Henrique

Wenger is the perfect example about how the talk about stability is bullshit. During many years people used SAF record to prove that not firing the manager was the right thing to do, because the results would naturally come one day. SAF wasn't fired because he kept being competitive during all those years, and because when he became United's manager, United wasn't the club they are today. Today no manager in the world will stay 6 years in United without winning a major trophy. Arsenal is a joke for not firing Wenger. Being an Arsenal fan must be really frustrating, because the club is sending the message they lack ambition. They are happy to be in top 4 every season, and don't mind getting knocked out 7 seasons in row in the first round of knockout stage in Premier League. During many years Wenger got away with the myth that he was the moral winner of Premier League, because Arsenal could achieve top 4 without spending ridiculous amount of money. In recent seasons we could realize this is not more than a big lie. Arsenal got one of the best squads in the league, they have enormous amount of pretty good options in attack, and they are still a team that can't win the Premier League in a season that a relegation zone side won the league. Stability means nothing when you are stable in mediocrity.

http://www.talkchelsea.net/opinions/how-burnley-exposed-chelseas-defensive-vulnerabilities/ ???

Really poor performance. Burnley is a tough team to face in their home.

Despite his goal, Pedro is so frustrating today.

4-3-3

If you take the hardworking out of Moses, an awful player is what is left.

Perhaps its just a coincidence, but Costa is playing like shit since the "go to China incident".

Next 6 games (before we face City) are must win. After playing us, city 7 remaining games are ridiculous.

It doesn't really matter, but I think 3-6-1 is the best formation to describe Conte's tactics.

Forget about it. Nike always loved to make unusual third kits, and I think its something Nike do way better than Adidas. Adidas is usually conservative with the 3rd kit, and the results is always the away or the 3rd kit looking ultra boring, but I do hope Nike stop using black as an away color. I don't why people behind design thought it was a good idea to make the away kit 100% black when the home kit is 100% dark blue. The game against Leicester weeks ago wasn't exactly the best experience for the eyes.

Is it safe to say Oscar was a flop? Oscar was really frustrating and boring to watch. 90% of his games you got the feeling that he was not even playing (aka useless). He had some great moments in 11/12 season (THAT Juventus game made all of us think about what this guy could do in incoming seasons), but he was still struggling to adapt. I think 13/14 season was his best season where he was no more than an okay player. Despite the fact he started most games in 14/15 season, he was easily the most frustrating and boring player of the starting XI. Few assists, few goals, lacked presence in the mid, usually losing all 1x1 situations against heavier opponents, hidden most part of the matches, then last season he got worst, and for me Oscar represented the awful team that ended in the middle of the table. I always got the feeling a team will never get a solid midfield as long as Oscar is in the team. Brazil in 2014 WC never had a midfield. Usually relied from direct link from defense to attack, and despite Oscar doing good in debut against Croatia, he was one of the reasons behind the disaster.

I don't think he will go that far, but no doubt he will things like the ones he said days ago: I already won Premier League playing defensive football, what Chelsea is doing this season is not something new, english press is unfair because I was criticized for doing things that Conte is doing now and he is getting applauses everywhere. If Conte win the league this season that will be a greater achievement than any trophy Mourinho won with Chelsea, and if Mourinho fail to get a top 4 finish that would be the greatest failure coming from a manager in PL recent history.

Come on, he is just saying something that most Chelsea fans said about Mourinho at some point. I remember when he was sacked there was a famous video of a frustrated fan on youtube saying Mourinho was behind the success of the club in past 10 years, and even between 2007/13, when he wasn't the manager, he was behind the success of those years. I'm sure most people agreed with him: Mourinho was so great, that his work reverberated all those years. I remember people even saying Chelsea identity doesn't fit attacking or possession based football, since Chelsea was "anti Barcelona" and a counter attacking team. Those people were basically saying Chelsea was a Mourinho side, and the next manager should be someone similar.

I don't know what you mean. Mourinho was exactly the same "childish" person when he was Chelsea manager. The big difference is when he was a blue manager, people here loved his idiocy.

Its so boring that people even pay attention to this kind of nonsensical news...

I hope Nike won't ever use horizontal tone stripes in the kits. I liked 2011/12 kit because of the 3 blue stripes over the white shoulders, so the stripes didn't looked that bad in the overall design. The 14/15 kit to other side was as bad as the robocop one from 09/10 season, I can't describe how I hate that kit.

At this moment I'm more concerned about Liverpool and City than Arsenal and Spurs. The fixture is ultra unbalanced. I just realized that after facing Liverpool. Arsenal and Chelsea in a row, City 7 remaining games are ones they are supposed to win. To other side, after facing Arsenal, United and Everton, Liverpool 8 remaining games are also games they can easily win. Thats pretty stupid. I don't remember the last time I saw a Premier League table where the teams that are supposed to fight for the top 4 have such easy run in final stages of the competition. Game against Arsenal will be a tough one, and everything can happen, but we can't afford to lose a single point in the six games after that, before we face City: Burnley (A); Swansea (H); West Ham (A); Watford (H); Stoke (A); Crystal Palace (H). Then in our 7 remaining games we will have 2 very difficult away games (United and Everton). I think if we win 6 of our next 7 games, it will really really hard to not win the trophy at the end of the season.

I hope Conte and people behind transfers understand Moses is a ultra limited player, but considering even Azpilicueta became an undisputed LB (when his natural position is a RB), I won't be surprise if Moses becomes a undisputed starting XI for the next 2 or 3 years.

Okay, so Conte wasn't supposed to sub Hazard, who put his worst performance this season, because, you know, a penalty is always on the cards...

Most of this post doesn't make any sense. First, the formation is not 3-4-3, its 3-6-1, and while the team suffered "huge pressure" even in games with positive results: 1st half against Spurs months ago, and first 55 minutes of that game against City, today wasn't a game the team suffered "huge pressure". Even 2-0 defeat to Spurs weeks ago came after two defensive mistakes. Spurs never made "huge pressure". So this post doesn't reflect the match I saw, and your negative post (with that bold IF) also doesn't reflect the current table and the team's momentum. Its really weird posts like this are becoming popular in this forum.

Considering there are few hours left in the transfer window, I think you are looking for the wrong answers here. The reason I'm more than happy with the current situation is that despite the lack of better players in key areas we are still in a very good place. Months ago Liverpool decided the game after 25 minutes of the 1st half at SB. Now we played at Anfield and only a missed penalty prevent a victory. Situation is soo good, that even if we lose the game against Arsenal, we will be at least point in front of the 2nd placed and team and with only both Manchester teams left to play from the top 6 teams. Players like Moses are not Champions League late stages material, but he is decent enough to be part of a PL winning side.

Come on, Costa is league's top scorer and he almost always scores from that position. I think Luiz was the right man for the job, but its not like Costa was a weird choice. If it was Moses, Matic or Kante I would agree with you here,

That should be encouraging, specially when you realize that despite the "weaknesses" we are expanding the gap to the 2nd placed team game after game.

My head says its a good result, specially after Spurs and Arsenal results. My heart says we dropped 2 points, considering how Liverpool scored after a silly mistake from Moses and after Costa missed that penalty.

He is one of the few with a decent performance today. At least you know Liverpool wont create a goal from his side. You cant say the same about Moses.