carefreeluke

Woke up to the news that Ruben was injured who's one of our best players these days. We can talk about the level of the players or the manager over recent years but the club's senior decision makers have been a shambles as well.

@Fairy In Boots What have you made of Tammy?

@The Palace Fan What have you made of Michy mate?

Thought this was dreadful when I first heard it but I'm now into it.

He should have won it last season as well in my opinion.

I've always been a big fan but for me this season, he hasn't been as good as he was previously for us, at least not to the standard I personally saw in the past. He's been a bit up and down and recently he has grated on me particularly with his passing. He's quite wasteful with his passing and he's always looking to make that defence-splitting pass. This is a useful weapon of course but with Luiz at the moment it comes off every 1 pass in 15 and we waste possession too much for my liking. Rudiger's the same for me with his performances, a bit up and down and we've had periods where one of the two (Luiz or Rudiger) have been playing well and the other hasn't. I wouldn't begrudge Luiz of a new deal though, it's the right decision but yeah hopefully he and Rudiger can improve their consistency and overall performances.

Gary has received criticism over the years but he has always been appreciated by Chelsea fans. At his best, he plays in the tier below the top centre backs in Europe, a good player but not the best which explains why he has at times come under scrutiny during his time with us. Just because criticism exists, it doesn't mean there's not appreciation though. He has had some big performances for us over the years, in big games which shows he's not fully out of place on the big stage and that he can belong there. I remember some colossal performances in finals, in big league/cup matches and in the Champions League in particular which will always be remembered fondly by me and other Chelsea fans. He's a typical Premier League defender, he's great at last ditch stuff, defending the area and also very dangerous in the opposition box which is something I miss especially when you compare him in this department to Rudiger, Luiz, and Christensen who are all dreadful really at this, particularly attacking the opposition box aerially. Cahill's best seasons were under Mourinho and Conte in their title-winning seasons and he's been a great squad player over the years and also a reliable starter in certain seasons (like in those title-winning seasons mentioned). The criticism purely comes from the fact that he's not in that top tier band of centre backs and I have to admit I think the criticism he has received during his time with us is justified. His denunciation was more prevalent in times in which he was a regular starter or after mistakes. An example of how the criticism manifested itself, was in 2014/15, he was taken out of the team about halfway through for Zouma because of poor form and it took him a good while to win his place back, Cahill was mostly very good that season but his limitations were definitely on show at times which would remind you perhaps of his true level. The criticism came out perhaps more at times because for periods we had this overreliance on him, an overreliance on a player who wasn't in that top tier of centre backs and the fact that we didn't have another central defender who was in that league already or someone who looked to have the potential to get there. Then suddenly Zouma came on the scene, someone who excited the fans, someone who quickly became a fans' favourite, someone who added pace to a slow back line and more importantly (with time) looked to have the potential to reach that league of top centre backs. Don't get me wrong, Cahill had performances of the highest level, just he wasn't that level regularly enough nor did he look capable of reaching that top tier. We got everything out of him really which is all you can ask for. He was definitely consistent mind, an overall evaluation of 'very good' and someone who will be remembered fondly by me and Chelsea fans. Thank you, Gary, you've definitely worked hard and achieved a lot.

We were lucky against Watford, on another day we could have been 2 or 3 goals down in the first half. Nothing changed second half other than the fact that we finally matched their intensity and work rate, worry being was why it took us that long to start doing that considering what we had to play for. We had a decent second half whilst still allowing Watford some decent chances. Watford were very impressive and show how you don't just have to go away to the bigger teams and 'park the bus'.

Some thoughts..

Jorginho was class on Thursday, Ruben as well. Ruben I thought was a bit poor defensively in that he didn't really press with enough intensity off the ball but in general he's made progress defensively this season. I would genuinely go as far as saying Ruben is in our top three performers this season.

The chaos is a ladder scene is one of my favourite scenes from the whole show.

Littlefinger was class, one of my favourites.

What a legend.

That's come from the south, for the last week or so in Andalucía there's been some strong storms, winds, and last Thursday it rained (hailstones) as I've never seen it before. Since yesterday though it's been sunny and back to normal.

Perhaps it's looking like the tide is turning that way anyway but Giroud should be starting the majority of games until the end of the season. Higuaín hasn't done enough in the chances he's been given so far and also looks a bit of the pace physically and with his match sharpness.

You're right mate. At Chelsea stuff like that has been sung for years and years. I wouldn't say it's just the changes in technology and use of social media that's making it come to the surface though. Chelsea as a club are taking a much stronger stance on it and it's also getting coverage from journalists who are putting it more in the public eye. The club and people associated with it are doing more nowadays to eradicate it from the stands.

Was in Valencia the other month for Las Fallas, 2nd time in that city. It's very nice, the best thing is the park that runs through the city which used to be a river. Basically sums up the Spanish lifestyle. Great city, not in my top three for Spanish places but very good nonetheless.

Surprised Barkley didn't leave for Kovacic.