Wonder if we may go to a 3-5-2 with hazard not able to take up the hazard position :

 

Tibo

Azpi

Luiz

Cahill

 

Moses

Kante

Cesc

Matic 

Alonso

 

Costa

Bats

 

I agree about the sense of nerves around this one. Should be the first game I see live this season and no one expects sunderland, with all their injury problems and depleted midfield, fresh of a thumping by Swansea, to stop our winning run. But this is the nature of the premier league. Championship winning teams win games like this,  so if we are going to stay where we are we need to win. 

17 hours ago, luckywerthers said:

does not matter how crap this lot are playing, they always seem to save one of their games of the season for us. Hope we smash them up.

They have beaten us 3 times in 14 years.

According to the independent, Ivanovic could start as replacement for Hazard...

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/eden-hazard-antonio-conte-chelsea-sunderland-a7473586.html

If this was the case, how is he going to play? I am not sure it is a good option.

Would mean Moses takes hazards place and brans either takes Moses spot or he takes Azpi's place and he moves to where Moses normally plays. I would assume anyway. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, RMH said:

According to the independent, Ivanovic could start as replacement for Hazard...

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/eden-hazard-antonio-conte-chelsea-sunderland-a7473586.html

If this was the case, how is he going to play? I am not sure it is a good option.

Ivan will be paired with Costa in a 3-5-2 

No hazard? Hmm.. The omen is not good..  Midweek game against rock bottom team where the result wouldn't have any barring on the league position? It smells complacency and weird fairytale about the bottom team can somehow someway get a result against the top team.. I think it happened before, not only to us but to city and mu..  I remember we were top but beaten by  lowly QPR!! It defied logic this sort of thing.. Hopefully I've jinxed the jinx so it actually turns out positive.. 

 

Without hazard, the call for cesc is stronger than ever for creativity.. we got nothing to lose so no point playing conservatively with 2 DMs.. I think maybe it's also a good time to try 2 strikers..

 

   --- Azpi ---- Luiz ---- Cahill---

Moses ------- Kante -------- Alonso

---------------- Cesc ----------------

-------- Willian ------ Pedro -----------

----------------- Costa -----------------

 

or on the 2nd half if the situation permits it

 Azpi ---- Luiz ---- Cahill--- Alonso

 --------------- Kante ----------------

Moses ------------------------- Willian

---------------- Cesc -- ----------------

------Batshuayi ------ Costa -----------

 

 

 

 

@axman2526

I am wondering the same thing. fabregas in either behind or ahead of the midfield with costa and pedro or batshuayi. I think he should and probably will go with willian given that the team are used to the patterns of a 343, but it is probably worth having a 352 as an option.

2 hours ago, PloKoon13 said:

Oddly (considering how much depth we had as recently as two or three years ago), beyond Pedro and Willian, we don't really have a lot of cover for those two roles behind Costa. Who is the alternative if one of those two doesn't put in a good performance? Oscar? Moses? I hope Batshuayi is ready for a starring role in the second half if that is indeed the case.

I am guessing azpi goes to RWB, Iva slots in at RCB and moses as RW.

Also I dont think Conte will do a PEP and just stick with a formation even though he does not have the players and personnel for it.

Last game, i think we tried out 4 different formations.

The normal 3-4-3 to start with, then Pedro out, willian in, I think we shifted to 4-2-3-1 with moses on the left, hazard central and willian right.

Then moses out for cesc, I felt we went to a 4-3-3 with Cesc-kante-matic and then Iva in, hazard out, I felt we went to 5-3-2 with willian as a mid supporting striker.

Thats the feeling i got while watching the game. So I hope we dont just try to put in players where they dont belong

Will likely be Ivan RWB and Azpi RCB i think/hope, like it was after he came on vs Spurs. Ivan like with Alonso won't be as tragic defensively in this system like they are in a back four.

Hazard is out for this game, i'd go with the same starting eleven just play Willian for Hazard. No need to change the current team unless there are tired legs in need for rotation.

in the last ten minutes of a game, throwing ivanovic on to hold onto a lead I can understand (though I'm not sure I agree with it), because at that point we're just defending.

asking him to be a proper wingback for an entire game is something I wouldn't understand. he's not good enough going forwards, he's not good enough on the ball, and we're asking him to go up and down the pitch all game at his age. plus he's likely to be up against van aanholt, who was much quicker than him even before his legs started to fail him. I don't understand why we would consider this.

Be interesting to see our first 11looks like hazard is out until 17 dec.

i wouldn't mind seeing this 

 

courtois 

azbi luiz Cahill 

moses Kante fabregas Alonso 

willian costa Pedro

 

less changes the better.

if we need more upfront bring batsman and go to a 3-5-2

 

i like the idea of ivan at wingback since i also like to eat shattered glass but looks like it's willy who will replace hazard

 

That is what I didn't get from the news reported by the Independent. Ivanovic as a wing back and doing the job of Moses? I just didn't see it. It makes more sense to have William coming on for Hazard and keep the system that has been working so well, but you never know. Maybe Conte thinks that Sunderland will be putting loads of balls into the box and we need Ivanovic's strength, just like he played Ivanovic last Sunday in the last sub.

i think first port of call should be to establish which two players are going to shut down Borini

We could do with locking down the midfield in this game, but I'm not keen on changing things too much, 3-5-2 would be ok if the 3 in the middle could be guaranteed to dominate the center of the pitch, but with Fabregas in the 3 you will not dominate midfield. Putting Oscar in front of Kante and Matic would be better, but i would rather see Willian doing a job in there, his work rate is phenomenal and his counter attacking pace is blistering. 

Or do we just stick with 3-4-3 and put Pedro on the left and Willian on the right ?

Tough call, but i trust Conte to make the right choice.

When I saw an article that claimed one of our players will miss this game. I was relieved it wasn't Costa. He'd be a much bigger absence.

                  Tibo
         Azpi -- Luiz -- Cahill
Moses -- Kante - Matic -- Alonso
                 Willian
            Diego -- Bats

Please please please please please please 

1 minute ago, AlexTommo said:

When I saw an article that claimed one of our players will miss this game. I was relieved it wasn't Costa. He'd be a much bigger absence.

Personally I am dying to see Bats have a full game though.  I honestly think he is going to be phenomenal 

43 minutes ago, TrueBlueBIH said:

Hazard is out for this game, i'd go with the same starting eleven just play Willian for Hazard. No need to change the current team unless there are tired legs in need for rotation.

The simple solution is probably the best.

 

 

Need to watch out for Djilibdoji, he's the danger man.

Hazard is a blow but what an opportunity for Willian.

On paper it shouldn't be one of our tougher games but this will be tight IMO.

What is up with Hazard anyway, is it serious or will it just keep him out for this one game ? I would hate for us to lose him for weeks.

with hazard out . i see Batshuayi and fabregas having a big influence on todays game.