Chelsea Banter Archive February 22 2016

22 Feb 2016 22:35:48
Hmm, interesting comment from Mikel, that all of the players want Hiddink to stay. Personally I wouldn't be against that, as he's done really well in the short period he's been managing us.

22 Feb 2016 11:31:43
is it just me or does 3-5-2 really excite anybody else? I would personally love to see our squad play that formation, a couple of smart signings and we good be in really good shape with that formation. very easy to go from defensive to o0ffensive from one game to the next simply by switching the wingers from full backs to wingers.

thoughts? if not, what's your ideal formation.

22 Feb 2016 13:53:20
352 is the most offensive formation.At the same time it is one of two most balanced formations together with 4141. I would love to see Chelsea in 352 formation but with given players it's impossible due to a lack of strikers.Perhaps next season.

22 Feb 2016 14:56:40
the post was about next season although perhaps that was unclear. however, we do have the players to play this formation already. both hazard and traore could play up top with costa very well IMO, could even be the best way to get hazard back to form. a couple of tap ins and he could be a world beater again - confidence.

22 Feb 2016 15:59:28
Personally I believe that the best position for Hazard is number ten. The only problem is his height because you usually expect from n10 headers inside the box. Yes, we could try Hazard as secondary striker. But when you decide to play 352 usually you play with two central forwards.
Anyway 3412&4312 have been very successful formations in the past. You are defending with seven players and you attack with six or seven players.

22 Feb 2016 16:26:31
very good points.
I want hazard to have a belter in the next 20 or so games and then to leave for mega bucks. willian and Oscar are good enough for me with another winger in to take willians spot. controversial maybe?

22 Feb 2016 18:33:44
3-5-2 a formation conte likes to use. 3-5-2 is an exciting formation as long as the manager is used to playing this way. Liverpool adapted this formation under Rodgers and looked very good to watch in the year Gerard slipped ;)
I think we look poor at lot of the time is because we have attacking players trying to play defensive football in a
4-2-3-1. When we do press high and attack our football is great. I think out of the top 3 candidates for the job in simeone, alegri and conte. Conte is the only one that I believe brings different ideas/ formations= a different way of playing.

22 Feb 2016 18:44:28
Allegri usually plays either 4312 or 352. Same as Conte.

22 Feb 2016 19:09:23
Ok boys . If u played 352 who would u play with our current squad . n a squad for next season (with new signing)

22 Feb 2016 20:32:28
Current squad :-

Courtois

Ivanovic Terry Zouma

Azpilicueta Baba

Willian Mikel Fabregas

Diego Costa Hazard

After the summer, w/ exits and signings :-

Courtois

Stones Ivanovic Zouma

Azpilicueta Baba

Willian Verratti Fabregas

Diego Costa Griezmann.

22 Feb 2016 20:39:59
Gk Courtois, Begovic
CDs Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Terry, Miazga
RM Azpilicueta, Willian
LM Baba, Kennedy
CM Matic, Mikel, RLC (Fabregas)
ACM (Fabregas) Oscar, Hazard
ST Costa, Traore (Hazard), (Falcao, Remy, Pato)

22 Feb 2016 22:43:54
For a realistic future squad:
Gk: courtois begovic/ new backup Blackman
Cb: terry iva zouma miazga christensen stones/ Marquinhos
Rwb: Willian azpilicuelta (maybe new signing)
Lwb Rahman Kenedy (neither in all probability will start so a new signing)
Cm: matic fabregas mikel rlc new signing (verratti, pogba diawara)
Cam: fabregas griezmann Willian (new signing I'd love Barkley)
St: Costa traore griezman (new signing: dybala, beharino) remy if no new signing.

23 Feb 2016 09:52:29
11Skelljcfc, there are way too many players in your squad that will want a sustained run in the first team. And the only way to keep them all happy would be constant rotation between every game imo. In fact the 2nd 11 that you could make from the squad could arguably be just as good if not better in some respects than the first 11.

23 Feb 2016 19:34:33
It was off the top of my head fuser I wasn't really considering the number game just expressing what I'd like to happen.

23 Feb 2016 19:54:21
We need deeper squad anyway. That's the point. You must have decent back up for each starter.
I am a bit worried, I've noticed that some of you already sold Hazard.

22 Feb 2016 02:31:38
Rumors going around that if Simeone becomes manager he'll demand we sign Reus and Cavani. I know that it is a silly rumor, but could you imagine Hazard on the left and Reus on the right with Willian in the middle and Costa up top? That's a mouthwatering idea.

22 Feb 2016 08:39:45
I like the sound of it . However it ain't going to happen. besides pedro is starting to look good. Great runs yesterday n plays superb with Fab.

22 Feb 2016 09:50:11
Rather Griezman, Hazard and willian, Reus is injury prone. Griezman should be our target for the summer in that position.

22 Feb 2016 10:45:17
Simeone exclusively plays 442. Sometimes he plays 352. So, do not expect to see 3 attacking midfielders behind solitary striker.

22 Feb 2016 13:37:53
The majority of the time the second striker is an attacking midfielder or a striker who likes to drop deep and be involved in the build up. Thus it's not really two strikers up front imo.

22 Feb 2016 14:51:32
We will never buy Reus. Not sure they would pay £40m for Cavani with salary and little resale value. Once again Pedro and Fabregas both play well when we can dominate weak opposition but nothing in the tough matches.

22 Feb 2016 16:01:46
Fuser it is 4411 which is closest friends 442.

22 Feb 2016 19:33:57
Why buy Cavani and Reus - what message would that send to Troare, Kenedy, Musonda, Bamford, Boga, Nathan, Piazon, Solanke, not to mention Pato, Cuadrado, Salah and Moses.

Also, Pasalic, Swift, Christenson, Van Ginkel, Kalas, Ake, RLC, Lewis-Baker, Brown.

We need to give these players a chance or they will look elsewhere.

23 Feb 2016 14:05:50
I doubt we'd buy either but if we were it would likely be as replacements for Costa and Hazard/ Oscar. If that were the case then I don't see why it would affect our younger players. in fact it would probably be better for them as both Cavani and Reus are older and therefore in a year or twos time when our youth are ready then the places will be open.

Salah, Moses, Cuadrado likely won't ever play for Chelsea again. Piazon, Bamford, Kalas, Swift and MVG aren't likely to make it at Chelsea as they haven't kicked on. Pasalic, Christensen and Ake have done well this season and could be incorporated into the squad alongside Traore and Kenedy. Although Christensen having another year playing 85% of available minutes could turn him into starter for us. RLC needs a loan where he'll be playing 80% of games imo. The rest are still at least 1 if not 2 years away from being ready.

23 Feb 2016 15:42:51
Way too many players Mrs Costa. Two thirds of those will never get near the first team in any form.

23 Feb 2016 18:17:57
I wasn't suggesting we give them all a game! I do agree that most won't make it which begs the question: why are they still on our books!?

Ps disagree about John Swift who I think could be the new Frank Lampard.

24 Feb 2016 09:51:13
Players like Moses, Salah and Cuadrado will all likely be moved on. The rest are still quite young and therefore are kept in the hopes they might become good enough/ we can sell for a decent amount.

{Ed002's Note - Salah has already gone.}