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Does that mean he’s not shit?!?! Yes !!! Unfortunately for Chelsea, hazard spins don’t count in the final score, only goals do. So, when you have a player, a mere left back, who won us several tough matches in a winning season, forgive me if I cannot take “he’s shit” comments very seriously. Once again, different opinions and preferences are all part of the game, and the fun. As long as folks remember they are just that, opinions.

And yet you did the same thing when you said Alonso worked in conteball, which means he did work in a particular tactical setup. What I’m saying (not really an opinion but something I've learned) is that that’s all there is: roles within a tactical setup. And that formations are not that static: that when alonso is up the field we defend just like conteball, with 3 cbs (Luiz, Rudiger, and Azpi). there are no guarantees when players come from diff teams in the same league, let alone from leagues in different countries. So many things can go wrong with adapting to country, club (esp if come from smaller club), people, laws, customs, and finally (again) tactical setup. Some of these players haven't had an education and struggle in different environments. So many examples like Cuadrado with us: good in Italy and simply unplayable in the pl. Diego Costa, who adapted to the club and league, but not the country (same with Luiz Suarez). Now however you feel about this, like I said, he has just signed a new deal and will be our starter for the foreseeable future. Like it or not.

That's the BS managers tell the press and they know it! The players get a feeling during the match as to what type of refereeing they are dealing with. A card happy ref will contain the game and at the same time not letting it flow. The players will adjust accordingly. Agreed on your point of alonso (aerial game), and I may add that the premise that pace allows an attacking FB to recover from a mistake is a false one: no way at this level. Either the team provides the cover or it will become an attacking vector to be exploited by all opponents.

No, I disagree, they are exactly the same thing. You can't win games without scoring goals, and you can't score goals without attacking in numbers. Azpi is a player the opposition can ignore (like you said), which is not something that can be said of Alonso. There are many strategies a team and manager can employ to provide cover for an attacking fullback, like the one we use: other FB joins the CB line makings a 3CB system (Azpi is really perfect for it) I'm surprised to be honest, because this is very basic on how to balance a team and I've seen it being done since the days of Roberto Carlos who couldn't defend to save his life. Many teams use this combo of one attacking and one defensive FB. Modern times you see this being employed to protect Marcelo, who is prob the worst player at defending I've ever seen play the game. But all attacking fullbacks, however fast they may be, need cover because they will leave spaces behind. I do see that many here would prefer a more traditional defensive left back, which is fine of course, and yet the same folks like the more attacking way Sarri employs. You can't have it both ways. Not if you stick another Azpi on the left. I'm sure Alonso wouldn't be Mourinho's first choice for LF, but it is Sarri's. Now if the discussion is that it's worthwhile to give Marcelo freedom, but it isn't so for Alonso, then I'd have to agree that at this time he's not being effective. The same way Hazard goes several games, sometimes half a season without being effective. It happens and for many reasons: form, fitness, sharpness, or team mechanics (some exchange not working or being stopped by the opposition). Once again, that poses a question as to whether Emerson is even good enough to be in the squad. Concerning your LF suggestion, there might be other left backs that could potentially give more than Alonso (who plays for Spain too btw), but are they attainable? There are no guarantees that they would do a good job for us (diff league team, style, and requirements), let alone do what Alonso has already done (he was an important player in our league win). A player who has already worked well for us needs to be recovered, not shipped out. Yeah I don't know what to tell you... he is going nowhere. He just signed a new deal...

Sure but that did not stop alonso from being involved in many goals and assists before. His passing esp in tight spaces used to be pretty impressive if you care to watch footage from early season or last season. the issue is that he is in poor form and has been for quite a few games now (with ups and downs but never at the level he was before). Even when I say that managers shouldn’t be that quick to replace starters as fans would want, the fact alonso is pretty much untouchable speaks more about Emerson than alonso himself. now the recent change to a false nine is not going to help him either, because it moves hazard away from his area and now he has to gel in with Willian who’s even less of a passer than hazard is.

I will never understand the idea that alonso is bad because other teams will target his position in defense, which is akin to saying azpi needs to be dropped because he can’t attack. Same position different roles. ivanovic comparisons are super silly btw (he was an excellent defender at his peak). now, alonso is indeed playing poorly and very little attacking play has been coming out of his side.

would we get a 25% off if that happens?

Just to leave my 2 cents in case my position has not been clear enough. If the "fickle" term was directed at me, then I could not disagree more. I've watched Hazard play for a very long time and my opinion of him has not changed: great player and at the same time overrated by chelsea, and especially Belgium fans. Saying that Salah is the better player is merely stating one's opinion, and not a very controversial one outside of TC. On a professional level, I don't care for Eden very much. He disrespects the club every time he offers himself to RM (that's what agents are for!), which happens quite often. So, for me it is definitely a "fuck off!" While I wish we could have retained Hazard, because it's never easy to replace great players, I agree with @Unionjack that that ship has sailed, and we should've already cashed out on him. Club is much much bigger than ANY player.

it's because folks did not really watch him when he wasn't scoring. I did and his level of play wasn't much below than when he was scoring - just the shots weren't going in. Salah is a lot more than goals though. He beats players often in two very distinct ways: a. dribbling and pace and b. quick link up with teammates (+pace). The b, with his speed and quick feet, makes him especially effective in tougher games, like CL. It takes a lot of skill to link up at such pace and I think he showed a little bit of that when at chelsea. To think we had him and did not bet on him. And then we saw his improvement elsewhere and still let him go for peanuts...

Yeah I see that as well. Morata has all the tools, but is missing a few marbles. I’d just add that this weak mentality might also affect him in training, which might also explain his lack of progress on the physical side of his game since he joined.

@Stats hit the nail on the head. We all knew it would take a very special performance to beat them and it was indeed a very good performance with very few mistakes. Passing was a bit shaky in the first half, but got sorted out by Sarri at half time: better positioning, more compact, and off-the-ball movement. You can't pass the ball if there isn't a player in a good condition to receive the pass esp when opposition presses so much. Bad movement and positioning made the passing in the first half difficult and error prone. Alonso had a very good game: good defensively in the first half (won everything in the air too) frustrating their attacks and their best player (Sterling), and then improving along with the team in the second half. Sterling will always beat defenders one-on-one at times and it's up to the system to control that. It's the same when opponents play against Hazard: the team has to contain him. Kepa had a solid game too. Pedro and Hazard played well, with Willian just a bit below, but still good. David Luiz did not ONLY have a good defensive game without mistakes like many have said. He won this game for us with technical prowess esp for a defender. There is no first goal without that amazing pass from the back by Luiz. Something not many defenders can do. That goal changed the game as goals often do. The second was just the icing on the cake. Yes I know that he is mistake-prone, hence why I consider him a great player, but not a great defender. I do feel that his very obvious assets are often downplayed though. I was very worried when Kovacic left injured, since he played well and it was a game for him, but Ross came on and was excellent too. City is missing their best player (KDB) and it shows.

I'm actually very curious to see him play elsewhere, because I'd put money down that it's NOT going to be a whole lot different. The thing that bothers me the most about Eden is precisely when he's off form like he is now though. Say, when I compare top players who aren't, for one reason or another, able to influence a game (or many games), I still pay attention to what they are doing on the pitch. What is the work rate? How hard do they try to help their struggling teammates? Do they run into spaces? Pass more and more quickly? Mix things up? Do they get annoyed when things are't going their way? No I don't think he does well or tries nearly hard enough when he's off.

Yeah preferences are preferences - just don't think they are that important since we all have our own and yet the only one that matters is the manager's. While I agree that Carvalho was fantastic, I completely disagree that he would do well in Sarri's system. Sarri plays a high defense line and slow players like Carvalho struggle big time in high lines (like Terry once did under AVB). Godin is a great defender (similar to Carvalho) in a deep line at Atletico, but if you put him in a high line he would struggle too. Plus it is quite obvious Sarri values passing from the back in CBs a lot more than other managers, hence why Luiz is his fav defender - he's been asking to keep him.

Good footballer and terrible center back (Jose was right in my book). Why should our opinion matter after winning the league where the player in question played a key role in that win (featured in almost all league games) and voted one of the best defenders in the league? This is not a popularity contest... it's about winning silverware.

Yeah that's how fans think, but it's just not that simple. If a player is underperforming, it still does not make the substitute any better. The fans say, "it cannot get any worse than playing X", which is wrong (yes it can get much worse). Not even going into what the word better means when we talk about different characteristics. For example, I personally think (from what I've seen) that it is very unlikely that Emerson would give more to the team than an underperforming Alonso (and likely that he would give much less), but I don't watch Emerson in practice, so the manager is certainly more equipped to make that decision. Another way managers see it is that Alonso is more likely to positively influence the game than Emerson. The same way an off-form Hazard is more likely to influence a tough game than CHO. There are tons of other factors that we could go into, but that'd take a huge tangent (locker room, pecking order, keeping one's job, tem chemistry, team characteristics, player's confidence, and contracts).

I'm definitely joking at the idea that "Sarri is making mistakes by start these instead of those." It is extremely likely that his selections are very close to our best. An underperforming player does not make the potential substitute any better. Especially when you consider the obvious drop in quality and experience on our bench. You can go into characteristics, like what we like and dislike about particular players, but that is entirely up to the manager as he is building a team (not just a collection of players). It's a game to make few changes and it will take an herculean effort to get anything out of this game. We will need to be more compact than we've been lately and far more focused starting with the guys up front (including hazard).

Come on man... if sarri starts the “right people” I guarantee 100% that it’s going be super easy.

If Sarri starts Giroud up front, CHO on the right, Emerson, and replaces Luiz with Andreas, then it's going to be a pretty easy game... otherwise, not so much.

Completely agree and think Emerson should be given at least 5 straight starts (Alonso is in poor form). at least people will stop with the grass is always greener thing. When the team loses the ones who did not play are always better even when they really aren’t. I can already tell you all that it’s not going to make a whole lot of difference even if they (the subs) don’t crash and burn (which is also possible esp the younger ones). I mean giroud against Fulham was as bad as it gets. that’s the difference: nothing happens when we the fans get something wrong and we get a lot wrong... the manager gets sacked.

No argument there. Probs in both ends can negatively affect teams confidence. Very dangerous downward spiral. btw this is why our managers don’t rotate...

It’s not about forgiving. It’s very difficult to win games with when you have a gk making mistakes. Very very difficult... comments about the LB are kinda ridiculous to me. He’s not as bad as ppl say he is, nor is he as important as folks say he is. the team is not great and that’s not down to one or two players. But the gk needs to get his shit together with those long shots getting in. That will affect the confidence of the team too.

Interesting to see who folks talk about on here vs out there... not a whole lot of criticism on the gk who makes mistakes every other game. Or the key player who has been missing for quite some time. it’s always the usual suspects like any other echo chamber.

Hazard is not stifled by anyone but himself. He was never that direct to make these sort of runs, not even when he had more support around him with Oscar still doing the dirty work for him. All I hear is excuses for him not to be the player folks imagine him to be. Alonso is a left midfield. He was a left midfielder with Conte and is a left midfielder with Sarri. I have no issues if folks want something different from a LB, overlaps, early crosses, but please take the time to understand positions and especially roles. They are not the same thing. Been seeing variations of this for decades as I posted below. This should really work esp when employing 3 CMs (like we do) who can cover the sides in midfield. And please do check Alonso's heat map to see it clearly where he operates. It's not like he's surprising us in not doing certain things that LBs do....

for the record I completely disagree about your description of alonso. Not really debating your opinion of him as a player. Though I also strongly disagree that Bakayoko has the necessary skills, which he does not: for the very technical modern game. To me it is as clear as day that Alonso is a left midfielder. Was with Conte and still is in Sarri's system. No he does not roam around the opposition box like a striker. Merely watching him play, or might want to check his heatmap too https://twitter.com/fplchampion/status/1033764598351110146, and it becomes obvious he's always in midfield. Not doing overlaps for crosses, but linking up between the CMs and the AMs. Our system is very well defined and old as fuck: one left back joins in the middle as an additional midfielder to populate the area, while the other sits back and joins the defense line as a 3rd CB. First time I've seen this was in the 90s (implemented by Scolari :)).

yup that sums it up, which explains more than just his ups and downs, but also his lackluster CL performances. I'm more interested in the whys personally. The "when he wants it" is a good explanation if taken as a byproduct of lack of ambition and ruthlessness. Because I don't think he wakes up in the morning before a big CL game and says, "just not feeling it today..." So, my thinking is that his lack of ruthlessness and ambition also affects his form as in fitness. Were he a more dedicated player, both on the pitch as well as in practice, and he would've been a fitter player capable of withstanding contact a bit better. Perhaps then the game would open up a bit more to him with more time on the ball, making him more creative. He does struggle against physical opposition, and savvy managers (like Ranieri) will use that whenever possible. He's what he is though, and it would still be great if he stayed.