Perhaps, but I also think Conte has his favorites and didn't want Drinkwater or Barkley, or trusts Fabergas. Etienne Capoue and Doucoure just Lampard, Essien, and Ballacked their way past our guys.
The usual too lazy to want to work every minute, me first, suspects get another World Class gaffer fired. No pace of play, no desire, no movement, no real effort. Effing pathetic. Hope we flog Hazard ( great last 10 minutes but was his name heard in first 85 minutes) to Real Madrid, call a taxi for Luiz Baka Fab and others, and use the money to get some desire and motivated in; lot of blame to go around; suits weakened our talent and depth, strengthened near all the top 6 teams with our talent, loaned talent to every other team in Europe and did shit this January. Don't know why they would not support a Gaffer with 5 League titles in a row??? Conte, not sure if he is ordered to play certain players, or threw I want to escape tizzy, cause no real excuse to play Baka so much and let others coast with so little movement, ambition, or effort and not change up tactics more, even without the parts... Need so much help, a striker or 2, 2 other attackers; 2-3 in midfield and improvement and depth at cb, and a GK, when TC effs off to Madrid
Watford had 21 shots to our 7; that is the most damning statistic of all, in the past we have lost but have always 'bossed' the chances created, to be 'outshot' 3 to 1 at what is after all only bloody Watford is THE most worrying stat as far as i can see, I can only think that the players have 'downed' tools again? I cant see where we go from here to be honest.
That's what happens when you don't play with a target man and then don't have the setup to keep the ********ing ball. We were ran through, most of the time when we actually had it they still ran through us. I'd ********ing sign Capoue and Doucoure today. Not joking. They'd make our midfield substantially better. If we're going to play Flicks and Flicks II and Flicks III in a front three we have to hope to God that our side can control possession. We just let them at us, no composure on the ball. Even our defenders were giving it away left and right with terrible passing, ahem Gaz.... Hazard can be pretty good, not as a lone target man though. His best instance was after that target man came on. Not a coincidence. Time to man up gentlemen, this ship is destined to sink and Europa League or bust.
It's not that. They tried getting back into but when the setup is wrong, we've been found out, and we go down a man even the weak have a go. We haven't been good defensively since JT had his last good season. Gaz can't organize a back 3 as it's 3 too many people. He can't organize himself, how in the hell can we expect him to organize 2 other people. Zappacosta might have been our best player today because he just didn't suck as bad as the rest of them. He got up and down and tried harder than anyone.
So, where do we go from here? We got a 60,000 seater stadium coming and I am not sure what level of football is going to be served up for 60,000 people? I'm not sure whether any world class manager is going to be very interested in taking the job on, not if they have any sense anyway! We are running out of options.
Kind of agree, and welcome back! Hazard isn't our problem per se rather our utter reliance on him to do anything, everything, and when he does nothing for large stretches, we're totally exposed of having any real class around him. Don't get me wrong, he's frustrating, but to me, it's all on him. Fabergas is an interesting one. There are a lot who don't like him, yet our reliance on him to create is shocking. He can't score for shit because getting to goal requires 150% output. I actually like him, he's limited as a pivot or B2B, but he tries, and shows decent heart. Luiz looks the most disinterested player I've seen. No emotion right now. Almost Bogarde levels of interest here. Christensen goes down and we ship 7 ********ing goals in 165 minutes. Let that sink. Probably would have happened last season if we lost Luiz.
The two solutions to try and salvage the season seem to be for the Board to strongly double down on Conte and make it clear he has personnel control going forward and will be here next year, so present spoiling apple players know they are playing for their jobs and careers rather than biding time for the next manager and trying to hasten that date, my choice I love Conte, (though wondering about some why decisions lately) but 99% + percent chance, me thinks, he won't last the week, or probably the night. or Rouse Guss from his Hammock but no other retreads. I won't even think out loud my greatest fear.....
Conte wants out, it's as clear as day. He should be replaced as soon as possible before the Barcelona games roll around.
Fab has his uses, as you say higher up, and off the bench for me Just does not have the defense , energy and motor to play as one of the 2 mids in our main system. Lack of his type of creativity and passing eye beyond him is an issue. And could be totally wrong but I see him as a dissenting voice in the dressing room along with Luiz. Hazard, there is certainly a point in your comments about lack of support and too much reliance, and on his day he can be brilliant and work like a cattle dog while being kicked about mercilessly, but just not enough of those days and too many quiet stretches in too many matches to be our main man. (feel he is quick to dissent, mope,and slack off behind the scenes as well (especially Jose's last season) but could be wrong) I would not flog him for cheap but if someone wanted to pay silly money we could reinvest in younger,/hungrier I'd jump on it. Mostly we need a bigger stronger leader/character to lead by example and knock him about when needed and free him up more if he stays. He needs a dominant physical central striker to free him and take defenders away. Hopefully Morata heals and exits his slump, and Giroud does the job this season
We have to do a rethink as a club. Time to find a manager who WANTS to work with the academy and for the board to create a unified direction. The last time we thought about that was with AVB but we canned him 8 months in because shit went pear shaped. And frankly even that was a half assed attempt, but the vision was there. Money cures a lot of ills. The thought that no one will want to come here is nuts, we pay, we get. The problem being, we don't want to pay outside of our budget or plan. Outside of Morata almost everyone comes in at the same target area...£30m-£40m. That's our range. Either get on with it and buy someone, or just start a rethink and use the ********ing academy for a couple years.
Whether a manager wants to work with the youth or not, I don't think the board has any such interest. They probably view the academy as a business rather than a pipeline and there's little to suggest otherwise (though really am hopeful that AC is a sign of things to come). And whilst I also would love to support a club that builds its own pipeline of talent, the reality is, no title chasing club in England does this. A player here or there but the vast vast majority of key players for teams that win the league come from elsewhere. Man Utd back in the 90's are the last clear example and that was such a different era the comparison is no longer valid. Now, there is such a focus on success, that to take 2-3 full seasons to properly blood an entire new generation is not close to being on the cards and even then you may be working with the likes of McEachren rather than KdB. Lately Sp*rs have probably done this better than most but then what have they got to show for it? That article that Brock linked earlier positioned the type of manager we are all hoping for as the holy grail and I don't disagree. What we seem to end up getting are the fake grails from Indiana Jones. Initial euphoria because we are certain we drink from the one true grail and then two seasons later.....Christopher Lloyd.
Frankly, I don't care. It can be done and is done by others. There is evidence across Europe. I'm not suggesting playing an entire squad from our academy, but rather not ********ing selling them all and bringing in someone like Bakayoko who is ********ing garbage 8/10 matches and mediocre the other two. You know who wouldn't be garbage...Chalobah. He was made for this midfield. There is this thought that the Chelsea academy and success cannot coexist any time any discussion is brought up regarding a prospect. Why is that? Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't it work? Why is the English League averse to having quality and some youth. I hear that all too often, it just won't work. This version of Chelsea wasn't supposed to work, it wasn't supposed to last. Yet here we are. Time to ********ing find someone who can make it work. Find someone can make a change and is willing to work with the academy rather than pitch it to the wayside to bring in new toys from Europe or old rented ones from England.
I think there's just too much we don't know. It can't be a fault of one person. We don't truly know what Conte wants, what he has said to the board/Roman and what they told him. Baka seemed like a promising player (and he still might be). He might be excellent in training sessions and Conte is rewarding that. Unfortunately, all we can do, as fans, is just speculate.
He has looked a kid who got his favorite toy taken away since July and has essentially publicly said “none of this is my fault” for months now
There was a play in the game where we were screwing around with the ball at the back and Courtois ended up getting pressured and cleared it out near the midway line into the stands, Conte looked like he was about to cry. Funny how this game works isn't it? Willian converts that chance, it may have been totally different result and we are in 3rd place, but sports happens! I still believe the turning point of the season was the late Norwich goal, been all downhill since then
It's a great gig. You work 1.5, maybe 2 years, and you get paid the equivalent of 3-4 years of work. Who wouldn't take that?
Lol, imagine blaming Hazard for this mess. Literally the only good thing left about this club. I predict a Liverpool-esque decline immediately after his departure.
Hazard has led Chelsea to 2 League titles in 3 years. 3 in 4 if he didn't get injured in 13/14. Hazard is constantly played out of position. Plays on the most defensive team in the Top 6. Surrounded by functional footballers & 7, sometimes even 8 defensive-minded players. Literally the only creative player in the team & has more responsibility placed on his shoulders than even Lionel Messi. What a ********ing joke. Blaming him because he doesn't produce magic every week to bail the team out. The team isn't even built around him ffs.
Conte gives the team 3-day break. https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation...ers-undeserved-but-much-needed-extended-break
My dude, its been this way for almost 4 years now, it's ********ing insane! Every time people are like "well he's no Ronaldo" its like yeah, no shit. He doesn't have actually talent supporting him. The fact that hes has done as well as he has is actually amazing. Bleh.