OneMoSalah

Is he not 29? Will cost an absolute fortune I’d imagine at least £70m based on how Dortmund dealt with Dembele but sure he’s proven with a very good goal ratio. It’s a gamble for the fee but he would be an excellent option to play with, instead or to rotate with Morata. He has got electric pace and it would be an excellent alternative for some matches particularly the bigger ones where we’d play on the counter. It’s worth keeping an eye on. The way he’s been disciplined by Dortmund recently is a concern though.

Okay long post coming up lol Tough game although they can be hit and miss, they’ve not been great recently result wise for them IIRC and I expect us to beat them with Alvaro getting back among the goals but it could be a deceiving fixture looking at their recent form it might not be as easy as we think, think over the last good while they’ve seemed to enjoy turning up against us when nobody would expect it and putting a shift in so who knows, although we have also scored quite a lot of goals past them in recent times too. Quite like the look of Mikel Merino in the middle of the park for them though, looks a talented player, does a bit of everything, only 21 and from what I’ve heard from a few Newcastle fans who are mates of mines probably their best player so far. Not really, the team had no real structure, we were winning games at first so it wasn’t a major issue and even when we started conceding it didn’t matter because we were outscoring teams but it caught up to us. After a promising start that United game showed every team in the league where our weaknesses were as they isolated our aging full backs (Ivanovic and Cole) who had no protection at all because the likes of Hazard Oscar and Mata were given a free reign and didn’t work backwards to help out as well as some individual mistakes. It took a good manager at a good team to expose this, I think Ferguson ditched his diamond formation for this match. We also drew with Swansea, Liverpoo, got beat by West Brom as well before the game against Juventus where he looked out of ideas as well as the very poor performances against Shakhtar in both matches, can’t remember the dates, just know it was before Benitez. Shakhtar sure they were a talented team with Mkhitaryan, Willian, Luiz Adriano, Teixeira and Srna but not like we couldn’t beat them. I think the team was on a downward spiral in terms of performances before the Juventus game. The Juventus game absolutely sealed RDM’s fate. Not the biggest Benítez fan and I wasn’t overly impressed by his appointment but looking back at it I’d like to ask folk who said “Rafa was needing us more than we needed him”, if we didn’t get Benítez who would we have gotten? Forget the results, playing style, whatever he did, who was actually a better fit out there at that time that was available and looking for work? Everyone said we wanted Pep (would of been great sure).. he had no interest in coming out of his sabbatical and by the looks of it no interest in Chelsea at all. Harry Redknapp, Guus Hiddink and David Moyes we’re all of interest too apparently along with Rafa. I know out of the 4 I’d of rathered Benítez because at least we would of been a unit as opposed to 11 individuals. Sure if Pep was willing we would all of taken him every time but he wasn’t. I doubt many managers with contracts or job security like Moyes or Hiddink had at the time or many other managers would of been willing to join Chelsea who had just sacked 2 managers in the space of 17 months. It was a win-win considering we got a reasonably experienced manager on a short term deal, won a trophy, finished 3rd and ultimately the most important thing, thank fuck we didn’t appoint that overrated, annoying cunt Harry Redknapp. Sure the Swansea semi finals in the League Cup and Club World Cup were poor but we also got spanked by Atletico in the Super Cup and outplayed by Shakhtar along with a few poor results in the league, it was really a season of transition and even José couldn’t turn that team into the finished product in his first season.

He looked a great prospect at Mochengladbach (kept an eye on Christensen and Hazard over past few seasons when I’ve had chance to watch their games) but if Bosz isn’t willing to trust him ahead of underperforming players like Castro and Rode it doesn’t look good for him, although Dortmund have struggled of late after a promising start. Maybe a move could reinvigorate him, maybe a change in fortunes at Dortmund could, who knows? I don’t think he’s Chelsea level yet but he is the right profile, very much in the mould of your typical German MF player, high levels of fitness, good tactically, technically sound, forward thinking, comfortable on the ball and gets stuck in. I think if he gets another one or two seasons playing regularly and consistently at a good level he will improve a lot. He has the talent to be a level above the likes of a Sebastian Rudy, Emre Can and Sami Khedira I feel (maybe slightly unfair Khedira has been a huge player for Germany NT since 2010), although they are all good players in their own right. It’s a shame Dortmund are in a rut after their promising start, as they are always a good team to watch. I assumed they’d continue to be after they appointed Peter Bosz who’s Ajax team were very impressive and very much a good side to watch but the signs around BVB were there with Tuchel (top young manager btw), they were so indifferent at key moments in the season and had a real issue competing against an ageing but very good and experienced Bayern... although I think Dortmund should really of been pushing them much harder after Peps departure.

Unless United trigger the one year extension option they apparently have, sell him for a fee and we don’t get him. Or if you believe some rumors they apparently have, like with Ander Herrera (apparently). I think we should look to bid for him in January, I’m sure we can get him for 15m, that isn’t a lot, his fitness is a gamble but again I don’t believe he’s not playing because he’s unfit, he’s not playing because of one man who has a history of not trusting and eventuwlly moving on young players without thinking about the long term gain of keeping them. He is a good player and has got the potential to still be a very good player although his talent has been overhyped in the past.

Don’t see the height as a major issue considering we set up with Baka Kante and Cesc in MF, Baka is 6 ft plus where as Kante and Cesc are both under 5 ft 10. I think throughout the team we have got decent enough height with whoever plays CB with Azpi, Alonso, Bakayoko and Morata usually in starting 11. Torreira has good aggression and likes to get stuck in to tackles, has a bit more tactical nous having played as a holding midfielder and his mobility is a good plus as well, would make him a good option or replacement for Cesc.

He isn’t as progressive as Luiz with the ball but he is a superior defender for me. He keeps it simple when he has to but under pressure he is more than confident enough, if he keeps playing like this Luiz won’t get back in the team imo. See a lot of people asking about Luiz as LCB: He played there vs Arsenal when Conte swapped the formation last season after that terrible first half where they were 3-0 up and he was not happy there. I seem to remember a lot of shouting and gesturing towards the side lines... he seemed like he didnt want to go out wide to deal with players one v one from and struggled with the positioning without the ball. I get the whole he’s really good with the ball, better than Cahill but honestly based on what I’ve seen this season from Luiz and also remembering him in second half of that game I think it would be a mistake or to better word it, a big risk. I think he’s more suited to that central role anyway, he’s better sweeping up in behind the wider CBs, he isn’t necessarily having to engage opposition players as often as Azpi or Cahill are but he gets himself in the right positions to help them out or block/deal with crosses and whatever else.

Don’t see the fuss after Liverpool game, we didn’t create a lot of clear cut chances but managed to get into good positions and when Cesc came on it was only us that looked like winning. Hopefully the club can do something in January to boost the squad, City are great yes but they will run out of steam because it’s impossible to keep that sort of form all season, we have seen it with us, Arsenal, United in the past under Ferguson and even City under Pellegrini and Mancini, it is incredibly hard to play at that level for 25 games yet alone 38 games. I think we will finish second unless City do something drastic and lose that lead (think we’ll pip United to second, they will drop points against smaller sides) and if we can get a few players in to to help with rotation for likes of Morata, Alonso and maybe even push the boat out and get somebody to play in tandem with Hazard and Morata (ambitious but who knows) then why can’t we go on a run of like 6, 7 or 8 victories and put the pressure on. If we started the season with more than reasonable back up for Alonso (or replacement) and Morata we would be a lot better off than flogging Alonso by playing him for 90 mins every game (he’s not showing form from last year but he is only option) and having to rely on Michy if Morata is out, who doesn’t really affect the play or offer anything unless he’s got a clear goal scoring chance, then I think the gap could be closer, losing to Burnley sucked as did losing to Palace but we didn’t have certain players in the line up as well as poor performances and whatever else but watching Michy play after watching Morata play the gulf in class and difference in work ethic is incredible. Mentioned all about the poor summer involving sales and recruitment before as well but we are short at LWB, CF and could do with upgrades at RWB and RW, but we know that. January if we get 2 or 3 guys in the door could give the squad a boost imo, also think we should be looking at some of the players who’s contracts are expiring for pre-contracts/lower fees (some younger, some older): Goretzka, Sanchez, de Vrij, Ozil, Ghoulam, Ander Herrera, Joao Moutinho... and the rest which I’m sure folk are more aware of, few guys in there worth looking at imo. With these many talented players possibly available at knockdown fees or for free 6 months later, we will really see how ambitious some European clubs are, hopefully we will be one of them.

Only concern I have about is Guerreiro is that he is not quite as fast as you’d think. He’s faster than Alonso but really think if we had somebody with similar pace or just below likes of Hazard or Willian in both wing back positions we’d be a totally different side. Unbelievable how much pace can make a difference to a team. Look at City with addition of Walker and Mendy. Guerreiro has got a good skill set though, good with the ball, played different positions for BVB and Portugal too.

If he learned how to stay onside he’d be a decent option for us, don’t know how many times he was offside (while in good positions) when he really shouldn’t have been. Was quite happy with his performance actually, solid enough, got stuck in, not got Moses pace though, Moses really gets us up the pitch, think for a squad player he’s a good option.

I think moving Azpi to RWB would be a mistake. Think he’s absolutely tailor made to play RCB and his form there has been great recently although I do have concerns over Zappacosta he hasn’t shown much promise defensively, he’s not been bad but he’s not been reassuring, if Conte was feeling bold he could go for Pedro in that RWB role. Or never thought I’d say it, we miss Victor Moses. Think Rudiger and Gary Cahill should be kept away from that RCB role at all times too they’ve not looked assuring there yet. Hopefully we go for something like this courtois azpi - christensen - rudi zap - baka - kante - cesc - alonso morata - hazard

Really hadn’t seen much of him at Wolfsburg, don’t think he had best of time there after a pretty good spell at Schalke in the long run but he caught my eye at the Confed Cup with German NT (I forgot he even existed lol), thought he and Goreztka, the clubs linked with him as well, were outstanding, JD played with a real maturity and always seemed to be looked to for inspiration at times in younger and inexperienced German side. I think he was awarded player of the tournament too. Been taking advantage of BT Sport app for over a year now and they show a lot of PSG games, plus watched the replays of them smash Celtic x2 and Bayern in the CL, they really do look top notch this season, Neymar and Mbappé really elevated them.

Yeah that’s true but I don’t think the club from a business standpoint would allow that to happen like what’s going on at Arsenal where they could lose two of the best players they’ve had in the last 5-10 years on a free. Just don’t think our club would be willing to accept that. If the players aren’t happy or want to make the move I’d imagine the board will want to recoup as much money as possible, come the summer I think we’ll have new deals sorted for everybody, even if Hazard or Courtois or whoever doesn’t necessarily want to stay more longer term (3 or 4 more seasons) I imagine the club will be more than aware and in the best position to extract a high fee. Look at Luiz, Mata, Matic, Costa we’ve sold these guys in the past for high fees, usually we sell very well from a financial point of view, apparently we’ve made more money from selling players than anybody else since the PL was introduced.

Quite surprised he didn’t push to make the move. Think it would of been a great opportunity for him for sure. PL is slightly higher standard than Italy, sure Italy is improving but again think that a few CL results don’t change much. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t look to make a move in the summer before next season if he hasn’t penned a new deal. Should keep an eye out incase.

Think he is a better all round player in comparison to Lucas Moura for sure (also he’s probably better than Willian). He has decent end product, more consistency than Lucas, maybe not as pacey as the Brazilian but I think his close control is better, plus he’s a year younger with a lot higher potential imo (already a superior player to Lucas Moura already). Only problem for me would be if he could play more on the right as he is generally more often used as a left winger/10. Think he’s played as an advanced CM for Paris too recently not sure. I know our formation isn’t as flexible as Paris’ either but in a 343 he could operate in one of those positions of the front for sure. Think the general view with Draxler as a whole has been a lack of goals for a player of his quality. Everybody knows he has the talent, he’s shown that in the Bundesliga and for Germany in spurts since coming onto the scene, maybe at Wolfsburg it hadn’t shown through as much and at Paris he’s maybe struggled for regular minutes in a better suited role due to Neymars arrival but think he has the skill set and quality to be a good player in the PL. Talk of Liverpool wanting him on loan, I don’t know if that would be best move for him because of their forward options already unless he plays in midfield role as opposed to the wing. Also Bayern reportedly looking at him. Think we should really consider a move for him in Jan, don’t think he would be unattainable.

This has been an issue with the PL for years, same with the winter break/winter schedule and it doesn’t look anymore likely that they will address it unfortunately which is a shame as it severely weakens the PL come the latter stages of CL/EL and also the National teams come summer tournaments. A lot of people maybe won’t think it affects a lot or whatever but they get 30 days off in Germany, 24 days in France, 18 days in Spain, 16 days in Italy and however long wherever else, it would help PL sides a lot. It’s being used as a trial as such up in th Scottish Premier Division this year. Liverpool have had an extra day to rest in comparison to us unfortunately but I don’t think it’s a huge concern because every set of CL/Europa fixtures there is always a team that complains, unfortunately the Prem (specifically in at Christmas due to so many games in short space of time) makes a lot of money through television rights and at this rate it won’t slow down, hopefully it can be looked at more and sorted in the future. I think we’ll still manage to turn up and give a good performance at Anfield, its not like Liverpool have had a full week to prepare, they play energy sapping football which they press a lot cover a lot of ground more than the average team, so perhaps along with their tendencies to drop off in second halfs and latter stages of the season, it won’t be as much of a booster as many think.

Get Draxler instead.

Apparently him/his agent and the club have put contract talks on hold to towards the end of the season. Or that’s what the rumors are. I don’t see any issue, his deal expires in 2019, why is everybody so concerned the club should be looking to achieve as much as they can this season then deal with the contracts. There’s talk of Madrid and Tibo but there’s been talk of Madrid before he even made his first competitive game for Chelsea. It’s nothing new. Come the latter stages of the season I reckon 3 or 4 players will be close to sealing new deals. Strengthening in January has got to be top priority at CF and LWB. I think the clubs also probably concerned about possibly having to find another manager at the end of the season, personally don’t think Conte will go but if the January transfer window doesn’t show some sort of push towards who Conte wants as opposed to the club then that along with rumors of Italy, Milan, PSG, whoever else wanting him, Carlo’s availability and apparent willingness “to work at Chelsea” again who knows?

Lining up with 352 is a must. Gives us the chance to match Liverpool up in MF and still carry a threat with Cesc, Eden and Morata all playing while retaining a good platform with both Baka and Kante in MF. Morata will need to hold the ball up well like he did against United to bring others into play as we are to going to have to go long at times to beat their press. I am a bit concerned about Salah up against Cahill/Rudiger, more than Mane up against Azpi or Firmino against Andreas/Luiz because Liverpool will undoubtably push their attackers right up against our back 3 and I think Salah right now is playing fantastic, he will be a huge threat in 1v1s, as will Mane, Firmino and Coutinho as they all have their own qualities, particularly Firmino who knits everything together up front with his clever movement and link up play. I think 343 is a good option to swap to if the games goalless come 70/75 minutes because their full backs are weak defensively and they are usually quite high, there’s a real weakness for us to look to exploit there. Also at set plays we have to try capitalise on them at all costs, Sevilla are by no means a big team but they gave Liverpool headaches from set plays in the game the other night.

Is it really an issue? 😂 I know your just pointing it out but Regardless though he was solid again tonight after coming on. Although don’t like seeing Azpi at LWB, RCB role is his best position.

Would have rested Azpi and Alonso tbf, they’ve played a lot of minutes, big match coming up vs Liverpool although this lot are no pushover.

Should wait and see how he gets on next season if he stays at Watford, if he can a similar effect next year consider him yes but I have my doubts. To be honest I can’t see a Man United or Man City signing him for obvious reasons or even Arsenal due to the fact they have Iwobi, Walcott, Sanchez (maybe not for long) also Ozil (maybe not for long) and Welbeck as well who play wider areas. Spurs maybe but honestly think he’d be a shoe in for Everton in all fairness, they lack a player who offers directness and real pace. He’ll be about that level when he hits his peak I reckon. Genuinely dont think he’ll ever be a top 4 player, not sure he’s better than David Neres who plays for Ajax or Andreas Pereira, United player on loan at Valencia, two other talented Brazilian attacking players at a similar age. I genuinely believe Pereira would be getting regular PL minutes if he wasn’t playing for Jose Mourinho at Man United. Neres still a lot to prove but a guy with a huge ceiling imo, Ajax right club for him just now but will move eventually. Richarlisons rolling about and diving has to stop though. Pathetic.

I’d agree but 343 is always very useful and a good alternative to have. Musonda not a reliable option yet for me, not enough experience at the highest level so if we were to lose Willian and have to resort to 343 if Eden picked up an injury for instance we’d be pretty paper thin in attack. Although we already are. Need a striker and winger in January or the summer.

Whole defence and team looks a lot more settled with Andreas in it. Luiz had the same effect a lot last year though but I do believe the system helps him more than Andreas. He was the last line of defence usually, if Cahill or Azpi struggled or were beaten he was there sweeping up, generally suits Luiz more than what it did seeing him play in a back 4 I feel. Right now I’d keep Andreas in the team, in fact I’d keep same back 3 at present.

Selling him for right price is a good move only if his replacement is a better player. Lucas Moura is not a better player, worse, just younger, has arguably the same defects Willian does: poor decision making at times, lacks consistent end product, doesn’t score enough goals. Has to be an improvement. I’m glad the club have decided Pedro is the better player to keep out of the two or so I’d say, think some people don’t realise he has got a bit more guile and more end product than Willian although they can both be equally frustrating.

I thought the logic was you praise players when they perform and criticise them when they don’t? If it matters what team they play against then we’d be may as well judging players based on 10 PL games a season, home and away performances vs City, United, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool... games where we normally sit compact and based on how people on here react to that and the performances nobody would rate anybody. I’ll admit if we had the chance to keep Matic and not sign Baka I’d have taken it because Matic is tried and tested, a better player offers more at present etc etc but in an ideal world we’d still have lots of players. I think it’s incredibly stupid to write off a 23 or 24 year old player in his first season at the club. In a new system. He was pretty good against Man United and if RLC flopped against Germany this conversation wouldn’t be happening. Just typical the media stirring the pot as usual. Baka has more PL goals and assists than RLC. Not seen that in any papers