25 Jan 2018 16:52:32
Chelsea become frustrated with Conte criticising their transfer strategy in public. Conte says he has got no say in who is bought to the club but Chelsea say they are working very hard (counting every penny) before sanctioning and deals Conte wants which are his targets.
Lol another sign that there is chaos behind the scenes. Writing is on the wall for Conte to leave and Chelsea to move. My personal preferance would be Maurizio Sarri of Napoli. His style of football is what i have always craved at Chelsea. Very attacking, high press and possession.
My opinion is that despite Conte saying he has nothing to do with transfers, the transfers that are coming through the door are Conte's albeit not being his first, secord or even third choice.
To me it seems like both parties are trying to deflect the blame or not be held responsible if results get drastically worse. I think if Conte leaves his trying to leave with an image that he is simply is a coach and works with what is at his disposal and never gets what he wants and was disadvantaged with the clubs transfer strategy. The fact that he said last years title win was a miracle is to boost his credentials as a coach. However, the majority of the same players couldn't have delivered miracles twice in 3 years.
Tbh the board can easily emphasise that the targets are Conte's but what number are these targets in his list. Surely not in the top 3.
Chelsea Banter Archive January 25 2018
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25 Jan 2018 15:28:46
Following on from some people calling for a leader and wanting Luiz to return, does anyone like the thought of him in midfield for big games? I'm still to be convinced by bakayoko, and Luiz offers a decent amount of vision and can play long balls well as well as pretty solid defending to help out the back 3. Not to mention having a great personality and leadership qualities. I think him and Kante in front of Dave Rudiger and Christensen could work well in games where we are likely to be on the back foot like Barcelona.
25 Jan 2018 16:26:09
I love Luiz I’m midfield as he’s the only one who can also shoot from distance for us. He’s a great passer too.
25 Jan 2018 16:54:04
Get barkley fit, morata confindence back, and after his performance yesterday 96+% bakyoko looked to actually have that potential we got him for but add he width and pace I keep banging on about and a midfield 3 of Kante bakyoko/ cesc and barkley night just have not of what we need, attacking is our biggest problem., that and conte admits his going at end or commits,
25 Jan 2018 17:27:42
I have always felt his best position is midfield. Too risky in defence both in temperament and tackling and wanting to run it out rather than clear it which means midfield would suit him. Great shot, firm pass and an excellent long ball and of course the added bonus, he is useful in the air.
26 Jan 2018 08:08:39
100% David luiz in midfield always thought he plays better there. Think he played there once this season and scored.
26 Jan 2018 08:55:05
Kanté and luiz ;)
25 Jan 2018 11:29:16
Ed002, I know you don’t want to add anything on this page, but please can you shed any light on what’s happening at chelsea at the moment. Regarding Contes position and transfers? Please. anything. Thank you!
{Ed002's Note - I am not interested in providing anything at all Adam.}
25 Jan 2018 13:52:17
Ok no worries. Just thought it was worth an ask as this page seems to be thriving at the minute and even tho we all have different opinions we aren’t reverting to it getting personal! Thanks anyway.
25 Jan 2018 14:22:09
I really hope Conte staya but it seems that he is going.
25 Jan 2018 08:51:32
Yes, they were two unlucky goals to concede but after we scored we were dreadful. The defence is so disorganised and we seriously lack a captain. I thought Azi was a future leader but I no longer think so. Midfield was over run and I am completely baffled by the inclusion week in and week out of Bayakoko who looks like an athlete learning to play football. Alonso has proved me wrong in his usefulness but his serious lack of pace in defence and overlap is making him a liability at times. As hard as we try we have no serious firepower and this short passing in front of packed defences, going absolutely nowhere is a disgrace. We have an element of pace with Hazard, Pedro and Willian but rarely use it unless we get a huge amount of space which few clubs give us, we should be creating space. I still insist Bats was an absolute waste of money, I am a huge Morata fan BUT I am wondering is we have another Dean Sturridge on our hands, someone who won't play if his toe nail aches! An Italian friend had said when we bought him that he was 'fragile'. We then come to Conte who I think is an inspirational manager but tactically flawed and I have no doubt he will be gone before or at season end which when you look at the stellar managers, lie them or not, we have had and the ease in which they have been let go, there is a problem at the club and managers attract players so we could be hit doubly in the summer with the manager and two or three players saying enough is enough and going. Carroll, Slimani, Dzeko and Crouch and a gamble on another Rahman type with Palmieri, I thought we were bigger than that.
25 Jan 2018 09:16:11
C1955, yes, yes, yes - agree with all you say (except I don't know who Dean Sturridge is! ) . Luiz, a leader on and off the field and a huge player for us last season, questions Conte's tactics once and is relegated to back benches seemingly for good. I have posted before and been shot down - Conte is tactically inept and also a little Napoleon.
25 Jan 2018 10:17:11
1st half was all about possession but we seem to have lost the cutting edge. I am of the opinion that our play general play needs to speed up a lot more. All of this side to side passing gives the opposition enough time to get back into prime positions time and time again especially when we drag them out. Everytime we create space, there is a general tendancy for the ball to be passed backwards or side by side again. Useless!
The 2nd half was a shocker. Even at the point where we were chasing the game, it felt more like arsenal would score. We were not able to get the ball back from them at all and our players were not able to press arsenal to get them to make a mistake. Not even a snif made to come back into the game. That donkey aka Batshuyai did nothing, absolutely zero. Its fair to say that the other players lookes jaded. The squad needs a revamp.
Moses and Alonso have been performing their duties in a lethargic way for a while. The latter is scoring goals but he isn't a striker and that shouldn't be his saving grace. He has not got any pace and is not able to conduct any take ons etc. Moses is slighly better with possession, atleast he can do a couple of take ons here and there. If our wing backs had chipped in then it eases the burden on the rest of the team and more space is created. As for pedro he is a shadow of what he was last year.
Credit to Baka, he has inproved slightly last 2 games but i thought he was a box to box player. He seems to be a poor version of kante. Why do we need 8 defensively minded players in our team if you inc keeper. Slowly beginning to question Conte myself, he doesn't learn from mistakes.
25 Jan 2018 10:20:33
Massive massive agreement mate about the lack of a true leader. We haven’t got ONE player who should be captain, who fully deserves it. Not even Luiz. We lack the JT effect. We need someone who is willing to put a strong challenge in and set the level of the game. We miss that.
Very well said on all the other parts too. 👏👏👏.
25 Jan 2018 10:29:38
Miss Darren wood, your comments are good and they sure point out some deficiency in the team but please be patient and don't seriously give Conte all the blame, at least not when more than 80% of the players that Chelsea have brought in between last summer and now have serious question marks over their heads.
Imagine letting Diego Costa and Matic leave after winning EPL sure leaves a lot to be admired and will affect any team. Barkley, Drinkwater, Bakayoko all came in with injuries (and they have been far from their best) ; this is Morata's first season playing as the main striker for a team since the beginning of his career; there have been diverse injuries to certain key players at certain important points in the season that have affected the squad negatively (like Kante, Hazard, Moses, Luiz and now Fabregas, Willian etc) . Willian and Pedro have not been at their best this season (Willian virtually came alive from the last 3-4 matches) .
The players we have brought in aren't so bad (but they are not as good as the ones that our rivals have brought in- coupled with the fact that they also have good managers) .
It will take our new recruits some time to hit their peek again, so let's be patient with Conte cos you only judge a person based on resources available to him/ her and the ability of his competitors (ManU, ManCity, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal[whom will soon add Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang to their squad]) .
25 Jan 2018 11:02:00
MissDarrenWood: My error. In my frustration with a game we should have won, I meant Daniel Sturridge who cannot play if the winds blowing in the wrong direction!
25 Jan 2018 18:03:59
Remember Robben refusing to play in the CL semi-final at Anfield because 'I only like to play when I feel 100% fit'!
25 Jan 2018 19:26:56
MissDW: That wasn't the only time he played that card BUT on his day almost unplayable if not somewhat greedy.
25 Jan 2018 08:14:43
Conte is losing the plot big time his comments about Barkley post match was poor give him a chance Conte you fool the lad was playing his first game of the season after a bad injury was not and is not match fit yet also your tactics and sub decisions have become awful I feel my opinion Conte is on the brink of getting booted out well before the end of the season because we have definitely gone back a lot from last season and to me he seems to be making a lot of excuses etc and does not take the blame for recent bad results.
25 Jan 2018 09:03:47
At last - somebody that agrees with what I've been saying. Conte has only 1 game-plan - 3-5-1-1 - it worked last season because it took the Prem by surprise. This season teams have adjusted and match Chelsea's 3 at the back against us and Conte does not seem to have anything else. Why not try 2 upfront, which would help both Bats and Morata? And yesterday's substitution of Barkley for Willian was highly questionable given that Barkley has not played at all since last season, and Conte's remarks after the game only compounded his own mistake; surely Zappacosta on at wing-back and Moses pushed forward would have been the call, keeping our shape, especially as we were 1 up at the time. Posters on here won't have a bad word said about Conte but I believe that's mostly down to his enthusiasm on the touchline rather than a true assessment of his abilities. To me, the Emperor Conte has no clothes!
25 Jan 2018 12:10:35
Been saying it for weeks
We have played 3 team in top ten since November and haven't won once says it all we are ordinary and this formation is holding us back.
25 Jan 2018 07:36:22
Very simple the club is going backwards we need a new owner to take us forward.
25 Jan 2018 15:16:45
I'm the most negative on here byrrab most would agree but really.
25 Jan 2018 18:11:41
As much as I may criticise the behind-the-scene activities at Chels, I cannot believe there are 5 people 'liking' the post suggesting that Abramovich should go!
25 Jan 2018 05:39:30
{Ed's Note - we have posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 25th January 2018
25 Jan 2018 00:41:55
There's a big decision to be made at the club. One that will define what tier of football we want to be playing. To me it looks like sadly it has already been made.
It needs to be determined whether Chelsea plan to stay in the top tier of world football or whether they're happy as a club to sit in the next tier down. Gone are the days we buy premium players. I can't remember the last time we signed a real marquee player, probably Kanté but the board were keen due to the price.
Our rivals are spending and spending in what seems to be a fashion that wouldn't meet FFP but nobody seems to care. City and United constantly trying to improve, every player they seem to buy improves their starting 11. For too long now we've been buying squad players. We should have been in for Sánchez. We should be in for Aubameyang. We should have been in for VVD. Those players strengthen your starting 11. The only business we've done is Barkley, who let's be honest isn't leaps and bounds ahead of RLC. We're about to buy a LB in Palmieri, who is most likely going to be rubbish if he's anything like the last wing back we bought from Italy. As for Dzeko, he's a quality player but we should be aiming for the next tier up of striker.
Let's face it Hazard is going in the summer. The board needs to start sorting a replacement out for him now, preferably Dybala! Otherwise we're well and truly screwed!
Conte will also go as we all know.
Time to decide what you want to be Chelsea. You're alright taking money off the fans but it's about time you start using it properly and buying players people actually want to see pull on the shirt rather than cut price panic buys!
{Ed0333's Note - So you think Chelsea are screwed if you don’t replace Hazard with Dybala? Did you really just say that. I respect and appreciate your passion and partisanship for your team but Chelsea football club won’t be doomed if you don’t sign one player. Come on Nick get a grip mate.
25 Jan 2018 07:16:15
Morata was not a marquee signing at £70m Or did I miss that? We’ve spent the second highest amount on players in the prem last few seasons. Just we haven’t bought well. We haven’t bought well at all.
We haven’t the finances anymore to compete with the likes of United/ City/ PSG anymore. They are owned by countries mate, United is down to years and years of good commercial business. We are relatively new on that scene (since Roman came anyway) . And playing catch up on the others. There’s no way we could offer £400,000 to ONE player a week mate. I don’t understand how anyone can, I thought FFP was there to cap this obscene amounts but it hasn’t!
I said earlier this week, this club has 2 avenues to go down. 1 being BUY BUY BUY and try and stay with the richest of clubs or 2. Use the academy more and accept we won’t be challenging for the CL or the prem every year. That’s the cold hard truth mate.
25 Jan 2018 07:52:16
What do people see in RLC that I don’t? I don’t think he’ll ever be good enough for Chelsea and think he’s found his level tab Palace. The few games I’ve watched him in, he looked lost. Barkley is better then him, no doubting that. Just that injuries have played a massive part of him missing lots of game time. You can’t judge him on his performance yesterday. He’s so not up to speed yet, but with more and more minutes that will come.
Didn’t we say the same thing about Alonso being rubbish? What we really needed to do is gone all out for Sandro. 26 years old, he could have made the LWB his role for 4-5 years. It’s shame that Juve mucked us around.
Dzeko is a panic buy. No doubt, I’m not sure Conte is that keen on him. I think the board have taken this decision and remembered what Didier was like and hoping that we can knock balls up to him to win the aerial duels. 🙄
Personally and I really do think this. That Tibo and Eden will sign new contracts and then be sold for mega money next summer. That’s my personal view.
Agree about just squad fillers, I remember when we had 11 top class players on the pitch and then 7 on the bench. And none were moaning about not playing etc.
Going to be an interesting end to the season. And said it last summer and will say it again, we need to restart a transition period and either promote within or sell the mediocre players and buy better and WISER!
25 Jan 2018 08:33:25
Excellent, non-hysterical look at what is happening at Chelsea.
25 Jan 2018 15:22:02
It takes a lot for us to agree on things but your view of rlc is spot on not good enough
I believe Tammy isn't either to be honest.
24 Jan 2018 23:50:07
Unlucky Lads.
Two teams who like to play football.
But, you were beaten by two fantastic goals by Arsenal (Tongue firmly in cheek) .
Good luck for rest of season.
Dags.
25 Jan 2018 00:35:47
You think Conte likes to play football? Hahahaha. Good luck against City. I know your called lucky Arsenal but tonight was a different level against a shocking Chelsea team. Both teams are/ were awful.
25 Jan 2018 01:06:10
Good luck in the final! . I'd say good luck in the league as well but i reckon we'll be battling for top four come the end of the season so. lol. Yeah you got lucky with your goals but it happens, we still defended awfully and didn't look anywhere near good enough in the 2nd half. Who knows if you can add Auba to your team then i think you can give City a real game. Don't see how a lot of your fanbase are saying you're in downfall. Near the top four, have a cup final to look forward to and are targeting top level players to improve your team. If you're in downfall i dread to think what we might be starting to be in.