Football Matters: Chelsea, The Future Under Conte (Part One)

Chelsea are without doubt playing like a new side under Antonio Conte lately as the cobwebs of Jose Mourinho's antiquated system have finally been swept away. We have a lot to thank Arsenal for with their humiliating 3-0 defeat in September as it appeared to be the final straw for Conte with certain players and especially the formation they had been used to playing. For years Chelsea have played a 4-2-3-1 formation but Conte has built his career on a three man defence with wing backs and implemented the change in the wake of the Emirates massacre. In fact even before that match you can see that the two late summer signings of David Luiz and Marcos Alonso were brought in with this system in mind.

Now that we have a three man back line with two wing backs things changes the role of the other five outfield players, especially the central midfielders. We now have two holding midfielders but neither is scared to push forward when needed. When one does go forward though the other needs to have the discipline and positioning to cut off any counter attack if the ball is lost. That leaves one striker and two wide men which can be classed as wingers for the sake of a label. They need the ability to come inside with the ball and also drift in to support any attack down the opposing flank.

Here in this blog I will review the players on Chelsea's team roster and state whether I believe they have a future in Conte's new system of 3-4-3. Some of these views come from a discussion with my friend and lifelong Chelsea fan Rob Paxton so joint credit goes to most of the discussion on here as there isn't much we disagree on. The actual verdicts are my own though.

The blog will be in three parts: Part One – The First Team, Part Two – Players Out On Loan, Part Three – Top Targets To Sign

PART ONE – THE FIRST TEAM

Name – Thibaut Courtois

Position(s) - GK

Nationality - Belgian

Joined – 2011 from Genk for £8m (estimated)

Age - 24

The playing system should not affect the goalkeeper selection although the tactics when defending will ultimately affect their positioning. Courtois is undoubtedly Chelsea's #1 although since he returned from Spain he hasn't always shown the form that made him one of Europe's brightest talents while he was at Atletico Madrid for three years. This is his third season since his return and since the system changed he has benefited from not being as exposed as he was with an often static back four that included Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry. He has played in every league game this season conceding nine goals in six games under the old system and now has five clean sheets in five games with the new system.

VERDICT: A definite keeper (pun intended)

Name – Asmir Begovic

Position(s) - GK

Nationality - Bosnian

Joined – 2015 from Stoke City for £8m

Age - 29

I was surprised that Begovic stayed in the summer as I've always said he is too good a goalkeeper to be a constant bench warmer which while Courtois is available is all he will be. He played in all three League Cup games this season to keep him match fit and conceded two goals in each one – the wins over Bristol Rovers and Leicester City and the defeat to West Ham United. He's a great option for us to have on the bench in case of injury or suspension though. I think if the right club and offer came along he would leave but until then I'm happy to have him.

VERDICT: Keep

Name - Eduardo

Position(s) - GK

Nationality - Portuguese

Joined – 2016 from Dinamo Zagreb

Age - 34

Signed in the summer as cover for Courtois and Begovic quite possibly with the expectation that the latter would be leaving. He hasn't made any first team appearances so it is hard to judge him.

VERDICT: Stay or go, either way I don't think he will play

Name – David Luiz

Position(s) - CB

Nationality - Brazilian

Joined – 2016 from Paris St Germain for £34m

Age - 29

Now in his second spell with the club it is clear that the media has it in for Luiz. As soon as he re-signed he was labelled a liability and an expensive flop without even kicking a ball. Every defender makes the occasional mistake but the press have not moved on from his previous spell at the club or that particular defeat by Germany in the World Cup in 2014. It is clear he has matured in his two years at Paris St Germain however and we now have a disciplined centre back who is also comfortable on the ball. He is the key centre back at the heart of the defence.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Cesar Azpilicueta

Position(s) – RB/LB/CB

Nationality - Spain

Joined – 2012 from Marseille for £7m

Age – 27

The player affectionately known as 'Dave' by the fans and his team-mates joined as a right back initially and switched to left back when Ivanovic was preferred on the opposite flank. The move to 3-4-3 meant that he would either be switched to right wing back (where I expected him to go) or right centre back which is where Conte put him. Being Chelsea's Mr Versatile he has adapted to the new role superbly and shows you don't need to ball a tall centre back to be able to play in a back three. The fact that he is so comfortable on the ball helps him link play with the midfielders and I recall in the recent Everton game the commentator saying that he had more touches than anyone else on the pitch. Azpilicueta has been ever present this season as one of only two players to start every match. He is one of my favourite players and whether it's in the back three or one of the wing back slots he should always have a place in the team.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Todd Kane

Position(s) - RB

Nationality - English

Joined – 2011 promoted from Youth Team

Age - 23

Kane has stayed with the first team in 2015/16 after four seasons on loan to five clubs. His chances of first team football will be limited and as he is now 23 it's really make or break for him. With previous loans being Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and NEC Nijmegen (Dutch Eredivisie) it doesn't appear he has the ability to leap into the first team like a Chalobah or Loftus-Cheek.

VERDICT: Sell

Name – Gary Cahill

Position(s) - CB

Nationality - English

Joined – 2012 from Bolton Wanderers for £7m

Age - 30

For the first couple of seasons since he joined us he was an absolute rock at the back but over the last couple of years he has had several matches where he has been a complete liability. This includes losing the ball this season on at least two occasions which allowed the opposition to score. Since the move to 3-4-3 I have to say that he has appeared strong so I cannot criticise recent performances but I do worry that the mistakes will return. He has played every game this season and has scored three goals too. It is also worth noting that being English he helps with our home grown quota. If a suitable replacement can be purchased then I'd consider selling him however we already need a couple of centre backs as cover as it is. John Stones was a previous target but now I feel we should consider the likes of Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos (despite his age), Marquinhos, Antonio Rudiger, Aymeric Laporte and Jonathan Tah.

VERDICT: Sell if the right replacement is found

Name – John Terry

Position(s) - CB

Nationality - English

Joined – 1998 promoted from Youth Team

Age - 35

There is no doubting Terry's legend status in the history of Chelsea but there is no place for him in this team now. My personal view has often been in contract to most fans as I believe he should either have retired a couple of seasons ago or been sold for one last cash influx for his retirement fund. Since he lost his pace (and let's face it that's been for a few seasons now) we have had to play a deep back line which has affected our style of play when going forward. Many say he was the best defender in the league in our 2014-15 title winning season but for me that was only because we played a system to protect his inadequacies. Finally in Conte we have a manager with the guts to drop the Chelsea captain for the good of the team and it seems that between now and the end of the season he will have limited appearances, probably in the F A Cup or as a substitute in the Premier League. The defeat to West Ham in the League Cup showed that dropping him was the right choice

VERDICT: Retire and move the the staff

Name – Kurt Zouma

Position(s) - CB

Nationality - French

Joined – 2014 from St Etienne for £12m

Age - 22

It's yet to be seen how Zouma performs in a back three rather than a flat back four but from the way he performed before his injury it appears he has every chance of success. He's still working his way back into the team from a cruciate ligament injury sustained last February against Manchester United. Hopefully this is not one of those injuries that re-occurs and he can resume his career with the same upward trajectory that it was on before. He seems to have the potential to be a world great but then again so did Mamadou Sakho at that age.

VERDICT: Definite keep

Name – Branislav Ivanovic

Position(s) – RB/CB

Nationality - Serbian

Joined – 2008 from Lokomotiv Moscow for £9.7m

Age - 32

Ivanovic is another player like Terry that has been a liability for too long now and again it appears that Conte has realised this. It seems I noticed before most fans that he was a weakness in defence is this was glossed over by his contribution to the attack. It first came to my attention in the 5-3 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in January 2015 when he was at fault for most if not all of the goals we conceded. He was caught up-field out of position and either Willian had to track back to cover for him or Cahill had to come across to the right which left a gap in the middle. From that match on I watched Ivanovic keenly and again and again his defensive faults were covered up by his contribution in goals. A right back's primary job is to defend though not score goals. Last season even the rest of the Chelsea fans saw that Ivanovic was a problem and wanted him dropped but Mourinho, being stubborn as he is, refused. I feared when we went to 3-4-3 that he would be played as the right centre back role now taken by Azpilicueta but thankfully that hasn't been the case and hopefully won't be. He's been a great servant to the club over the years but his time has come.

VERDICT: Sell

Name – Marcos Alonso

Position(s) - LWB

Nationality - Spanish

Joined – 2016 from Fiorentina for £23m

Age - 25

I was surprised by the fee for Alonso in August as he isn't a player that was on my radar before now. We certainly needed a player who could slot into the left wing back role and he has played there before as well as left back and left midfield. He made his debut in the League Cup against Leicester City and his league debut came in the defeat to Arsenal as a substitute. Since then he has played all six games which have all been wins with clean sheets and scored against Everton in the 5-0 hammering. It's too early to tell if he will be a success but the early signs are certainly good.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Ola Aina

Position(s) - RB

Nationality - English

Joined – 2015 promoted from Youth Team

Age - 20

Ola is certainly a bright prospect for the future and having played in all of our pre-season games in the USA tour I expected him to replace Ivanovic in some games earlier in the season. He did make his Chelsea debut against Bristol Rovers in the League cup starting at right back with Ivanovic switching to the centre then made his league debut as a substitute against Leicester City. He played again at right back in the League Cup loss to West Ham but whether he has many more opportunities in the near future remains to be seen. Having developed as a right back can he switch to the back three like Azpilicueta? Can he push forward as a right wing back? It's difficult to experiment with youth when your pushing for a title win.

VERDICT: Needs experience on loan

Name – N'Golo Kante

Position(s) - CM

Nationality - French

Joined – 2016 from Leicester City for £32m

Age - 25

Kante was one of the key figures in Leicester's title success last season and who would bet against him doing the same for us this year. The little Frenchman has taken no time at all to settle into his new surroundings and has been outstanding in nearly every game he's played. The only two games he hasn't featured in were the first two League Cup games and he has started every other one, scoring a magnificent goal in the 4-0 win over Manchester United. Kante is the perfect player for the central midfield role in the new system as he possesses both the ability and mental discipline required.

VERDICT: 100% Keep

Name – Nemanja Matic

Position(s) - CM

Nationality - Serbian

Joined – 2014 from Benfica for £21m

Age - 28

In his first full season back with the club in 2014/15 Matic was probably my favourite player, often overlooked for plaudits in that title winning year in favour of the goals and assists by Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas. Everything started with Matic though. If Fabregas was the proverbial chef cooking up the assists for Costa to score goals then for me Matic was the grocer supplying the ingredients. He was the best holding midfielder since Claude Makelele and certainly better than John Obi Mikel. Last season did not go as well and although many players under-performed, especially under Mourinho, Matic seemed to be singled out by many Chelsea fans as a one season wonder they would have happily sold last summer. Thankfully that didn't happen and now he is alongside Kante as the perfect foil, holding back when Kante joins an attack and venturing forward himself when the time is right and Kante is covering. The only game he hasn't started was the League Cup defeat by West Ham.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Cesc Fabregas

Position(s) – CM/CAM

Nationality - Spanish

Joined – 2014 from Barcelona for £29m

Age - 29

The biggest question mark with the new 3-4-3 system probably surrounds Fabregas. Like Matic he was outstanding in the 2014/15 season adding 18 assists to his 3 goals. He was the creative link between defence and attack and formed a great relationship with Costa. As the team faltered last season under Mourinho the performances of Fabregas were questioned and where once it appeared he was intended to be the replacement for Terry with the captain's armband when the centre back retires it no longer seems to be the case. He was rumoured to leave in the summer but remained yet so far he has has only started one league game (unfortunately the 'final straw' defeat by Arsenal) and two League Cup games. Since that game he hasn't even made a substitute appearance and has again been rumoured for departure in January but on loan rather than permanently. He doesn't have a role in the new system as it stands. He's too attack-minded for the Kante/Matic role and as there is no place for a central attacking midfielder where would he play? This is where my friend Rob and I differ in opinion and from a neutral perspective both are valid. Rob's view (especially in light for Cesc's recent statement of his commitment to stay) is that he is a great option from the bench if we are losing and need a goal. Replacing one of the holding midfielders with him adds an extra creative dimension and if we were already losing by that stage then we may as well sacrifice a modicum of that protection for the back three. Alternatively we could even take off a wing back and revert to a back four leaving both existing midfielders in place with Fabregas in front of them. Hopefully the occasions when this would need to happen would be few and far between though and for me he is an expensive substitute option. Perhaps Conte himself already knows whether he sees a future for Fabregas at the club and the limited appearances the Spaniard has made could demonstrate that. At least there is a reason for his exclusion unlike when Mourinho dropped Juan Mata before selling him to United after he had been our best player (in my opinion) the season before. It's a shame to consider selling someone who has such talent and had such a great debut season but if he doesn't fit the new mould then we're better off selling him in favour of someone who does. The collaboration was a split decision here so I'm just going with my verdict.

VERDICT: Sell

Name – John Obi Mikel

Position(s) - CM

Nationality - Nigerian

Joined – 2006 from Lyn Oslo for £16m (£4m to Lyn and £12m to Manchester United)

Age - 29

Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm not a fan of Mikel. He really does seem to be a player that divides opinion among fans who either see him as an over-rated waste of wages or one of our more loyal and reliable servants. Personally I'm one of the former and when I see that we paid United £12m for a player that wasn't even theirs then I think we were robbed. I know he's played over 370 times for the club and has won ten major trophies with us but personally I think it was despite him being in the side not because he was in the side. When I compare him to Kante and Matic I do not believe he has the discipline to hold position at the right time and nor do I believe if he is the one holding station in case of a counter attack that he has the positional sense to intercept properly as he has failed to do this before. Furthermore whenever he plays and we have a sustained amount of possession in the opposition third it's often Mikel that loses the ball if he gets it. It may seem I'm being overly harsh especially to those fans that love him (you're entitled to your opinion as much as I am to mine) but I really don't think he is or ever was good enough for us. Let's put it this way for the past ten years he has been the first player I've transfer listed on every FIFA or Football Manager career I've started with Chelsea. We may need players who can play in front of the back four but I believe we have better and younger cover already as detailed further on. VERDICT: SELL

Name - Oscar

Position(s) - CAM

Nationality - Brazilian

Joined – 2012 from Internacional for £19m

Age - 25

I remember when we signed Oscar back in 2012 we were rumoured shortly before that to be looking at another young Brazilian midfielder called Ganso. I recall at time being more excited by Ganso who had performed admirably for the Brazil U20 & U23 teams and wondered if we'd gone for the right player. Four years later and Ganso has only just made his way to Europe, signing for Sevilla this summer after four years at Sao Paulo which is seemingly where he went when Chelsea didn't snap him up from Santos. Looking back now it appears we indeed made the right choice although the question mark I hold over Oscar is his ability to deliver consistently high performances on a regular basis. He was obviously more suited to the central attacking midfielder role in a 4-2-3-1 formation but even then he would look like an absolute star until Christmas and then his performances would drop off. Conte is clearly not convinced either. He started the first five league games of the season but since then has only made two substitute appearances (in the league anyway as he did start against West Ham in the League Cup). He has less chance of playing in a deep role than Fabregas so his only opportunities in the new system come in the wide attacker role. He can play there and has played on either flank during his Chelsea career but more as covering an absence rather than a preferred option. My worry is that if he started over Pedro for example he would have a tendency to drift inside too much, more towards his natural position and that would add pressure to the attacking duties of the relevant wing back. There is the argument that he is a great option from the bench and I probably prefer him to Fabregas if we were going to do this. To incorporate him fully as a substitute though would likely require a tweak in formation. For me the negatives outweigh the positives and I'd probably sell him. He doesn't fit the new system well, he isn't consistent enough and if we're being really analytical he isn't strong enough either.

VERDICT: Sell

Name – Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Position(s) – CM/CAM

Nationality - English

Joined – 2014 promoted from Youth Team

Age - 20

I guess the first question is whether RLC is a central midfielder or a central attacking midfielder. In fact in pre-season Conte played him even further forward than a CAM and in more of a #10 or supporting attacker role. When Ruben broke into the first team last season and made 17 appearances though it was as a regular central midfielder and he seemed to be a real prospect for the future there. If we had stayed with the same formation or even gone to 4-4-2 I could certainly see him playing alongside Kante. Conte seemed to see something different in him and played him behind Michy Batshuayi in the League Cup win over Bristol Rovers, commenting after the match on the Evening Standard http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/antonio-conte-chelsea-midfielder-ruben-loftuscheek-has-right-characteristics-to-play-up-front-for-a3327881.html website that he could see Loftus-Cheek playing as a striker. Since then though he has only made two more appearances and both against Leicester City – one starting in the League Cup and the other as a substitute in the league. I'd like to see him as an understudy to Kante & Matic alongside Nathaniel Chalobah who I'll come to next. Whether he has the necessary skills and mentality to play in that key midfield position is yet to be seen but should at least try.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Nathaniel Chalobah

Position(s) – CM/CB

Nationality - English

Joined – 2010 promoted from Youth Team

Age - 21

There are several reasons why I believe Chalobah is a better candidate for the future than Loftus-Cheek and especially now we have the new system. Where RLC has been developed as a general midfielder Chalobah has played as both a centre back (especially on loan to Watford) and a defensive midfielder. This means that the mental discipline that I spoke of with Kante and Matic should be more ingrained into his way of playing. He has also had a lot more experience of first team football, making his debut on loan to Watford in 2012 and since having spells at Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Reading and Napoli. Before this season he had played in 106 professional games and nearly 90 times between England U16 and U21 level. In comparison Loftus-Cheek had played only 21 professional games, had no loan spells for experience and played just over 30 times at England U16-U21 level. All of that information helps show he is equipped to managed the defensive, holding duties required of the new central midfielder role but he has also shown in his appearances this season that he has the necessary minerals to be a threat in attack. When you look at his back-heel assist for Moses' goal against Leicester City and his double-nutmeg against Manchester United you see a player full of both confidence and ability. He has only made three substitute appearances in the league this season but I hope to see a lot more of him in the near future.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Marco Van Ginkel

Position(s) - CM

Nationality - Dutch

Joined – 2013 from Vitesse Arnhem for £8m

Age - 23

A lot was expected of Marco when he joined three years ago but his progress took a major knock when he injured his anterior cruciate ligament and missed most of the season, making only four appearances for us in total. His second season was spent on loan at AC Milan and last season he was out at Stoke City and PSV Eindhoven. For those two seasons he played 55 times and scored 9 goals but was particularly impressive back in the Dutch Eredivisie when he score 8 goals in 16 games. He has stayed at the club rather than go on loan this season but reportedly due to a knee injury. Whether he leaves on loan in January remains to be seen but it is disappointing that we haven't seen him in the first team at all since those four appearances when he joined. He's versatile enough to play alongside Kante or Matic so I'd at least like to see him given a chance. If not then sell him as he's not doing anything for us on perpetual loan.

VERDICT: Play him or sell him

Name – Victor Moses

Position(s) – RWB/RM/LM/ST

Nationality - Nigerian

Joined – 2012 from Wigan Athletic for £9m roughly

Age - 25

Chelsea's #15 has undoubtedly been the revelation of the season for Chelsea and maybe even the Premier League. He's been a Chelsea player since 2012 but the last three seasons have been spent at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham. In his first season with us in 2012/13 he actually played 43 times in all competitions and scored 10 goals including 5 in Europe. I'm sure he was a striker when he started his career at Crystal Palace but is now (along with Azpilicueta) one of Chelsea's most versatile players. When looking at players to fill the right wing back slot I would have expected Azpilicueta or Willian but never Moses. A friend who is a Liverpool fan says he played there for them but he has not only adapted well to his new position, he's been fantastic there. As much as I've said for a couple of years now that I wanted Chalobah in the squad I've also said the same for Moses. Now he's getting his chance as there are only two games all season in which he hasn't featured – the 3-0 league loss to Arsenal and the League Cup defeat by West Ham. As with Alonso we've won every game he's started and he has weighed in with three goals (two in the league) and one of those was the belter against Leicester City with the Chalobah assist. He suits the RWB so much as he has the energy to run up and down the wing all day, he's as strong as an ox and he's good on the ball. Some wide men or full backs tick one or two of those boxes but Moses has the lot.

VERDICT: Keep

Name - Willian

Position(s) – RM/CAM

Nationality - Brazilian

Joined – 2013 from Anzhi Makhachkala for £30m

Age - 28

Willian was our player of the year last season but it was poor season where he was the only one to pull his weight all year long. Now that everyone is back on form Willian has not shone as bright but he still has bags of ability. I do worry however about how he fits in now. I've always said (and Rob has said it even louder) that he would be better suited in the central attacking midfield position often occupied by Oscar or Fabregas. There is no such role now though which leaves him with the right attacker role where he is battling with Pedro for his place or right wing back. Now before Conte switched to 3-4-3 I contested that Willian would make a fine right wing back. He spent most of his time last season tracking back to cover for Ivanovic anyway so he was well suited to both the attacking and defensive duties of the role. Moses grabbed that shirt though and Willian has started just two games since (although he did miss the Leicester match due to the death of his mother and has struggled to get a starting spot back). With Pedro in form Willian is stuck with a spot on the bench and I wonder if he has the pace, dribbling and skill needed for the role. If I were to keep him it would be as a back-up for the right wing back which seems a waste of a great player. The new formation means players like Willian, Fabregas and Oscar will struggle to stay at the club and there are some tough decisions ahead.

VERDICT: Stay but not a guaranteed starter

Name - Pedro

Position(s) – RW/LW

Nationality - Spanish

Joined – 2015 from Barcelona for £19m

Age - 29

Until recently I wasn't convinced by the signing of Pedro and when I look at someone like Juan Cuadrado who hasn't really been given a chance at Stamford Bridge I wondered why he was in the team. Lately he has really shown why though and his performance against Everton was the cherry on the cake that convinced me he'd arrived. Fast, agile and a great dribbler he used to lose the ball too easy in my opinion but recently (and I think it's due to the confidence shown in him by Conte) he has been excellent at holding possession. He's battling with Willian for the slot and keeping Chelsea's player of 2015/16 out of the side. Pedro has only missed one game this season but has nearly as many substitute appearances as starts (7 starts and 6 coming on as sub) and has scored two goals. We don't have a lot of players for the right attacker or right winger role so he's always in demand. He can even play on he left if Hazard is absent.

VERDICT: Keep

Name – Eden Hazard

Position(s) - LW

Nationality - Belgian

Joined – 2012 from Lille for £32m

Age - 25

Thankfully Eden is now back to his scintillating best. After the horrendous 2015/16 he has re-found his form with a manager who gives him the confidence to go out and play his game. During the Mourinho era he was told he wasn't being defensive enough, he had to track back more and he had to be more disciplined. This stifled Hazard's creative talent and I think he lost two vital years which could have seen him challenging Gareth Bale and Neymar as one of the likely successors to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. I don't mean he will never win the Ballon D'Or but he will have to work a lot harder to do so thanks to Mourinho. Under Conte he is a creative genius who is back to scoring goals, featuring in every game this season although three appearances were as a substitute. He scored two goals in the 4-2-3-1 formation but with the added free licence of the 3-4-3 he has scored five goals in the last four league games. There's no doubting he's our best player and we should hang on to him at all costs.

VERDICT: Keep and never sell

Name – Diego Costa

Position(s) - ST

Nationality – Spanish/Brazilian

Joined – 2014 from Atletico Madrid for £32m

Age - 28

Where do I start with Costa? He's a player most rival fans hate but a lot would probably have in their first team if they could. He's a player who generates a lot of discussion for the media (especially TV pundits) whenever he plays. He's a player who divides the opinion of some Chelsea fans, not due to what he does with the ball but what he does off it. Even my own opinion of him has been on a roller-coaster ride for the last two and a bit years. The guy can score goals for fun and he is a very strong physically, of that there is no doubt. The problem is that time and time again he has been a liability with his temperament and when he's fighting with everyone and generally being an arsehole it reflects badly on Chelsea not just him. On more than one occasion in his career with the club I've said I was done with him and wouldn't support him any more unless he sorts out his attitude. There are now signs that under Conte he may be doing just that. Costa has always had that fire in him but I believe Mourinho stoked it too much so that he had this brawling, angry forward who would wind up opposition defenders until they were either booked, sent off or gave away silly free kicks and penalties. It backfired though as Costa was often booked as much as the opposition. I'm actually amazed he hasn't been sent off more than he has and even at the start of this season I think (going from memory) that there were at least two and maybe three games where he should have received a second yellow card and then went on to score a winning goal. To be fair if the referees got it right then we'd probably have less points by now but life is full of ifs and buts. Against Everton he was studded early on and was clearly playing in pain. You think “here we go, he's going want revenge now” but he didn't. He actually just got on with the job of playing football. If Conte can get him playing football and not fighting then I'm all for keeping him but I'll admit in the summer I was wishing we'd sell him to buy someone with an equal amount of goals but without the antics. The jury is still out though. As the lone striker he isn't as affected by the new formation as other players although the lack of a central attacking midfielder gives him the room to drop deep for the ball and link play with the wide attackers. He has started every league game this season and scored nine goals in eleven games. More of the same please.

VERDICT: Stay while he's a good boy

Name – Michy Batshuayi

Position(s) - ST

Nationality - Belgian

Joined – 2016 from Marseille for £33m

Age - 23

Our Belgian new arrival is rather unlucky to be coming in at a time when Diego Costa so on form that he hardly gets a chance to play. With no European football and the side now out of the League Cup the chances of first team football are even more limited and when every point won counts towards our push for the title now is not the time to take our foot off the gas. If Batshuayi started in place of Costa I'm not suggesting he wouldn't score and we wouldn't win but it would be a calculated risk we don't need to take. The 23 year-old has only started the three League Cup games (scoring twice against Bristol Rovers) and to date has eight substitute appearances in the league without scoring. Given has pace and ability on the ball I would consider playing him in the right attack slot next to Costa and Hazard if we need to give him game time. He's a great back up with a great future but I'd like to see more of him when we get chance. Hopefully with European football next season things will be better for him. VERDICT: Keep

Name – Dominic Solanke

Position(s) - ST

Nationality - English

Joined – 2014 promoted from Youth Team

Age - 19

Dominic has yet to play this season but has stayed with the first team rather than going on loan like he did last season. He spent 2015/16 at Vitesse Arnhem scoring 7 goals in 26 games. He has played once for Chelsea, making his debut in Europe as a substitute against Maribor in the Champions League. He's played for England from U16 to U21 level and has a bright future ahead although history shows that opportunities to break into the first team at Chelsea are few and far between.

VERDICT: Keep