robsblubot

he is a good player, but a bit like Willian. We already have that... we need players to give us an edge against other top sides. Mahrez isn't it.

he's the Aguero's version in the CAM position... stay clear if you want to win silverware. Ozil is in the same group of zero work rate. Would be very suprised if a guy like Conte was going for him. Now if you want to watch slick touches now and then, he's your guy!

For me one of the better performers in the "final" against WBA. He was good in possession playing quicker - wonder if instructed to do so.

Don't think his game has changed that much. Conte obviously instructs him to stay back, so not many forward runs, but his weaknesses and virtues are all there. The system, as it should, protects and works for him. WBA game had it all: poor anticipation attempt which almost led to a goal (thank azpi for covering); a great interception on an almost certain goal, and fantastic control and distribution from the back. at one time he stopped a long ball with one touch before the bounce and in the same movement he passed he ball forward. When you need a goal and are in attack Luiz is probably the best CB in the world.

I have to disagree that the manager doesn't trust him. The manager trusted him at the most important time and it paid off. Shows that the player has been showing the right attitude. listening to him and looking at his body language, it seems he's not really that unhappy. Perhaps conte is just letting him settle in a bit. Does not speak a work in English so he needs to work on that too. end of the day, if Michy wants to start he will need to move, deal or on loan. But if he's pacient I can certainly expect him to get a lot more playing time regardless who leads the line for us.

well both Hazard and Costa have been pretty poor today. Conte believes 2 strikers up front might do the trick. You may not agree, but there is nothing crazy about it. Let's wait and see.

They are not mutually exclusive. (Doesn't our golden boy hate man-marking?) weekend before matic did similar against spurs. A couple of seasons back and he did it for us to win the league - no kante either. I can certainly understand the wish to improve on him, but he's a good Who gets a lot of imo undeserved criticism.

Perhaps, but the flashes were there. Reckon he improved more the mental aspects than technique really, technique is the hardest attribute to improve on. That's when you acquire good players -- when they need to improve in some areas -- not when they are expensive or unsellable. That's one of the reasons I think we cannot compete in Europe. BTW, I still think that defensively Wanyama isn't that great compared with matic esp physically in tight spaces (as seen in the fa cup match). Matic is a good player. We have a lot of good players on the squad, but not many great players.

Wow although we could certainly improve on him esp in technique, he had a good game today. No not great in possession, only Ok. Though he deserves a lot of credit for the dominance we had in midfield today. comcerning Wanyama, well I spotted him when he was playing in Scotland while we were still insisting with the likes of mikel. Matic still edges him in the physical side, but wanyama is certainly the more technical and more pacey player.

Love the commentator trying to explain how Henessey did not make a mistake and the ball changed direction, even when the replay clearly showed that it did not. Despite the obvious GK mistake - just too far out - Spurs were just dominating this game with easy in the second half. CP simply did not play.

agreed. I'd not say he's that "normal" though. He's a very unique CB with very unique strengths and weaknesses. He loses concentration on occasion, which has the potential to punish your side if the team cannot handle it. Hence why he works better with two other CBs or even in midfield (Jose). If your side and your coach can accommodate him in a system, he will offer a lot on the technical side, probably more than any other CB: first touch, passing (even long), and shooting. He's also pretty good in the air and pacey for a Cb which allows him to produce many interceptions. So, If you have David on your side, you do have to make adjustments, but doing so makes him a strong asset. His weakness in concentration and especially his style of always seeking the anticipation (interception) will always make him look worse than the others around him when things go bad, even when he's "only" just as bad (e.g. Brazil vs germany). The french thought he was responsible for the weak defensive showing of PSG in the CL against barcelona before. It seems not much changed without him, only that now they cannot as easily blame the very composed Silva and Marquinhos.

Different teams; different conditions and esp ambitions. most complaints people have here against Diego are regarding his technique or the lack thereof. Lukaku would certainly NOT be an improvement in that regard. If we want to become a more technical side to compete in Europe, then perhaps Lukaku is not the way to go. On the other hand, with the current level of spending, it does not seem we are serious about Europe, so we might settle for another low-technique striker for the PL.

"I believe Michy and Ake are two players who he has mishandled" perhaps you are right and a bit insensitive from the club with Ake. "it's started to bite us in the finishing sprint." Now this is a conclusion leap: there is zero evidence that the two facts are tied. Whether they were or not mishandled, using them more would've probably made no difference. Are they so much *better* than the players who played? Are the players who have been playing tired by chance? For me at least, it is far more likely this is just showing the limitations of our squad in terms of quality.

difficult to say, but perhaps the fact that he's homegrown played a big part when the club needed to find cover for certain positions Ake is familiar with. Or as far as we know this IS his chance at chelsea! perhaps the club really did think to give him a shot after the many good performances he's had. So, this could be his big break and he might not be impressing the manager enough to get minutes. Or they might be preparing him, letting him bake for next season as suggested above. It's tough on the player, sure, but it's not easy for a big club to give minutes to aspiring players when every point counts. Doesn't even the FA discourage clubs from heavily rotating in cup matches?

that's the fans logic: players C and D would've done so much better than player A, because player A did not play well. Of course, the entire other part of the equation is missing in that "logic." The very unlikely possibility: that player C and D, who never tie the boots of player A in practice, would have indeed done better. Personally I wished Conte had the same starting XI as usual with Alonso and Tibo (not possible today). Perhaps, as a personal pref Fab or WIllian instead of Pedro, but that's about it. Bad time to be missing important players and thought Hazard, Pedro, and Costa had pretty poor showings tbh.

technically he's very good, but I just don't like his attitude. There is no excuse for a player to be playing the way he's been lately: not talking about whether he scores or not, but rather his dedication on the pitch. Ozil has always been a (too) cold player on the pitch; always lacked work rate which is needed to become a great, but Alexis is different and it is easy to see he's lacking dedication and drive. reckon signing him could be detrimental to the locker room.

Agree 100% with you on Cahill. suggest that we spell out the name of the player in discussion esp when off-topic (to avoid confusion). anyone can carry the football without being contested esp professional players, but real technique is needed when in tight spaces. alonso has excellent technique and ball control. Most diff attribute to improve. The rest he can improve on, esp composure. However, as a tall player and due to his build, he will never be pacey.

heh football is funny sometimes. Thought Pedro was painful to watch against City. A lot of running, poor control, and no end product. To be fair, he did play the second half a a RWB and I don't think he's very good in that position: moses is better.

They are probably similar at dribbling alone: like you said hazard is more explosive, but Messi has tighter ball control which helps in tight spaces, which in turn helps more in the CL. Messi is way ahead concerning vision and also ahead concerning goals and tight control of the football, hence his advantage in the CL stage. IMO Ronaldo does not come close to messi in terms of tight control and working in tight spaces as he needs some space to work (hazard does too to a lesser degree). Ronaldo has power though, which makes him an aerial thread in certain conditions; in tight games he's more of an aerial threat than anything else. Personally, I'd not exchange Hazard for Ronaldo.

Alonso is young and will improve. This is his first season with us. We do need more options though.the crucial attribute he posses which is technique. He just needs more composure and that will come with time. as one who actually likes matic, with mikel gone we should def try to improve on him. He's less effective in this system than he was with jose's. the team is good, but has no business in the champions league - huge improvement is needed to compete there.

Gattuso relied on power while kante relies on restlessnes, an incredibly high work rate. Kante is on the short side while gattuso was pretty decent in the air. great players to have and awful to play against.

not sure today (WH) was about costa. The team overall performance was average only saved by a moment of brilliance by hazard. This was a good win, and good enough to win the PL esp with the great point lead, but I can't think of going far in Europe next year unless we improve our overall play.

I don't disagree with your assessment of Diego's limitations although I think his first touch and control have been pretty good lately, but I do disagree with the comparison, and especially the idea that Diego has an advantage for being surrounded by better players. Similar logic comes often on hazard thread when he has a quiet game and it does not work for me there either. Being a big player in a smaller club *can* make you look a lot better than you actually are: there are so many examples that it would take a whole thread (Carrol, Bony, most liverpool players ) While being in a small club can indeed hamper his progress, that's for him to figure out. For us, it is very difficult to know whether Lukaku would've been as effective in the current system, but the evidence is that probably not. What we do know is that Diego works really well in this system, and what we don't know is how lukaku would have. I know imagination is fun and all, but playing at the level Diego has been and as consistently is not easy. I for one cannot make that assumption. It's also very *different* to have the entire team playing to your strengths versus just being a team member. Would Lukaku do as well with far less counter attacking for example? Would he contribute when we have to play against 11 players behind the ball? Not saying he can't, just that we don't yet know.

That's in his favor yes, but fabregas and pogba play deeper than the others in the list. The others have to deal with more contested areas and tighter marking from the opposition. Don't think he was good enough to be a regular for Barca. We need better all rounders in the middle if we want to compete outside the pl.

good result in a tough away match. It would've taken a special game from hazard, costa, or another for us to take all the 3 points, and they were only decent. Luiz and Kante were the best players with Kante edging despide Luiz' fantastic strike - don't think the gk would've caught it either way. I disagree with the majority here and reckon tactics were spot on. Both Matic and Alonso had decent games, as did Costa and Hazard. William and Moses were well below average for me. Moses was a bit better with intent, but too many mistakes. Fabregas had a really good few minutes - should have payed a bigger part for me. Sometimes I think the attack is a bit too lightweight relying on pace alone (except costa). Fabregas helped by adding control and a bit physicality, which was a pleasant surprise to me. That is, by the way, one of the reasons Matic plays... not really a mystery. One might prefer a more technical player, but the manager believes he provides necessary balance and considering the height of the squad, I have to understand his position.