robsblubot

Hard to understand why Oscar comes along over and over again in this discussion. KDB was a youngster with loads of potential before he went to germany where he polished his game returning as the real deal... very common tale. I know I know same age, but Oscar was just at a different stage of his career. Jose and whoever accepted his plea to sell KDB were dead wrong and it's actually hard to find ppl who sided with Jose on that one. At the very least you have to have options in a squad and that's what we've been lacking for so long. If players have slumps (like last season), the team has a slump (like last season). Now if you think KDB can do the B2B and the tackling that Oscar does, you are a fan and a fan of the wrong team, I'm sorry to say. Concerning Mata... IMO Jose was right in selling him esp for the amount of money we got. I am really not a fan and to me he was a one trick pony who can give you that moment of magic for a minute and be a liability for the rest of the game - a player for a different era. Not contradicting myself, he'd be an interesting player to come off the bench, but his reputation and wish was to be a starter.

And he did have a pretty bad game. Completely clueless as to when to pass and when to finish, doing the wrong thing or neither most of the time. The resolute fans complain he did not receive the ball, but for a great player (that he is) he's not that great finisher, so I'd be far more interested in how many passes HE MADE. And that is where he disappointed me... perhaps he was a bit selfish having had a great game before, and tried too hard to solve the problems on his own. However, that's what great players must have: the discernment as to what to do at a particular time to best help the team.

obvious and multiple fouls on him for me and anyone really. However, and it is a big however, there was no reason to incur into that risk. There was no reason to wait and/or invite the pressure that caused it. I don't think he's done it on purpose, nor was it a mental mishap. Rather, it was just Gary showing his technical limitations: it just took him a bit too long to fully control the football there. Smart players see that and exploit - it will happen again.

perhaps... but that has nothing to do with matic.

what mistake?! Are people that crazy around here? If he's supposed to win those tackles on every match then we are fucked!

good performance with a great assist on top of it and under pressure too. Great defensively helping with possession and interceptions. Another player who can do no good for this god forsaken forum.

had a good game against Swansea - helped provide the complete domination we had until the mishaps. Guy is just disliked here for no reason - yes he has to play back because he lacks final third quality but that's hardly a fault, but rather a characteristic. Kante is just as bad going forward if not worse.

^^ true Oscar is absolutely incapable of playing with his back to the goal, which a CAM must do from time to time. He must be facing the opponent goal at all times, making runs from the midfield, and that is what a number 8 should be doing, like Lampard used to do. I can certainly see him growing in his new/old role. many positive changes with conte - good stuff so far.

I disagree that losing concentration is DL deficiency. It's his mentality which includes not only concentration, but also positioning, and decisions. He brings fantastic technique for a CB, but at some hefty cost. I hope Conte can help David become a better player; something I was sure Blanc was incapable of doing. 3 in the back in the PL would be very interesting to see... Personally I think it's going to fail big time for two reasons: width and (mostly) pace. I share Jose's opinion in that a back four is the best way to cover the corners of the pitch and provide constant double covers without needing to shift player's positions. Something that we are completely incapable of doing as Kante is our only deep midfielder with pace Oscar has some. Matic and Fabregas are slow and Mikel completely immobile. The defenders, aside from DL himself lack pace tremendously. 3 in the back can work. I've seen fantastic teams play like that, but it demands all mobile players both in defense and midfield and we just haven't got them.

correct Thiago had been suspended after picking up a silly yellow a match earlier - Thiago was breaking down in a different way. The players were under tremendous pressure especially considering that was one of the worse brazilian sides I've witnessed-and I've seen pretty bad ones. Had they played anyone of quality prior to the semis and the worse would've been avoided. The particular problem of the partnership of luiz and thiago is actually very simple: they are both the same player, ball playing CBs and very technical. Both make tons of mistakes, but Luiz has the crazy hair.

he wasn't great obviously but people who see the game know the game was lost (and is won) in midfield. He should've had the discernment to know he should've stayed back to avoid the worse, but that's exactly the thing he lacks. His importance in the outcome of that match is greatly exaggerated.

sorry but that's unrealistic. there is nothing in the past years that imply we can compete with the clubs you cited. All it shows is that we *must* find "the finds" if we are to have a chance at competing. Buy younger and if the player develops into a star, great! if not, no worse than today and you try again. (btw Conte's saying is disingenuous: players aren't just better or worse than others, they are different having different virtues and deficiencies) we approach the transfer market as a huge club would, but we just aren't one.

while I agree with your overall idea that DL return isn't terrible, I do about our staff though. A wide gulf separates the likes of of djilobodji and koulibaly... do you rate ageing terry, cahill, and ivanovic so highly that only a 50m CB could possibly replace them? I speak for myself, but I sure don't think we need 50m buys to improve the team. However, I do think Chelsea staff indeed need 40-50m buys to improve the team, and that worries me. Yes Kante was great, but he wasn't a find! he couldn't be any more on display - it was just a matter of convincing him of the project (Conte did that) and paying him enough to match the opposition. What I want from chelsea staff is to find the already good players (not kids) who can immediately contribute and then improve eventually becoming important players. Not to only go after the key players of the other top sides, that's just too easy and difficult at the same time.

that's why both are only good players, not even great. One could argue that Luiz characteristics are rarer especially in CBs, which could give the team an edge, while another may say it Cahill's composure is a better quality. My take is that they are at about the same level, despite being completely different players - both well below what JT used to be.

fair enough but just don't praise Emenalo for taking favors from the likes of Kia...

wow! Give the man a medal! So Emenalo in Kia's pocket, one of the sleaziest agents out there (actually he's not a licensed agent)... His stuff in MSI (2004-07), which brought Tevez and Mascherano to Corinthians in Brazil was the most obvious money laundering event ever.

I've changed my opinion on him a couple of times and have finally reached a few conclusions that perhaps showcase how I see him: 1. David Luiz is rarely average: he either stands out as one of the best performers or he has a shocker. Don't fool yourself: he had fantastic performances against us twice! His shockers are rare, but not as rare as they should be though. 2. (because) David is a really stupid player on the pitch: he's either 100% physically and mentally fit in which case he plays his best, or he has a shocker because he can't adapt his game to different conditions (e.g. niggling injury and/or a special opponent with certain characteristics). He's a very technical player - I'd say he's the CB with the most technique in the world by a fair margin. I've seen him play live and his first touch and passing are truly special especially for a CB. He's a terrific passer: short and long. In the end Jose was more right than wrong: David did very well in CM under him and I thought both Brazil and Blanc misused him in that they never attempted to play him there - even in tough away games. Blanc had marquinhos asking for minutes and never (or rarely) used Luiz in midfield say against barcelona in Spain... that's blanc (the other french wenger) . On one hand I dislike this signing because I don't rate him highly enough as a CB. As a rotation player however, he becomes more interesting because of his ability to play in the middle and even cover as a fullback. It really depends on how Conte is going to use him. Any change that can potentially make Mikel play less is a good change in my book as I honestly think Mikel is a team-breaking player - he should never play. Though now I am worried about Chalobah a bit. I'd have preferred a different type of signing, perhaps two specialists (the Marcelo guy and a proper CB), but I guess as a panic buy (yes it was!) Luiz does provide cover we did not have. Emenalo and cia never fail to disappoint. I wish to know how they are rated come end of the season, but I suspect it's more towards money than anything else.

Conte is very italian as is his playing style. Fabregas will have a hard time playing for Comte and since I am not a fan of Fabregas, that works for me. Reckon that players with low intensity won't see many minutes. It's a long season though. Really can't think of anything wrong with his starting lineups to be honest. It's still not good enough to challenge for anything, but that's hardly his fault.

Kante is indeed an excellent player, but we already knew that. Our defense line is still pretty poor in quality and numbers... some of the passes from the back are just fucking awful. Need a ball playing cb asap. I don't we played that well especially in the first half. Much better in the second, but the schedule has been very nice to us and the opposition, esp today, so very poor. Not entirely sure we can challenge top4 without signing players.

Bingo! Can't double team with fabregas who has no energy nor power for the task. can certainly discuss matic against his peers, but the odd one to fit any system is always going to be fabregas.

Opinions vary and I wouldn't call it the classic version, but it's considered the one with the best match engine: actions on the pitch resemble more the real thing. I don't play it anymore (last was 13) but tried the demos. personally I don't buy them because it's basically the same game, with an updated roster at full price - makes no sense. So when feel like playing I just download a roster update for the database. sorry for the OT. Think we have a FM thread where latest versions are discussed. on de Vrij, acquiring someone after a bad injury can be a good strategy to get a better deal. However in this case he would be a gamble because it sounds like he has chronic knee problems in which case only if heavily discounted/loan.

Interesting player all rounder as a defender and can even cover in rb. of course never seem him play in RL but I did sign him in FM... (2012 as I am a purist)

It is indeed a monumental challenge to improve on the likes of ivanovic, Cahill, and mikel.... Most players start as average players; some improve and some improve a lot becoming world class; scouting talent pertains discovering the players with true potential before they show it to the world. Have you realized that what you say is a vicious cycle? The moment a player becomes world class, he has a lot of options and we don't seem to be able to compete with the other top clubs, but we also don't play the odds with unknown players, so we do nothing... And hence miss out on the players about to become world class.

Liverpool has made an offer for gremio's Luan (23). 35m pounds apparently but barca is also interested. very interesting player: plays 2nd striker or winger with a lot o movement, great footwork, and a few goals on top of that.

Just curious about whether it's too costly or difficult to find a homegrown gk even a 3rd one?