Fwiw, you only have 2 sentences total here so in fact you couldn't get 2 off before descending to blueallthru's level : D Still processing here so resorting to misplaced humor. On the midfield note, Drinkwater may only bring a spoon, a fork, a couple of plates and a glass to the table but baka actively takes a full dinner service for 20 people, a gravy boat, mustard bowl, 150 pieces of cutlery and a f***ing giant vase full of roses off the table. So there's that.
Drinkwater's done well. He links up through the midfield with simple but accurate pass and move, has a decent strike that he's not scared to use, can actually get involved in some of the neat interplay in the final third, knows how to tackle and will work his socks off. Bakayoko literally has none of these attributes. I think we'll regroup and recover. But Cahill needs to become a second choice behind Azpilicueta, Christensen, and Rudiger (and I'm not totally sold on Rudiger yet). I did chuckle reading through the thread when it was suggested that David Luiz is world class. Azpilicueta is the ONLY choice for captain at the moment, with Christensen the man for the future. And Antonio... I want you to stay and to succeed. But you cannot and will not do that with Bakayoko, with playing Barkley on the left wing, with playing two right backs at the same time, with no striker but two on the bench. Caballero has a cracking few games and his reward is seeing Courtois ship 7 in two games against mid-table opposition. If Giroud wasn't fit to play 90 minutes, start him and take him off after the game's won. Hudson-Odoi. I dunno, yeah he's young. But he's hungry and he's quick and he can finish. It would be demoralising for him if he played and failed perhaps, but it must be even more demoralising to see this shit and not be able to get more than a few minutes when we're totally desperate. This is a rambling post, clearly, but I'll finish with this. I'd love to see a Mourinho-esque 4-3-3. Kante, Drinkwater/RLC/Bakayoko (if he ever finds form), Barkley in front of Alonso/Palmieri, Christensen, A.N. Other, Azpilicueta. Take your pick up top.
Kante, especially last year perhaps above all, Alonso, Azp Dave, Costa, Matic, Willian, Moses, Alonso TC , Pedro, Cahill, Luiz, JT, Fab, Obi, etc etc all carried passengers I suppose... Hazard a huge contributor to titles no doubt, also a huge contributor to the worse title defense ever, (or did Claudio beat that with Leicester???), Teams win year after year, ego's and on there day here and there players, may get one here and there; I love Hazard on his days but is he there every day behind the scenes, I wonder but don't really know... and would 200 million quid counter balance his exit. don't know,,,
I think I am coming off harsher about Hazard than I intend. Yeah I do question a bit his day to day attitude, consistency and motivation, but usually on the field he plays hard and unselfishly. And it is bit chicken and egg as to whether his movement and effort wanes on occasion because no on else is moving, or he on occasion takes too much on himself because there is a vacuum. And on the field he is a victim of highlighting what we don't have to support or work with him. And I am not saying at all I'd encourage him to leave, just said earlier I would take stupid Real money if offered, but mostly I want a bigger character, leader and physical presence to free him up on the field and keep him and the rest in line and step off the field. JT was not a playing presence last season but I think we miss far more than realized his off-field leadership and that is a hole we need to fill. Mostly I am just so ********ing frustrating by our lack of movement and playing pace in the other half, I scream all matches "mas rapido, mas rapido" and some other more colorful New Mexico soccer terms to my neighbors chagrin.
Wow. Just watched the tape. Hard to look at the end of the game as anything other than a capitulation. I was all in with Conte, but after this...and his body language...he’s a dead man walking. Why drag it out? At this point, just put our best 11 out there in a 4-4-2 and try to hold onto 4th place with our fingernails.
Great post lobo and I mostly agree. Gaz isn't near the leader JT was. Luiz was once pegged as a future captain but he looks as bad as Conte. Fabergas is far too polarizing and Hazard just doesn't have the want to be that vocal leader. We have Dave, that's it. We need someone to take charge. After our lovely performance on Monday, Courtois came out and faced the media, not anyone else and not our Captain. That's telling.
Agree with a lot of this. It was pertinent in an earlier post when citing the world class players we have, all of the others mentioned were on the defensive end. I love Kante to death, but he is not out there knocking 1-2's with Hazard, he needs some help, another genuine threat. I think much of this is echoed in your post. We have a real dearth of vocal leadership on the pitch. It is a very quiet group of players on the field from Hazard, Kante and Dave. Costa was vocal though I'd argue not in a positive way and we have not replaced JT remotely in that area. AC also doesn't strike me as a noisy CB but maybe he will grow into that. I am more than willing to place a lot of faith in that young man who I see as being a fixture for a decade. Of all the players we have, I'd say Luiz is probably the most 'captainy' type of player we have but he has no stable role in the team so it falls to Gaz almost by default and even then he isn't a guaranteed starter which makes it hard. I would go young in this case and see what AC can do with the armband (I think Conte has even spoken about his potential before). Would be a great way to breathe some new life into a stale side.
We don't play until Monday? It's already been a long week. I'm dying for new ways I can be underwhelmed by my club.
Good points and I generally agree with all. Conte has to trust some of his fringe players more. Bats could have got more time but he didn't exactly cover himself in glory every time he was on. His hold up play, not running into open spaces, lack of link-up were apparent. But agreed he should have played more. Bakayoko is someone who needs to be immediately dropped. If Conte doesn't drop him, he will be the reason for his demise like Ivan was for Jose. But he has had slim pickings. Drinkwater has been decent but nothing great. Also, his injuries have not helped his cause. Baka (at least on paper) offers a little physicality. Our midfield has been terrible this season apart from Kante. Cesc just doesn't work in a 2 as he is sieve defensively. A midfield 3 is the only way to accommodate Cesc. Not to go back to transfers but Conte wanted Baka to be Matic's understudy but that didn't happen. Remove Baka's 'performance' from yesterday and add a capable midfielder, then nothing was wrong with the tactics as we have played well with a front 3 of Hazard, Willian and Pedro before. We were playing a man down the entire game. Just want to point out that with the grueling Jan and really thin squad (which is mostly on the board), Conte has had his hands tied a bit. In the end, we are still 4th and are in a level most expected us to with our transfers.
My biggest beef w Conte is his selections match after match after match. No, Im no PL manager, but FFS, stop starting Baka and Cahill. They are abysmal. Play attacking football, if you dont care to, resign. I want to see attacking football.