Thor

The origin isn't the problem if the ball is given away at half way. The attack needs to formulate, and it occurred completely because of Cahill. That was actually some of the worst defending I've seen. He left his spot to follow a player who was already being tracked. Literally came across the field, and ended up tripping. He had an embarrassingly bad game. Can't believe people were calling for Luiz to be dropped who was our best player aside from Bats last night.

Well done Bats. I think we've all doubted you, especially recently with everything magnified given the team struggles. Great job by Conte. Got it right. Cahill should never play again. I mean that. Not as a sub, a reserve or squad player. I don't want him on this team. He was to blame for the tap in Richarlison chance, and for their second goal. Just ball watching and ball following. Him and Alonso are absolutely terrible defensively. That is something 80% of the board can see, and even comment on during our winning streaks. Clearly we need to upgrade there. As far as the CB role goes, you have a great young talent on the bench. Between Luiz, Chris, Rud, and occasionally Azpi, we have solutions in the middle. Azpi can play LWB, and Alonso can have the occasionally game if the wingers on the other team are slow as molasses. I'm hoping we spend big half way through. It is so insanely hard to support this team, but I'm stuck now, and all I can do is think how blatantly obvious the solution is. Spend money and bolster the squad. We never do it, and we go through the same slump over and over. It is insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. I think it is driving some of us as fans insane too. Great comeback, but terrible performance. For as much of a diver as Richarlison was, he seems to be a very gifted player. Strong, fast and technically gifted. I know there was some talk about him coming here in the offseason. Should keep an eye on him.

Cahill should never play again. Both opportunities he is to blame for this half. Eventually they'll score right in front of goal and they did. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Luiz has been splendid... what is everyone talking about? Typical. Just blame the easy targets. Deeney hasn't seen the ball because of Luiz. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

About half his games this season have been poor. No one mentions it because it's Azpi. I'm sure it's just a bad patch. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Are people serious? He is one of the best shot stoppers in the world. He won the golden glove last season... Has he had a poor start? Sure. That is in part to how poor we have been. Mid table keeper? He is the best keeper in the world when on form, if not second best to Neuer. Which goal was he supposed to save last night? Koralov one that no keeper would save? Or how about the header where his defence let the player stroll in? The only one he had a shot at was the volley, and it was absolutely cracked. If a top class shot stopper like Courtois can't get his hands up quick enough over his head, it goes to show you how unexpected and quick that shot was.

Great result. Drawing to a team like Roma at home is fantastic. This is our ambition now, and we're succeeding. Happy to see the board fulfilling the goals they set out this season.

This is our best line up. Azpi is terrible on the right wing back role, but on the left has been amazing. The front 3 works well as well. Hazard can drop to that CAM or CF role, and let Pedro and Morata play up top together.

His idea of football? Look at all the talent there was at Barca before he got there. They were winning before he got there too. Doesn't hurt that Messi became the world's best just as Pep was entering. Hazard has been great under Conte. He tied the record for most man of the matches in a season last year, did he not? What he is about to do at City? Spend the most money and win? Do you think Conte would be incapable of that? Pep has gotten just about every player he wants, where as we can't sign Oxlade Chamberlain.

They've stacked the deck with players, it would be a travesty if they didn't win. Their team is something to envy, and the worst thing about it all, is that Conte is three times the manager Pep is, yet has 10 times less at his disposal.

I hope they do if the club doesn't fix things in January. For as much as I love the club, it is a waste to football to not see both of them at their best.

We're not even pressing these last 10 minutes. They're pressing us and look like scoring another. Hazard hasn't done shit today, but then again, he isn't given much. I truly hope he leaves because he is magic, and on a magic team, he'll produce it every time. I have no clue why we can't play eye catching football like Man City does. We had a head start of 8 years, and nothing. I honestly don't find it shocking players don't want to play here. Your signings and moves speak all about the ambition of a club. The players aren't as removed as the fans like to think they are. They view things very similarly to us. You see City spending 250 mil on defence alone? Who wouldn't want to play there. We buy one single solid player in Morata, and buy Zappacosta who no one on here would have heard of prior to talks of him coming here. No disrespect to him, because he was one of the few who played okay today, but it shows the gap in ambition between us, and the Manchester clubs. Have never been so disappointed in the club, mainly because this was all so avoidable. It isn't like the early 2010 era where there was a passing of the old guard and everyone was trying to work out where they fit in. It was literally having no ambition and not giving your manager anything to work with. Courtois, Hazard and Conte leaving would not shock me at all. I'd encourage at this point so the club can re invent themselves almost.

That is honestly the difference. Depth and spending. Aguero goes down? No problem, Jesus steps up. Bats clearly isn't ready. Pedro has looked way better on the field and he isn't even a proper 9. Loads of options in midfield. Silva, KDB, Toure, Fernandinho, Gundongan, Delph. I mean honestly. One decent signing this season and we're meant to compete? I tried to be optimistic, but I knew as soon as we got an injury, there would be issues. No depth at all. Try and get top 4, and maybe give the manager a proper world class team if they are going to expect world class results. Absolutely fine if you want to make top 4, because our team is certainly good enough to compete, but don't go sacking him because you didn't give him the tools to get a particular job done. Rant over. Utterly disappointing game. Outplayed by Palace. I guess the only thing I can savour this season is that lovely performance against Atletico. Here is hoping to another miracle Champions League run, and we pull it out of our ass again. Title race done for us early.

No chance he is as good as Eden now. Even at his age now Eden was the better player. The only one to have any sort of Ronaldo or Messi level career potentially is Mbappe. Best 18 year old I've seen.

I agree and disagree in a sense. They are a far more dynamic team. Sane is brilliant. Simply put, a quicker, stronger, more direct version of Willian with great finishing. Sterling is a speedster with skills who can open a game, particularly when he only has Alonso to go around. All around the pitch they have far more versatile and multi faceted players. Silva and KDB are just better, stronger and way faster versions of Cesc. Cahill just doesn't have it to play in these big games. I would have rather seen Azpi in the middle, and Moses on the wing. Moses is a physical specimen at least, and will work. Simply put, we are just overmatched in regards to personnel. We need a Sandro, Van Dijk, and a dynamic playmaker in the middle.

Conte really should have brought on Michy after Morata went down. First time he has got it wrong in a while. Against a team where you're conceding possession already, you're not going to get a false 9 involved through hoof ball. Michy played well when he got on. To be fair, given the strides and improvements City have made in their team, we need to do the same. Cahill and Alonso really need to take a place as squad players. They got absolutely hammered today. Every attack was focused on them, and every great opportunity they had came up because of them.

I thought he was fairly average aside from the last bit of action. He has his moments, but I really think he is probably the first player on the pitch for us who should be upgraded. Is a fantastic squad player to have though.

Start the same team and just put Rudiger in place of Cahill.

I would have been happy regardless of the result. I know some of you may disagree, but how nice is it to be the team controlling the game, dominating possession, and creating the majority of chances. Say what you want about being tactically sound, and sitting back when needed, it is nice to be the team that can turn it on and control the game. In the end, this is what translates over many games if you keep doing it. Having more chances, creating more, having more possession will always help. Say what you will, but Barca, Bayern and Real are a testament to this. Great teams can do it all. Am I thankful for all the big games we won regardless of how we've played? Yes. But I believe this is a step to making us a more dominant side, a more consistent side, and a more consistent side against other top opposition. We dominated today, and aside from the penalty and one good chance by them, they created nothing. Extremely positive seeing as how we played last time we went up against them. On the back foot, defending, conceding possession, and for what? At home, we should never be playing like that. The fact we did this away from home, amazing. And some of you were pathetic slating Luiz after the penalty. It happens. The clown, and joker comments coming out again. Apparently 1 bad game in 15 games allows for that... Just so happen his two bad games came back to back this time. He was our best defender last year.

This still holds true from a month ago. His side really gets hammered and tested against the better teams. Like I said, great in attack when we have control over the ball and can play around the box, because he seems to have great tactical awareness in regards to offence, but he is shambles on defence when it comes to 1-2's or being faced with a player quicker than him. He quite literally does 360's at times trying to find his man... Not instilling a lot of confidence... at least for me. Azpi at LWB is better for me. I don't like him on the right, but in the 30 minutes he played there against Stoke, he put in a better performance than Alonso ever has, Tottenham game included. Azpi could be a serious option there for me, considering the options we have in the middle.

6 goals in 6 games. Is he good enough? I will say though, he needs to stay on his feet. I'm sure that is something he will learn, because Kane used to do this too in his first breakout season too. He is a strong guy, undoubtably, but he just needs to learn when to stay on his feet. It is affecting his link up play a bit, so once he gets it, it will be even better. Diego was actually amazing at this, but his problem was, even when he stayed up, retained the ball, he would lose it due to poor touch. Morata doesn't have that problem. Not expecting Drogba level hold up and retention, but he has the frame and skill to be able to do it at an extremely high level once he gets used to guys coming quickly up the back of him looking to knock him down or intimidate.

Yeah, I didn't think he was anywhere near as bad as people made him out to be. That perception wore off on me after reading the comments in the game thread. I thought he looked nervous with his first touch and that was the only flaw. The reason I don't think he got as much love for the Stoke game is because he didn't make one of his striding runs like he usually does. Game didn't call for it, he played more reserved, and sured up the defensive line very well. Nothing really got past him.

I know we keep forgetting it, since he seems to bang in a free kick every time the talks come up, but Alonso isn't starting material. He really isn't. Fair enough he can have his day, and has won us an important game this season, but a lot of teams have noticed his defensive inefficiencies, mainly his speed at his position, and have started to pick on it. Moses does get lost on defence too, but he is competent in the one on ones for the most part, and can sprint his way back into position. I'd much rather focus on upgrading the left side first, since Zappa may be a suitable challenger for the role. Sandro probably isn't available, but surely we have options that could present an upgrade. Willian needs to change something up. Been dreadful the last two weeks. I don't think Pedro is anywhere near as talented, but far more effective and efficient on the field. I'd prefer giving Musonda a bit of run and starting Hazard from this point on. He looked fit and ready to go. Baka looked shaky receiving the ball today, but he did his role of defending brilliantly. Actually prevented a certain goal when one of the Stoke players was through on goal. Honestly had a bit of a Matic performance today. lol... Basically, would love a second striker/winger to come in during the January transfer window, and also an upgrade to Alonso at LWB. Azpi can be that second option there, since he is far better on the left than on the right. He has looked terrible on the right every single time, but was an absolute monster on the left. I'm happy with the middle of the ground. Baka, Kante, Cesc and Drinkwater are a great mix. A second striker who can play on the right would be great. Aside from that, very happy.

I swear we've had a leg breaking tackle put on us every game this season, and not a single sending off. That was worse than Luiz's at the very least. Actually ridiculous that no one has been sent off against us.

Azpi has been amazing on that left side. Those runs! I really don't like him at right wing back, but on the left... he shines. Bizarre.