Tomo

Not to mention, Sheffield was a tougher match than we initially thought at the time.

The board didn't cover themselves in glory no, but only getting your 2nd/3rd choice signings at a cost of only £200m is not an excuse for losing 7-1 on aggregate to Bournemouth and Watford in a week. I don't blame him for not retaining the title, however failure to get top 4 is 100% at his door.

By that same logic City were lucky Liverpool bottled it at Old Trafford and Goodison, they're still deserved champions. The story on the way doesn't matter, the reality is 72 points is usually enough for top 4.

That is a myth. Our points total last season would have been enough in I think 23 season's out of 26 in PL era. I'd say looking at that we would have been very unlucky to miss out with that tally. Maybe not on paper, but that was also the case with Fik this season. If he was still so outraged about the prospect of signing Morata then he had nothing to lose by rolling that dice, he could have only won.

Not sure how I feel about that one. On one hand happy for him but on the other hand don't want him in limbo with little matchtime across the board. Hopefully he's in a development match whenever he isn't in the 18.

For any regular Ajax viewers how good is Onana? In other words, please reassure me his moment of madness against Spurs was a fluke exception and not a regular part of his game.

25 being young for a GK is a myth, especially these days. Most world class keepers are world class by the time they're 25. They also decline earlier than people think aswell, look at how poor Cech and Casilas became and Buffon is a very very poor keeper at present. Van Der Sar was the ultimate anomaly which has given a false narrative that keepers peak/last much longer, it isn't true.

Did they really? Willian probably produced the best football of his career for a month, Hazard wasn't his best self but far from his worst and Luiz was safely dropped by that point. I think the club were towards Sarri or atleast the change of style that came with him, they had the perfect excuse to get shot when we got stuffed 10-0 on aggregate to Bournemouth and City and the fans were raging but they didn't. I personally believe the long term plan was (and I said this as early as the honeymoon phase of Sarri's tenure) to have Sarri for a few years and then bring in Frank, however Maurizio's sudden desire for Juve accelerated the process.

If he was as upset about the prospect of signing Morata as people like to imply then why not? Tammy at that point was in a similar stage of his career as to what Mount and Tomori were this season. Also fairly certain Auba would have been signed off on given he was cheaper than Morata. Which makes what he did all the more unforgivable. Atleast with Jose's collapse we can put it down to his powers waning, Conte could have easily prevented what happened in his second season just by doing his job. Sarri took over a squad suited to pragmatic counter and he was tasked with completely overhauling a style of play. As you constantly point out our overall squad in itself is a bit of handicap let alone when you try to introduce a style of play alien to most of them. The football aesthetically speaking didn't live up to the hype agreed but 3rd and two cup finals was about as good as what could realistically have been achieved under the circumstances.

Actions speak louder than words, if he really loved us he would have got his head down done what he was paid for and got us CL football. In January we were second, we only had to have average results from then on to make CL, but he hit self destruct and we miss out (which also indirectly started Liverpool's current dominance). Sarri won't ever be my idol but the season he had with this squad while trying to change our football was as good as anything that could have been realistically expected, he didn't do any better because he couldn't do much if any better under the circumstances, I can accept that, but I will never accept what Conte did in those last six months, especially at City, because it was so preventable.

Even if they took Hazard away for him and replaced him with Townsend it was no excuse to effectively end our season by hitting the ultimate sulk, even Jose who's plight was 10x worse at the end stayed commited to the job until the moment he was fired. Regardless of the tools a manager has they are paid kings ransoms per week to get the absolute best out of what they've got. And regarding the panic buys, if he was so outraged by them he could have told the board to keep the money until better was available given he had the best academy side for decades available to him. If he didn't want Morata he could have given Tammy a shot or even asked for Auba, if he was so outraged by Zappacosta he had James in the academy, even Mount could have been a decent squad player if he was that desperate not to sign Drinkwater. The suits didn't cover themselves in glory that summer but that is not in anyway an excuse for Conte, he was an absolute wanker in those last month's and I love I had for him is well and truly gone.

Conte took the piss out of every single Chelsea fan for 6 months (especially the ones who travel to City) Okay he's frustrated he didn't get his first choice targets fine, you still do your job and collect your paycheck, it's the football basics. Lampard he can show as much frustration as he wants aslong as he actually still does his job alongside it.

I don't buy that atall. In the summer almost everyone swore they would be patient with the youngsters even if we were midtable, fast forward 6 months and the young players are actually one of the (if not main) reason we're in top four and the first bump in the round they're getting untold amounts of shit (especially on social media). They're vastly overachieving on expectations all in all and still getting it from all barrels because they haven't maintained the high level of a few months ago (which was never realistically going to happen as young men in their first season in a major league at a major club). I don't for one second believe RLC will be immune to stick, we have too much of an impatient fanbase as this season has exposed all ends up.

Which bit? Mount was one of our best players in the first couple of months this season (actually our best statiscally) and it's very clear RLC will be turned on aswell if he doesn't come back firing from the off.

Think Tomori would have something to say about that. Clear agenda here.

Gone to the Camp Nou for tonight's game and Messi is even more insane in the flesh. We will never see his like again.

If Sheffield get it, then Wilder is a lock in for top 3 manager of the decade minimum, already.

Apologies I wasn't aware. I think we will do it purely because a six point lead against teams that struggle to string two wins together (even if we can't aswell) is a big advantage at this stage, even more so with all the rivals still to come to our gaff. But furthermore even if we don't (which I accept is possible) I don't think it will be Spurs that take advantage, it will be United or Wolves.

A lot of people seem to base their entire view on a game just by looking at the score, the Arsenal game demonstrated that.

Lol one game that they were gifted by them, you sound like one of those Torres apologists whenever he scored. If you're that confident about Spurs how about you put your money where your mouth is and declare a wager? I'll donate £50 to the forum if Spurs make top 4, you donate the same figure if we do? (If both or neither do bets void).

I disagree it's a major requirement in the modern day. I rewatched a Chelsea match from 2002 a few months ago and a defender passed back to Cudicini who was given all the time in the world to roll the ball forward to almost the half way line before booting it forward, would that ever happen (even at semi pro level) in today's game? Absolutely no chance. Press is a big killer in today's game, if as much as one player can't cope with it you risk being completely overwhelmed in a game, for example us against ten man PSG.

Im sorry but distribution with keepers is important these days no matter how much people don't like to hear it. Every single top team have ball playing keepers, we won't compete long term without one. Now I'm not defending Kepa's performances this season (because he's been a let down even on distribution) but in a team like ours a keeper will have to control the ball and pass under pressure 10 times minimum for every one time they have a shot to save, so if I was offered a 7/7 or a 3/9 (distribution:shot stopping ratio) I'd chose the former and I think 99% of managers would aswell.

What do you mean by that? If you mean attracting truly elite players then we were never that club in the first place.

7 points down on this stage last season and 2/3 on the same fixtures. Given the loss of Hazard, a filled out Loftus Cheek and the injury problems of Kante, Rudiger and Callum that really isn't a disaster.

Probably the easiest match to predict for some time. We will draw 1-1, dominate the middle create (and waste) a lot and United will score one of the few times they enter our third. The usual suspects will then moan about how "shit" the whole performance is (even though it really wasn't) and declare Spurs will batter us next weekend.