OneMoSalah

Don't think he's mentally tough enough yet to make it as a top player. I could be wrong but who knows. He was loaned out to two teams where he was guaranteed to start every game unless he was injured, comes back to a club with competition, has to adapt to a more demanding philosophy and win his place, didn't do it so who knows.

Think they are much more attacking in comparison to under Mancini but Mancini had them defensively better than they are now I think. Perhaps a different mindset and mentality. I feel Pellegrini still uses 4-2-2-2 as it probably best suits his players, especially if he can get Aguero and Negredo in the side along with Nasri and Silva basically drifting infield to open up spaces for their fullbacks to get forward to support. Might be that Toure gets forward more due to instructions or might be just that he does get caught out at times because of their different attacking approach but who knows. I mean as good as Fernandinho is I think he also is one who likes to primarily play a more box to box role but he can also play the role he does now. Still its interesting, if they get another/better holder will they play 4-3-3 or stick to their 4-2-2-2

@Gilvorak Wouldn't say Moreno is a terrible defender, far from it, has a bit of bite about him although he's a small and frail lad, good on the ball, Mourinho could definitely improve him to that next level in his development. He may be older but I think hes a better player right now. If Shaw wasn't English I don't think anyone would care as much about him, just an honest opinion, I mean yeah he will be a very good LB or you'd think turn out to be a very very good LB but so will Moreno. Mourinho could also improve Shaw very true but I think we do need English/homegrown players so that also makes him a more attractive option as well as the physicality and height issue you brought up - which was why Jose (apparently) wanted to sign Maicon at Real and use him instead of Carvajal due to the height and physical difference. @The only place to be There is every chance we won't get Luke Shaw in the next year or two, Southampton are financially very safe whereas Sevilla aren't I just mentioned him as I feel right now hes a better footballer and hes a more realistic option right now due to the financial struggles in Spanish football for certain clubs (like Valencia in the past, Malaga and Sevilla). We need a LB now. Monero or Shaw or even Coentrao or someone else, we need a new LB.

They never line up playing 4-1-3-2 though, Pellegrini's mostly used 4-2-2-2/4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 at City, Villarreal and Real. Think its something more to do with Toure and sometimes a lack of concentration as opposed to tactics but I could be wrong.

Alberto Moreno from Sevilla is better.

Who even remembers who Xavi was before 2007? He was probably the most criticized player in the Barca team before Pep turned them into the best team in Europe. Sure people knew he existed but hardly rated him the same. Arrogant words coming from someone who was only rated as one of the best since 2007 or 2008 when Mourinho has been winning trophies consistently since 2002...

Don't know why people are sticking up for Toure being a defensive liability when he is, watch the first game vs Bayern Munich in the CL, at times Toure was so far ahead of Fernandinho it was effectively a 4-1-3-2 and the same against Swansea a while back back when De Guzman fluffed that sitter which he managed to get into that position because of Toure's lack of working back. He is obviously a box to box midfielder but as Didi Hamann said he leaves Fernandinho exposed and as good as Fernandinho is how can he defend against 2 or 3 players in his zone? Toure doesn't look like he wants to run back at times. Anyway on to Matic, I was surprised with how well he played in the Europa League final against us, I'd seen him play a few reserve games and he didn't look all that good but obviously playing every game for a few seasons has helped him a lot. Would I pay over 15-20m for him? No, probably not as I have to be honest hes a decent player but not exactly anything we don't have or what we need. We don't need a sitting midfielder, we normally play 4-2-3-1 we need someone whos a bit more rounded in their game not just a destroyer.

Yes but Rooney's contract runs out at the end of the 2014-15 season I think and since he is over a certain age it means he can buy out the last year of his contract and move (or at least I think) so I think we will get him if he doesn't sign a new deal as United won't want to lose him for free so they will probably have to accept something in the range of 20m to 30m for a 28 or 29 year old player (depending when it is) with one year left on his deal.

Similar to Hazard, amazing close control and retains possession in tight areas when it looks like theres no space for him. Really starting to like him and I can see why he cost 30m.

Was really good against Derby. His passing was very neat, he won tackles, did some good covering for Cole at timesand he would have an assist as well if Eto'o didn't approach the goal like a pensioner with a zimmer frame. He got a goal too jesus christ and also got to wear the captain's armband, very good day for him, hopefully he'll start most games this month due to Lamps injury.

15m I suppose is a fair price, good rotation option, means we can play a more dynamic pivot too at times or a good 3 man midfield with a decent physical presence in it like we used to have with Essien - Ballack - Lampard but now with Ramires - Mikel - Guarin..

15m? Fuck off get the 25m. If hes really that good nobody will be afraid to pay that given he's only 22 or 23 with a lot of potential. Think his failure here has been more mentally than anything else, hes never had serious competition.. he's gotten it here and struggled. I mean look at Willian, came in nobody thought he'd be a regular in terms of who we already have but the chances he has had he's taken them and he has looked the real deal for us. Maybe loan Kevin and hope he adjusts his mentality next year and see what happens or sell for 25m. We don't normally sell and I don't expect anyone of our players to go cheaply, especially with Jose in charge.

Should have bought him in the summer, 9 league goals in 16 appearances, decent strike rate 1 in 2 basically similar to his Madrid record which was something like 100 odd goals in 200 odd games. When it was announced he would leave Real I wanted us to get him, everyone called him a poacher, there is much much more to his game sure hes not Suarez or Aguero but hes a hard working forward, who is very clinical and is sufficiently capable of linking play like he does with Callejon, Hamsik and Insigne/Mertens. 50M though? Na not worth that. Could have gotten him for 30 odd M in the summer, if Jose really wanted him he'd have got him.

Still the best manager in the world.

Damn Ramires is suspended for the Liverpool game, hopefully see a 3 man MF of Mikel - Essien/Lamps - Oscar (best we can do right now haha), double pivot of Mikel-Lampard and I will cry.

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WTF IS THAT HAHAHAHAHA OMG

Set up not to lose. We didn't lose or concede, had more shots and shots on target than Arsenal. Pretty decent result. Jose is still the king when it comes to tactics, its crazy people see this as a bad result. Sure we could have won but who says if we opened up we would have won then? That is the best defensive display against Arsenal all season, they struggled to create any clear cut chances bar Giroud's one which he somehow fucked up and it took them 85 minutes before they got a shot on target (at home may I add).

Cash and Lukaku for Costa? Fuck off.. unless its a season loan but I doubt it given his transfer request carry on.

fuck it i'll play upfront for Chelsea until I am 59... since we need a striker so bad....

If we sign Costa we will need to adjust how we play, have the attacking midfielders play around the striker, as opposed to playing within themselves like Carlo said but he would be a good signing no doubt. Robust, pacey, powerful, good in the air can finish can find clever passes, why not?

Actually warming to signing him, if we go to a 4-3-3 and play a MF of Ramires - Mikel - Guarin then our pressing would be better as Rami and Guarin are good at winning the ball back. Thats why Inter deploy him as a 10 to win the ball back when they press. Obviously hes a bit similar to Lamps was a few years ago as in he doesn't particularly excel at one thing, he can tackle, pass, shoot, etc so he could be a good signing but its still a risk as well tbh seeing as hes coming from Italy to the PL where its much faster and a lot more physical but you never know.

annoyed we lost obviously but fuck me some reactions here.

Overreaction much? Given he is effectively 6th choice. struggling to get minutes it's obvious that he's going to be rusty. Remember Mata when he was out the team at the start of the season, he came in after a few weeks out played 1 or 2 games didn't look great, its the same with Kevin, needs more minutes.