polako97

If only we had someone in the coaching staff who could teach him how to take the near perfect penalty. Maybe someone who’s taken plenty in his time and never often missed. Someone who was a nature born goal scorer with records to his name. 
Hilario maybe?

So you're right behind Frank then.
One bad result and you're looking at worst case scenario.
Admittedly I'm only now just starting to come out of my self imposed football/media boycott. I'm just putting my head above the parapet by coming here today and am glad to say I do not feel as despondent as you. It was one result. One game. Nonetheless a very bad one and one that will be remembered for a long time. It hurt everyone including Frank, the coaching staff and the players.
Frank will not have the luxury of wallowing in self pity and negative thoughts. He is smart and will know he has to learn how to set up against certain teams. He spoke before the season started of how the team will have to learn to play in different ways. He didn't have a fully fit squad and I'm sure he would have started with Kante had he been fully fit. This hinderance meant he had one less top class defensive player on the field than he would have liked. It also meant he was down one player in the keeping possession stakes. And given Kante's usual workload it actually meant he was probably two players down. For me the game was lost in midfield where we gifted possession far too  often and didn't head off their attacks. Kante is crucial when playing against top teams and we may get better results against the lesser teams when he isn't available. I say this because I am concerned about his fitness. I thought he took a really hard hit during the game but carried on. I don't know if it was the hit during the game or the previous injury but he certainly didn't look his usual self.
Back to Frank. He is having to learn quickly and will today know exactly what everybody meant about it coming too soon. He will be gutted about the result but will also know he has to prepare the team for tomorrow's game in Turkey. He will never have felt the pressure he is under today. I hear the voices screaming about the penalty in the champions league final but this is all on him now. He is the focus and there is no protection from a head coach or manager. He is the protection and he has to manage and be accountable for this situation. I still take solace from the fact that Frank is very smart and he will be covering all the bases. In the same breath we mustn't forget he is still learning. He needs to learn how the pressure of the premier league feels. He needs to lose with the team so they all know how it feels. Pep's Barcelona lost their first La Liga game to newly promoted Numancia. It's a bit of stretch to directly compare Chelsea and Barca but Peps team then went on a 20 match unbeaten run after that defeat. They did have a much better squad than Chelsea whereas unfortunately Franks squad has a few holes in it and lacks a bit of quality and experience with the departure of Luiz. (I can't help feel the club wouldn't have sent Ampadu out on loan if they had known Luiz was going to leave.) Frank will be learning from Sunday and will not want to have that feeling again anytime soon. I'm sure he will set up more defensively against Liverpool. In some ways it's not a really important game but another bad defeat could hurt the team. Frank and the team need also need to learn how to win together and the Super Cup game is one that they could really do without at the moment.
For me the Leicester game will bring back some confidence and the atmosphere in the stadium will be something we haven't seen in many a year. They have lost their best defender and we need to be capitalising on that.
COYB.
 
 

I saw more thrilling stuff yesterday than the entire last season really. The speed, the one-two between the lines, the good links between the players, the high press.
Seriously guys Tammy's not ready? He had a decent game. His deflection was a Giroud level and that's a classy one. So many good interactions between him and the people behind him. Never really isolated from the game, great pressing. Gave Barkley, Mount and Pedro so many opportunities. Being so criticized after a game like this is lame. 
I actually liked the way Ross, Mason and Pulisic moved without the ball. Of course they are not even close to what's Hazard used to deliver for us but they've got so much more energy than him and when we have them together on the pitch this might bring us even more exciting football. Not more exciting individual performances but a football, as a team. 
Can't wait to see Ruben - Mount - Pulisic behind Tammy. It might not deliver any silver this year but gosh I'm starting to feel the thrill is coming back. 
 
 

Hello all,
I've been following Chels for as long as I remember as my dad said it was that or adoption. I was young when Roman came along so I've always been grouped in the bandwagon, but some of my fondest memories of the club involve Desailly, Hasselbaink, Zola and Gronkjaer (!). Legend has it that my dad was close to naming me Gianfranco but settled for an anglicism of Di Matteo.
 
I've been to numerous games over the years, dad works Saturdays and we live outside London so my opportunities were limited but as he nears retirement we intend to go far more, home and (fingers crossed) away. My first ever game live was Southampton in Aug 04, when James Beattie lobbed Cech after 9 seconds. Other highlights were being in the Shed when Meireles scored that goal against Benfica, FA Cup final 2012 and Deco's debut wondergoal (Pompey 08). 
 
Joined the forum to follow the gossip, complain about the Virtual Waiting Room, and to find out what the last line of Carefree actually is...

I've always sang it as
"and we don't give a f***
wherever you may be
cos' we are the famous cfc"
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