We havent conceded so Conte is probably thinking his system is working... Really sis we'd try sokethingw different like 433.

Courtois
Rüdiger Cahill Christensen Azpi
Drinkwater Kanté Fabregas
Willian Morata Hazard

really wish wed try something different***

Biggest problem about Chelsea us you are soooooo borrrrring.

The focus is all on us and yes we are boring but how the hell do you lot get away with any criticism. You are simply awful to watch.
Persistently play 3 cbs
Scored less than us
X3 0-0 seats in a row
Conte cracking up

Matic is not the answer....binning that caant Bakayoko and playing Luiz might be....or giving Barkley his chance...or both

trouble is then Hazard has to defebd which he is not goodcat doing

comment by SWTN - Judas is number 1 (U7916)
posted 2 minutes ago
trouble is then Hazard has to defebd which he is not goodcat doing
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Really....I'm not understanding that

I have a saying for you....

Attack is the best form......etc

in a 4 3 3 the wide two have more defensive responsibility. They have to track back and stay out wide which again does not suit Hazard.

comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 43 seconds ago
I have a saying for you....

Attack is the best form......etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3 4 3 is more attacking than 4 3 3

Don't miss Matic at all. He's hardly tearing up any trees at Man U.
The big miss is Costa. He was an absolute beast for us and would have been the difference in both recent games with Arsenal for example. We are creating chances and not taking them. He would have.
A player who is booed by opponents is someone that scares them usually or has wound them up with the way they've played. Costa is that player and whilst I acknowledge his attitude and the way he manipulated his move away I think the club and Conte should've done more to smooth things out with him. It may take some time to find someone as good as him.
Matic is no miss. We have Kante and that's sufficient as far as Id like to play re defensive midfielders

comment by Manc Python (U17527)
posted 41 minutes ago
Biggest problem about Chelsea us you are soooooo borrrrring.

The focus is all on us and yes we are boring but how the hell do you lot get away with any criticism. You are simply awful to watch.
Persistently play 3 cbs
Scored less than us
X3 0-0 seats in a row
Conte cracking up


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well for a start we've been winning titles in recent years whereas you haven't. Also the Man Utd way is supposedly all about cavalier, adventurous football. Yet in reality you haven't played that way for years.

Don't miss Matic at all. He's hardly tearing up any trees at Man U. The big miss is Costa. He was an absolute beast for us and would have been the difference in both recent games with Arsenal for example. We are creating chances and not taking them. He would have.

---------------------------------------------------

While I don't understand Yoko Ono's constant selection I'm inclined to agree with the above comment. As I've been saying for a while this season we lack regular goalscorers and I saw this not scoring enough goals patch coming a mile off.

Costa is a huge miss and the club should have brought in two very good strikers to replace him, not just Morata who seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders at the moment. Or if not two strikers then another goal scoring attacking midfielder.

We're at a constant disadvantage because Batshuayi doesn't play which essentially means that we have just one striker in the squad. To compound matters Luiz doesn't play now either when he probably could do a very good job for us in CM.

Conte does need to should some of the blame for this situation but so do the club for another highly inadequate summer transfer window followed by a poor January transfer window as things stand.

comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by Manc Python (U17527)
posted 41 minutes ago
Biggest problem about Chelsea us you are soooooo borrrrring.

The focus is all on us and yes we are boring but how the hell do you lot get away with any criticism. You are simply awful to watch.
Persistently play 3 cbs
Scored less than us
X3 0-0 seats in a row
Conte cracking up


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well for a start we've been winning titles in recent years whereas you haven't. Also the Man Utd way is supposedly all about cavalier, adventurous football. Yet in reality you haven't played that way for years.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
He will not be replying Superb. I filtered the mug.

comment by Bov (U6696)
posted 31 minutes ago
Don't miss Matic at all. He's hardly tearing up any trees at Man U.
The big miss is Costa. He was an absolute beast for us and would have been the difference in both recent games with Arsenal for example. We are creating chances and not taking them. He would have.
A player who is booed by opponents is someone that scares them usually or has wound them up with the way they've played. Costa is that player and whilst I acknowledge his attitude and the way he manipulated his move away I think the club and Conte should've done more to smooth things out with him. It may take some time to find someone as good as him.
Matic is no miss. We have Kante and that's sufficient as far as Id like to play re defensive midfielders
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But we had a two man midfield with Matic that won us the league. He allows us to play 3-4-3....now it seems we can not.

I dont see how that can be dismissed.

Don't miss Matic at all. He's hardly tearing up any trees at Man U.
The big miss is Costa. He was an absolute beast for us and would have been the difference in both recent games with Arsenal for example. We are creating chances and not taking them. He would have.
A player who is booed by opponents is someone that scares them usually or has wound them up with the way they've played. Costa is that player and whilst I acknowledge his attitude and the way he manipulated his move away I think the club and Conte should've done more to smooth things out with him. It may take some time to find someone as good as him.
--------------------

This. This was my gripe v Conte. His high ideals v The player that makes the difference. I was continually shouted down on this. Costa this, costa that, most of forgot, Costa had passion (presently lacking in the team) and he scored or assisted scoring.
Conte should have stepped of the moral high ground and patched it with Costa. Whatever "it" was.

And yet Costa was pretty poor the second half of last season

comment by Tway (U1162)
posted 5 minutes ago
Don't miss Matic at all. He's hardly tearing up any trees at Man U.
The big miss is Costa. He was an absolute beast for us and would have been the difference in both recent games with Arsenal for example. We are creating chances and not taking them. He would have.
A player who is booed by opponents is someone that scares them usually or has wound them up with the way they've played. Costa is that player and whilst I acknowledge his attitude and the way he manipulated his move away I think the club and Conte should've done more to smooth things out with him. It may take some time to find someone as good as him.
--------------------

This.This was my gripe v Conte. His high ideals v The player that makes the difference. I was continually shouted down on this. Costa this, costa that, most of forgot, Costa had passion (presently lacking in the team) and he scored or assisted scoring.
Conte should have stepped of the moral high ground and patched it with Costa. Whatever "it" was.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Costa wanted to leave the club on three occassions. And sulked in his second season because he could not go back to Spain

No regrets selling Matic at all, it's just that his replacements haven't been good enough. Our issues are upfront atm. Looks like Morata is going through drought period, coupled this with Cesc and Hazard poor form. Maybe it's time Conte reverted back to 3-4-3, at least we look more threatening using this system. Baka and DW aren't good enough for the 3-5-2 system.

Baka and DW aren't good enough for the 3-5-2 system.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That the point though, Matic proved he was good enough not only for 3-5-2 but also 3-4-3.

We sold him, did not find an adequate replacment and now we can not play either system as well as we did.

Its about team balance not about individal ability and Matic provided that balance to the team.

I imagined it would have been a fairly easy job to replace him, but clearly it was not.

Baka looked promising early doors, even though allegedly playing through injury. Don't know wtf has happened to him, he's just going from bad to worse. It is smack of desperation when Barkley is now considered to be our saviour atm.

It seems to me that we don't have the ability to play ANY effective formation in central midfield at the moment.

Of all the options we have to partner Kante in either a 2 or 3 man midfield we have a choice of Bakayoko, Drinkwater or Fabregas - and IMO not one of them is good enough to put up against the PL's best never mind Europes.

What's the answer - I don't know, as Biggish has said, while Matic was not very good playing in a more advanced role he's still a better option that what we currently have.

What's the solution? I don't know as it's the one position where I don't see any of the academy lads ready to step in. That could play that position, Kyle Scott, Kasey Palmer I don't think have developed enough as are some of the others out on loan.

The only person that stands out to me that could have possibly done a job there is RLC.

In a nutshell, unless we can pull a rabbit out of the hat (or Barkley can surprise us) I thinks we are stuck with what we have until next season!

Grim all round but it is what it is!

But what about 4th spot !

Talking of Barkley, does anyone have any idea of his fitness status?

Is he likely to be available any time in the near future?

Yep Brummie. I don't think RLC would've been the answer, even though he's probably a better option than Baka and DW. We need a solid B2B midfielder to partner Kante, unless as you said earlier Barkley surprises us all !!!