No one is expected to learn a job in five minutes, so why in football where the demands are huge?

Christ, he's just turned 20 and plays bit parts as a sub rarely. Give him some time, we need to give him more games, not less.

 

Every single time a youngster comes on and doesn't play amazing, there are always people on standby waiting to criticise. It's not like RLC was woeful, he actually shown some decent touches, movement and passes. The whole team was poor in that second half, we can't expect a youngster to drag us out of a mess and get us going again.

I disagree Scott I thought he was woeful, had no urgency and was pretty lazy. and I don't care if it's a veteran, a superstar or a kid, they are playing at the highest level of football and if they have a poor game then deserve criticism, same as they get plaudits if they play well.

I disagree Scott I thought he was woeful, had no urgency and was pretty lazy. and I don't care if it's a veteran, a superstar or a kid, they are playing at the highest level of football and if they have a poor game then deserve criticism, same as they get plaudits if they play well.

 

I don't think he is lazy, it's look's that way because of way he plays. Not every player needs to be a runner like Willian. He shown urgency to get on to Willian's pass in the second half and if Remy pulled away from the defender, Loftus-Cheek could have set him up for an easy finish. With the way we were playing in the second half i don't think Loftus-Cheek could have done anything more to get us going.

I disagree Scott I thought he was woeful, had no urgency and was pretty lazy. and I don't care if it's a veteran, a superstar or a kid, they are playing at the highest level of football and if they have a poor game then deserve criticism, same as they get plaudits if they play well.

There are some who just will not criticise a youth player. Sad really. He is lazy and believing his own hype.  Traore gets plaudits after coming on and putting a shift in, but minute RLC does opposite, not allowed?

 

One point ball is about 10 yards away, he is trotting around hands on hips. Hazard does it, he gets dogs abuse.  

Edited March 5, 201610 yr by RickUK

I thought he was pretty poor, I think baker is the better player out of the 2, and had he been loftus cheeks size he would've been given a chance.

I think it's hard for rlc, because he isn't good enough defensively at the moment to play in that 2, but he also isnt a number 10 either.

Still he is young and will likely improve with experience, although Im not convinced he will be good enough for our 1st team in the long run.

I disagree Scott I thought he was woeful, had no urgency and was pretty lazy. and I don't care if it's a veteran, a superstar or a kid, they are playing at the highest level of football and if they have a poor game then deserve criticism, same as they get plaudits if they play well.

 

Well said - We need to stop molly coddling our young ones just cos we want them to succeed and turn a blind eye to their mistakes. I dont know if you guys noticed but when we were in our own defensive half Fabergas passed the ball to RLC and expected him to take the ball and run forward but instead he pauses allowing the opponent to attack, loses possession and does not track back. Instead he watches waiting to receive the ball so he can attack while another Chelsea player had to win the ball back. This is the attitude that Mourinho talked about and this is the same play that we see today. He is not putting his defensive shift and given how week our midfield is, we need to defend collectively.Heck Bertrand Traore is out there hustling the defenders when he is out there and he is just as young. 

I don't think he is lazy, it's look's that way because of way he plays. Not every player needs to be a runner like Willian. He shown urgency to get on to Willian's pass in the second half and if Remy pulled away from the defender, Loftus-Cheek could have set him up for an easy finish. With the way we were playing in the second half i don't think Loftus-Cheek could have done anything more to get us going.

I've argued the exact same point on him not being lazy mate, fully agree his languid style makes it look that way at times. But I thought he was lazy today most of the game he was on for, just didn't look ready for it for some reason.

I thought he was pretty poor, I think baker is the better player out of the 2, and had he been loftus cheeks size he would've been given a chance.

I think it's hard for rlc, because he isn't good enough defensively at the moment to play in that 2, but he also isnt a number 10 either.

Still he is young and will likely improve with experience, although Im not convinced he will be good enough for our 1st team in the long run.

Id loan him out. Genuinely would to a team in the championship. Toughen up, play regular competitive football, he will/should improve a good deal 

 

Didnt Jose give him a dressing down first season back or season after during pre season about the same thing? Work rate? May be wrong.

 

Also, regardless of age, if Conte comes in and with his work ethic, RLC could very well be under threat, as could Matic i think (for other reasons)

Edited March 5, 201610 yr by RickUK

There are some who just will not criticise a youth player. Sad really. He is lazy and believing his own hype.  Traore gets plaudits after coming on and putting a shift in, but minute RLC does opposite, not allowed?

 

Well that is bollocks, if a player deserves criticism, i will say it, no matter how old they are. I just don't think Loftus-Cheek was bad enough to be getting the criticism he is currenly getting. There were worse players than him today. Willian was terrible, Courtois cost us the 3 points, Matic lost the ball often again, Remy offered nothing when he came on, Fabregas the same ( he did come on really late though ) and Traore himself wasn't that great. He scored a very good goal but he didn't do much else.

 

I'll admit that RLC is behind Traore and Kenedy right now, but they have had FAR more first team football than RLC. Before they got their chance with us, they were both playing first team football for a different club.

Edited March 5, 201610 yr by Scott Harris

Well that is bollocks, if a player deserves criticism, i will say it, no matter how old they are. I just don't think Loftus-Cheek was bad enough to be getting the criticism he is currenly getting. There were worse players than him today. Willian was terrible, Courtois cost us the 3 points, Matic lost the ball often again, Remy offered nothing when he came on, Fabregas the same ( he did come on really late though ) and Traore himself wasn't that great. He scored a very good goal but he didn't do much else.

I have just literally logged onto Twitter (not the greatest idea sometimes) and typed loftus cheek into search, nearly every single fellow CFC fan agrees with the ones slating.  Says it all, there were others as bad, but i just am not seeing this RLC hype and i think he is lazy and lacks work rate

There were a few times he was jogging when he could have been sprinting but generally speaking his work rate was fine. He was hunting down lose balls and making tackles. 

I have just literally logged onto Twitter (not the greatest idea sometimes) and typed loftus cheek into search, nearly every single fellow CFC fan agrees with the ones slating.  Says it all, there were others as bad, but i just am not seeing this RLC hype and i think he is lazy and lacks work rate

 

The fans that want to see RLC get game time do not hype him up at all. I've not read one post on this whole forum that does.

Didnt Jose give him a dressing down first season back or season after during pre season about the same thing? Work rate? May be wrong.

 

Pogba doesn't exactly get the plaudits for his 'workrate', but he has the talent to influence a game. RLC has the same languid style as Ballack but (like Pogba) Ballack had the ability to impose his presence on a game. I just don't see the same with RLC. I think he'll be a good player, Premier League quality without doubt, but i'm just not convinced he'll make it at the highest level.

 

I think a loan to a Premier League team next season would be ideal.

Pogba doesn't exactly get the plaudits for his 'workrate', but he has the talent to influence a game. RLC has the same languid style as Ballack but (like Pogba) Ballack had the ability to impose his presence on a game. I just don't see the same with RLC. I think he'll be a good player, Premier League quality without doubt, but i'm just not convinced he'll make it at the highest level.

 

I think a loan to a Premier League team next season would be ideal.

 

It certainly seems to have worked for Ake - very impressed with him in the first half against Leicester. I would have Ake back next season and maybe Watford could take RLC for a season long loan?

Edited March 5, 201610 yr by Nibs

He doesn't deserve criticism, he knows that he plays in a top world club and having training every day with top class players. He young player that aiming to reach that level, he can watch other players and learn from them. Today he wasn't lazy, he was trying to win tackles and tracked back, I know there are some players in the world on his position that run after every ball and their work rate is better but let's not forget that he's 20 years old only. Last season he only tasted what PL is, this season he continues to work and find himself ready to play for a club like Chelsea.

 

Today he wasn't that bad in my opinion, he came to ask for a ball, he was ready to run the ball forward and won balls in the central. He is still non-experienced player, but that ball he won against Whelan was good. He tried to affect on the game, calling him poor for this game is unfair. 

 

Just wait and see, one game can't tell us what he really worth.

A loan would be best for him to learn to impose himself a bit more in games, however this has been a critisism levelled at him throughout his youth career.

I don't even think it's the lack of work rate, it's more the lack of intensity he has in his game.

Ake should definitely be in the squad next season, he is now prem proven at left back, and I'm sure he would be a good defensive midfield options as well.

He's defintely got Ballack's languid style. I think he needs a manager that really believes in him and is willing to place his faith in him. For all of Jose's talk, he didn't trust him.

Didn't think he was any better or worse than any other player out there. He looked a little off the pace of the game though and that might have something to do with him barely playing. 

 

He's played 37 minutes of Premier League football in 2016 (it's March now!).

 

He's played 102 minutes (just over one whole match!) all season.

 

Today was the first time in about 3 weeks that he's played, and that last appearance was TEN minutes against a well-beaten Newcastle.

 

So I'm not surprised he looks a little off the pace. If we're talking about effort, I thought he got about okay but he's always had a laidback style about him but not every player has to be a Ramires. He's always seen the game better than those around him. His reading of the game is exceptional which means he gets himself into good positions.

 

But if we expect a guy who has barely played to be at Premier League-standards with barely more than one game's worth of minutes under his belt this season, then maybe we should just give up with the whole youth thing. Young guys need support and patience and that's our job as supporters.

Watching him today I'd say he was League 1 standard at best.

 

He makes no effort to close the opposition down &  gives up when chasing the ball.

 

At one point today he was about 10m in front of our 'D', Stoke were pressing and he just shuffled about looking like little boy lost leaving Fab' & Azpi' to deal with the problem.

 

For all those who say he's young, new, inexperienced etc let's not forget that he is now pulling down £3m pa for this pathetic display.  For that I'd expect him to be pulling his tripe out whilst wearing a blue shirt not sauntering around like he's participating in some kiddie knockabout match.

 

Dross, never going to make it here.  Move him on - which was probably why he got the ludicrous over-inflated new contract.

For all those who say he's young, new, inexperienced etc let's not forget that he is now pulling down £3m pa for this pathetic display. 

 

 

His wages don't make him older and experienced though. He's played 102 minutes of league football still and that is a ridiculously small sample size to base any judgment on.

He wasn't the worse player today, he is young and lacks PL experience. All valid points but, when he rarely plays and he is that young, I'd expect him to run and give 200% every chance he's got, and I didn't see that. He was just OK. He may grow to be a good player, but needs more attitude and intensity. A bit like Traore, IMO. Don't get me wrong, he was good, but not enough in my opinion for someone that wants to show he's got what it takes to make it at Chelsea. I think of the youngsters tha Pelegrini played in the FA fixture and some of them showed more intensity than RLC today.

Hmm rlc seems to be the new Mikel. Our fans seem to love or hate him.

I think people often forget his age though. Not just that but he's hardly had mich game time at all and that's something that cannot be replicated on the training ground. I do think he needs to increase his work rate and defensive work.

Pogba and toure may be less urgent also, but they make up the lack of work rate with a goals; loftus-cheek rarely scores goals for a no.10 so its hard to see what he offers the team at the moment. When/if conte comes in maybe he can tutor him in the way he did with pogba. Unfortunately the player themselves has to want to make that change and be self motivated.

Edited March 6, 201610 yr by enigma

He might not have been motm but he showed more than Oscar.