Looked good going forward, still work to do defensively but we're a lot better than we were in our first pre season game so there's improvements.

Hopefully we can bring in some defensive reinforcements in the next week or so.

Bring on the hammers!!!

Defense is still poor and slow. If we don't manage to upgrade it before the window's over, it's going to be a long season. Among the positives: Hazard, Kante, Oscar, Costa. Going forward we looked like we did in the first half of the title winning season which was a nice sight for sore eyes. 

Don't think we can play Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic in the starting line up these days. Just asking for trouble.

We should've had a new defence bedded in over preseason.

This could get ugly unless the Board sorts it out fast.

We can't risk a whole month of this nonsense.

Edited August 7, 20169 yr by Socrates

Well we've had near 3 months to sort the defense, and we have again messed about trying to buy Koulibaly when it is obvious De Laurentis is going to sell him. I don't understand our fascination with getting a CB from Serie A (a slower league), Umtiti moved for around £20m & Rodriguez had a clause in his contract for most of the summer.

Don't think we can play Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic in the starting line up these days. Just asking for trouble.

We should've had a new defence bedded in over preseason.

This could get ugly unless the Board sorts it out fast.

We can't risk a whole month of this nonsense.

 

Everyone can see that so hopefully Conte has a plan.

 

Not sure how far off Zouma is from returning but I guess he will be eased back into the team and at only 21, he will still make mistakes, so on that basis I think we have to pay whatever is being asked for Bonucci.

 

As good as we looked going forward, if we rely on Ivan, JT & Cahill for too long at the start of the season, we will be out of contention by October. We HAVE to act.

looks like we're going to go with hector-cahill against the infamous andy caroll

 

or you move Branna to the middle & bring in Aina on the left & Dave on the right - that will work

Bonucci will not move. He has declined wads of cash and Man City. No way we can sway his mind.

Bonucci will not move. He has declined wads of cash and Man City. No way we can sway his mind.

It's hard to judge from pre-season as its more about fitness and tactics.

 

but here is a comparison to last 

 

 

2015-2016 pre-season

 

results 90mins

 

Played 5

Won 0

Draw 2

lost 3

scored 5

conceded 9

 

2016-2017

played 7

won 5 

lost 2

drawn 0

scored 21 

conceded 8

 

 

we seem to be playing better but still i think the defense is suspect. And we can't afford to not buy at least  1 CB in 

It could be that the interfering board don't want to spend more money on the defence, if that's the case, we're in trouble.

Edited August 7, 20169 yr by Floyd25

Werder Bremen vs Chelsea Highlights

 

http://sportyhighlights.com/werder-bremen-vs-chelsea-highlights/

Bonucci will not move. He has declined wads of cash and Man City. No way we can sway his mind.

Conte.

It could be that the interfering board don't want to spend more money on the defence, if that's the case, we're in trouble.

Window closes month end.

Werder Bremen vs Chelsea Highlights

 

http://sportyhighlights.com/werder-bremen-vs-chelsea-highlights/

 

Our defence is bad, but have a look at how slow Matic is to close down on WBs first goal. 

The starting lineup in this game could very well be conte's idea of his strongest line up...     If that's true then he's just as clueless as the previous 2 in going for established names instead of real quality..

 

With that kind of defence, we won't be able to take the game on to the opposition.. Hopefully at some point I have the chance to see a line up that I think personally is our strongest xi because last season we always had 2 or 3 passengers in every game!!!

 

------------------ Thibaut -----------------

 

-Aina -- Cahalobah -- Zouma -- Azpi 

 

------------------ Kante -------------------

 

--- Willian ---- Cesc ----- Hazard ---

 

---------------- Batsuayi -----------------

------------------Costa -------------------

You call Conte clueless then claim our strongest 11 would see 2 young rookies playing alongside each other in defence?

Decent going forward, could have been 10. We seriously have to shoot more instead of cutting back!

 

Defence shaky but I think its a positive that we didnt sit in, we tried to press earlier. Conte highlighted this after the game saying he wants us to play with high intensity and win the ball back quickly. Doing this perfectly will take time, so im alot more positive after today than a few of the other Pre Season games.

 

Clear that we need reinforcements, particularly at the back. Disappointment for me was Batman when he came on. Doesnt look the most natural finisher. Had 4/5 1v1s now and not found the net once.

You call Conte clueless then claim our strongest 11 would see 2 young rookies playing alongside each other in defence?

 There you go again.. I know you have that urge but please try to understand the context..  PLaying Ivanovic-Cahill-JT together at the same time is clueless all day long to me because cahill is indecisive as usual and the other 2, unfortunately, have been on their last legs.. I'm sick of the team not going out with full strength, being handicapped by the manager's bizarre team selection.. 

 

With aina-chalobah-zouma, you get power, pace, quality.. sure they're inexperienced but quality should be able to make up for it and with time, it will come.. at least those 3 give me a genuine hope.. Now compared to the other 3, they couldn't stand on their own, they need protection and what's the f**king point of a defender who needs to be defended??

 

If you're still having problem with the clueless part then try to think it this way, what do you call a man who keep persisting with an already tried and failed option? The logical part is to try something new, it can't get worse.. 

Window closes month end.

 

Yeah, that's what we were saying a year ago.

There you go again.. I know you have that urge but please try to understand the context.. PLaying Ivanovic-Cahill-JT together at the same time is clueless all day long to me because cahill is indecisive as usual and the other 2, unfortunately, have been on their last legs.. I'm sick of the team not going out with full strength, being handicapped by the manager's bizarre team selection..

With aina-chalobah-zouma, you get power, pace, quality.. sure they're inexperienced but quality should be able to make up for it and with time, it will come.. at least those 3 give me a genuine hope.. Now compared to the other 3, they couldn't stand on their own, they need protection and what's the f**king point of a defender who needs to be defended??

If you're still having problem with the clueless part then try to think it this way, what do you call a man who keep persisting with an already tried and failed option? The logical part is to try something new, it can't get worse..

Why has none of our managers chosen them over these three then?

Maybe Bola should be renamed to Bollax

There you go again.. I know you have that urge but please try to understand the context..  PLaying Ivanovic-Cahill-JT together at the same time is clueless all day long to me because cahill is indecisive as usual and the other 2, unfortunately, have been on their last legs.. I'm sick of the team not going out with full strength, being handicapped by the manager's bizarre team selection.. 

 

With aina-chalobah-zouma, you get power, pace, quality.. sure they're inexperienced but quality should be able to make up for it and with time, it will come.. at least those 3 give me a genuine hope.. Now compared to the other 3, they couldn't stand on their own, they need protection and what's the f**king point of a defender who needs to be defended??

 

If you're still having problem with the clueless part then try to think it this way, what do you call a man who keep persisting with an already tried and failed option? The logical part is to try something new, it can't get worse..

He hasn't even played a single league game yet and your having this rant. You wanting him to play 3 novices would be a disaster, premier league attacks would tear them apart.

Even throwing Aina in the deep end is a bit risky. Let someone like Payet rip them apart and they will never be the same... Maybe if we get a good start to the season and after some wins you throw in Aina, Chalobah. Zouma is ready as long as his fitness is regained.

You call Conte clueless then claim our strongest 11 would see 2 young rookies playing alongside each other in defence?

at this moment i feel like some people are just complaining just to complain. some of the criticism made towards individual players as well as the collective doesn't make much sense to me.

 

yes, we are in need of at least one centre back, and i'm sure the club is looking after it. but given how hector and djib... turned out last year, maybe it's not such a bad idea that the club is taking their time trying to find the right one? and our full back situation isn't the best, and i'm 100% sure the club and conte are looking into it.

 

yet, with all these problems, we still kept a clean sheet a few weeks ago against liverpool, a team that utterly destroyed barcelona yesterday. sure, they weren't at their best, but we lacked a lot of players as well. i think that conte is too good of a coach to not have a plan. against the dippers it was clear to see that he went with a conservative approach. this game i felt that conte wanted to see how our attack could gel together. the first 15-20 minutes i thought we were excellent with our pressing and our link up play.

 

conte got to try his (i think) preferred midfield of oscar - kante - matic, but he also saw how a more offensive minded midfield could do (fab in for matic). i though we were more open in the second half than in the first, particularly on our left side, and i'm sure conte has read something of it as well. anyways, i would believe the man who played with edgar davids and zidane in their primes and managed a vidal-pirlo-pogba midfield to find the right solution.

 

we aren't the finished product, but we aren't that far off i think. i don't think it's all doom and gloom.

 There you go again.. I know you have that urge but please try to understand the context..  PLaying Ivanovic-Cahill-JT together at the same time is clueless all day long to me because cahill is indecisive as usual and the other 2, unfortunately, have been on their last legs.. I'm sick of the team not going out with full strength, being handicapped by the manager's bizarre team selection.. 

 

With aina-chalobah-zouma, you get power, pace, quality.. sure they're inexperienced but quality should be able to make up for it and with time, it will come.. at least those 3 give me a genuine hope.. Now compared to the other 3, they couldn't stand on their own, they need protection and what's the f**king point of a defender who needs to be defended??

 

If you're still having problem with the clueless part then try to think it this way, what do you call a man who keep persisting with an already tried and failed option? The logical part is to try something new, it can't get worse.. 

Well said.

Also I wont be bothered by that user. He just HAS to negate everything.