Only thing I'd say on the matter is that Chelsea knew last January. Last year we had just Costa up top, his year its Morata. We weren't keeping both. The clubs not managed the forward position well; Llorente at his age and experience, also dog slow would have been a useful addition.

Playing out from the back is about keeping possession, being in control. Kicking it long has a much lower % of having control 5 seconds later. It's why the better teams do it. I get that - completely.

It clearly didn't work today because outside of AC none of the back 5 looked comfortable on the ball, Bakayoko and Kante were poor receiving the ball facing our own goal and Fabregas was nullified from getting the ball.

We then got stuck into kicking long to Alonso whilst not actually committing as a team to pushing up so you had such a huge gap between Alonso, Bakayoko and the rest of the defence and midfield that the chances of winning that ball were tiny. Our best outcome, which happened once in first half was Walker winning the header and us getting the throw in.

They pressed, we couldn't handle the press, we played longer but for fear of their pace and control in game never committed to moving forward, left huge gaps for them to pass and move threw us.

I put this on Conte, Willian sub was what I would have done but didn't work, we never pressed/committed or defended as a deep unit with a lone striker as a team. The last 10 maybe we pressed, caused hem problems but it was more out of desperation than a deliberate tactic.

Have to learn from it, prepare better. That was a very good, in form team we played today and credit to them but we made it easier than it should have been.

Playing from the back drove me mad in the early games last year. For all his strengths, Cahill is not a ball playing defender and Courtois never looks comfortable with it.
As you say, you can maybe get away with it against lesser sides, but when you're playing good teams and you know the personnel you've got isn't suited to doing it, why bother? There must be other ways of trying to keep the ball without either trying to slowly knock it around at the back waiting to be hassled into an error, or just lumping it long and hoping it sticks.

I don’t agree with it at all.
I just don’t ever remember a team scoring a goal from goal kicks passed sideways to a defender, apart from the attacking team, because the defender loses it or gives it away.
What is wrong with a goal kick smacked halfway into the opponents half? Absolutely nothing. At least if the opponents get the ball from the kick, we have 10/11 men behind it. Is that so wrong? No, of course not.
We fuck about with it at the back and invariably lose it/give it away, before we get into the opponents half.
I’d sooner have the safety of the ball being in the opponents half, rather than the potential calamity of losing it just outside our area.
It is not rocket science, and must stop, immediately.

I was adding to your list of points!! And stating the obvious one you missed