I like to think you were just tossing me a softball for easy likes Also I lose track of which threads I’m in on TSB
Can’t you just enjoy your premier league title and let us Chelsea fans sulk in misery in our safe space?
Could be good. I had a feeling that they rejected it so quickly because they wanted to deal with it before the window. If we get back reasons in June we can appeal to Court of arbitration for sport and have a stayed execution. If we can get a 1 window ban in January that’s ideal but hopefully we can buy this window. Striker and LB are just not positions I see us being able to fill internally from youth/loan army right now. Also would be nice if we can sell Willian and replace him.
People talk about mason mount and that’s deserved but outside of CHO, Reece James is the most likely youth player to make it at Chelsea in my opinion. I think he should be rotating in next season and potentially take that RB job from Azpi at some point in the year.
We'll loan him to Crystal Palace and then sell him to a Bundesliga club at a cut rate price where he'll excel. This is our fate.
It’s possible but I think he’s different. Think RLC if RLC had gotten a really good loan and killed it instead of 20 minutes in a reason under mourinho that was a waste. With azpi really struggling this year and showing he probably doesn’t bring enough going forward to play right back, he should be given a shot.
How the hell can that be the lineup again? Knowing your job is in jeopardy how could you continue to put the same 11 out there
They just need to fire him at this point. Let the team rally around an interim and win the Europa league. Pick a manager who you trust and can work with to rebuilt the squad over the next 2 seasons to get through the transfer ban and integrate youth so we can build a team that can compete 2-3 years from now.
Getting a peak into this Chelsea squad under sarri without hazard against a squad likely to get relegated. This is a lower to mid table side without hazard and kante. Alonso getting murdered down the left hand side by Cardiff and we haven’t had one good move going forward yet.
Is a loss a bad thing if sarri finally gets fired? I don’t see how this team could grab top 4. A new manager can inspire the squad to go on a run when a favorable draw in the Europa league, try some different players and see what we have for next season.
I’ll take the luck but azpi was WAY offside Now rudiger escapes red? This is like 1/3 a season of ref luck in 5 minutes with those 2 calls.
Feels like it’s been a bit since there’s been one of those. Club is still a complete mess and it doesn’t feel like it’s getting any better. So happy for RLC tho.
RLC still won’t start Wednesday. Guy has been our best midfielder in that LCM spot that pushes further forward all season. Need to play him from the beginning. First 50 min before hazard came on was as bad as I’ve seen us. Even including the blowout against Bournemouth.
RLC just was just held out of the England qualifiers, he’s clearly not fully healthy. It’s ridiculous that CHO doesn’t start but RLCs minutes have been fine when his back issues allow for it.
He was held out as a precaution. He’s been dealing with an issue but it’s been said this week that he’s fully healthy. I just think he’s third behind kovacic and Barkley for the LCM spot in Sarris mind. Alonso is the top LB and CHO the 4th winger. It’s clear sarri and be rest of us are watching different games.
This team just can’t play the quick passing sarri wants. It seems like a lot of our chances come from hazard and Hudson-Odoi when they either don’t have a pass so they have to dribble. And as I type this Hudson-Odoi dribbles past a guy, makes a great cross and boom goal. Neither Willian or Pedro would have made that cross. He’s just a lot better crosser than them.
When you finally play the lineup fans have wanted for a few months and we dominate, you have to wonder what sarri has been thinking the last few months as Alonso, Barkley, kovacic, Willian and Pedro our there.
I’ll concede Willian has been effective recently from a stats perspective, but it’s primarily against weaker competition. RLC seemingly having a constant knock also makes a little sense but I’m in agreement. The fans have seen it for months. RLC, CHO, Hazard, and Giroud have been fantastic.
If you watch the games, Willian and Pedro just haven’t been good. CHO scares the shit out of fullbacks in a way they don’t. Just the fear of putting them on their ass allows him more room to cross. He’s also a better crosser. He loses the ball some and makes some mistakes but so do Willian and Pedro. This needs to be our first XI unless higiuan somehow finds form. RLC has had injuries but even when healthy, sarri seems to have him as 3rd choice. Just like Willian and Pedro, they Barkley and kovacic haven’t been good enough. He needs a run of games.
A lot will depend on who is the manager next season. I think azpi can play as a RB for mourinho or simeone and He is still a good RCB in a 3 man Backline. I don’t think he is good enough going forward if we want to dominate possession. It wouldn’t shock me if mourinho got a job in la liga or Ligue 1 and made a very solid offer for azpi. Hopefully the board wouldn’t turn it down and live to regret that like the big offers for Willian last summer.
At the end of the day it's still Chelsea. The players (especially the older players) dominate the club no matter the manager. In addition Azpi is our captain at the moment. I'll believe a young talent gets meaningful minutes when I see it.
Which players is it that need to leave to change that? Luiz, Azpilicueta seem obvious. Willian seems like he is a problem too.
Is it something the players do or is it the fact that the manager is on a short leash the moment they get hired so they play it conservatively and tend to start the veteran players? Tough to tell. Chelsea seem a decent bit away from a true title contender and that gap will increase a lot if hazard leaves. We don’t buy well enough to just reload. We need to rebuild. With the transfer ban, it seems like the perfect time to bring in 2-3 high end pieces, use youth as rotational players and let the squad develop next season. I truly believe that fans can accept a 5th place/Europa league if we are playing youth and building the squad like Liverpool did in klopps first 2 years. Going to the Europa league while playing Alonso, Willian, Pedro, higuian, morata, Alonso, azpi and luiz though is unacceptable.
If you're on a short leash why do you keep trotting out Willian and Pedro every week when they're ineffective? We're not exactly setting the world on fire offensively, it doesn't take a massive leap to think we're not changing the team for performance reasons alone.
I agree with you but are you saying the board is telling sarri to pick Pedro and Willian over CHO? I can almost guarantee that the board wants CHO playing and if they were meddling it would be for him. Board seems very nervous at a fan revolt if CHO leaves and becomes a top 5 winger in Europe and an England starter somewhere else. I don’t think CHO follows sarri’s instructions as well as Willian or Pedro. He makes special plays but sarris system is more about quick passing than dribbling. Hazard and CHO both more effective taking on defenders. I just think sarri wants to win his way and that has been a big reason why he’s stuck with the 2 veterans as they have underperformed. I could certainly be wrong though.