venom2011

And all have more experience than him in top level football. When he's having a rough patch it's easy to justify any reason for his form. He is a no. 10. People clamour for him to be utilised deeper but Jose and just about any person with functioning eyes can see how we weak he is on the ball. He is the no.10 Chelsea deserves, but not the one it needs right now...

If anything I'd rather he take Schurrle's spot and send Schurrle on loan. But that's purely because I believe Salah to be the better player and Schurrle needs regular game time next year.

No he didn't. In fact he did exactly the opposite.

Did you get something different from what I said? Otherwise I see no reason for the repetition.

His tactical nous is a strength but it is not what makes him special. It isn't generally the formation, the individual player instructions, or exploiting opponent weaknesses - he has intimated this a few times. Most fans have an idea of how he will set up the team in the next game, and that if things aren't working he will be quick to change a player or position. But Jose is pure charisma. He makes people believe and he can influence just about anyone. He speaks and you listen. Countless pundits and players have given evidence to this aspect of his character. If he wanted to start a religion, he would have a massive congregation within a month. What you see in our recent games isn't a massive tactical shift after a poor first half, it is a change in the determination and drive of the team. That is his influence. That is what he demands. And that is what makes him special.

Well we've already seen with the likes of the Willian and Salah purchases that the club have changed their approach to buying players. If there is interest from our side plus another (lesser) club, let that club negotiate the fee and then swoop in. Oppo fans will call it trolling but it's the best negotiation tactic for a wealthy club.

I don't think there is to be honest. I'm not saying he is Ronaldo's equal but not a massive gulf between the two. Different kind of player as well but Ronaldo is certainly way more productive. It's similar to comparing Iniesta to Ronaldo and it really boils down to the type of player you appreciate.

It's not as if he's blindly picking a spot like most Pk takers. Similar to Balotelli, he waits for the keeper to show movement before he kicks. Certainly he will get it wrong on occasion but from what I remember he never missed a pen for Lille and only 1 for us so that is a solid record.

You hoped for too much.

Well that's a little different to saying he isn't creative. I of course agree that he could be more efficient and the same goes for Willian. But that is a matter of output and not player characteristics.

You do understand that someone else has to be on the other end of those assists? And yet you say others can't blame his 'lack of creativity' on the the strike force. You shouldn't be looking at his assists, find a statistic on chances created or key passes which is a more relevant statistic. Compare that to the likes of Coutinho, Rooney etc. And any pass completion rate over 80% is good.

Ridiculous. The boy is fine creatively. Perhaps not as efficient as Mata yet, and not as technically gifted as some no.10s but to say he isn't a creative player is rubbish.

Coutinho also plays for a team with two very good strikers. Look at Hazard, I saw a mention of him creating the most chances of any player in the top 5 leagues. Squawka shows it as nearly double that of Coutinho, and Oscar on par with Coutinho. But we know how good a creator can look playing in such a progressive team with a very good strike force.

Absolutely fantastic signing this boy. He is what I hoped Mikel would become oh so many years ago. Superb defensively and keeps the side ticking under most circumstances.

I don't believe Jose has ever done that though. Unlike Wenger. We've seen some great examples in Henry, RVP and of course Messi. Schurrle is not great technically so I wouldn't see him there in the near future. But someone like Griezmann or Reus could do it well. Wenger recently admitted having an interest in Griezmann, unsurprisingly.

Not a pure striker no. Yes like Schurrle he played off the flank but has some ability down the middle. At the time I was thinking about it as a decent third choice striker option and 4th choice AM option.

Seen Son a few times. Wanted him here instead of Schurrle. I would rate them at about the same level. Nice player. But would have Salah over them both.

Fully agreed and it's painful to say it.

He has always been a good finisher, but Hazard, Willian and Oscar have him licked in all other areas. And I'm a bigger fan of Salah than Schurrle, simply because he's quicker and better technically. Shurrle is still a very good option to have, especially with Oscar's form as it is - something different for the oppo to be concerned about.

I couldn't care less about that. Schurrle showed the type of movement a striker/ 2nd striker should have. Every single time Torres plays I see poor movement for the majority of his time on the pitch. He doesn't recognise or 'come alive' in important situations - an absolute necessity for a top striker. Torres is pretty good technically, puts in a shift and shockers aside, he is a decent finisher. But the main thing making him a rank average striker is his movement. Carlo said umpteen times during Torres' first season 'We're working on his movement' and he has just gotten progressively worse.

Not too sure about that. Seems to be relatively unsettled and I'd say there's a fair chance he'll leave at the end of the season.

RVP anyone? Clearly unhappy and probably wouldn't cost anywhere near what we were willing to pay for Rooney. Otherwise the only other option besides the usual suspects may be taking a prolific wide forward - Griezmann, Reus - and making him into a CF a la Henry and RVP.

I don't believe anyone is writing him off so to speak. People are just expecting more and that is fair. He is not producing enough. And that doesn't just mean goals and assists. Iniesta has never been prolific in that sense, but there are subtler ways of contributing. The kid has superb work ethic (a la SFL) and is a great talent, that alone is as close to being guaranteed a future world class player as you're going to get. The flip side is having Mata who was prolific but we were weaker as a team I feel - probably Jose did as well.

<br /><br />One of the only times in a while that Torres has made the right run and at the right time. 90% of the time he either makes the wrong run (which he did not long after he scored the goal) or no run at all. <br /><br />Hazard had the ball on the right flank, near the byline and his central area was blocked by 3/4 players. The only option is to hit it across the 6 yard box. Torres makes a far post run and my BP goes up a notch.

Jaded? Possibly. But I prefer to think of it just being down to inconsistency. Coming off the back of defeats, it seems our football becomes very cagey for a few matches. It was the same earlier in the season. We lack composure on the ball which is to be expected when your front 6 include Ramires Schurrle and Torres. The squad remains a little imbalanced.