I'm smelling some major signings in January.

I'm smelling some major signings in January.

 

Who wants to come to a mid-table team..? 

I'm smelling some major signings in January.

No one worthy is available in January. Essentially, it's too late to make any meaningful changes to the squad until next summer. If the club wants to recover from its current malaise, it needs to splash out mega bucks for several quality players and clear out the deadwood en masse.

En masse? Tweak rather than cull perhaps.

En masse? Tweak rather than cull perhaps.

Like the tweaking done this summer? If the club wants to stand still or go backwards, then tweaking is what they need.

Shouldn't throw the talent out with the bath water. Something's wrong and to be fixed with care perhaps.

Shouldn't throw the talent out with the bath water. Something's wrong and to be fixed with care perhaps.

There's a fair number of players that needs to be moved on because they aren't as talented as some might believe. Also those where age is catching up fast needs to be phased out as well.

Sheesh, pitch euthanasia.

So what tweaks need to be done next summer?

No one worthy is available in January. Essentially, it's too late to make any meaningful changes to the squad until next summer. If the club wants to recover from its current malaise, it needs to splash out mega bucks for several quality players and clear out the deadwood en masse.

Matic was signed in January and he had huge impact on the team. Good players can be signed in January.

For me the only player that's 'done' is Ivanovic, players like Hazard, Fabregas and Costa are just out of form but they need to be dropped Fabregas and Costa especially.

No team with Chelsea's record after five games of a PL season (W1 D1 L3) has ever finished higher than third.

No team with Chelsea's record after five games of a PL season (W1 D1 L3) has ever finished higher than third.

 

From here, third would be a great achievement. But that would involve us getting our act together and Jose finding a winning formula. Which seems a long way off.

 

Even when we were playing poorly for the second half of last season, we were grinding out results.

 

Now we're playing poorly and getting soundly beaten. How long before Jose tires of losing and decides we're going to park the bus for the rest of the season?

 

Just think we have gone backwards this last transfer window. Failed to upgrade in key areas, failed to have a contingency plan when our main targets were out of reach and now we're paying the price. Any old mid-table side is capable of beating us. Never mind Man City.

Mathematically yes of course, but as much as what we did last summer won us the league, what we failed to do this summer will cost us it...poor spending and pre-season

So what tweaks need to be done next summer?

Put together a defensive unit that can play the high line, a backup midfield playmaker to Fabregas and a more physically robust striker with better hold up play.

No, we cannot win the league and if we don't turn this around asap we will struggle to finish in the top 4.  Lose next Saturday and the season's basically gone.

I always subscribe to the well worn cliche that a week is a long time in football but winning the league already looks well beyond us and I wouldn't put money on us right now to finish top 4. Too many teams currently look better than us - even Palace & Everton and everyone must actually look forward to playing us at the moment and fancy their chances.

 

Right now I would take top 4 and a good cup run and establishing one or two of the youth players, but even that doesn't look too plausible with most of them on loan.

 

A good start would be decent performance in CL and then beating the Gooners.

 

COME ON THE CHELS!!!

Edited September 14, 201510 yr by Nibs

[quote name="Nibs"

Right now I would take top 4 and a good cup run and establishing one or two of the youth players, but even that doesn't look too plausible with most of them on loan.

 

A good start would be decent performance in CL and then beating the Gooners.

 

COME ON THE CHELS!!!

Indeed, come on Chelsea! Come on you Blues!

Put together a defensive unit that can play the high line, a backup midfield playmaker to Fabregas and a more physically robust striker with better hold up play.

In short, major surgery and not small tweaks.

With 11 points behind after 5 games - this is more of a salvage season that anything else.

I don't think even the most optimistic Chelsea fan thinks we will win the league this year. City will absolutely stroll this league.

Zabaleta, Otamendi and Clichy aren't in the first 11 at the moment and they haven't conceded a goal yet.

No team with Chelsea's record after five games of a PL season (W1 D1 L3) has ever finished higher than third.[/size]

Lucky we have the best manager in world football, and one of the most talented squads in world football.

Of course we can. You're talking about the Europa League right?

With 11 points behind after 5 games - this is more of a salvage season that anything else.

I don't think even the most optimistic Chelsea fan thinks we will win the league this year. City will absolutely stroll this league.

Zabaleta, Otamendi and Clichy aren't in the first 11 at the moment and they haven't conceded a goal yet.

 

Aguero is yet to really get going this season too. They have started well, but things could still get much better for them because they have so many options. The problem with us is that we don't have the same type of options. With our key players being out of form, who can we bring in to get us out of this mess ?............the squad players we have just aren't anywhere near the same level as our first 11.

 

Just look at the size of City's squad compared to ours. Apart from the wings and upfront, their squad looks like it's in a much healthier position. With the squad they have, they can afford to have a few big players out of form and still compete for the league and easily achieve top 4. If our key players lose form or get injured, we have no chance at winning a league title and even top 4 is a struggle.

 

It's nice having youngsters in the team, but let's be realistic here, they aren't going to be the ones to get us out of this poor form we are currently in. The majority of our most promising youngsters are between Championship level and Premier League mid table level at best, certainly not good enough for a team competing for Premier League and Champions League titles.

 

We have all voiced our fears about what could happen if our key players lost form or picked up injuries, and this is why, we simply don't have the options to get us out of the mess we are in.

 

I'm shocked that we have reduced the size of our squad so much in recent years to be honest, it seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do. If the squad players we had were good enough then it wouldn't be so much of an issue, but they aren't.

Edited September 14, 201510 yr by Scott Harris

Really shocking that we are out of the title race after just five games. Has this ever happened before in premier league history? I remember even during fergies domination, teams were still In with a shout after Christmas.

Anyway let's just finish fourth, win a cup and hopefully at least reach CL semi finals.

Really shocking that we are out of the title race after just five games. Has this ever happened before in premier league history? I remember even during fergies domination, teams were still In with a shout after Christmas.

Anyway let's just finish fourth, win a cup and hopefully at least reach CL semi finals.

2013/14 with Man United?