Elliott

Surely going to come into the fold now that Zappa is gone. Question is, will Lampard throw him in, or will he be limited to cup games etc. He looks absolutely huge, though doesn't seem blessed with blistering pace - maybe it's just me. If we tighten up our defence with him in it, I think people will be in awe of a team containing James, Mount, Loftus & Hudson Odoi.

Great little interchanges in midfield. Really impressed with how Frank/Jody wants us to play and I think everyone associated with the club can hold their heads high. Feeling quite positive despite the defeat - I just hope we keep the faith & continue to play the same way. It’s great to watch. Penalty aside, I genuinely think Tammy is the weakest of our youngsters. I’m really not convinced he’s going to be strong enough at this level. I worry where our goals are going to come from. Mason looks an amazing prospect whilst Tomori seems very assured (and rapid!). Think we have two diamonds on our hands there.

Jorginho & Kovacic holding against Liverpool. Christ.

Getting trounced every week due to poor shape & defending will not constitute as a ‘roller coaster’ season. We’ve been through that before. It’s not fun. It only works if the team defends properly, whilst also managing to win games here & there.

Even when playing well and dominating the ball, the gaps between our players was huge. It makes it so easy for the opposition to break and play through you. When you also factor in that our best defensive players were missing coupled with the full backs bombing forward at every opportunity.... Man Utd have never been given such an easy opening game. I worry this'll be the opposition blueprint now. Sit back and soak us up - no Hazard means the majority of our threat is gone - before picking apart the flimsy defence (did Zouma ever look THAT bad at Everton?). The positives for me were Abraham, who showed a lot of promise (though needs to hold the ball up better), and Mount who seems very comfortable at this level. Frank's got some tough decisions to make in that area. I think this could be Barkley's best season for us if played regularly and centrally, but will he get the chance. Frank seems a massive fan of Mount, whilst Pulisic, Willian, Ruben and Callum will be waiting to step in. The return of Kante & Rudy will be a massive boost versus Leicester but they'll look to play exactly the same way and have players who are quick on the break... We could suffer again if we're not careful. Yesterday was a brutal lesson, but we need to improve from it.

Great news. Barring a very good season under Conte in the back 5 & a handful of good performances, he is a liability. An accident waiting to happen in every game. It maybe leaves us shorter in terms of experience, but Lampard knows what kind of character Luiz is, & is obviously prepared to let him go - that’s good enough for me. Let’s not forget, our remaining four CB’s are good players, & they’ll now have more time to learn & improve.

I wouldn't be nervous about the fans getting him sacked. The board were willing to stick with Sarri, but he wanted out. Obviously didn't love his project or the club enough to stay. Most people will understand that Frank is going to be in an incredibly challenging, unique situation and will be making the best of it. I actually think it's a very smart move by the club given the transfer embargo. Which experienced manager would want to come in under the circumstances? Who else knows the existing crop of players better?

Ultimately, I think Sarri deserves another season. I can’t say I particularly warm to him. He’s obsessed by statistics, he doesn’t seem particularly personable, and tactically he seems stubborn and void of any creativity. Our play has been dreadful to watch at times and I’m not convinced that his man management is at the level of a Guardiola or Klopp. In his defence, he had no pre-season, is trying to embed a whole new style of play, had very little time working tactically with the squad due to the number of fixtures (I think we have played more games this season than anyone else in Europe’s top five leagues) and is working with quite severe squad limitations. Most of the squad are a mismatch of players bought via different managers over the past few years, and quality wise, is probably the poorest (barring a few) that I can remember of the post Abramovich era. Though accepting the generally poorer standard between 3rd to 6th this year, despite the above, we achieved 3rd place and champions league football – all whilst not having a player that scores 20+ goals a season!... Even if you dislike the guy, he deserves some credit for that. I’ve seen individual improvements in some players and collectively, though by no means perfect, there have been signs that his methods are beginning to settle in. Unless Roman has already decided to wield the axe (I can’t see why given the transfer ban), I say give him one more season to prove himself, or not, as the case may be.

100m euro move looks set to be announced after the Europa final. That transfer ban had better be frozen by CAS. I think we're looking at a tough season otherwise.

Interesting games played stats - they looked well off the pace.

Barring the first 25 mins, I thought it was one of our better away performances this season albeit Frankfurt looked absolutely knackered after 30 mins, which was bizarre. Have they played more games than us this season? Maybe they aren't used to playing with such intensity for long periods?... Whatever it is, it bodes well for the return leg. Thought Luiz had one of his more commanding, assured games and our midfield seemed to have a good balance with Jorginho, Kante, RLC, who all played well. Kante was immense, and in a lot of ways, is more invaluable than Hazard who was in 3rd gear during his cameo - perhaps saving himself for Sunday?... Giroud was largely frustrating, Pedro his more effective, energetic self, whilst Willian was quiet and I wouldn't be suprised if he was carrying a knock. He didn't look right at all. Frankfurt looked dangerous on the counter and will be a better team next week with Rebic available, but I'm struggling to believe they will go through. We seem to have a bit more quality and suprisingly, we look alot fitter than them.

This game is do or die. If we win, I think it will be enough for 4th as I don't think Arsenal will win all of their remaining games. Utd, of course, will be going into this with the same mindset, and they will want to bounce back, especially being at home. A scrappy 0-1 would suit me, but I'm not holding out much hope. Everyone knows that our defence is weak, especially from aerial balls. They'll be lobbing into our box at every opportunity. They also have the physical advantage. We have to start on the front foot and Sarri should pick Giroud coupled with Pedro and Hazard. We need to hold the ball up in their half and play off Giroud wherever possible. Expect 4-5-1 with Hazard up front....

More fumbling from week to week. Issues with the manager aside, we have to be honest and say that the large part of this squad is not good enough. Providing the ban is frozen (which I think it will be), we need a clear out in the summer (alongside Hazard, as it's obvious that he's going) along with getting rid of some of the sh*t out on loan like Bakayoko etc, so that we can pool our money and buy a few top drawer players. I'm talking 3-4 players that will really make a difference. After that, if there are any remaining gaps in the team, use the youth players to back up the squad. Alonso, Luiz, Drinkwater, Zappacosta, Higuain, Giroud, Kovacic, Emerson, Cahill should all be let go, as ultimately, they are not good enough for this club to step up a level.

Periods of domination in football moves in cycles. We've achieved alot of success in the last 15 years and at the moment, everything seems to be a bit of a mess. We're fumbling through from week to week, season to season. Liverpool are enjoying their peak (although whether they actually win anything is another matter) and are clearly better equiped to win football matches right now than what we are. I really didn't understand all the hype spouted by the media prior to the match giving it the big build up, especially official chelsea social media giving it the big'un. It's embarrasing. Talk about comparing apples with oranges. Liverpool are flying. They've bought wisely in recent years, know exactly how they want to play, and have a manager that's drilled his methods into them over a number of seasons. Could our club's position be any more opposite?... As much as I dislike that lot, sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say they've done things the right way. Our board should be taking notes. If this isn't a wake up call to them, I don't know what will be.

Another match, same woeful football. Bye Sarri!