Supermonkey92

Appreciate a link guys

The order of the list makes it look like a 433. Moses on the right and willian on the left. Only important thing I will look at is whether matic is playing DM or further forward. I really hopes it DM and Kante plays b2b

Oscar shouldnt fit in, personally. Hes no cm, no winger and no second striker. Hes literally limited to play the number 10 in a 4231 which we shouldnt see for a while lol. Although i might be being harsh. He has had some decent games down the right for Brazil. Who knows, when you are on the wings you options are more limited than in the middle and ive ways thought oscar was at his best when he thought less and played more instinctly

I have to say his forward passing is much better than people give him credit for. Just basing that off the video though, haven't seen much of him though.

I agree that midfield 3 would work, no doubt. But the question is, will conte want to play 2 upfront? I know as chelsea fans we are used to 1 up top and have been for over ten years, but just as fabregas needs those 2 to play at his best I think Costa would be magnificent with a partner. Anyway, here's the bottom line - we have options! Fabregas or no fabregas, midfield 3 or 2, 1 striker or 2. Conte has options and that's when chelsea are devastating over 38 games. Blow some teams away, grind out some wins and neutralise others. It helps to have the child of Einstein and Al pacino that is conte ofcourse.

He would be wasted if made to just sit in front of the defence. Let matic do that! Release Kante to press like a blazing inferno;)

Does that mean we only play with Costa as a striker?

Exactly, just how good is fabregas under pressure? As useful as a dildo favoured lollipop! Also, people use the word intelligent as though it's the same for all players. Lampard's intelligence was high, just look at how he waited until the right time to come into the box. Doesn't mean he has the intelligence to play the specific position of Pirlo and Alonso

Do you think fabregas, like Pirlo or say Alonso, can run a game from deep? Choosing where the ball goes, when to get possession and slow it down, when to go straight to the striker or wide players, when to play the vertical pass as opposed to moving it around first it a better position? I don't think his brain works that way. I think he always wants to lookforward and if the pass isn't on then he plays it simple. Pirlo takes control and manoeuvres the ball with 2 or 3 passes until the forward pass is on. That's the difference between a deep lying playmaker and a midfielder with a good eye for a pass. Just my 2 cents of course, but from pretty much the moment we bought him I think most people on here have commented on how he isn't a deep lying playmaker but a very good passers around the box and in counterattacking situations. I don't see how playing him in a midfield 3, even with many options in front of him, changes the way he plays football. If it does I will forever hail Conte as the emperor from Italy!!!!

Notice how flexible that is. If apzi drops back its a straight forward back for, hazard drifts to his normal position on the left and we have a 442. Also easy for a switch to a diamond. Apzi drops back, matic or Kante moves to a LCM. It's all really fluid. I remember AVB once saying that formations aren't that important as it changes so much in a match. But from my limited knowledge of Conte, a 352 has certain stricture to it i.e some positions aren't fluid but a player has his area on the pitch. At least it's very easy to switch during a match without subs.

They can both play in games with space, in fact with the players we have currently I'd prefer that. But in the big games we should not play both.

You ignored the post about him being invisible defensively. Also, attacking wise, apart from those two situations he is very average. What else does he bring? Tell me? He's no metronome who controls how we play, he can't dribble or shoot and his corners are average. In matches with space, his defensive weakness can be outweighed by his incisive passing. With no space, he is a passenger. Just watch any game against the top 6 we have played against. Which brings me back to my main point, considering hazard is pretty average at tracking back, fabregas is atrocious defensively and space is generally of confined suppressing the situations he's actually good in - we should not have both fabregas and hazard in the starting 11 against the big teams. we would even be better off dropping him for another striker.

Now for a centre midfield in a 442 - Bazore and Kante would be great!

As Deluded as thinking the 2014 title was anything more than a capitalisation on piss poor competition, a second half of the season when the entire team played defensive relying on hazard's brilliance and a first half of the season where teams seemed to stand off Fabregas (most probably due to his previous reputation with Arsenal and Barcelona)? Fabregas is ONLY very good in two situations. When he receives the ball in the middle of the pitch and plays fantastic balls through/ over the top to Costa and when he was the ball in and around the box, making clever passes. That's it. He is poor defensively in every way. He can't press the opposition half, he want stop someone running at him with the ball and when he takes up a position to keep a defensive shape he's always the weak link - again - because people usually walk past him. Let's face it, he has incisive passing and seems that have a winners mentality. No wonder there's rumours Conte is questioning him!

If we are honest with ourselves, fabregas should start to be moved on with the aim of playing two strikers. You can't fit both hazard and fabregas in the same side and compete with the best.

If we get him, I think we should be OK in the CM department, especially if we play 3 in the middle. That's because I have a feeling matic will come good matic as DM and Kante allowed as a b2b pressing machine sounds about right. Of course I wouldn't say non to Mario or Gomes too.

As SJ mentioned, Morata and Nainggolan were two big rumours that have now died. Both seem to be staying put. Kante is the name we are strongly linked with night now, many reporting a deal is close. It seems we have has two bids rejected for the Valencia and Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes. DiMarzio has mentioned interest in Witsel and Koulibaly. Also, the last few days we seem to be interested in Joao Mario, with on poster with apparent links to Sporting saying talks are happening. Last week eek we seem to have had a bid rejected for Santos striker Barbosa. Reports today indicating he hasn't yet signed a new contract and the €30m we bid would still tempt him to come. The report also mentioned the bid was high enough to salsify Santos, so it's up the the player, though he is wary about game time.

It's not about chelsea not moving fast enough. He could want real Madrid, he could have wanted us but madrid offered him stupid money. Or he could be coming still

Why scoring goals ofcourse! You know, as long as he's scored at least 1 league goal he's already ahead of Hazard in the goalscoring element.

If he uses 2 strikers we must sell fabregas. He is only use full in a 3 man centre midfield. And I'm or counting a 352

I'll reply after the summer. Hopefully it marks the start of a new beginning. Where there is balance throughout the team sheet and an acceptance that progress should always be striped for - whether it's to finally challenge for the title or to retain it.

Really? I guess that makes every other defender bar terry and Zuma jesters.

Kennedy seems to me to be a player suited to space. When it's a case of running at a back 4 or a fullback 1v1 he is good. I think he is terrible in tight spaces. In this loose sense, he's the opposite of Hazard (i think hazard lacks the sprint speed this season to take a fullback on, go past him and shoot. He's more interested in making space than beating the man). This is one reason he has looked so good at fullback going forward. He has acres in front of him and is power on to cross or shoot. I think playing him fullback forces him more often than not into the situations that suits him best. Overlapping for a cross or a shot from the edge of the box. Absolutely no idea about his defending. Perhaps a Wing back would suit him?

As a player I did like this role and going forward to replace the striker. That attacking bent was always in my mentality as a player and now as a Coach, as I always wanted to take the initiative. I say it’s better to lose a game by attacking – as we could’ve done at Lazio last week – than to draw while sitting behind the ball. “As a player I won five Scudetti, the Champions League and everything there was to win, so I can only wish they follow me and do even better. “It’s rare we go on the counter-attack, as we don’t have players with those characteristics. We study our opponents and how to limit their strengths, but still maintain our own strong points. “When attacking, our wingers go on the same level as the strikers. A 3-5-2 is variable and all down to the interpretation. There are others who use this system in a more defensive way and to go on the counter, but that’s not our style.” Can't link articles at the moment

Some of Italy’s greatest successes have come playing defensive football, but Conte isn’t keen to return to the days of catenaccio. “Catenaccio and counter-attacking football have had their day. We have to have a rethink and move with the times. “Football has changed dramatically, and I have a feeling that the mentality is changing in Italy. Good attacking football is all about the art of quickly switching to attack after winning the ball, but still finding the right balance between defence and attack.” this HTML class. Value is http://app.football-