venom2011

It seems inevitable really but the great thing about a potential, future Madrid deal is that one of Bale, James, Isco will be available - and at their peak. Any one of those plus a boat load of cash would make things a little easier.

Jose: If players that played 90 mins two days ago were fantastic, I expect people not playing a lot to raise the level to create me problem. Asked specifically if Salah and Schurrle had disappointed him, Mourinho replied: ‘Yes.’ I liked that reaction from Jose. It was far from the performance you expect from 2nd tier players at this club. They're both good talents who need some time and experience. I hope Salah goes on loan next season and Traore is drafted-in (WP permitting). However we have seen this season how important having a good mixture of experienced and young talent is and our Attacking-mid options are unbalanced compared to the rest of the squad.

Agreed. No doubt it's something he needs to add to his game simply because he can do it and do it well. And that is what ultimately affects matches. Dribbling past 3 players is great, but if you end that with a simple lay-off you've essentially done nothing. And over the last 2 seasons he has one of the lowest crosses/game ratio of any top wide player. But it's visible that he is addressing it. Jose: "When he says ‘I’m not one of the five top players in the world’ – he can be, but he cannot be in a match where he doesn’t do something in the 90 minutes that makes him decisive." “The week before against Arsenal, I was on him every day – be decisive. Don’t be happy with doing nice things."

His performance in the second half was, without a doubt, the most driven towards scoring I've seen from him. Constantly looking to run the channels and break the back line. Even on the weekend I was somewhat disappointed with him because 10v10 against a small team is a situation made for him to score. There's a reason why he hasn't scored many goals from through balls and someone like Schurrle does - willingness to get in-behind. If he adds that to his game, as well as providing more crosses, he will be the complete forward.

I like him. Imposing and does a bit of everything a la Matic. He would probably be happy being a rotation option for a while as well. We don't need a Mikel or Ramires for the holding roles moving forward. But Fabregas would be the biggest loss for us and we have no comparable replacement. Koke would do nicely.

Forget the football. This alone makes it great to have Jose back: Roy Keane and Paul Lambert called Mourinho's actions disgraceful for wanting to shake hands before the end of the game. Mourinho was asked about Keane's comments on Friday and said: "First I want to say that I appreciate the comments, I think that they are both two great examples of polite and well educated people. "Because I am a humble guy trying to learn every day. I appreciate their comments." And asked if he would do it again, he replied: "Yes.

Definitely tactical. Here he has to dribble through tightly-packed defences and his technique is just not strong enough. You will notice that he has better dribbling success in less -compact CL games where he has more time and space. Sometimes you'll find it even more so in international football which pales in comparison to the quality of top league football. Here's a nice little piece on how underrated Willian was last year for anyone interested: http://statsbomb.com/2014/05/overratedunderrated-the-eden-hazard-and-juan-mata-edition/

I mention Iniesta in a counter-argument as THE prime example of an AM who does not have the statistical backing to be considered a great player by many fans' consideration. I don't compare him to Willian. I've acknowledged previously that Willian indeed fails to impact a game adequately at times. It's plain to see. But that can change at any time during his development cycle. As it has for many players e.g. Ramsey, Bale, Ronaldo etc. It takes some players longer than others. And you have to make allowances for the standard of football he has experienced. He has come from Shaktar & Anzhi, and has never been required to produce at this level. I believe he is just too good not improve given time in a top league. Whereas I think Schurrle will ultimately find a good consistent level, but is not capable of hitting the same heights due to technical constraints. I can agree that it is a toss-up right now as to who should play.

*Contributing to goals* - 100% but that does not mean absolutely scoring or playing the pass before the goal. The value of the type of attacking midfielder is linked to the team style. Iniesta - one of the greatest attacking midfielders of his generation contributes by using his astounding technical ability, awareness and vision to enable Barca to dominate possession and create not only for the eventual goalscorer, but everyone else around him. Now for a team with a greater emphasis on counter-attack, as we play in big games, someone like Schurrle becomes more valuable (and this is the reason why he gets the nod in some games over Willian). With less team possession, what a player does on the ball becomes less relevant and Schurrle's positive attributes of making great attacking runs comes to the fore. But we are so good right now that our general play is moving beyond that. In Hazard, Oscar, Matic, Fabregas and Willian you have a group of technically gifted players who can not only win games, but dominate the opposition.

You think that because Iniesta has played a couple of games at CM this season (never mind almost all of his career as an AM), that makes him incomparable to Mata?Without trying to be disrespectful, but that argument is so ludicrous that a serious football-related discussion with you seems pointless - as I've said.

Your last sentence has made me realise that a debate with you is pretty much pointless. So we'll just end it here.

If that fits your criteria of what a 'better' player should be then fair enough. But my argument is that there's more to it than just simply making things happen, which undoubtedly Schurrle has over Willian. And while Schurrle may produce more right now, he will never be a better footballer (all technical aspects considered). Mata is more productive and has magic moments far more frequently than someone like Iniesta, but it is abundantly clear who most would consider to be the better footballer.

That's what interests me. It is perfectly fine to argue that Willian does not yet have the end product of Schurrle. If we were debating Iniesta vs Schurrle you could make the same argument. But Schurrle will NEVER be quicker, a better dribbler or better technically than Willian. Whereas Willian's output can change with time and experience. Willian may have a few years on him, but you'd be hard pressed to find a player coming from a very weak league and setting the PL alight within two seasons. I don't care about players who can 'pop-up' with a goal. They belong on the bench. I want to see the players who make the team stronger in all technical facets of the game. That's how you become a dominant team.

Agreed. I think next season will be a good time to focus on improving the team and addressing certain weaknesses - in defence, midfield and attack.We'll need a CB. Right now the team and José's tactics are compensating somewhat for JT in tougher games. We're doing well so for the moment everything seems rosy. Ramires and Mikel can be improved upon given the style of football that the club now wants. Backup to Costa. Preferably someone who can play across the front line. I would love a strikeforce of Costa, Tevez and Remy. But there are some interesting youngsters around - Destro, Alcacer, Talisca.

It actually makes you wonder - if Jose (could see him playing deeper again, with his positional sense improving after just a handful of games, why the hell couldn't Barca.. And it's not like they had a wealth of options for that position. Anyway, their loss is our gain.

Willian trumps Schurrle in every department barring his attacking movement. Willian is quicker, much better technically and tactically. When we signed Schurrle I called him the German Ramires and nothing has changed my mind. In tight, high-paced games, with little space to exploit he becomes absolutely mediocre because his technique lets him down, and he can't keep up with Hazard, Oscar and Fabregas. Great squad player to have but he needs to step it up quite a bit to stake a permanent claim.

To play that position you need to at least be able to hold up very well or control the ball really well under pressure. Oscar doesn't as yet, but Fabregas does the latter as well as anyone in the game. Oscar has had the same qualities from the day he arrived and yet none of managers have even considered giving him a go in the midfield. And for good reason.

It was touched-on by Holland that Matic's only real weakness, recognised when he rejoined the club, is his lack of aggression in aerial duals - for someone of his size. We're now seeing him become more effective during attacking free-kicks. He's attacking the ball and consequently scored against Sporting. Beast.

That's two big games where he has been excellent defensively. Many fans doubted his ability to play in the pivot ( somewhat justifiably) but it shows that, as always, Jose knows best.

Arsenal's suicidal high line is the perfect situation for Diego. I can see at least a brace coming. Costa vs City was always going to be tough (and it wasn't a good performance) because there will always be a match where the speed and physicality can take a newcomer by surprised. Even Fabregas was rushed a little in the earlier games. I can only see him getting better (though not necessarily more prolific).

This is where opinions differ. Mikel is essentially right on the edge of being average or good. And it depends on whether you want someone like that as a backup for Matic. I don't mind him personally but we're so strong now that his position/place becomes an area of focus for those who want to see improvement. There is a huge disparity between the talents of Mikel and Matic, with no upside because Mikel will never improve. The standard of International football is so far below domestic football in the top 3 European leagues that international form barely deserves any consideration.

When he signed I remember calling him the German Ramires. Mainly pace and energy (makes intelligent runs as well) but will be let down by his technical ability. When surrounded by Hazard, Oscar, Fabregas and Matic he struggles to play the quick 5 yard passes, and doesn't have great vision. Willian may not be ruthlessly efficient just yet but he fits seamlessly into our current midfield.

His best game of the season. Goal aside, he was back to his beastly self today after a rather ordinary start to the season. Good energy, crisp passing, driving forward on occasion and blocking attacks. Great performance.

We need actively contributing HG players. It is still way too soon for the likes of Baker, Ake etc. It's not realistic for players of that level to have a significant contribution to a PL and CL challenging team. Ideally we'd need a HG defender with Terry's career coming to an end. Stones looks the best bet, and he can bring Barkley along with him. It's no surprise we've sweetened our relationship with Everton over the past few seasons.

Wrong kind match for him really, but he's all we have. Decent rotation player but with our foreign quota filled, his spot does seem a bit of a waste.