vandeveldejonathan

No one has an idea of the line-up yet? Really hope Musonda gets his chance...

Batshuayi was awful, obviously, but after watching the game again (hell, it's Sunday) the difference of the whole team between the first and second half was just incredible, but most clear to see in the way the midfield pressed forward instead of just keeping position and letting the opposition come at them. I still have faith in Batshuayi, just had a (horrible) offday!

I'm sorry, but 2 of the 3 goals are the direct result of Luiz not defending properly, if there's one player who deserves criticism for this first half it's him. I really hope Morata makes a difference in the second half, but playing all alone with no support and zero creativity from midfield, I'm really curious.

He was not shit in preseason and is completely alone in a man down situation with awful crosses and almost zero creativity coming from midfield, what do you expect from him? He has high balls played to him while he has a defender in his back at all times and 2 midfielders in front of him, preventing him to decently chest the ball down while Kante is the only one in midfield who's seriously trying to push forward and connect. I'm sure we'll get Morata in the second half, I really hope he can make a difference but if the rest of the team continue to play like this I don't see him performing much better than Bats...

Really hope he gets a chance this year, we could do with a little more bravoure and flair and a little less Moses or Willian...

I don't get what's wrong with Belgian players? When did you hear Hazard, De Bruyne. Kompany, Benteke,... say something stupid? Also, Musonda is crazy talented and a young guy so he can dream imho, and I'd rather hear someone saying honestly what he thinks than all those players who say 'this is the club of my heart' with every team they pass... It's José's task (for now) to convince him to stay here...

You are joking, right? He was elected motm after the match against Sunderland, where he scored and gave an assist. In his first three matches with City he scored three times and gave an assist, if that is called 'not creating anything', which creative players do we have? Granted, he played like shit yesterday, but he has shown his class this season and the two before so there's no doubt he'll be fine imo.

Really hoping for a last minute loan deal to Marseille or some other senior team... Ffs, if you are not gonna play him, just loan him out José!

Scored and played a formidable match (again). Hope he goes on loan...

So they're going to buy the most expensive player in both the premier league and Bundesliga and put him on the bench, despite him having played fenomenaly last years, both with Bremen, Wolfsburg and Belgium. And you know this because...?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n2tBOtrCG-w It starts around 28.25, it's just a few sentences (and in Dutch, sorry! )

Just watched 'Voetbal Inside', the Dutch program formally known as 'Voetbal International', where Johan Boskamp - who now works for Feyenoord as advisor - told that they tried to get Musonda to Feyenoord, but could not get him because he is going to Marseille. Anyone else heard about this? So hoping it's true!

Was fantastic again today. Just on a different level than the others IMO, or am I the only one who sees it that way?

Yeah, they totally figured Hazard out! They found that, if you constantely mark him with 3 or 4 players, Chelsea finds it hard to create any chances.

Hazard really wasn't that bad IMO. Created some great chances (great through balls for Costa e.g.) and at least 5 free kicks. Granted, not his best performance, but compared to some others on the pitch...

You got any source? Would be brilliant!

So is it gonna be another season with the youth team for him? Or is there still a chance he might go on loan? I can't really imagine Mou could say no to having him loaned out if say, Marseille or Monaco are interested?

I don't het why it should be hilarious? I never stated RLC or Boga were less talented then him, I just stated that Musonda impressed me (personal opinion!) more then them this season. As for overhyping the lad; a few months ago, the Belgium u21 played a match against Spain u21. There were players on the pitch like Tielemans, Munir and El Haddadoui (from Barcelona) and afterwards both the Belgian and Spanish press agreed Musonda was just on another level. Same with the youth coaches at Anderlecht, who placed him on yet a higher level then Januzaj. I don't think it's overhyping when you say he has a chance to make it at Chelsea, is it?

Don't think YFC is Mirallas 2.0 (he's still young and already shows great promise, already has a better understanding of the game then Mirallas IMO). I do agree that Musonda is in another league then Ferreira-Carrasco, and he's quite probably the greatest talent I have ever seen (in his time with Anderlecht). Anyone who thinks he can not get a starting spot in a team with - with all due respect - very mediocre players like Jetro Willems, Wijnaldum and Narsingh, is wrong I believe.

When Musonda played with the big boys vs Thailand I think he was one of the best players on the pitch. He was creative, good and comfortable on the ball and did his defensive duties as well, but most importantly he really demanded the ball and was given it by the other players. In this aspect, Boga and Loftus-Cheek impressed me much less. Where those two were clearly juniors playing in a big team for the first (or almost first) time, it looked to me as if Musonda already belonged there. I think that's something you don't regularly see, and it convinces me that Musonda would be able to get a spot as a starter at e.g. PSV. It's just my opinion though, I could be wrong.

Although Tielemans is alsof regarded as a great talent, almost everyone in Belgium agreed that Musonda was even of a higher level. I recall a recent article by one of the Anderlecht Youth trainers stating that although Tielemans and Januzaj (who was also at Anderlecht at the time) where great talents, but that Musonda was -at that time- out of this world.

Indeed he seems to contribute more to the defending aspect of the game, even without the added muscles (which he clearly needs imo). What do you consider his best position? Lower down the field in a Xavi kind of role? I don't really prefer him coming from the wing, I rather have Boga doing that and him in the centre, but that's just my opinion... Also, even with his seemingly frail figure, I can't recall him being injured lately (or is my memory letting me down?)

Actually, the feeling here in Belgium is that he is even more talented than Hazard (silly as it may sound). I have had the fortune of seeing him play when he was very young, and although his dribbling has always been unearthly, it's especially his vision and mental attributes that make him stand out. He played in teams that were much older than him, yet he was always captain and used to give tactical instructions to each player seperately before every match. In my humble opinion, he is the most talented nr. 10 player I have ever witnessed.

I don't get why RLC played though, I thought that against Thailand Musonda was perhaps the best player of the 2nd half, why not give him more than the 5-10 minutes he got today?

I found Boga and RLC really disappointing. Apart from one or two good runs, I feel like Boga only passed backwards without looking to create any danger. Maybe a bit overwhelmed by the occasion though...