lionsden

If jose is worried that he would "improve manure significantly" to the level where they would become a threat which implies that he sees him as a top quality player then perhaps he should start playing him more often or sell him abroad.

Why not let him rot on the bench then since he doesn't fit jose's style. if the rumour is true then no club in the world would be stupid enough to invest £37m on a player they don't intend to use as a no 1 option/regular starter. I'm not interested in debating where and how he would fit into a system yada yada same ole argument that has been recycled a billion times. Anyone club willing to spend that amount of money on a player obviously values the player highly to commit to such investment and will find a way to fit him into the starting eleven. It's simple really.

If we reject the bid, he should hand in a transfer request and force the move and guess what, I won't even be mad at him for it. he's too good to be rotting on the bench.he will find plenty of clubs where he would "fit" in the managers plan.

Which all requires a certain degree of technical ability which Lukaku doens't possess. and again you have proven my point. I'm not justifying his purchase in the first place or implying that all power strikers are technically limited but power forward with good to decent technique are very very rare. I see him as a physically gifted chicharito. I have already come to that realization a long time ago which is why I try not to criticize him like some do because I understand and accept him for what he's. even though it frustrate me how any player that makes it to the top level isn't able to do the basics right. the point I raised in the ivanovic thread. it's frustrating but I understand.

Take it out on emenalo and the scouting team then, these flaws were there when they scouted him but they ignored it with the false and delusional hope that with time, training and a couple of loan spell will become the new drogba. To me, he's always been a technically limited player that scores goals. Not his fault that he can't develop into what he isn't .

When will people realise that power players like lukaku will never be technical players like Aguero, suarez, zlatan, RVp et al regardless of how many years of training and loan spells. if anyone thinks he will just suddenly transform into something he's not (a technical striker) then they will grow grey hair and lose all their teeth in the process. just accept him for who he is, a power striker and life becomes less complicated. It's very simple, If you want just goals and assist here and there, go with a lukaku If you want a technical striker that fits into a possession based attacking team you go with a Berbatov and if you want a striker in the hyrbid of these two types i,e that scores and possesses berbatov like technical ability then you will either have to pay premium price, because such strikers usually play for the biggest clubs or just pray and hope that you hit the jackpot one day and your scouting team are able to pick up such rare talent before they gain exposure and join a big club.

he was no Cafu that's for sure

He should be sent back to so'to for wearing that awful hat alone

I just spotted a teenager that looks like Shaw buying a pair of blue socks in primark on oxford street. make of that what you will

David Luiz the innovator and trend starter. What can't this man do? he must have the limitless pill stashed in his drawer at home.

I would be happy the day the governing body change the maximum loan duration per player to one year and places restriction on the maximum number of players each club is allowed to have on its books either on loan or in the reserves. it will go a long way to stop the bloody stockpiling and mismanagement of resources at this club.

What does this even mean because it makes absolutely no sense. so you are comparing the primary tasks of fullbacks which involves defending and joining the attack to provide width when necessary to that of a no 10? whose primary duties is solely measured on attacking contributions? bombing forward to join the attack has long been part and parcel of the fullback game that it's been recognized as a primary task. Some would even argue that fullbacks are more celebrated for their attacking contributions in modern era than their defensive contributions You might have a point the day defensive duties becomes a major requirement, expectation and part and parcel of a no 10 primary task and job description world wide but for now it isn't and players like mata will continue to be revered for their playmaking abilities.

My reaction to the news

Based on what I have seen, Omeruo is a superior defender and it would be a real head scratcher if we don't have first team plans for the Nigerian Int'l next season. even if JT quits at the end of the season (very unlikely) we would still have Cahill, Luiz, Omeruo and Kalas which is adequate depth. I don't see the need for him.

Pro mata in this case is used to mean those that see mata as a superior player and a better option as a no 10 behind the striker to Oscar. I thought that was straightforward enough because make no mistake about it, if it was caliber of players like Iniesta,D.Silva or Ozil that's benching mata, you wouldn't even hear or see any objections from me. The day no 10's are revered more for their workrate than their playmaking abilities and overall technical qualities will be the death of football from a purist standpoint. When you have a rolls royce, don't drive it like, or expect it to perform the task of a land cruiser.

Ramires technique really is shocking for a midfielder. In regards to the question in bold, Chris smalling runs ivanovic very close. but in their defence, they are centre backs who have been converted to full backs for some strange reason. To me it's not so much the lack of technical ability because I have seen plenty of technically limited players get the basics right consistently i,e players like Oshea, Belletti,neville et al. what does my head in is the realisation that Ivanovic's crossing and overall offensive game isn't going to get any better due to his lack of scope for development.

Honestly I haven't seen sagna deliver a decent cross for the past 2 seasons at least. What still baffles me is how certain players who have dedicated their entire lives to football, played at the highest level, trained under the best managers and with the best training facilities etc etc still struggle to execute the basics such as crossing, passing, ball control etc with any level of consistency. I know talent counts for quite a lot but the saying that practice makes perfection simply doesn't apply to some or dare I say most of these professional athletes in sports.

And Bamford (if he still counts as a prospect)

I posted the same in the oscar thread but here's opposition view of the debate for some much needed balance and unbiased views pulled straight out of redcafe ekeke said: Its good he puts his foot in and tries to win the ball but he also needs to have an impact in the final third Those are average numbers for a number 10 at Chelsea. An average of 36 passes isnt exactly impressive either, its not like hes the heartbeat of your team. So while he has done a very good job defensively, he's been underwhelming offensively. 36 is a couple more than Kagawa averages and he hasn't been influencial enough either and has played plenty of times on the wing. His end product has been more disappointing as well. The point is that while Mourinho obviously loves the fact he will try and pinch the ball and close people down, you're playing as a number 10 for a top club. You need to be producing more offensively than he has in the league. Interestingly, while Oscar has made double the tackles Mata has, an out of form and unconfident Mata has created almost double the chances Oscar has. At the end of the day its no surprise you're just nicking results and largely playing dour football (other than Hazard) if your number 10 is valued for his closing down and defensive work rather than his attacking. Heskey, Kuyt and Valencia are valued for theirs as well and Oscar should be aiming a lot higher than that. Gerald g wrote:He was anonymous today. I've thought this all season but Mata should be ahead of him in my opinion B20: I think Ekeke makes a valid point. Mourinho has sold the world a false dilemma with this Oscar vs Mata thing and Oscar being one of your better players only masks the actual fact that he is not as good as Mata has been for you the past two years. Robbie boy: Mata is the better player, for me, and his productivity is better than Oscar's

Here what opposition fans think of the matter. pulled straight from redcafe Starts with the best post ekeke said: Its good he puts his foot in and tries to win the ball but he also needs to have an impact in the final third Those are average numbers for a number 10 at Chelsea. An average of 36 passes isnt exactly impressive either, its not like hes the heartbeat of your team. So while he has done a very good job defensively, he's been underwhelming offensively. 36 is a couple more than Kagawa averages and he hasn't been influencial enough either and has played plenty of times on the wing. His end product has been more disappointing as well. The point is that while Mourinho obviously loves the fact he will try and pinch the ball and close people down, you're playing as a number 10 for a top club. You need to be producing more offensively than he has in the league. Interestingly, while Oscar has made double the tackles Mata has, an out of form and unconfident Mata has created almost double the chances Oscar has. At the end of the day its no surprise you're just nicking results and largely playing dour football (other than Hazard) if your number 10 is valued for his closing down and defensive work rather than his attacking. Heskey, Kuyt and Valencia are valued for theirs as well and Oscar should be aiming a lot higher than that. Gerald g wrote:He was anonymous today. I've thought this all season but Mata should be ahead of him in my opinion B20: I think Ekeke makes a valid point. Mourinho has sold the world a false dilemma with this Oscar vs Mata thing and Oscar being one of your better players only masks the actual fact that he is not as good as Mata has been for you the past two years. Robbie boy: Mata is the better player, for me, and his productivity is better than Oscar's That's the general opposition view of oscar vs mata debate. I'm just putting it here for some balance.

But but but he tracks back and works his socks off. Isn't that the only important aspect of football. every other aspect like passing well, creating and scoring and so on is mint

I say this with all seriousness, he and Bacary sagna are the absolute worst crosser of the ball I have ever seen (at the top level). did anyone see his mishit cross that went over the bar yesterday when he was in acres of space and had all day to pick out a team mate.

Wishing him a speedy recovery

We are signing akinfenwa then. it doesn't get bigger than that.

This thread is really boring and predictable now Pro mata (which i belong to btw) will argue that mata is our most creative player and should be getting more game time etc etc which is then always countered with the argument that he doesn't fit into jose's system and Oscar deserves to be ahead in the pecking order on the basis of his tactical superiority. wash rinse and repeat. If he has any sense and knows what's best for his own career then he would push really hard for a transfer out of the club.