venom2011

I honestly don't think there are at his value. Pogba is not worth double his fee. Schneiderlin would cost roughly the same. Koke compares well with those two, statistically, but of course you have to factor in his position and the team he plays for. If you create a list of the top 10 sides in the world (of which I'm sure Atletico would be one) A.Madrid have the lowest possession and pass completion. When moved to CM, every time I've seen him, he has looked classy. Technically great (certainly more so than Oscar) and work rate to match. Also only a year older than Pogba. Pogba is the fancy decision, Koke is the smart one. Even at 30m Koke, in my opinion, is very likely to become a 40m+ player.

I would prefer Dybala to either of them. He is the closest of the three to Hazard in terms of style and technical ability. These guys score goals, but their all-round ability isn't particularly strong... and we've just sold a similar wide player in Schurrle. We don't really need more goals, we need consistency in style. We need players who compliment Hazard, Willian and Fabregas.

I don't even think Pique is on the same level as Pique.

The rumours I've seen don't involve a permanent transfer. The real problem is his wages and ambition. The same as Torres, who would've been a decent 2nd/3rd choice striker for most top sides. If he chose to go to Monaco, no way will he accept his true worth at a top club.

He has never been an outstanding talent? Ok.... At Inter he was regarded by many as THE finest striker prospect in world football. What he has become is irrelevant to my argument. To have *never* rated Balotelli is a bit strange.

I've said for a while that I would rather have the club go for him while everyone has eyes for Pogba. Pogba is the Toure to Koke's Iniesta. Everything is more subtle. Hugely intelligent player with great technical ability and most of all - superb work rate. Atletico use him on the flank, which is similar to they way De Bruyne and Mata were once deployed before coming to Chelsea. In fact, Iniesta was used in a similar position on the left flank for Barca for many years. It won't work over here and under Jose. For Spain he has played centrally and has looked a boss whenever I've seen him.

Not sure how you could have never rated him. He had everything as a young striker- Strength, technique, and a decent turn of pace. He was a much brighter talent than Lukaku at similar ages. He still has something but he will probably settle in a weak league.

KDB is the same player he was when he left. Technically very good, but not a winger, CM or a good no.10. A nightmare for any coach wanting a structured philosophy. Cuadrado is the same. He hasn't scored but if you take note of his movement and the few chances he has missed in his brief cameos, it all points to him being a clear danger as he grows more comfortable in the league. He is having problems adjusting to the tempo of the game here, which is acceptable given the fact that he has arrived from Serie A.

Luis is a strange one for me because I rate his addition to our offensive game, more than any (supposed) negative impact on our defensive game. But when it comes to picking defenders I'd trust Jose more than anyone. Both of those options though are understandable given the importance of the game, the experience and match-time of those two players. Only Jose will know why there isn't more rotation. Agreed it's partly his fault but exactly how much is pure conjecture. I'm sure if given a choice he would have kept another AM and added to the midfield.

We did have some of that, reverting back to our best XI (small tweak I know). The problem is we have some of our first choice players out of form, and the gap in quality/experience to the next tier is quite big in the current squad. I saw the starting lineup and I was just happy to see our best team in an important game. After seeing the terrible first half performance Jose didn't have much of a choice as far I was concerned. We had no control, we lacked confidence and we lost 80% of the second balls. Now the solutions to those problems cannot be Ramires, Cuadrado and Remy. Granted Ramires helped by protecting us on the counter at the end of the game, one of his better roles. We do seem to be going through the same thing in every game, but right now I think Jose is a bit hamstrung by his options.

Which changes would you have liked to see?

They don't drift around aimlessly either. The other two AMs' positions are dictated by what Hazard decides to do. He is the one with the license to target any weakness in an opposition's back line. But they will spend at least 80% of the time in their designated positions (ceteris paribus).

Agreed. It's that humanity that's the key. But I think as much as people can be different, the *majority* will respond similarly to negative influences. Having someone be hard-nosed and unresponsive is rare. Hypothetical - If you threaten 100 people, 90% will back down and concede, the other 10% will put up a fight. Talk of a campaign was ineffective in isolation, but it got people speaking and thinking about the possibility, which is something.

We have had some but I'm noticing more and more speaking out in our favour, and those who were have become louder. Most will still deny the 'campaign' bit, as they should, but I do believe the effect will still be the same. It's just my opinion that the increased attention+Jose+club support = favourable decisions from refs under pressure.

I remember that. Nothing alike as far I'm concerned. It was a fair 50/50 and no intent. Those tackles will happen in a contact sport. And Mikel is as honest as they come. Barnes though is a real scumbag, his intention is arguable and the resulting injury could have been career-ending.

Fairly reliable as far as I'm concerned.

It could only have gone two ways really. Everything happening sooner or being drawn out and becoming more intense as it is now. His impact is there for all to see. If he had not made such a fuss then we certainly wouldn't have the backing of pundits as we do now. It's only José's behaviour that has drawn this level of scrutiny. He applied pressure, with factors out of his control determining when everything would break. Even the official website is throwing fuel onto the fire. And it can only work in our favour going forward.

Only a mention in a tweet from Rob Beasley as far as I can see.

I have to say kudos to the club and online staff for backing up Jose and the players with the recent articles/images. I haven't seen that level of support on the website before.

You missed the point. I said weeks ago that Jose was turning the heat up on the "campaign" bit and it will ultimately work to our advantage. More and more attention is drawn to the referees performances in our matches. There won't be a ref in the PL comfortable with giving decisions against us now. This is the breaking point, where pundits are now hopping into Chelsea's corner. In the interview he never hinted at any bias and in no way "attacked the referees', but simply highlighted the incorrect decisions. If the FA decide to fine/ban him for this, they will be opening a huge can of worms. I can't see them doing a thing, but either way he wins. The man is an absolute legend.

Hazard has been the real difference. He is statistically the best all-round player in the league as well. 1.Hazard 2.Matic 3.Cesc

Agreed. Going against the grain is not necessarily incorrect but it sure as hell will lead to there being a spotlight on your actions, and of those around you. If Jose said nothing, he and the club would get away with more 'incidents', but that goes against his principles and I 100% percent agree with it. Of course not everything he says will be correct/fair, but I'd rather have that than the alternative. If we suffer a crucial bad decision against Everton, Jose will highlight it and eventually he'll win more and more people over. That's besides the fact that refs will already be overly concerned about not making mistakes in our matches.

I don't think that's entirely true. The biggest revenue earners are having to massively overpay for players they want and similarly offer big wages. The wage can be a killer if the player turns out to be flop. It's almost a role reversal really. And conversely we've been able to do great deals because of it. Yes, we can't afford to splurge on Messi or Ronaldo but just about any other player is affordable. City though, seem to buy a 30m player every window with hardly a movement in the other direction.

The problem there is an inconsistency in playing style. The back line is fine, but take Oscar out of the lineup and introduce Ramires and suddenly the team presses half as well, is poorer in attacking transitions and our control of the ball suffers in deeper areas. We need someone more technically gifted next to Matic, but of course stronger defensively than Fabregas. Now I think the absolute best piece of business we can make in the next window is to buy Koke. Technically very strong, hard worker, and most importantly - can play in any midfield position.

I don't think it's that time yet. And I am sure neither does Jose. First we need to win, create a winning culture and a strong spine. It's all great having a strong first XI but this squad is newly formed. I can see youth/fringe players having more of an impact next season.