venom2011

We would not have had Matic in the same team without the sales. And besides, that looks incredibly light and of lesser work ethic than we have currently. There's a reason why we're not 15 points behind right now...

I never made such a claim so I don't know what your point is. No one knows because he hasn't played. Hence my issue with your original comment.

Quite right. Mikel, as another example, has a great pass completion rate but he could never do what the likes of Lampard, Matic and Luiz do.

How are you sure MvG is the perfect partner when he hasn't played? We absolutely need to replace Lampard with a world class CM. MvG should be loaned out in my opinion, unless Mikel is sold.

It would be great, but it's difficult to find a title contender in any top league that successfully promotes academy players regularly. No one is 'guilty', it's just the way it is. Jose will always have external and internal pressures to perform. This was always going to be a transition season but at the same time we desperately need a CL spot to continue the evolution - and because of our inability to put teams away, rotation has been at a minimum. Either we forgo the title challenge and promote youngsters or we evolve to a point where we can comfortably maintain performance levels and then introduce them. This squad is not quite ready for the latter.

Agreed. He will always have a role to play at the club, but the evolution of the team is important. We do have more pressing concerns but having a good midfield is a necessity for a top side. Mikel, Ramires, van Ginkel and Matic looks light and unbalanced. Jose seems to favour a combination of power and technique so if I had to guess Id say someone in the mould of Pogba/Kroos/Witsel.

I agree, but Hazard is still our best player in wide areas unfortunately. Schurrle and Salah have some developing to do. I'd much rather see Hazard left and Oscar/ Willian central than Hazard central and anyone else on the left. The rotation of the AMs is based around him really. If he's not getting any space on the left flank he is the one who initiates the rotation and goes central or right.

Of course he did - that is his natural role. Unfortunately some imbeciles can't help but chastise him for not adapting to a new league and new role within his first season.

That will just be adding to the crux of our problems. We can't continually be building for the future. Willian is the oldest of the AMs and he just came from Anzhi. I would love a buy like Lavezzi to have some balance and much needed experience in the forward areas. As of now we have not one player in attack playing at his peak. Even has Hazard still has growing to do.

It is based on all technical areas of being striker. Output alone does not define any player. The key to that is that he has done that for different teams in different conditions. There is no guarantee that he would have had the same output at Chelsea. This is besides that fact that he has played poorly in the majority of his starts over the last 2 seasons. No. That is not 'my logic'. Suarez is clearly better than anything we have but to compare the output of two players in different teams is nonsensical. Saying Lukaku is a better goal scorer than Eto because he has scored more goals *for Everton* is an inferential bias. Saying Eto is a better goal scorer than Torres is a valid conclusion.

Are you purposefully being obtuse? You cannot compare player outputs for different teams. You are essentially arguing that Lukaku is better goal scorer but unless they are all compared in the same team the comparison is nonsensical.

No. They suggest a player who has never been prolific. That is all his stats suggest. Do you honestly expect a player to come from Anzhi, play a different role in a better league, and score/assist more than he ever has within his first season? Get some perspective mate.

Like you say, less than a year with the team. For sure his output is not up to scratch yet. It's not about improving vastly, he doesn't need to do that. He already has all the attributes. He needs to be more effective and adapt to the demands of the PL. That will come with time.

And the point of you arguing his prolificacy is? It was never debated. And in any case - Iniesta 330 games - 33 goals.....sh!t too isn't he? I'll say it again, Willian has always played as a link-up player. He is asked to play a different role under Jose and he must also adapt to the league. Give him time. He has fantastic attributes.

For Chelsea?

Watch some of his Shaktar performances then, if you can find it. What you're seeing now is not close to what he is capable of.

Nonsense. I would pick Eto or Torres everyday over Lukaku. The boy is quick and strong, sure, but our other strikers are better in just about every other area. He would simply have been a great option to have but no way a guaranteed starter.

Willian has some great attributes. He can truly be a top top player. He just needs to get to that next level and find consistency. The problem is that he has always been a creator, now asked to be more aggressive and direct. It takes a while for a player to learn the movements. We have Oscar, Willian and Torres (3 of our front 4) making poor choices and bad movement - at times they're downright static. 2 of those will learn and evolve under Jose. The other is a lost cause.

Right you are sir. And time for some much needed stability. The players have been through middle-of-the-road Di Matteo, the retarded gung-ho AVB, and the more tactically disciplined FSW in a very short space of time. Forget the money spent, tonight we had two guys in their first seasons playing in the front 4 - incl. one who has no business starting as a striker. A CB in midfield and a player you can barely control his own body let alone the ball. That is not a CL winning team. If we had been offered top 3, a decent CL run, and some evolution of the younger boys at the beginning of the season - I'm sure most would have taken that.

The answer to all your questions is - because they are the best we have available. Do you expect Jose to conjure better players out of thin air?

For sure but a quality multi million pound player (which Torres wasn't) would be more of a guarantee than Lukaku. With Lukaku the club bought potential, with Torres the club bought reputation and now it's time to buy bona fide quality. But timing is everything so I'd rather the club identify and pursue a top target and not settle for number 2/3/4 on the list. The money would be better spent in sorting out the midfield and defence.

And what? He went to Jose and said 'Please Sir give me a fair chance to compete' and Jose said 'No! Torres starts, if not then Eto!'. The boy wanted guaranteed game time and wasn't willing to compete. Why else would Jose have been as abrasive as he was subsequent to the move? Lukaku is overly ambitious and that's the impression he gives time and time again in his interviews. It is good up to a point, but already this season he has arguably cost the team at the expense of modest personal growth. He scores goals, we know he does, but he is just about the same player he was when he left in the summer. He doesn't have the quality to start for a top team just yet. But those goals or even a few of them could have made a big difference to our season.

Ok well that's sorted then.....

I think Matic (possibly Willian) was the only Jose signing. And he approved the others. Salah and Schurrle definitely seemed like club buys.

True. We will play most of our games against inferior opposition and the more superior we are, the more likely they'll try to pull a West Ham. If you're that dominant in a game the last thing you need is a runner in the middle of the park. I don't know how we ever coped without Matic.