The only place to be

Stoke have tried to play a less 'physical' style of football since Hughes took over but they've only bought two new players in that time so it's a rather half-hearted attempt. It's left them a little softer than they were under Pulis so I don't think we have to change our game too much on that account. The key would seem to be to maintain width and attack from the flanks which is why I'd stick with Hazard and maybe put Schurrle on the right. Stick Oscar in the middle and let him and Oscar harry Whelan for 90 minutes to disrupt their play and try and put a few goals past them. Everton managed to get four against them and they've lost five of seven away from home.

No-one knows what the situation at this club will be come January, or what players will be available. Things can change very quickly especially on the last day of the window which is almost two months away. So whilst there are provisional plans it's really bizarre for anyone to rule out a purchase altogether.

No-one connected with the club in any capacity knows what will happen.

It absolutely matters how and why. The first was just a lucky ricochet and Terry lost Altidore - I wouldn't expect to see that too many times. The second and third were just cases of the marking at set-pieces not being tight enough. That's something you can work on in a couple of sessions or just scheme slightly differently (having someone like Drogba in the centre of the box may well have stopped both goals). From open play we rarely looked troubled and managed to recover the ball and break on numerous occasions, with pace and accuracy. Let's not do Sunderland down - at home they've shown good recent form since changing managers and we absolutely destroyed them last night. Yes we have some defensive concerns, but we also have midfield concerns and striking concerns because we're still a team being moulded. We won't be perfect overnight but if you actually look at the hows and whys of things, there's really no need for the panic some seem to be feeling.

Sunderland's last three home results were wins over Newcastle, Southampton and Man City. They're a formidable unit at home and we absolutely anhailiated them in open-play. It was just a case of three uncharacteristic errors at set-pieces that led to a bit of tension in the final 8 minutes or so. If you must use the word 'stumbled' then we stumbled over the line rather than stumbling past them. Overall it was one of the most complete performances we've had all season, but sometimes you just ship odd goals.

Cech Azpi Cahill Terry Cole Rami Lamps Schurrle Willian Hazard Ba Schurrle always impresses when he comes on, so he deserves a start. Willian looked exciting and energetic in that central role so could do with another start. Torres should be dropped after yesterday so why not give Ba a run out and Cole comes back in, so maybe we rest Ivanovic.

So you're criticising our central attacking midfielder for drifting into the centre far too often? Quality observations there Toli. Not too sure if the criticisms of Cahill are fair. You could argue that he should be tighter to O'Shea for the second goal but I'm not sure why he was singled out by some. JT simply gets the wrong side of Altidore for their first goal (not the worst thing in the world, and you'd expect Altidore to move the ball onto his right foot not his left) and the third goal is just a mess. Mikel misses a clearance, then Ba isn't tight enough on Bardsley. There's nothing systematically wrong about the goals we conceded - they just look sloppy. We aren't failing to pick up players in the box, but we're not getting tight enough.

Fuck it, I'll say it. That was Ronaldo-esque today. It was everything those who have 'defended' him (more like called for patience) have been saying was on the way and the key is to build on it in the next one. The first goal was exactly what I've wanted him to do all season, and the space Azpi created for him was key to it.

You're having a fucking laugh. Seriously, half the forum seems to have you on ignore, the rest find you tedious so why don't you try changing the fucking record. Having a bash at Lamps and his part in their three goals is desperate, even for you.

Strangely, it was a great performance with some uncharacteristic bad defending at set-pieces. Really nothing to get that worked up over but some will. Eden Hazard was MOTM by a country mile and put in one of the great wing performances I've ever seen in a Chelsea shirt. This could be the point from which he kicks on and fulfils that potential he has. Lamps was absolutely brilliant in midfield. Took his goal well and his assist for Hazard's second was sublime, but he just rolled back the years tonight. Rami had an up and down evening, with some fantastic bits of skill and then some horrendous touches. Thought he might get a red before the night was over. Willian linked everything together beautifully and was full of energy. Mata was a bit quiet to be honest. Some nice touches but still finding his feet in the team. All in all a great three points against an improving Sunderland team, but the positives vastly outweigh the negatives in this performance.

Can't bitch about Lamps so moan about Cahill. Go back to RAWK.

Mikel for Rami please....quickly.

Lamps fantastic. Hazard sublime.

Ba for Torres. Schurrle for Mata. Please.

Great comment and timely. The run from Apzi creates that little bit of space.

Finally. Wanted him to do that all season. The lad is up for tonight!!!

How many players in the world right now could do what Hazard just did?? A dozen? maybe?

So long as Willian stays wide and Mata links the team together well then hopefully this isn't a repeat of Newcastle away. Come on you blues!!

Utter, irredeemable bollocks. 62 pages and we've run out of things to say, so now we're commenting on the way a player moves around the pitch? Ravel Morrison popped his collar up the other day, so be careful you don't see an image of that or your delicate sensibilities may well be offended. Nat doesn't spend his matches running around at full speed like a headless chicken. He's not a midfield engine like Ramires, but not all players need to be. Some have a reading of the game that means they don't have to play catch-up with the play around them and that's what Nat has always had. Suggesting he 'struts' around the pitch and this is indicative of his attitude to the game is utterly without merit though.

The knee injury fucked him. I think he was well on his way to establishing himself in Benitez's team but the injury came at the worst possible time and I still think it's unlikely he'll get another game here but if he continues to impress then anything is possible.

Actually I was suggesting you were sucking up to a particular member, and not for the first time. But if that's what you wanna do then I won't stop you. If you want tactical aptitude then look at what Nat's been through at our academy, going from different play styles to different formations. Personally I've never seen any cause for concern with his 'tactical aptitude' or his 'versatility'. In fact he's always been commended for his 'footballing intelligence' and mental application to the game. It's what marked him out from others at most stages of his development. Either way I think nitpicking between Nat and Marco's ability is just that. It's frivolous and hardly complimentary to a player who is roughly two years Nat's senior.

I've seen Nat change roles in matches and do them equally well. At Watford he would go from a purely holding midfielder to a box-to-box presence and be equally effective, so I've never had cause to question his tactical aptitude. Technically I'd actually say that Nat is vastly underrated. His passing ability is very good, his close control excellent and I've even seen him do a job as a number 10 albeit in the youth ranks. His levels of fitness were prodigious in the youth-ranks as well, and he coped well in his first full season when he was playing virtually every match, so again I'm not entirely sure what you're basing these criticisms on. If you're comfortable with that role then that's fine - lord knows your friend needs help fighting his battles. Being a provocateur seems eminently more entertaining than licking shit to me. Think I've already addressed this. Another point is that Nat is equally comfortable in defence and coming from that position probably has a different appreciation for the work he does in midfield. We're talking about two players who could form a formidable and complimentary partnership in years to come with Nat as our Javi Martinez and Marco as our Bastien. Watford - it's a small place on the outskirts of Northern England.

It's highly, highly unlikely. The club buying him would need to be desperate to accept that because they wouldn't be able to plan long-term with such a clause. The player himself would almost certainly object because they'd probably want a lot more certainty in their career and you've also got to look at the situation at this club. The fact is we own one of the best young keepers in world football and we're dithering about what to do with him.

I disagree having watched both teams and spoken to fans of both teams, as well as people at this club. To say he's 'head and shoulders' above Nat is very unfair to Nat and seems a little 'boot-licky' (not for the first time either). They're different players and both have a lot of quality, but on the ball I still think Nat is a far more composed presence. Marco can look a little skittish at times and even in his limited game time for us he looked uneasy and nervous. It's a shame he didn't get a chance to bed in because he would've improved in my view, but Nat has never really had that until this season. He's always looked eminently comfortable in any situation and I don't see a single reason why this wouldn't be the same at this club. People talk about him needing time to develop but refuse to go into specifics. It's not like he's a Josh who needs to add workrate and physicality to his game, and it's not like he's a Todd Kane who needs to add a bit of quality on the ball. Mentally he's always been a cut above those around him and he emerged as a leader at Watford last season (which is astounding for an 18 year old). To say he isn't 'developed' enough is such a cop out.