GoonerSlayer

I agree with Wicksy as well. But it really is a complex question. Hazard is the player producing offensively. Without him, we'd look a lot like Liverpool or other mediocre team in the league. And there aren't that many players we could replace him with. How many can there be? A couple? Messi and who else? Which is very unlikely. If Costa is unable to play, we can still find a bunch of top class strikers, and we wouldn't have to completely change our style of playing. We could possibly get an alternate player to Matic or Fabregas, so we're not that relying on them. When it comes to our CBs, we can see there are some competent defenders out there. The hard thing is to replace JTs presence both on and off the pitch. So I think it is JT and Hazard combined.

I still love Mata. He was excellent at the club, in any way possible. A true gentleman, and obviously intelligent too. There are not many footballers out there earning millions a year, and still has the brains to think about their future when the career is over. He really seemed to love London and the country as well. A professional, and I still enjoy seeing him play well, when not facing us. I would've loved to see him stay at the club, but we're not in the position where you can afford to turn down such an offer for a player that's more suited for the bench. I really hope, and believe, that he will be receiving a warm reception tomorrow.

I don't feel confident at all. The title is still far away, and we'll have to do well against several good sides within just a few games. I don't really believe we're about to let this one slip, but I feel really bad with games against United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Palace and Sunderland coming up. I don't take anything for granted. Having said that, I think we'll perform better on Saturday, than we have been doing over the last couple of months, but I'm not too certain. A win this weekend and a draw against Gunners - then I can feel a little bit more relaxed again.