CurlyHairLikeLuiz

Ramires has been nearly invisible. Is he really playing?

third kit

Doubt it. It takes a lot of fuck ups to be dropped from a Jose team

Fucking hell Jose! Can somebody post the bench?

Apparently he's doing R16 coverage for the CL to test out the pundit job. The final stab in the back would be if he covers the City games as opposed to ours. Sigh, the decline of a hero.

That's a club level failure in that over the past 10-12 years, we've been guilty of buying the finished article over our own development of players. Over the next 2 years that transition will begin as we get rid of 'dead wood', eg Mikel, Schurrle (gone), Torres (g). I fully expect RLC and Ake (yes, he's not English but he IS homegrown) and Brown and especially Bamford to be featuring fairly regularly from next season. Drogs will probably be retiring, Remy will probably leave, Ivanovic's lifespan as an RB at least must surely be coming to an end, and 2 of our wingers have already departed - 1 of those places are to my knowlege still unoccupied. Kalas should probably be here too. The fact is that the FA has allowed football to rot here for the last 30 years; clubs cannot be blamed for that.

Load of bollocks. Just because one Arse kid smokes, suddenly all English players are lazy? No. Bertrand, RLC, Solanke, JT. Admittedly, the pool reduces in first team football but that is not laziness, that is just the effect of years of acute underinvestment in facilities and an era of buying the finished product as opposed to making your own. Open your eyes and take a look at our academy. Full of hard working lads, and they also have a role model in JT. It's unfair to write them off.

EVEN IF Bertrand was not Chelsea material (he clearly is, he's in a 4th placed team going for CL places), Luis was a short sighted buy. He's 29, he's only 4 years younger than Ash - We should have too Bertrand up or brought someone younger. Even the best LB in the world simply isn't displacing Azpi anyway - £20m of bench material, now, Betrand was certainly good enough for that role at the very least.

BORO!

Strikers - Diego, Bamford, Solanke AM/WNG - Eden, Thorgan/RLC, Oscar, Willian, Cuadrado, Cesc CM/DM - Matic, Pogba, Cesc, Ake FB/CB - Azpi, Luis, Iva, Christensen, Terry, Zouma, Varane, Kalas

BASTARDS

I hope not, we have so many academy grads who can do that position just fine, RLC to name one. Also, with Cuadrado here, there's a good chance Willian will move to the #10 anyway.

Lol, no. But if we were to get him, Hazard would not cover the fee himself, therefore we'd be losing money. I just don't believe he's worth what Barca think he's worth, at least not to us, £80m for him would be a more appropriate sum, but £200m? Buying Pogba and Varane would be a better investment, although I know it doesn't quite work like for like!

you'd prefer to lose money and buy a player who will exit his prime in 2 years?

Hazard >>> Messi The guy is NOT worth his price tag, and he's certainly not worth Hazard who is 3 years younger.

Agree, £30, 40m here would be money well spent. Although maybe Pogba as well Having said that,how does he stack up against Kalas? (stupid question?) If we buy him, we will almost certainly end his career here.

Not gonna happen, but I hope for a 4-3-3 of: Courtois Azpi Zouma Terry Luis Ake -- Cesc -- Matic Cuad Diego Hazard BENCH: Cech, Iva, Cahill, Rambo, Mikel, Willian, Remy Having a holder covering the wings and taking the pressure off Fab in the middle who can then work his magic. As for Ake - I prefer him over Mikel, he is far more able IMO, and also can share the workload with Matic and allowing for Cesc to primarily go forward, and can act as a false 4-2-3-1 if needed. Will help us cope with the midfield congestion in the match. Thoughts?

Cesc's preferred role is as a CM. As others have said, Fab looks great because he has time on the ball which the deeper role affords him without getting bullied by the defenders. In the #10 he simply has no space to work with the ball. Of course, he still looks great at #10 but something tells me that when Cuadrado comes Oscar will become 2nd choice and Willian will start there, where he can give more end product. Never know, though,

So who is coming in to take 3rd choice? Ramires on the wing? Then Boga as a reserve?

Is it acceptable to get his name on the shirt yet? Next season perhaps? Amazing midfielder. The rest he's getting is well deserved, otherwise we might have burned him out! Don't expect him to be back for Villa, though, think West Ham is more likely tbh.

Thorgan for me!

Courtois Azpi Zouma JT Luis* (*If not injured, otherwise Brana-Dave) Ake Cesc Matic Cuad Remy Hazard BENCH: Cech, Iva/Christensen, Cahill, Ramires, RLC, Willian, Drogs OR (more likely) Courtois Iva Zouma JT Dave Cesc-Matic Cuad Willian Hazard Remy BENCH: Cech, Christensen, Cahill, Ake, Rami, Oscar, Drogba

Good game considering the side was so depleted 4 of our bench players were teenagers... Wish RLC went on for Oscar earlier though, poor performance from him today tbh...but then again, 120 mins against Liverpool would be killer for any side, and then to play against another side just days later... We did just fine. However, when Cuadrado arrives, we should play like this: Courtois Azpi Zouma Terry Luis Fabregas Matic Cuad Willian Hazard Costa Bench: Cech, Ivanovic/Cahill, Ake, Ramires, Oscar, Remy, Drogs I bet Willian will be a sick #10 with his pace up front, he can be more of a goal threat that way too. The team above is built to counter attack.

And Costa possibly, that's why in which case I thought Mou would want a stronger midfield to help Remy, in which case Ake would be playing in the absence of Mikel and Cesc.

My understanding is that he's injured. Though, he would take take the place of Ake in the team in that case, even though ability wise Ake is probably more capable. I really hope we don't play the pivot like that, it's not designed to have 2 sitting DMs in it, and it simply does not work, which is why I chose 4-3-3. Which leads me on to the fact that Schurrle won't need to fall back with Ake/Mikel in the middle behind him. Cesc is also a doubt, btw.