Damian_de

It's a strange one alright, last season a number of the players were quite vocal about how we needed to turn draws into wins, keep playing until the last second etc, and they were vocal about the fact that it's absolutely necessary if you want to challenge for the title. This season that seems to have disappeared. It looks like we don't actually believe we can win it. Where the confidence has evaporated to I have no idea, but it does look very much like there are some 'issues' about the place. I thought Villa got their tactics spot on - you could see Mascherano and Lucas looking to move the ball wide to the full backs who were so often not getting forward that they had to constantly turn back inside and we finished the game off just trying to thread magic passes through 6/7 packed defenders. But it's a worry if we've been sussed this early on the back of one game (Stoke), and I bet they can't believe they scored 3 with that performance! (I can't!)

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He didn't have anyone covering behind him for England though so they did get in behind him a few times. For us he'll almost always have Macher sat in behind when he bombs forward which isn't bad cover.

Lucas also presses very high up the pitch quite often which is a big part of the way we play, more so than mascherano for example, so they work quite well together I think.

was just about to post same about lucas - tidy game indeed

There were lots of times yesterday when lucas and mascherano showed for the ball and never received it. The period from when Skrtel and Carragher collided to half time we were a mess. If the centre backs don't 'trust' the midfield players (and I'm really not sure there is any actual evidence for that, hoofing doesn't equal a lack of trust necessarily) then that is something that needs to be addressed and I am sure it will have been noted. Also when Benayoun came on Stevie finally had an outlet in space on a regular basis - he didn't look like his fitness was all there yesterday and was trying to move the ball rather than himself on most occasions. Babel had vanished, Torres was tightly marked and Dirk wasn't having one of his better days, so part of the difference in Stevie late on was just having an outlet. Personally I don't want to see him moved back. I think Lucas and Mascherano are fine. Somewhere above someone said something like Lucas isn't good enough and Mascherano can't distribute it but is otherwise OK. Well, the boss would score them a bit higher than that! He's already said Mascherano is the world's best in that position, and he clearly rates Lucas as an intelligent footballer and decent passer (and I think he's right).

Someone really ought to get the football commentators on British TV to read that, because they are the worst in any country I've lived in for the one striker means trying not to lose rather than trying to win.

He gets in the box far more than Alonso or Mascherano for sure.

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Don't think that Mail article is entirely serious eh? Just have a look at the titles of the links by the same author... (Hatchet Man... grrr)

He'll just be coming into his prime as a keeper then

Bet Rafa's loving this - him vs Real/Barca part 2 :-)

Not to mention played at centre back!

Same situation as last year isn't it? They want him to hand in the request.

Xabi's been a marked player since just after he arrived here, going back to Lampard trying to maim him and before, and besides, he's still adept at finding space and running the game regardless.

Th Tunisian Zidane looking like a clone of Materazzi, how ironic

I think Chelsea's choice of manager will be a big factor next season. Another Scolari and I don't think there's any chance we won't be ahead of them, someone more in the Hiddink mould and we will have another very tough and wealthy competitor. While Hiddink is no doubt very talented I think he's had it easy just being in charge for a few months because he's been able to indulge the egos and blindly defend his players' behaviour without really having to consider the long term implications. Despite that I don't think they've taken more points in the league than us since he took over (could be wrong). Also I think the biggest indicator of the gap we still face is the fact that the Mancs and Chelsea have done extremely well in all competitions whereas we've really only made headway in the league, and gone out the of the CL at the first challenge really. It's that strength in depth that really heightens the robustness of their league challenge. Tactically though I reckon we've been the best side in the league this season, and we also look like we believe in it which is a major step up from, well, since the last season of the King as someone mentioned above.

Funny you should mention that... "The official was smuggled out of Britain under police guard this morning after a series of death threats. At the end of the match Ovrebo was the victim of abuse from Chelsea players and was forced to run from the tunnel to seek refuge on the pitch. Police were so concerned about his safety that they changed his hotel before organising his secret exit from Britain. Police in Ovrebo’s home city of Oslo said they were investigating threats made on the internet, which has been flooded with messages including the referee’s address and warnings that fans will 'hunt him' and 'kill him'. An Oslo police spokesman said: 'We are watching closely what is being posted on the internet. Anything we believe would threaten his personal safety will be taken seriously.' (Graham) Poll blamed the players for stoking the fans’ anger. 'When you see players acting like that, fans are called fans because they are fanatics — they may feel it’s time to take action themselves,' he said. He described Drogba and Ballack’s behaviour as 'a dreadful display of petulance', adding that stewards at Chelsea had failed to step in quickly enough to protect the referee. 'Players should show some restraint. They should show some respect.' The campaign against Ovrebo has echoes of the case of Anders Frisk, a referee who faced a hate campaign after another Chelsea-Barcelona match. Chelsea’s coach at the time, Jose Mourinho, accused him of 'adulterating' the outcome of a match. Frisk eventually quit as a referee. Chelsea internet fans’ forums posted Ovrebo's address and threats against him. On Facebook, several groups were created by this morning dedicated to abusing the referee, including one titled 'Kill Tom Henning Ovrebo'. The creator of one group states: 'We group dedicated to the hunt for (and brutal murdering of) the second-leg champions league ref of Chelsea vs Barcelona.' Mr Ovrebo was pursued into the players’ tunnel by Drogba and Ballack with the Ivorian hitting the wall with his fist as abuse was screamed at the official." Saw this when following another link above

Hiddink treading a bit of a fine line defending the players on this one I reckon.

Fair thread in general imo - Chelsea can **** off they are horrible, but they wanted that and earned it, fair play.

Featuring No. 10 - Rafa's off to Real! Bizarre

He played centre back in the first game too after Asik (the first choice) got sent off.

Maybe not in the league this season but who knows there... But if we draw them in the CL, yeah, that changes a lot. Also, I think its telling that if Queiroz had still been there I think they would have set out for the draw rather than the win, and ultimately that would have made them harder to beat. I think it's no coincidence that hes left again and once more they don't look so clever tactically, just getting by on superior resources, and looking nothing fancy in Europe. So in the long term game that result might well just change a hell of a lot next season.

You're right I'm convinced, Lucas should be hung drawn and quartered, then erased from all photos and buried at the bottom of the Mariana's trench.