Pizy

I think they're both good enough to at least be in contention for a place. RLC is the one I think many of our fans overrate and overhype. I have my doubts as to whether he'll ever be good enough for us.

Ake now & Cristenson in the summer. We may not even need to buy another defender after all. If we can also now get a midfielder this month we'll have all we need for the rest of this season.

I'm seeing that Eddie Howe essentially confirmed it. I actually feel sorry for him and Bournemouth fans.

You have to think he's going straight into the XI or at least considered a serious option if Conte wants him back. Otherwise it would be a waste for him to just be another RLC who just sits on the bench every week. I'd prefer him as a CB than a wingback.

£33m for a striker who scored 17 in France last season and we may loan him. Then bring in a 31 year old who hasn't looked class in a couple of years now and isn't even pulling up tress at Swansea. I trust Conte, but this seems like absolute madness.

This is a stupid move. Reminds me of the business we've done in the past few seasons that I thought we were now past doing. Like Falcao, Pato, Cuadrado. Someone who was really good elsewhere a while ago but is just a super short term stopgap. I predict he'll come here, get a handful of sub appearances, and be gone in the summer having done nothing at all like the players I just mentioned. If he comes in it'll be 100% confirmation that Batshuayi wasn't a Conte signing and he doesn't fit in his preferred system.

Imagine someone telling this forum a few months ago that both Oscar and Mikel would be sold in the same window. We would've thought it impossible.

Yeah, my bad! lol

Really? I think that's his strength. Even yesterday he put in a few excellent crosses. It's his pace and defending that are subpar and not good enough against top sides. He's passable against decent or poor sides where he isn't facing top quality wide players that can expose him.

Not that he'll panic or anything, but I wonder if Conte will accelerate any moves in the transfer window after seeing some of our weaknesses exposed again. I think a dynamic midfielder and Van Dijk especially would take us up a whole level. Van Dijk partnering Luiz would see us have a dominant back line and another threat on set pieces. We have the money from the Oscar sale to easily pay what it'll take to sign him.

Yep, and honestly, there are maybe only a couple of sides in the league that have the caliber of player needed to win the midfield against us. That's why I'm not too bothered yet.

So, so disappointing to concede 2 identical goals created by the same two players. They drew our CB's towards the ball and isolated our two shortest defenders. You just cannot allow a player with the passing ability of Eriksen yards of space at the edge of the box. You must close him down and deny him the cross. We got absolutely nothing from our attacking players this match but overall it was an even game. We weren't played off the park or didn't have a number out on us. We were well in the game. Got nothing from Pedro or Willian, Hazard couldn't get going, and Diego would receive the ball in positions where he couldn't be dangerous. Fortunately, I don't think this'll be a demoralizing defeat that will cause us to drop our heads. We didn't play poorly, they just played a bit better. Sadly, though, this result means that the title race is well and truly wide open now.

CANNOT allow them to come out and look way hungrier and more intense than us. We have to match their energy and desire from the open ending whistle. Please no zombie, timid football where Hazard and Diego are totally out of the game. The leaders on the pitch for us like Luiz will hopefully have our lads super fired up. Probable title winning result here if we get 3 points! Must treat it like a cup final!

Shitting it here!!!

True, but it's got to be difficult to drop Willian after what he did against Stoke.

Anyone expecting a surprise from Conte? Fabregas starting maybe? I doubt it. Wonder who he chooses between Willian and Pedro...

Like Liverpool, Spuds don't really have more than one or two individuals that scare me but are so fantastically coached by their managers that they worry me more than say City or United who are loaded with top class players. Their relentless pressing and feeding off of what will be a super hostile home crowd is our main threat. I don't know what a coach can do in training to prepare for the high press effectively but whatever it is I hope it's all we did these past few days. Really don't want to see us get rattled by an early goal like we did at home against them.

Nervous a hell already with 7 and a half hours until kickoff! Chance to pencil ourselves in for the title, chance to break an all time record and do so at the home of a hated rival with the whole football world watching us. What a fucking massive statement a win would be. All of our title rivals would be completely demoralized. Fuck a draw, WE MUST WIN!

If we win this tomorrow everyone here gets a blowie

Win this and in my opinion the title is sewn up. Can't see a Conte team with this many pedigreed, seriel winners letting an 8 point gap slip. Especially if we also make a couple of good signings for depth this month, I would do anything for a win tomorrow. Haven't been this desperate for a win since....well, we ended Spuds' title hopes last season.

Bournemouth could have claimed two massive scalps in Liverpool and Arsenal but they somehow blow a 3-0 lead. Shocking. Eddi Howe and his players probably won't be sleeping well tonight knowing what could've been.

Damn, I was really hoping José and United would miss out on the top 4 again but with the way Arsenal are collapsing and the run United are on it looks like this may finally be the season Wenger misses out. Embarrassing with the squad he's got.

Would be a decent backup or option for Conte but would be a pretty dumb move for him. Doubt he'd want to come and sit on our bench when he's playing every match for Wet Spam.

Biggest thing we have to expect and deal with is them targeting our wingbacks. They have loads and loads of pace in wide areas and that's what Alonso struggles against. Also, as great as Cesc has been lately this is the last opponent he should be starting against. Matic is a must. I really hope we don't allow them to play the sort of game they always want to play. Don't let them pin us with the press constantly. The most infuriating thing is seeing us get rattled by pressure and not being able to string 2-3 passes together. It pissed me off when they came to the Bridge earlier and would get stuck into us and disposess the ball immedietly. We have to keep composure and try to dictate the tempo.

They'll be treating this like the CL final and their players will be absolutely desperate to win. Let's hope our players treat it the same way. The Spurs players will all raise their games and be super hungry. A win could be a huge catalyst for them to mount a late title push as they'd only be 7 behind us if they win. Hopefully Conte learned a few ways to deal with their high pressing that dominated us in the first half when we played them a few weeks back. We can't count on a magical goal and them tiring in the 2nd half again to turn things around. The Hazard we saw against Bournemouth is the one we'll need rather than the more subdued one we saw yesterday. If we win this I'll be almost positive that we'll go on and win the league.