venom2011

Arsenal giving it? So if Morata stood in a spot he would have had the same opportunities? Strikers like Morata, like Diego Costa, regularly create with their movement. It is one of the foundations of being a good/top striker. Michy's movement and space recognition is terrible. He has very good physical qualities but the former is very easily recognized by top coaches like Conte and it is why he doesn't get enough opportunities at Chelsea.

Morata has missed one v ones that he helped create with good movement. If you really look at Michy's movement and decision-making not just today but since he arrived, he and Morata are worlds apart.

I paid close attention to him today. There were so many occasions when he had oodles of space ahead of him, under no pressure and he plays a 5 yard pass back to a defender to make the forward pass. So the 96% is not surprising. If that's what he's going to offer then it's OK, but he shouldn't be starting for us and certainly not next to Kante. Kante's partner needs to be able to see the field, pick out passes as well do some dirty work. Over the last run we've seen time and again the opposition pressuring near our box and our inability to play out from the back and then invite further pressure. When your transition players are Kante, Bakayoko, Alonso and Moses - it is not surprising in the least.

'Reportedly', which doesn't really mean much, besides the fact that the clauses themselves can be complex if the do indeed exist. Dzeko at 28m is a poor financial decision but either way he's an upgrade on our initial target, Llorente.

The rumored fee is €50m combined but I see some people, who are against the transfer, using Dzeko's supposed '€25m' share as a reason not to buy. Dzeko's value in that deal should be around €15m which would out Emerson in line with Rudiger's valuation. And subsequently put Dzeko in line with Llorente's value when we wanted him. So the question is: A slightly younger Dzeko VS Llorente? It's a no brainer really.

Looking at the deal it works out to a few million more than what we would have paid for Llorente. And Dzeko is a proper player who would legimately challenge Morata for a spot. Great news.

I like the optimism.

Sure but all that is hypothetical and in hindsight. At the beginning of the season we were current champions - expected to challenge again. A team in that position, with that goal, would never pick someone like Tammy as a backup striker. Then you have to consider players like Hazard, Courtois, even Morata before he signed - Would the Belgians renew if the club decided to forego a title challenge to focus on youth development? Would Morata have signed? Hazard is into his peak now, a player of his caliber needs to be playing with the best players and at a club pushing hard for titles.

Agreed but you can't play those guys and expect to challenge for the title as well. If Tammy is your back up striker and RLC your third choice mid then you must be satisfied to challenging for a CL spot at best. The quality of depth in the top PL teams is only increasing. And the biggest thing is, we cannot financially compete with our current revenue streams, so we need to challenge or we risk being left behind.

The problem is that the ones who are not RLC, Tammy quality are never going to be good enough. And then when it comes to the likes of RLC, the club must decide - play less games here or raise their profile and experience at another club. So in that specific case, if RLC never fulfills his talent then at least the club has an option to make money or use him as a squad player. If he just stays at Chelsea, hardly playing, then the option to make significant money disappears.

Luiz doesn't have the energy to get up and down. That's the sole reason for playing Bakayoko right now. At least two midfielders in the starting squad must be able to. If it's 343, both CMs must have the energy. If it's 352,that leaves Luiz and Fabregas vying for 1 spot. Most would go with Cesc in that regard.

The difference is not Luiz. It's Costa and Matic. Remember how many games Costa would change on his own. 1 ball from Fabregas over the top and that was done. Morata is very much learning so I don't blame him. Bakayoko is... whatever. This is just what happens when you trade key players for a gamble on potential to make a buck. 343 is better but then Conte knows he absolutely cannot play Fabregas. So he has to choose between Bakayoko and Drinkwater, then we'll all be back here complaining about not being able to control the midfield.

He can do a job. But he is far more effective centrally. If you think Alonso doesn't have the pace to go forward then imagine what it's like in flat four. You don't actually have to imagine, we've already seen it and it wasn't pretty.

You then have Alonso in his weakest position. Moses or Azpi moving into a weaker position. And Hazard stuck out wide.

As discussed in another thread, He doesn't really have the players to change. He has said he chooses the best formation to suit the squad and give it the best chance of winning. This is it.

Well 'history' is longer than 2 seasons ago.

Jose would have booted at least 1 of these underpeeforming lot already.

Opponents really don't need video analysis to know that they need to stop Hazard at all costs, minimize Cesc's time on the ball and don't give Azpi time and space from deep. That's our attacking advantage gone, unless Willian/Pedro decide to step up to the the plate.

So let's say we move to a 4231 or 433 (My preferred formations as well but I'm playing devil's advocate). First and foremost, our strongest area is defence. We have 2 world class players (Azpi and Courtois) and a few with great potential (Christensen, Rudiger, Zouma as well). To accommodate players we're either going to have to move Azpi to his weaker position at RB, and also have Alonso in his weaker position. Or drop someone reliable to accommodate two unreliable fullbacks. Midfield - Fabregas can't play in a two but his creativity is absolutely vital for us. If we play two, we'll be weaker at the back AND no creativity through midfield. Hazard is also more restricted in his position. If we play three we are weaker at the back and the same in midfield. Ultimately, as much as it frustrates me, Conte's formation and selection is generally our best chance to win matches/titles given the current squad. If the board give him a good fullback, a quality midfielder and another striker then I'll for sure be more critical going forward. But right now his squad has been weakened by trading Costa + Matic for Morata and Bakayoko. Reminds me a bit of Carlo's 2nd season actually.....

Agreed. For sure he's got room to grow and he definitely can drive the ball forward well and his movement at times has been quite good. But right now he is just too far behind what the club (targeting the title) needs. It should be said though, that the role Conte wanted for him was the right one - a squad player behind Kante+Matic(or Radja etc). And Conte told the press that for a reason - he wants the fans to know who to blame.

That's something that could've been said even of someone like Pogba. But there's a big problem if a midfield player struggles to make a successful pass more than 5 yards.

I bet his next tweet will be lit though.

I just wish I didn't have to see Baka passing to the oppo ever again... but he'll probably start next week.

Who cares that much about age when they'll be out of a job soon for not winning anything. Sanchez gives you another 3/4 years of word class talent. Age is a concern when it comes to rotation options. The likes of Willian/Pedro/Cesc are not guaranteed starters so it's easier to swap them out for younger (and possibly homegrown) talent. Hazard has always been so far ahead of anyone else at this club since he arrived. It would be great to see him paired with a similar talent, afterall, we might not have him for very much longer.

The difference is that when Didi had a sniff, he bullied defenders. Morata has no such side to his game. Anyhoo the boy just needs time. There are some things I really love, he reads the game really well. But there is some way to go to being a top striker, and even to match the man he replaced.