Chelsea Legend 11

He's a plan B off the bench... his pace, power and dribbling IS elite and can be utilized running at leggy defences. And so what if he played in the PL before? the kid was 20? Its this short sided mind set that permeates throughout the club that is so nauseating. "If a young player doesn't impress immediately he's useless." Did he have great performances in the prem? does that not warrant some merit considering his age?

1000% We have to worry about ourselves not the rest. Willian is nice and has been loyal but he is 30...

we need players who have elite talent... Adama has his warts but in terms of what he does well? there is no question that he has elite level talent.

get rid of Zappacosta and use him in tandem with Moses.

I love it... Impact sub who can put defenses under tonnes of pressure with elite pace AND elite dribbling

just win baby....

feel free to watch it again. There was nothing in the game until he got injured the best chances to score were Chelsea's as well... https://weshare.me/5ffbe78392b5ee85/CHE-CITY_1st_half_ENG.mp4

I disagree... I was there didn't feel lopsided till the substitution

We started that game fine, the problem was we lost Morata early and were forced to change tactics.

You kids need to take a course in critical reading. Nowhere does Conte say he’s flirting with the idea of playing a false 9. You guys took that tag line hook, line and sinker

Sounds like Luiz didn't even train this weekend or today so he's definitely out! with that in mind I think we need to try something different for this match and possibly play Willian a little deeper in the midfield to help build attacks and take away gaps for Barca to exploit. http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=g0wx9 I feel this lineup is currently our best and possibly the best way to break Barca's first wave of the press. They do attack in two fazes but the first wave is usually the one that puts teams under the most pressure. My worry is whether or not Willian has the awareness to snuff out danger and stay with runners off the ball. Can he be disciplined enough to take away the passing lane and adept enough to transition to attack? Seems like a tall order for a guy who has never been deployed in this fashion but it could be the best tactic to get our best players on the field while utilizing our best shape. I mean can Willian really be any worse than Drinkwater in this defensive role? I agree Danny has the right sort of discipline and patience but what else really?

only time will tell....

Maybe... Maybe just needs a full training camp? first year in a tough league! I have definitely seem glimpses of fantastic play from him, he needs consistency and to eliminate the mares he's had this year.

Agree to disagree... Drinkwater to me has zero influence on the game as far as I'm concerned and yes should NEVER have been purchased. I'm not ready to give up on Bakayoko just yet... The tools are there, seems like the fitness isn't

while that may be true, I don't know a single thing Drinkwater does that contributes to a win. Bakayoko had a mare of a game against Watford, no doubt... But for my money Drinkwater is a guy that has no 'personality' when he's on the pitch. He's just a guy to occupy space. Bakayoko at least provides pace and power... As questionable as he has been

So do I. Just a shame Baka & Cahill have played the majority of games thus far. For the record I don't think Drinkwater is in any way an upgrade to Bakayoko

It's called, going by history. Ohhhhhhh I never heard that rule before! I prefer the "field your best lineup" rule

Explain this rule to me again?

Oh Lord no!

Oh Lord no!

I doubt highly Cahill will be involved. Rudiger has a better range of pass and it will be crucial on the counter.

LOL... They have geared down for this game. They average 61% possession normally

Their wingbacks are essentially wingers Alba and Roberto are their dangermen after Messi

I saw this and bile came up in my mouth. I don't want Drinkwater anywhere near the XI, nowhere... If Luiz is fit I'd prefer him in there to Danny who provides nothing on the pitch. Giroud makes sense from a form perspective but I have a feeling we'll be playing on the counter and for that I think Morata has more to offer. We have to be clinical and efficient on the counter and I would agree with you, the biggest element of our game that needs to be bang on is ball retention. We're not gonna have it a ton so its important to make use of it when we do. 5-3-2 Moses - Azpi - Christensen - Rudiger - Alonso Luiz - Kante - Fabregas Hazard - Morata Its more important to keep them out than it is to score so set up to take away the space they want to exploit and try to hit them with a quick counter. Obviously Messi is the key man but after him I'd be wary of Alba and Roberto.