That's the $64,000 question. So far so good. When we had a poor couple of weeks and City caught us, I strongly believe tiredness was a big factor. After just one weeks "rest" we played probably our best football all year. Players like JT especially who are not getting younger ,may well feel the pinch 2nd half of season without a bit more rest. My feelings, as a "computer manager" are that we will need to rotate just a little more than the first half of the season. Don't see this as a huge problem. Luis is getting better and better, Oscar is back in form, Ake hasn't put a foot wrong, nor has Zouma, and Drogba and Remy have played well when needed. I think we have the squad, Jose just needs to use them wisely.
Exactly. Will Jose change? Also I am going again on record, if Mikel makes more than 5 starts from now on - league isn't ours!!
Cheers. I was confident (over confident) last season. Not so much this season, having seen last season unravel.
You're the only team that's blown Swansea away, Last weekend could have been 9 or 10 nil. The second goal is a clue to why Chelsea will win the title.
Not rotating has two effects, tiredness and complacency. Knowing you are starting 11 week in week out will produce some flat performances if there is no one pushing you for your place.
got to say i agree. totenham away wouldnt have happened if we were rotating and fresh. remy should play more, as should ake/mikel (who imo has had a good season),ouma and luis. but were top of the league and in all cups so its not going too badly is it!
It did but in case you didn't notice that was 8 years ago, nearly a decade, the PL has come a long way since then in overall quality. Besides I was talking the effect of starting the same players week in week out. it's no secret missing a game makes you hungrier as a player. Willian does some freaking work.. he's def the sort that could do with the odd game off, the work he put in at Anfield was something else. Hazard too would need the odd rest. They won't want to not play of course
Much needed rest for the A team. 9 changes. Yes Cahill & Mikel are not part of that 'A' team! I would say 11 changes.
As painful as it was on Saturday , I am coming to terms with it, and now beginning to think that was a wake up call. The top squad I trust will go out on Tuesday and take no prisoners. Liverpool have got us a precisely the wrong time (I hope)
We have a perfect first XI but not a perfect squad. If we had someone of Eden's quality on the other side along with maybe Ivanovic in the middle instead of Cahill I think we'd be laughing. Drogs is a legend, but for the love of God Jose he's nowhere near good enough to be our 2nd choice.
Our recent success has isolated a few of the first team squad as nothing make a manager try something new as a few points getting lost. Jose doesn't rotate. He picks on form and a reserve on reputation as they have no recent form. He'll take a youngster onto the bench and keep him there if when asked to play they do well. He won't change for to rest a player unless he feel the opposition that game merits it. So chances to come in to the first eleven are restricted yet Jose can say in a press conference that the squad is strong and he can change things if he needs (but we know doesn't want) to. Jose doesn't rotate, he doesn't promote youth players. He is pressured to, by his youth and reserve coaches who have to convince their players it is all worth it and by fans who often follow these guys who appear to them to have more club loyalty as they are players who have committed over half their lives, in some cases, to Chelsea. They usually had picked Chelsea and didn't come after negotiating a bigger wage with us than another interested club.
You'd do well to get another of Hazard's quality for that other side. Who's out there atm that fits the bill?
Was thinking someone like Reus at the time but this Cuadrado is a good little player. Not quite Eden's quality obviously but has more attacking quality than Willian.
