robsblubot

It's funny because my read of the many posts here is that Chelsea should sell Hazard, which is probably not the intention of the authors. There are obvious drawbacks of playing with a centralized key player in a free role: it's a single big target to be stopped. It's even more of drawback when the team lacks overall quality esp in attack. The problem: some think (I do not) that Eden's genius is being limited by the poor overall quality around him. So, considering that the overall quality around him hasn't really changed that much over time, which perhaps suggests the club has reached its limit in terms of spending, then we have to fix the problem in a different way: controversial, I know, but wouldn't the club benefit more by having 2-3 quality players, as opposed to one key player? Now (wildly) assuming our board has the talent to sign 2-3 quality players by selling Hazard (plus some cash lying around). If all were true, and we ended up with more quality players in numbers, then it could be indeed beneficial to the team.

Is it half a second longer to make decisions, or half a second longer to fully control the football? Isn't the latter more likely, that his first touch is not great and that his overall technique is making it harder to adjust to a faster paced league? Players with better technique can more easily adapt to new leagues and their peculiarities.

he's not there to really shoot, even though he would be a more complete player if he could shoot esp from outside the box. He created very little for the team. Wide, centrally, I don't really care. That's for him to figure out during the game. it's part of being creative: finding out solutions when things are difficult. In the PL we mostly have all possession agaist the shitty sides like WHU. PL games are fast and competitive, but these smaller sides have a lot of really technically poor players. fair, we disagree on real and barca because when people make these comparisons, like you are doing, they don't mention that there are far fewer players doing the dirty work in those teams, esp barca. All have to pull their weight and I happen to be believe that is the most glaring weaknesses in Eden's game... I guess we may find out if he ever makes it there. Of course not! The fact that our best player (key player with the most freedom) created very little for himself and for his teammates while we had 70% of possession for over 45 minutes, had nothing to do with our failure to score against a very poor side... It's a team sport. They all lost, including Eden. And it's not like he produced assists and hit the post twice, right? He was poor considering his level and what he normally does.

Heh thought I just did that in my previous post. outpacing players wasn’t possible since you said yourself they were defending deep. I for one, would like very much if he could shoot on target and with more power. That’s a skill he lacks esp long shots. His finishing really lets him down sometimes, he could also have tried to be more direct and beat players, running towards the. goal and not so much sideways... sure way to beat a deep defense. Perhaps I am wrong and expecting too much from him. i just don’t buy that he is genius among poor players, which prevents him from showing his true potential. Almost makes me want him to move to Barca or real just to find out how much of that is true. I honestly don’t think his game would drastically change.

This, WHU, was a very poor performance by hazard, and most other players, with perhaps only Kante playing at a normal level. he does not get a pass from me though. should’ve tried to be more creative mixing things up when his usual dribbling game is not effective like today.

we will likely open talks with him and his agent in january - by then even his dog will be wearing Barcelona's jersey.

decent performance in the video where he looks more like Kante, but we already had one and better (kante). And now have another player in the same mold in Drinkwater. What we don't have is the pogbas, iniestas, Verratis. Fabregas nowadays is backup, rotation at best. Those type of players (skillful mids) are indeed difficult to find, so you either buy the expensive proven, or you make bets: we do neither.

https://twitter.com/EiFsoccer/status/934497704478208002 Seriously though, even though atm the above isn't that far off, we've been discussing different things here: a) can he become/conte make him a good player? perhaps. Not great, but good. b ) even if he becomes a good player one day, what type of player would he be? A lesser Kante, or a Matic type with less technique and more physique? I am personally more interested in b ) above. We bought the wrong player IMO.

regardless of how you feel about him, being good enough or not, he's been poor lately and def not as good as last season.

So, Gremio beat Lanus 2x1 in argentina to win libertadores cup with Arthur Melo as MotM until picking up an injury and leaving early second half when 2x0. Commentators said that Arthur was unplayable in the first half. They will be playing WCC (perhaps facing Real Madrid) in two weeks - hope arthur is fit again. Luan (24, also target of many clubs) scored a beautiful goal and was chosen best Libertadores player. I hope we are serious about this target... I always say this, but you cannot buy quality players: either they don't want to leave or their clubs don't want to sell them. Have to make bets on the likes of this 21 yo prodigy.... arthur is out of the WCC with an ankle injury and heavily linked with Barcelona.

Was trying hard to avoid making that comparison, unfair to the kid, but yes that’s what I’ve heard.

great striker quality is never available - you'd need to either break the bank to steal one from a top club, or find one still a bit green and develop/bet on him. out of the bunch, we did very well considering price, age and overall technical ability. End of the day, we still play with 11 players when Morata is not scoring... Lukaku is the simplest of the bunch and perhaps (IMO) a player more suited for the PL.

I am a gremio supporter, but haven't seen Arthur much aside from highlights tbh. I've heard a lot about him from the southern brazilian press: he's quick, mobile, and very technical mid. A bit on the short side, but fairly strong and is not easily outmuscled out of plays. Seems like the all rounder we've been asking for a long time. Of course, he's only 21, so lots to learn. He's been doing well in the libertadores cup, which is far more physical than the Brasileiro. Gremio will play Lanus in Argentina tomorrow for the second leg of the final (first was 1x0 in Porto Alegre). Personally I think that the 1 goal lead might not be enough esp since they will be missing their Argentine CB (suspended). We shall see.

well then perhaps going to real doesn't make sense for him - it's just a rumor (talks). I believe he's going to leave, but not necessarily to real. Always thought that barca/guardiola style would be a perfect match for him for ex.

yeah can't see him staying past Jan. He's eyeing Russia which might be difficult without starting often.

You know that’s the key disagreement I’ve always had concerning mikel. I happen to find a lot more likely that mikel just wasn’t good enough. Fabregas is a quality passer. Precision with range (mikel had no range in his game)... anyway mikel is gone and Bakayoko is now here just to remind us of him... playing, including passing is just a lot easier, short, slow, and without pressure. Under pressure we get to see who’s who. Take the game yesterday (against pool) for ex. Pretty uptempo at times where players werent given time on the ball. Playing quick and accurately, esp first touch is what defines top players in my book and Baka ain’t it.

Agree with the second part of your post but not regarding Baka. this is a common tale actually: he’s struggling with the pace of the PL. why? Well because he is not a very good player. He’s a bit slow (which is expected for a big fella) but his technique, or lack thereof, will always let him down in tight contests like today. consider that he was rested midweek and his control was all over the place today. We are not even talking about passing goals assists, but basic stuff like just controlling the football. one of the least technical players I’ve seen at Chelsea - so far he reminds me of mikel. Hope he at least improves to become a good player one day (for ‘great’ the ship has sailed).

Think most here have a similar take on Lucas Moura as a player. agree esp that he is inconsistent. He tends to vanish precisely in tough games. Similar to what happens with lukaku. Also both lukaku and moura rely on physical attributes almost exclusively (Moura even exclusively on pace). I believe that it’s not an accident and it showcases the root cause: like lukaku, Moura’s technique is lacking at this level, so when the game is tight and spaces scarce, he struggles too. Reckon big clubs ought to look for players who thrive in tough matches. So, I’m not sure he can improve enough to become a good player for us.

Agreed. there is no reason to be afraid... Liverpool are a good side and can certainly win the match (any match) esp at home, but we have better players in almost every position esp defense and mid. hazard is better than countinho in my book. The only exception is ironically salah who will be a handful. while Alonso can handle pressure just fine - good technique and control - his lack of pace needs to be handled by the defense system as it should. After all we play 3 cbs behind his line and 2 DMs next to him. in short, no excuses...

Fair enough. Signing still scares me though... he seems to struggle with the final touch assists and all. The league is fairly weak as well and just don’t enjoy his game tbh. There is a reason psg is no longer betting on him.

perhaps, but Sterling always had goals in him, while Moura has always struggled with the final touch. It's really a matter of price and availability I guess, but considering the fees being paid recently, odds are it's not going to be cheap.

yeah no there aren't many options and esp not playing the Brasileiro... So not really Tite's fault. Luan FW (Gremio) is a good player and Gremio has a very promising rounded mid called Arthur (21) but neither would *add* at this time, no. The recurring lesson, hopefully relearned since the last WC is that it is a completely different ball game. The Brasileiro players (Fred and Bernard) looked completely lost for ex and that was completely unsurprising to me, but it is something that people forget over time. Fans want to see their players, but the coach should know have known better. Casemiro is a good rounded mid though - should start every freaking game considering the alternative. Some capped players (even starters) play in China though which is kinda scary... no way they are ready for the pace and physicality of a WC. William being there is just weird too. He has never really been outstanding for Brazil, but at this moment he's playing really poorly for us - and has for quite some time. I was never really a fan, but he used to be more rounded with more pace and power.

here's a crazy idea: you negotiate and close any deals *prior* to when the transfer window opens; only making them official during the window. Then, even (gasp!) when you cannot land the initial targets, say they prefer to go elsewhere, you have time to seek alternatives. Considering the way we respect the absolute rule of law, the FFP, it seems we are unable to talk to players or agents until the window officially opens...

true, but that has happened many times before - the challenge is usually motivating the players against the tough away matches in adverse conditions (e.g. quito), which Tite did beautifully. I'm originally from Brazil btw. Brazil can really only measure themselves against the other top sides (sounds bad but same applies to the other top sides including argentina) and that usually takes places in later stages of the world cup. And by that time it is too late to correct something that isn't right - when one of Tite's trusted players turns out not to cut it when games become more physical in the WC for example. The abundance of quality players really puts pressure on the head coach, but not always he can have a starting XI with great players. IMO the team is a bit weak in the middle and defense (Miranda being the only good defender and 33). And yes, I think Fernandinho is only good/decent player, hence mediocre. He has zero composure and sloppy at passing; he was one of the players who crumbled against Germany in the final - Dl gets all the blame but others like Fernandinho were just as bad (in a more important position).

He's been decent/OK for Brazil. Think this Brazilian side is a bit overrated at this moment. They have more than neymar this time, but still some mediocre players in the starting XI, such as William and fernandinho. The head coach (Tite) is very good this time though, which is rare for brazil - usually nobodies (like Dunga) or has-beens (like Scolari) are the ones in charge. Tite was the head coach of Corinthians when they beat Chelsea in the WCC - not a total accident btw, Benitez was super naive in that game.