Chelsea's best ever 11

[My Blood Is Blue]

As a bit of fun through the festive period, I thought it would be interesting to create CFCnet’s all-time Chelsea XI. Each day, we’ll hold a vote to build the greatest Chelsea team ever, sparking plenty of healthy debate along the way. We’ll kick things off by selecting the formation, and each poll will stay open for 24 hours. Let’s see who makes the cut!

[paulw66]

1 hour ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

As a bit of fun through the festive period, I thought it would be interesting to create CFCnet’s all-time Chelsea XI. Each day, we’ll hold a vote to build the greatest Chelsea team ever, sparking plenty of healthy debate along the way. We’ll kick things off by selecting the formation, and each poll will stay open for 24 hours. Let’s see who makes the cut!

I caveat my picks by going only for players I watched, so from 1990 ish onwards.

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

19 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

I caveat my picks by going only for players I watched, so from 1990 ish onwards.

 

I'm going to do my best to cover as many decades as possible when giving the choices for each position, but some of which I can only go from highlights/what I've been told.

[My Blood Is Blue]

Some players will appear in different votes if they played in multiple positions for us.

[chara]

Hmm...Go as far back as you like Sam but only two keepers "eligable"..imho... and although my heart says one my head says the other!The Snake takes himself out of the reckoning but a very honourable list of "almost" candidates,,, As an Og with some other not so young members we will be competing with youngsters (Happy Birthday for today!) old memories with more recent greats.

Should be interesting !

[My Blood Is Blue]

After the formation vote, I won’t vote for the players but will have a deciding vote should we have two players level when the vote closes.

[hallgalley]

4 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Some players will appear in different votes if they played in multiple positions for us.

Does that include David Webb, vinny jones and John Terry in goal😀

[hallgalley]

9 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

As a bit of fun through the festive period, I thought it would be interesting to create CFCnet’s all-time Chelsea XI. Each day, we’ll hold a vote to build the greatest Chelsea team ever, sparking plenty of healthy debate along the way. We’ll kick things off by selecting the formation, and each poll will stay open for 24 hours. Let’s see who makes the cut!

Is 3-5-2 the same as 5-3-2 as I marked that as the only option to get wingbacks in

[My Blood Is Blue]

1 hour ago, hallgalley said:

Is 3-5-2 the same as 5-3-2 as I marked that as the only option to get wingbacks in

Yeah, that’s what I had in my head 

[My Blood Is Blue]

1 hour ago, hallgalley said:

Does that include David Webb, vinny jones and John Terry in goal😀

We could do with JT in goal at the moment

[My Blood Is Blue]

Ok, we have our formation and we will be building our greatest ever Chelsea team using 433. The positions we'll be selecting shown below and as I mentioned before, some players may appear in multiple lists when we vote.

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

Goalkeeper

This will be a hard one for @chara, who I am sure will wish he could cast 2 votes.

 

Carlo Cudicini
A fan favourite, Cudicini was Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper between 1999 and 2004 before Čech’s arrival. Known for his acrobatic saves and reliability, he won Chelsea's Player of the Year award in 2002. Though he later became a backup, Cudicini’s professionalism and contributions during Chelsea's rise are fondly remembered.

Petr Čech
Čech was the backbone of the team during its most successful era. He won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the 2012 Champions League, making vital saves, especially in the penalty shootout. Čech holds numerous club and league records, including 228 clean sheets in 494 appearances.

Thibaut Courtois
Courtois was crucial to Chelsea’s Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017. His height and shot-stopping ability made him one of the best goalkeepers in the league. He also won the Golden Glove in 2017 before leaving for Real Madrid, but his contributions during his time at Chelsea were significant.

Ed de Goey
De Goey was Chelsea’s goalkeeper during an exciting time in the late 1990s. Making 179 appearances, he helped the team to win the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup. De Goey was known for his leadership at the back and solid shot-stopping as Chelsea began establishing themselves among England’s top clubs.

Peter Bonetti
Known as "The Cat" for his agility, Bonetti is a Chelsea legend from the 1960s and 70s. He made 729 appearances (the second-most in the club’s history) and played a crucial role in winning Chelsea’s first FA Cup in 1970 and their first European trophy in 1971. His loyalty and reflexes made him one of the club’s all-time greats.

 

Let the voting commence!

[chara]

Sigh,,Has to be Petr Cech..... my heart will always say The Cat...for those who watched him through his prime  memories for the ages..OT will always be a memory of real goal keeping under immense pressure and with an injury,

For me  TC rules himself out for obvious reasons,,(Yes I am totally unfair and biased,don't take the piss and expect to be remembered with any fondness!) Eddie N deserves a mention. He and Carlo are my two next in line,,great servants and keepers but not quite up there with Petr and Peter.

From a cold snow bound Colorado..minus 20 c last night when I walked the dogs,,gets much colder and I will have to think about wearing socks. They say it might be chilly playing on Thursday for our poor lambs! 

Edited December 10, 2024 by chara

[Blue Kratos]

Cech

A.Cole

J.T

Desailly 

Dave

Lamps

Maka

Kante

Hazard

Drogs 

Zola

Bench:

Robben

Willian

Ricky

Carlo

D.Costa

Brana

Essien

Edited December 10, 2024 by Blue Kratos

[Proud-Blue]

This poll is reminding me of just what amazing keepers we've had. None of the ones we have now are even close.

Lucky to have seen all play except Bonetti. Voted for Cech as he's easily the best of the ones I saw.

[Lump Of Celery]

Some of these are going to be tough - do you take it as who had the highest ceiling of performance when in their prime, or who was the best across their time here and more legendary. Random example - Azpi vs Reece James

I would say 9 of the 11 Kratos posted are pretty nailed on for me, having only started watching CFC myself 3 years before the Roman era.

[My Blood Is Blue]

1 hour ago, Blue Kratos said:

Cech

A.Cole

J.T

Desailly 

Dave

Lamps

Maka

Kante

Hazard

Drogs 

Zola

Bench:

Robben

Willian

Ricky

Carlo

D.Costa

Brana

Essien

You've peaked a bit early

[My Blood Is Blue]

32 minutes ago, Lump Of Celery said:

Some of these are going to be tough - do you take it as who had the highest ceiling of performance when in their prime, or who was the best across their time here and more legendary. Random example - Azpi vs Reece James

I would say 9 of the 11 Kratos posted are pretty nailed on for me, having only started watching CFC myself 3 years before the Roman era.

I think right back is going to be one of the hardest ones. Personally, I would be basing my votes on what they achieved and gave/are giving to the club as well as the ability of the player. So your Azpi vs Reece James example, would be Azpi for me, even though in full flow, James is arguably the better player. Some other very good right backs to consider as well though.

[Sciatika]

You can't compare a 1960's striker in a 4-4-2 with a modern SS. The levels are too different. I will go on who I liked most. In some cases, that is the one with great shithousery. 

[Blue Moon]

Agreed: some Chelsea players of old simply bear no comparison with the newer whippersnappers. Take, for instance, William Foulkes vs Petr Cech ...

Foulkes would have crushed Cech.

Edited December 10, 2024 by Blue Moon

[paulw66]

5 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Goalkeeper

This will be a hard one for @chara, who I am sure will wish he could cast 2 votes.

 

Carlo Cudicini
A fan favourite, Cudicini was Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper between 1999 and 2004 before Čech’s arrival. Known for his acrobatic saves and reliability, he won Chelsea's Player of the Year award in 2002. Though he later became a backup, Cudicini’s professionalism and contributions during Chelsea's rise are fondly remembered.

Petr Čech
Čech was the backbone of the team during its most successful era. He won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the 2012 Champions League, making vital saves, especially in the penalty shootout. Čech holds numerous club and league records, including 228 clean sheets in 494 appearances.

Thibaut Courtois
Courtois was crucial to Chelsea’s Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017. His height and shot-stopping ability made him one of the best goalkeepers in the league. He also won the Golden Glove in 2017 before leaving for Real Madrid, but his contributions during his time at Chelsea were significant.

Ed de Goey
De Goey was Chelsea’s goalkeeper during an exciting time in the late 1990s. Making 179 appearances, he helped the team to win the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup. De Goey was known for his leadership at the back and solid shot-stopping as Chelsea began establishing themselves among England’s top clubs.

Peter Bonetti
Known as "The Cat" for his agility, Bonetti is a Chelsea legend from the 1960s and 70s. He made 729 appearances (the second-most in the club’s history) and played a crucial role in winning Chelsea’s first FA Cup in 1970 and their first European trophy in 1971. His loyalty and reflexes made him one of the club’s all-time greats.

 

Let the voting commence!

This is and will be the easiest vote.

big Pete.

Petr Cech.

The wall. 

the greatest goalie this club, this league has ever seen. for ever and ever, AMEN.

[chara]

3 hours ago, Proud-Blue said:

This poll is reminding me of just what amazing keepers we've had. None of the ones we have now are even close.

Lucky to have seen all play except Bonetti. Voted for Cech as he's easily the best of the ones I saw.

Agree but your excellent post reflects some of the difficulty with choices,,biased as I am watching The Cat was a privilege and although I voted for PC he was way above the very good keepers mentioned..I have never seen any keeper take crosses so cleanly and was beloved by the Faithful,,,standing in The Shed pregame his name would be chanted during the then very casual, compared to today, warm up until he turned and modestly acknowledge the crowd... Class act and Chelsea to the core.

Can't wait for the next position votes..will not be so easy!!!

[Blue Kratos]

5 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

You've peaked a bit early

That's what she said 🤣

[boratsbrother]

Cech.

A few others are certs for me.

A Cole. JT.  Lamps. Hazard.

 

 

[boratsbrother]

4 hours ago, Blue Moon said:

Agreed: some Chelsea players of old simply bear no comparison with the newer whippersnappers. Take, for instance, William Foulkes vs Petr Cech ...

Foulkes would have crushed Cech.

Yeah, all sports naturally progress as  speed, strength, stamina, training, diet and the medical side too. So it's a bit unfair on those greats  from many decades ago being judged against more modern day sports people 

The only popular sport which I think has actually gone significantly backwards is heavyweight boxing. Today's best wouldn't live with the greats of Lennox Lewis's era, or Larry Holmes, Ali etc.