robsblubot

It's just too late for the big name signings. Unless their club already got a replacement, they simply won't let them go for anything but an absurd amount of money. At this point, the most attainable players are aspiring/younger ones, but even those, the better ones, have been moving to other clubs. Sadly this squad as it is simply can't challenge for anything and is a couple of injuries away from another fiasco. I honestly never seen anything like it... you can compare us to liverpool or arsenal, but when they had their down seasons, they still had abundance of players: all they needed was a couple of youngsters deliver to challenge (like liverpool did at one point). We on the other hand, do not have the number of youngsters (to play the odds) and neither do we have the overall quality in the senior players.

Yes, it would indeed be somewhere in the middle if one values the options here and facts, equally. I for one would gladly revise my opinions of certain players in the squad had they received a 20m+ offer from a club like juventus, but that's just me.

There is only one way to assess whether a manager rates a player or not: does he play? jose would say the most wonderful things about mikeI, and yet mikel did not play much under him. Managers cannot diss the players publicly because they are not his assets - they are the club's.

no I am not saying Lukaku does not want to leave - he might want to move to a bigger club which might be difficult for him atm. I have to hold the club to some level of respect. If we sell a player everyfuckingbody thought had potential for 28m, and then buy him back for over 60m after he hasn't really blossomed or done anything especial, it is not just bad business, it's ridiculous business. My point of view is that this squad is still very weak and we are a couple of injuries away from 10th place again... YMMV

wanna away to where exactly? As far as Everton knows Lukaku might not get a better deal (wages) anywhere else. It's not like any other big club has shown interest in signing him... In business you don't go asking for a raise for no reason - you go to your boss either because you've done something important or you've got an offer. Can't think of anything important or special Lukaku has done lately so, I must still believe he was shooting for the latter. And these guys are under long-term deals with high release clauses which makes losing them ever harder. That's what agents do for a leaving - spread rumors on behalf of their clients (usually along with the moaning of the players). The better ones have contacts in the press and use them often. You may think this is a different case, and that's fair enough, but I think it looks exactly like what I've seen 100x before: the usual way agents play the tabloids and papers.

ha! oldest trick in the book!!! Agent instructs player to declare interest in joining bigger club because <insert random reason here>... papers duly ride on the 'info' for weeks if not months until his club offers a new deal 'to keep him from the clutches of <insert bugger clubs's name here>' Only club screwed in this: Everton Personally I am glad because I don't think Lukaku is a very good player.

completely traumatized by watching mikel play from the bench.... will need a good shrink at Juve.

regardless of his overall technique - which is debatable and varied erratically over his short career - for me he is useless without his workrate. So, I tend to believe that the leaked comment from Conte, or another coach, was just a warning to Oscar: he seemed to have noticed it. Ironically his work rate was his only virtue very often under Jose. I'm Ok with mikel leaving without any replacement because IMO anyone can replace him - Chalobah for example is already a better player and just needs minutes to prove it. Though concerning Oscar, I agree with Juan Mata that he should only leave if replaced by someone better. No, if memory serves, both Cuadrado and Moses were just as average if not worse than Oscar's worst moment, so not as easy as it sounds. BTW, even though I questioned the overall idea that RLC was going to be a starter this season, pretty out there tbh, I've been nothing but scared by his performances or lack thereof. So, no RLC at the moment, does not seem like a useful player.

interesting match that showed the gulf that separates (most of) the youngsters from (most of) the senior members. the match would've been a lot more entertaining had the clubs agreed to play the younger folks in the same half though. On the other hand, it was a good to pit them against their senior opponent to see what they could do... not very much. Caveat about the second half is that the opposition was a lot weaker, so anything good should be taken with a grain of salt. Same goes for the disappointing performances in the first, the opposition was a lot stronger.

I really want to believe what you wrote and trust that the club has that vision, and yet I just look at out squad and we have a 30yo glorified bench warmer making 75k a week. regardless of what I think of him as a player, I think that in itself is very telling. I'd rather watch Chalobah, but that's just me I guess. Watching the WC like everyone else, I saw Cuadrado, mr square, and thought he was awful. Like Barbara described Moses: no technique just power and pace. Well to me cuadrado is like that minus the power (the upper body str). I challenged someone last year in that RLC will be nowhere he starting xi and I still think very few of these younger players will be part of the squad. If they can't deliver against liverpool's third team then I guess the club shouldn't really trust them... i guess we will find out soon enough.

I know... but at the end of the day it does not seem the club trusts our youngsters that much as they don't encourage the managers to use them. There are youngsters and youngster and they simply don't think ours are strong enough to produce consistent performances in a tough league with a manager constantly trying to prove himself. I've come to realize that these type of players is as good as it gets... at least moses is not 30... yet.

While I agree with your assessment of moses, I think the squad has been so thin lately that I find it difficult to wish players to be gone (couple of exceptions). I'd describe Cuadrado exactly the same way: zero technique, just running. At least Moses is strong while Cuadrado is easily outmuscled out of plays.

you keep reading things I did not write... 'in the same fashion' wtf? it is very easy to dismiss someone's point by saying ' don't give a rats ass about...' Kinda childish too. when did I say, in my original post that you disputed, that kante is not pacey, that he does not read the game well ... That he is not a great player?! what I said and maintain is that he cannot do certain things that taller and bigger players can, esp in tight spaces where his running won't help much. Such as aerial game ! that matic and kante are complementary because they have different virtues and deficiencies.

That's called an analogy. To make a point weight and height play a big part in sports like it or not. Dunno how you got the idea of changing the game from it... Yes the players I lost the football to were indeed better than I Because they were stronger! I got outmuscle out of plays by bigger fellas.... Not that hard to believe is it? Now if you think that can't happen, nothing else to say really. yes had I had better technique I might have been able to avoid that, but that's the compensating part-given same technique physically wins. really don't understand why you are going on an on kante tbh.

The fact that you found my point funny suggests we should stop discussing as we strongly disagree on this one. And you conveniently ignored the other points I made, about height and aerial disputes. there are infinite types of disputes that lead to no foul that favor the stronger/taller player, depending on refereeing style and league. I've lost the football countless times to players who were not more technical or faster than I, just taller and stronger. YMMV. PL is also known to be a league where power plays more of a part than in other leagues. Yes, you can compensate with a lot of technique. That's what Barcelona and Bayern do, but we are as far from them as Leicester is from us. Leicester city will come again and again as example to be followed, and I strongly believe it should not be.

he does and so did Ramires.... while Yaya looked mostly bored, he still came out with the football most often than not. I get that Kante is fearless just like Ramires was, and Kante can play football too (unlike Ramires)! Look there is a reason Boxing has divisions by weight. And then there is the aerial game which cannot be compensated by will alone - NFL prob proves that point well enough. clubs are well aware of these details and make sure they have a squad that has few limitations, being power, pace, or height. The PL is especially affected by virtues other than technique, or at least that's the rumor. We are already on the short side, so letting Matic go would only made sense if we had adequate replacement.

I don't disagree with your assessment of Kante's virtues. However, he is short and he will lose on the aerial duels and power, however an athlete he may be. Mass has little to do with athleticism: it's physics. We are talking about a 6'4" vs a 5'7"... a potential 20lb make it 30lb weight difference (matic is not skinny either). Sometimes the game won't allow Kante to get there first.... So, I do disagree concerning tight spaces and decisive games: I've seen yaya destroy our players too many times to not understand how power works in tight spaces. Until David Luiz was put in midfield and then Matic and Luiz together, we got overrun over and over again. Also, your general opinion of matic does not match the data: according to most here he's neither skilful, pacey, nor athletic. So, how on earth did he manage all those MotM for us? Reckon you are using, like many here do, last season too much when remembering what he does and did. Some players are forgiven for last season, others aren't. I have no problem with matic leaving if we get a proper replacement for him. Otherwise we will end up 10th again (give or take a few positions).

Imo little to do with athleticism. matic is a big fella with a lot of power while kante is short and lightweight. matic has a lot more chance to come out with the football in a dispute with yaya in tight spaces for example. btw in highly contested finals/decisive games - in all team sports actually - power > pace. different players that should complement each other really well.

people make it out to be a lot less dynamic than it actually is. Fabregas would be moved up but not that much... same as what they've tried to do with Oscar, but failed for one reason or another. Yes, on paper it is a pivot, but if a team only has 2 midfielders they'd get destroyed every time. Our best moments in the winning season were when everyone was pulling their weight - even oscar, so that opponents had no space and were allowed no time on the ball. Kante is far more technically gifted than Ramires was, so I think we are going to be a lot stronger in that area - matic staying or replaced by someone of the same caliber. However, I am a firm believer of the weakest link in football. As an (mediocre but pacey) attacker, I used to seek out weaker players (not that hard just move to where they are) and avoid the good ones: ex guy has a poor first touch, stay close; he's slow? run past him; can't read the game? movement... and unfortunately our squad has still just too many weak links that will be found whenever we face tough opponents - so no, not contenders yet.

Ramires with technique - both short and long passing range. fantastic signing even if far from enough to become contenders.

Matic did not have a good season for us - he had an amazing season and a very good half season. imo if mikel plays we are fucked - does not matter if it's a few minutes or an hour; good players will seek him out and skip past him. Not to mention our overall play against good sides gets too slow. with kante we still need a powerful player and matic has delivered before so he certainly can do it again. If not, we need a replacement in he same mould as kante is pretty small and lightweight - he needs space and does not do s well in tight spaces.

Slowness especially of movement is the only characteristic they share, but strangely enough it's what everybody talks about.

^^ not quite enough. I hope Conte is just being political as he ought to be by not dissing his own squad. If all we sign is Kante and a defender, the 2 he says, we are not top 4 contenders in my book. OK better to say we are questionable top4 contenders - depending on form and injure-free runs.

Only wished Mikel could tackle the way Oscar does... Big fan of Kante myself - need 1-2 more CM (1 if RLC is played there).

he seems to be one of the top coaches out there. Professional and tactically sound! However, none of this matters one bit if he doesn't get the players.