers in EPL and not mention SAF?? We no coach have been to the promise land more then he, so we gotta give him his propps ppl.