DYC.

Yo, respek Adebayor. He was a very talented striker and still had a nice career despite his stank attitude. Not the greatest goal-scorer but he was a target man, offered great physical presence with his speed, strength, mobility, duel strength (both over the ground and in the air) and also created chances for his team mates. He was like Drogba without the big game record.

He has. He's a squad player for Real and in that role, he's been fantastic. Whenever the manager needed him, he mostly delivered. And that's hard. When a player is in and out of the team, he's often desperate to impress (doing too much) and can't build a true connection with his team mates. The player could even suffer from a loss of confidence, which of course affects your form. Most 2nd choice strikers don't manage to make much of an impact in their deputy role. Not to mention the fact he has often featured in a second string team under Zidane. So he's not playing with Kroos, Modric, Ronaldo etc. most of the time but with Asensio, Vasquez, Isco. Still a good team but not elite. You say he scores or contributes in 'garbage time'. He's been called to start on 13 occasions (in La Liga) and scored 11 goals in those starts. So, no, he's scored mostly when he starts. He's come off the bench 11 times and scored 4 times in those sub appearances. Only one start in the CL (which was on the left wing) and 3 goals in 7 sub appearances. 15 goals in 1256 min (La Liga) is an average of 1,07 goals per 90 min. 3 goals in 166 min (CL) is 1,63 goals per 90 min. Again, if you have a second choice striker who does that for your team, he's been fantastic, I don't care what you say. You can't compare his record to strikers who start on a weekly basis but that's an impressive record regardless. Want to pay? I want Belotti. Not Morata or Lukaku. But I do prefer Morata over Lukaku. Lukaku is not that guy for me. He'll score his goals but he won't lead his team to consistent success. That's how I see it anyway. What he offers overall just doesn't cut it for me. Greavsie put it perfectly in the first paragraph of his last post in this thread and that's what I've been trying to say. But you'd think a 23-year-old future star forward who's made his intentions of wanting to leave so clear would have the very best clubs in world football fighting over him in the same fashion the likes of Dybala, Mbappé, Griezmann, Neymar etc. command interest.

He's been fantastic for Real this year, has to be said. In and out of the team but still managed to make a big impact.

Must be nice to have two elite midfielders in Modric and Kroos in your team. Along with a mercurial talent like Isco. They were all amazing. Benzema's dribble to set up the goal was a piece of art. Don't want Real or any team (except for Chels) to win the CL twice in a row. That's boring. And another CL trophy for one of the super clubs would be horrible for football. I'm rooting for Buffon.

Bakayoko doesn't improve Chels. I don't know about his potential because physical players are hard to gauge. He could go on to grow into a fine player but he could also have peaked early. But he's not better than Matic and only upgrades should be contracted. I have to say, Pjanic has proved me wrong. Didn't think he possessed the tactical nous and personality (along with his lack of athleticism) to become the chief playmaker of an elite team. A good player rather than a top player, but he's been fantastic after a slow start. And I'm glad I was wrong because I love a good playmaker. Mbappe is something else. The boy's already a boss. He never hides and is always trying to take responsibility. Very rare in a youngster. And, oh, yeah, Dani Alves is a rockstar. But that was already a fact.

So he doesn't want/need him in 16/17, he goes out on loan and gets injured, yet he'll be given a chance in 17/18? Hmm... You wonder when he got the chance to impress the manager. Anyway, it would save money which could be used for more important signings. Question is if he's good enough. But then again, he'll probably only be a deputy if true.

I hope so. He should definitely start in the CL next season. At that tempo he definitely makes the team stronger. Top bloke.

What a ball. And he makes it look so easy. When it comes to long passing he truly is a juggernaut. When Messi and Fabregas made waves as teenagers I thought they were both going to be huge players. Messi exceeded expectations and turned into a football god. Fabregas didn't become a great as he never impacted the uper echelon of football and turned out to be a bit too flawed. But he's still one of the best midfielders of his generation and won almost everything there is to win. So yeah, plenty to be proud of and he will be remembered fondly. But then again, at 30, he still has time to deliver a top CL campaign or excel at the World Cup. Who knows?

Uuugh, that doesn't matter. Ajax and Milan are bigger clubs. Period.. I actually agree with your sentiments about not caring about the past. I don't even remenisce about trophy wins. I just watch football games. But that doesn't change Chelsea's historical standing. Bored of this non discussion. Won't reply anymore.

No, because of the fact that they possess a far more impressive trophy cabinet. I could care less about trophy cabinets but it's a fact. Personal feelings are irrelevant.

Haha, I don't understand the point of this post. If you don't care, why say something?

Uhm, yeah. Chelsea is currently better but they'll always be bigger.

Job done. Great win. Special mention for Cesar. He was perfection both on and off the ball. Doesn't receive the praise he deserves for his ball-playing abilities. Such a clever player and an absolute pro. Whether he's facing Boro or City, he's always sharp and focused for the full 90 min. Rarely commits an error and will always go the extra mile. His mentality and discipline is superb. Finish off the PL season in style by winning all three matches, please. 30 wins in a season is always good for the ego and internet history.

Alonso managed to convince an incredibly stubborn individual like me of his worth to the team, yet I still constantly read and hear about how he should be replaced. Moses needs replacing before him. Such poor decision-making. Chels doing their job and comfortably winning this game like they should. Don't understand how so many doubted this team to bring the title home after watching them play all season. Negative Nancys I guess. Fabregas should start in CL games next season. Cesc and Eden are the ones who'll be able to make a difference. And he should always start in PL games like this. Hope Conte will be more confident in using him after he gets a title (and possible FA Cup) under his belt.

Not to mention his lack of personality. Morata is the type to go with the flow. If the team plays well, he plays well. If the team doesn't play well, he doesn't play well and becomes quite anonymous. He won't 'win' you games and carry the team when in trouble. One of the reasons so many strikers flopped or disappointed for Chelsea is because the service for the strikers isn't the best. Quality attacking play has never been Chelsea's strength. Not on a consistent basis. And Chelsea have often been defensive in big games. This leads to the man up top having to fend for himself quite often and needing to produce individual moments of brilliance. We all know Drogba revelled in this role. Costa has delivered big time on more than a couple of occasions as well. It says a lot how we, as fans, don't even expect the #1 goal-scorer to score 30+ goals per season (in all competitions) even though all top teams possess at least one such player. Being Chelsea's top dog up top is a very tough job. You need a certain spirit and swagger to truly succeed (you know who would be absolutely perfect for Chelsea, Luis Suarez). Granted, Conte's Chelsea is a bit different, but he's still a manager who relies on defensive solidity above all. I do prefer Morata over Lukaku though. Lukaku scores his goals but his overall game hurts the collective strength of the team. Surround Morata with top quality and he'll do a fine job. That's how I see it anyway. But I have strong doubts about his potential. A good striker? Sure. A world-class striker? I don't think so. (I also find his technique to be overrated. Some make him sound like prime Van Persie or Ibrahimovic. Don't see it all.)

Players who start for clubs like Juve and Bayern aren't ever joining Chelsea unless they look at the squad and imagine a realistic chance of winning the CL. And even then it's extremely difficult to pull off. Chels rarely managed to sign players like that as a top 5 club and a financial powerhouse ten years ago.

Sounds great, yeah. Hard to find. Even harder to sign.

Bakayoko messed up big time there. So painful. Dani Alves is a great.

Only Cristiano can go into the quarterfinals with a record of 2 goals in 8 games and end up having a laugh by hitting 10 in 11. 5 goals in the quarters against Bayern and 3 goals in the semis against Atletico. Mind-boggling stuff from one of the true greats.

I didn't say that. I said hardly any players match his level of consistency throughout the season. A small group of players have performed with a similar level of regularity, some have been even better. And I said you can't name three players who have been more consistent. You named a few and I disagreed with those you named outside of Neymar (to an extent) and Messi.

Sanchez has been weak, for his standards, for months. No way has he been more consistent. Yes, he's scored more goals. That's what he does. Hazard beats him in plenty of other areas and has without a doubt been the better player over the entire season. Dybala suffered a dip in form in the first half of the season and was poor for his standards. Only started to perform like the talent he is in recent months. So never Dybala over Hazard. Neymar has impressed a lot but has also been very frustrating with his tendency to overdo things. Even Ronaldo hasn't been up there with the very best. 5 goals against Bayern is incredible (even if a bit luck was involved with two offside goals) but that doesn't turn his worst season since his breakthrough at Utd into a typical high level and consistent Cristiano Ronaldo season. Hardly any player in football in 16/17 can match Hazard's level of consistency, let alone trump it. Messi has been the best by far for me, and Thiago is another player who's been stellar. But many of the elite and world-class bracket have had issues or simply haven't been that consistent. And no one performs at their best game after game. The expectations concerning consistency has taken a ridiculous turn and has become completely unrealistic. Your bias argument is moot because you don't know me. So yeah, not having that.

Oh, please. You can't name me three players who perform with greater consistency than Eden. Hazard has played at a very high level throughout the season and has been decisive from start to finish. I can't take you seriously, or anyone, if you actually think there are players out there who perform at their best game after game. That front three isn't for now but for three years from now. If Mbappe and Dembele were to join in addition to the current front three, I'd faint. Twice.

Ousmane Dembele. I've said it time and time again but I don't care, I'll say it again. What a talent. A born footballer. And a player that comfortable with both feet, whether he's controlling the ball, dribbling, passing, shooting, whatever, is simply ridiculous. If all goes well, that's one of football's future superstars for sure. Dembele-Mbappe-Hazard. Never happening but I can't stop fantasising about that front three from time to time.

I disagree. His ball control doesn't wow me at all. Genuine superstar talent but not because of his ball control. Can't blame the club for not being able to sign players like Mbappe. When the whole world wants you, it's silly to assume Chelsea can just pick up the player in question. I would agree with the club placing too much emphasis on the physical rather than the technical when acquiring players though. But that's also linked to the type of managers they appoint.

Record in PL in 14/15 + 15/16 + 16/17: Costa: 51 goals in 85 games = 0,60 goals per game / 7222 min = 0,64 goals per 90 min Lukaku: 52 goals in 106 games = 0,49 goals per game / 8961 min = 0,52 goals per 90 min Aguero: 67 goals in 89 games = 0,75 goals per game / 6969 min = 0,87 goals per 90 min Kane: 66 goals in 96 games = 0,69 goals per game / 7959 min = 0,75 goals per 90 min