The Conte Thread

[Milan 17,965]

Just now, The Chels said:

Just build a somewhat competent system around Hazard and we're halfway there.

That is something that should have been done a couple of years ago already, including the incoming players. Sadly.

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, Tomo said:

He's making a lot of "tempering expection" comments lately, the type Roy fucking Hogdson made (and was universally mocked for) while managing Liverpool and England.

He even said we're overachieving! I know we don't have a squad like City's but bloody hell. He's seriously asking to be sacked TBH. It's one defeatist comment after another.

[Tomo 21,751]

5 minutes ago, The Chels said:

I disagree. There is a lot of mediocrity in the squad, for sure, but there is also a lot more talent than is being displayed. Just build a somewhat competent and proactive system around Hazard and we're halfway there.

Thing is, Conte did, but has now seemingly ripped it up/got found out.

[Pizy 18,994]

I'm still fully behind him and understand what he's saying. Going a bit overboard with the overachieving statement, though. I think we're right where we should be with this team - a slugfest for a CL place. 

Sadly, it does feel like he'll be a couple of poor results in a row away from the sack for the remainder of the season. Hope it doesn't happen.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

3 minutes ago, The Chels said:

I disagree. There is a lot of mediocrity in the squad, for sure, but there is also a lot more talent than is being displayed. Just build a somewhat competent and proactive system around Hazard and we're halfway there.

Everyone with half a brain was asking for a complete midfielder that can be capable physically, technically and can make quick decisions and forward passes to pair with Kante. We still have a huge hole in midfield with no suitable partner for Kante. Bakayoko and Fabregas are not the answer. It wouldn't have cost us a huge amount of money to sign such a player. If we were willing to spend 40 mil on Bakayoko it shouldn't

This lack of balance is another reason why we've been dilly dallying back and forth between a 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 which has cost us some points/bad results this season. 

It's just crazy how the people in charge of one of the biggest clubs in the world can't see obvious imbalances in our squad. Simple basic shit. Sign a Tolisso.  Someone, a CM of that ilk. Its just weird to me.  I manage my squad better in Football Manager FFS. 

[Tomo 21,751]

4 minutes ago, Jason said:

He even said we're overachieving! I know we don't have a squad like City's but bloody hell. He's seriously asking to be sacked TBH. It's one defeatist comment after another.

Scenes if we win 1-0 at Watford and he brands it a famous victory!!

[Tomo 21,751]

1 minute ago, Pizy said:

I'm still fully behind him and understand what he's saying. Going a bit overboard with the overachieving statement, though. I think we're right where we should be with this team - a slugfest for a CL place. 

Sadly, it does feel like he'll be a couple of poor results in a row away from the sack for the remainder of the season. Hope it doesn't happen.

Unless things get to unprecedented levels of shit ala 15/16 he will still get till the end of the season.

[El P. 1,354]

19 minutes ago, Jason said:

He's approaching Mourinho territory...begging to be sacked.

Mourinho said the same thing when we were 10th at the table. Of course he had no right to say that. Conte is saying that now, when we were 3rd most of the time in the league. And now we are 4th, which still isn't the end of the world. So, not the same thing.

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Thing is, Conte did, but has now seemingly ripped it up/got found out.

I know it's easy to say this now but one of my main concerns when we got Conte was his lack of tactical flexibility. After the formation switch last season, I thought that concern was unfounded. Turns out that I was right to have that concern to begin with. Has consistently stuck with the back 3 this season, even when it's clear that it's not working and when we are chasing games! No change to a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2. It's always just 3-5-2 or 3-4-3. No wonder we have become so predictable to watch, as predictable as us giving the ball to Ivanovic and watching him put aimless ball into the box under Mourinho.

[Pizy 18,994]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Unless things get to unprecedented levels of shit ala 15/16 he will still get till the end of the season.

I don't know. We lose badly to Watford on Monday, fall out of the top 4, and Conte says more defeatist things I think he'll be in danger. Another bad result after that and I think it could happen. With Barca coming and a CL place on the line Roman may feel the need for drastic steps.

[The Chels 2,502]

1 minute ago, Pizy said:

I don't know. We lose badly to Watford on Monday, fall out of the top 4, and Conte says more defeatist things I think he'll be in danger. Another bad result after that and I think it could happen. With Barca coming and a CL place on the line Roman may feel the need for drastic steps.

Hah, imagine. Anyone but Hiddink please.

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, El P. said:

Mourinho said the same thing when we were 10th at the table. Of course he had no right to say that. Conte is saying that now, when we were 3rd most of the time in the league. And now we are 4th, which still isn't the end of the world. So, not the same thing.

4th or 10th, it doesn't matter. Results have been poor of late - only 2 wins in 2018 and 1 of them was in the FA Cup and we're danger of dropping out of the top 4 if this continues. For him to say that smacks of arrogance. He's basically diverting the entire blame to someone else. Why not just admit his mistakes and take responsibility for our problems? Is the squad really playing to its maximum capability like he claimed? Don't think many fans, if any at all, will agree with that.

[El P. 1,354]

7 minutes ago, Jason said:

4th or 10th, it doesn't matter. Results have been poor of late - only 2 wins in 2018 and 1 of them was in the FA Cup and we're danger of dropping out of the top 4 if this continues. For him to say that smacks of arrogance. He's basically diverting the entire blame to someone else. Why not just admit his mistakes and take responsibility for our problems? Is the squad really playing to its maximum capability like he claimed? Don't think many fans, if any at all, will agree with that.

We'll keep the UCL spot, don't worry. Maximum capability without Morata, Fabregas, Willian, Courtois, etc, or with no strikers at all like today, might be losing to team like Bournemouth sometimes, yes. Or having a rough patch, with team which already is training to be a lot better, because they are not enough.

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, El P. said:

We'll keep the UCL spot, don't worry. Maximum capability without Morata, Fabregas, Willian, Courtois, etc, or with no strikers at all like today, might be losing to team like Bournemouth sometimes, yes. Or having a rough patch, with team which already is training to be a lot better, because they are not enough.

I admire your optimism...

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, iceboy said:

 

Christ! If you're gonna post something like that, could you at least ensure it's some credible source?

[The Chels 2,502]

2 minutes ago, iceboy said:

 

It's fake lol

[Supermonkey92 1,428]

If anyone thinks this guy has had any reasonable say over transfers they are gullible. First season didn't have a choice. The club blatantly went for Kante and Batshuayi. Alonso and Luiz as last minute deadline day signings says it all. Same for Drinkwater and Zappscosta. No way he wanted Matic gone. Doesn't even know who the new LB is for crying out loud! 

He sticks to 3 at the back because we would get creamed defensively and Hazard is so bad defensively (as is Alonso) that a back 4 is dangerous. 

Having said that . . . .

Considering how bad Christensen injury is and if the new LB is any good, a back for may be an option now. Rudiger next to Azpi may help. A 3 man midfield is absolutely necessary. Kante, Barkley and toothless Baka or snail boy cesc. Fuck his options are shit

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Another black mark on Conte's record that has been beat to death already  is that he never plays or trusts youth players. Whether its Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, Musonda, Ake. All he wants to do is spend, spend, spend. Well guess what, this isn't 2005 anymore. Those days of Roman's largesse are long gone. The only time he plays young players is in the dying minutes of games or when he has no other choice to do so. The only reason he's playing Christensen is because he fell out with Luiz and Christensen had already gotten his experience in Germany. Conte is not a risk taker at all and has no faith in our academy. 

Another black mark is the awful football. I can count on one hand the amount of games I've enjoyed watching this season. If Conte was able to produce the football a Klopp is doing with Liverpool rn, even if we were 4th, we will chuck it down as a transitional season. There will be very very few complaining. 

So again it's the same complaints we had under Mourinho. 

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

I'm really bored to death of watching "counter-attacking" football and defending deep in big games with sporadic forays into the opponents box. Who is willing to be this is what we see against Barcelona in both legs and City? It's so predictable and lame at the same time. 

[Pizy 18,994]

I think the worst part of this season is that Chelsea doesn't scare anyone anymore. All these small teams play us and think they can get at us and they often have. Burnley, Palace, West Ham, Bournemouth. That's the depressing thing. Is it partly down to Conte's team selections and tactics? Yes. But it's also down to personnel.

When our only consistently dangerous player is Hazard it makes us easy to neutralize. When we have someone as raw and unrefined as Bakayoko in midfield it's easy to play through us. When we have average players in the most important position in a 3-4-3 (wingbacks) we get exposed.

When these small clubs go up against City they're basically demoralized as soon as they step on the pitch and they get blown away. Same with Liverpool's fantastic attacking play. They know they'll be pressed into oblivion by Spuds and it will be extremely tough to play through them because of that. 

Whereas when they play us we don't excell in any particular area and have easy to exploit weaknesses. Teams just think that if they can keep Hazard relatively quiet they can really get after us. I'd love to see us just try to blitz these teams.