Tomo

Even if he replicates his Leti form I'll probably still prefer Costa.

You're response to a post by The Skipper on Sturridge which are similar to the ones you make about KDB (I'm talking in the point made not quality of the post, I'll never insult Skip by comparing him to you in that regard).I think you are the one with the issues, you are the one that randomly insults other members just because they have different opinions, potential new members probably see that and run a mile, we could have missed out on New members on the quality of Peace because of you, god knows what you have on the admins to not even get warning when the likes of Kojo and TOPTB got banned for less.

Be careful Zolayes doesn't take kindly to people trying to create decent debate, expect an insult incoming. But on a more relevant note, I think some players are as you said suited to a role of certain importance in a team, take Sterling and Malouda for example, both are/were brilliant as 3rd player's, Sterling thrived playing 3rd fiddle to Sturridge and Suarez likewise Flo with Drogba and Lamps, but when the team wasn't/isn't on song you won't ever see Malouda or Sterling taking charge or responsibility like say we saw with Hazard vs Swansea at home last season when we started sloppy and all off a sudden Hazard started upping the anti for his display and the team followed shortly after. I guess some players are suited to certain roles in a team.

I hate the obsession with 'big game player's'. In reality no one plays to their full potential very often for long periods in big games, not even Messi, the high quality on display makes it almost impossible.

Weren't you always telling the Skipper amoungst others to get over it and even resorted to calling him a Sturridge fanboy for making similar posts in Danny's thread to what you do in this one? Good to see you haven't dropped your sheer hypocrisy

They showed great spirit against all odds but come on, it wasn't a great team.

Tbh I don't think lack of activity this summer if it stays like this will haunt us this term, we still have the best team and by far the best manager, its later down the line.

Stoke aren't ultra defensive.

His movement is criminally under rated, one of the best I have ever seen in that regard, I have improved my own off the ball game ten times over just by watching him all season.

Have I forgot to mention this game from Begovic proves that City will win the quadruple and the X factor now.

Lose against Arsenal? Come on, things aren't that bad.

Let's not knee-jerk on a pre season game. However I maintain that people who think he will challenge Tibo fully are wrong and I would maintain that even if he went alp Buffon on steroids today, Asmir is a very good keeper, Coutois is a generational wonder talent who we are ridiculously lucky to have.

Like I have said before, players can leave and do well without it being a mistake.

Your right in a sense which makes me wonder if Cesc could be sacrificed in big games in future. I'm by no means in the "Cesc is a big game bottler" brigade but as good as the Matic-Cesc partnership has been for flat track bullying when used in the big game's his not so good defensive gamegets targeted and affects Matics productivity as well as a result, Spurs away being the most painful example. And like you said Cesc as #10 isn't effective at all so it's a bit of a tactical headache.

Very few teams below Southampton think long term anyway, the main aim for all of those teams is too avoid the drop, and if Bamford is better than the other options he will plau.

Apart from the spell between Old Trafford and the Spurs home game (which Drogba was playing well in that period) Remy was actually pteffered more than not when Diego was injured and him and Drog were available. Looked it up the other day and it was like7-5 in Remys favour and that was including the Autumn period Drogs got the nod when he was actually playing well.

Stones plays regularly for Everton, Kalas couldn't but a game for Koln and was shifted to RB at Boro.

Hopefully the obsession with him "not shooting/scoring enough" will stop this season.

Although I can see were your coming from I do believe we were completely dominant from 04-06, in 07 we let United back in it, but in the two season's of 04-05 and 05-06 we were as dominAnt as it can get.Of course we had some poor games were we didn't really show up, but domestically I truly believe those teams would beat any other in PL history to the title, they were that good. The sheer amount of records we broke in one fled swoop was insane. What felt summed up the feeling off invincibility we had in the calendar year of 2005 especially was I remember quite a few strikers being on form at the beggining of that season, Bent, Defoe, Henry yet all were cut completely out of the game when we got hold of them. I would love us to build a team that could reach that bar (which still to this day hasn't been raised by any one in England), I would say we were one of the best teams off all time in those two year's, we didn't get the credit we deserved because we didn't play the "purists football", but in terms of the teams quality, i would put no other team in PL history above us circa 04-06.

Suits me, an in form Diaby is/was brilliant.I remember that performance he had at Anfield that time for Arsenal and he was like Essien on steroids.

How do you know that? This "long term replacement for this and that" are media riddled cliches. The brutal reality is we lack a HG spine, and for any club in world football that is crucial for the identity and culture, when people though of Chelsea in the 00's they though of Lampard, J.Cole, Terry, A.Cole, when people thought of Milan in the same period it was Nesta, Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso. Now we are running short off that and its crucial to rebuild that identity, RLC and Stones is a very good start, now Stones seems to be a victim of the tendency to assume all young English players are overhyped, at one point they were but now its gone too far the other way, Stones is a very good young centre back who is only going to get better, even ignoring the fact the HG core needs boosting and he is probably the best available option, he is a very good potentially top class player for the next decade.

Aslong as it ain't New York City (which I'm pretty sure it ain't) I think I've found myself a team to follow in America

Oh God, is the quadruple back on at The Ethiad? ?

The last 4 months was why we won the league. City were terrible aswell, but that was where the quality of the manager came In, Jose made sure the results didn't suffer while Pellegrini hid behind "style" and City bombed.

Then we can play them in the later games. We need the group stage to be as straight forward as possible so we have the chance to rotate and keep players fresh.