Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool - Saturday 29th September

[Dave]

Sarri has tipped Liverpool to win the Premier League. I would make a thread on what he has said but you Scouse fans would become unbearable.

[carefreeluke]

10 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Klopp also smokes (granted I don’t think he’s quite as famous for chain smoking as Sarri - 80 a day is mental), maybe that’s why he gets on with Sarri so well.

Honestly I think the key to the style being implemented so well is Jorginho. He was instrumental to Napoli last system, he’s the sides metronome - and the lynchpin to Sarri’s system last season. Honestly I think Jorginho is just as important to you as Hasard. You take him out and I think it fundamentally changes your midfield.

And a lot of people want Kanté to be moved back into his natural position. 

Hazard has been our best player for years now and we've always had this over reliance on him and this over reliance was actually more apparent under Mourinho believe it or not.

Thought we did well yesterday but thought we could have seen out the game a bit better. I know we're playing a decent team who were looking to get back into the game so we were bound to come under some pressure and there's not an awful lot you can do about Sturridge's goal but yesterday was the first time I saw us sit off a bit and we failed to break up the pressure well enough. Subs didn't help proceedings. Barkley was absolutely dreadful when he came on and this is why I don't like him as a player, as with his composure, intelligence and confidence he came up short again. Shame as he's an English lad and I want him to do well but he just doesn't convince me. Think it's his misplaced pass which leads to their goal as well. And Moses. We've got a lot out of him over the years but he shouldn't really be here still. Not sure why Sarri isn't using Fabregas more and yesterday was perfect for him to provide some composure and help release some of the pressure by getting us on the ball. These little cameos are what Fabregas is perfect for. 

Overall very happy with what I saw but we need to learn from that last 20 minutes particularly for when we play another top team.

[Dave]

Well, it goes without saying that Daniel Sturridge should have taken a bow. The audacity to try that so late in the game. Jesus Christ.

The big talking point for me is how good Chelsea look under Mauricio Sarri. It was an organised and convincing performance which suggests they will qualify for The Champions League with no issues. All those problems in the summer over the managerial situation and players being unhappy seems years ago now.

Regarding Mo Salah, whilst he's getting criticism for not being the same player, am I correct in thinking his stats now are not too similar to last season? There's not much he really can do about chances being cleared off the line.

[Stan]

6 minutes ago, The Palace Fan said:

Well, it goes without saying that Daniel Sturridge should have taken a bow. The audacity to try that so late in the game. Jesus Christ.

The big talking point for me is how good Chelsea look under Mauricio Sarri. It was an organised and convincing performance which suggests they will qualify for The Champions League with no issues. All those problems in the summer over the managerial situation and players being unhappy seems years ago now.

Regarding Mo Salah, whilst he's getting criticism for not being the same player, am I correct in thinking his stats now are not too similar to last season? There's not much he really can do about chances being cleared off the line.

6 goals 2 assists last season (6 league + 4 CL games)
3 goals 2 assists this season (7 league + 1 CL + 1 EFL Cup games)
 

[The Artful Dodger]

Salah is a very good player but I think Firmino is more important and Mane is potentially just as potent and has the benefit of being genuinely two footed. Liverpool haven't quite been at their scintillating best yet either, perhaps something they've sacrificed to be more solid.

[Bluewolf]

1 hour ago, The Palace Fan said:

Well, it goes without saying that Daniel Sturridge should have taken a bow. The audacity to try that so late in the game. Jesus Christ.

The big talking point for me is how good Chelsea look under Mauricio Sarri. It was an organised and convincing performance which suggests they will qualify for The Champions League with no issues. All those problems in the summer over the managerial situation and players being unhappy seems years ago now.

Regarding Mo Salah, whilst he's getting criticism for not being the same player, am I correct in thinking his stats now are not too similar to last season? There's not much he really can do about chances being cleared off the line.

Sarri has done a good job in such a short space of time, thought it might have taken longer for it all to come together and even he admitted after the game that he felt they were closer to both them and Man City than he first thought after saying he felt they were just one step ahead of us earlier in the season which is all a positive sign... 

As for Salah, he looks a little tired and off the pace to me.. not surprising given his summer schedule, but a little surprising given Hazard who had an equally long summer schedule has looked fresher and sharper.. The other factor is that after having such a great previous season anything that drops slightly below that may give the impression he is actually a little worse than he really is..