Barbara

Morata and Baka should not even be spoken about in the same sentance. One is a footballer and the other is an imposter.

I get you know pal, yeah maybe but Costa (this is going to sound odd) still when he was anonymous and not scoring he wasn't entirely ineffective (sometimes, not all the time, perhaps his fitness played a big part too he always seemed to have wee niggling injuries during the winter and second half of the season). He had a big effect at times even when he wasn't playing great, still occupied defenders, the more aggressive and physical side of his game was a bonus for us as we hadn't had somebody like that since Drogba (although they really were totally different players). Its a real pity Costa and Conte fell out because he has been excellent for Atletico since going back, hes been a huge miss for us although I'm a massive fan of Morata.
Hazard false 9 I agree with, its pointless, Hazard and the team suffers. Plus when Hazard said we don't need another striker because he can play there I was quite shocked because his goal ouput could be better. hes got like 15 for the season in all comps but still think it can be better, not convinced either that hes got that ruthlessness (or maybe you could call it selfishness) that good strikers have. I'm not entirely sure Batshuayi ever did enough to convince Conte though, hes doing good things for BVB but I still think he may struggle to get back in if Conte is still here next year. Maybe he deserved more chances but like manpe said ultimately that first season where Michy rarely played at all until the second half of the season, we went on to win it with Costa having been pivotal, Conte's decisions seemed to work. 
I think at Dortmund Michy will get plenty of minutes, if a new coach comes in here at the summer and we don't potentially pursue a deal for Pulisic from them then odds are maybe he gets a second chance but still slim in my eyes. Giroud for me is a perfect second option (despite him being in his 30s) his game isn't based on pace, he holds it very well and links nicely with attacking midfield players. Morata will be better next season for having struggled during the last 2 months here too, he'll know that he needs to be fitter perhaps because there is no stopping period like Spain and Italy. 

I wouldn't call that unfair if he really did what he believed was the best for the team, and with these decisions we did end up winning the title. What seemed unfair to me were those few times he subbed him on for literally some seconds deep into stoppage time. Unnecessary and humiliating imo.

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Not relative to what the other guy said but I am keen to hear what you mean by 'Conte misused Michy'? Because he did play him and in his right position to which he didn't do anything spectacular. Fair enough hes got something like 20 goals in over 50 appearances in 1 and a half seasons but considering only 7 of those were goals in the PL says a lot.  

the sarcasm is strong in this one^^
Obviously Giroud-Morata is world class strike force and we will need a few signings to upgrade it for the long-term, however they both fit our playing style much more than Bats. This is not only because of Conte. We are a defensive team and we always have been a defensive team that relies on individual brilliance up front. even before 2012 we had Lampard and Drogba and a supporting cast of varying quality, which ultimately determined the height of our success. when we kept Lamps and Drogs fit and scoring we would at least finish 2nd and win the odd cup,  when the supporting cast was robben and malouda and anleka in the only season they were good we would most definitely win the league, too. but we never really were a team of intricate short passes and one-touch football in the final third for a longer period of time. for the last 3 years we had Costa and Hazard doing the same. And this is where Bats comes into play. He is not the kind of player to create his own chances, win games on his own, so he would never be part of this 2man army to carry us season over season. As we play with only one strikerand have done so for ages now this automatically degrades him to the bench. Hazard and friends are used to have a striker to hold up the ball long enough for them to make runs. Bats is really more or less just a finisher. and as long as Dortmund dominate the ball, peg oppositions back that is all they need. We, chelsea, even approach games agaisnt mid-table opposition in a way more conservative way and rightly so, because in the premier league, every small team fancies its chances, gives it a go and may leave a team like dortmund exposed. against BMG which was a shit game, bats limitations were obvious, dortmund were not that dominant and bats struggled to make an impact. the thing is for dortmund, there are like 4, 5 teams in the league which will make the game that awkward for them, in the epl it is almost always like this.

One match against Deadwood Hull and people are convinced.
Chelsea fans have the board and signings they deserve because they are fast to worship mediocre players and even faster to blame the coach, board, and players themselves after a couple of bad displays...
Let's play the guy against Barcelona!!! Seriously?

One match against Deadwood Hull and people are convinced.
Chelsea fans have the board and signings they deserve because they are fast to worship mediocre players and even faster to blame the coach, board, and players themselves after a couple of bad displays...
Let's play the guy against Barcelona!!! Seriously?

I think it's the other way around: Alonso is described around here as a terrible player, who can't defend and can't attack. So, people like me are just saying he's actually a good (to very good) player, who can attack (unless scoring goals is not attacking) and can defend (unless winning several aerial headers in our box is not defending). I posted a video showcasing his long range passing and overall good technique in his thread a while back. If people think it's not consistent enough, or still not good enough, that's absolutely fair. Just denying his obvious and numerous attributes is silly in my eyes.
Anyway, Palmieri looks good indeed.  (still need to consider the level of the opposition though)

Seems like Conte made Moses into what he is at RWB. Got the best out of Pedro. Took Alonso and made him an important piece. Placed Azpi at CB where he has played even better than he did as a full back. Gave Christensen a spot in the team immediately when he deserved it.

So uncovered talent with Moses and Christensen. Won the title yet has terrible man management. Team selection... he literally had to place Moses and Azpi into roles they hadn't played before when he got here and won the title.

Yeah. Again. I agree. He sucks...

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Conte has done a lot of things i don't like this season but you are talking rubbish saying he got lucky with the title last time out.

Agreed. Winning a title in your first year with a team that came 10th the year before sealed that deal. 

Thanks for the amazing insight. I saw The ex-players parading during HT and heard the song, although I couldn't make it out
Idk, I just feel that another team would probably have a whole different level of adoration for Eden.
Also, the real Madrid 'threat' hasn't been there from day one. At least for his first two years it wasn't there. He had a stellar start for us, but somehow it *feels* like the crowd never engaged itself that hard for him.
I notice the ovation he gets when he's subbed, but seeing his talent, quality and years he's been here I expected more...

tt's not confidence. It's his game. He is scoring the same poacher's goals he has been scoring for us. A team that creates chances for the striker and does not require him to create his own will get one of the best fox-in-the-box striker in Europe in Batshauyi. Dortmund have struggled with poor finishing with Aubameyang but they always created enough chances. Now they have a superior finisher. I would have expected Bats to flourish here if we for one would play with more than 3 attacking players of which Pedro/Willian can not really be considered full attackers with the amount of defensive work they do + their offensive output is erraic. Look at Dortmund's lineup. They startet with 5 genuine attacker. Kagawa and Reus in a 3 man midfield, Schürrle and Pulisic as wingers. Small wonder Dortmund create more chances than us.

I never said Batshuayi was treated fairly or unfairly by Conte. But since you brought this up, Bats never gave Conte any reason to play him for consecutive games.

Morata in his worst form is twice the footballer Michy is. Even when he isn't scoring he offers much more.

Thanks for the amazing insight. I saw The ex-players parading during HT and heard the song, although I couldn't make it out
Idk, I just feel that another team would probably have a whole different level of adoration for Eden.
Also, the real Madrid 'threat' hasn't been there from day one. At least for his first two years it wasn't there. He had a stellar start for us, but somehow it *feels* like the crowd never engaged itself that hard for him.
I notice the ovation he gets when he's subbed, but seeing his talent, quality and years he's been here I expected more...

Thanks for the amazing insight. I saw The ex-players parading during HT and heard the song, although I couldn't make it out
Idk, I just feel that another team would probably have a whole different level of adoration for Eden.
Also, the real Madrid 'threat' hasn't been there from day one. At least for his first two years it wasn't there. He had a stellar start for us, but somehow it *feels* like the crowd never engaged itself that hard for him.
I notice the ovation he gets when he's subbed, but seeing his talent, quality and years he's been here I expected more...

Doesn't affect me one little bit. He's shown great loyalty to this team especially since we appear, temporarily I hope, not to be trying to fulfil his expectations. Remember he came here because, he said, he wanted to win The Champions League. We're a long way from having a squad with a realistic chance in that competition. I think Eden has respected our club and deserves huge, and unreserved, acclaim from Chelsea fans.

Well, I understand your point and agree to an extent. That said, when Eden is subbed on or off, for example, he gets a bigger ovation than anyone else. I don't think he can be in any doubt of the affection the stadium has for him.
It's a fact however that the sustainability of a chant has a lot to do with how often, and how persistently it is sung. The song sung most often, and most loudly, at The Bridge is the one which sustains the best: -
#Antonio, Antonio, Antonio Antonio Antonio# sings on a perfect loop. Its end scans seamlessly back into its start. Eden's song, by contrast does not repeat quite so well.
There was a great example of this 'sustainability' phenomenon on Monday night. The day we signed Gianfranco Zola, I envisioned a chant for him to the tune of Lola by The Kinks. I'm not the sort of personality that gets chants started however so I was delighted when the same chant I had in mind (more or less) broke out at The Bridge. That version of it is not, if I say so myself, as good as the way I had worked it out and did not sustain. It was often chanted but usually petered out. In was not until the following chant was taken up that the great man's name reverberated the way it deserved to. : -
When Franco, Luca and Tore-Andre Flo paraded around the pitch at half time on Monday, it was this song which rung out most loudly. There is no doubt that Franco is one of the best loved Chelsea players ever, but there is also no doubt in my mind that his chant was sung most on Monday because it's the best song.
I'd have preferred the following for Eden. I think it would have rocked stadiums around the country. (Phonetically) : -
Aden Azar
(Clap, Clap, Clap)
Aden Azar
(Clap,clap,clap)
Aden Azar Zar Zar Zar Zar
Aden Azar
(Clap, clap, clap)
Ooo-Ooo Ooo-Ooo
Aden Azar....
 
Sung to the chorus of: -
It sustains beautifully and then there would be no doubt possible about our love for the magical Belgian.

Christensen is a far better organiser at the back than someone like Cahill for example. I’m not denying any of the other factors but I genuinely doubt we would have conceded as many goals. Sure, could’ve still lost, but not by three goals against teams like Watford and Bournemouth. I’m not saying Christensen playing equates to us definitely winning, that’s a narrative Henrique had started. 

I genuinely think that his replacement (Cahill) has been a big factor as to why the team’s been conceding so many goals. Of course, Conte and the rest of the players are culpable too but I doubt we concede 7 if AC was playing. 

I'm going to dissent a little.
Olivier displayed the great technique we knew about from Arsenal, showed the lack of pace we knew about from Arsenal and gave a clue or two about why he's here not there. He indulged in our 'flicks & tricks' offence that looks great when it comes off, but is low percentage and just an excuse for the lack of genuinely effective attacking options. He also gave the ball away a lot. That is certainly something that can be cured by increasing familiarity with his new teammates but it is far, far too early to declare his debut a roaring success.
Edit: (After the 'like' by DYC) In short, I'm worried that we're at risk of falling into a honeymoon assessment of Olivier's first start. It would be wrong to deny the positives, but just as wrong to ignore the negatives.

Probably cement lol

Honestly, the match fans never showed him the live he deserves. He doesn't have a standout chant, he's rarely praised during the matches by the crowd.
It's a rare case of Internet fans being more supportive than match going fans.
I know he's laid back, but I really think he was never given the love he deserves.


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Honestly, the match fans never showed him the live he deserves. He doesn't have a standout chant, he's rarely praised during the matches by the crowd.
It's a rare case of Internet fans being more supportive than match going fans.
I know he's laid back, but I really think he was never given the love he deserves.


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