Superblue

If he was brought back and utilised correctly next season it would benefit us all round. Bringing him as a genuine rotation option with Azpi next season will give him games and opportunities to establish himself within the first team. In doing so, it will also give Azpi the chance to be rested far more often than he is now. Having him fresher and also pressurised for his spot in the team I would expect to get a better level out of Azpi too. If he establishes himself, we have a homegrown boy ready to take that spot for the next 10 years or more. From what I've seen of him too, he also has the makings of being a possible future captain in a few years time too. Azpi would still be good to retain in my opinion, even if Reece claimed first choice spot at RB. Azpi can play across the whole backline and offers experience and has always been a model professional. When he's fresh and playing well too, there are few better and more reliable defensively than him in the league.

I think the player power idea is massively blown out of proportion. The fact is that only Chelsea, once, have retained the Premier League title besides Fergie's United. This not only highlights just how great a manager Fergie was but also shows just how ridiculously hard teams throughout the years have found the season after winning the title. Granted the last couple of times we've dropped off alarmingly but I think that's down to the players being not as good and collectively weaker mentally to cope with the pressures of being the team everybody wants to knock off the perch than simply giving up on the manager. Now the players not being good enough collectively...that's a completely different debate.

Most of that to me looks more balanced than what we are currently. I know he isn't playing well at present but I would always put Azpi over Zappacosta. If we're to the point where Zappacosta is a good or our best option, we're in big trouble in my opinion. I'm a big advocate for bringing Reece James back in the summer and giving him sufficient minutes to be given the opportunity to become first choice right back over Azpi in the next 12 - 18 months from the summer. Kovacic and Jorginho should be able to rotate in that role as 'deep playmaker' and I actually think against some of the lower teams especially at home that Kovacic and Jorginho could potentially play together as Kovacic has it in him to be more defensively minded and make tackles. RLC I would give a chance in that position with more licence to play higher up the pitch. Barkley I would see as a bit of a utility player who could rotate with RLC and potentially play as one of the deeper midfielders too.

Despite our success in the first season under Conte, I've always preferred a back 4 and I think at present we are best suited to playing a 4-2-3-1. Although any formation we use, we're still at least 3 players away from being really competitive with our current crop.

Ideally the Lampard/Morris scenario would happen in 2-3 years time when they've had a bit more experience (getting Derby promoted and a year or so in the Prem with them). However it still feels the best option if Sarri is sacked. They would make sure the players play for the badge and are fully aware of their responsibilities representing Chelsea. The crowd would be 100% behind them being two Chelsea lads. It would bring the feel-good factor back to the club which I think currently is desperately needed. The fans would also give them a lot more time than the usual manager to put their stamp on things. You would like to think given Lampard's standing too that the board would also give him a bit more time than usually given. And some of our youth would definitely be given a chance, especially with Morris there with him. I wouldn't expect, nor want us to suddenly be playing 5 or 6 academy players each week but I do think that 4 or 5 should be within the squad now and given opportunities, alongside RLC and Christensen.

I feel the style Sarri is trying to implement is one that is comparable to Pep, Barca, etc and we're just not ready for that. In hindsight the club should have made an appointment in the summer of a more attack minded manager but one that still has flexibility and a more balanced approach. Rumours of him being linked was ridiculed but I think someone like Blanc may have been more suited to this group of players, looking to change the style a little less drastically. Sarri I think becomes the end game essentially. Having said that he took over from Benitez at Napoli and got his style implemented there although I believe he was initially close to the sack there too.

The biggest worry I have with Jorginho is actually linked to how well Bakayoko has played this season at Milan. I think that the amount of time and space given on the ball in midfield in Italy is overall huge in comparison to the Premier League and Jorginho is struggling with this. Bakayoko is very possibly the worst midfielder I've seen at Chelsea in the Roman era and for him to be winning multiple man of the match awards for Milan this season says much more about Serie A in comparison to the Premier League at present. Whilst he's slow and exposed on his own in midfield defensively, he is still technically a very good footballer. That is clear to see in my opinion. I think given time to adapt to the league he could still be a good player but he needs Kante alongside him in my opinion in a two to cover him. He is being brutally exposed by Sarri's tactics and philosophy at the moment.

I don't think Sarri is the answer for the club. I had high hopes for him in the summer and have been overall very disappointed. Tits ihis defeat to City has been coming for months, we look so open and weak particularly against the top sides. But whilst we need a good managerial appointment, I think its currently more important we get a top class appointment at board level to deal with the football aspect of the club. I don't have anything against Marina, she's been given a job to do by the club and she's doing the best she can given she has no football background. She's a bloody hard negotiator and again no problems with this. But tasking her with the overall running of the club nowadays will be our downfall. Let her run the business aspect of the club, that's what her background is in and she's proven in the past to be bloody good at it. But we need a director of football. The club cannot keep changing its idea what it wants. We've gone from Mourinho and Conte who play in a defensive, containing manner to Sarri who's philosophy is very attack minded in a rigid system and style. Don't be surprised for the board to panic, sack Sarri and revert back to a more defensive minded manager. The lack of cohesion and continuity is how we've ended up with a number of players brought over recent seasons which suit one manager and not the next. That's not to say the manager shouldn't have any input into transfers, they shouldn't have signings forced upon them. But the overall strategy and philosophy within the club needs to be retained. At the moment I struggle to see what that is at Chelsea. And the constant managerial changes are also a big reason why a number of players have probably stayed at the club longer than they should as they get another chance with a new manager. We need a football person with a philosophy and vision in both the short term and long term who is given the time and space to rebuild this club in a particular image over the next few years. If a manager doesn't work out, then he can be replaced but it will be for someone who has a similar philosophy and style of play themselves who can still use a number of the same players who will have been brought in recent windows.

Not many but two big examples include Madrid - James and Kovacic. Like Kovacic it may be a mutually beneficial deal for both parties. Asensio and Isco would very well be in a similar position to that which Kovacic was in last summer, and as a result may want to move for regular football but be unsure walking away entirely from Madrid. For us in turn it would be good seeing if a player like the above would adapt well to the Premier League. The success of Spaniards in the league has been rather mixed and I would rather we did everything we could to prevent another Morata-esque situation!

I'm not opposed to Real Madrid players being included in a deal for Hazard but I'd rather Chelsea negotiated a loan deal for a player like Isco or Asensio with an agreed option to buy. It would act as a sweetener to reduce the fee a little for Hazard and they would recoup some decent money back if we took up the option but it would give us the opportunity to see how either would adapt first to the Premier League. I think Isco could be well suited potentially. I'm less sure of Asensio adjusting to the league but I think if a manager brought out the best in him he could have a better upside. Whilst I think Kovacic has been ok, he's hardly lit the Bridge up and I think if we had paid £50m+ in the summer for him, we'd be looking at that now unsure if he was really worth such an investment. Whether he ends up staying or not, I actually think taking him on loan was good business.

I like him, but I'd much rather we gave Reece James the opportunity to stake a claim for right back. I firmly believe that if he was brought back next season as understudy to Azpilicueta, and given chances to play games he'll be first choice within 18-24 months and we'd have our right back sorted for a decade without spending a transfer fee.

I'll be disappointed to see him leave if that is the case, and would far rather he stated and committed to the club, but if he leaves then so be it. I feel that the club have really stepped up the quality of their transfers in the last 2 windows, hopefully recognising the mistakes made particularly in the 2017 summer window. In this time we replaced Courtois, seemingly last minute too, as reports this week suggest we were prepared to keep him this season and let him leave on a free at the end of his contract. Having gone on strike to force a move through, for the club to make such a big signing late in the window to replace a keeper viewed as one of the best in the world has proved impressive and successful so far. Hopefully the club can pull off a similarly successful deal to replace Hazard. The club might even take money from selling Hazard and choose to splash big on other areas of the team - left back, centre back, centre mid, striker possibly and look to build CHO and Pulisic together as first choice in those positions. If the club make 3 top drawer signings in the summer to significantly improve the starting XI and put some faith in a couple of the youngsters to fill out the squad to replace the likes of Zappacosta, Cahill, etc (rather than having to buy new players to replace these), then I would look forward to next season with optimism, with or without Hazard at the club.

It's the difference between a good or decent striker and one (whether he is anymore is obviously open to debate) who has been world class. It's very refreshing to see a player who will take a shot on when the opportunity arises, right or left foot, and strike it with true intent. He won't be the long term solution we do need to find but he could be a huge signing for the rest of this season, possibly the next 18 months and if he is fed he will score goals I've no doubt about that.

Whether Sarri is here or not, the club have to be ruthless this summer. Players get retained for far too long at the club when they don't deserve to and the club being hell bent on getting their money back on every player that fails by loaning them out for a season or two as opposed to selling them is frustrating. Sometimes it is a good idea to build a player back up away from the club, but in other cases the club needs to learn to just take a loss sometimes and get rid. It's always mentioned about the investment Guardiola received from City, but it's forgotten at times just how ruthless he and the club were after the first season getting rid of a lot of players who had been at the club for a long time and were no longer good enough and/or suitable for the changes Guardiola was looking to implement. Our club needs to do the same. If this transfer ban does take effect it will be our last chance to clear the decks for a couple of seasons potentially and bring in a younger, more suitable crop of players for playing a more attractive brand of football.

It's not even a case of creating first choice players although that would be nice. But if the club could 'create' 5-6 players within the first team squad it firstly creates a homegrown, 'Chelsea' environment which is likely to have been lost when the likes of JT and Lampard left the club. But the more important thing is the club then isn't having to buy average players to fill out the squad in a market which has currently gone manic crazy. Players like Bakayoko, Drinkwater and Zappacosta - we've wasted millions particularly in recent seasons on players that don't enhance the quality at the club. Promoting a couple of players to take up these positions in the squad would leave the club more money within its budgets to identify 2-3 players each season that are top quality to improve the starting XI. I do think that the club may have realised these mistakes and are trying to address it but we have so much deadwood within our squad that it isn't going to be an overnight fix. To be honest I wouldn't have a problem being outside the top 4 for a couple of seasons if the club had a longer term plan and vision to clear the decks and rebuild the squad, giving some time to a couple of players from the academy, and slowly adding to the quality within the squad but I cannot see it happening any time soon.

This Spurs game tonight highlights the problem with us at the moment under Sarri. 2-0 down and we just make a like for like change. Spurs 1-0 down tonight threw on an attacker for a defender chasing the game.

I'm not on about the defeats, although poor, every team loses games. But the lack of intensity and quality in our play has hurt us a couple of times simply drawing games, especially at home this season. The Southampton and Everton draws particularly spring to mind.

The 'never won anything' is a lazy comment to throw at him. He's had 3 years at Napoli and the rest of his jobs have been with small clubs. Every manager starts somewhere without winning anything and needs a chance offered to them. I didn't expect us to suddenly be gunning for the league but take away a couple of these shocking results and we'd be comfortable in the top 4 or maybe even top 3. I'd have taken that at the start of the season, and on the face of things our league position still isn't horrendous and we're right in the top 4 race. But the football is what is the problem at the moment. Whether its the manager's style in this league or the players he has at his disposal not suiting it, or both.

I generally try to stay calm and look at things in an optimistic way, but I'm struggling to see many positives at the moment. This just isn't working.

I think Hazard will be harder to replace to be honest. The old guard were all getting older and declining at the time they all left. The likes of Cech, Cole and Terry were phased out whilst still at the club. Lampard was also to a smaller degree. I think Hazard leaving in or around his prime and viewed as one of the best players in Europe in his position makes him a harder proposition to replace successfully.

See for me if Hazard was to leave I think the player that comes into replace him is in a complete no win situation because of Hazard being held in such high regard by the fans at the club. Whether his Chelsea career finishes this summer or not, and whether he is considered in the same bracket as the likes of Drogba, Lampard & Terry, there's no question he'll be in the discussions as one of the very best Chelsea players of all time. Someone coming in, expected to replace that will have so much pressure on their shoulders, especially if they come in with a huge price tag too. So, would the better option be if we were to keep CHO, give him first chance at that role. I think the fans would be far more supportive and patience towards him then they would a new signing and as a result I think he'd have just as much, if not a better chance of succeeding where others being brought into the club may fail. The Hazard money then could theoretically be used on a world class striker or world class central midfielder to play alongside Kante and Jorginho.

Would be interested to know from others, if you had to pick one of CHO and Hazard which would you keep. Hypothetically end of the season you can get £80-100m for Hazard and £25-30m for CHO. The obvious choice on the face of things would be to keep Hazard who is proven and established. However at 28 and with the mileage he has on his body and the kicking's he has been given during his Chelsea career, how many more years will he perform realistically at the very top level? 4? The money received for Hazard would also be sufficient to reinvest in a top tier talent as a new talisman for the team, albeit not necessarily in the same position. Whereas CHO is far more raw and still largely untapped potential. There have been plenty of players his age and similar hype that haven't developed to become the players they were expected to become, but 10 years younger than Hazard do you take the punt that he can develop into a top player who in theory could be the answer to that position for the next 12 years+?

Yeah I thought he was fairly quiet but everything he did was tidy and crisp. Just seeing his ability and strength to hold the ball up was fantastic after 18 months of Morata trying to. Made a couple of good runs too. His movement looks excellent as at times he'll drop deeper which should give opportunities for Hazard/Pedro/Willian, etc to run in behind and exploit. We could really do with the offensive midfielder (Barkley/Kovacic/RLC) getting on a good wavelength with him too to make runs in behind. And his movement in behind the defence looks good too. Promising debut and I do fancy him to score a few goals for us.

I like this line up. I think Sarri is starting to learn and understand the difficulties and volume of matches on England and does now seem prepared to rotate a little more which will only benefit those around the fringes of the usual first XI. Good to see RLC back on the bench too, we need as many players as possible fighting on multiple fronts in the second half of the season and the opportunity is there for him to make himself first choice.

I can understand the view that he should have been given more opportunities when players have under-performed, etc but as a just turned 18 year old playing for one of the top 10 teams in world football I actually think he has had sufficient minutes so far this season on the face of things. I'd be interested to know how many other players at his age at the top teams have played similar or more minutes. I am also confident that if he stays here he would play a fair amount more minutes until the end of the season and could well at the end of the season be looking at 20-25 appearances across all competitions. For his age I think that's pretty damn good and shows a completely different position to Chelsea's way in the past. IF this is purely about game time then I believe it is less risky for the club to keep him and prove to him that he can play here. It is becoming increasingly likely that Hazard will leave and CHO has the chance of taking that spot if he continues to establish himself amongst the team and squad this season. I'd have no problem lining up with CHO and Pulisic as our wide men next season if we're making a conscious effort to rebuild this team. Raw pace, raw talent, very direct style of play. If he is given increased playing time over the next 18 months and the opportunities to establish himself as first choice then I see no reason else why he would want to leave.