ParNolio7

It's not defenders that we need people ... decent back-up centreforward and extra quality in midfield ... Berahino, Mané, Götze, ... that's the kind of names I'd like to hear.

Haha yeah, but in all sincerety though, if KDB had no ambition, he wouldn't come back to the PL where 90% of the people think he's a lazy, difficult bastard who can't cope with EPL pressure just because Mourinho needed some excuses to justify his incomprehensible treatment and dismissal of De Bruyne. No, without ambition, he'd stay safely at Wolfsburg in Germany, where everybody treats him as God.

Why was the 2012-2013 team worse? We still had Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Juan Mata. Rest of the team was pretty similar, we already had Hazard and Oscar. Just Willian, Matic and Costa missing. Maybe Mata/Lamps is why we don't control the game anymore.

Haha and yet he's signing a 320K / week contract for 6 years. Who needs ambition hey?

Maybe we're not as good as we think. Maybe just like United when Fergie left, this team would finish outside top 4 if Mou left. Think about it ...

"Ungrateful" ... really?? These players are paid over 200K a fookin week kicking a ball around and supporters trying to get by on a 30K / year salary investing every cent and minute of their time in the club, are "ungrateful cunts" for asking pretty please to show us some better football? What kind of a cunt are you man?

Probably not, but those were insane numbers. Can still make a good season reaching 50 to 75% of those figures. Anyway, just curious to see how he'll settle in at City. Totally different club and style of play. I'm sure he'll do fine.

According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Kevin De Bruyne is about to put pen to paper for a six year deal at Manchester City in which he'll earn 320 (!!) K a week (40K more than Hazard) and sees his club get paid a transfer fee of EUR 69 million (49 million pounds) ... For those who read Dutch: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/dmf20150812_01814942

Yes, that's true. KDB was outstanding against Andorra (where Hazard didn't even play), but fair enough that doesn't really count. In the other matches Hazard was one of the better if not best players, but still not getting stats/results. In any case, start the new season, and I'm pretty sure KDB will quickly be at his best again.

I'm sorry, but this isn't true at all. Certainly not since the Wilmots era. What I will say in his defence when playing for Belgium, is that most players don't seem to get him. They don't react quickly enough. They don't run where Hazard would like them to run, and so on. It sometimes seems like he's playing a different game, on another level. BUT, if if I have to be harsh, if you're as talented as Hazard, you should be able to adapt your game to make it work with your team mates. KDB manages that part a lot better.

We looked fairly in control, but not really superior. And if Courtois hadn't been sent off, that chance would probably have meant 2-2 anyway. Swansea were getting in behind us way too easily in the beginning of the second half.

They did but there's a big difference between WBA and Swansea as well. Swansea have a really decent team, I'd be surprised if they don't finish top half. WBA were absolutely awful last night. No desire, no intent to win at all. For the opening game of the season in front of your home crowd, that is really disturbing. We would've beaten this side as well. Don't know if 0-3 though... But yes, City played well and everyone looking really sharp and solid. Unlike us.

Haha, I really hope so mate. And Mourinho's tactics don't really allow for us to get hammered (or to hammer ourselves unfortunately). But after seeing City's display last night, with Silva & Touré already in top top form, Agüero ready, maybe KDB added to the squad, Kompany looking rejuvenated ... I really can't see us take much out of the game. I got the feeling that our entire team is struggling to find form.

KDB being more efficient than Hazard doesn't automatically mean that Hazard is inefficient. Just less efficient than KDB. Comparing club & country statistics. Obviously Hazard had better stats in the 13/14 season. KDB only played half a season then being benched at Chelsea. But he still did really well for Wolfsburg in the second half of the season considering. Scoring 3 and assisting 6 in just 16 Bundesliga games. In a new team without any match rhythm. Looking at our poor start, and the way City have impressed last night with a rejuvenated Touré & Kompany, admittedly against a pathetic WBA side, I'm afraid it's going to take more than just Hazard to be champions again this year. I wish we'd bid for Berahino and/or Mané. They would be really useful additions to our attacking game. Anyway, KTBFFH! Will be strange though if we'd see KDB play against us next weekend..

This game is coming at a very bad time for us. I'm afraid we're gonna get butchered if I'm honest.

Ow, give it a rest Johnny. I know it's cool for a Belgian to downtalk a Belgian player because it makes you seem like your opinion can be trusted, but it's becoming a bit silly. Player Of The Year award 17 goals in all competitions 29 assists in all competitions Kevin De Bruyne will be worth every single penny. Already is. As much as I adore Hazard and his skills, he can only dream of Kevin's stats and efficiency. Mourinho didn't like him and let him go, there's nothing more to it. Sometimes club & player don't match. But please stop this nonsense about KDB not being good enough. Consistently one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

Especially after they got Jason Denayer back from his loan spell at Celtic. Massively talented young defender who I can see becoming a regular starter for City if they start conceding silly goals.

Focussing on how to stop Fellaini will not help our cause. We need to play quick & fluent football to outplay their technically inferior midfield. Get them running and running until they're tired and then strike. 1-0

Haha, love it how you mention KDB in the same sentence as Salah, Lukaku ... Undisputedly one of the main stars of European football right now. Try to keep up! If you only ever look at Chelsea games and only ever listen to what Mou says, please don't debate on non Chelsea players.

My theory is actually that Mourinho is a ginger racist. How else to explain the exits of De Bruyne & Schürrle?? Mourinho only wants latino's (Costa, Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard by the looks) & blacks (Willian, Drogba, Remy, Ramires, Zouma, Mikel ...) It's the only explanation!! (this is a joke of course, before I get banned from this forum) (OR ISN'T IT??) (it is..)

Jesus Christ, you talk like you're scared of Mourinho or something? What is he, or dictator now? Just chill out. Hazard can say whatever he wants. He was not even remotely offensive or inappropriate. Offensive would be to say: "Mourinho is an absolute shit manager, the worst I ever had, I hope he goes off somewhere to die." Instead he just said he thinks De Bruyne is a great player (something everyone knows by now) and it's a shame we don't have him at Chelsea anymore with the insane form he's in. Really, what on earth is wrong with that? Even Mourinho probably regrets not having De Bruyne on this form in his team anymore. Finally, you have to know there's ANOTHER REASON why Hazard made this statement, and it actually has nothing to do with Chelsea. After the disappointing performance from Belgium against Wales, there was a lot of talk in Belgian media about how Hazard & De Bruyne can't play together because both want to be the main man of the team and they constantly try to outplay eachother. So this was actually a very smart comment by Hazard to shut up the Belgian press by openly admiring his supposed rival KDB.

Like a boss! Maybe we should offer Hazard a player-manager job??

http://www.squawka.com/news/eden-hazard-believes-chelsea-would-be-stronger-with-kevin-de-bruyne/340032

Do me a favour, watch some De Bruyne games. And I don't mean highlights, but actual full 90 minute matches. With Wolfsburg or Belgium, doesn't matter. There's two coming up with Belgium on Saturday & Tuesday (against poor opponents I have to admit), so there's your chance. Afterwards tell me if you still think De Bruyne is a lazy player, or perhaps it was just Mourinho & his herd of sheep who made you believe that? If you can't bother (probably won't), just look at his running/mileage stats. Insane numbers. The fact that he's the stand out player in the most physical of all competitions (Bundesliga), tells you all you need to know. And hey, if you won't take my word for it: http://www.squawka.com/news/eden-hazard-believes-chelsea-would-be-stronger-with-kevin-de-bruyne/340032 If even Hazard says it ... So who's team you in, Mourinho's or Hazard's?

You can't compare Harry Kane etiher. Harry Kane is the local kid who grew up 10 meters from the stadium and was trying to force his breakthrough. And admittedly, he did that in some fashion. You can compare that situation to De Bruyne at Racing Genk. A local kid, 18 years old, fighting for his first minutes of A-team football. And just like Kane he forced his way in, dazzled the entire Belgian football world. Even so much it got him a transfer to Chelsea. First on loan to Werder Bremen, people questioning if he could make it there, Bundesliga being way better than the Belgian league. But he was their best player right away, 10 goals / 10 assists in an absolute crap team. Mourinho got him back, publically declared De Bruyne could well become his main man for the season ... His injury pre-season was called desastrous ... And then he left him to rot at the bench. I hope you can appreciate this situation is slightly different than Kane's. KDB was also already the main man in the Belgian NT, topscorer and top assist provider, responsible for +50% of all Belgian goals in world cup qualifiers. Kane is yet to make his debut for England. As for our season and his. Yes, I'm damn well excited we're winning the title. But it's a bit narrow minded to say all is well just because we're winning the league. We got humiliated by PSG and we pretend to be top 5 in Europe. It's clear to every one that players like Oscar, Ramires are simply not good enough for top level. KDB could've been that guy. Is all I'm saying. We had him in our own ranks all along.