CHOULO19

I'll go with 23. 16 in the league and 7 in other competitions.

Rami plays at most 5 games on the right wing. I don't think 25 appearances are that outlandish. He made 10 appearances for us in 2 and half months last season and he was ineligible for the CL and was still being slowly eased into the league.

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Oscar never plays out wide on the wings. 25-30 appearances (not starts) is not being a regular, it's being a squad player. We play 65-70 matches per season. I expect Salah to make 10-15 starts and equal appearances off the bench. I expect all of Hazard, Willian and Schurrle to make more appearances than Mohammed if everyone stays fit.

We have 4 players (Hazard, Schurrle, Willian, and Salah) for two position (LW and RW). Willian will probably get some games in the middle and I can't see Hazard playing too many games on the right. And those are also the positions that the manager is most likely to make a sub in during matches. I think Salah will comfortably get 25-30 appearances this season.

Ba and now Marin? We should introduce Besiktas to Torres since they seem to like our dead wood!

I honestly think his future is at LB. He's just too small to make it in central midfield, let alone at center back. He's got all the technical ability and tactical awareness to play LB. And I know it's only preseason, but he really impressed me in those two matches at LB so far. But stay with the squad this year? I honestly doubt it. I think most likely he will go out on loan, probably to Vitesse.

True, but we can afford it. It would be great if we can sell him, but it won't be the end of the world if we don't.

Yeah, Chrome for me too. (Do people still use other browsers?! ) I'll upload them somewhere and edit your post.

If you look at the average position of our team in any game, you'll probably say that is 4-3-3. Point is, there can be more variation from one 4-2-3-1 to another than to a 4-3-3, so I see no point in making a distinction between the two. Instead we should make distinctions between tactical duties. Regarding the exchanging wingers, I think it can happen once or twice a game, but never as frequent as it used to with Robben and Cole. If Jose said so in an interview last season (can't remember when, but I distinctly remember him saying that the three AMs don't have total freedom to exchange positions). Exchanging positions confuses the defense, but it also confuses the players themselves and what tactical duties they have. PS: Is it just me or are those pics not showing @hjperdeath?

Haha. They had pretty similar season in a way, actually. Started strong, got inconsistent over winter and finished on a low. The differences are Torres' wages and the fact that Oscar is still very young and a work in progress.

Tbf, he was mostly very good at the start of last season. Granted he was mostly crap for the second half of the season, but he can be a valuable player in patches.

I think people are exaggerating what an atrocity it would be if he stayed. Take his wages out of the equation and he's not a bad squad player. Yes, he can be terrible at times, but he can also excellent when he's up for it and against certain teams. If Lukaku is leaving, I'd honestly wouldn't mind Torres staying because he can offer something different to Costa (and Didier?).

And liking what he sees but the looks of it!

Squad for this match:

"Fabregas is not a good dribbler" Explain this then:

Glad we let him go back to Boro and didn't repeat the mistake with Chalobah last season. Who says our board never learns..

Welcome. Glad you decided to start posting. Let me know if you need anything

He can either play second fiddle to Costa at a team going for the treble here or play second fiddle to Mandzukic at an Atletico side that is likely to be less competitive than last season. And at lower wages as well.I fear he loves Chelsea too!

Atletico can't afford his wages, especially not after they signed Mandzukic, simple as.

That's a pretty complete complete strike force. Not in the sense that it has overwhelming quality, but in the sense that the three have different traits and they compliment each other. (Same if you replace Lukaku with Torres).

This. 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1? Wrong question would be my answer.. We didn't play a definite 4-2-3-1 last season, certainly not one with the typical 'double pivot'. Often in 'set-offense' Oscar would drop deep to pick up the ball and turn it into 4-3-3. Not Jose's old 4-3-3, but 4-2-3-1 either. The triangle? Will Cesc and Oscar have exchanging roles while Matic always sits back and holds? Maybe. Or it could be that Oscar is given more freedom now that he does not need to drop deep to pick up the ball because Cesc is capable of moving it forward. But either way, I think Matic will always be the deepest of the three. Exchanging wingers? I doubt it, honestly, unless like you said we face man-marking from a team. We could see temporary brief exchanges like last season, but I think each will have his own tactical duties on his own wing to be able to make the switch often. Schurrle can't do Hazard's job on the left wing, Hazard can't do Willians on the right...etc.

Sure. Login name remains the same.

I think if any signings will be made it will be for a squad player for defense because we're thin in that area with only 6 players for 4 positions. Although, if Romeu stays, he can also cover at CB, so that would give us a bit more depth.

From the mail: Pasalic: "As I went to say goodbye to my manager Mourinho, he told me that I'm on the best way to one day return to Chelsea. Mourinho also told me that I must do my best on loan in Spain because he will keep track of all my games. Director of sport Michael Emenalo also told me that he and Mourinho will come to see me in Spain. I like this option from Elche... I always dreamed that I would play in La Liga once." EDIT: Iseah beat me to it