venom2011

How is someone saying that he isn't good enough the same as writing-off his career? He is a super talent but not ready to start for a top team. Definitely needs a few more years to refine his game. It will be interesting to see what happens next season. If he demands a move rather than be a part of the strike force then the club should sell as far I'm concerned.

Scoring more goals will move him into that next bracket. His game is already very complete: superb dribbling, balance, touch, pace, vision and can finish with both feet. He needs to have second striker-like movement to improve his output, something Neymar has developed very well. It's unfair to compare any top player to Messi and Ronaldo without them playing for a dominant team in that lopsided league.

100%. He certainly needs to up his game around the box but he has all the attributes to be a super player. This is of course his first season in a good league so he needs time. If someone made the offer then: Willian in for 30m - Mata out for 37m, I'd take that every time. Mata will get you more goals and assists (right now), but Willian will make you a better team and ultimately that's what counts in big games.

I'm not sure if it's been discussed already but Ramires on the right flank again just irked me somewhat, although the result makes it better. If he's in the attacking band it just serves to highlight all his weaknesses. Touch, awareness, shooting, crossing were all distinctly average and that's not unexpected. With the 4 on 1 situation he should have dropped off but instead narrowed Hazard's channel and made life difficult for the man on the ball, never mind the poor effort on goal. His shot leading up to the goal - if that was Hazard or Oscar they are aware that Willian is better positioned behind them, leaving the ball for a tap-in. And lastly Ramires-Ivanovic, arguably the worst crossing pair in the league. I hated it under Di Matteo, hated it under Rafa, so I hope this was a one-off.

For sure. Just as Mata still very much had a role to play but similarly, when considering the player's characteristics for the formation and philosophy we are playing, there will always be huge question marks. In the WHam match his selection was a bad one by Jose, unfortunately. I still don't think I've ever seen a central midfielder burst forward and receive the ball only to pass it back as often as Mikel in that game. He just doesn't have enough in his locker to start regularly for a big club in a 2-man midfield.

That's a bona fide central midfielder for you. Mikel has his qualities but he could never produce such a performance. Top signing and one more please.

I wouldn't be so sure. He is still way off the pace to be the main man at a top club. Of course he will get better with age and experience but whether he reach the heights of Drogba and Ibrahimovic is another thing.

Just the thought of Suarez ahead of Hazard, Oscar and Willian is mouth-watering. That is the best case scenario but there are other good ones as well. Add a quality CM and Shaw. Sorted.

I suppose I am to deduce your reasoning from the very clever use of ellipses?

As far as this season goes, yes. It's very difficult to take a team in transition, keep them at the top and give significant time to youngsters. It's easier when you're mid-low table or very dominant in your league. Right now we need our best team out there more often than not, especially with title hopes very much alive. Next season should be when we can expect to see improvement in this area.

I have to say that I was very impressed, as I was when I first saw Willian. Schurrle has never really impressed me so that was the transfer I was least happy about. Oscar, Willian and Hazard are very good centrally with great playmaking attributes. Add Mata and KDB and there was definitely an imbalance in our options. Replace them with Salah and a youngster next season and we are looking much better in terms of balance for the AM positions. 3 have super technique. 4 have great pace. All are workers off-the-ball. All are under 23 and coming into their prime. Exciting times.

I agree. Look what he did with Casillas last season. Reputation doesn't count for much as far as he is concerned. If Courtois joins us for preseason, there will be a shootout and the best keeper will play. In my opinion that will turn out to be Courtois but Cech is still a top keeper. It's a good situation for the club - the best keeper stays and they get a good pile of cash for whoever leaves.

They use him in both capacities, but he has played quite a bit as an AM this season. He does get up and down the pitch very well and I can see that as being one of the key factors in our interest. Similar to Oscar Ramires and Willian in terms of work rate. And I think that is the way Jose wants to go - high energy and pressing. That was a terrible game to gauge anything more about Guarin though.

Helping us gain points is more important than helping someone else take points off our rivals, which they may well have done anyway. No, we wanted to keep him, we didn't.

Interesting. Because if Lukaku had done what was in the club's best interest he would have been happy sitting on the bench, as we could have really used him as an impact player. His decision showed no consideration for the club's interest (and that's probably what irks Jose the most). Most players these days just care about game time.

Detrimental is probably a poor choice of word. There is no doubt that Jose believes he upsets the balance of the team. And I wholeheartedly agree. We are not a complete team. We have concerns in the two key areas of a top side - upfront and midfield. But we're not far off, so to make up that difference and compete, Jose knows he needs workers especially in big games. It papers over the cracks somewhat. It's a successful model now used by many mediocre sides to punch above their weight (think Southampton and Everton domestically).

Agreed with this. I'm more than happy with a point and I was happy to see the experiment before the match started. I think with some more incisive passing we could/should have created 1 or 2 more clear chances. Shurrle unfortunately lacks the technical ability of most of our AMs and the attacking instinct of a striker, but at least we've seen it now. Our midfield issues are still glaringly obvious though. Lacking a top quality distributor.