It`s Back to Basics?

Time for some tactical change i'm afraid, Mata and Luiz doesnt press enough nor track back, and Mikel and Rami have been impressive (somethinh RdM can't overemphasize) but cant do all the defensive duties. I dont think going all defensive is the way forward either it all depends on finding the right balance. I think we should go 4-3-2-1. Mikel,Oscar,Rami; mata, hazard. Torres and sturridge are focking waste of space.

This doesn't sound good really. Is not as if we are that clueless. Our defensive mistakes are mostly down to one mistake and lately, the nmajority have been from DAVID LUIZ. He doesn't need to change anything. If we make CAHILL,JT and IVA our main CBs we will stop shipping in these stupid goals. Again, if we had strikers that converts chances, we would definitely have at least 6more points. If he reverts back to dropping Oscar and Hazard on the bench for Rami and Bertrand on the wings then he will be gone before Christmas. Drop David Luiz, Buy a striker..Problem solved! Also, they better sort out Cole's contract or look for a new LB. Bertrand is crap. And before anyone tells me about giving him time, he is already 23!!

Glad to see that he's realised that we are woeful without the ball. AVB sticked with his high line tactic even though we were conceding a *****load and we know where it led him. RDM is a top bloke and the fact that he is willing to change things 11 games into the season shows that he is well aware that we aren't good enough. But as Dannism said, a change of formation should be enough I think. If going back to make sure we don't concede means playing Rambo and Bertrand on the wings again... That's not the solution.

@FrLamp, I'm not afraid RdM will play Ramires on the wing, because than he won't have any players left to put a decent job in midfield. As for Bertrand on the wings, I doubt one of the mazacar players will be left on the bench. I would prefer, we would start playing in a 4-3-3 formation with Oscar and Rambo in midfield, Hazard and Mata on the wings and Studge in cf. Defense: Cole, Iva, Cahill, Azpi.

Does anyone know how is Bruma doing at HSV?

if he goes back to the same tactics which we played last season with the players we have now....then he wil be digging his own grave...how can you play defending football with mata oscar hazard.....if he trys to play ryan and ramires on wing then who will create opputunity and score goal for us...he should just play sturridge in place of torres and drop luiz for iva...

We all know that Hazard was brilliant from the middle and oscar was amazing for brazil on the left so put hazard back where he created a lot for Torres and Mata on the right cuttin in and switching play with harzard. Terry is a lot slower than he used to be so dont have high hopes. My suggestion is RB at left back needs to stay there not to run fwd like AC. WBA 2nd goal was as a result of a LB not on his normal position. Marin has to start playing and before then reserved judgement, Our problems are global

just ply iva as a cb hes our best cb. nd FFS just move luiz 2 midfield he cd b an alternative 2 fellaini. hes also gt better vision/dribbling/finishing thn mikel nd romeu. 2 sum up luiz in 1 word : liability

shaka09...I dont know where you are getting your well off views from. Did you actually watch the game yesterday? Everyone saw how we were awful the first half hour when Hazard was playing through the middle and not only until he switched to the left and Sturridge played through the middle did we start making chances. As for Oscar playing on the left for brazil, please enlighten me on where you got that from because Oscar plays in the hole for brazil with Neymar on the left and Hulk on the right and Damiao through the middle...your comment is laughable and amature. Also what does Terry being slow have to do with anything? A lot of the worlds great defenders in the past didn't have particularly good pace, Maldini, Nesta, Baresi to name a few examples. Even some current day defenders such as Pique and Chiellini don't have massive amounts of pace. Its about being clever and utilising what you do have. At least terry has more pace than the 3 legends mentioned. He still is and will always be a better CB than Luiz and is currently our best CB by far.

@Ess dabisson You re entitled to you opinion and im not sure if you re wise to call peoples comments laughable and amature. There is evidence for what i said but you are not worthy for insulting my opinion.

Not entirely sure I agree with RDM in terms of going back to the basics for the simple reason that he doesn't have players to go back to the basics. He doesn't have an efficient striker. His players who are defensive on the wings are woeful in attack (Ramires and Bertrand). He doesn't have an efficient striker. Torres is a scam. Sturridge is not good finisher. He is overreacting like the fans and simple changes to the squad should improve our performance. Going back to the basics doesn't cure our inefficiency upfront nor does it cure Luiz's moment of madness; Bertrand's poor performance; and the fact that Romeu and Mikel do not work because RDM has been forced to play two of them together because we sold Merieles. Reverting to a 4-3-3 to play Lampard, Ramires and Mikel will even be more of disaster. Do you guys remember how terrible in terms of creating chances that midfield was? We used to call that midfield a BLACK HOLE. Drogba had to single handedly come back and create chances and score goals for that squad along with Kalou and Malouda who chipped in a few. We don't have Drogba nor do we have forwards who can finish like Malouda in the squad any more. If back to basics is reverting to what won the UCL last season, then that's not gonna work either until he has an efficient striker and hope the luck that took us through takes us through again. He needs to make changes to the starting XI though and that means playing Sturridge upfront from now on until January; and if Cole isn't available, may be play Iva at RB and Azpilicueta at LB. When Cole returns, sit Luiz for a bit. We need more and better defensive coaching that anything else and appropriate strikers. Has anyone ever wondered why we concede so much from the left (even with Ashley Cole), but not the right even though both Hazard and Mata offer no defensive work whatsoever?

And yh i know we concede more from the left, thats because luiz is a poor defender (normally plays LCB) and Ivanovic is a better defender than Cole and doesnt get as forward!

Ermmmmmm Noooooo. Been saying that before the game yesterday AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ACCUSE ME FOR BEING A HATER BECAUSE I SAY THAT. So please don't be lecturing me on why I said he is not a good finisher. Find out why I said so before assuming. Assuming I think he is not a good finisher because of 5 minutes and cameo appearances IS POOR FROM YOU. It is from his Bolton and Chelsea days. Number of goals he has scored doesn't matter, but how he scores those goals. Sturridge knows how to be in the right position at the right time and a lot of the goals he scored were whipped in crosses from Cole or Malouda or from the left flank of which he headed or tapped in. Almost all Cole's assists from the left wing last season went to Daniel Sturridge. More times than not, he fluffs a clear one on one chances with the keeper because he lacks composure in front of the keeper and makes poor decisions. Only a hand few of his Chelsea goals depicted this last season as well. Luiz's positioning in the Center of Defense depends on which CB is playing. If it is Terry, he plays RCB. If it is Cahill, he plays LCB.

Because as far as strikers go, right now we're fresh out of options. Till January.

I cannot believe that people on here would seriously want us to sell luiz, I find it absolutely laughable. Yes luiz is an erratic defender but selling him is a bit stiff isn't it. I believe it's up to the management to tell luiz what he has to do as a defender, if RDM is telling luiz to dribble the ball out of defence, if RDM is telling him where are who to mark then is that luiz fault, is he not following instructions. Ok he loses the ball, but even the greatest players loose the ball. Sell luiz and we regret it. Going back to basics, I'm not sure if changing the formation is the answer, but maybe changing the personnel within it. Using Marin, Sturridge, Moses more on a regular basis is the answer, if RDM realises that using what he's got is the key then we can improve. We are all disappointed for sure, but being so dramatic, really?

I haven't posted for a while but can see from the above that opinions are as divided as ever. This of course is good so long as no attempt is made to berate or belittle someone who has a different opinion. I like what Kaku is saying but a lot of others have very valid points too. In my view we do need a different approach to games especially when playing away and more so whilst JT and Cole are missing. It is my view only but I would try a 4-3-3 with Azpi, Iva, Cahill and Cole at the back. The middle three would be Moses, Mikel and Ramires and at the front we would have what I call the Triumphant Three Oscar, Mata and Hazard. Yes I would drop Torres (having supported him since day one). My rational is simply that, the Triumphant Three especially Mata and Hazard simply cannot defend but they sure can cause damage to the opposition. And in Oscar, I believe we potentially have the best finisher in the team at this moment. He looks so comfortable in the opposition penalty area it is a joy to behold. That flick yesterday to set up Sturridge was simply divine. Talking of moments, I fear this moment is fast turning into a "Bad Moment" so we need to act quickly. A few things have become patently obvious inasmuch that Torres does not feel for Chelsea what we feel. I also think the Sturridge has had enough. Bertrand is not ready to take over the mantle from Cole and JT is the glue that holds the back line together. Once JT and Cole return we will have some sort of leadership and resolve to guide the youngsters through this horrible period. But RDM needs to drop Torres now before he becomes the weight that drags him down. Sorry to be so downbeat everyone but the last four PL results have been very hard to take. Let's all get behind the team and hope Tuesday marks a turnaround in our fortunes. And finally, let's hope Santa sends us a belated present in January, one with goals written all over it. It's Falco for me, please. Good luck everyone.

Well said KeepingTBFFH...but I am not sure about Moses/Mikel/Ramires in the midfield...Need someone to distribute the ball. I might swap Oscar and Moses around. Or replace Piazon for Moses in the midfield.

Good rdm for realising there is a problem/s(defense and stricking forces).please work unto them and try to fix them with what you have waiting for jan to come when you can bolster the weaknesses in the team.at any given time(my opinion) try to select a team according to the opponent's strength and weakness.

Carefree_1990, I hear what you say but I thought that we we trying to be a little more defensive than of late and that most of our goals have been scored by Oscar, Mata and Hazard. lamarochs, you are right too but my train of thought is that moses would help secure the right hand side and Ramires would the same on the left. Mikel would sit just in front of the back four at all times. However, when Moses pocked up the ball he would surge forward as Carefree_1990 rightly points out and the Ramires aand Mikel would hold back to check any counter attack. Similarly, Ramires would do the same for the left with Moses and Mikel holding back. Just a thought as we do not yet have a player in the Ferandinho (of Shakter) mould who can distribute the ball. Piazon I agree is certainly one for the not to distant future as is De Bruyne who appears to be doing very well. Hey but this is just my view.

Luiz is 10 times better than terry in my opinion and he is in the Brazil team which is the most demanding national side in the world. we need a good left back and mikel playing closer to the back two. our problem is not the defenders as we all know that chelsea have the best defenders in the EPL but the problem is our tactics and strategies and that is the department of our own RDM.

Luiz is 10 times better than terry in my opinion and he is in the Brazil team which is the most demanding national side in the world. we need a good left back and mikel playing closer to the back two. our problem is not the defenders as we all know that chelsea have the best defenders in the EPL but the problem is our tactics and strategies and that is the department of our own RDM.

Hahahaha!!!!! Amazing @Tiraspol, how do u expect a guy on bench and only training to be more sharp than another who trains and plays in competitive games regularly???? I don't get that logic at all, do u understand the difference between fitness and match fitness?

We don't need to switch into a defensive mode, it will in fact add to our problem bcos we don't have the players to execute such tactic and we seem to be running out or luck these days... simple one or two changes is all we need. I have said before, same strategy, game plan and tactic for every game is RDM's problem... even when he uses different players, he still uses same tactic and game plan... Playing Mikel and Romeu together was already defensive, just that it was in a stupid manner. All RDM needs to do is be more intelligent and smart with his team selection, tactics and game plan. For instance, playing sturridge and Torres together in a 4-2-3-1 formation was silly, playing Moses as one of the 3 in 4-2-3-1 drastically reduces his effectiveness. Play Moses on the wing in 4-3-3... or tell him to do more of outward drifts than cut-in when playing the 4-2-3-1 formation.... tell mikel to always remain behind the middle line, play Iva at CB in place of Luiz, etc.... simple effective changes is all we need, we have good players who have so far been carrying the team, it's time for the coaching/managerial dept to stand up and put on their thinking cap....

luiz better than terry?did someone say that?yes,luiz is great,apart from his moments of madness,but seriously comparing any CB with terry is a crime.

And Luiz too, at that.

@Tiraspol sorry mate thats nonsense. Any player in the world would tell you that producing it on the training field and producing it in a match is not the same. Sturridge is a good trainer and chelsea tv always report how well Sturridge trains and that he scores goals for fun in training. Even last season when both Drogba and Torres were at the club Sturridge use to get good reviews for training sessions. You are deluded to think that Torres gets into the team ahead of Sturridge because he trains better, everyone knows why Torres gets in ahead and that is simply because of how much the owner bought him for. So you can be "just saying" whatever you want but in reality everyone knows why Torres gets in ahead of Sturridge!

IMO our main problem is lack of good strikers, I belief once that is sorted out we will be surprised the situation is not as bad as we are thinking because we will start wining matches. In most matches we've played this season the team creates loads of chances which we have no striker to convert, imagine a Van Persie in the team you know we would have won most of our matches even with our level of defending, I belief it's our lack of scoring goals that is making our defensive frailty so obvious.

@Latunvic "simply substituting Luiz with JT won't end our defensive blunders and early goal syndrome" --- Haha I think it will mate. At least he wont mess up the basics for a start!

@Ess...DaBison - completely agree with you. @ Kaku - Sturridge has been one of the best finishers of the last 24 months for Bolton then Chelsea, and thats comparing to the likes of Drogba, Torres, Anelka, Kalou, Malouda, Lampard. The numbers dont lie, and lets remember alot of the game time has been from wide, where as none of drogbas or torres has been at all?! - and seriously saying that the numbers of goals someone scores doesnt matter but how they score them? Come one mate, we are talking about strikers (mainly). Goals scored is the most important stat they have and why Torres is branded as the biggest flop in Europe right now. Sturridge is absolutly and without doubt more clinical than any other striking option we have right now, its jsut a pity he is rusty with lack of game time due to being impeded by the 50 million pound man. I am abolustly convinced that part of RDMs directive from Roman would have been to get Torres scoring so he gets some return on the 'investment' otherwise he would not have had so much game time playing almost every minute of every match. I think now he is in a position where he basically cant play him every minute every more or we are going to get ourselves into more trouble than we are already in with Nandos lack of drive and goals..

What surprised me most at the start of the season was the essien loan deal. If he is fit enough to start for Real madrid then why did we sell him? Probably because of hazard and oscar's arrival we were too confident in our midfield. If we had essien then we would no longer would have had to play mikel and romeu midfiel like we did against wba.

@Drogged-mo.So what if he lacks pace.He makes up for that with his excellent reading of the game.Luiz is great,but he he has moments of madness consistently.And why are we conceeding so many goals in the absence of Terry?And why was Petr Cech not tested against Liverpool when Terry was there on the pitch?

We should have sold Luiz to Barcelona when we had the chance. Hummels would be an excellent replacement for him, although not cheap.

We should also sell Ferreira and Malouda ASAP to reduce wages.

If I were RDM I'd...1) Drop the Torr-Mented1 and start with Sturridge, 2) Drop Luiz and play Iva+Cahill at CB, play Azpi at RB, 3) Have a plan B especially agaionst counter attacking teams (4-1-4-1) where our defenders don't move beyond the halfway line but Moses (RW) and Hazard (LW) provide the width. Hazard sin't a technical player for the middle, he's a winger with pace and goot fast dribbling skills so it's obvious he plays well on the wings (as he's done for Lille)....That way we'll have width (Moses & Hazard) whilst keeping Oscar+Mata at CAM playing behind a pacy and mobile Sturridge. That obviously means the dropping of Mikel for Ramirez at the pivot....if he does this I'm confident he'll do better than we doing right now and maybe he'll keep his job

I was going to make the point Kaku made earlier. It may be as simple as making sure Luiz plays RCB where he is used to partnering JT. Cahill will be JT's replacement eventually so it makes sense to use him LCB. And we need a dedicated defence coach (like we have a goalkeeping coach). JT for that role?

@Mq is improving with his analysis and his insight is completely astute. Something must WORK out with this guys,they a a plethora of talent a good coach can easily see and know where to slot who and which formation to play who and rest who,rotations and variations is the way forward not being predictive and got exposed by other team.we have enough talents for rotations. Essdabison*= finally somebody who thinks the way i do in football.

In my own opinion, I think our problem lies with our obvious formation, we are now like a team without any pattern, we play only one formation without any plan B, we are being fed our own poison by other teams, we handled barca thru counter attacks, we beated barca bcos they don't have a plan B, now we are falling into the same trap and we won't come out of it anytime soon except our coach does his home work well, we have been playing 4-2-3-1 without fail and using the same personnel, except the westbrom game, we lack a plan B, we lack diversity, we don't play a 4-4-2, nor a 4-3-3 which are both sucessful formations if we apply them carefully, we lack that element of suprise, we have been found out with that formation, rdm needs to overcome this rut before it overcomes him or he'll be out of his depths, what I can advice as a cfc fan is, drill the defenders, I won't mind if he dedicates the whole week plugging the defensive hole, and the whole of next week making strikers take finishing practice and shooting, then he can try a 4-3-3 formation or a 4-4-2 depending on his position, he is the one that has the coaching license and can do a better job than our opinion, play cech,cole,cahill,iva,cesar,mikel/rammy,oscar,mata,hazard,moses and sturridge against juve with mikel/rammy staying as a DM with instructions not to move forward, all he should be told to do is shield the back four and break up play, pass to mata or oscar to transit from defense to attack and hope for the best, that is our best deal for now in my own opinion, a 4-3-3 formation as I highlighted just now

spot on Desmodadonis

Nelyvanile, nice epistle there, so how do u think robbie will get it right? If u are in his position. What will u do? I am asking u bcos seriously who knows if ur opinion might be what we need.

@Desmond. I do not agree it has anything to do with formation...as long as the team is lacking that link up and balance,we will get the same result whatever formation we play. For God sakes we played 4-2-3-1 towards the tail end of last season...The team had that balance,once a player moved out of position you had someone else plugging in to fill the hole regardless of your position in the team...

we've mostly been conceding from the wings, meaning our wing backs are constantly caught out of position and this can mainly be attributed to them focusing on running forward than not (recall the supposed argument between Iva and RDM) so for us to negate wing and counter attacking threat, our 4 defenders never venture beyond the halfway line. We evidently have no immediate need for a 2 man pivot (problem isn't in the middle) so lose 1 pivot guy, the least effective being Mikel, he can always come in the 2nd half especially when we are protecting a lead. Ramires will protect the back 4 and man-mark the opposition playmaker.

'As a team we have to defend better. You don't defend with one, you defend with the whole team.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2234917/Roberto-Di-Matteo-fighting-job-Petr-Cech-involved-dressing-room-bust-up.html#ixzz2CexdVg9X............................................................that's Roberto Di Matteo's philosophy

@Mq...You are usually in the Media bandwagon,you comment on what you read on sites...so we played 4-9-1 ei? We played with 14 players on the pitch...how brilliant.

What do you not understand about how we used to win games, and make sure first and foremost that we don`t concede."?? What are we missing the point on when RDM himself says we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive?? Not trying to be a nuisance but if you misinterpret this then you are either in denial or naive (no offense)

RDM has to get back to basics, but it is not necessarily going to path which got us euro success. We dont have players to play those kind of play. RDM knows this. Instead, he should show more courage in dropping Torres & Luiz. He should put faith on Cahill-Iva CB pair & sturridge for CF role. If he can correc this, I think chelsea can easily win lot of matches....We are doing pretty good, but we are very careless at the back & our striker dont care to shoot the ball...

@nelyvanile when I mentioned that on matchday thread against shakter, I was being ignored, I said we need to be pressing teams and stop losing ball unnecessarily, that was how shakter effectively us out and how we won spurs.

How shakter shut us out effectively, they pressed us so well with their whole 10 players, we did that against arsenal and spurs and we won.

Guys, don't you think we need to call KDB back from loan. He will not do wonders, but he will give a very good alternative option. He defends better than other wingers/midfielders. He has scored more goals than Hazard in Bundesliga. Now please don't tell me that Bundesliga is crap. He has started all the games for Bremen. He is rated better than Hazard by the Belgian coach. At this moment our side is too predictable coz our squad is very small. Bringing back KDB will give more quality options. He can play in pivot as well. Don't know whether its possible to recall though.

the Juve game will prove what kind of Manager we have, a "true" tactically clued up Manager or some "happy go lucky" who has absolutely no inventive capabilities, which will spell the end of his tenure. It's not just about being defensive to win but having the right players doing the right thing, why do other teams win while playing attacking that we CHELSEA have to win playing garbage?? We didn't spend 80Mil+ on attacking talent to watch defensive crap

@mq, prof so what happens if rdm nicks a point away at juve or wins? Would u go AWOL on VC for 2 weeks? And if he loses I'll do the same? Of u are sure that he is a happy go lucky manager then u won't be scared of going along with this sure bet? Or would u be in denial?

www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/dressingroom-row-cranks-up-heat-on-chelsea-3297116.html This is another version of it

@onomzy, change ur writing formatt on bb to englishUk, it might help with this annoying way ur comments show each time u make contributions. U are depriving us of ur input.

DESMOND say's we don't press enough, to whom do we attribute this "lack" to since we have 1 trainer??

I said he wasn't good enough from the start ZOS and I was labelled Enemy#1 since then. It's funny the same people can see what RDM lacks and isn't changing yet when you say he ain't good enough they call for you to be banned. It's been clear from day1, this guy was incredible lucky than good look now, no variation no "tactical nous" (that they loudly alluded to him having) all he has is 'man management' which is very basic for a top club, especially when challenging other top teams. We have a very average Manager who cannot make good use of the talent we have, now he talking about "Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive."" I mean, we just spent 80Mil on attacking only talent and he dares say such??

@Mq...Robbie was asked how he was going to address the games against Juventus and Man City,and his reply was exactly what u read above...Don't take words out of context and make ur own judgments.

@keyser, its also amazing how some feel they support the club better fan than others just because they stood up for the manager.

and while you there, explain this too...We might have to go back to how we used to win games, and make sure first and foremost that we don`t concede...tell me if that doesn't mean priority is not to concede

Oh lord!!! I have to explain that too...Okay. I'll explain with the easiest of examples. Ever heard of a Libra scale? (Signifies balance) let's assume our libra scale on both sides are attack(Left) and Defence(Right). Right now the one on the left outweighs the Right,u take a few out of the options on the left,so u can create a level field to get a good balance on both sides. Keep in mind this is just a temporary action for two important games to build confidence back into the team. ''We have been playing a little bit different this season and we might have to go a little bit back to win games, to make sure we don't concede and still have good combinations to score goals." That speaks volumes about balance and if u don't get this explanation,I rest my case.

I wish I can state my opinion without it being called nonsense, but whoever finds it as nonsense should please not respond to my comments at ALL. I Think it is fair they keep their opinions to themselves. If Dzeko, Villa, Chichirato, Lampard, Drogba or even Kalou were on the end of 3 of those chances created by Mata yesterday, there is high probability Chichirato would have scored all 3 goals; Dzeko (from the bench), Lampard, Villa and Drogba would have scored 2 of them; and Kalou would have scored 1 goal irrespective of how long they would have been out and irrespective of how many minutes they keep coming in as a sub. Sturridge has scored 2 goals this season -(Simple pass from Mata against Spurs for him to tap in which was similar to half of his goals last season for Chelsea and 1 similar to his debut goal at Bolton - took advantage of a miscue from oppositions defense and the keeper. Another way in which he scores are those instinctive shots he takes which quite frankly you can't even put your confidence in those. When he scores those he is brilliant - Sunderland, Blackburn, Bolton vs. West Ham. When he misses those, he is called all the kind of things in the world - selfish, this and that. I won't call that selfish, but football pundits and others did because Mata and co were in a better position to square it to them. The third chance which he missed was an example of that. If he missed that brilliant flick against Sunderland, he would have been crucified for not keeping it simple.

LoL at no point did RDM say we've been playing too attacking ( we aren't) and if he did, he'd be lying, so your "Libra scale" analogy is inaccurate. We have been 'balanced' somewhat, and all that statement says is we going back to what we know (We might have to go back to how we used to win games, and make sure first and foremost that we don`t concede.") and do away with some of the attacking talent we bought (Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive.") and if you need to understand what kind of football is being referred, it's the type we played with just about the same players and won ( we have players who have been through this before.")...you are trying to be political in your explanation NELY and sorry but your explanation isn't true and I bet deep down you know this too

Can we actually "see" what changes RDM was referring to before we start making conclusions? All we can do now is "assume", but let's see his changes on the pitch first before he gets crucified before committing a sin?

....I have to change things in terms of selection and the way we play. Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive."...that's what RDM himself said, not me, so you ask him if we have the players to do that yeah?? Geez

@Nelyvanile what do u know about soccer? I would like to know.if you watch me closely,i seldom comment on articles rather i prefer reading others post. So you think Marin and Moses was brought to play in the CWC ? Rotations and variations will be our weapon to avoid fatigue and loss of form, End of.Oscar on the pivot, anybody?

@Mq lets pray thats not what RDM intended doing,if its true then he must surely loose his job before the advent of a new striker in January.

@Mq. Read Desmond's comment ull understand better when we have played with balance this season with games he mentioned. For u to say we have been balanced somewhat is pretty laughable...done with the back n forth with u. Picking on the guy unnecessarily.

@mq, u didn't answer that bcos u'll look like someone that don't know anything, u are here yapping that di matteo will go defensive, then I asked u a simple question if we have the man power to play that kind of setup as we did? Are u saying oscar, marin, moses,hazard,mata will turn all defensive like mereiles,essien,drogba and kalou? What u can't discern in simple english is that even if rdm wants to, he can't play that kind of football again, bcos we don't have the means, as to the point I made when thsi stupid debate came up, I said ur comments and fear are premature, u'll be making sense if it was after the juve game and we play as u feared, now is like u are making a total dick out of urself.

picking on RDM "unnecessarily"?? With his job reportedly on the line, I'm not the only 1 and actually, more influential people at Chelsea are "picking on the guy unnecessarily" according to your statement NELY so in terms of 'political correctness' between you and I, who's closer to the truth?? *go figure*

did I not just answer your lame questions DESMOND?? I'll do that again...# 1 you asked if we have the same personnel, the answer is NO...#2 you asked if we have the players that can play defensive formation and I said "WE SPENT 80MIL ON ATTACKING PLAYERS yet RDM say's "Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive."....so in essence not only have I answered your questions DESMOND but you are asking the wrong person, ask RDM if we have the players to play defensive formation as he seems to think we should "sacrifice" our attacking options for defensive players GEEZ

i think we should go back to 4 3 3.this formation gave us a record 103 leaque goals during Carlo Ancelottis tenure,and Mourinho and other CFC managers also played,this formation is our forte not less penetrative 4 3 2 1. Its 4 3 3 with Oscar in the Lampard role because of his shooting ability,partnered with Mikel and Ramires,Hazard and Mata doing it on the wings,Sturidge as CF.

...so why are u doing a U-turn...I'm not doing a U-Turn DESMOND it's RDM doing that by saying "Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive." did you not read that?? Goodness me, why are you even debating about something you haven't understood??

Merlin's interpretation reads It`s Back to Basics? Or, in other words, what we know gets results....how different is that from what I'm saying "Professor's"??

@11bandwagon, I won't mind that at all... I would give it a try, if we are to play a fast counter attacking game like in the days of carlo, then rammy will be better suited than mikel, we'd be better of with rammy and oscar in the middle then

and Yes I said you were right about the West Brom game, but did you read what RDM said AFTER the game?? It's wherein lies my gripe. Dude, you really don't know why you debating with me do you?? Read the article again (without the comments) then come back and tell me I'm wrong in saying that RDM is suggesting we revert back to defensive footie

I only saw the highlights of the WBA match but the general consensus is we were awful, and yet we appeared once again to miss a barrel load a good chances. You would have expected a top team to score at least 1 of them and sneak out of the Midlands with a draw. Poor finishing has cost us at least 3 points in the last 2 matches. Never mind Falcao where would we be with Hernandez? Every teams defense looks weaker when their best players are injured so it doesn't surprise me we have looked ropey without Terry and Cole. However what is concerning is the biggest culprit in defense is our £25m signing - that January 2011 transfer window is looking worse and worse as each week goes by. - If Terry's injured we are going to have to play Cahill and Ivanovic at CB. Bertrand might have looked good doubling up with Cole but on his own he's not looking so great. Then again Cole's not looked as good since Malouda was punted out the team, as Malouda at his best could score, create and defend.

...Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive."...answer what this means DESMOND then I'll answer you question. Bear in mind that we play 4 defenders and 2 defensive mids (6 "defensive" players) and 4 attacking players. What does he mean when he says "Maybe we sacrifice the attacking options to go a bit more defensive." DESMOND??

Its a lecture then rather than a debate, we all knw that luiz is in the team ahead of cahill because of his mazy attacking displays atimes and the fact that he is more faster, replacing him with iva will be one, amother one is replacing hazard with moses who is more defensive than hazard, he might also want choke the midfield in a defensive manner by playing a 4-5-1 and he might play a 4-60 like spain, who cares? All the players we have can't defend like we did last season, get that into ur head, u are taking things too far! I told u that u are making a fool out of urself over and over again by arguing blindly,because rdm have not gone all defensive against juve yet, ur debate might be worth wasting my time on if it was our game against juve postmatch reaction, @zosblue, mata's getting the player of the month award for the 1st time answer ur question and so is mikel's improvement, his boldness to start oscar right away in the UCL with merits says a lot about him, what rdm problem have been so far in my own opinion is that he is rather inexperienced, offcourse that doesn't make him a bad coach

to be at the right place on the right time is also part of finishing art,something that make lampard as the best goalscoring midfielder of all time,and torres as a poor striker...

could this be?????? http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/chelsea-consider-short-term-didier-drogba-deal

Thank you @Keyser, so many idiots here that thinks coaching is as simple as ABC, saying all sort of rubbish, you lots should have taking up coaching as a profession if you think you even know more than the coach of CFC. Fools

Tomorrows match aside. The positive is that everyone knows the problem and everyone knows the solution. We'll get Falco in January, and Torres will go back to Athletic Madrid. I don't think there has ever been a more obvious deal in football history. Expect Torres+€35M or something along those lines.

... I told u that u are making a fool out of urself over and over again by arguing blindly...LoL I won't debate nomore, clearly you have nothing worthwhile to say DESMOND

A winning team must start to defend and later build from defence to attack, so chelsea are building from the back and when they loose the ball, it is becoming easy to attack them

It's not so much the "guys at the top" FOREIGN but also the lack of variation from the Manager (NOT SAYING HE SHOULD BE SACKED) because for a while now we seen him pick basically the same team game in game out, why hasn't he been trying variation?? Why has he been playing the same formation and keeping our "fringe" players benched throughout, talking about phasing them in slowly?? If you don't innovate and variate you will be found out, as he has been now.