Sun zhi

If they can match the Atletico away performance we should be in for a good result. I think it's the pretty much the same lineup.

Moses for Alonso I think you meant. (?) I agree.

I just hope Conte hasn't gone in with the mindset of getting a draw, with the win a bonus. Not been great again at Arsenal for a while.

A few years too late, I think. For a player who turns 31 in May, doesn't make any sense to pay the 30-40m or whatever it is being mentioned, especially as the physical side is a big part of Vidal's game.

@yorkleyblue fair enough. You've made your points. My views are just the way I see it. @Ernie_blue you've made some good points, imo. No point continuing this. False 9 not my cup of tea. I'll just leave it at that.

Well said. He's done incredibly well for a player who was, if I recall, was originally bought in as a backup/stop-gap signing. The strikers miss chances.. Cahill-bashers' logic: "...the team can't pass from the back because of him, which means the midfielders are under pressure, so the strikers get poor service and they have to rush their shots on goal. No wonder they're missing sitters!"

^ there. That reads a bit better. ; -)

I know some don't mind seeing it, but for me the team looks a lot better with a proper striker on. This false 9 business reduces Hazard's play to flicks here and there, and the overall play lacks genuine threat. I'd rather not see the team: A) Pass it around till it goes to the wing and then there's no one around in the box when in a good position, so you start again or try to B) pass it into Hazard and Willian to try their little flicks and in the few times it works, they'll scuff a half chance towards goal. The players basically have no idea what they're trying to do... That's the way it comes across for me. There was a moment in one of the games where you saw Alonso in the box from open play with his back to goal trying to fashion shooting chance because there's no striker in there. What's all that about? Obviously it's unlikely to work. Wouldn't you much rather it was Morata, Batshuayi or another striker in that area doing that? Yorkley Blue has said 5 games, I don't know about the 5th. The 4 that come to mind are: Everton (A) 0-0 Scoreline speaks for itself, imo Southampton (H) 1-0 Alonso freekick rescued the team. Aside from that they were doing poorly in creating clear chances against a poor Southampton team at home. Huddersfield (A) 3-1 It looks like a good display from the scoreline, Huddersfield were awful and shot themselves in the foot three times, with a keeper mistake, an individual error from a defender and some more terrible defending from a cross that allowed Willian of all people to score a header. Taking away those moments the team looked poor in terms of making chances even against a poorly performing lower level team. As soon as a striker came on nearer the end, the team looked more dangerous, something even match commentator mentioned (whoever he was), but it was easy to notice. Qarabag (A) 4-0 Qarabag. With 10 men from 19 minutes. Sure, it's likely to be safer defensively in the sense that you have more players behind the ball more often. I just think, watching the games, it's like you're starting with a handicap in terms of your goal threat. Do you think that playing a striker and Hazard in his position in a 3-4-3 would have resulted in worse performances than when playing with a false 9? Personally, I don't, even though of course we have no way of knowing. I get it that some do think it works. For me, I only see it holding the team back in scoring goals, providing genuine threat to defences, and in creating clear cut chances that will fall to the players who can score them.

You sound like a Barca fan. :|

Hmmm... I don't know about the attitude being wanting in that sense. Was it after Liverpool when he scored that goal and his reaction during the celebration... Just relief. I think he knows he's been playing poorly. Maybe the pressure affecting him. I don't know... I'd be happy to see Drinkwater ahead of him. The only thing there is it means there is little height in the midfield (and during set pieces).

Squash that one for us please, Mr Abramovic. You know it doesn't make sense.

Re. A striker. I don't care if he goes for Peter B****y Crouch. I just don't want to see that awful false nine garbage. As long as it's a striker he chooses to bring in and trusts to play, I'm fine with it.

True. I think he'll end up at Arsenal, Man City or maybe even PSG. Less likely but even Tottenham would probably bid for him before Chelsea and Conte. Edit... I'd forgotten Mourinho in his desperation will also be throwing money at clubs for players and then complain about lack of spending.

I was thinking 30-40m tops. That's only because the market has become so ridiculous. 25m and add one would be more like it. Seems you can't buy anyone average-just above average without paying 30m+ these days. (From other premier league teams at least.)

I'm pretty sure they'd want stupid money for him... Unless it's a reasonable fee, I'd avoid. He's got talent and he's improving but he won't be as good as the fee their want for him. Not right now, at least, imo.

Ah... These windows... Make you start dreaming about the possibilities, and then you watch the players you want head elsewhere or stay put. Someone flood Abramovic's email inbox with videos of both Sanchez and Mahrez.

His link up play is a lot better than Costa's. Not worried about his finishing, he showed he's got it, even the other day when he stuck away that last minute goal... It was a bad game against Stoke, but in the reverse fixture, he was clinical. (How nice is it not to have Costa's volatile behaviour every game, btw?)

Maybe Sanchez, too?

Cech -------- Christensen Luiz Rudiger --------- Baba Kante Drinkwater Moses ----------- Hazard Morata Boga :p

Initially when Abramovic took over. Veron, Crespo, Makelele... Before that, age really didn't come into things... Most recently it would be Torres, Fabregas... Maybe Costa(?) Not talking about premiership experience exactly, just buying established players of a certain age.

Yeah. It looks that way of course, but a few injuries... Fixture congestion... One or two bad results. It only takes one result for other teams to start fancying their chances a bit more, and for the team to realise they aren't invulnerable. Keep the pressure on by winning each game is all that can be done.

2010-11 - Udinese - 33 App 12 Gls 6 Ass 2011/12 - Barcelona - 41 App 15 Gls 5 Ass 2012-13 - Barcelona - 46 App 11 Gls 10 Ass 2013-14 - Barcelona - 54 App 21 Gls 10 Ass 2014-15 - Arsenal - 52 App 25 Gls 12 Ass 2015-16 - Arsenal - 41 App 17 Gls 10 Ass 2016-17 - Arsenal - 51 App 30 Gls 15 Ass 2017-18 - Arsenal - 19 App 8 Gls 4 Ass (and counting) Assists figures might be a little off. He's a top, top class player. One of the few available. Personally, I'd take him over Bale for sure. He's at least a level above Willian and Pedro. 2-3 seasons of him with Hazard together will give teams nightmares. Very unlikely it will happen, even if weren't for City as the club has moved away from that type of transfer.

The thing that bugs me most about his play is that he seems, a little bit like his name, very timid in his play. Not just the passing and general uncertainty, it's the lack of bite and aggression...Eg. the tentative few steps to close a player down he takes, the lack of energy in challenging for the ball... I think I expected him to physically bully players a bit, to have some of that physical power that Essien provided. I didn't pay much attention to him when he was at Monaco, so didn't know much other than that he was meant to have good athletic, physical qualities. We saw a bit of that against Tottenham in the debut. I wonder if tactical instructions from Conte or something specific from Conte is making him play this way. It would be great to have a view from a Monaco fan.

No Italy, no Holland and no Chile... Takes away some of the shine. Lots of easy uninteresting groups. What is it with Nigeria and Argentina? Always seem to be in the same group. I think, looking at how well the English clubs are doing this season in Europe and with a lot of the English players doing well, there's going to be big expectations again.