Its tough. I have watched alot of our younger players play (something I not sure those calling for youngsters to be put in the team have done) and it's hard to make a argument for putting them into the situations we found ourselves in the last two seasons. Putting them into our current situation is more then likely cause more harm then good for their future development. We have "experts" questioning the ability of proven professionals what they will say about players who have played minutes of a decent level well the mind boggles. Last season we started very very well but started to tail off and we need to do a professional job to ensure the title was won. If you watch the younger players the talent is there but the professionalism is not.

Playing them against the so called smaller teams? that worked years ago when there was a big difference between the top 4 teams and everyone else but that gap has gotten smaller the last couple of seasons due to the money coming into the game and the very fair way we spread the money (unlike in most top leagues) teams are able to get very good players and keep them and are also able to get decent managers in and not just the same old faces.

Play them in cups? But according to people winning "cups" are important to us (they keep harping on about them) and we have done that by picking our best players. So they want us to change a successful strategy.

Bringing them in games where the game is won? What have actually learned from that? Could that not result in the attitude that might not be part of the reason we are where we are? One of that "we don't need to try we are Chelsea"?

All are nothing more then short cuts and have risks. Long term approach are always better. Talent is nothing without education and more when it comes to English players we have seen a lack of education has held back players from turning "potential" to something more solid. Take RLC he is 19, Even if he is not a full time regular for 3 seasons he will be only 22 at a time like Chelsea that could mean (if we remain a title contenting team) he could have 7+ years playing at the very very top of the game. Young players need to learn from the very best, Being part of a top dressing room playing or not will be better then playing in cup games or smaller games or games that are already won in the long term. Now if those players are into much of a rush to earn 60k now instead of waiting and taking part in races for the title in a few years then they are not the type of players we need

Yes, it is difficult for the top European teams to give youngsters a chance. Most will have two experienced players for every position anyway, so an inexperienced 18/19 year old will need to be really special to get a chance.
Zouma has made the breakthrough, but he had considerably more experience than the likes of RLC or Traore. As you say, there have been very few games where we have looked comfortable and I can't remember the last time we could boast that we were "coasting it". Every game this season has been edgy stuff, not the ideal environment for a youngster finding his way, where one mistake will be magnified.

Just sitting in the dressing room week in week out is a massive step for RLC (more so when you consider the average level of the youth league in this country). In our current situation just seeing how top professional players deal with it will be a massive education for him. He is learning his trade and being a professional footballer playing at a club with realistic title ambitions season after season is so much more then playing time and talent.

With the current business model (or project or whatever you want to call it) we are never going to be in a situation where we have a number of young players coming though. Its more likely to be one or two at a time and that's logical with the high standard needed to get into a team that wishes to be a small number of points from 1st or winning the league and it will be at a much slower pace then at other clubs depending on their resources,ambitions (realistic ones) and their own business plan but the rewards to those players will be greater further down the road then getting playing time now.

Man City were poor today apparently but who stepped up to nab the winning goal? Iheanacho. Respect.

Thought that the last time Kennedy played, he looked very good, and he didn't even make the bench for the next game. Didn't understand that one. He looks tough and ready to contribute.

Giving a young player time late on in a match can often give the opposition problems, and there are a few in the squad that can do that, including Traore.

I'm not sure that being the recipient of a goal through a massive deflection counts as "stepping up".

Yes, Kenedy did look decent in his last game. But as I said previously, who would you leave out to give him a start ? We have Hazard, Willian and Pedro who can play on either wing. Hazard, Willian, Oscar and Fabregas can play in the middle of the three. It's a big call to drop any of them.
As you say, we probably could give more minutes to the youngsters late on in the game, but unfortunately this season we've never looked so comfortable in games that it didn't involve a risk. But from memory, we have done it frequently in the past ?
I'm sure they will all get their chance anyway, providing they're patient. I know you don't like or rate Mourinho very highly, but he's not stupid and won't deliberately let talent stagnate on the bench if they can be winning matches for him. Don't forget, Jose wants the kudos of promoting youngsters into the team as much as the fans.

He's done that twice now, and many of Lampard's goals were deflected, where he was in the right place at the right time.

Last season when the league was won or even practically won, there was no sign of any desire to bring youth through. Similar this season in the league cup, which is supposed to be a cup for the younger players to be given a chance.

Anyway, let's see what happens against Leicester. The 'tinker man' who doesn't seem to tinker any more, and the man who doesn't like change.

Mourhino replaced Ranieri many years ago at the club when Chelsea needed a manager who would stabilise the team more and bring more consistency, granted, but when the changes need to be called, Mourhino looks very uncomfortable. There is a balance.

But you have no balance. Why are you saying "lets see what happens against Leicester"? It makes not one iota of difference what happens because you will attack Mourinho regardless. At the very best if you win you will go silent but most likely you will have a complaint about the team selection or style of play regardless of result. If you lose or draw you'll crack on with your anti-Mourinho tirade.

Thats absolutely fine and its your right to do so but lets dispense with the illusion that you are offering up a balanced view and sitting somewhere in the middle.

Why do you continue to come up with pointless comparisons with other teams? More so.when they are totally different to Chelsea?

How do you know what our young players can or cannot do as you still not told us how much of them you have witnessed.

What benefit does bringing on a player late bring to the player? At a club like Chelsea bringing on any player should make a difference to our opponents due to the level needed to be at Chelsea young or old. Yes of course he might get the winning goal but it won't be a age thing that scores. Any sub could result in the same result.

Hold on according to you in the past we was struggling or hanging on in games during the second half of the season now its the league was won, Which is it? Or is it whatever one that backs up your point at the time?

Can you show me where the league cup is meant to be used to bring youth players though? Must have missed that mandate from the FA or Chelsea (or maybe I not missed it and its just nonsense).

What happens after Monday's game is not important. What happens at the end of the season is. "one" result proves nothing when it comes to comparing managers

Well yes, Mourinho does like to work with a comparatively small squad of players he can trust. That's no bad thing in my opinion, and it certainly seemed to work during his previous spell with us. The downside is that it does limit the amount of time he gives to young players, but there are few complaints when we are winning.
Last season Jose had to bring in expensive signings Costa and Fabregas, who were both outstanding successes to begin with. He also promoted Zouma to be a regular starter and continued to develop Matic into the defensive holding player that had been missing for years.
I don't know what's gone wrong this season, and I'm not sure Mourinho does either. You just have to go through the team player by player, comparing their performances this season to last, and it's totally baffling. Perhaps there's something going on behind the scenes, or maybe it's just one of those freakish coincidences with practically the entire team losing form together. We just don't know.

The funny thing is on the one hand he's criticising Mourinho for not playing the kids in the league cup, but then on the other hand he's quite happy to use the cups we've won in the years between Mourinho's spells at the club to support his assertion that constantly changing managers is a successful policy.

But that is part of the course when dealing with when we dealing with criticism based on personal likes and dislikes (be of a manager or a style of play or the style of management etc).

Its pretty clear I am not a fan of Rafa BUT if he continually won titles in his career or at least came close to doing so then I would be quite willing to accept him as manager.

I am not a fan of Wenger's style of football but if it bought titles or again at least coming within touching distance of titles season after season I would be willing to accept it was successful.

Of course we will hear excuses as to why these managers was not able to to reach these objectives but at the end of the day all that matters is they have not reached those very achievable objectives with their current and former resources.

Not the best draw for us but Paris is a decent away day

Yep. Bored with playing them now.

Our best chance of CL football next season would have been dropping into the Europa League.

Oh, well.

Completely forgot about the CL draw, such was my lack of anticipation for it. Boring stuff playing PSG again, they've become the new Liverpool as far as this competition is concerned.

Haz off 1 - 0 down. Same old shambles.

Top 4 team against bottom to mid-table team. In form players against out of form players. Not exactly a shocker

Pretty horrible to watch though, its amazing how bad we have become in a relatively short space of time. Champions to getting ripped apart by Leicester. Ive turned it off, cant even be bothered to watch it anymore.

One of the most expensive teams in the history of football.................................LOL.

Even Azpilicueta has fallen to pieces. This team is completely gone.

Would anybody have Claudio Ranieri back? Obviously he wouldn't leave at the moment but he's a great coach.

Realistically it's time to get Carlo Ancelotti back the good feeling to the club.

Relegation battle on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing the same players and same tactics that we've been using all season.

It's the old adage, if you don't take your chances.....
Not great but should of at least got a point. Gave the ball away a ridiculous amount of times and most free kicks, corners were poor.
Guess we got what we deserved.

If we going to have silly comments lets at least make them factual correct.

Not even the most expensive team fielded in the premiership this weekend