Rusty-Man

The sum of his offensive game is doing a little shimmy before passing back to Ivanovic.

Di Maria is linked too. Would be great taking Oscars place. It won't happen though.

We are linked to Michael Keane and Ben Gibson. Reportedly picked out by Conte but I doubt it myself.

We also need a lot more offensively. Just buying players to add steel and hard work has left us in part in this position where we lack and sort of offensive game plan. The old "Buy lots of defenders and Hazard + Costa" line that keeps getting sprouted is really not clever in my opinion. Your essentially saying have only two offensive players.

A few seasons in mid table will likelylead to many more years in mid table. Look at Liverpool. They spent the last 7 years in midtable struggling to get back to the top. If we fail to get top 4 this year, it's going to be a long while before we compete again.

We aren't even doing that. We are sitting deep and then playing possession football when we get the ball. It's paradoxical. I don't think I have ever seen a new manager come in and show absolutely zero change in style or form the way Conte has. It's been prettysh*t from him up till now. He doesn't seem to even know what he wants to do with the team.

Our problems listed down: . Little goal threat (Only Costa as a consistent goalscorer) .Little to no creativity (Fabregas is the only player who seems to be creative and decisive with his passing and he is inconsistent) . A midfield that can't keep hold of the ball under pressure . No width as both wingers and fullbacks are inverted (Both opposite foot) or old and past it . Defenders who can't handle sustained pressure from an offensive side and lack organisation . Half the team seemingly wanting to press up high and the other half wanting to sit deep We are a complete mismatch of players that don't fit together. Like a jigsaw for different puzzles just jumbled together. We need much more cohesion in our style and the players we want to sign in the future. We need creative, decisive offensive players. Too many guys like Hazard and Willian doing silly little tricks which don't affect the game. We need midfielders that can hold onto the ball and bridge the gap between defence and attack. We need faster defenders who want to push up and close the gaps between defence and attack. And we also need fullbacks who will offer width and first time balls into the box. About 5/6 players there.

We don't get the ball near the box so he probably won't with us. Maybe another premier league side.

Get rid of 6 players here Cahill Matic Hazard Willian Oscar Fabregas And most of f**king all that w**kers Ivanovic. Just f**k!!!! OFF!!!!

He needs to begin starting games. He is too good not to.

What was the goal like? Classic Tammy or something different?

Calling him a pure defensive midfielder is doing him a disservice. Sure, he was a big part of their defence, harrying and winning balls all over the place but when they attacked he was often bombing forwards with them and helping out in attack. He was everywhere, in attack and defence making both offensive and defensive contributions in all phases of play. That's where the joke about water covering two thirds of the earth and Kante covering the rest comes from. In my opinion, the way he is being played at Chelsea is not utilising his full capabilities. He is currently the holding player in a midfield three more akin to Busquets role at Barca. I would much rather he played in Matic's role at the moment which is more like his role at Leicester.

There is no such thing as a pure defensive or holding midfielder in a 4-4-2. Both players have to cover too much ground and offer in all phases of the game compared to a three man midfield. Kante was always giving support in attack, drifting out wide to the left and getting forwards. Just watch these 17 minutes and tell me he was a holding midfielder who was unadventurous going forwards: To me, a holding midfielder is a player who holds his position in front of the defence and screenseldom them when the opposition attack/counter. In a possession side, a holding midfielder is also an out ball for re-circulation of the ball when the team are in possession. Look at Busquets for Barca as the perfect holding midfielder. He sits in front of the defence and shields them from attacks, rarely charging forwards himself. He is also a huge part of Barcelona'so possession game, helping shift the ball from side to side and work space from deep. That was how Matic played for Chelsea and is the job of a holding midfielder in a midfield three. Kante translating what he did in a midfield two to a midfield 3 would be the box to box player, winning the ball back and charging forwards to support the attack. Kante should not be doing the job that Busquets is doing but rather the job Matic is currently being asked at Chelsea. Vice versa for Matic who is at his best when he can sit in front of the defence and predominantly break up the play and sit as an out ball in possession. People compare Kante to Makelele but I always felt he was more akin to Keane. An all rounder midfielder who was a defensive monster.

Except it is. Matic played as a holding midfielder in a two man pivoting, first with Lampard/Luiz/Ramires then with Fabregas. He sat back and shielded the defence and seldom got forward to join attacks. That was when he played his best football for Chelsea in his first year. Kante was a box to box player in a two man midfield with Drinkwater as the holding midfielder. He was a big part of Leicesters pressing unit, chasIngleton down offensive players and getting stuck in. He was also one of the main players going forwards, driving the ball forwards on the break. Just watch his individual highlights. The guy got everywhere on the pitch whilst Drinkwater sat in front of the defence.

Considering Matic had his best run of form as a pure defensive midfielder with little offensive duties and Kante had his best form as a box to box player running up and down the pitch all day, it makes sense to play them there. Kante's best attributes are his ability to get up and down the pitch and harrey opposition players. The holding role he plays at the moment shackles those attributes. I also disagree about Matic. In his best period he showed great positional discipline and reading of the game. He was covering for Fabregas whilst also performing in his own space of play for the title winning season. That was his best attribute, his reading of the game and anticipation to break up play despite his lack of mobility.

Matic and Kante are both being played incorrectly. If you play both, Matic needs to be holding and Kante box to box. Conte is doing the opposite at the moment.

Poyet is a classic premier league garbage manager. Loans young players with talent far above his team and refuse to put faith in them, instead playing experienced donkey's.

Best case scenario for both seems to be you guys getting promotion and loaning him for another season. Don't see why you can't get that in my opinion. Championship seems like as much a confidence league as it is a league of tactics and ability. Get a good run and anything can happen.

What's he been like outside of the goalscoring?

This is on Conte. First big test and he failed.

Yeesh. Hope it improves. Sadly don't think it will.

40 goals I reckon. Championship is piss and any top talented striker would score at this rate.

Strange. That sounds like we have defenders who don't lose their attackers every game at least once. When saying whether he should come back to Chelsea or not it should be liked at comparatively to what we already have. Comparatively he is better then they are.

He is winning me over with every goal. If he keeps up this kind of rate of scoring then he should be in the first team next season. I'm dying for us to have a player come in and have the same impact as Rashford has for United.

He is scoring at a fantastic rate. However, his goals have all been scrappy and in the 6 yard box. Very unspectacular which is what I always feel with Abraham. I don't know if he has the quality to make it it at Chelsea.