Tomo

We make it difficult for ourselves? 3 of our 4 PL titles have been run aways and won with games to spare. Now of course i'm not saying we should declare ourselves champions already, we don't want to look like Liverpool fans did in 2014, but lets put it this way, if we were 9-13 points behind a team managed by Conte, would you give us a chance? i know i won't.

We should be aiming to win the next six, do that and we are almost th

The change should have been made in 2012 in hindsight.

What do you think of Vincent Koziello for Nice? He in my opinion has the potential to be on the level of Verratti and Nainggolan and will be cheaper than both. Players with extreme potential and good enough to play for the first team immediately. This is an article from a year or so ago about him, the part i'm copying here is why i'm excited about him and would be delighted if we got him. https://www.vavel.com/en/football/582560-vincent-koziello-who-he-is-and-why-you-must-watch-out-for-him-in-2016.html

Conte has basically set up a system and squad mentality that is mince meat for teams outside the top six, compare to the likes of Benitez, Wenger, Klopp, Ancelotti and you could even argue current day Mourinho who allow complacency to creep in which means a lot of games against the lesser sides especially away are made more difficult than they should be. Look at how Arsenal turned up last night all relaxed like they had a right to beat Watford, that would NEVER happen under Antonio. The Italian takes Hull at home as serious as Liverpool at Anfield, if not more so, and when you play the lesser sides and match their motivation and commitment to the occasion 19 times out of 20 you will beat them. Tevez said Conte shares alarming similarities to Fergie, and while we unfortunately are unlikely to get 26 years and 13 titles out of Antonio, it's quite clear why Tevez has that view.

If Arsenal play 4-2-3-1 then 3-4-3 is the perfect system to negate it.

I agree with all of that but in the final 3rd I havent been more frustrated by a player since SWP, it's quite clear why he was sent on loan pre Conte.

Gutting because of the pen miss, but factor in this result plus Arsenal and Tottenham, who wouldn't have took this?

We have lots of those type of players, Courtois, Azpi, Kante, Hazard and Costa are all in the top 5 maybe even 3 in the world in their position (you could argue Luiz of this season falls into that category too). Apart from Bayern, Real and Barca who have more bonafide world class players in their squad than we do? Ofcourse if we can add more of that profile of player to us great but its not that we lack, what we lack is serious strength in depth, ok the lads mentioned above we will be weaker if they are out, they are special players and we can't have on par waiting in the wings but we should have depth/competition/rotation options that can fill in for and compete with Moses, Alonso, Matic and Cahill without the team weakening, and right now we only have Willian and Cesc on the bench (Zouma when upto speed, hopefully Ake too) with the quality to make a real difference at this level, it won't be enough for Europe.

He's actually done all right coming off the bench to see games out (Spurs home game aside, N Koudou did give him a going over in that one), especially as teams often resort to desperate long ball when searching for a late equalize.

He will be physicalllyknackered and laughably off the pace if he starts, also i can't imagine he will be in a good frame of mind after the pen miss.

Forster and Heaton?? Is our plan to win the title and have another pitful title defense?

Thankyou, i was looking for his stats on the game, many times he has a 'poor' performance on the naked eye but then looking at the after match stats he has actually been very productive.

I swear we are the only fanbase around so relaxed about the prospect of losing our best players, its bizarre.

No, we had two chances each all game, Alli took his, Hazard didn't. Not a Whooping, not even remotely close.

Whooping?

Liverpool go in today's game without their beat defender and second best attacker and get beat at home by the basement team. If that isn't a massive red flag against resting players then I don't know what is.

I did say a while back Zouma will be to Conte what Mata was to Jose, as he isn't particularly suited to a back three he will have a choice between accepting a squad role or leaving. There is still games that will suit Zouma to a tee (ie teams that don't press and play long ball) and he would be a good option to bring off the bench if a manager does a Jose vs Liverpool and brings on a big man for late desperation long ball but when we are getting pressed relentlessly and/or trying to build an attack from the back i don't think Zouma has the skill set for that game. As for Michy, it's a shame so far and i have got hope for him, but it's hard to be too disappointed given the false 9 trio in Costa's absence has given us two comfortable wins with some great football.

Zouma and Batshuayi are hardly untested youth and the former was integrated before his ACL.

2-3 goals up we can make changes, and while technically they are first team players so were the rotation players that started that night vs QPR. With European football next season (it would take a spectacular fuck up eclipsing last season to be without it now) we can integrate the likes of Zouma, Bathshauyi better, but right now it's important to keep the lead at the top and we can't take chances.

One or two changes is one thing, Cesc in. However the lineup you suggested in the first page would probably see us beat by a League one side, let alone Hull.

Unnecessary rotation and complacency is why Ancelotti and Benitez rarely win league titles, if we want to win the league then we must have the mindset of Hull at home is just as important as City away.

Die hard Milan fan and even if we could get him he is not Tibo's level yet and with the possible exception of Oblak no one even remotely realistically attainable is. With that in mind keeping Courtois for two more years gives us a higher chance of PL and CL success which for me eclipses any potential transfer fee we could get.

Id genuinely rather run his contract down than let him go before, if he is set on Real that is.

We have Brentford for experiments.