Jase

Having a proactive and aggressive defender is good but I don't think we or Conte would want a loose cannon, at least on the pitch, in the team.

cc @Jim

Final XI likely to be -> Courtois - Azpi/Luiz/Cahill - Moses/Kante/Matic/Alonso - Hazard/Costa/Pedro

http://www.squawka.com/news/ever-present-azpilicueta-is-the-premier-leagues-best-defender-gary-neville/948140

Gary Neville on Conte's challenges next season... http://www.skysports.com/football/news/29326/10879275/gary-nevilles-four-challenges-for-antonio-conte-to-take-chelsea-forward

Conte loves his cakes

Guessing this is what you were referring to...

Chelsea 5-1 Sunderland PRE/POST-MATCH DISCUSSION, LIVE CHAT AND ANALYSIS 2016/17 Premier League Match 38 21st May, Sunday, 2017 Stamford Bridge 15:00 Kick Off (UK time)

That was a strange match. Good performances from Azpi, Willian, Chalobah, Ake, Batshuayi. Silly to give 3 goals like that, especially their first and third. At least the most wins record is still on!

My hero.

He might have shown he can cut it in the Premier League but it's different from being able to cut it at the highest level. And granted some players peak later, Mahrez is already 26 years old. You would think if he's going to peak soon, he would performed consistently every week already.

Still can't wrap my head around his situation with Mourinho at Man United. The latter wouldn't play Mata much here but has been giving so much game time at United. Shame that Mata left in 2014. Might well have gotten 2 league titles by now had he stayed.

On that logic, we should just buy everyone from Leicester because they'll perform better in a better team! The thing about Leicester is, one season of greatness doesn't suddenly make them a big side or even a top 7 side in the Premier League. Last season was a total freak and this season, they are pretty much performing at the level where we expect them to be all this time - mid-table mediocrity. Their squad is one filled with average players.

That's the thing - it was last season and it was only ONE season. Are we really sure what Mahrez did last season was his true ability and not just a complete freak? You said he was on a completely different level but I would argue that how many of the other teams last season played to their true level? Not discrediting any good Mahrez did last season but at the same time, he was good because the other players didn't play to their true level. Okay, Mahrez has decent dribbling skills but let's not make like he's another Hazard because he's not that good. Ask any defenders out there who would they rather mark - Mahrez or Hazard - and I'm certain everyone would say Mahrez. And if Mahrez is really as good as you're trying to make him out to be, why hasn't he been talked on the same level as Hazard? If you put it from a financial perspective, then obviously Mahrez could be of great value at just £25-30m. But if we want to dominate the league, compete against the very best in Europe again, then we have to get the top-tier players, players who can actually improve and make us better and that means spending big money for them. The last thing we want now is to repeat the blunders of 2010 and 2015 again, when we became stingy, bought duds and ended up with a poor season. On top of that, there's plenty of good factor around the club now - just won the league, Conte being in charge, there's a strong unity in the dressing room, have Champions League again etc - and if we don't take advantage of that to get the top tier players this summer (especially when we seem to be the No.1 attraction in England right now, ahead of City and United), then we might live to regret that. And getting those kind of players will also help to persuade the ones that we have now - e.g. Courtois, Hazard - to stay for the long term.

Think Conte will rest some players for this one, given the short turnaround from Friday, and then go full strength for the final game against Sunderland.

Simone Pepe with some good insights on Conte... https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/14/antonio-conte-chelsea-crazy-power-surge-invincible

Went with 4-3-3. Didn't like the idea of putting Moses at RWB, for some reason. Would have gone with the Maka-Lampard-Essien midfield combo but too bad we didn't have Essien back in 04/05 yet. Come to think of it, Gudjohnsen with Drogba and Hazard upfront sounds decent too. Combination around the box would be deadly.

Picked almost the same except a more suicidal lineup - Alonso for Gallas and Fabregas for Kante.

Nah. We have the money to spend. It's just a matter whether the board want to spend it. I don't think the lack of UCL football was a big loss and don't forget, we're getting 150m because of the new TV deal and there's the new kit deal with Nike.

One would hope so. If the club don't learn their lesson after being stingy bastards in 2010 and 2015, then we need to start a riot at the Bridge!