all the best to lukaku. Guess it was inevitable then aye. Surprised we didn't ship him off abroad though. Could still potentially hurt us whilst being in the epl.

I for one find it hard to believe we're going to endure the season with just costa and torres as our main strikers. I mean..can nando even be considered a decent back-up option? will drogs get a sprinkling of games? how many exactly? bamford getting a few? everyone here knows jose's not that kind of risk taker either.

sorry for being such a pessimist, but i feel even one minor injury (2 - 3 weeks on the treatment table) to diego costa at a crucial period during the campaigh could turn our season into a complete disaster.

still waiting for that elusive and reliable second choice striker, but doesn't look like it's happening. our transfer rumour mill has mysteriously fallen dead silent..and i have to say i don't like it one bit!

this is so not chelsea fc. all the headlines are pool / utd / arsenal are going for this and that player but the most you can hear about the chels in the news today is we're after some PSG's 19 year old french youngster, adrien rabiot.

no fun at all. i'd even settle for a loic remy now. a huge section of us here have continuously backed torres, but even in pre-season he's looked short of confidence and that in itself should ring all sorts of alarm bells within the stamford bridge corridors

haha soulseeker, we've been doing that for sometime now haven't we?

many fans who have been willing him to succeed with flying colours have now pretty much transitioned into the 'acceptance' stage that it's not going to happen anytime soon.

when i see him clad in blue these days i know i can expect lots of hard graft ,running and hassling of defenders but i won't expect goals. i guess this is probably a quality jose admires as well (the hard work, not the lack of goals )

however i still believe the team needs at least one more reliable striker, unless jose plans on turning schurrle into one.

the return of another 'legend' anyone?

Mindless challenge from alves,shouldn't be on the pitch.only certain type of idiots make that sort of challenge during preseason.

Great goal from costa and iva!

For those who'd like to monitor the development of some of our players,tune in to foxsports at 8.30 pm tonight as chelsea development center / vitesse are up against ajax in the dutch eredivisie.huge game that!

Hm..looking at how nando has been performing in pre-season,i can really see schurrle being converted into a makeshift CF vs certain teams this season when costa is unfit.

They'd better have a good fitness regime for our first choice striker

enjoyed the game immensely, especially the first half. second half we kept good control of the match. the greedy side of me wanted us to make a statement of intent towards all the other EPL contenders but the cautious side of me knows how devastating an unnecessary injury can be to our squad. in the end we did good and the second goal was a work of art.

some minor gripes though - hazard looked very low key, even if it's the first game of the season. some minor lapses in concentration within the defense, and that part of me which is a little worried that we essentially have no 'back-up' for either fabregas or costa. no sense getting worked up over something we can't change (although the transfer window is still open *cough* message to roman *cough*) i guess.

p.s: how about that first touch touch and volley from didier though??contender for goal of the season had that one gone in! if torres could just absorb half of that drogba-like confidence (or better yet, rediscover his own!), he'd get 20 goals easy.

yep i guess it might be down to the system that mourinho employs which emphasises more on oscar's ability to find space and make crucial tackles, rather than be the centrepiece of chelsea's attacking play. sometimes it is quite baffling to see oscar starring in an advanced role for brazil, and then revert to his 'normal' self in blue. if it's down to the gaffer's orders, then there's nothing much we can do about it.

however, one legitimate worry is our diminutive brazilian losing his natural attacking instincts in the process and ends up becoming another ramires with better technique.

this is why i believe jose should give oscar a more attacking role once in awhile, just to watch him unleash his deadly attacking ability we all know he has.

on a side note, SHOCKINGLY, barca's transfer ban has been upheld and they face a transfer embargo till 2015. wait a sec..i thought we were the bad guys?

i've always wondered why we never attempt to get reinforcements on loan. err any idea who was the last player who actually made the temporary switch to blue? i faintly recall a certain portuguese prodigy by the name of ricardo quaresma though

with QPR bringing in eduardo vargas to aid their survival campaign, i just can't help but wonder if we should've tried to hijack the deal? granted his goal return for valencia last season was a paltry 5 in 25 appearances, but his age and mobility combined with our potent squad could easily increase that tally.

having said that, when you scour the market i guess it's hard to get real quality on loan these days. after all, there isn't much reason for the loaning club to ship their young talents to us, knowing full well they'll be spending most of the time on the bench. it's a difficult situation. either way, any young player who steps in has potentially a lot to lose, with not much to gain.

so no destro. oh well. at least we have drogbaaahhhhh~~~!!

can't for the match vs leicester. I tip schurrle to star again.

We need to learn to put our bloody foot on the ball when Leicester give it away in our half,instead of those countless aimless clearances which end up nowhere.our players have the ability to retain possession and they should start using it for heaven's sake.

If anyone watched atletico's superb uefa super cup win vs madrid,this is EXACTLY how they kept madrid in check and at bay,as madrid were fully aware that the chances of them getting hit on the break if they over commit were much,much higher because atletico looked extremely dangerous whenever they recovered possession.

Leicester seem pretty comfortable pushing up in attack again n again,because our mindless clearances mean they're probably going to get the ball back via a throw-in or a direct giveaway straight into their half.all they need to do is restart their attack and all is well.

More finesse in possession desperately needed in the second half,or i feel we're going to drop our first few points this season.

Fantastic play from ivanovic!looked like a true marauding rightback on that one!!good finish from costa.now there's a striker's finish.

Very good second half so far.ramires coming in is the right decision,same with willian.let's get a second.

Hazard magic.u just know he's capable of that.fantastic finish.

Agreed on willian's attitude and overall play.he's been a thorn in Leicester's side.

Drogba in,this is a crystal clear message to torres.may as well hand in a transfer request imo,if he wants to continue playing on a regular basis.

Agent lukaku,it's your turn to step up lad.heehee.

Nice little offside assist from lukaku!haha.played like he wasn't interested in the match,a sudden show of strength and speed,then sets up a dodgy goal for Naismith.lol.

He's a talent, can't deny that though.we need to keep a close eye on him in our next game.

Alright atsu gets his debut!

I don't like the rumours linking van ginkel away from the bridge.matic looked a bit wayward with his passing yesterday,and he could use the extra competition.wouldn't want him getting too comfortable.

actually i'd quite like for us to sit back and try to hit everton on the break this weekend. knowing roberto martinez from his swansea and wigan days, do his teams actually have a defensive mode? i doubt it

i think they'll start with a really high tempo and even be slightly gung-ho, which will play right into our hands. it's imperative that we weather the storm and not concede, while waiting for a chance to pounce on the counter. if we get that opener, they're in for a tough time.

observing how they tried and failed miserably to defend a 2 goal lead vs arsenal, we musn't fall into that same trap by giving away the first goal and pumping up their confidence as a result.

lukaku will have a huge point to prove though, and it almost seemed like he was saving himself for us he's definitely the dangerman to lookout for.

if anyone remembers our last encounter at goodison park, i think we lost 1-0 to a sloppy naismith header? we had numerous chances to equalise via schurrle, and others (oscar was it?), so their defense is certainly vulnerable.

our first big test, and it remains to be seen if cesc remains in the pivot. something tells me it's going to be rami and matic, with the little spaniard moved up? we still need oscar's battling qualities though

p.s: di maria to utd for 59 million pounds,along with all the other top teams who've spent big lately, and it seems suddenly everyone's trying to 'buy' success these days. how times have changed