The crowded bench of AVB

[BLionheart 516]

Chelsea FC has confirmed the signing of Juan Mata and only personal agreements are still to be met.

Now our front three are expected to look like this :(Mata - Torres - Sturridge)

while our bench will look like this:(Drogba - Lukaku - Anelka - Kalou - Malouda - Kakuta) !!!

that is a little too much as i would rather have a max. of 2 or 3 senior players as subs , and let youngsters like kakuta get their fair chance.

We should let go off at least 1 out of (Anelka - Malouda - Kalou) and that will hopefully be Kalou.

Also i think Kakuta will get very limited chances with the squad that we have now , we should loan him out for 1 year , Lille or Bolton looks good.

De bruyne is expected to join but he is thought to be not ready yet , so going out on loan again makes much sense for me but back at genk doesn't . we should be looking to loan him out but for an EPL team.

Hopefully this year we will witness the end of the Anelkalouda era , and we will start a new era of quick movement and passing from our forwards(Mata,Torres,Sturridge) who if the all have one thing in common then it's their lightening pace.

P.S. I know i will get a lot of stick for this but i don't think sturridge is ready yet to make the RW position his own , i think he will be drifting in and out the team for a while till he earns himself a starting position in our XI .

[Tomo 21,751]

Good thread, although if we don't get another winger i'd say keep De Brune in as Mata's understudy, he's talented and i don't see how being under Mata's wing will do any harm. Kakuta painfully needs a loan move where he is played week in week out.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Hilario/Turnbull

Luiz/Ivanovic/Ferreira

Benayoun

McEachran

Malouda/Kalou

Anelka/Lukaku

Drogba/Torres

Job done.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

I think Malouda should stay for now, he's way better than Kalou and Anleka, and imo he can still deliver, at least from the bench .

Im not sure about Sturridge either, so on one hand i still want to belive he can be a great first RW for us, but on the other hand im praying

for the late late signing of Hulk... but i realy like this player so its not just because of Sturr.

[Madmax 9,219]

I'd keep Kakuta around, I'd definitely consider him as an option for the CAM role, especially since Yossi looks to be on his way. Anelka is in his last year and he's said he won't leave. Kalouda should definitely be off but I wonder if we'd even find buyers for them lol. There are doubts over Drogba's contract situation as well. Lukaku will prove useful during ACoN. Don't think Essien will be registered in the squad, meaning Mata and Modric get a place.

[dave30 728]

i really do think the squad is getting to big . i think its much better to have a slightly smaller close knit squad than have a unhapy big one . alex , possibly malouda , didier , kalou , mikel , and anelka i think we should clear out .

[nadavTKL 1,787]

alex , possibly malouda , didier , kalou , mikel , and anelka i think we should clear out .

Thats wayyyy too much. Only two players should go imo.

[Tomo 21,751]

i really do think the squad is getting to big . i think its much better to have a slightly smaller close knit squad than have a unhapy big one . alex , possibly malouda , didier , kalou , mikel , and anelka i think we should clear out .

After last season's kerfuffle i think we need as big a squad as is humanly possible.

[zolayes 14,489]

I think Malouda should stay for now, he's way better than Kalou and Anleka, and imo he can still deliver, at least from the bench .

Im not sure about Sturridge either, so on one hand i still want to belive he can be a great first RW for us, but on the other hand im praying

for the late late signing of Hulk... but i realy like this player so its not just because of Sturr.

hulk ISNT coming .. Sturridge is here and has earned his right to play

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Anelka or Kalou should leave and that's it.

[eldo 868]

Better crowded than slim.

[Naked Mole Rat 437]

OUT: Anelka, Malouda, Kalou, Benayoun, Ferreira

IN: Mata, Modric (hopefully), Rajkovic

If we can make Torres play on the flanks we can have a pretty manageable squad this way.

[tnchelsea 79]

Yep, we definitely need to get rid of strikers, I think Anelka and Kalou should leave. Sturridge has earned a right to play up front from he's pre-season performace.

[warnie_666 1,081]

No one is going out. They are getting fat pay checks and they r in the last year so they will rot on bench.

Malouda and Anelka are in the last year of contract will leave next season. So would Drogba I beleive we will cash in on him. We will have a sort of exodus next season. Alex could leave too.

Kalou may or may not leave.

But for this season, Kalou, Anelka, Malouda will stay.

Kakuta HAS to go on loan. There is no point keeping him on bench. So does McEchran. They both need to go and play an entire season.

[Term-X 7,891]

Kalou doesn’t strike me as the type of person who wants to leave. He's been here for 5 years, yet still hasn't been deterred by the fact he still isn't first team material. Besides.. who else is going to pay him 60,000 a week?

Kakuta HAS to go on loan. There is no point keeping him on bench. So does McEchran. They both need to go and play an entire season.

Agreed.. Kakuta needs games, a loan at a club like Bolton would only be beneficial for him. McEachran should stay though, he could always be loaned out in january.

[Kojo 4,676]

Well we will have to do it like City, they have s huge squad Abd always leave 1 or 2 good players out of the match squad. I'm just glad Malouda finally has challenge.. This might stop him from undeperforming and knowing he's the only left winger we have now. And Sturridge deserves his chance, he won't be to wide he will be line second striker sort of, he will probably be just behond Torres/Drogba.

[lionsden 4,689]

Kalou doesn’t strike me as the type of person who wants to leave. He's been here for 5 years, yet still hasn't been deterred by the fact he still isn't first team material. Besides.. who else is going to pay him 60,000 a week?

I don't think AVB shares your pov based on recent evidence.

[lionsden 4,689]

I think Malouda should stay for now, he's way better than Kalou and Anleka, and imo he can still deliver, at least from the bench .

Im not sure about Sturridge either, so on one hand i still want to belive he can be a great first RW for us, but on the other hand im praying

for the late late signing of Hulk... but i realy like this player so its not just because of Sturr.

What more does Sturridge have to do to prove his mettle?

[Term-X 7,891]

I don't think AVB shares your pov based on recent evidence.

'Recent' being the key word here..

The return of Sturridge should deduct Kalou from the first eleven (sense permitting).

[francozola 2,040]

I can't see Josh getting too many games, especially if modric arrives. He'll probably get the odd 10 or 15 minutes when we're a few goals up or something. Maybe he shoul go out on loan?