Sideshow Luiz

Get in!!!. Great result. To go away to Atletico and be the better side and come away with the 3 points, very happy with the performance and the result.

The toughest match in the group stages for us. A win would be massive, but a draw would be a very good result. A draw here and we're in good shape to progress past the group stage, possibly topping the group.

GET IN!!!

Very lucky to not concede a pen there. Cahill absolutely did that on purpose.

Shout out to Bakayoko for getting the ball out of defence single handedly in the build up

Morata!!! How did he bend over enough to head that?

I think it's good business by the club. On his day he is unplayable, but he didn't want to play for us (or be unplayable for us?......) anymore. I think that the fee received is pretty good considering that he was only going to go to Madrid.

Loved his performance. The whole thing obviously meant so much to him, and my favourite part of his performance was that he didn't let the occasion get the better of him. He was obviously psyched up, but he didn't press too much and try to be selfish. He had a good idea of when to be direct and when to keep the ball and cycle it. Hopefully he can kick on from here and keep working hard in training. His performance tonight suggest that he doesn't shy away from the occasion which is always a welcome attribute.

I don't think I'm that hard to please. I thought that the goals we scored in the first half pretty much came down to poor defending (except for Rudiger's cross). It sort of looked like a training match, which given the opposition is kind of expected. I guess that there's just a certain intensity that I've come to expect from this Conte side and I suppose (in hindsight) it was never really going to be there in this match. Rest/rotation + easy win + no injuries = me pleased

Not playing particularly well. But, I'm really happy with the names on the score sheet.

I'm using this: http://ripple.is/football/698-chelsea-vs-nottingham-forest Seems to be okay (so far).

The chances of us getting him are slim. https://talksport.com/football/barcelona-failed-ps124million-bid-manchester-united-target-antoine-griezmann-170919255185

I'm hoping that I'm not right and that Drinkwater is miles better than Matic was for us. I'd be over the moon to have 2 great CM options on the bench for rotation or for flexibility if we wanted to go with a 3 man CM. We'll see what happens.

I really don't know what the finances are going to be. Considering what we've been spending (net) in the transfer market lately, it would appear that the club is going to try to pay for all of it.

Don't want to take away his eligibility for UCL this season. That's worth some £ in January.

http://www.calciomercato.com/en/news/former-bayern-munich-chelsea-target-to-have-e30m-release-clause--88628

Was hoping that this thread would be bumping today.

I know he can be a bit crass, sometimes. But, he makes me laugh.

Christiansen for Zouma is better too

I've actually been a fan of Matic. I don't think he should get the stick here that he does. I didn't say anything like why did we sell Matic and get Drinkwater in respect to their qualities. Personally, I think they're pretty similar, which is why I scratch my head. So, my question was more like what's the point? Isn't it a bit like selling a Honda Civic, then stressing about trying to find a Toyota Carolla? Why bother? I've said numerous times that Bakayoko + Drinkwater >>> Matic + Chalobah. I agree that the narrative that we've sold Matic to buy Drinkwater isn't exactly the correct narrative. Bakayoko is going to get Matic's minutes which is a better fit for us. But, for a time, we had both Matic and Bakayoko. Which is what Conte wanted, apparently. So, on the other hand, the narrative that Bakayoko is Matic's replacement and Drinkwater is in for Chalobah is true, it's not the full story either. This assumes that having Bakayoko and Matic wasn't an option. Now, maybe it wasn't an option. I'm not too involved in the homegrown status of our squad, I don't know if it absolutely needed to happen. To go back to a previous analogy, I can understand selling your Civic for a Carolla if you live in a town that will only let you drive a Toyota. But, if it's not necessary, then what's the point of doing all the work?

We didn't even really pocket any cash. I'm sure there's a difference in wages, but I don't know how much. We also did spend 40M odd net in our midfield. People seem to be forgetting about the new stadium. Spending has dried up since we started working on that. It's going to be Arsenal-esque for the next few years. I'm okay with it, really, as long as we bounce back. Unlike Arsenal who haven't changed. Their fans understood it at the time, now they're pissed because they've moved and nothing has changed.

I understand that in terms of minutes, Bakayoko will be taking Matic's, or at least most of them. I understand that Drinkwater has HG status which Matic did not and he is definitely an upgrade over Chalobah. What I'm saying is that we already had Matic and Bakayoko at the same time. If it was a situation where we had to sell Matic to get Bakayoko, sure, I'd understand. But we obviously didn't as we spent the Matic fees on Drinkwater. Personally, I don't see much difference between Bakayoko + Matic vs Bakayoko + Drinkwater. It seemed like a lot of work to make that happen and it's more or less the same. Now, I haven't play Football Manager in a while so I don't remember the HG rules and what our squad looks like in regards to meeting that criteria.

Adds much needed depth in CM. Anyone saying that we didn't strengthen the squad is crazy: Bakayoko + Drinkwater >>>>> Matic + Chalobah However, selling Matic for 40M then buying Drinkwater for 35M doesn't make a ton of sense. Not much money earned through sales, not sure what the difference in wages is. Seems like a lot of work for basically the same.

15M sounds like a good number for a 4th choice midfielder. Should have just skipped the middle man.

That 360sources "shockwaves" guy says it's Belotti Don't bother with the link because it says 62M, which we know wouldn't work even if true. If you're a masochist, here it is: http://www.90min.com/posts/5431670-chelsea-reportedly-make-massive-62m-bid-for-torino-striker-andrea-belotti?a_aid=40837