MrExcalibur100

Off the top of my head, I seem to remember him creating at least 3 clear cut chances against Stoke only to be rewarded by two atrocious misses. He also created another clear cut one for Lamps against West Ham and for Torres against Fulham with that outrageous cross. Torres also missed another easy clear cut chance he created against Galatasaray in both legs.That's 7 assists right there that could have easily been put away. Easy clear cut chances. Torres is especially guilty of fucking up Hazard's chances. The fullback situation with Azpi playing the wrong wing on the left also doesn't help Hazard as it tends to isolate him when he tries to stretch play. Add to the fact that the football hasn't been as expansive as last season.. All these things are factors as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJQ9AWwnA2Q The video is tends to focus more on his incredible dribbling ability but it gives you a clear picture on how many clear cut chances he has created only to have them squandered by his teammates. God forbid, but if he was playing for a Madrid or Bayern at the level he was this season, he would have had like 35-30 assists.

Next to the rat.

We should add that he came 2nd in the PFA player of the Year voting, ahead of Yaya. Next year = Beast mode alongside Diego Costa

Hazard wins the Young Player of The Year to go with the TOTY award! Congrats to Eden The Great!

Let me be the first to say congrats for making the PL's team of the year. Well deserved indeed, and in reality Cech should have won it more times. Scarce compensation in light of the injury, but compensation nonetheless.

I don't think we are disagreeing with each other

In general, I agree. Compare and contrast to a player like Willian who never does anything of value inside the box and spends most of the game outside it contributing fuck all. Willan + Oscar = 4 assists in the PL all season. Juan Mata = 4 assists since he joined Man Utd. Need I say anymore?

Two tap-ins

And I didn't dispute this did I?

He was shocking today, just terrible. He's had like 3-4 good games in the last 4 months and has 5 goals in his last 18 starts. He certainly is nowhere near as good as the media wants us all to believe. Their agenda is to prove how wrong Jose was allowing him to leave, but it's backfiring now. And instead of putting his head down and improving, Lukaku us busy talking about how he will win the Player of the Year and Young player of the Year awards next season. What a joke. It's one thing to be ambitious, it's another to get far ahead of yourself. So it looks like another loan is in order, maybe this time to a Spanish/German team. Or perhaps one year at Chelsea as a 2nd striker to feel what the pressure is like at a big club.

What about we pay you, Juve, 20 million + Ramires = Pogba. And we have a deal? I'm slighlty surprised they are looking for a CM. Perhaps PSG/Madrid already have the Pogba deal done.

That's what we all want to see and I can't remember the last time we had one. And the fullback situation resolved as well. Azpilicueta and Ivanovic are not a long term solution, regardless of how solid they are defensively. In their current positions, they offer nothing to our attack. Of course it remains to be seen if Mourinho shares our vision. You know how obsessed he is with "tenacious" players.

I think it's far too soon to come to such conclusions really. I'm sure if you saw a 21 year old Lampard, you would have said the same. And van Ginkel stands out more than Lamps at that age anyway. The thing is both of these players are around the same age and will probably be competing for the same spot as Matic owns one already and the number 10 role is a non-starter with so much competition. (I know both van Ginkel and Kovacic can play there too) Still if Inter is complacent with Kovacic and the likes of Liverpoo and Man United are still sniffing around, then we should get involved. He is an incredible talent.

Kovacic is 19 and so far has proven nothing special under Mazzarri at Inter. Any time he gets a chance to impress, he messes it up. He is obviously very talented but if he can't get into Inter's first XI regularly, there is a slim chance he would in CFC. He also strikes me as a player that would struggle a lot with the tempo and physicality of the PL (at least at this stage of his career) unlike say a van Ginkel. Obviously some will blame Mazzarri for mismanaging the kid, afterall, he was impressive under Stamaccioni but Kovacic's poor play does not help things. Plus what's the point of Kovacic if we have van Ginkel who is 21 and occupies the same position on the pitch? Add to the fact that Inter will not sell their young, potential superstar gem to anyone any time soon,............ I don't see that one even being an option, Skipper.

Standard

I'm reading the Diego Torres book on Mourinho right now. Of course I'm taking everything with a pinch of salt

I just realized Jorge Mendes was his agent. This deal is done as far as I'm concerned.

Right now they don't even play with an AM in their 4-3-3 formation right now. Isco has now fully established himself in the team playing in a deeper role and is seen as the future of Madrid and Spain. He is a fan favourite among the Madridistas. They don't need Rakitic at all but we do.

There really is no space for him in either the midfield of Barcelona or Madrid.

Having said that, imagine a Serbian and Croatian in our pivot ..................

This guy just continues to amaze me with his performances. He ticks all the boxes we want in a midfielder. He has played quite a bit as an attacking midfielder for Sevilla this season but has also impressed playing a deeper role as a central midfielder. I'm also sure he can play on the right side of the midfield, so he can cover many positions we lack quality in. He is a great passer, goal-scorer and set-piece taker (his free-kicks are world-class). I've watched him quite a bit this season and he is a world-class midfielder though he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He is one of the best players in La liga. Man United, Inter, Arsenal and Liverpool are interested alongside Madrid. I suggest we put in a bid for him in the summer.

I think you misunderstood my point. Of course he shouldn't start against Atletico, but I'm saying if things are going badly in the pivot (i.e Ramires misplacing passes like a madman) then perhaps Jose could be flexible and go to a 4-3-3 with a trio of Ramires, van Ginkel and Luiz. It's a possibility since Lamps is suspended. As for the Liverpool match, Matic, Lamps and Mikel seems the most practical option, but I will like to see van Ginkel start ahead of Mikel, a player who will most likely be sold in the summer. The Pool game is a throw away after we fucked up vs Sunderland. Even if we beat them, our chances of winning the league are still almost non-existent. We might as well give van Ginkel a chance to show us what he can do and to show if he could be a realistic option to come off the bench vs Atletico. The kid is young but he has already played 200+ games already in his short career. Might as well give the future of our club a chance instead of going for tried and (not so)trusted Mikel.