Leif

Some people think Roberto Carlos was one of the greatest. But they don't watch enough Chelsea games. Because if they did, they'd know history has been re-written.

I feel more than ever, that Matic really was an important signing since he took us from mediocre to good again, but shifting him on is required to go from good to great. It's sad because I like bringing players 'home', but that said, it's not like the guy was ever idolised before he left, I'm sure he feels as at home here as he would at Bayern or Atletico for example. I would do whatever we can to trade him in for a declined Vidal. The brain is the difference between these two players, not pace or strength, so let's keep winning and do what we have to do. Though, I doubt it. He isn't abysmal enough to be moved on when you consider the context in which we bought him last time. Too much pride would be swallowed to admit he's simply not good enough, even without him being downright dreadful. I'll never forget that win over United once we bought him though. That was a season in which I had 0 confidence vs. the big teams, but he ruled that game. He elevated us. He was truly great.

If there's 1 thing I've learned regarding football transfers, it's buy all of Atletico's keepers, avoid all of their strikers, if you're Chelsea post-Abramovich takeover.

I haven't answered my own question here, but the longest PL streak at least, was 9 games by United, I'm not sure when. We didn't manage that, we got 6 games without conceding. But still, 12 cleanies out of 15, not sure if anyone else has gone quite that far.

He's like the friendly, warm Mafia boss. He's like a dad to you. He always showers you in compliments, cars, motivation. But you can see that in those eyes, that if you do cross him, it's nothing to him to have you disposed. He feels so confident in his own shoes that if you were half an inch from his eyelids he wouldn't blink. He knows that before anyone even touches him, he has power over them. What a boss. I want to come up with a Conte tattoo that isn't stupid. It's gonna be hard but will be done.

I'd be happy if someone could find records of any other team in the Premier League, Italy, or Spain having 12 clean sheets out of 15 or so games. I haven't heard of such streaks personally. Not from Barcelona, Bayern, United, etc. The only 2 teams that I imagine could've achieved this in modern times is City/Juve, but, I see nothing online.

Ba was twice the player Bats is. Remy, around 1.5x the player. These are not elite strikers. Yet they're head and shoulders above. Not good.

3 6 9, Marco's fine

This commentator is loony, no idea what Chelsea supporters think. Saying he loves what Hazard does there, since most players would shoot, but he lays it off. We all would have wanted him to shoot if that goal didn't go in!

Good of everyone to applaud Oscar's first goal in China.

He's only 19 yet Bristol City fans say they've never loved a player more.

Aside from perhaps Klopp, I doubt there's a warmer manager to be around (Conte). He will keep everyone calm, focused, and I'm sure they don't care about these things even a fraction of the amount we as fans do. To them it's probably nothing, maybe even funny when there's a bust up. But it's not like there's been a huge row between family members, and now everyone's walking on egg shells.

I'm more excited for this match than I usually would be but it isn't for any reason football-related. I recommend anyone and everyone to start megadosing powdered Vitamin C - it's a gamechanger. This with Green Tea = You're now a superhero. Add Ginseng into the mix? You might be so powerful that you struggle not to turn into a villain. I am so pumped all the way to my penis

Don't get us wrong, nobody wants rid of Pedro.

There could be a chance he actually has a personality disorder like bi-polar or something, many players must, but because of the nature of the game we don't consider that, and thus punish.

Top players have top mentalities. Top players care about their coaches and their club. Taking that and his suspensions into consideration, I deem him average. Bar Torres, in terms of first-choice strikers we've had, he's not even in our top 3 from the past 20 years, and we have not been blessed with that many great strikers compared to other high-profile clubs. If just goals made a striker great, Benzema and Balotelli would be competing for the top honours in a season or 2.

Mourinho actually had a network of agents and whatnot that he'd confer with when scouting potential additions. Not many managers have such a setup. I doubt Conte does, and I believe he'll be exclusively working with the board, hence no leaks, hence no links. We got Alonso out of nowhere last time, and this time again, I believe we'll get someone out of nowhere without the papers linking us.

If the headline were realistic: "I took 3 months just to find my feet in England."

We bought Michy for around 5m less, than what the entire Marseille club sold for at the same time (an American owner bought them not long ago for 45m euros.) (They were desperate to move Michy on, as he was eating up the wage bill undeservingly. Doing so essentially allowed them to be bought, due to complicated matters.) Let me use my favourite word to use on this forum: Lunacy. Merry new season btw, it's Spring here

Ray thinks he isn't good enough. Conte clearly doesn't rate him. Neither do I. How many experts do you guys need before conceding fans know less than people w coaching badges? Everything's a guess with a lot of you guys just so you can chime in with something to say; watch the damn players and learn the damn game *sniffs armpit sweat* And learn some basic ass psychology too so nobody has to explain 'how do u know a player is thinking that? :@' again. This forum is in a shitshow and it isn't because of passioned posters going against popular opinion; it's the complete lack of critical thinking from the majority who champion mediocrity and slate the consistency from our actually good players. Gone until next season, don't banhammer me.

how fucking dare you suggest the manager isn't given 100% reign over transfers you cunt, look at our history, everything was their doing, Emenalo just makes tea, it's not him

I compare to Madrid because despite all of their playmakers, they'd be considered an even greater side, more capable of winning the CL again, by slotting Vidal into their side. As would City, as would Bayern as opposed to having Marco. Playmakers don't win games; strikers and defenders do. Your midfield can look however you want it to look. If we want to rule, we do indeed need players capable of launching attacks, but the idea that a 'playmaker' has to be a central midfielder who plays alongside the main destroyer just pinging the ball around beautifully is bogus. Far too many incredible players are & have been the playmakers for their teams from the wing, or as a 2nd-striker, and that's what we'd benefit from far more. Who was our playmaker during our best 4-3-3 years when we had Lampard-Essien-Makelele/etc? I understand, times were different, but our wingers did then what wingers still do now - they provided the opportunities, while the midfield tried to make sure nothing got past them. There's no coincidence that system brought us more success than any other. If we sign Verratti, sure, we'll have a great midfielder. But do you think Messi would still be hailed as the best in our team? He wouldn't. He'd go downhill, and his weaknesses would be most exposed in the Premier League, just like Verratti. Just like if you take the best action actor in the world, and put him behind the camera of some group & directors who really only have lengthy experience in making chick-flick comedies, you get half-an-actor. We are not the team for Verratti; he would fail here, and again that is why Conte will not go for him. He's not prey to PR. He already knows the player and we'd know if he was interested, which he isn't. As for the man Verratti on the inside; fuck a player who grew up supporting Juventus, wanted to play for them more than any other team, become Pirlo's heir even, yet didn't want to wait the 1 season it'd take for Juve to move some players around to get their funds in order, and jumped to PSG instead (Juve were more interested in him than any other player; he just needed to be rational in his patience.) What a damn weirdo. Even the great Xavi wouldn't work in this system in this league. He'd have his moments over a season but not consistently be one of the top 5 midfielders. So why on earth would the watered down technically, watered down physically, version be better? Because he's more capable at 2-footed tackles? Because the majority say so? The majority who championed Alonso & Bats as greatness?

-_-.....he is nowhere close to De Bruyne's bracket..De Bruyne is literally one of the best midfielders we will see while we are alive. Top 10-15. Bats is not one of the top 30 strikers we'll see while we're alive. My god. Letting him go would be much, much more akin to letting Salah go, come on. Or Cuadrado, actually. Average before coming here, average while here, and will be average once he leaves. Mentality makes or breaks a player, and Michy just wouldn't mind being a great striker - but he doesn't want it, however, so he'll never be it. I can't believe we pulled the trigger on a child who was only ever a starting player for Marseille when they had literally not 1 other senior striker around.

Rakitic to City makes so much sense that this feels like dejavu Bet he won't cost 70m