01 Feb 2015 08:44:47
It's probably a bit early days to be saying that Gary Cahill's days at Chelsea are numbered. But it appears he has a battle on his hand to get back his place in the side. A battle I expect him to loose!
What of the summer? If Zouma plays the rest of the season out like this, like a young Marcel Desailly, then he's nailed on. John Terry is playing well still but his mins on the pitch, at his age, is concerning. Cahill is ok for sub but I don't really trust him! Kalas played well against Liverpool last year but his loan this year has set him back - couldn't get into a poor Bundesliga team.
It's an area where we will undoubtably strengthen in the summer. I'd say we need two players to come in, and we'll see one leave, probably Cahill. The best two CB's to come into the squad in the summer would, for me, be Varane and Stones.
01 Feb 2015 09:13:41
I've been saying for a while about Cahill. I think zouma deserves his run in the side from his last two games. Yesterday we looked tired and laboured. Oscar looked way off the mark, I've never seen a playmaker lose the ball so often.
Cahill should stay IMO. Zouma was excellent indeed, but he shouldn't play every game. Cahill is still a decent centre back and a valuable squad member. Homegrown as well. I don't think the club should look to move him on.
01 Feb 2015 09:36:39
I don't think the club should look to move Cahill on but, as England's number 1 (a worrying fact on its own), he may look to move on himself if Terry gets another year, Zouma continues to play at such a high standard and we sign someone like Varane.
Totally agree about zouma, what a couple of games. It now looks a bit like jt is the weaker link. Couple of times recently he's looked a bit like a rabbit in the headlights. Thought Oscar was poor, ramires and willian did ok and remy did well. No need to mention usual good game.
I saw they were saying Dave was out of position for there goal, it was actually caused by matic running into a blind alley and kicking the ball wildly against there man and cannoned to the player and they were away.
Matic is a great player but sometimes he just needs to hoof it out of play.
We may have been better subbing Oscar earlier with RLC as he has a bit more presence even if he is lacking experience.
Cahill can't leave and shouldn't. We'd be down to 1 English player who'd be 35.
Embarrasing.
01 Feb 2015 12:37:28
Cahill will leave of his own choice if not playing. Zouma and Varanne is the dream pairing with JT and Kalas as back up. Knowing how highly Jose rates Willian I expect him to move into Oscars position with Cuadrado starting right.
I tend to agree with andrew. I also thought we could've perhaps brought on RLC or Ake a bit earlier because we were definitely losing the midfield battle.
However, defensively we were very sound and I was pleased to see it. People saying we didn't create anything, well they didn't create anything either in the 2nd half.
Just thought I would add into the debate. If everything was going to the I would think it would need to go to be perfect I would say -
Sell Salah and Scurrle and get Cuadrado and the promote one youth player.
The in the summer sell cech, mikel and possibly Ramires. Buy homegrown GK. CB and RB, either buy or promote from youth. Buy CM and use RLC and AKe more. Striker is something else and we well see how tomorrow pans out before I make any comments.
Now there is one comment that I would like to touch upon, Arons about the one english player in the team. And I agree with nearly everything he says but this brings it close to a comment I made a while ago.
This whole concept that we need a spine of english players, that its necessary to win because foreigners don't know the culture or understand the league at the beginning is wrong. What we need is a team of chelsea players, by that I mean players who have been brought through the chelsea youth teams and have been trained in england. Exactly what will be solved by Ake, Kalas, RLC, Solanke, Brown, Baker.
But honestly, they could all be from Mexico and it wouldn't make a bit difference to me if they understand the history of the club and buy into the philosphy. I honestly don't care. Maybe I think this way because i'm not English but I think commenting on the number of english players in a team is redundant now, its about assembling the best youth set up with the best players in the world available and then helping them break through into the first team.
We need a team with players who understand Chelsea and who have been brought through as chelsea, supporters of the club. Whether they are english or not doesn't make a blind bit of difference to me. Would anyone really care if we had a starting 11 of no english players but 6 or 7 or 8 were home grown? no, everyone would be talking about us as an example of how to run a football team. So yes in the coming years we will have a lot of HG players coming through but the fact they are english is inconsequential, what's important is that they are Chelsea through and through. Just my thoughts on the matter.
Spot on, george. Indeed we need players who love the club and know it through and through. I really agree with you. And I desperately hope that in the coming years we see some players of our own academy in the first team rotation and getting regular minutes. If the young guys themselves work hard, then it should be feasible! Hopefully Mourinho grows to trust them.
01 Feb 2015 15:46:51
I do hope that jose let's Kurt stay in the team until his plays indicates otherwise as there's been times this year when Cahill was poor but still playing. It will be interesting to see what happens if varane comes in. Terry wouldn't go anywhere and if zouma is still ahead of Cahill I doubt Gary would settle for fighting it out with John just to make the bench.
I completely agree with you George, as long as they're Chelsea grown it's great. I do however also agree with Aron, that it is incredibly embarrassing for an English team to only have one English player
01 Feb 2015 20:25:20
Name a decent English player who could get into our squad? We've gone down hill in national football.
01 Feb 2015 20:46:33
Blueboy hit the nail on the head. Right now outside of cahill and potentially Rooney and sterling there is nobody that would get into our first team. From there you have to realize the price put on English players is outrageous and not many English players would want to be a reserve here when they can walk into most teams in the premier league.
Fair enough lads, I understand that and you raise goo points.