Jase

We have not been shit from the start like in 15/16 but the similarities are pretty much still there. Same shitness we saw and there's not even an ounce of competency of late in the last 3 games.

No, I don't expect those players you mentioned to turn into some world beaters and steamroll teams every week but the least you expect is some form of competency out on the pitch, competency that you would expect from every footballer. But did we see that in the last 3 games?

And what's the point of sacking him? The same thing will just happen with the new manager - win the league (or something) and then get sacked the following season.

Not saying Conte hasn't made any faults but when you see this keep on happening - 10/11, 15/16 and now 16/17 - you start to wonder if it's more on the players. It feels like the players just can't be arsed for long after reaching the highs of winning the league.

Looked happy to score. Is he happy?

The referee has been fucking shit it has to be said. Every little challenge given as free kicks to Roma.

Do we actually even have a plan going forward? Every time we get the ball, we just look to lump it forward as quick as possible. No patient buildup play, not even trying to work the ball around.

Oh god. Here we go again...

We have actually been decent going forward - be it in counter attacking situations or the few times we managed to work our way into the final third. Main issue we have had no control of the game whatsoever from a defensive point of view. Luiz is like a ghost out there and Fabregas as well as Bakayoko doing nothing to get hold of the midfield.

Luiz has been atrocious. No discipline, roaming all over the pitch, no protection for the defence.

Would be better if these players perform on the pitch than liking some random fan's comment on social media.

Just read Conte's comments from his presser earlier and think he has gotta be careful in talking too much about the injuries and fatigue. He did make valid points and maybe he is trying to send a message to the board but cannot let that go overboard and allow the players to use them as an excuse for not playing well and getting the results. Have seen the likes of Fabregas, Cahill talk about them those issues recently and it is dangerous when the manager and players are doing that.

Did you actually watch the game? We didn't set out to the park the bus. We had some threat going forward - looking to launch quick counter attacks - when Morata was on the pitch and even after he went off, I'd argue that we actually looked to play the same way but because we had no one leading the line, no one capable of working the ball into the City area, we ended up looking very defensive. But even then, it's just one game or rather, half-a-game. Can you really use such small size sample to say Conte also "parks the bus" like Mourinho in big games?

Okay Tomo, don't have to go all diplomatic with the response. Only asking for suggestions. Not sure I would agree with the last bit though. I mean sure we are a big club and have some good talented players but we seem to have gone off the rails in terms of ambition and some managers want to build something more than joining the club just because it's a big one. If they know they won't get the time, money to build a proper team and will get the sack when things go south, then it's unlikely they won't come. There's only so many times we can repeat this cycle - and we have done it quite a bit over the years - before managers view us a non-attractive club to join.

Conte's presser at 1:30pm UK time.

Name some names. Would like to see who you have in mind.

Think people have become confused with the whole 'park the bus' approach. Not saying Conte hasn't been pragmatic in the big games but the difference between him and Mourinho is that while we do tend to be defensive against the big sides, we at least maintain some degree of attacking/counter-attacking threat under Conte. With Mourinho, there were so many games where we barely posed a threat and were happy to concede possession just so we stayed defensively solid to make sure we get that draw. Heck, I still remember we went to Basel(!!!), under Mourinho, and played so defensive that we had only ONE shot the entire game when months before that, we did a job on them under Benitez. Conte is pragmatic like Mourinho but in no way is he as defensive/negative as him. And just look at this stat of Mourinho...

Just realized earlier that we have actually lost 3 of our last 4 away games against Roy Hodgson's team L 0-2 Liverpool W 3-1 West Brom L 0-1 West Brom L 1-2 Crystal Palace

But sooner or later, we're gonna run out of good managers, if we haven't already. Conte hasn't helped himself with some poor decisions this season but it's obvious that he's trying to extract as much as possible out of this flawed squad. Any other manager would likely be struggling as well and worse, they might even be clueless like AVB, Scolari or Grant.

Seems like he's been doing a decent job in his Vitesse loan. Maybe another loan next season (to a better league) and then be an option from 2019 onward? Cahill and Luiz's contracts run out in 2019.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/oct/15/chelsea-face-difficult-season-fighting-four-fronts-antonio-conte