Saaladin

In most of those games I'm guessing Wolves had Raul Jimenez in the game. They didn't against us, in fact they didn't even play with a recognized striker. Yes other opponents did manage to break down wolves but they were either weaker sides who didn't have to deal with 11 defending the box or sides in the top 6 who have in form goal scorers and playmakers. United for example have at least 5 players creating or scoring on any given day. If we had that possession and passing and control combined with some in form players we would have certainly scored a goal or two. Unfortunately, our form as a team has resulted in many players losing belief. Odoi won very few 1v1 duels, Pulisic very little when he came on, Chilwell failed to convert our best opportunity of the game. Tammy is not a PL striker for a top 6 team anyway, Giroud didn't really receive a decent cross to attack, Ziyech looked like he had no ideas and Havertz although he created our best chance is feeling his way through after being benched most of the season. So, yeah we looked like we had useless possession but that had a lot more to do with individual performances than the structure control and discipline Chelsea played with. And until our attacking players pick up their belief and start performing at a high level we won't score much.

Lampard's squad played nothing like this all season. The energy, intensity, direction, speed of play was all superior to most of the matches under Lamps. The fact is Wolves decided to make it almost impossible to score with how deep they played. There was only ever going to be one or two chances to unlock that game and force Wolves to open up and it was the chance Havertz created that Chilwell missed. So we actually could have had a goal earlier in the match. Havertz also had a brilliant header saved only by a defender on the goal line. We had the best opportunities of the match not Wolves. They had two counter attacks all game. What do you expect a team to do with possession when the other team has 11 behind the ball in their third no less? There will be a lot of sideways and back passes surely.

Havertz is a dynamic talent. And yes he is coming from a lower league where he dominated and showed how dynamic he is. Patience will be needed or we will lose another special talent like we did with De Bruyne. Remember that when De Bruyne was at Chelsea he was 21. He had to go to 2 other teams and then back to the PL before he became what he is today. Havertz has that potential so we just have to be patient and he has to play. Yesterday he wasn't special but he had a solid performance. Moved the ball well and actually created our best chance of the game which Chilwell put over the bar.

Last night was an improvement and it was more than ok. The result obviously didn't work out but Wolves had no interest in winning that game. They defended their 18 yard box plain and simple. Chelsea were beyond dominant on the ball, pressed with structure and cohesion, were sharper and faster and had a clear vision of what they were trying to do. If you compare this performance to the first game in December at Molineux it's night and day. Wolves were in that match from minute 1. Wolves // Chelsea December 15: Passes: 410 // 489 Tackles won: 11 // 3 Shots: 12 // 14 Shots on target: 4 // 3 Chelsea // Wolves January 28 Passes: 887 // 238 Tackles won: 12 // 4 Shots: 12 // 4 Shots on target: 6 // 0 The difference, Chelsea controlled the match from start to finish and did it with a structure and intensity we haven't seen this season. Unfortunately, Wolves decided they wanted no part in trying to get a win and there's only so much you can do trying to score against a team using all 10 players to defend their third. The other stat that isn't there is the one Tuchel referred to which is how many times they regained possession in the Wolves third which was about 16. All this shows that Tuchel gave them clear instruction and they followed it almost perfectly. I'm not saying Tuchel is here to stay for 10 years and will win us titles but there is stark differences in the performance yesterday compared to the rest of the season

The reason Tuchel played CHO and Pulisic in the wing back positions was because he knew Wolves would play deep and use a back 3. He know the spaces would be tight around the box so he put his most dangerous 1v1 players wider so they could beat the block from the outside and try to sneak some passes in behind the block. Wolves were very tight and organized though. They defended the box the whole game with their lives. We needed a bit more from Callum or Pulisic out wide to win this game and although they played good all around games they never came up with that moment of magic.

Mason Mount deserves to be in any starting 11 for the current squad. He has outworked everyone not named Kante. That being said I would rather see him playing more as an 8 (box to box) rather than in more advanced areas. His qualities are work rate, playing simple and scoring outside the box. He should play deeper and take advantage of the space that will be left in front of him with Kante playing in front of the back four and Havertz playing as an attacking midfielder in the inside right channel or half space. This would be the most balanced midfield we could have and would take advantage of everyone's skill sets and attributes.

Agreed. Frank was lost. He simply wasn't ready for this job. He's charismatic and legendary and a Chelsea icon, but he is not capable of managing Chelsea at this point in his career. He had no tactical setup that was identifiable, he lacked the ability to make adjustments and his inability to settle on roles and a consistent starting eleven was damaging. Frank will need to go back and manage somewhere where the pressure is reduced and he can build his style of play and training methods. Tuchel on the other hand has managed at Mainz, built a reputation there for being an innovator and knowledgeable coach. Then was given his big shot at Dortmund where he succeeded and evolved. When you look at his work at PSG it wasn't just a bunch of stars scoring goals, they were always well prepared. Last year beating Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid in the CL to reach the final and gave Bayern a tough match. What I like most about Tuchel is his ability to plan for opponents and prepare his players for the challenges each opponent provides. There is stark differences between Tuchel and Lampard so it will be interesting to see how he does with this group. His starting eleven selection for tomorrow will be fascinating.

Well I haven't had a chance to read much on the board for a while but just thought I would give my 2 cents: First, I hate seeing Lampard go - probably my favorite player ever. Was thrilled to see him hired as Manager of Chelsea and as most of you was hopeful his success as a player and club legend would transfer to his managerial career. I don't think I ever considered his time at Derby as evidence of his possible success as it was only one year and I also never watched Derby to know anything about his tactics or philosophy. So basically, my whole opinion was based on faith. Watching Chelsea this season Lampard had two major flaws. First, his insistence on trusting youth a bit too much, he put his Chelsea career on the line to develop players. Tammy Abraham and Reece James are the main culprits as they at times had no business being on the field. Tammy most of all had no business being in the starting 11 for Chelsea in any match outside of a domestic cup. He may score a goal here or there but he is not a player to be depended on in tough premier league matches or european matches. That is what Giroud and Werner are are there for. Frank really got this wrong -I mean really, starting Tammy Abraham against Leicester? It's almost naïve. As for Reece, fantastic talent but has a long way to go to develop as a RB. His positional awareness is lacking and can be lazy tracking back. Azpi can still do a job and should be depended on in big matches. Frank's second flaw and main reason for his demise was his lack of identity and ability to stick to a starting 11. Are we playing with a lone 6 and 2 number 8's? Or is it a six, eight, ten? Two holding mids and an attacking mid? Frank never decided on that and to make it worse he mixes and matches EVERY game. You cannot do that and expect results. To compound the problem he tinkers with his striker and wingers constantly. So now you have a midfield with no visible identity, no consistency in selection passing to a forward line that is different each time. Tammy doesn't play like Werner does, and Giroud doesn't play like either. So which identity to we play with? Playing through lines to Werner? Or to feet to Tammy? Or wide to Chilwell and James so they can play 26 crosses in while Giroud is on the bench (Arsenal). Lampard may become a fantastic manager but it was never going to be at Chelsea. He needed to learn this lesson as a manager and he will need to identify his style of play. The only manager I don' really see a style of play for that is succeeding is Solsjkaer and even he, at least, is known to play defensive and on the counter. He also has established players all throughout the team that have multiple years of premier league experience to draw from. De Gea, Macguire, Wan Bissaka, Pogba, Fernandes (only 1 year but hes 26) Martial, Rashford etc. So, as much as I am saddened that Lampard is gone - it was necessary and inevitable. On a final note, he completely misused his new signings Werner and Havertz. Werner is not a winger to be used as such game after game. He's a central striker and he showed his speed and quality doing so earlier in the season. Once Pulisic got injured he moved Werner wide to accommodate Tammy which should have never happened. Havertz is not a winger yet Lampard started him there on multiple occasions. He is a #10 or attacking midfielder and again he showed his quality early on with his runs from midfield carrying the team into the final third. Yet he gets relegated to the bench. I'm not saying he was brilliant, but if you give him a simple role behind the striker and protect him with your 2 other mids he would have been fine and could have been on track by now. Mason Mount could play a little deeper and Kante sits in front of the back four. Anyway, its unfortunate. Hopefully Tuechel brings an identity and doesn't tinker with the setup for the next few weeks. Choose a starting 11 and stick with it until they form a consistency as a group.

Clearly talented but has a ways to go in learning how to use that talent. He is bit irresponsible with the ball and some the things he is trying to do under pressure. He has to learn to take what's there and keep the special stuff for the rights moments. Yes he can shield the ball well but too often he exposes the ball to the defender and has it stripped similar to Bakayoko. With more playing time he can refine all that and become a Patrick Vieira type player.

Mourinho the first time around should not have been fired. The team needed a re-fresh. How do you fire a manager who had just won you 2 league titles back to back. Mourinho should have been given time to re-shape the squad. You mention Scolari and AVB but you fail to mention Ancellotti who was sacked in the tunnel at Everton. Chelsea is not an environment for any manager to come in and feel comfortable implementing a system, re-shaping a squad and using the club's young talent. These managers come in and have to bring results instantly and have no rope when changes are required and the performance dips.

I actually think the fans are willing to be patient. I think it's the club and board that are not willing to show patience which reflects on the opinions of the Chelsea fans. If the club was willing to support Conte through the re-tool of the squad and had given him some public support rather than constantly kicking the tires on other managers most Chelsea fans would have been OK being out of CL for this year while bringing along some young players next season and adding outside talent. Unfortunately that is never afforded to a Chelsea manager.

He wasn't saying Luis was being benched as a result of being friends with Costa. He was saying Luiz was acting up because Conte got rid of his friend Costa. Could be true, who knows.

I liked Emerson. He is smooth on the ball, quick first steps and has a very purposeful cross. When he gets rolling I think he will have a lot to offer. I can see how fans would get on Conte for not getting him in the team earlier but I also understand why. When you have a team that is not performing and every match in your schedule has serious implications you tend to go with the players who have been consistently good for you. Conte knows that M.Alonso has been a solid player all year and to be fair, most of the times Conte has relied on a depth player to fill a role in our starting 11 it has not gone well. See Zappacosta and Bakayoko against Watford. Cost us the game and critical points. Anyway, point is I think Emerson will be a good addition and I liked the signing despite missing out on better targets for LWB. Also, I don't agree with the statement that Alonso has struggled this season. He has been good, but, has had a few poor moments. Outside of those he has been reliable and has chipped in with goals and key passes.

I haven't said anything smug or condescending and yes those are obviously my opinions and not fact as no one has a list of Conte's targets.

So he has one bad game and fans go into meltdown. Similar reaction to Conte right now. Just have no patience or desire to analyze the whole of the situation and would just rather do the easy thing and pin it on the manager. Conte is the perfect Chelsea manager and if he gets a few of HIS signings this summer he would have the ability to win the double next season.