Rival Watch Thread Watch

Chelsea weren't exactly **** last season were they? In fact, I reckon they should have been the ones to win the league but ****ed it up. Mourinho lost Lampard so bought one of the top midfielders in Fabregas. They lacked goals so bought one of the best goalscorers around. Hardly rocket science.

 

Lavezzi - better option than Mario and Rickie though.

Cavani & Benzema were pipe dreams. Much like Sanchez who would have been perfect.

 

Oh yes. Not even in the same class sunshine

 

No. Which is why debate about his abilities will always be down to our personal prejudices.
Perhaps he should go to a mid-table team and see if he can turn them into top 4 material without the dosh.
It would be interesting.

 

Why haven't we done it over the past 2 decades if it were that easy? ...

 

So having found a winning formula and come within slipping distance of the Holy Grail, post the loss of Suarez the aim should not have been to try and replace him with the nearest possible player in TERMS OF STYLE, to retain the same way of playing? That wouldn't have been a sensible strategy? Instead he replaces him with 2 immobile lamposts, the polar opposite of what he lost - genius.

You're such a f**ing clown it's untrue

 

Because we're who we are and they're who they are. Sadly as a club we aren't a primary destination for the very best players, one of the clubs they automatically think of playing for when contract wrangling begins. From the business we've successfully completed you would view us as a good team for up and coming younger players, players with a point to prove or who want to try and step it up to the top level, but certainly not a club ready made for players already at that level. The fact we sell our world class players (roughly one per season in recent times) doesn't help the cause either.

 

As who? Suarez? Obviously they're not. Luis was one of the top five players in the world last year, replacing him is near on impossible because there are only five of them afterall!

We didn't need to change style or approach, we could have bought the players to fit the way we played, I've just named two that would have offered that option. Origi could have done too in theory although he's been poor this year.

 

You missed the point. Chelsea already had the squad and a quality first team, it just needed tweaking.

We've not been in that situation for twenty odd years. Plus we keep buying quantity over quality. If you fancy playing FM then take our squad from last year minus the players we sold and add two quality players with the budget we had. See how good our first team and squad would look in comparison to now.

 

This is what we should have done, but we were never going to 'replace' him like for like so as you say, what should've happened is we bring in a couple of players who can give you what Suarez gave between them. He had so much to his game, so much more about him than most players have or are capable of, that you can't just swap him out.

 

Exactly. Instead he threw the baby out with the bathwater.

Only he knows why, vanity? stupidity? genuine mistake? Who knows, but it was a great call

 

We have been spending a lot over the years. Why do we keep having to buy quantity over quality?

Personally, we're not far from having a very good side. It's just annoying that we've spent big money on dross - Downing, Carroll, Lallana, Lovren to name a few. These are big money signings.

 

That's the thing. Chelsea should have walked the league last year but they failed because Mourinho couldn't work out how to beat the teams at the bottom of the table who could sit back. We was fine against those that attacked like us arsenal city. All he had to do was add a goal scorer to an already well established team and they were instantly improved. As to say, doesn't take a genius to work that out... Even most the Chelsea fans knew that's what they needed

They've managed to do it because of the situation they were in. Wel established top 4 with money being no objective. We've not been in that situation

 

Very harsh indeed,Lallana is the creative type of player we are going to need over the coming seasons.

We paid the 'English tax' on him of course but I like the look of Lallana,he can make things happen out of very little.

 

No idea. See the question I put in the last comment. If we bought two quality players, we'd have a better first team but a poorer squad.

 

On the replacing Suarez point, we needed to buy a striker who works for the team, all round great player in the attacking sense and a never say never mentality. There isn't a single striker like that anywhere. I can't really think of a striker who works hard defensively and scores goals apart from Benzema.

If you bring a striker in then he needs to be the type who will support the other main striker in Sturridge. We bought Balotelli and win 4-0 in there only game.

Sturrudge will make the runs and Balotelli will drop deeper to receive the ball, when Sturrudge does come back we will see a massive difference.

 

Quite simple. If we lose Sterling we have Lallana, we lose Lallana we have Markovic. We need those options.

If we bought Sanchez and finished there, we lose him and we have Borini.

 

Agreed. Lallana was expensive but that doesn't mean he's **** and/or useless. I think he's been a good addition for us but people get hung up on the price.

 

Tevez. Not saying I wanted us to sign him but he'd have done everything you just said.

 

Very true tbh, forgot abiut him.