What do you think the Chelsea line up to play against Wigan will be? And now that the Olympics has finished, will Oscar start? ----------------Cech-------------- Ivanovic---David Luiz---Terry---Cole ----------Ramires---Lampard------- ---Oscar-------Mata------Hazard--- ---------------Torres--------------
Can't see Oscar being thrown in with out any time for us under his belt. Do we know how Marins injury is going? It will be the line up that started last week.
Line up as above bu with Mikel in midfield and Ramieres wide right. Would be suprised if Oscar even made the bench.
We can't play Lamps and Mikel together , they drain all the speed we need from the midfield. Lamps on the bench for me, especially since he played Wednesday. Would also start Terry on the bench and play our CL winning central defenders.
I like it but can only see RDM picking Sturridge at number 9 now in competative matches. Clearly doesn't trust him as a winger/right forward.
Yep, he did and he has, and he may well start. And our midfield will be as slow as a wet week again. Franks value is in the last 30 mins, when his experience and guile are needed and he can go flat out.
Exactly. Frank has been great for us but as Essien did he is now the player who slows play down which is the exact opposite of what Torres,Hazard,Mata need.
Watching pre season it was pretty obvious Essien was the quickest ball distributor out of Mikel and Lampard, and compliments the work of Mikel much better than Lampard. Romeu isn't ready to be dropped back into our lineup. I would probably start Rami - Essien though (considering Mikel's appaling Community Shield show) holding with Hazard - Mata - Marin up top. Cahill is our best CB atm. I would play Terry - Cahill though as Luiz - Cahill doesn't yet have the organisation that Terry provides in defence.
I went to 2 games and saw Essien in both and I can not agree less with your assertion. Slow ponderous and laboured come to mind.
Out of interest, what do you think Frank was doing 3,4,5 years ago that he isn't doing now? I've never seen Frank as a player who turns the ball over quickly in the same way Xavi or Scholes do. His passing range is brilliant though as demonstrated with his world class passes that contributed to 2 of our 3 goals v Barca last season. He may not get box to box as much as before but surely that will be covered by the better wingers and forwards we'll have this year?
When we had Drogba in attack holding the ball up for players to join in as opposed no striker who can do that now? I don't think you can really compare the roles of then and now. Frank played much further forward then than the role he is playing now.
Maybe or it maybe an over simplification. Lampard was pulling the strings before Drogba came along and I can't see that his passing has got worse at all. Ultimately we are going to need a midfielder to supply the forwards and if it's between frank, mikel, essien, romeu, ramieres, benayoun or meireles...I'd pick Frank every single time (though there has to be a place for Ramieres too).
I don't think anyone has said it has got 'worse'. I think he recycles the ball too slowly for the newer players we have though. The whole point of having Hazard,Mata and others is for their youth and pace which is negated if the ball doesn't get to them quickly enough.
Perhaps and it will remain to be seen how the new system(s) work and who fits into it best. However in the absense of buying a new central midfielder, I still think Frank is our best option in there. Would be nice to see Josh given some more game time too though.
