King Kante

For sure, we have too many what Jose/Conte would class as Nice Boys. It is why a we still need three no nonsense players at CB, DMF and CF.

Yeah, we aren't Charity FC for nothing.

Have to disagree. CF after a non-funsized DM is probably the most important position to sort out. Werner is half the player without a good CF to play off and against the big teams we are toothless because Giroud is too slow (although a great CF2/3 I hope he stays fyi) and Tammy is still essentially a mid-table player. So, sure against the Burnley's of this world he'll get you goals but step it up and you get him missing the chances like he did against Spuds at home; although I do recognise the danger of selling him as both Drogba and Costa weren't top rank CF's until they got to 25ish. Further, people need to start to recognize Werner is more of a Pedro type player than a No.9. If we move to a Pep type style then he would be fine but we aren't really set up for that. This said, as much as I would love to lube up and unzip to have a fantasy w*nk over Håland, he isn't coming here. He will go to City.

We aren't selling him unless he gets 10+ or something. Even then, it will just show how patchy he is. At best we get another loan with a £5m fee of something. No one is covering his £120k wages a week.

Funny thing is, this is what I and a lot of other people were saying about him for years but people weren't having it.

Really need to beat the Dippers now.

A bit frustrating as we created the three pretty good chances but didn't take them - Giroud header, Ziyech shot, James ball in before the break away but didn't have anyone to finish them. A draw is not the worst result but this game was in a nutshell why we aren't a top team i.e. need to play 3atb to have any consistent shape and no strikers or AM's that are clinical enough to finish off chances. Player that I was most annoyed with today was Chilwell. All I have heard since Alonso has come back is how out of order it is that Chilwell has been dropped for the 'cockroach', 'Alonslow', 'the snail paced LWB' etc. Well today was his opportunity to shine and he pretty much did nothing other than be fast enough to cover. That boy should've been bombing forward, yet with the exception for one time (and even then he was forced into it) he always cut back onto his right and played a safe ball. He probably will play against the Dippers but I wouldn't be surprised to see him dropped again after that and only used against quick counter attacking sides. As for MotM, AC gets that which makes it two in a row for him. Good to see him playing well.

Ziyech needs to come off he is an absolute passenger. I am also concerned how Shaw keeps bombing down the wing with Callum not tracking him. I would bring James on and put CHO up next to Mount. As for other players, Kante is struggling to pass and Chilwell is not getting forward like Alonso would be but equally he is covering at the back which is needed. However, I am disappointed with him considering he is playing for his place as he should be offering more in attacking phases. Giroud is playing well enough but his lack of pace means they can push right up on us, if after 10-15 minutes CHO doesn't do much I would take him off for Werner.

Deleted

Thanks Nikki, saved me a big reply.

I would personally play Chilwell in this game as I am wary of Utds counter attack and we all know Alonso isn't the quickest (understatement.) However, I am struggling to see what he has done wrong since he has come back apart from be slower than Chilwell. His link up play with Werner is better, he picks up space in the oppositions box much better than Chilwell and he has a much better shooting technique (for instance he gets Chilwell's chance against Wolves I am pretty certain he smashes that in.) Further, I think people are forgetting how indifferent Chilwell was before Alonso came back. He really wasn't tearing up trees. Now I get why people do not want him playing in this game, but for most games he is probably not going to lose his place just because he is slower than Chilwell (unless Chilwell comes back and starts playing like he did in Aug-Sept.)

Especially as it is Utd. Key to beating them is to not let them break. As a result you need your forward line to press them quickly before they release. Mount is our best player for this. No way is he dropped for someone like Ziyech.

Personally, I think he will just go onto rolling contracts for 2-3 years in a similar way JT and SFL did at the end of their careers. Maybe he goes to Spain but I have a feeling he may end up staying in England after he retires as by all accounts he is very settled here.

I think his number of appearances will tail off but I wouldn't be surprised to see Dave here for another 3-4 years and play a similar bench role to what Milner does for the Dippers. Having the odd highly experienced player who can play multiple positions is really handy.

So, what is your solution? Sell him now like we did with KdB and Salah allow him to develop elsewhere then potentially become a £100m player and either buy him then or see him go to one of our competitors?

Thanks for adding this, it saves me replying.

Has there been people saying he is our best player or that he has been the best player this season? That is a pretty big difference. There are plenty of examples where players have won accolades even though technically they aren't as great as others. Further, if you're resorting to stats, then you need to appreciate that you can be asked for detailed break downs on these (i.e. my quality of opposition question) and then have contrasting stats thrown at you. I am not being funny stating this, just rather making a general point that using stats to support and arguement cannot be done so without having a clear understanding of the underlying nuances. As for my inclusion of Grealish, yes that was more of a general point than aimed exclusively aimed at you as this is a ongoing discussion on here.

I keep seeing the Spanish clubs mentioned, but seriously has anyone seen how much debt they're in? Barca are nearly €1bn in debt (with no Owner to bail them out) whilst Real aren't that far behind. No way are they making their players take upward of 50% pay cuts and then buying Håland for €100m plus €300k+ a week. Not happening. Only clubs that can afford him are: PSG, City, Chelsea, Utd, Bayern, Dippers (if there owners aren't tight), Juve (maybe.) Outside of that there is no one that can pull it off. Barca and Real will continue to get mentioned because of their history with big transfers and glamour but the fact is they are are in a real hole financially.

Nah, Giroud has to play as otherwise they will physically dominate Werner. You need to play Werner off someone so he gets a bit of room. As for the next game, it is far too early to say who will play. At this moment, I would suspect James comes in at RWB and CHO goes to Mount's position. This tie is also not over by a long chalk, we may have got an away goal, but the thing with away goals from first legs is that they only really hold any importance if you get two or more. For instance, if AM score early then they have the advantage in away goals as any goal they score after that equates to 1.5 goals. It is why, while I was happy with the result last night, I do think we should've pushed for another as AM were there for the taking and even if it ended 1-1 it would not really be that much different to a 1-0 win, as it would still mean a 0-0 in the second leg takes you through. However, if you win 2-0 away then you heap 3x more pressure on AM as it means they cannot risk conceeding early in the first game as then they starting having to quickly reach 3 or 4 goals as it kills the extra time route and they aren't really suited to chasing games.

Mendy Dave AC Silva James Kova Jorgi Chilwell Mount Puli Werner This game will be difficult as not only will we be playing Utd but VAR as well. In my opinion, James and Chilwell need to play at WB as they look to counter and are really fast on the break so we cannot risk Alonso (even though I think he is the better WB) or CHO (who isn't a good enough defender) at WB. Upfront, I would go with pace as McForehead and Lindelof are a disaster against pace if you can get in behind them. There is some arguement to play Giroud to have his backboard abilities but I think we may see a fluid False 9 situation with Puli>Mount>Werner. CHO could potentially start instead of Puli but I think Puli may get the nod as he has slightly better feet in tight spaces. As for Mount he will 100% start as you need someone pressing effectively in the front 3rd as Penandez and Pogba drop deep in Utds system to set up their counters and I do not trust any of our other AM's to do this properly/to the level Mount does. At the back, AC should keep his place as he has been our best CB since Silva went out. However, I am not moving him away from the CCB role as he isn't comfortable in a left sided position. If Silva comes back play him LCB. After that the only question is whether you move Rudi to RCB or keep Dave there.

Thing is we can all pick statistics to use as we wish. First, your one that you have lifted is slightly disproportionate as you've 74 games v 18 games which is over a 4x difference. Second, it can be questioned if the quality of the opposition comparable? I ask as if his games missing are primarily against bottom half PL clubs, League Cup games and 3rd/4th seed European teams in the group stage, then that 50% win rate quickly looks horrific. Another thing to consider is what players where doing at a comparable siutations/age to Mount. Here is a couple: SFL 01/02 (First season at Chelsea - age 23) - Games 53 - Goals 7 - Assists 2 02/03 - Age 24 - Games 48 - Goals 8 - Assists 5 Mount 19/20 (age 20/21 - First season at Chelsea) - Games 53 - Goals 8 - Assists 6 20/21 (age 21/22) - Games 38 (season on going) - Goals 5 - Assists 6 Grealish (as he seems to be a player everyone wants to compare Mount too) 17/18 (Age 20/21 - Championship) - Games 34 - Goals 3 - Assists 8 18/19 (Age 21/22 - Championship) - Games 35 - Goals 6 - Assists 8 If you look at those stats: 1) Mount outperformed SFL in his first season by 1 goal and 4 assits even though he is two years younger. 2) Mount is on course to again statistically beat SFL in goals and assists in his second year, dispite being 2 years younger. 3) Grealish was still playing Champo football at the age Mount is now. Thus, Mount is having to operate in more difficult circumstances. That said, he has a +3 goal/assist record over Grealish for their age 20/21 season, albeit in more games. 4) Mount is -3 goals/assists on Grealish on his age 21/22 season having played more games. However, again it needs to be remembered the level isn't comparable.

Looking ahead of this game, I thought I would look at the betting markets for what WWE (WWF) finisher will Harry Maguire pull and not get penalised for. Here is the market for those that are interested: Rock Botton - 8/11 DDT - 10/11 Leg Drop - Evens Sweet Chin Music - 2/1 Peoples Elbow - 4/1 RKO - 7/1 Pedigree - 12/1 Powerbomb - 20/1 Stone Cold Stunner - 25/1 Tombstone - 33/1 Million Dollar Dream - 40/1 Cross Face Chicken Wing - 60/1 Walls of Jericho- 80/1 Swanton Bomb (from the top of the Shed) - 120/1

I dunno Vesper. I personally didn't want him in the Summer because what I saw of him between Oct-Jan is what I saw of him when he was at Leicester. I admit I was starting to change my mind in Aug-Sept but now I am fairly convinced that was a purple patch similar to what he had in Oct-Jan 2019/20. Well that or he is a very patchy player. Either way, he isn't a WB and we are currently playing a 343, so for me he is a square peg in a round hole at the moment. If we go back to 433, then he is the automatic LB as Alonso cannot run. What is lost around here is that in a WB role Alonso is decent, not world class, but decent and serviceable. Problem is that too many people made him a whipping boy and now they have to continue saying he is awful as they went so far with it. It is similar to the Mount detractors. First he was SFL's son, then it is 'he isn't as good as Grealish' (even though they aren't the same type of player and he is significantly younger.) The day SFL left and he got dropped they reached for the lube and unzipped. Now he is back in the team they are trying to figure out what else they can beat him down with. Me and Tomo are currently better that he will either; a) Be revealed as Granny's son, b) has elite level hacker skills to backmail the club with c) is a clairvoyant who is able to see who will be the next Chelsea manager then uses elite level spy skills to dig up dirt on said manager.

Or he Marina's son. Did think of that, did you?