DYC.

Pulverise them.

That's taking it too far. He's scoring goals, mostly from FKs, but he's not tearing up the league in any fashion. Also fails to take his team to a higher level like former Eredivisie stars did for their teams. You want to see a player who's too good for the Eredivisie you should watch Ziyech in action. He's probably twice the player Baker is.

In the traditional 4-3-3, Van Persie is still the best #9. In a 3-5-2, I'd pick Janssen because of his mobility and work rate. De Jong isn't good enough. Dost is a pinch hitter at best. Remember Zivkovic? Another former super talent. He turned out to be a bust. Can't think of anyone else. Netherlands isn't producing forwards, period. Depay is talented but unless he goes through a Bale-esque transformation, he won't become world-class. Maybe Promes can surprise if he makes a move to a top league.

El Ghazi was definitely considered a big talent at one point. Young Ajax striker from the academy making waves for the first time in I don't know how long and he's not Dutch, which is a shame. There isn't one young Dutch striker who actually looks impressive. Janssen is okay but he resembles Kuyt. Wouldn't be surprised to see him on the wing because of his work rate at one point.

Haha, no it wasn't. It was horrific. A lesson maybe but not a blessing. Where you been, Mexican? Uncle Trump got you laying low?

You think he looked tired? He was moving all over, running with the ball, sprinting, chasing defenders. Looked fine to me (considering the circumstances and compared to the other internationals) He was just lacking support and was lacking that bit of sharpness in the final third for it to be a true class performance. But he was quality today. Just looked up some stats: 92 touches / 65 passes / 84,6% passing accuracy / 6 key passes / 0 shots / 7 completed dribbles / fouled 6 times

Lichtsteiner and Badelj could help secure a top 4 finish. If Moses got injured, it would be nice call up on an experienced wing-back. And he's worked with Conte of course. Badelj is a player who's been linked with Chelsea. Not the greatest or most exciting signing but he's a good player. Has plenty of experience in the system so he can slide right in when he's needed. Chelsea would still lack a left-footed player for that LWB role and I think bringing back Van Aanholt would be worth a try. A cheap Jan option but more importantly, a homegrown option. As a fullback, he doesn't cut it to make it at the top. But as a wingback things are different. The boy is good going forward and offers great pace to quickly get up and down the left flank. His defensive weaknesses would not be as much of problem with that support of the left sided CB and left forward. He would mostly need to be disciplined and commited like Moses. We've seen how that shift in positioning (and change in tactical role) transformed Moses. Van Aanholt could surprise as well. Courtois/Begovic Azpilicueta/Ivanovic - Luiz/Terry - Cahill/Zouma Moses/Lichtsteiner - Kante/Chalobah - Matic/Badelj - Alonso/Van Aanholt Pedro/Willian - Costa/Batshuayi - Hazard/Oscar (Eduardo; Fabregas) *Underlined = HG. A squad of 24 players consisting 7 HG players would qualify right?

David Luiz being praised. Funny. I've seen almost everything now.

I'll take those three points and be on my way. Up to win number seven. Spurs at home. Must win game for me. Diego was the best man on the pitch by a distance for me. When he's on, he looks like a real footballer rather than a mere finisher. Hazard was quality as well. Too bad that final ball was lacking today. All these clean sheets. Chels could wear all white to a BBQ.

Another super talent after only a couple of games. Are Riedewald, Bazoer and El Ghazi still huge talents? Chelsea could pick them up for pocket change. How about Kasper at least becomes top scorer twice, carries Ajax to two titles and impresses in Europe before he leaves? I hope he's smart and patient. Having said that, he's been great and a joy to watch. Shame he's Danish.

Funny how things go. Boro's Valdes facing Chelsea's Pedro in the PL with Fabregas on the bench. And young Adama is now a pro. This game is littered with ex La Liga players by the way.

Adama is the classic PL winger. Super pacey with lots of drive but technically rough and super dodgy decision-making. That type of player is just not for me. Just score that bloody 2nd goal, Chels. This is ridiculous.

That wasn't good but it's to be expected after an international break so I'm not even upset. At least it looks like that chastity belt is still in top shape. Costa, I love you and your beautiful beard. Keep playing your football and don't worry about anything else. Goal should open Boro up. I'm thinking another goal and a clean sheet for a 0-2 win. Kante is a funny player on the ball. His technique isn't great but he's calm and he knows his limitations. Won't try anything fancy and give the ball away.

A minimum of ten points should be the aim for the next five games. Imagine a 10-game winning streak though. Imagine the fear and respect. Imagine the adulation. Imagine them kissing our feet! Anyway, Chels should win this comfortably. The worst thing would be to make this game bigger than it is. A commited and focused performance should bring home the three points. If Hazard and Costa aren't in their best shape for this game this will most likely be an unspectacular 0-1, 0-2 win.

^ Spot on. The rightie-leftie combo is a great advantage as well (if only Matic was better with his right foot). Matic's resurgence has been crucial. No other player in the team could form such a fine partnership. Put Oscar, Cesc or Mikel next to Kante and the strength of the collective plummets. Might sound like an exaggeration to some but I honestly believe that would be the case. Player A would be a crutch for player B. Player B would be a crutch for player C and so on. The balance of that line of four is ideal now. The only question that remains is if they can keep this up for a full season. The past few weeks have been great but it's still a mere total of five games. And hopefully they remain fit (in light of this, adding a wingback and CM in Jan should be a top priority).

So much football since the age of 17. Free from defensive duties? I don't think so.

What an incredible compliment. I think Motson was an old geezer even back when I was a boy haha so he's been around for a while (he still sounds exactly the same).

I do agree with you on the three seasons thing. People are too obsessed with so called long term signings. 'Sign player X (age 23) and he'll be here for the next ten years!' How often does that actually happen? Not often. Anything can happen. Look at Mata, De Bruyne, Sturridge, David Luiz (back but sold initially of course) and others. A player who can come here and perform for two, three years (and still be valuable after as a veteran) would be extremely valuable. Especially as Chelsea try to get back to the top. Payet plays in Hazard's position though.

I'd say Bale hugely relied on his physicality a few years back. But he's developed into a player who is clever in his movement, has a good eye for his team mates, has that nose for a goal and has become a leader (the way he led Wales at the Euros was very impressive). Not to mention his huge aerial threat nowadays. He deserves more respect for that. Even when he starts to age, I think he'll continue to be a big threat. Not an all-round attacking force but like current day Ronaldo. I think he has four to five years left in him. Only downside to him would be his injuries. I understand your point but their firepower, whether that's from open play or set-pieces, is undeniable. Don't think any team could currently form a better trio than Barca's or Real's. Hazard and Costa still have a lot prove on the big stage.

He shouldn't forget to mention he got fat in the summer but there you have it. There's sense in that story. I'll hold off on praising Conte into the heavens myself. Ask me about that after three seasons (if he's still here). But I'm with you on the rest.

We'll never really know what happened to Hazard last season so all we can do is speculate. But all of last season, bar the very end, I kept saying Hazard isn't fit. And by that I mean he wasn't in top shape. He was slower, less energetic and a lot less sharp. Top physical condition is everything to a footballer. I remember the things I read when the man went off because he was injured. Slated because he was injured (!). Anyway, poor match fitness sounds a lot more plausible than some devious scheme to get Mourinho sacked. That was a little too 'cartoon villain-y' for me.

What about the front three that won the CL twice in the past three years? Bale would be perfect. Griezmann 2nd, Dybala 3rd. Dybala's level dropped in the final months of 15/16 and it's dropped even further now. He's still a developing player. Griezmann is past that, he's a star. But they all play for big clubs. Players like that have never come easy for Chelsea. But I think Salah, and I can't believe I'm saying this, would be a good alternative. He's not quite as refined as someone like Mahrez but he's more powerful and aggressive. And I think he'd be a better fit because of that. He's always a problem with his lightning speed and he knows how to score goal. 14 league goals (6 assists) last season and 8 (4 assists) in the current campaign. Does not take set-pieces if I'm not mistaken. Loved his humble character when he was here, which seemed genuine. Looked like he really wanted to make it at Chelsea.

Messi

Always thought he was a good midtable player. He seems to better than that based on reviews Not impressed by him today though. Probably had an off day but I don't like how he barely got out of 1st gear today. Mikel-ish. I don't like that.

Agree with the first part. That goes for every position. But Darmian doesn't cut it for me. Not fast and quite light. You can't lack both physicality and pace as a wingback for me. Fabinho would be perfect. Sign him if possible and may the best man start. Him being able to play in centre midfield makes him even more perfect. But there other alternatives like Porto's Layun and Real's Danilo. Even Coleman would be a good option.