Jose Mourinho has spent a lot of time trying to keep up appearances in his press conferences. Throughout the season, he has put together these mind games in order to (according to most) deflect pressure from his team: Things like calling Arsene Wenger a specialist in failure, downplaying his team’s title hopes, and in general, discussing other teams.

But lately, his comments have related more directly to the players, giving us a bit of a glimpse into how certain players (or groups thereof) stand in relation to each other. Following their defeat to Crystal Palace, Mourinho stood up for his defenders (one of whom made the fatal mistake that day) saying that “other players” have made mistakes all year. His comments toward the Chelsea midfield have been almost universally positive, encouraging their creativity and expressiveness, even if he wants them to score more goals (he recently said he hopes for more goals from Willian next year).

But the strikers have been like the red-headed stepchild in the Chelsea camp. When Chelsea win, it’s because of the midfield and solid defense. When Chelsea draw or lose, it’s because they couldn’t score enough goals, and that’s the striker’s fault. Jose has made his feelings toward his strikers well-known: Samuel Eto’o is old, and Fernando Torres needs to score more.

But what about Demba Ba?

Out of everything that Jose says and does, his stance on Demba Ba is most confusing, given what he’s said about Ba and how rarely he has selected him. Arsenal have been linked with Demba Ba several times, but Mourinho seemed insistent upon keeping him. Several months ago, Jose said that he thought it was time for Ba to step up.

And yet time after time, game after game, Ba was passed over for Fernando Torres or Samuel Eto’o. As of today, here are the selection tallies for Chelsea’s strikers:

Fernando Torres:  34 (14 as a substitute,) 9 goals.

Samuel Eto’o: 31 (7 as a sub) 11 goals.

Demba Ba: 22 (19 as a sub) 5 goals.

Over half of Eto’o and Torres’ appearances have been starts, while Demba Ba has started only 13% of his appearances. Fair play to Jose Mourinho if he views Ba as a “super sub,” but it seems ironic to criticize a group of players (the strike force) if only two of the three of them are playing on a regular basis, especially given the fact that Ba usually features for less than 30 minutes at a time.

If there’s any time to make a case for Demba Ba to play more at Chelsea, it’s now, following his last-gasp winner (in terms of the tie as a whole) against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. In the first leg of said tie, Andre Schurrle was chosen up front for Chelsea. When Jose was asked to explain the decision, he said, “when something isn’t working, you have to change it.” This seems an unfair criticism if only for the fact that Demba Ba hasn’t been much of a part of what’s “not working.” He hasn’t started a game since December, and usually made appearances in games in which either Chelsea were cruising (see: Newcastle [up 3-0,] Fulham [up 3-1,] Tottenham [up 2-0]) or found themselves in need of a goal (see: Crystal Palace [down 1-0,] West Ham [finished 0-0,] Aston Villa [0-0 when he came on, ended up losing 1-0,] and PSG [up 1-0, needing one to advance.])

Finally, in this last appearance, Demba Ba proved to be the Blues’ hero. When the pressure was on, he scored the goal (perhaps this had to do with the fact that Chelsea had three strikers on the pitch and were throwing everything at PSG.)

It is not a writer’s place to say what’s going through a player’s mind, but it does seem that Ba has played in games in which pressure has either mounted or subsided. There is no telling what Ba is capable of if he got to start the game free from these sorts of factors.

Perhaps Tuesday night’s heroics at Stamford Bridge have afforded him the chance to prove himself in Chelsea’s starting eleven.

It’s still early in the Premier League season, but we’ve already had a lot of good football, and even some bad football. While the samples are incredibly small, certain managers’ tendencies for team selection are becoming noticeable, and some of them are real head-scratchers that leave fans (and perhaps players) wondering how certain players will be used at their club, if they even have a future.

Let’s take a look at 11 different players that could have an immediate impact either on their own club or on another club.

Goalkeeper

GK – Anders Lindegaard (Manchester United) – Lindegaard was Sir Alex’s no. 1 for a little while in 2012 before injury sidelined him and David de Gea took over. Lindegaard has been good in his time, and has expressed that he doesn’t want to be a backup but a no. 1 option again. He could easily make an impact and start at a number of other clubs, Premier League or elsewhere.

Defense

RB – Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea) – Azpilicueta is considered one of Chelsea’s best signings from last season, and for good reason. He was an inexpensive pickup and has shown a lot of quality at least in defense (his movement pushing the attack forward has not been the same as Branislav Ivanovic). But to this point, he has been used only once in three games, on the final set piece against Manchester United. He will likely be used more as the Capital One and FA Cups begin and the fixtures begin to pile up for the West London side.

RCB – James Tomkins (West Ham) – West Ham have kept two clean sheets in two games, so there is little reason as of yet to change the look of the back four. As the old adage goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But Tomkins has shown good quality in the past, including being a target for Newcastle, Tottenham, and QPR two years ago while West Ham were still in the Championship. At age 24, it’s arguable that he has yet to reach his ceiling. He’s been on the bench for West Ham’s first three Premier League games and remains unused, but he’s a key piece in an effective defense thus far that will be interesting to watch.

LCB – John Brayford (Cardiff City) – Brayford is a bit of a gamble in this list, as he has never played in the Premier League. He has, however, shown quality everywhere he’s gone. He’s almost equally a gamble for being in this particular position, as he has played right and left back, and earned a bit of a reputation for being good in attack from those positions. But Cardiff have allowed two goals in both of their first two matches so far this season, and Brayford is a cog to keep an eye on in case Malky Mackay decides to shake things up in the back line.

LB – Martin Olsson (Norwich City) – Olsson is a newcomer at Norwich, but has the potential to play a big role. He has experience playing internationally for Sweden plus several years of experience in the Premier League from his time with Blackburn Rovers. He could shore up a defense that was below average in goals allowed last season.

Midfielders

MID – Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United) – Maybe this is a cheat of a pick, but without question, Yohan Cabaye will make an impact wherever he is. Arsenal have offered £12 million for him, while Newcastle want £20 million. Newcastle could use his creativity and passing, but he needs to be able to step up his game and shake off the transfer speculation from the past few weeks. It’s this kind of drama – a good player going on “strike” until he’s sold – that makes player power so cumbersome and frustrating. Hopefully we’ll see Cabaye threading needles again real soon especially after the impact he made after coming on as a substitute against Fulham.

MID – Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United) – This may be one of the more puzzling issues in team selection so far this season. He’s been a playmaker everywhere he’s been, and he’s been passed over in a midfield that has been criticized several times as lacking creativity and impetus. Dortmund fans, who grew to know and love Kagawa during his time there, recently started a twitter campaign with #freeShinji in efforts to see the beloved Japanese get a chance to show his brilliance for United. He’s the type of player that could (and probably would) play anywhere else and spark that team’s attack. His not being selected is a mystery.

MID – Juan Mata (Chelsea) – Mata started against Aston Villa, but was brought off after 66 minutes, the only minutes he’s played this season. Seeing him passed over for the likes of Andre Schurrle, Kevin de Bruyne, and Marko van Ginkel have some Chelsea supporters worried that Mata — whose accolades include being voted Chelsea’s player of the year twice, being man of the match in the 2012 FA Cup final, and being a part of the PFA Team of the Year in 2012-13 — is not seen as favorably by Jose Mourinho as he was by Chelsea’s former bosses. Like Kagawa, perhaps this is a knee-jerk reaction, but with a player as creative and technically adept as Mata, his not being selected is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

Forwards

Winger – Victor Moses (Liverpool) – Chelsea had a tendency last season to pick up inexpensive commodities for the sake of rotation (see Demba Ba and Azpilicueta.) Moses is a player of good quality who possesses immense pace. He made immediate impact at Chelsea last season, opening up space on the right side of the pitch and being effective as an option in Rafa Benitez’s rotation of midfielders behind the striker. He’s not been selected at all this season for the Blues, and with the plethora of other options at Mourinho’s disposal, hopefully Moses can now make an impact at Liverpool after being loaned to the Reds for one season.

Center Forward – Arouna Kone (Everton) – There’s little doubt that Kone will continue to be selected, as Roberto Martinez has experience with him. However, Kone hasn’t seen more than 45 minutes in a match (including the International Champions Cup, the preseason tournament played in the United States.) The question is, will Kone become a starting option for the Toffees, or will he continue to come off the bench? To this point, he’s been a late-game option, and Everton have drawn all three Premier League matches. Kone’s attacking impetus may be necessary in the starting XI for Everton to start to go ahead early and see out matches with more than a point in hand.

Winger – Scott Sinclair (West Brom) – Sinclair battled injury during his first year at Manchester City, during which he was a mixed bag in terms of his play. He came to West Brom this season on loan, and played against his former side Swansea City. West Brom’s play has been fairly narrow through the first two matches, and Sinclair’s pace has the potential to open up space on either side of the wing. This also seems to be an important year for Sinclair, who has been unable to stay in one place for very long, and will look to prove his worth in the Premier League.

Surely there are other players whose futures are up in the air and/or it remains to be seen how they’ll be used. Injury has kept us from seeing Gary Hooper (Norwich,) Matija Nastasic (Manchester City,) and Chicharito (Manchester United). Wilfried Zaha will be interesting to watch in his first year in the top flight, and Chelsea’s striker situation remains a hotbed of discussion in light of their poor draw against Manchester United.

Who are some players you have your eyes on this year who could yet prove their worth?

The debate on gay marriage — whether it should be legal, whether it is right, whether it is normal, whether it is important — is arguably the biggest of the last year, or maybe longer. It rages on with fundamentalist groups citing the Bible to defend their stance and the progressive groups accusing the former of being stuck in another century with their archaic thinking inspired by a “silly” religious text.

It’s been a touchy issue in sports, as well. Across different sports, various athletes have made the decision to come out as being gay, including Britney Greiner in women’s basketball, Jason Collins in men’s basketball, and Robbie Rogers in soccer. Their comings out have met various response: praise, condemnation, admiration, and neutrality. The debate has thus spread into the world of sport, mostly concerning whether or not a person’s sexuality matters, and whether or not straight teammates can be comfortable with a gay teammate in the locker room.

We’ve seen how fans are criticized for their views of homosexuals — mostly exemplified by the letter from the Zenit St. Petersburg fans to their ownership proclaiming they didn’t want blacks or homosexuals on their club. And now (because we just can’t get enough) the foul stench of debate has arisen concerning Russia’s “anti-gay” laws that prohibit pro-gay propaganda.

Here’s the thing, though — this shouldn’t be something to be debated.

Alexey Sorokin, the CEO of the 2018 World Cup, recently defended the new laws, saying that the laws prohibit pro-gay propaganda, not homosexuality itself. “That is a big difference,” he said. He’s right.

Here’s the definition of “propaganda” according to my friends at dictionary.com:

1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.

3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.

Sorokin made his point very well and diplomatically, but it seems to have been overlooked because people are so focused on the words “gay” and “prohibition” in the same sentence.

Here’s the main point: a soccer competition should be about soccer, nothing else.

It’s difficult to see why this is such an offensive issue. Think about it this way. If the World Cup were held in China, where Bibles are banned, you wouldn’t see christian flags being waved in the stands. If the World Cup were held in the 1950s United States, you wouldn’t see communist propaganda in the grounds, because these are issues on which the national governments have spoken clearly about their stance.

You can debate the moral issue all you want. You can accuse Russians of being archaic in their thinking, you can call them moral dinosaurs, close-minded, bigoted, etc. to your heart’s content. But in the context of the World Cup, that is not the role these laws play. The law (remember, in the context of the World Cup) is not to discriminate against a group of people, but it would seem to actually keep the peace. It’s evident by incidences such as the Zenit letter that the Russian people are not in agreement with countries like the United States, Norway, Spain, etc that support and/or allow and/or recognize same-sex couples. If a government is aware of where its people stand on an issue, why would it allow propaganda that promotes that issue at a competition of a sport with the history of violence that soccer has? In other words, why risk someone vehemently opposed to homosexuality encountering someone with pro-gay propaganda and introducing the risk of violence?

But aside from the morality/amorality/immorality and irrespective of your personal stance, can we just make a soccer competition about soccer?

With the pre-match banter between David Moyes and Jose Mourinho, the match between Manchester United and Chelsea began even before the players took the pitch.

When asked about the new management at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho replied:

“For me, the difference is in the routine of meeting a friend, of being together and relaxed for the match, [I] have the guarantee that after the match, independent of the result, we are together again, enjoying our time and having a laugh…with David, we don’t have this kind of relationship, [we don’t] have a good relationship.”

Moyes seemed less concerned with their friendship and more about what to expect from the match. He explained that Chelsea and United were much the same from last year: the same players and new managers. When asked if that meant he knew what to expect, he said:

“No, because you never know what to expect from a new manager. But they don’t know what to expect from me.”

The antics continued when the team sheets were revealed. United’s starting XI included (for the first time this season) Wayne Rooney, who Chelsea have been pursuing since before the season began. Chelsea’s eleven controversially included neither a striker, nor did it involve Juan Mata. Twitter blew up, with the Chelsea faithful divided on whether or not Jose knew what he was doing. It almost seemed like a classic Mourinho dig at the opposition, as if to say, “You won’t sell me Rooney? Fine, I’ll beat you and I won’t even start a striker.”

All that was before the match.

As for the match, it lived up to the hype.

The first half started with a lot of pace and intensity, as United pressed early and often with the intent of getting the ball and holding it. They won the possession battle 57-43%, but didn’t necessarily create the better chances. Rooney found himself in open space from time to time and showed good quality both with his runs, his passing, and a shot on goal following some clever changes in direction. United were relentless in their approach to break down the Chelsea defense, and created a few chances, but were usually foiled, including a high cross to Robin van Persie that he couldn’t keep down, and a high (though well-taken) left-footed shot by Tom Cleverley after a pressured-filled bout of possession.

Chelsea’s best chances in the first half came through Oscar, who showed classic pace and ability to track to all portions of the pitch, got the ball in good areas, but was unable to take shots that challenged David de Gea.

There were moments of incredible physicality in the first half, with 5 fouls by United and 3 by Chelsea, including questionable tackles by Ashley Cole on Van Persie and Antonio Valencia on Oscar. Referee Martin Atkinson had enough when Kevin de Bruyne challenged Van Persie in the 32nd minute, resulting in the first booking of the match.

The second half changed face only a little, as the game became much wider. Patrice Evra in particular was very good in widening play for United, while Fernando Torres came on in the 60th minute, enabling Andre Schurrle to play on the right wing and open up play for Chelsea. Regardless, every chance for either team had a way of being wasted or otherwise foiled. Danny Welbeck got what appeared to be an easy shot in the box, but he scuffed it to his right and away from the goal. Schurrle got open on a good run but was called back for being offside. And it seemed that every time United began a counter attack, Gary Cahill and John Terry were there to brilliantly break up the attack.

The second half wasn’t without its controversy, however. For the second (and third) time in two games, Chelsea were on the fortunate end of a handball call in their own penalty box, as Frank Lampard stopped a shot with his outstretched arm. Old Trafford erupted in boos toward Martin Atkinson, but he responded, “play on.” Then later on, John Obi Mikel had a shot hit his arm, was turned toward the goal and had his arms to his sides, and the referee didn’t call the foul.

The match ended as tense as it began, with a corner for United in the final minute of stoppage. Van Persie flicked in the kick, and it bounced around several times before being cleared out of danger, after which the match ended.

For the average soccer fan, a 0-0 can be hard to watch. This one was not without its takeaways for both teams, however.

First of all, this match was a perfect display of the excellence of Chelsea’s back four. For me, Gary Cahill may have been the best player in the entire match, but at least for Chelsea. His positioning was excellent, and he broke up many of United’s chances. He cleared out a lot of late danger and marked well. But much the same could be said of John Terry (on one play he was caught in the center circle when United began a counter attack) and Branislav Ivanovic, who also played a big role in bringing play forward for Chelsea on the right side. Ashley Cole had his lapses in the first half, struggling both on and off the ball, but in the second half tightened things up and made good defensive plays. The argument could be made that Chelsea have one of the better back fours in the Premier League, if not (dare I say) the best, when in form.

Second, United’s problems in central midfield are a little overplayed. Perhaps this was a result of having Wayne Rooney in the side (which we’ll get to momentarily,) but Michael Carrick and especially Cleverley had good games going up against a pressuring and paced Chelsea midfield. They didn’t use the long ball as often as analysts predicted, and seemed able to create chances even while keeping the ball on the ground. That’s not to say United don’t have issues, but perhaps they’re not as bad as they’re made out to be.

Third and finally, Rooney is a really good player. This speaks for itself, and it’s not exactly been in question, but seeing him for a full 90 minutes was a reminder of why he is so highly coveted. He played very well behind Van Persie, causing frustration in the defensive midfield of Chelsea, and provided very good passes, both short and long, along with great vision to pick out the open player. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up, and how he’ll be used. Last week against Swansea, United played a 4-2-3-1, and this week a 4-4-1-1. Obviously the goals poured in last week, but this week they faced a more difficult test in the defense of Chelsea. The Rooney transfer saga continues to be an interesting one.

It’s a pleasure to see The Special One return to the Premier League. His antics provide the media with so much fodder to digest, swoon over and replay over and over again. Not to be undersold, however, are his transfer tactics.

It seemed as though the Gareth Bale transfer saga was finally coming to a close as Real Madrid were close to unveiling the Welsh winger as their latest addition. But Jose being Jose, he swooped in at the last minute and put in a bid for the Brazilian winger Willian, who was presumably Bale’s replacement. Upon first glance, this appears to be a move simply to spite Tottenham, Chelsea’s North London rival. After all, Chelsea have tons of talent in their attacking midfield — Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar, Victor Moses, Kevin de Bruyne, Andre Schurrle. Surely that’s enough, no?

Despite seeming like a spiteful move, I would argue that signing Willian is a smart tactical move by Chelsea.

We saw last season how Chelsea’s fixtures piled up between the league, FA Cup, League Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Champions League and the Europa League. Squad rotation was a vital part of why Chelsea finished third in the table, making it to the semifinals of the FA Cup and League Cup, and winning the Europa League trophy. Granted, squad rotation is a staple of Rafa Benitez’s management style, and would be expected under a Chelsea squad managed by him. Mourinho may not have the same reputation and identity as a rotator, but as smart of a manager as he is, he will no doubt use rotation to his advantage to help Chelsea win trophies, and WIllian can be a key part of that.

Willian would equip Chelsea with a clear pair of options at every position in the attacking midfield. Ideally, this would feature Eden Hazard and Juan Mata rotating on the left side, Andre Schurrle and Kevin de Bruyne in the center, and Victor Moses and Willian on the right hand side.

Now before Chelsea supporters crucify me for not mentioning Oscar, let me assure you that his dynamism affords him his own section. Oscar is undeniably effective in the final third of the pitch, both as a scorer as well as a facilitator and chance creator. But Oscar has a history of being a workhorse in the defensive third of the pitch, tracking far back to break up play, making effective tackles and winning the ball. Oscar could really benefit the squad by playing as a holding midfielder, as he effectively already plays that role. Plus, at times when Chelsea look to dominate and bring the game to the opposition, his attacking impetus could be put to work when he pushes up the pitch. That is to say, he provides a degree of creativity greater than any of Chelsea’s other holding midfielders, and his skill could afford Mourinho the freedom to play the more purely attacking midfielders in the final third.

Of course this is all hypothetical, and it may still be that with the incredible sum Spurs get for Gareth Bale, they can outbid Chelsea (or bid more desperately than Chelsea) for Willian. But maybe, just maybe, Chelsea’s £32million bid for Willian (which is rumored to have been accepted by Anzhi) is more of a tactical one than a spiteful one.