Thor

Can I say something that might offend a few on this board? I know a lot of you are very high on Zouma, and fair enough. He is a young, physical and extremely powerful CB prospect at such a young age. I completely agree on that point, but what doesn't impress me so much is his presence on the ball. He doesn't seem very comfortable with the ball at his feet, or making the simple pass at times. It could be just his awkward movement, but he is in fact sure of himself, or it could be something that others have noticed? I will say he is far more sure of himself stopping his man at the back than someone like Cahill is, but at the same time he isn't as good as someone like Cahill in terms of presence on the ball, and passing, and I don't consider Cahill to be all that great at it himself. Am I wrong here, and simply not taking a good enough look at his game, or are these points about his flaws somewhat correct at this point in time? Are these things, such as comfort on the ball something that he can improve on with time? Or is it better to have him and Luiz playing together, both with different strengths to make us more well rounded?

I'll keep saying it... His distribution of the ball in the middle of the pitch is amazing. He is a ridiculously good passer. His one touch passing is the best on the team IMO.

Keep Koulibaly. Enjoy overrating your players and ending up anywhere from 3rd to 8th like you do every year.

Does anyone have any advanced stats for Luiz? Either during his time here or at PSG in regards to interceptions, tackling, duels, etc. I'm not well versed in finding that kind of stuff, but I'd be extremely interested in Luiz and his stats in comparison to the perception that lingers around him.

He is better than Cahill and Terry... Some of you are acting as if we downgraded our defence. He is a different type of CB. A flashy one. One with a whole lot of skill. All his mistakes were overblown when he played here, and I'm sure that won't change now that he is here again. His positioning is lazy at times, but he is a tough player along with the fact he is so skilled. He gives us pace up the back as well which is something we needed. For all the talk of his mistakes, I really don't think he makes any more than someone like Cahill or Kompany in recent years.

I've both watched the player a little bit and asked several Fiorentina fans about him, and we both had the same opinions of him. He simply isn't that good. Like I stated earlier, I'm not overly critical of our signings, though I have seen some of the players linked to us recently. This being one of them, and I know for a fact they aren't the level of player people are going to be happy with for a Chelsea player. Boufal just went for 16 mil.... and this guy is coming over for 27mil...

Sure. How much did Napoli want for Koulibaly? 60 mil? How much do Fiorentina want for Marcos Alonso? 25 mil? De Vrij? 40 mil? In that case, no worries Juventus. 150 mil and he is all yours.

Some of you are nuts saying he is already better than Costa... lol. Although, his work rate and positioning is amazing. It seems he is always in the right place. He is a far more dynamic player than Costa, and has the potential to be better than him, but Costa is a one man wrecking crew. He is the definition of a forward who can win you games by himself. He did it for us in our title year, and it was a common occurrence when he played at Atletico.

I have never been overly critical of our transfers, but these latest players are some I have seen play. Alonso in particular is one I do not want, but Brozovic is not a bad option for squad depth. I just don't like the figure... Boufal just want for 16 mil... They are talking 25 mil for Brozovic? I don't know... Alonso on the other hand is worth 10 mil at best.

16 mil is all it took? FFS... This guy will be worth 4 times that in a season or two... How was he not even worth a look at that price? Can't go wrong...

Well, there has been some attention drawn to it, which I'm happy with. I guess him getting banned will make the Manchester clash more even if anything since City is far and away the better team.

You reckon his every action on the field gets looked at and reviewed like Costa? He is no less dirty. Bet you not a thing is done about that elbow in the face, and he continues on his merry way. If it was Costa, it'd be the only thing mentioned after a win, and he'd subsequently be banned for life, or at the very least close to it.

25 mil... He is barely worth 15... Maybe not even that. I'm not overly critical of our signings, but this guy is at best a back up.

Hmm Kante or Pogba... lol

Hazard has peppered the goal with world class strikes today and they've been stopped. Costa has been good today, but the chips just haven't fallen for him. Their keeper is actually having a phenomenal game.

We should be 13-0 up.

He is so much better when he isn't constantly looking for others out there. When he is selfish, he puts the defence on notice. Hope this style of play sticks around, and not just against the smaller teams.

Kante is playing baby making football out there.

Kante's distribution of the ball in the middle of the pitch is ridiculous... Absolutely ridiculous. The skill it takes to one touch pass some of the balls he does is insane. We haven't had anyone of that calibre here in a while aside from Hazard. I'm such a fanboy right now. The misses keeps telling me to calm down when he is making these very difficult passes in the middle look easy... lol.

Should just turn RLC into a ball playing defender at this rate.

I'd like to see RLC and Aina get some run. Anyone know the deal with Cuadrado? Are we looking to get rid of him, hence not playing him? I wouldn't mind seeing Cuadrado, Willian, Moses as the three playing behind Michy. Obviously Willian in the middle with the other two on the wings. Kante should get a rest. Chabolah needs to get some run, since Matic really does seem to be an outlier in this team. Doesn't fit. As much as I backed him, and said he was one of our best players... I'm starting to agree more with a lot on this board. Sure, he had his time, and was for me our second most important player in our most recent title run, but... not anymore. Need to find a more suitable member for the team in his role.

I can admit when I'm wrong, and I was wrong about CESC! He has a place in this team. He simply fits better with the cast of players we have, and is a necessity in this team. I think even Conte can see that now after the performance he just put on. He has so much more time and space to work with given how damn good Kante is. He is an absolute beast. An animal in the midfield. Dude doesn't let anything get by him, and if it does, he is hounding the ball like crazy. Hazard is our one offensive outlet. This needs to change. Pedro isn't anywhere near direct enough, or physical enough when he actually tries to be. I believe Moses does have a place in this team. Maybe not as a starter, but he probably would be one of the best options at the moment. Costa was terrible today, although I think his performance is largely dictated on the service he gets, and that was terrible today as well. Once Cesc came on, it was chances galore for him almost. IVANOVIC needs to go! I can't watch anymore. That was the worst game by a RB I have ever seen. I am not over-exaggerating either. He could not complete a pass, and he was constantly out of position. If you aren't doing any good in attack, at least make sure we aren't conceding. He seems incapable of either. He is past it. I say this as one of his biggest fans. I loved the guy, and thought he was one of the best RB's in the world at one point, but he cannot keep up anymore. His man has 2 or 3 meters of room at any given time to cross the ball, he is slow, he is out of position when the ball is crossed, he is terrible at crossing when going forward and he simply isn't dynamic enough anymore. He was one of the best two way FB's in the world at one point, but all that has gone now.

4-4-2... Amazing lol... I take back everything bad I ever said about Fabregas. I can realize how wrong I was about the guy. So much more vital than Matic to this team, and such a better fit.

Lets f*cking go!!!! COME ON!!!!!!

That was honestly one of the worst halves of football I've seen from a right back... Ivanovic does not deserve any time on the pitch. He is absolutely useless. I'm not one to get on here and complain, but even the girlfriend who barely watches mentioned how poor he is. Kante, Hazard and Azpi are class. Everyone else is struggling too.