Van Butsen

Wow such news. Welcome to CFC Alexis Sanchez, Robert Lewondowski, Radja Nainggolan, Leonardo Bonucci and Sergio Aguero!!!! What a summer we will have. Amazing.

My feelings are that Conte has tried to avoid 3 in midfield (even when low on players) because he didn't want to lose our creativity up forward as a counter weapon. However the United game was a good indication that you don't need a Willian or a Pedro on to get shots away (and good ones). Baka's best game by a mile, Cesc's best game this season, and Hazard/Morata didn't have to do much defensively. Ticks all round. Could be a defining moment in our season just as last years was with three at the back. Three in midfield!

Fellaini cam on to go against Azpi. It was an obvious change the correct one.

f**king Chels time though ay

Hmm not a huge fan of spelling Christensen like that if I'm honest.

Talking about Dembele and Wanyama. Erikson in a perfect world would be playing further forward than he currently is and in affect is being given a role not too dissimilar to Cesc's at the moment. Would you call Harry Winks depth? I'm almost certain nobody would have at the start of the year. Dele as well, much further forward, not at all like the three players from our team you mentioned. Poch trusts his younger chargers a little more than our recent managers have.

That's simply not the definition of arrogant

I don't buy into this "players are a particular type of player and that's it". You're a footballer and your attributes lend themselves to certain areas of the park but they certainly don't neglect other areas. He could play many positions and has done so all the way through his career.

Perfectly reasonable for him to want to be playing, he is good enough. Hopefully see him back in the future.

Spurs been doing alright with their two primary midfielders out.

This post doesn't make any sense. None. You can't just wish players into a club. That's not how it works. You want creativity in midfield? Fab is not far off the best there has ever been in that regard in the prem. If we are a poorly run club, then point out the better run ones in the last 15 years?

Yep I agree anyway, but only marginally. I think he's been scapegoated above what has been warranted this season and if he had made Rudiger's mistake last night we wouldn't hear the end of it. As such, it's all support and a "learning curve" for Rudiger.

He got hauled off last night and that's when all resistance fell away. I'm not making a case for or against Cahill, but that 100% happened last night. He is the leader and the team do get around him whether we like it or not. Conte in all probability over performed last season and is struggling to match that this season with a couple of damning scorelines not helping. But overall has been a real positive influence on results, the squad and the club and I'm confident he has the experience to implement some result stability from here on.

2015/16 was alright in the end.. easily avoided relegation and put us on the right track for more stable management...

This is what some supporters forget when they call for two more centrebacks before the window closes. It's a really fine line between having a deep squad while having a content squad. They've all seen game time but are any of them happy with where the team is at?

I love it how people now start talking about the loss of Matic as being the reason we are weak in midfield. That's the hypocrisy.

Great call.

If they get to the final they would have played 2 if not 3 absolutely elite teams to do so.

I just don't understand how you can say that line but then say everything else in that paragraph. I'm with you on Baka, I watched plenty of Monaco last year and he was unbelievably. He was powerful and decisive. Most clubs would have wanted him including Conte. Morata was one of the most sort after strikers in the whole of Europe. He has a tidy return for two great teams and was looking for an opportunity to be number 1 somewhere. Most clubs would have wanted him including Conte. We also then added support in the midfield (Drinkwater) who wasn't even the replacement for Matic, Baka was. We added a youthful but highly regarded and already experienced Rudiger to the defense whilst also making tough calls on keeping Andreas whilst selling Ake. That offseason seams perfect. What else could Conte have wanted? If he's going to be the type of manager that wants and wants and wants I'm not sure I like the sound of that. I think he was soundly backed considering we aren't competing with 2-3 clubs to sign players anymore.

Can't escape the good teams in the CL. I think we deserved to lose but I am one of the people who think the game could have gone very differently in the first half. The second half however was particularly poor and was tough to see us without the right-to-the-very-end commitment we usually show. Was El Shaarawy at Roma last year? Seems like Rudiger got a shout on that second goal. Azpi probably his worst game ever for us.

Great opportunity to qualify for the knockout stage with a win and will give Conte some room to give players rest in the last two.

Not playing anywhere near the level he produced at Monaco.

Players aren't one day just going to wake up and be ready though. I think he, like most youngsters, need a regular run in the first team to develop and to have a better idea of their capabilities. That concept seems so foreign to football managers, though it happens in almost every other sport I'm not going to pass judgment after 1 game.

I think the table with lots of data is a truer reflection than a single outlier

We are not doing that well. I'd say "hope for a win" We're 4th and they're 19th?