Strike

i have no idea how it happened. (or i am subconsciously trying to catch up with your post count )

Newcastle United?

Newcastle United?

Newcastle United?

Yep. 4-3-3 on the attack and 4-5-1 on the back foot. di matteo needs to get the formation right

we open the season with the 3rd kit :|

pre-season is de bruyne's chance because mata wont be there. he should convince di matteo that he is more than an able back up to Mata for the creative midfielder role.

yeah. i am in favour of either the 4-4-2 with sturridge and torres or even an attacking variation of 4-5-1. out with the double pivot. its time we play dynamic midfielders who influence the attack as well. i don't know how much you can look into preseason because of the unavailability of the players selected for the Olympics. di matteo may start playing a new system but things will become clear only after sturridge, mata, luiz etc come back from the Olympics

i would prefer to see us sign a player whose secondary position is Centre forward - just to give us depth - and make torres and sturridge our first choice strikers with Lukaku third choice. signing another striker - falcao, cavani etc seems a luxury

yeah. optimistic about bertrand playing a bigger role next season and todd kane getting a few games at right back as well

danny will get his chance this season. hopefully, he can reproduce his 2011 form this season. maybe be a better bet in attack than torres. who knows

ji sung park is an underrated performer. very good in the box to box role. qpr have made a bargain there

Maicon/Debuchy - Modric/Moutinho/Cabaye - Hulk/Moses

true but the problem lies in the fact that we have international players as 3rd choice for a position. a youth academy talent as 3rd for the team would be a good idea.

as i said, he has to perform next season to make his chelsea stint relevant for a few more years.

i think the jury is still out on torres. Yes, he was better under di matteo but not great. next season is his final chance to make his chelsea stint mean anything.

yeah. Sinclair is another. both were great for swansea and borini is now in the italian squad i believe. shouldn't have let go of them easily.

Not anymore

agree on that... as i said, i am not at all against this deal and coming to think of it, the Board may have thought about Todd Kane and Billy Clifford while choosing Maicon, if he does sign.

BluesMaster or SeB. Can't Separate

Debuchy had a solid season at Lille and defended Young/Chamberlain with ease in a man of the match display against England. He has very good stamina and also is not an entirely attacking Rightback although he did supplement the French attack well. He is available at almost the same price as Maicon with presumably lesser wages than the 80k quoted for Maicon. Maicon is old and he will at best be a "Belletti" signing. So yes, Debuchy is Better in many ways than Maicon. edit: Also, Maicon has a shaky knee which has been surgically repaired more than once. he is no longer the maicon of 2009/10 when he was in the discussion of the best RB in the world

Assuming that we play Hazard on the left instead of Kalou, i don't think it will bring about much change in our play yet. we need more signings. frees up hazard as welll because otherwise, he will be expected to be creative(as in threading passes) And explosive with his pace and trickery.

maicon is not a bad deal at all but there are better-younger rightbacks for the same price of 6m and lesser wages- (debuchy).

yup. Explosive wingers and a Pirlo in the middle. Hulk - Modric/Moutinho/Cabaye - Debuchy would be perfect. if this was 2010 we would have signed Moses, Fellaini and Maicon but thankfully, despite our CL win, the board knows that the club is lacking in many departments. Also, Hulk on the back of a Chelsea shirt would be BOSS

Good luck to Villas Boas. Want him to do well but yet Spurs should be outside top 4. i think its a paradox in itself