27 minutes ago, Backbiter said:

What is is position? I see him as an attacking midfielder. That was not his position yesterday. 

I used to see him as an attacking mid a few years ago, see him now more as a Jorginho replacement,

Don't think he has that explosive pace for an attacking mid maybe due to injuries. 

12 hours ago, Gentian said:

I think we all knew that Loftus Cheek is not comfortable on a 2 man midfield because positionally he is not disciplined and defensively he needs to work much harder. Tuchel picked him because of necessity rather than choice. 3 man midfield would be perfect for him so he can have those runs. 

Same with conor gallagher, in my opinion he would be too lightweight to play in the middle in the current system. 

C’mon do you really watch Palace at all? Gallagher is far from being lightweight, he likes a tackle, and is aggressive. He is perfect playing a box-to-box role in a mid 2.

As for RLC, not sure what the plan is beyond this season. He is going to be 26 in Jan and should be getting to his peak. If we decide to keep Gilmour next season think that is curtains for him. Jose & Sarri are fans, and I feel he will get a bit more space in Serie A. Only issue is Italian clubs are tight fisted 

3 hours ago, ducavis said:

C’mon do you really watch Palace at all? Gallagher is far from being lightweight, he likes a tackle, and is aggressive. He is perfect playing a box-to-box role in a mid 2.

As for RLC, not sure what the plan is beyond this season. He is going to be 26 in Jan and should be getting to his peak. If we decide to keep Gilmour next season think that is curtains for him. Jose & Sarri are fans, and I feel he will get a bit more space in Serie A. Only issue is Italian clubs are tight fisted 

Yes, I have watched him a few times. The highlighted part i do not agree with as the two man in the middle must have tackling and positional ability etc we cant leave space behind like RLC did against man utd. I think he is a very exciting player and would do brilliantly in a 3 man midfield as a box to box player or in the attacking areas. 

As for RLC, Lazio would be best fit for him as they do play a 4-3-3 system and Sarri got the best out of him. Luis Alberto is doing poorly too so I wouldn't be surprised if they made a bid if he was available next season. I am a big fan of Gilmour so hopefully instead we give those minutes to Gilmour next season. 

I'm torn on RLC I can see what some people are saying and I agree to an extent. I must admit I do see a future for him here, perhaps not so much in a pivot but he has the ability to thrive there as well as in a 3. I just want Ruben to release the ball a lot sooner than he has been. 

He's great at holding onto the ball dribbling, using his pace and power to beat a press but the difference between him and Kova is the football IQ to release when the time is right.

If there is anything that Tuchel needs to do to help him become a complete player for me it's this. He could be such a devastating player for us in the current season and long-term once he masters this aspect of the game. 

Shame he had to have that kind of a performance.

Two major chances in a row you got to say and he didn't perform. I like him a lot and wish I could say otherwise but he missed the mark by a distance.

 

 

I dont trust him...makes silly decisions, makes bad decisions, is not quick enough in his thinking (or execution), and usually looks a split second off.

He is a beast of a man, and he looks good when running, shoulder to shoulder with someone bouncing off him, but he needs to step up. Too many times he makes the wrong choice.

10 minutes ago, Sindre said:

Shame he had to have that kind of a performance.

Two major chances in a row you got to say and he didn't perform. I like him a lot and wish I could say otherwise but he missed the mark by a distance.

 

 

Yep, he hasn't stepped up when the chance has presented itself. It feels like a really big opportunity missed by Loftus-Cheek. He will get more chances to impress because of our injuries, but you can't help but feel that unless he puts a run of good performances in, he's not going to get back in once Kovacic and Kante return.

The midfield in the first half was a total disaster, but Loftus-Cheek looked vastly, enormously better in the second half when he was partnered with players who aren't atrophied.

Tough game, plus he managed to play 180 minutes of football in three days and didn't look at all like he was struggling physically.

He'll be fine.

needs to make better decisions in his play.. had one or two good moments - the through ball to havertz was delicious. needs to work on his positioning and reading of the play to play in the hole.. 

Wasn’t great first half and obviously made the mistake that lead to the goal (although so did Jorgi Sunday..) but he was essentially playing in a one man midfield given Saul was playing so poorly.

I think all our CMs bar Kante would have struggled 1st half yesterday 

Wasn’t great first half and obviously made the mistake that lead to the goal (although so did Jorgi Sunday..) but he was essentially playing in a one man midfield given Saul was playing so poorly.

I think all our CMs bar Kante would have struggled 1st half yesterday 

Don't care for the excuses people are making, that's simply not good enough. He's taking silly risks in some situations while playing it safe when he could actually try something. With these performances he has lost his spot as 4th choice midfielder to Barkley with Saul as obvious 6th. But that's just me.

I’m very happy with him, as long as he plays next to an experienced head, such as Jorginho, Kante or Kovacic. He’s not a defensive player so him starting with Saul last night was a disaster.

Last night also showed that he can’t be trusted to lead the midfield, probably because he’s not experienced enough.

22 hours ago, dansubrosa said:

I’m very happy with him, as long as he plays next to an experienced head, such as Jorginho, Kante or Kovacic. He’s not a defensive player so him starting with Saul last night was a disaster.

Last night also showed that he can’t be trusted to lead the midfield, probably because he’s not experienced enough.

I just see him as cover rather than a starter and I think we are now in a crisis situation until we get more back.

Good we have him to use though.

 

We all know he has the potential. For some reason he's only showing glimpses of it. He's 25, so he's no longer a youngster. He had his chances and I don't think he can improve much more. To be honest, I never thought he was good enough for this team. As much as I want him to succeed, I think his future is somewhere else.

He has many obvious problems in his game. Surely the injuries have affected him, and who knows what might have happened if Sarri had not played him in that irrelevant friendly, but we have to accept that he's not at required level. Especially for this system, because we can't find a position that suits him...

Edited December 3, 20214 yr by wizardous

4 hours ago, wizardous said:

We all know he has the potential. For some reason he's only showing glimpses of it. He's 25, so he's no longer a youngster. He had his chances and I don't think he can improve much more. To be honest, I never thought he was good enough for this team. As much as I want him to succeed, I think his future is somewhere else.

He has many obvious problems in his game. Surely the injuries have affected him, and who knows what might have happened if Sarri had not played him in that irrelevant friendly, but we have to accept that he's not at required level. Especially for this system, because we can't find a position that suits him...

Yep. It's what separates the top players from the rest. 

Any player can show glimpses here and there - they're professional footballers FFS. And RLC does show glimpses now and again but that's all it ever is and that's no good if you want to play for a club like Chelsea. He needs to be putting in MOTM performances where he is bossing that midfield but it's never likely to happen. 

Edited December 3, 20214 yr by Nibs

I thought today was his best match.

Rarely lost possession and kept moves going.

Won headers in attack and once sprinted back to cover the defence putting in a stunning challenge even though later it was already offside.

He also made a through ball to a front man that on a better day could have been an assist.

 

He was fine, he just wasn't the solution to beating Spam. 

He's a Jorginho replacement, not someone who plays next to Jorginho in a midfield 2

1 hour ago, strider6004 said:

I thought today was his best match.

Rarely lost possession and kept moves going.

Won headers in attack and once sprinted back to cover the defence putting in a stunning challenge even though later it was already offside.

He also made a through ball to a front man that on a better day could have been an assist.

 

I thought he only started playing when it was 2-2. He started trying to force things in attack, something he hasn't been doing in the previous 2 games. I'm getting a bit fed up with this stop start Loftus-Cheek in all honesty. He clearly has the talent, and when I see him taking out two players in midfield with his footwork and strength and then his driving runs forward, I expect to see that player every week. Like I said a few days ago, he sets his own standards when he puts in those kinds of performances, that is how he should be playing every week.

I'm with @Deino in that I see RLC as a replacement for Jorginho too.

We are missing Kovacic and Kante and it showed later in the match as WHU  looked stronger. 

I thought he played well today, especially 2nd half. Much better than the Watford game. 

Again though, like the rest of team, when gets the ball in around the box, he has to show more composure, which we know he can, as he was a real goal threat before that achilles injury.

He was good today, must be said. Still needs to be more of a threat going forward but he looked more assured and looked strong on and off the ball. 

 

3 hours ago, strider6004 said:

I thought today was his best match.

Rarely lost possession and kept moves going.

Won headers in attack and once sprinted back to cover the defence putting in a stunning challenge even though later it was already offside.

He also made a through ball to a front man that on a better day could have been an assist.

 

How I saw it too Strider. He was our only presence in the middle of the pitch. Made some good defensive rescues in the 2nd half. Would like to see him and Kante start a few games together. Kante would allow RLC to work further up the pitch and not have to constantly worry about cover.

Reasonable performance for me.  Just not sure he does enough - slower on, and to release the ball, than what I recall under Sari. Appreciate all the effort he is giving in the absence of Kova and Kante, but think his place is at risk if Gallagher returns next season.  Needs more output, quicker decisions, and execution in final third.

1 hour ago, just said:

How I saw it too Strider. He was our only presence in the middle of the pitch. Made some good defensive rescues in the 2nd half. Would like to see him and Kante start a few games together. Kante would allow RLC to work further up the pitch and not have to constantly worry about cover.

I'm not sure on RLC going forward, sure he can break a defensive line yet lacks a little invention at times and delays a bit too long for me.

Think he is best in the centre supporting the attackers rather than being an attacker himself.