FrankLampard8

Hvertz hasn't played as a striker in any of the last 3 games. Sterling played as a striker against Dortmund. Mudryk against Leicester and actually Felix against Everton. So this is actually redundant because he isn't being asked to play as a striker. We could in a midfield 3 with someone else to sit and give Enzo and Kante both freedom. Unfortunately we both aren't playing that formation and don't have a proper holding midfielder in the squad. It's an argument that's been had a million times over but Kante isn't a DM.

I don't think Ancelotti was the manager to nurture that talent. He has built a bit of a reputation as a bit of superstar whisperer. The team he won the league with here where he could let the big personalities play was much more his forte. Mata, Oscar and De Bruyne was a prime example of us buying players without any discernible plan - there were always likely to be casualties because all 3 players wanted to be a number 10 really. Mata was the guy and Oscar worked so hard for the team that I can understand how any coach would let De Bruyne slip through the cracks at that stage. I think more than two successes here if you add context for the expectations when they were signed. For instance, I think Remy signed as a back up did an ok job for the fee. Giroud was a success. Costa was absolutely brilliant. I don't think Ba was ever supposed to be THE guy and was more of a convenient stop gap and as such did ok from what I remember. You could even argue the same for Eto'o. So I think 4 or 5 of those could be classed as successes.

Problem is, we probably won't have any European football next season. Also in all but one of your examples we only have 3 or 4 wingers/attacking midfielders listed where as we look likely to go in to next season with 7 in Sterling, Mudryk, Madueke, Havertz, Nkunku, Felix, Gallagher and 8 if Mount stays. So less games than usual and two or three times the amount of players to share those minutes.

I had high hopes when we started to bring these new recruitments guys in from here there and everywhere but I must admit I have no confidence there is any real plan for our transfers again now other than "he looks good" or "let's sign him so no one else can have him".

Yes and no. Obviously we are currently and I can't argue that. However, I believe we would be in or around the top 4 this season with the level of manager we were accustomed to in the past.

What I was alluding to is we were quite clearly a top level team. What we are now, I have no idea. I still think there is a lot of talent there and it's not being maximised. Who knows what we would be with a competent hand on the wheel.

I really wish Boehly would stop with these stupid comments to fans after games. He's not wrong, the weekend was a "sh*t f*cking game". However, it doesn't sit right with me having the face of the ownership making those comments. It all feels a bit unprofessional and I yearn for the stoic silence of the Roman era.

Is Felix good? It's been weeks now and I still can't tell. I'm starting to think he might be the sort of player who does thinks that LOOK good rather than being really good... but i'm not confident in that.

We have only just recently been European and World Champions?! 🥴

Sorry but Spurs have had plenty of talent over Kane's tenure - certainly enough to win a cup. He is also yet to really show up in a tournament for England bar banging in a few penalties (and missing one when it mattered most) in teams that were among the favourites. Gerrard played in some very good Liverpool teams but he also played with some absolute dross and won in the process - have you seen the team that started in Istanbul?! Don't get me wrong, Kane is a Premier League great but for me he has just always come up just short of what he should have achieved - but of course that's just my opinion.

I'd bet anything we would see Ziyech play before Noni 😳

Kepa Fofana - Koulibaly - Cucurella Loftus-Cheek - Kovacic - Enzo - Chilwell Felix - Havertz - Mudryk

Quite. The patterns of play seemed to be Sterling playing on the shoulder of the last man with Havertz and Felix given licence to drop off and create. The more time passes, the more I can't fathom why we would extend Felix's stay. If Nkunku is coming (a deal i'm increasingly less keen on), Havertz, hopefully Mount flanked by Sterling, Mudryk, Madueke and almost certainly a new striker - where do they all fit in?

I literally have no idea what you are getting at here. You still haven't actually answered my question really so I think i'm going to end this conversation now for my own sanity.

If you can't answer my question i'm not really sure why you felt the need to respond to it. The question is, how do you fit Mount in the team and give him more more minutes right now. You clearly don't know and that's ok because I don't think there's really answer that keeps the balance of the team with our current personnel - Potter clearly agrees.

Very good article about Havertz's role against Dortmund on the Athletic. A couple of snippets: Note here that Havertz is not operating as a No 9, the position he has most often been shoehorned into at Chelsea ever since Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel lost faith in Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku. Sterling was consistently the furthest man forward against Dortmund, tasked with stretching the Dortmund defence while the Germany international drifted into pockets of space behind him and linked attacks together. Havertz’s license to roam allowed him to do one of the things that made him such a coveted young attacker at Bayer Leverkusen: arrive late in the penalty area from deeper positions, rather than try to connect with crosses and through passes from a standing start in the box while battling bigger, more physical defenders.

This is 100% correct in my opinion. Where we lack more than anything is 1 or 2 genuine holding options in the middle of the park which would complement what we already have. A sitter could comfortably play in a 3 with Enzo and Mount and get the best out of all 3. it also makes for interesting combinations with Kova, Kante and Gallagher rotating in too. Unfortunately we don't have that player in the squad at present.

How exactly does that answer the question? Lampard and Tuchel largely played completely different systems with Mount playing different roles. We also have an almost entirely new squad now with different players to take in to account. Again, Mount is probably my favourite player. I'm not asking whether he's good or could be used. I am asking for specifically, what formation would we play and what role would Mount take right now? What players would you play with him?

For me it is Mason Mount if he stays long term and Rice is we sign him. Reece James vice captain.

Well you could argue that this period has actually been successful for a club the size of Spurs. When was the last time they consistently qualified for Europe? I know this is probably a hot take but you oculd also argue that for all the goals he has scored and the hype he gets... maybe Spurs and England not winning anything in part down to Kane? He's been part of some very good teams and I think if he was really that good he'd have got them over the line at least once - look at what Gerrard did on occasion with the scousers.

I completely agree. He's probably my favourite player and i'd be gutted to see him go. However, that doesn't actually answer the question I posed.

Can you please post an example line up where Mount plays in his best position that would work and isn't to the detriment to too many other players that it makes is a futile switch?

All players have weaknesses that the team need to try and account for. There are no free rides at the top level of football - if a title chasing Napoli, a World Champion Chelsea, a Euro winning Italy and a top of the table Arsenal were all willing to to try and accommodate his weaknesses he must have some pretty great strengths to warrant being in those teams. Maybe just maybe if he were part of 1 good team but too many clubs and managers have bought and continued to pick him for it to be luck. Madness to make him sound like some competition winner.

*Roma I don't think that's a fair comparison, Tammy was very young and didn't have much top level experience when he played here - mostly Championship loans to that point. Costa's best season might have made him our best striker of the modern era had we had a few more of them - Drogba was made for finals and big moments but fired up Diego was a sight to behold at times in the Premier League.

Nosey barely said a word the entire time, didn't manage a smile for the picture we took with him and left as soon as he could. The only Chelsea man i've met who was worse was Conte 😂 Mr Luiz looked genuinely happy to see some fans, beaming smile in the picture we took with him, stayed around to chat for a while and when we thanked him for his time replied "honestly guys, it has been my pleasure" - class.