Blue Armour

Really agree with that bit about Costa, which is why i'm still hoping for club, player and manager to eventually sort out all their differences in the summer.It will be forever before we can find another striker to fit that bill.

Hope he stays, especially if Matic leaves. With the number of games we'll have next season, we will need him more than he needs us.

Hope he keeps the same hairstyle. Should contrast well against Blue shirt, haha

Him, Bakayoko and Lukaku. 90% sure that these deals are done, and only a matter of when they announce it. Hopefully the Sandro deal gets sorted out as well on Monday. As good as Alonso is, Alonso-Cahill isn't going to cut the mustard against the big teams in the CL.

Wish he had never got that knee injury.

I hope there's a silver lining after all this shit storm settles down.. The fact is, we are at risk of losing a proven striker and 1 of the 2 main pieces for Chelsea's attack force. And we're linked with Lukaku, Mbappe and Morata...all being interesting youth talent with great potential to succeed in a team like ours, but still...just potential. instead of building on what we achieved last season for the next, we're ending up with a lot of uncertainty before it even begins.

Yes, those clubs spent silly money...and yes, like you said there's little chance we can do the same even after this successful season... We have a stadium expenditure coming up...and while we won the PL, the earnings aren't too much greater than what PL clubs below us got. Besides, foreign clubs will always demand more transfer fees from English clubs. This is the new trend....In this climate, what are the odds that we go and get exactly the type of player we need> This is supposed to be the season to sign plenty of strong reinforcements to make an even stronger squad...Not spending silly money to replace key players.....

Mate...Costa's only been here for 3 seasons. And he's only ever wanted to leave during the 3'rd season...Yes, once at the start of it, and now the two most recent attempts (Jan, and following). But mind, the only bit that was ever confirmed by the player himself was the move he tried to make before the start of the season. I'm not making Costa to be innocent...I'm pretty sure there's more than meets the eye, and Conte wouldn't have just texted the player in such a naive manner. My point is, this is just the baggage that we have to deal with when having Costa...For all these antics of his, I still don't think we should hasten his departure without making sure we have good cover for his position.

My point is players like Drogba were a rarity back then...and are a rarity right now. And honestly, the reputation of the club has nothing to do with it...How do you think City got so many superstars within a short span of time? How are the Chinese clubs luring players? I'm glad we're linked with the likes of players Mbappe and Morata. But how easy is to get them? We're having to face a battle with the likes of Everton to get someone like Lukaku, and for what? 80mill plus?

No. No. No. And no. No. No. Okay

Thing is...we've made allowances for contributing players before... Drogba has thrown tantrums,..after Mourinho left.., when Phil was here and not to mention the red card in the CL final.. We stuck with him and see where that got us... If Conte sees someone better than Costa coming in to do a better job, then that's fine....but otherwise, I think the club bosses should just bite their lips and do everything in their power to hold onto him. Its not just a case of a player leaving. Costa gets along superbly well with his team-mates, the Spanish/Brazilian contingent, and not to mention Hazard. Granted it was a low blow to make this public, but I don't know how this would affect the team chemistry when they learn of this revelation... I think this situation could have been handled more carefully by the player and his bosses. All said and done, Costa's season is FAR from bad as a player. 20 goals, a lot of them really crucial to our points tally, and earned us our PL title, and nearly got us back in to the FA cup final. If Conte's idea of replacement is just Lukaku, I will be extremely worried going ahead into the new season.

Hmm....2 up top next season with Batshuayi and Lukaku? Could be deadly, but not sure how they would accommodate both Belgians in the squad

I like how the media tries to stir stuff up like this...like in the video below...Former greats like Thierry Henry (like in the vid below) don't give a hoot about the substitution...its mostly just media and opposition fans finally letting their frustrations out...its like most of them were squirming throughout this entire season watching the top of the table....Normally we have something controversial accompany a good season,..these guys finally got something to chatter about towards the end of this season....the only people who should have any right to complain, should be the traveling Sunderland fans, and I doubt most of them cared either. [media]

Hazard goal hands down. I know the Matic goal looks beautiful in the highlights and one to seal victory in the semi-final against Spurs, but come on....it just came off a well hit shot. You see a couple of goals like that every season. When Drogba and Lampard were around you were almost guaranteed to see a blockbuster shot like that fly into the net at least once a season. The Hazard goal is just something else...the buildup and the footwork. You can just see the highlights with the commentary...the excitement keeps building up.

One of his best qualities is when he commands the box the ball comes flying in...plucking crosses from the air and what not. The game against West Brom was a good example

I really hope Hazard can go as far as he wants to in his career. Like Conte said, he's a really special player and he must never forget this..any game, and any moment in a game.

We may find other players with similar ability, but it will be almost impossible to find it paired with this kind of attitude. Need to do everything to hang onto Cesc and Willian.

Don't think he ever lost control of the ball from any long pass played towards him today (even if he had help from Traore failing to track back). Its been such a benefit this season having full-backs playing on the side that suits their stronger foot. Not to mention he subdued Traore, who was forced to cut into the center of the field to make any kind of advance

I'm pretty sure Fabregas wants to add the CL to his CV

Play Cesc instead of Matic. Simples. Especially if you know that the opposition is going to sit back and defend deep.

I thought he would have buried the chance obtained from the Luiz long pass, especially with the form in his last game Still created chances though, with the Hazard opportunity and of course, the pass to Fabregas for the Willian goal.

Still, I think Luiz could use some rest...especially when we have those fixtures that are closely spaced. Maybe give Ake or Terry an opportunity to help out.

26 - Only John Terry (40) has scored more @premierleague goals excluding penalties than Gary Cahill among defenders in the competition. Nod. That was the Opta stat from Apr 25th. He now has 27 to his name. Its good that he's taking on the responsibility of set-piece goal scoring, especially with Terry and Ivanovic not playing, And tbh, in the last few games he has been trying to put in captain-like performances to help get us over the line. Trying to take charge of the back line instead of simply playing the role of a covering defender (Of course with Luiz playing as sweeper, he more or less becomes the covering defender).

Movement, as well as passing/link up. That lay-off to Hazard (for the chance that followed the first goal) was sublime. Didn't even look at Hazard before making the pass, and he weighted it perfectly. Shows what he can do when he's in the mood.

I can accept the occasional sloppiness, when he still can contribute the way he did in Southampton game. Didier Drogba is a good example of this....for periods of a game he won't seem to be in it, but then does something fantastic the next minute.