CHOULO19

To be fair Victor is excellent at that.

The difference, as I've said already, is that at the time Jose did not know who his best team was so he was willing to give other players chances and switch things around, and more importantly, we FIVE players for two starting spots while right now we just have two and Cuadrado who doesn't seem like he has started fitting in the team. But assume I bite, why do think Jose has different rules for different players? What exactly does he gain by not treating players equally and hence ending up with a team that he knows is not the best possible?

All of them hence why Kevin was the first to come off. While no attacked had a great game that day, I distinctly remember how nervous Kevin looked and how he looked like he couldn't cope with the pressure of the match. Seriously, what is your alternative explanation? Jose just woke up one day decided "I'm going to screw this guy over for absolutely no reason" and then laughed an evil laugh?!

Can't stop laughing at "flappy Hart"! :lol:

Who?! Okay, so google says his name is actual Dirk but his nickname is "dick"

There was some fuss made by non Chelsea fans Belgians on Facebook, but no one blamed Jose for not playing him after the game against Swindon. I think an important thing to remember as well is that that Hull match was Kevin's first in over a month since his injury and thus probably was not ready for 90 mins. If Jose did not rate him he would not have started him again Hull or especially away at Old Traford.

JT. He got MOTM IIRC. Now you name one player that played worse than Kevin in that game. Here's the difference: Kevin failed to take the chance he was given when Jose was seriously giving chances to everyone in the first team because he did not know who his best team was at the time. If him and Jose have 'obviously clashed in training', don't you think there would have been questions asked at the time about his sudden disappearance? But all our fans were actually saying that Jose was right to bench him especially after the COC performances. Of course it was the right decision for him to move on at the time but it was also the right move for the club and at a pretty good sum.

Yes, he played very well again Hull and was probably MOTM, then he had terrible game against united and was subbed off. Then he started in the first COC match a few games later and was terrible that he had to wait for the following COC match to play. As I said, Jose need to have had him more often on the bench to try to bring him on, even for a few minutes, and to give him confidence. But at this level you only have yourself to blame if you don't take chances.

But he wasn't fifth choice from the start. He actually started our first two matches of the season. It was his performances that bumped him down to fifth choice along with the fact that other combinations seemed to click for us. You can say whatever you want about Jose, but last season, especially in the first month or so, he gave equal chances to ALL the players in the first team. I think after the first 4 or 5 matches all the fit players in the first team had started at least one match except Essien IIRC who got his first start in the first COC match.

Yeah, but as always in the end, what the player wants is what matters the most.

Dunno, are you normally sexist or is this a one-off post?

No, they don't. There's an option to extend the loan for another year, then at the end of THAT year, they have a first option for 18m. We refuse to loan him back there at the end of this season and that first option disappears.

I did actually say that in the post but you can add it again if you wish

That's an unfair assessment that is partly factually incorrect. First, Jose was rotating heavily last season, especially in the first half of the season when he was still trying to figure out his best team and we had a lot of options available. In Kevin's position, we basically had 5 players for two spots. Jose was rotating Oscar and Mata in the center and Willian and Schurrle on the right while Kevin got the odd game in the cups. Now, I don't know what the pleasure is in pinning everything on Jose, but to me, it is very clear that it is a three-way 'blame'. On Kevin himself: For playing very poorly in the league cup matches he did start and failing to take the few chances he got and mentally cope with the pressure. And for not showing enough in training to compel Jose to give him more chances. On Jose: Despite that I (along with every Chelsea fan at the time) thought that he was right not to start Kevin in the league with the form he was on, he should have had him on the bench more often to try to bring him back to form and raise his morale. And also for playing him in those rare chances out of the central position he shined in in preseason. Just plain bad luck: In the injury he sustained in preseason which meant that he did not play any match with some of the senior players and that he was not 100% physically ready for the start of the season. Add to that the Mata 'crisis' that kept him away from the position where he was most suited to.

All the talk about us making a mistake in letting him go are completely irrelevant because we did not "let him go", he asked to leave, it was his decision. And I'm one of Kevin's biggest fan since his first spell in Germany and I was always the one to defend him when some of the same people wanting him back now were calling him shit last season. BUT it was clearly not working out for him here for various reasons, some of it because Jose, some because of Kevin himself, and some just down to bad luck. Maybe had he stayed after Mata left he would have been able to turn it around, but we can only speculate. But we always knew that he was a top talent and obviously so did Wolfsburg and that was reflected in the fee we received. I'm very happy to see him developing so well and proving himself more and more, but that does not in any way change the fact that the deal we got for him was very good. In a deal where literally ALL the opinions at the time fell between "excellent business" and "take it and run we've ripped Wolfsburg off", you cannot with any legitimacy criticize the club and manager now in retrospective unless your criticism is that the board should have used the time machine in Roman's secret lab to see how he develops at Wolfsburg before agreeing to the deal, and even then it remains a good deal considering the circumstances at the time. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, try to be more happy for Kevin and less bitter towards the club.

Out for two month (so probably the rest of the season). That should bring down possible price tags if he does decide to leave.

Really? Then why do all the non-Italian and English speaking Juve fans I've met rate Bonnuci higher? I'd be happy with either French team.

You want him to become a magician instead?!

Done. Login remains the same.

That's actually a very good comparison. I love Marchisio. You'll rarely find a better technique on the ball than him and he just cannot score and ugly goal. But he's like an artist, moody and temperamental and needs time to express himself. Conte was not having any of that. But now, he's having a real resurgence under Allegri. He's an excellent season so far. Shhhhh. That doesn't fit the current agenda...

Already taken. Anything else?

Technically incredible for a CB, but he has his brain fart moments and has an incredible annoying knack for an own goal!

On the other hand, a run of excellent performances and he's the best in the world! We football fans are truly a unique breed...

I was, but my love for them 'dried up'....like raisins are dried up... get it? ...I'll show myself out.

I'm probably the only Juve fan in the world that rates him higher than Bonnuci. Although Leonardo has stepped up with some important goals in the past couple of seasons.