JDY

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It wouldn't be ideal, but if Hazard faces a lengthy ban do you think the club would consider recalling Kevin?

I'm guessing the Mail used this image to make it look like he kicked him in the head to. Instead there is a guy in the stand behind laughing, which completely goes against the 'serious' incident they are trying to show. Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2267276/Eden-Hazard-kicks-ballboy-ribs-refuses-return-ball-cup-semi-final.html Probably the worst I've ever read.

But the media have gone with the story that Hazard kicked the ballboy, and no doubt there will be people who will be brainwashed by the headlines. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets booed by opposing fans.

Sky just said that the police are investigating the incident. What on earth is the world coming to?

Very highly. Most are hoping he stays for another year on loan!

The thing about Southampton and their youth players is that when they let them go they take into account which club would be best suited for the players development. Bale went to Spurs instead of United for this reason. I think tactically it makes sense to go for someone like Shaw, but not yet. After Cole leaves, I can see us and United going for him (unless they pay Everton's ridiculous asking price for Baines). Tactically at the moment Azpil is our most important player. In a formation and with players that naturally want to come inside, he offers the width and comfort on the ball that we seriously lack down the left side. It's strange that we've seen Cole bomb forward for years and years, but when on the ball in the final third he doesn't look at ease at all. From seeing Shaw briefly this season, he looks very good in possession, and his distribution is very precise. Not trying to overrate the kid but his style reminds me of a young Philipp Lahm.

Was reading the Bremen forums a while ago and most were laughing at Bild, as they seemed to have an agenda against KdB ever since his comments about Germans being 'stiff' (even though he says the translation was incorrect).

Étienne Capoue

Rofl. Kalou has 'Kalouinho' on the back of his shirt. Trying to secure a move back to Chelsea?

Yeah, was going to say it must take into account assists, key passes etc. I think Ramires' passing is really underrated for the role that he plays. Sure it could be better but I certainly wouldn't say it's weak. Regarding the Ba point, whenever I've seen him his hold up play has been good, but as you say Torres is woeful in this regard, and even previously Drogba could be clumsy at times when keeping it. I'm only going by his time at Bremen, and I would say 'very weak' is quite harsh (76% success is pretty good infact) I didn't see him at all at Genk so maybe he has improved since then, and the rating reflects his time there to? Don't get me wrong, I wasn't arguing because I think he should play in the pivot, I actually don't think he should (been back and fourth). He could probably develop and do a decent job there, but I don't think it will totally suit him or be worth the hassle in the end (when we have someone like Oscar more suited). De Bruyne's playstyle is too aggressive for the pivot, both with his passing and running with the ball. I'd like to see him on the right or behind the ST where he can utilize his strengths fully. I think a lot of people see De Bruyne and want to fit him in the team anywhere possible. We see the attack with the likes of Mata, Hazard etc and wonder how he would get in, and he's too talented not to be playing every week.

I don't know. Why does whoscored rate Ba's holding on to the ball as 'weak'? Or Ramires passing as 'weak'. Neither are true. De Bruyne's defensive contribution is not as bad as people make out. He's contributed more in a midfield 3 than Lampard has in the pivot.

That is pretty wrong then. They are confusing his tackling ability with his concentration when faced with an opponent. His tackling is pretty consistent, but he often gets bypassed too easily. Two different things.

His tackle success rate is 76%, not 25. Think you might have confused it with his unsuccessful rate, which is 24%.

Has looked dangerous every time he's on the ball.

Well if they had a long term manager in place I think Lampard and Cole would've been out. As it stands there is a real lack of options in the summer so it's possible that Rafa will remain but only for a few years until Roman finds that manager to completely rebuild the team. Would be stupid to get rid of Cole if no one was lined up in the summer (Just my opinion ofc).

He's still got a lot to give but I think this only hints at Rafa staying for atleast another year.

He'd still need to adapt to our team, and I wouldn't say it would be best as a young and learning player to come back in January. He's playing every week in Bremen and is playing well, but he still has his faults. In a way it's good for De Bruyne that Guardiola has ended up at Bayern. Kevin wouldn't be suited to Pep's style, gives the ball away far too much. His direct style is perfect for Mourinho however..

Just not make the atmosphere so hostile that it negatively affects performance. I felt so embarrassed when they were booing Torres. You can't really get any lower than booing your own player, even if he is terrible. How on earth is that going to help?

You have every right to. But is what you're doing helping at all?

You make it sound like it is everyone in the ground. I go to the Bridge every week and was there tonight, there are a lot of people with common sense who are fed up with the booing and the general negativity at the matches. Unfortunately there are just more morons who think by making the atmosphere as hostile as possible, they will achieve something or it will have a positive effect. Regarding the game, it was a dire performance overall, even when we were two up. Southampton's changes made a difference and as the match went on we lost control in the midfield. As a certain Mr.Hiddink would say, you need to react. We didn't make changes early enough and they punished us. Seen it countless times over the years at the Bridge.

It's not about you though (not in a harsh way), it's about Roman. Over the past two years he's invested in a specific type of player so that we can play the expansive brand of football he craves. The final piece of the jigsaw (for Roman), was Guardiola. It makes zero sense for Jose to return. Does Jose care about style? No, he's a winner. Would Jose come back only to be told what to do again? No. He believed in Pep's philosophy to the point where he was the ONLY option. At the end of the day, Roman put all his eggs in one basket hoping (relying) on Pep coming to us. Those eggs have cracked open and slapped him in the face.

This has royally screwed us over. The club was pinning their hopes in Pep coming to the Bridge. Sigh.

I'd prefer Capoue. The guy is a complete tank and has shown his versatility playing in multiple positions and roles over the past few seasons. He will only get better and better.

Until I see a picture of him holding up a Valencia shirt, rumours are rumours.