Leif

To think we could've just gone for a midfield duo of Kante-Fabinho & poured money into an elite winger for the right side. We'd still be lacking, but at least we'd play good football. In fact with that duo, we'd be solid enough to revert to our signature 4-3-3. It was a stale formation, and i was so glad to see us adopt something new - but it could even be time to bring it back now, if not another brand new formation (we can only get more attacking from this point on...right?)

And please, let's not forget he's played beside Kante, he's played beside both Kante + Luiz, and was equally a nonchalant (not a compliment) pedestrian for the most part. Is Cahill bad because of Alonso? No. It's because of Cahill. Bakayoko doesn't underperform because of Fabregas. He just underperforms even more when paired together. Kante remains top of his game beside Fabregas usually. It takes more effort, but he does it, because he's very good. Bakayoko isn't very good.

I don't think anyone at all could name even 1 midfielder in the history of European football who went from unable to pass well at 23, to growing into a 'woah, good pass' type. He'll forever fuck up if he has the ball. Right now I'd swap him for Ramires. Hazard right now and throughout all his time here, has been a similar level to what he was at 23. Courtois too, similar to when he was 23. Morata, same level as when he was 23. Cahill, similar level as his 23 year old self, surely, and then Azpilicueta too. This idea that a 23 year old player can become twice the player they currently are...that's something i've only seen happen at Barcelona, & with the greatest strikers to ever touch the game.

True. Which is why we should've signed Llorente (NOT sending Bats out on loan), and started trying Conte's (apparent) favoured 2-striker set-up. Chelsea for as long as I've supported have seemed allergic to playing 2 strikers up top. Even with Drogba+Anelka on the pitch, Anelka would be played as a damn winger.

We're expecting performances fitting of Premier League champions. If you don't bring that, you have no right being on the pitch. We also expect players to use their initiative to improve once upgrading their company to the likes of Hazard, Kante, Azpilicueta, Courtois - not stay as they were a whole year ago, possibly worse. This 2nd part is enough to show he hasn't got 'it'. If he can't improve on his own in a year, if being around better players doesn't improve him, if being under a better coach doesn't improve him, ageing won't. So we're rightfully frustrated at the board, considering some of us said with confidence that Fabinho was the only option we should consider for central midfield from that Monaco squad. Bakayoko has the mentality of a clown. A pedestrian. A boy. And, in fact, we don't expect anything more than this. This is exactly what I expected before signing him, and this is exactly what others now will continue to expect from him, rightfully so. Imagine waiting until 25 years old for a 40m player to just be consistently decent. This deal must come under scrutiny; all parties on our end must. Edit: And not signing Fabinho was nothing but an oversight. Why wouldn't the board want a finished product, who offers more, at the same age? Where on earth is the logic in signing Bakayoko for what would be the same sum, at the same age, because he's not a well rounded player? Does being shit magically mean you have acres of room to grow? Edit 2: Carpal tunnel coming soon

I've never seen a Chelsea player so in need of a senzu bean since Torres.

Give him time x He is young x He is in a new league xx - But Roma aren't in the Premier League. So is it just his age now?

The thing I thought the other day is, Morata has never been the main guy. I don't mean the elected starting striker, but even when starting games for Juventus or theoretically Madrid, there were other goalscorers beside and behind him, players you expected to score just as much as any striker - and Morata would feed off their shots, often hitting in rebounds, or just strolling around the box once it's congested with other dangerous players being marked. He was always underestimated by opponents. Him being so clearly the main source of goals for our team completely changes the dynamic which teams approach him with. They just have to focus on him, and they stop 80% of Chelsea's goal threat. At other clubs, they would've been mad to focus on marking Morata, since it'd leave the likes of Ronaldo, Isco, Tevez free. Morata works best as part of the firepower, not as the firepower.

David beats Goliath because David has vision. Goliath is just big and careless.

Have to respect the fact our players haven't just sat down in a hippie circle and refused to play after that goal.

#WhatWouldGuusDo

Their midfielders are weaker than their wingers; their central defenders weaker than their full backs. We should be attacking down the middle. Bats up top with Morata; Hazard behind them; Pedro into a wing back role; Willian in a midfield 3 with Fabregas & Bakayoko. Something like that would get us 3 goals I think. It's shocking that we never play Willian as a standard central midfielder.

+ the players aren't dumb; they have different levels of confidence depending on who they play with. Knowing you have to look after Cahill is stressful. He's our only defender, player even, who reeks fear.

It's time we define for our own sanity why we think Cahill plays. I don't want to just say 'the board', but I do imagine that, considering the board essentially made him captain, there'd be a lot of politics involved in dropping him. Even if unfounded, I imagine they'd theorise it'd be bad for squad morale; bad that there's no Englishmen playing; insulting to undermine their decision that he's captain material. If you sell Cahill to Arsenal, and Conte takes over, he doesn't play Cahill. If you sell Cahill to Liverpool and he shows his consistently dire form, he gets dropped for a youngster. It's not the manager, it rarely is with us. We've had too many worlds-greatest managers for the same exact flaws to keep falling on our lap. There's no way all these managers are bringing in different positive approaches to the last, but the same negative mentalities as the last. You can't convince me that, if sat in a room together with no recording devices and a bottle of whiskey, Jose & Conte wouldn't take the piss out of Cahill when rating the players they've worked with. And the friction each and every manager has with the board - why do they have it? It's certainly not because of the youth recruitment policy or what's served for lunch.

Any manager in the world at our helm wouldn't be integrating Christensen, despite him deserving to be, and I don't think it's because they doubt his quality. Games like these make me look at the top & wonder if it's simply something of a long time coming. A midfield with no chemistry, our 2nd-best central defender rarely playing (IMO), no top quality wing backs at all despite a wing back system, no alternative to Hazard if & when he's injured. These aren't unadulterated Conte desires. He's too smart. He does not want to play Cahill. He does not think Alonso is good enough. He did not scream for Bakayoko, and he does not believe to his bones when he looks at Fabregas, 'That's the player I want for my system.' He deserves a damn mini-statue for last season.

This is embarrassing. They get absolutely none of this vs. the teams on their level in Serie A. And that's because they're usually attacked relentlessly wave after wave, pressed back constantly. The way we invite chances is unique to only us.

He's having to do everything alongside Cesc Which adds to the lunacy. It makes no sense.

When did we last get this many crosses & shots on?

Signing Bakayoko and having him stand in the centre launching long passes, is the complete opposite of the box to box player who'd run with the ball for Monaco.

Agreed. Never had link up play like this though. I mean he just passed the ball like a maestro half a minute after laying the ball off like only Drogba could.

Conceding a goal in the first minute is a lot better than the last minute, we can take solace in that.

Dzeko is basically Drogba this season. He deserves so much more praise.

That was really beautiful. Never see anything like that from our forwards. I loved it and hated it.

+ it's damn shambles that we have Kenedy on our books. The guy should be a high-flying skill merchant dribbling past 11 players at once in La Liga or Serie A. Our arrangement is bad for both parties, and he's a player I know we'd love if he was at another (the right) club.

Personally would've played Azpilicueta as a left wing back with Zappa on the right. Neither would let anyone really get behind them, meaning no chasing to do for Fabregas, in theory. I really like Azpi on the left.