Ross Barkley or Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

[Dave]

If you were in Sarri's position what would your pecking order be at present in Chelsea's midfield? And who would be first out of the two England midfielders?

[The Artful Dodger]

Barkely given he's playing? Ive seen brilliance from barkley at Everton but never really seen much from loftus-cheek. 

[Harry]

Ruben has the cooler name.

[Stan]

I'd take Loftus-Cheek right now. Would need Barkley to be more consistent but that will only come with game-time. Albeit against Southampton, he was pretty good yesterday.

[Cicero]

Reuben Loftus-Cheek lacks confidence to take it to the next level. Doesn't look to get involved more and shy's away taking a chance at net. Barkley on the other hand at least takes the risk. 

Reuben Loftus-Cheek is looking more and more likely like a 'moment of brilliance' player, but that is it. I've said this for a few years now that what he lacks more than anything, is confidence. Always shy to do something. 

[True Blue]

I think Loftus is the better player, but that Ross took his chance and he will be in the rotation option more. Also i feel he should use the one that is best suited for certain teams.I also think if Ruben leaves the club he will be a big big player for a top club elsewhere.

[SirBalon]

Ross Barkley is has natural talent on when he has a great game there are few English midfielders better than him.  But then again Jack Wilshere is in the same boat where attributes are concerned!

Loftus-Cheek doesn't have that creative unpredictability or the talent to improvise which is that ingredient that makes your side different and difficult to read.  But he is reliable, he does have well evolved midfield attributes that with colleagues that are functioning well will always offer you a sure bet in terms of performance.

Due to the fact Barkley is so inconsistent (so far), I would rather have Loftus-Cheek if forced to choose.

[Stan]

4 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

when he has a great game there are few English midfielders better than him

based on what?

[SirBalon]

1 minute ago, Stan said:

based on what?

Based on natural talent... Unpredictability, cultured on the ball, short intelligent runs into the right areas while reading the rival's midfield and back line well.  The usual and I'm surprised you've asked that question.

Let me return one to you...

When a player is hot and cold (more cold than hot), are you able to asses that there's something special there but probably won't ever materialise into the finished article?

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Based on natural talent... Unpredictability, cultured on the ball, short intelligent runs into the right areas while reading the rival's midfield and back line well.  The usual and I'm surprised you've asked that question.

Let me return one to you...

When a player is hot and cold (more cold than hot), are you able to asses that there's something special there but probably won't ever materialise into the finished article?

I only asked because he hadn't played consistently, if at all, for the past 12-18 months roughly. So no-one but someone at Chelsea would have seen that 'natural talent' and whether it's progressed in to anything else. It's only recently there's been a bit of a comeback for him so there's bit of hype.

The question you pose is such a broad one, too. Far too many factors to take in. What is the 'finished article' - world class, best ever of their generation, best in their league? It's hard to assess if something is special despite only playing a few games or finding themselves out of favour, regardless of hot or cold. 

[Cicero]

Let's revisit this at the end of the season.

As for now, there is nothing suggesting Reuben Loftus-Cheek is a more consistent player than Barkley when the former hasn't even looked to be involved in our overall play. Barkley is a risk taker, and much better in the final third given the fact that he is confident with himself and the choices he makes. 

Give me a player that tries to makes things happen vs a more talented one that doesn't want to take chances. 

[SirBalon]

1 minute ago, Stan said:

I only asked because he hadn't played consistently, if at all, for the past 12-18 months roughly. So no-one but someone at Chelsea would have seen that 'natural talent' and whether it's progressed in to anything else. It's only recently there's been a bit of a comeback for him so there's bit of hype.

The question you pose is such a broad one, too. Far too many factors to take in. What is the 'finished article' - world class, best ever of their generation, best in their league? It's hard to assess if something is special despite only playing a few games or finding themselves out of favour, regardless of hot or cold. 

That's why I wrote that he's very inconsistent and talent alone is not enough, hence Jack Wilshere.  I don't see a single "World Class" player plying his trade in England's midfield right now.  It's not about World Class and more about administering talent at the right moments for England and Gareth Southgate.  This is why I rate Southgate so much because he's been absolutely phenomenal at this.

[JoshBRFC+]

Ross Barkley. Cheek needs to move away from Chelsea.

[Spike]

Ross Barkley has been pretty bold in his football lately, so him. Saying that Cheek needs more minutes. It’s a very stacked midfield right now.

[Danny]

Barkley, shown it at Everton even if not consistent. I like Loftus-Cheek but he's been pretty underwhelming and I hope he's not shoehorned into Southgate's plans even when he's not playing.

Probably would be a better player if he'd of left Chelsea sooner

[RandoEFC+]

Barkley is a cunt but clearly the better player here. Like others have said he's had dozens of good games for Everton where he's looked top drawer (and dozens more where he's looked like shit) whereas Loftus-Cheek had a good spell at Palace and a man of the match performance in a friendly against Germany for England which is the main reason behind his ongoing hype being so high, but he's yet to show that his ceiling is anywhere near high enough to become a Chelsea regular.

[UNORTHODOX]

Ive always thought Barkley had the talent to succeed at a top club, He shouldn't really be judged on his last season because Conte obviously stifled a lot of those Chelsea players with his style of football last year. You are seeing now what he is capable of when given the opportunities in a more free role.

[Smiley Culture]

Barkley’s playing and playing well, isn’t he? 

There’s little doubt that Loftus-Cheek isn’t a good player but is he good enough to warrant and subsequently hold down a regular starting place in Chelsea’s team? That said, Chelsea are in three competitions now and have the FA Cup to come post-Christmas, meaning Chelsea could easily be looking at a 55+ game season should they be successful in any cup(s) they’re in, meaning Reuben Loftus-Cheek could/should get gametime somewhere down the line. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

On ‎08‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 08:13, Cicero said:

As for now, there is nothing suggesting Reuben Loftus-Cheek is a more consistent player than Barkley when the former hasn't even looked to be involved in our overall play. Barkley is a risk taker, and much better in the final third given the fact that he is confident with himself and the choices he makes. 

I agree. How anyone can call Loftus-Cheek a more consistent player for Chelsea than Barkley has been for Chelsea? One's gotten meaningful time on the pitch, the other hasn't. I don't think Barkley is perfect… and his development has been stunted. And probably the biggest issues with him are his pretty low football IQ, which he can learn with the right coaching & his overall consistency, which I think comes from not being all that great at reading the game. But he's also shown plenty of potential and there's positive football that can come out - he can learn how to read matches better with time and experience.

If Loftus-Cheek is really the next big thing for an England midfielder, then it's time for him to be working his arse off in training so that when he does get a chance to fill in for someone over the course of the season he can grab that chance by the horns and make it his own.

Honestly though, it's tough to say who's better for Chelsea at this stage in their careers. Barkley's coming off a year of much less football, Loftus-Cheek is coming back from a loan, both are working under a new manager with his own system he's trying to implement. For all we know, Loftus-Cheek is doing lots of learning behind the scenes for when he's more used to playing with these teammates and Barkley is getting more of the chances early on because he's not been away from training with the Chelsea first team for a year.

[Cicero]

To be quite honest, it's actually come to a point where Reuben Loftus-Cheek is over rated. There is nothing to justify the amount of praise he is getting other than moments. Still early days for him to establish himself in the games he does play, but at the momement he is only a squad player at best. 

I reckon Mount will have a better shot establishing himself here than Reuben Loftus-Cheek if I'm being perfectly honest. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

9 minutes ago, Cicero said:

To be quite honest, it's actually come to a point where Reuben Loftus-Cheek is over rated. There is nothing to justify the amount of praise he is getting other than moments. Still early days for him to establish himself in the games he does play, but at the momement he is only a squad player at best. 

I reckon Mount will have a better shot establishing himself here than Reuben Loftus-Cheek if I'm being perfectly honest. 

Some players get much better in the eyes of fans when they haven't played, for some reason. 

[Cicero]

55 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Some players get much better in the eyes of fans when they haven't played, for some reason. 

He is a very contempt player. Goes with the motion. Never looks to be involved more or take control when the talent is obviously there. His finishing is also very sub par for a player that is supposedly ready for a club in the top 6 to play him week in and week out. 

Really has until January to make an impact in the games he does play I reckon. 

[carefreeluke]

Both have room for improvement but I see more potential with Loftus-Cheek than I do with Barkley. 

That said, who'd be first in the pecking order out of the two? It would be Barkley given his recent form and that he's adapted better to Sarri's style. Then again Loftus-Cheek has been given a lot less opportunity to show his worth.

When we talk about recent form with Barkley though, we're talking just the Southampton game. It's worth noting he was dreadful when he came on against Liverpool the previous week.

[Cicero]

On 09/10/2018 at 14:03, Cicero said:

He is a very contempt player. Goes with the motion. Never looks to be involved more or take control when the talent is obviously there. His finishing is also very sub par for a player that is supposedly ready for a club in the top 6 to play him week in and week out. 

Really has until January to make an impact in the games he does play I reckon. 

Proved me wrong.

Huge physical presence in our midfield. Him shrugging off Rice last night was brilliant. 

Has that technical ability and energy as well. We all urged him to feel more comfortable on the ball, to 'take control' given he has the ability to do so. He takes players on. Looks composed on the ball. Assured when under pressure. 

Honestly, we have the perfect midfielder in him.