Chelsea 2 - Juventus 2: Initial Thoughts And Community Ratings Form

Champions League football is back, and fixtures like this are why we love the competition. Drawing Juventus wasn't the best thing that could have happened from an ease of advancement standpoint, but boy was this a fun one to watch. Unfortunately a pair of mistakes allowed Juventus to leave London with a point, but by and large Chelsea were the better team today. Here's my initial thoughts from this one, and attached you'll find our community ratings form:

• We've seen all sorts of reports about how much we may have paid for Oscar, but I think it will be a bargain regardless of how much we paid. Wow! That second goal was just ridiculous. In case you missed it...

• You'd have never guessed from the pre-game talk, but Chelsea's midfield absolutely bossed this game until we decided to close up shop and try to hold on. It was a thing of beauty until they decided to close up shop.
• Branislav Ivanovic has had a really head scratching start. He's looked decent in attack, but he's been really slow to react on several occasions defensively.
• This is two games in a row that Eden Hazard has been denied a legitimate penalty. The video replay on both clearly shows he wasn't diving, so I'd guess most future referees will be aware of that fact as well.
• I love Peter Cech, but he has to stop with the long balls until we get a legitimate target for him.
• We really need to stop making stupid back-passes that put opponents free on goal.
• That Oscar is really something, isn't he? Ha had to come off after getting stomped on, but that was some first start.
• We have to do a better job of deciding when to play the offside trap. That was a terrible choice by John Terry.

Shakhtar won 2-0 today, so Chelsea sit two points off the lead in group E. Up next in the Champions League will be the minnows of the group, so we really should be expecting three points from that one. Discuss away, but keep it civil.