Vesper

Blues could LOSE ‘unhappy’ N’Golo Kante due to Maurizio Sarri decision https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/737858/Chelsea-news-N-Golo-Kante-PSG-Maurizio-Sarri-decision-Blues-could-LOSE-unhappy That’s according to former Blues and Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino. The pundit reckons Kante is displeased with the more advanced position he is playing under boss Maurizio Sarri. Kante shone at Leicester in a holding midfield role and has become one of the best in the world since joining Chelsea. The World Cup winner is now one of the most sought-after players in Europe. Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain are particular admirers and were on the verge of making a bid for the star last summer. Sarri has deployed Kante further forward to accommodate summer signing Jorginho who shields the defence. But Cascarino thinks Chelsea are playing with fire because Kante may decide the time is right for a new challenge. “N’Golo Kante is looking like he is unhappy with the position he is playing in,” he wrote in his column in The Times. “That is a worry for Chelsea because they could lose him if he is unsettled. “This is a player who will be wanted by every club in Europe. “He still looks a quality player, but I’m not convinced he’s suited to this more advanced role on the right of a midfield three with Jorginho in the central sitting role. “When he plays in that deeper role he glides across the pitch. “He’s everywhere in front of the back four, robbing the ball from the opposition and running at pace, passing people, feeding the more advanced players. “In that position, he’s the best in the world, but he’s not in his present one. “Maurizio Sarri said after Saturday’s draw with Chelsea that United are better in a physical game and I thought that was telling. “He doesn’t want his midfielders getting involved in battles, but that is what Kante is so good at.” snip see this repost for geat explanation Chelsea: Sarrismo has no place for a fully defensive N’Golo Kante https://theprideoflondon.com/2018/09/24/chelsea-sarrismo-ngolo-kante-midfield/ It's pretty simply (the options) 1 (best for all) Kante adapts 2 Kante doesn't adapt and the we HAVE to sell him whilst we still get huge money or 3 We sack Sarri and go back to trad DMF system (in this case it is INSANE to sell Kante) No, there is no option 4 that will work, we cannot just shove a non-adapting Kante out there for multiple years that is just both gutless AND stupid from every angle just because he is the best trad DMF doesn't mean he can fit into the system, and the system prevails every time, as long as Sarri is here we will know what to do by May at the latest

1000000000000% agree. I just wrote on this in my BATE lineup post I will start to turn on Sarri if he doesn't start to play CHO dead serious OUTRAGEOUS if Sarri runs him out the door we already are so fucked at multiple positions, plus the Hazard non renewal nightmare, so potentially losing the only true other LW (and a super young, super talented HOMEGROWN academy player at that!) is fucking beyond the fucking pale.

the lineup I would like to see GK Caballero (he needs to stay a wee bit sharp, due to nightmare possibility Kepa goes down) CB Andreas Christensen (please, please, I so so hope he doesn't have any more major cock-ups) CB Gary Cahill (Ampadu is injured) RB Victor Moses (he is shit as a winger and Zappacosta is shit as a RB, so lets give him a go at old position, then we can switch at H/T if Moses is also shit as a trad RB now too, which he probably is) LB Emerson (simply becuase there is no other option really, Alonso already looks like a spent force, so give him rest, I am more convinced every day Emerson is perma wrecked from the Roma injury, almost to same level of certainty that I am convinced that Zouma is DONE in terms of any chance he will be a s good as he was before his injury) DH DMF Cesc Fàbregas (he actually has surprised me when he has filed in at this exact position) CMF Drinkwater (make the fucker work a bit for his free ride £6.2m a year!) AMF RLC (time for him to step the fuck up!!!) RW Barkley (let's see what he can do here, I think he can bench Willian as a RWer, especially when Pedro is injured) LW CHO (I swear to fucking god if Sarri doesnt play him in this game I am going to start to turn on him, I really mean it, as CHO may bolt on a free in 2020 if we fuck him over) CF my gran, as she is better at hold-up play than Morata and falls over less (oki joking, sort of, so let's go with Morata over Giroud, just so Morata, on outside shot, has a shot at a huge game and gains some level of confidence back)

Real Madrid reportedly ready to sack coach Julen Lopetegui as Antonio Conte is favourite to take over https://www.independent.ie/sport/real-madrid-reportedly-ready-to-sack-coach-julen-lopetegui-as-antonio-conte-is-favourite-to-take-over-37443727.html Real Madrid chiefs are ready to relieve head coach Julen Lopetegui of his duties after a disastrous start to their season, with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte being tipped to take over. Lopetegui was sacked as Spain coach days before last summer's World Cup finals after it emerged he had agreed to take over at Real Madrid after the tournament, but he has endured a torrid few months at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid are currently on a five-game winless run in all competitions and their 2-1 home defeat against Levante on Saturday appears to have been the final straw. Reports in Spain suggest Lopetegui's exit will be confirmed imminently, with some familiar names being linked with one of the most prestigious managerial posts in the world game. Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is listed as the bookies favourite to replace Lopetegui, with ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also listed among the favourites. Wenger has confirmed that he turned down the chance to manage Real Madrid on a couple of occasions during his lengthy spell in charge of Arsenal and it may be that he is tempted by an offer to return once again now. Real’s B team manager Santiago Solari is being touted as a possible replacement, if the club's hierarchy decide to install what may be viewed as a caretaker manager before targeting their chief target next summer, with that man believed to be Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND JOIN RACE TO SIGN HUDSON-ODOI https://readchelsea.com/2018/10/21/borussia-dortmund-join-race-to-sign-hudson-odoi/ Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi is believed to have emerged as a surprise target for Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund, according to the Mirror. The promising winger was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge earlier in the month, with AS Monaco and RB Leipzig reported to be keen, and now Dortmund are the latest side to be touted as a potential destination. Hudson-Odoi has made only one competitive appearance under Maurizio Sarri this term, with this start coming in the Community Shield defeat to Manchester City in August. snip

Immobile couldn't cut it at Dortmund and Kane is off to Madrid at some point. I agree that Kane will end up at either RM or Barca, but I REALLY think Immobile would tear it up in Sarriball. He just will never come here, and is already too old to sign on a 5 year deal if we did buy him next summer. He turns 29 in a few months, so no thanks, not into buying players we only get half a season under 30yo out of. What about Antoine Griezmann? NEVER hear him mentioned at all. He certainly could play the Merten role (better than Mertens, lol). He would be as pricey as Dybala (or close) though. More than Icardi probably. He also turns 28 in March, so if bought in summer, you only get a little over a year and a half of sub 30yo play out of him.

Kane at Spuds. I rate Inter as a better team than the spurs cunts. Also, Ciro Immobile at Lazio.

He will be 31 next summer, zero shot the board drops the £80m plus Bayern will still demand. I figure he goes to PSG as he is around 2 years younger than Cavani.

He also will cost probably £80m to £100m, and if he has a monster year, Bayern will grab him. (I could see them buying BOTH Piatek and Werner, and selling Lewandowski to partially pay.)

Either of them would be a vast improvement now on Morata. He is truly shit. I also am not advocating we buy either. Arse would never sell either to us. I keep seeing (not saying you) all these 'Sarriball doesn't need a striker' posts. Well start Hazard in the Mertens role. Rotate Pedro, CHO, Willian at the wingers slots. If Sarri thinks that is an option, then surely sometime he must try it. I doubt he will. He really rates Willian and shows zero desire to play CHO. We are not the French national team, with 5, 6 insane goal scorers to make up for no goals Giroud. I am proactive. Something needs to give or we will drop down. It's normalcy bias to think we can keep playing the same players and continue at our current pace. Far too many weak spots. CB, LB, RW, striker, some games RB (Azpi has had more bad games already than all of last year). Even Kante is not truly adjusting to new role. We are a couple injuries away from truly dire straights. If Hazard or Jorginho or Rüdiger went down, we are so fucked.

I was only listing the Bundesliga remotely possible (and ones with potential) candidates. Everyone here knows I really only want Dybala or Icardi (game winner again tonight in 92nd minute of Milan derby). Piątek, IF he keeps up wonder-form would be third choice, but still a huge gamble, and IF he scores 30 plus goals, his price in summer will be insane. Jovic would be a great buy now, as he does have the pitential and he wouldn't cost crazy money at all. At some point a team (if we refuse to drop truly WC striker money) has to roll the dice on buying very young players would do exhibit WC potential. Only other option is to buy ageing stopgap players. Well, 3rd option is to roll with Morata and Giroud and very likely get pipped out of the top 4 and certainly not win the EL. Bye bye Hazard for sure then.

He also simply isnt good enough. He is weak willed. He is not good enough to be our main striker. He lacks great footballing IQ. It happens. He needs to be shipped off and replaced. Keeping him as our main striker will destroy our season. Blame the board, not me. I NEVER wanted him in the first place. He was never a true starter anywhere.

Nicolas Pépé is a RW, not a true striker at all. In terms of 25yo and younger Bundesliga strikers, I would rate (not counting Lewa and Werner as they are insanely expensive, and Lewa is 30yo) no real order Luka Jovic also of Eintracht Frankfurt <<<<< superb young CF potentially Lucas Alario of Bayer Leverkusen <<<probably the most 'ready' Alassane Plea of Borussia Mönchengladbach Jean-Kévin Augustin of RB Leipzig Maximilian Philipp of Dortmund and maybe, maybe Davie Selke of Hertha above Sébastien Haller atm Matheus Cunha, 19yo on RB Leipzig is also one to watch MD8's Man of the Matchday: Luka Jovic pulls ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Müller for goals per minute in the Bundesliga https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Bundesliga/luka-jovic-enters-history-books-with-5-goal-haul-for-frankfurt-vs-fortuna-515470.jsp It's rare enough for a professional footballer to notch an elite-level hat-trick, but scoring five goals in a single game is a truly extraordinary achievement, as Eintracht Frankfurt's Luka Jovic discovered in his side's 7-1 demolition of Fortuna Düsseldorf on Matchday 8. "Of course, I'm delighted," a breathless Jovic told Frankfurt's official website, after becoming the first Eagles player to register a five-goal haul in the Bundesliga. "It's been an emotional day. But it's not about my five goals – the team put in a sensational performance." Jovic's heroics not only took him joint-top of the Bundesliga scoring charts with seven goals - level with Borussia Dortmund's Paco Alcacer - but also saw him improve his top-flight tally to 15 strikes in just 28 outings. With a goal every 82 minutes, he now has a better goals-to-minutes ratio than legendary strikers Gerd Müller (105) and Robert Lewandowski (112), and even holds the all-time record for a player with at least 25 appearances. Adi Hütter's side began to carve Fortuna open with surgical precision midway through the first half, as Sebastien Haller put them ahead from the penalty spot. Jovic then set the tone for his sublime evening with a Goal of the Month contender: the excellent Filip Kostic whipped in a cross from the left, and the young Serbian twisted acrobatically in mid-air before volleying past the helpless Michael Rensing for 2-0.

Genoa will not sell him in January I fear. They have officially stated this and the amount of money to get them to change their mind will be insanely high to take a gamble on Piątek I am afraid (probably £60m or more). Our options are really poor at this point. stopgap measures Anthony Modeste, 30yo, in China cashing in, sign him for 2 years. In 2016-17 he was an absolute BEAST for Köln (who got relegated as soon as he left), 34 goals in 43 games, all comps, ands 25 of those were Bundesliga league goals Edin Dzeko Roma, 33 in March though so at mosat (if a January buy) I would give is until June 2021, his contract is up in June 2020, so we could get him on a free in summer, but that doesn't help us this year Edinson Cavani (PSG will never sell him in January though) BY FAR the best of the over 30 somethings, I would love to see him here for a year and half or 2 and half whilst we sort it out long term out long term, big issue is PSG will NOT sell him cheaply, even at 32yo (which he turns in February) Bas Dost of Sporting turns 30 in May, scores a shit tonne ( 71 goals in last 2 years, all comps) in Liga NOS, is a giant, 1.96m Finally the truly INSANE play Zlatan Ibrahimovic He can still score like a motherfucker, he is certainly capable of playing with us until at least end of 2021

I was unaware a month was now 2 days long

Bakayoko coming on for injured Biglia, This is game number one of his six games to show he can play or back he comes to us. update, now Biglia will keep playing

Inter v AC Milan HD Streams https://www.vipleague.bz/inter-milan-vs-a.c-milan-streaming-link-1 http://neosportek8.blogspot.com/p/italian-serie-2.html https://www.easysport.tv/games/inter-vs-milan/

This why I am begging for Sarri to try Barkley at RW as long as Pedro is carrying a knock. He surely cannot be as bad as Willian. Barkely isnt a ball hog who slows up play.

Idiot donkey, sooner he is off the books the better!

LOLOL you are having a laugh?? they are both miles beyond Morata Alexandre Lacazette Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (31 goals in 38 games last year) Álvaro Morata

Junior Firpo FTW I go into basically all the other LB options too, Telles now has a 75m euro release clause, as he just signed a new contract, same for Jose Gaya, who now has a 100m euro release clause after new contract signed. This coming summer is last year Alex Sandro is of an age worth buying, but even now he is maybe not worth the £70m plus Juve will demand as we would only get a year and a half of sub 30yo play out of him and fullbacks age badly.

Ruthless and proactive in the dictionary has Marina's face on the definition... OH Wait! That"s a MARINE.

I never said sell all 4 in January, but surely Morata needs to go then, and the other 3 in summer. For just Luiz (£30m from PSG), Willian £65m from Barca) and Alonso (£40m from RM and I think could have gotten £45m) we turned down a collective £135-140m in hard offers. We tried to get £70m for Morata! Turned down £55m from Milan. Thats almost £200m total. Could have had Icardi for £98m in July. £60m would surely have prised away Bailey from Leverkusen. £37m is all Barca paid for Malcom. PSG only paid £33m for Thilo Kehrer, who isnt just a great young ball playing CB, but can play RB good enough to start there for Germany against France in their last game. Alex Telles's release clause was only £35m at LB. Now he renewed and it is double that. We could have had CF Icardi RW Bailey LB Telles CB Kehrer For only a £25 to £35m net spend. Sub out Bailey for Malcom and the net spend drops close to par to £10m or so. Far better, far younger upgrades in, and max money gathered in from now rapidly devalued players. Instead, the moronic board wants to RENEW all but Morata, with raises. Really hard not to hate them. They are destroying our present and our future. Marina going on a 3 week plus long holiday in middle of the window borders on the criminal.

As long as Ampadu is injured, I can live with Luiz, as AC is (I hate to say it) atm very shakey (partially from almost no minutes or very few so is rusty) not a great option, nor is Cahill. The other 3 need to sod off immediately. I still say say Barkley at RW if Pedro is still carrying a knock. Put CHO in the mix too, before he bolts. Emerson, although not close to the pre Roma injury player is surely worth a run out at LB. Alonso is the most overrated player in the EPL, except for dross like Özil. Morata at this point makes the turgid Abraham look a viable option. I say run Giroud into the ground with games. Maybe bring Morata in for last 20, 30 minutes of games we have in hand simply to give Giroud rest.

Morata is STAGGERINGLY horrid. IF we are not going to buy a new striker in January, we need to pull Bats back on loan and just ram him into the starting lineup every fucking game, sink or swim. ANYTHING he gives is an upgrade on Morata, who is easily the biggest £70m or more bust in football history. The other 3 are also shit and need to be tossed the fuck out, NOT GIVEN FUCKING RAISES AND EXTENSIONS. Roman needs to sell the fucking club if he is going to run it into the fucking ground.