Rome can be taken care, by selecting the right team. Play someone in midfield alongside Baka rather than leaving a GAPING HOLE (read Cescy). Start every game with 11 players rather than 10. Can you do these Tony? If Yes, Rome game will be fine. If Not, Next thread will be "Thank you Conte" thread!!
Blue, Watford isn't easy and they will be farking up for it. We can still walk it, IF and ONLY IF - Conte does the right thing by selecting right team. Or he can concede game like today before even a ball was kicked
Struggled against them last season when we should've blown them away; with a fixture in midweek and given our current levels of fitness and "selection" makes the Watford game one for the treble chance column esp i our great double act are in the starting lineup.
You got it. Rome is going to be difficult enough if Conte stuffs up his selections again, and to then get an always fighting Watford as our second game, it's a minefield. Time for Conte to earn his wages and find some players in the squad who can properly do the job required, not just use the same old almost "has beens". Out of form should mean out of the team. This could be the week that's defines our season.
Unfortunately last week was the defining week. It is all over for us. Cannot see Conte changing or staying Tbh. Sincerely Hope I am wrong. Oh well it was good until it lasted. Back to the game. I wouldn't risk Alvaro for this game. Fcuk CL if needed. It is a lottery & crooked. Only Madrid / Barca / Bayern or PSG have any hope anyway.
Stan, Stan, take some happy pills mate, life is too short to be constantly pessimistic and football is not a good enough reason to stress out. Kids are starving and genocide happening in Myanmar, so keep some perspective. We won the CL out of the blue not so long ago, and it's not even close to over for us. Over for what incidentally? This seasons PL title? I don't think it is, there are at least 5 teams in the fight including us. City look like world beaters now ,but they only beat us 1-0. United flopped against Liverpool when they were starting to shine. Even Palace managed a win !!!!!!!! We are not in the best of shape and still undermanned but don't jump off the bridge just yet. Agree with Conte being too stubborn and already memories of Joses' departure starting to re emerge. Maybe that's just how it will always be at Chelsea, with Roman and his sycophants repeating the same patterns over and over. I don't think Conte will last this season out to be honest, just not sure if he's trying his best or trying to make a point to management. Hope it's not the latter.
I agree with a lot of this as usual CP, level headed poster. But I don't think Conte is being stubborn, he just doesn't have loads of options. Particularly in the midfield at the moment due to injuries. A lot of players are out of form as well, yet only 1 seems to get the blame.
Will be interesting to see the team for Roma. Fabregas will have his problems if he is played against the Ninja, who is a rampaging player. Does Conte have the nerve to play Christensen and put Luiz in midfield? Will Cahill be benched for Rudiger, and Willian for Pedro? Will Morata be risked? Something should change after Palace, but will it?
I don't mind if it doesn't change in CL. We can still make last 16 comfortably. But, the team selection needs to change for league for the next 10 games to have any hope of top 4.
Sure Conte is restricted by squad size, injuries and a midfield drought but he can try to get out of this by rewarding players for their consistency - it's the same formula that pub teams use every week on Wanstead Flats: if a player puts in a good performance he starts the next game, it's not rocket science.
I reiterate, don't take CL very seriously. We can make last 16, 90% now. Group stages, Doesn't matter if we finish 2nd. Mind Spuds may finish 1st that doesn't mean anything. Focus on league. I would take a draw today before KO. Play ball
13Courtois 28Azpilicueta 27Christensen 24Cahill 21Zappacosta 4Fàbregas 30David Luiz 14Bakayoko 3Alonso 9Morata 10E Hazard Looks like Luiz is in Midfield.
Thank Fcuk. We have a chance for draw. Would go with Pedro over Cescy up top. Pedro more effective. But why risk Morata? We can snatch draw with false 9
Now then Luiz off and we concede 2 goals. Genius Conte in signing off. Thank you and good luck in Milan.
Were all our problems not solved then by just not playing Fabregas in the middle??? What a f-ing surprise. Shame I didn't get the chance to reply on the embarrassing 'Thank you Conte' thread but others summed up my feelings pretty well anyway.