Chris Sutton, Marcel Desailly.. 

ahh Dennis Wise, the JT of that era. Or should we say JT is the Dennis Wise of his era?

guys against APOEL FC which players do u guys think, carlo should give 1st team line-up??

for me i preferred as below line-up:

(4-1-2-1-2)

                              cech

bosingwa   carvalho   terry  zhirkov(a.cole doubt)

                              essien

   j.cole                                          malouda

                            lampard

                    anelka         drogba

subs: ballack, belleti, mikel, borini, ivanovic & hilario.

hope they grind out good result 

Chelsea have left Michael Ballack and John Mikel Obi behind as they travelled to Cyprus for their Champions League clash with APOEL Nicosia. Mikel is struggling with an ankle problem while Germany captain Ballack misses out with a calf strain.

But Ashley Cole, forced out of their 3-1 defeat by Wigan Athletic on Saturday with an ankle injury, did make the flight as did Portugal midfielder Deco and England midfielder Joe Cole, who missed Saturday's match with a cold.

Meanwhile, striker Didier Drogba, who is suspended for Wednesday night's game in Group D, described their defeat at Wigan as the worst performance in his five years at the club.

And the Ivory Coast international told his team-mates they must improve if they are to win the Premier League title. The defeat was Chelsea's first of the season and ended an unbeaten run stretching back over 23 games.

Drogba scored his 100th goal for the Blues when he levelled just after the break, but they fell apart when goalkeeper Petr Cech was red-carded for a professional foul.

It allowed Manchester United to reclaim top spot following their win over Stoke.

Cech complained bitterly that he should not have been shown the red card but Drogba said the incident had little bearing on the outcome.

"We didn't play very well," said Drogba. "We lost all the battles, all the duels. We didn't win anything, we were poor. This is the worst game I have played in since I have been at Chelsea. We need to think about it, correct what was wrong and try to go again.

"We equalised just after half-time and we were trying to improve our game but then there was the penalty and red card which I think was a bit harsh. Still with 10 players, we had the chance to make it 2-2, but we didn't do it. There was a lot of space and they used the pitch very well, they deserved to win."

i wonder why CA like mikel so much..
he prefer mikel over essien..
Essien this season seems like not playing a big part in the team...

Yep he is young but he does not control the ball well at times and since he is a defensive midfielder once he lost the ball,with Ashely and bosingwa up front,it can cause havoc in defense.

Im lovin it also... 

@ hidzwan

yo, bro... this weekend, mapley! ada bran?

no probs..modestos la..haha

Essien is as strong as Drogba when he's in form..

He can be the provider..He can be the shield..n he also can be the stunner..
Versatile..what else can i say..way2 better than mascherano

Liverpool are losing against Florentina....its a good sign tht we can beat them this weekend at SB.

Dont jealous la wei...They have to find a new one after Mike Riley get promoted and Alan Wiley just a great candidate for that...

---

Added on October 4, 2009, 2:55 am
Uncalled for, I guess but a pretty soft red.

Chelsea vs Liverpool: Player Ratings

We rate the players in the game between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea

Henrique Hilario - 6

Not involved much in the game with the Liverpool attack misfiring.

Ashley Cole - 7

Did not venture up the field as he usually likes to do but kept Dirk Kuyt quiet for the full 90 minutes.

John Terry - 8

The England captain never gave Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrad an inch. Commanded his defence with supreme confidence.

Ricardo Carvalho - 7.5

The Portuguese defender had a solid game alongside Terry to shut out Rafa Benitez's men.

Branislav Ivanovic - 6.5

Did enough to stop Rieira from rampaging down Liverpool's left flank but was caught out once or twice.

Frank Lampard - 7

Another energetic display from the England midfielder.

Michael Essien - 9

The Ghanian was key to the Blues unlocking Liverpool's defence. Played the pass to Drogba who set up Anelka for the first goal.

Deco - 6.5

Was made to look a lot better than he did by his midfield teammates.

Michael Ballack - 7

Ballack is beginning to comprehend Ancelotti's diamond formation. Frightening prospect for defences once the diamond is in full swing.

Nicolas Anelka - 9

Le Sulk never smiles but when he does, it is most often after scoring a goal. Just like he did against Liverpool.

Didier Drogba - 10

Keeping him out for 90 minutes is impossible. Even when he is man-marked, he bulldozes his way through. Set up both goals to send Chelsea back to the top of the table.

@Player rating....

Drogba,Anelka,Essien rating totally deserve..
But Hilario,I feel they should give 7.5....

Perhaps you should watch the clips before you make yourself looks like a fool.

Did Lucas dive? No.Watch Davies' legs and Lucas'.

And if you really wanna have a look on it, fine, I can dig the clip for you.

And if you wanna talk further about it, drop in our thread.We welcome any good discussions aside of rubbish accusations.

owh guys come on. i am sorry for his statement. we both were talking among ourselves only. 

Ala, marah ke? kasi padlock, mau?

nice when we can see that all our players played with the fullest. nice one CA. a risky formation with everybody yawning against each other. in the end his formation works well. AT LAST