20 Jul 2015 01:48:09
I've got to say I'm surprised by the uproar in regards to our interest in witsel. This season it was very clear that we lacked a top quality player that was capable of holding when matic was out and we also lacked a midfielder with enough quality to truly challenge for a starting spot that was capable of playing a deeper role. This is made evident with zouma being pushed into playing in this position multiple times and the second half declines of both fabregas and Oscar. By bringing in witsel or a comparable player we would then have 4 high quality midfielders competing for 3 spots. Matic and Oscar are primarily confined to their roles however fabregas can play in the #8 or #10 and witsel can play in the #6 or #8. We would also have another top quality centremid that is capable of holding his own physically (this hole was made apparent in the manu game with zouma marking fellaini). With the current guys there, rami simply isn't capable of distributing the ball at a high enough level, and Mikel wasn't trusted to the point that mourinho would rather field a 20 year old centrehalf with no experience in the position to him. While witsel may not be the sexy pick he certainly fills some holes we currently have in the squad.
20 Jul 2015 06:56:20
To I see your point but he never done much for me to warrant a move to Chelsea he always disappointed me in big tournaments euros World Cup etc I never saw what the fuss was about same as I did with lukaku I think der middle table players or top 8
20 Jul 2015 08:45:45
Belgium as a whole disappointed in the World Cup, mate. I'd say Witsel was one of the better players though in the team. He also didn't play a 'sexy' position. He was the holding midfielder and was probably restricted in his play by Wilmost who is tactically not up to standard (but that's a discussion for another day).
Before his move to Russia he was playing very very well in Portugal with Benfica. He was then linked with a lot of big clubs and chose Russia.
20 Jul 2015 10:39:32
I definitely agree with the fact we need a more defensive midfielder to partner Matic in the big games. This would allow Fabregas to push forward into the number 10 role and compete directly with Oscar. If Witsel is capable of putting in a solid defensive performance against world class opposition as well as distributing the ball and attacking then this potential signing makes a lot of sense. I've seen very little of Witsel so I don't know if he is capable of this or not
20 Jul 2015 12:22:15
I'm actually still a fan of Mikel. And I think offensively he can provide more than we've seen so far. Maybe if Mourinho gives him some more freedom to play with we can see a more offensive Mikel. I'd really like the club to keep him and then try to sell Ramires.
Midfield options of Matic, Fabregas, Mikel, RLC and Witsel/Aranguiz/new CM doesn't sound too bad if you ask me. No player is what you'd call old but there's still a lot of experience with Fab, Matic and Mikel. And it wouldn't require a huge cost if Ramires could go for a decent price.
20 Jul 2015 14:54:25
I guess I wasn't attempting to argue for witsel but more so acknowledge the holes in the midfield that he happens to fit. Personally I think schweinsteiger would've been a better fit although I understand we have no interest making it irrelevant.