Chelsea Discussion

[Storts]

This may have been said previously I haven't read back but think this could actually have been the best transfer window Chelsea could have asked for - and actually being forced into this situation will be so beneficial in the long run.

You have a chance to clear out players, either ageing, ineffective or otherwise, and really take stock of what you have in the young players at the club. Something that just wouldn't have happened otherwise. You've got an incredible youth system - have done for many years - and a lot of talented players just waiting for a chance.

You've also now got the prime opportunity to bring in a manger that bleeds Chelsea, in a situation that allows him the time to grow and develop with these young players that in no other situation he would have got at your club.

Whilst there are certainly deficiencies in the squad, you have a chance to find out properly where they are, whilst gaining Champions League income, and being able to keep it aside to spend next year when you have a better idea of what you actually have to work with. For most clubs this would have been a disaster but I actually think long term this is a real positive for you. Finishing 3rd last year was absolutely critical though and now allows you the opportunities I've just described whilst having the cushion of huge financial reward.

[LFCMadLad]

4 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Zouma to me looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Not fit for progressive football in the slightest. 

You dont like Christensen either do you?

[Cicero]

2 minutes ago, LFCMadLad said:

You dont like Christensen either do you?

All have flaws bar Rudiger, where for him it’s just recklessness. 

Christensen is great on the ball and can read the game well, but he is too soft and weak in the air. 

Zouma is great defensively but an abomination on the ball. So horrid and my heart stops when he receives it in dangerous areas and under pressure. 

Throughout preseason Lampard encouraged us to play out from the back, like Sarri, and we’ve struggled tremendously with Zouma in. We’ve conceded so many goals because we sacrificed possession 

[Dr. Gonzo]

When do we play Chelsea?

[LFCMadLad]

8 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

When do we play Chelsea?

Next wednesday in the super cup final. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, LFCMadLad said:

Next wednesday in the super cup final. 

I meant in the league, not another glorified friendly 

[LFCMadLad]

5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I meant in the league, not another glorified friendly 

22nd of next month at Stamford Bridge in the league. 

Unless its postponed due to Frank being scared of Klopp whoopong his fat ass 

Edited August 8, 2019 by LFCMadLad

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, LFCMadLad said:

22nd of next month at Stamford Bridge in the league. 

Well I like the sound of Zouma not fitting in with the way they like to play out of the back and looking like a liability... so while I don't want to wish anyone injury or a slow recovery from injury - it'd be nice if that's a bit too early for Rudiger's injury timetable for him to make it out onto the pitch. Because liabilities at the back against our high press are a fantastic mix for us.

Rudiger's a good player though, I think he's underrated, and he should be first choice for Chelsea over both Zouma and the Danish lad that sometimes looks fantastic and sometimes looks shite.

[The Liquidator]

Ever so exciting deadline day news came to fruition when the guy who just 14 days ago expressed his love for our club & thanks for his 2 year deal, decided the news told to him by his manager was a déjà vous moment from years past when Jose told him exactly the same. As then his inner sulking left him with just the one choice which it seems our club had no problem with agreeing to. Trust me, all the wonderful things thrown onto Luiz as a person, his true self has again shown through when his position comes under threat. Hitches his skirt n runs. He becomes the next aged Chelsea player to retire at Arsenal.

People stating the transfer fee was not enough, but its been pointed out, his 2 year contract will not have to be paid now, so all told the deal is worth around 18-20M to the club.

I am ok with what has happened and it thrills me the club have acted quickly and been prepared to go into the season with the central defenders we have left. Rudiger is said to have been training with the first team squad since we returned from Germany. Probably a little soon for him, but obviously his health would have made Luiz decision easier.

This looks wonderful on Frank. Gets a stroppy star player and moves him out of the door within a week. Be sure the rest of the squad will take note.

To the season.

[Cicero]

great post 

[RandoEFC+]

On 08/08/2019 at 20:46, Cicero said:

Zouma to me looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Not fit for progressive football in the slightest. 

I really don't get this. For us he was absolutely fine on the ball. A bit clumsy but he could bring it out of defence fine and was a long way from being a liability.

Maybe between the ears he just doesn't see himself as being ready for Chelsea.

[Cicero]

3 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

I really don't get this. For us he was absolutely fine on the ball. A bit clumsy but he could bring it out of defence fine and was a long way from being a liability.

Maybe between the ears he just doesn't see himself as being ready for Chelsea.

I'm judging on preseason alone. He looks incredibly uncomfortable on the ball, and a nightmare when under pressure.We sacrificed loads of possession and building out from the back as a result.  As a defender, he is fine. For Mourinho's football. 

Every top club has ball playing centrebacks. The very reason we have done so poorly in Europe from 2013-2017, is because we couldn't cope against any form of committed pressing. This in turn would have us sacrifice possession, and merely lead us to feed off of scraps against the elite sides. 

[True Blue]

On the game against United:

The opening half was a delight, we pressed United created basically all the relevant chances and conceded after a clumsy challenge from Zouma. Even our start to the second was very promising, but the second goal killed the game. United scored from 4 out of 5 shots on target? Fair enough goals count and chances don't. The result was super harsh on the performance? Yes more than so, does anyone care? Nope do we get points for trying? Nope. However i was extremely pleased to see big glimps of the new system and on another day that post from Tammy goes in and we eventually win. I talked about pre season and that we are super exposed at the back and that we will concede a lot of goals on counters if we don't thighten things up at the back. Our midfield did well but i felt Kovačić and Jorginho have to return much faster than they did to cover gaps for the counters. Kante fit will probably do the job just fine. I was pleased with Mount and Ross who were both excellent, but our performance drastically dropped when we took Ross off it was evident. Not sure what to expect against Liverpool, no clue what team will Lampard start either. After these two difficult challenges we will have a bit of an easier route and results could start going our way. The media and the "fans" had a field day enjoying Lampard's "disastrous" start after one game, hope he proves them all wrong. He will need time and if he can't have it this club will never have a long term plan.

[Danny]

Kurt Zouma looks like a calamity. Mason Mount looked good but definitely looks a bit rough at the moment

[True Blue]

53 minutes ago, Danny said:

Kurt Zouma looks like a calamity. Mason Mount looked good but definitely looks a bit rough at the moment

No better time for both to make a stand. Zouma before his injury was rock solid for us. On his loans he was decent, hope yesterday was a one off if not don't think he will be making a lot of first team appearances after Rudiger returns.

[The Liquidator]

Brave naïve inexperienced green and poor selections are just a few of the fired from the hip hits upon our Frank from a few who should know better and one who cant help himself but highlight his own thoughts on the game when another fairs poorly with his own.

The word I would push forward to describe Franks first proper game after watching it a few times is “Luckless”

Any of the numerous great chances we had before Zouma sunk us would have made the outcome far more interesting and would have been fair reward for his selection and tactics.

Selection: Mount could well be Franks, Sarri to Jorginho. I think Mount is an excellent young player. I may well have picked him, but not over Barkley in that middle position. Felt we lost more than we gained over that selection. Again I wouldn’t have Barkley on the left, would have started Pulisic. If Kante was fit enough to come on as a sub, he should have started.

Player criticism. Dave has been roasted for his performance, but I felt Emerson was at fault for 2 of the goals. The second goal he was caught up the pitch, forcing Zouma away from the middle which in turn allowed the ball to reach the far post. Emersons defending for the 4^th was laughable against the debutant. First he is drawn towards Pogba when Kovacic gets back infront of him, which leaves James free for Pogba. Once James has the ball Emerson gets back infront of him, but too far away. He is a crap defender. Worst at the club. However, as I have said before, he is a wing back playing as a full back. The first goal Christensen allowed a much smaller player outbattle him and slip the ball through to Rashford. Our Happy did his job coming across to cover his lightweight partner, but failed to understand what Rashford always does, check onto his right foot. That bloke in the studio soaked his pants pointing that one out on his former forward player. Tammy: Shocking finishing when he hit the post. Didn’t hit the target and terrible anticipation when he didn’t get to the ball fired across the goal early on. I felt his hold up play has improved. I don’t think anybody who is a regular at Stamford Bridge would be surprised of Zouma on the ball. It’s the weakest part of his game and you can be sure he will be targeted in other games. For me, there are two other starting defenders who I would look to replace before him as I believe he is a good defender.

Tactics: I have always liked two Dogs infront of the back four, but when you select two Chihuahua’s it kinda defeats the object of having something to bite in there. While both of the players selected are neat n tidy on the ball, as we saw with the first goal, they are both lightweight n cant even pull someone back with success. I truly look forward too seeing Jorginho given more freedom either side of the middle. Yes we were too open, but lets be brutally honest, United, like us are not the force of old, so I can understand why Frank would think we could afford to be more open. Funny really, I think two-five of our previous managers would have set us up more conservatively and would have won with ease. 4-0, for me wasn’t a fair reflection. Our heavy defeats last season were far worse performances, well Cardiff away was worse too. Take it on the chin and move forward Frank. Just remember the twats who put the boot in first chance they got!

Outlook: I think I saw from the game enough positives that we will be fine. Couple of tweaks here and there, plus a change in luck infront of goal and who knows how the season might turn out. Either way, 17^th or better for Frank in his first season is more than enough!

[LFCMadLad]

6 minutes ago, The Liquidator said:

Brave naïve inexperienced green and poor selections are just a few of the fired from the hip hits upon our Frank from a few who should know better and one who cant help himself but highlight his own thoughts on the game when another fairs poorly with his own.

 

 

 

The word I would push forward to describe Franks first proper game after watching it a few times is “Luckless”

 

 

 

Any of the numerous great chances we had before Zouma sunk us would have made the outcome far more interesting and would have been fair reward for his selection and tactics.

 

 

 

Selection: Mount could well be Franks, Sarri to Jorginho. I think Mount is an excellent young player. I may well have picked him, but not over Barkley in that middle position. Felt we lost more than we gained over that selection. Again I wouldn’t have Barkley on the left, would have started Pulisic. If Kante was fit enough to come on as a sub, he should have started.

 

 

 

Player criticism. Dave has been roasted for his performance, but I felt Emerson was at fault for 2 of the goals. The second goal he was caught up the pitch, forcing Zouma away from the middle which in turn allowed the ball to reach the far post. Emersons defending for the 4^th was laughable against the debutant. First he is drawn towards Pogba when Kovacic gets back infront of him, which leaves James free for Pogba. Once James has the ball Emerson gets back infront of him, but too far away. He is a crap defender. Worst at the club. However, as I have said before, he is a wing back playing as a full back. The first goal Christensen allowed a much smaller player outbattle him and slip the ball through to Rashford. Our Happy did his job coming across to cover his lightweight partner, but failed to understand what Rashford always does, check onto his right foot. That bloke in the studio soaked his pants pointing that one out on his former forward player. Tammy: Shocking finishing when he hit the post. Didn’t hit the target and terrible anticipation when he didn’t get to the ball fired across the goal early on. I felt his hold up play has improved. I don’t think anybody who is a regular at Stamford Bridge would be surprised of Zouma on the ball. It’s the weakest part of his game and you can be sure he will be targeted in other games. For me, there are two other starting defenders who I would look to replace before him as I believe he is a good defender.

 

 

 

Tactics: I have always liked two Dogs infront of the back four, but when you select two Chihuahua’s it kinda defeats the object of having something to bite in there. While both of the players selected are neat n tidy on the ball, as we saw with the first goal, they are both lightweight n cant even pull someone back with success. I truly look forward too seeing Jorginho given more freedom either side of the middle. Yes we were too open, but lets be brutally honest, United, like us are not the force of old, so I can understand why Frank would think we could afford to be more open. Funny really, I think two-five of our previous managers would have set us up more conservatively and would have won with ease. 4-0, for me wasn’t a fair reflection. Our heavy defeats last season were far worse performances, well Cardiff away was worse too. Take it on the chin and move forward Frank. Just remember the twats who put the boot in first chance they got!

 

 

Outlook: I think I saw from the game enough positives that we will be fine. Couple of tweaks here and there, plus a change in luck infront of goal and who knows how the season might turn out. Either way, 17^th or better for Frank in his first season is more than enough!

 

So would 18th be 'just enough'? 

[True Blue]

Kenneth Omerou has joined Spanish side Leganes on a permanent deal worth 4.5 mill, where he spent last season on loan.

[The Liquidator]

Well that was much better.

I felt Kante was on a different level too everyone else on the pitch. Really played well.

Media concentrating on Tammy's missed penalty, which for me has camouflaged another shocking piece of finishing in the 2nd half. Needs to improve if he has any chance of leading our line for any period of time.

Frank looked and sounded for that matter much happier after the game as he should be. Finished the game with 4 Chelsea youth on the pitch, with two others healing n soon to be available. Well done Frank!

 

[The Liquidator]

Quote

@Redcanuck 3-0 totally against the run of play.  Very happy about the scoreline but almost have to apologize to my Chelsea mate.

That's ok mate, from what I saw of your lot that will be the highlight of your season. Very much doubt anyone will worry where you are at.

[LFCMadLad]

9 minutes ago, The Liquidator said:

Well that was much better.

I felt Kante was on a different level too everyone else on the pitch. Really played well.

Media concentrating on Tammy's missed penalty, which for me has camouflaged another shocking piece of finishing in the 2nd half. Needs to improve if he has any chance of leading our line for any period of time.

Frank looked and sounded for that matter much happier after the game as he should be. Finished the game with 4 Chelsea youth on the pitch, with two others healing n soon to be available. Well done Frank!

 

Agree on Kante, he's like an extra man he really is. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Kante is one of the best box to box midfielders in Europe, I’m not surprised he made a massive impact. I think most sides would look much better with him in the midfield. He’s an absolute beast.

I also thought Pulisic and Pedro both looked very good. When Pedro is in form like that, I love watching him play because you can see him just reading the play so well. Although I don’t enjoy it as much when it’s against us and he’s causing problems for us.

Where Chelsea’s problems lie, imo, are at the back. Mostly at CB, where Zouma (who looked quite good at Everton last season) just looks like a mistake waiting to happen. And Christensen is a kid, he’s a good kid but it’s a position where experience matters and sometimes he’ll show naivity. And they’ve also got problems at the striker situation, but they’ve also got a kid they’re developing. But if Giroud or Tammy were better finishers and their good chances were at least on target, there’s a good chance that’d have ended with a FT result in Chelsea’s favour. That might be a bit harsh because Giroud scored, but he also spurned good chances. And Tammy missed a sitter after winning that (non) penalty (also that was the moment where I lost all faith in VAR, although I think the summer should have taught me that - but that’s besides the point).

But there was plenty to be encouraged with for Chelsea. Yeah, there are obvious issues - but there’s a lot of positives about the current squad and a long season to work out those issues. Looks like Chelsea have a bit of an easier run after starting with 2 matches against our top 6. I think they’ll pick up plenty of points

[Cicero]

2 hours ago, LFCMadLad said:

Agree on Kante, he's like an extra man he really is. 

He won’t ever admit it, but Sarri has done wonders transforming Kante into a more well rounded player. 

[carefreeluke]

Very happy with the performance last night. Some evident work done to fix the issues we saw on Sunday and a bold performance that featured a good number of youngsters.

Edited August 15, 2019 by carefreeluke

[carefreeluke]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Kante is one of the best box to box midfielders in Europe, I’m not surprised he made a massive impact. I think most sides would look much better with him in the midfield. He’s an absolute beast.

I also thought Pulisic and Pedro both looked very good. When Pedro is in form like that, I love watching him play because you can see him just reading the play so well. Although I don’t enjoy it as much when it’s against us and he’s causing problems for us.

Where Chelsea’s problems lie, imo, are at the back. Mostly at CB, where Zouma (who looked quite good at Everton last season) just looks like a mistake waiting to happen. And Christensen is a kid, he’s a good kid but it’s a position where experience matters and sometimes he’ll show naivity. And they’ve also got problems at the striker situation, but they’ve also got a kid they’re developing. But if Giroud or Tammy were better finishers and their good chances were at least on target, there’s a good chance that’d have ended with a FT result in Chelsea’s favour. That might be a bit harsh because Giroud scored, but he also spurned good chances. And Tammy missed a sitter after winning that (non) penalty (also that was the moment where I lost all faith in VAR, although I think the summer should have taught me that - but that’s besides the point).

But there was plenty to be encouraged with for Chelsea. Yeah, there are obvious issues - but there’s a lot of positives about the current squad and a long season to work out those issues. Looks like Chelsea have a bit of an easier run after starting with 2 matches against our top 6. I think they’ll pick up plenty of points

Pedro has a big performance in him, despite being mostly below par last season he did have some very good performances in big games.

I think in defence (player-wise) we will be alright, it's more the team shape as a whole that we will need to work on. I think most defenders would have problems if the team played the way it did at times on Sunday against Man United which left the defence exposed. We need more unity as a team defending.

Our strikers do worry me as compared to some other big teams we don't have that player who's going to get us 20 + goals but we'll see maybe it will be a mutual effort and the whole team can chip in. 

I'm hoping Reece James can get some significant game time at right-back as I think Azpilicueta limits us at times particularly against weaker teams. Not forgetting we have 2-3 of our best players still to come back as well in Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, and Rudiger. The former two (not many people outside of Chelsea realise) are two massive players for us these days. Fingers crossed their careers don't get hampered by injuries.

Edited August 15, 2019 by carefreeluke