Jase

That's optimistic given how Sarri has managed CHO...

I would argue that Guardiola and Klopp at least got the offensive side of the team work for them and that despite both having to also play tons of games, like us this season. So, maybe the lack of training time isn't really an excuse. You're optimistic there. Alonso played poorly against Fulham, only logical for the manager to sub him off. Jorginho has been playing a lot, for us and Italy, and again, only logical that Sarri rotates him with Fabregas. Sarri hasn't any tactical adjustments to the opposing team with his team selection.

Maybe you are right that the lack of time on the training pitch is causing the issues that we are seeing now BUT that is no excuse for Sarri to continue picking under-performing players or players are so obviously not fit for his system. If he continues to do that, then how is he going to get the players to play the way he wants us to play? Our squad isn't perfect but there are definitely some players more suited to his style than others. That is one point and the second thing here is, it points to a lack tactical flexibility on his part. No one is asking him to sacrifice his football but is he really that stubborn or blind to make minor adjustments to ensure things work for the time being without compromising his football? There have been comparisons between Sarri's struggles now with Guardiola but has he not looked at Guardiola's mistakes in his first season and tried to not make them here? Could even throw in Klopp's initial period into the equation here. It certainly feels like he's showing the same naivety that Guardiola and Klopp showed when they first came to England.

To be fair, Filipe Luis has hardly set the world alight since going back to Atletico and seems to be struggling in recent times as well, granted he's already 33 years old. The problem, as always with us, is not getting proper, adequate player and instead, choosing to go for the cheaper, average option.

Maybe I've been seeing the same news reported on different sites but are we sure this is not the agent trying to get a better contract for his player? I mean out of nowhere, we're hearing this Hysaj talk from his agent without being prompted by anything significant (e.g. Sarri talking about Hysaj).

That news piece suggested Hysaj is there to replace Zappacosta. Yeah but Alonso?

@ the seriousness of the reply...

Points gained from last 10 Premier League games: Chelsea - 16 Man United - 14 Only two points more... 🙃

But fact is fact.

Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City PRE/POST-MATCH DISCUSSION, LIVE CHAT AND ANALYSIS 2018/19 Premier League Match 16 8th December, Saturday, 2018 Stamford Bridge 17:30 Kick Off (UK time)

Funny thing about is Giroud after he came on, I don't recall him having a single shot at all and overall, we only had 3. With Morata, there were chances and he was getting at the end of them but couldn't score them to save his life! Both still shit obviously.

I'm all for playing good football but IMO, we are at our best when we're tough to beat and flexible tactically. It's those qualities that have made us successful over the last 15 years. Maybe we have too many average players now, the manager isn't instilling that never-say-die attitude or maybe we'll get there again but I'm certainly not seeing those qualities right now in the team and it's painful to watch.

Nobody is asking Sarri to make a 180 degrees turn on his football but if he can't make minor tactical adjustments to make things work for the time being, then he won't last very long. You know well enough that inflexibility won't get managers far in the Premier League and Sarri is certainly showing that now, with his tactics and team selection. Plus, where is this Sarri-ball that we have heard so much of? Where is the cohesive, combination play in the attacking third? We've barely seen it. Only thing we have gotten from his football so far is more possession and passes but really, what's the point of that when we don't create enough or proper goalscoring chances? It was the same under Conte and Mourinho. And seeing us bossing some of these smaller teams is not really different to what we saw under Conte, Mourinho etc as we tended to dominate those games as well in the past.

The least Azpi brings to the team is defensive stability. He's had some dodgy games at the start of the season but overall, he's been solid and can see why Sarri starts him. People over-exaggerate his supposedly bad form only because of his attacking play. But the other two? Wolves targeted Alonso tonight and got plenty of joy out of it. And Willian's pathetic attempt to keep the ball (if we can call it that) for the second goal sums it all up. But Sarri, for some reason, remains blind to obvious issues.

I don't want to be overreacting but where is this Sarri-ball that we've been hearing? What's the point of having more possession and playing more passes than anyone else (ha!) if there's no attacking cohesion to create chances and score goals? Our football right now is not so much different to what we saw under Conte or even Mourinho. No doubt we have some poor attacking players right now to make his football work but if he can't adapt for the time being and make what we have work, then Sarri won't last long here. We have had managers like this in the past - they have grand ideas on how to play beautiful football but are inflexible tactically and only know one way of playing - and we all know what happened to them in the end.

When are we going to get a manager who isn't blind to our OBVIOUS weak spots in the team?!

Capable of making great saves but also capable of making random errors...

FOUR wins in the last 10 league games now and three of those came against the current bottom three! We're SHIT! We lost the game the minute we conceded the second goal. Never looked like getting that equalizer.

Should have known you would reply! The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona might not want him but if he's in the market, I'm sure clubs like Inter or Milan or slightly lesser ones would want him and I don't think he has high wage demands anyway.

This Mata-Mourinho relationship is something I'll never understand. Mourinho couldn't wait to bin him when he returned in 2013 and Mata himself left at the earliest opportunity. Now at United, Mourinho has used him more often - though not consistently - while Mata seems content with not starting games and happy to just come off the bench and make an impact. And speaking of Mata, it feels like he's lost the desire to win things and playing and making impact week in week out. Compare to what he did here, he now just feels content to let his career drift into nothingness. He's 30 years old this year, should have been at his peak over the last 2-3 years but as things stand, his career is just gonna drift away like any other average player. *sigh*

It's official!

He can't be and won't be any worse than Willian.