@cocoHe was poor last night but I think he is being made to look worse than he is. We're very open and don't seem to be coordinated in defence at all. Similar stuff was happening this time last season. We then tightened the approach (stopped half pressing and half sitting deep) and he looked one of the best centre halves in England. 

Sooner Frank makes the realisation that Sarri did about now (also triggered by a humilation in a big game) the better he will look.

2 minutes ago, ducavis said:

With what money? There are many holes around the squad and depending on who you ask we need 3-10 new players.

I can’t see it all happening in one window but a good manager should be able to mask his squad’s weaknesses. Before all that we need to appoint a Sporting Director who will define our style of play going forward, and head our recruitment. Currently we have players suited to Conte’s style of play, a few for Sarri’s and the youth players stuck in the middle. 

Spot on ducavis.

Again I have to say the system isn't helping. Rudiger is handy enough but could use some more support and a good leader beside him. He has all the physical attributes but needs an organiser.

So we still need a centre back then 

4 minutes ago, rtwelch said:

So we still need a centre back then 

But more for Christensen than Rudiger

1 minute ago, Spiller86 said:

But more for Christensen than Rudiger

Christensen is the better CB. He might potentially go on to become a top class CB.

He's got the basics down and does well most of the time but is currently prone to mistakes.

Rudiger struggles with the basics. First goal yesterday for example. Terrible defending.
Either he needs to actually follow Lewandowski or he needs to step up to play him offside. He does neither and we are screwed.

I think Rüdiger is an above average centre back. I think he is a decent enough all-rounder.

I also don't think he is anywhere close to good enough to be the leading centre back at a club with [theoretical] ambitions of silverware. He should be the first backup, or at best the partner to a top-level senior centre back (think Lescott with Kompany, Cahill with Terry, Henchoz with Hyypia). 

Unless Zouma or Tomori kick on in a big way (and it's unlikely at the moment with the lack of gametime both are getting), it looks inevitable that we're going to have to recruit in this area if we have any desire to return to anywhere close to the top cadre of European clubs. 

Unpopular opinion but i rate Tomori and Zouma ahead of him, and well above Christensen. Not sure why Lampard is now forcing Rudiger and Christensen when they are obviously the worse pair.

Everyone agrees we need new personnel in defence, what nobody can agree on is which defenders to get rid of. Time for a poll.

Never really been a fan of rudiger. 

Positionally he isnt great, and while he seems vocal, he doesn't really command the back line like a top class centre back would. 

He is decent in the air, although for his size, i think he should be more dominant. 

On the ball he is generally okay, can be a little clumsy, and panicky, but he has a decent diagonal ball when he on form. 

I just think at his age, and with his standing in the squad, he needs to be the centre back that improves the players around him, but in my opinion he just isnt good enough. 

Zouma is in the same bracket, although i would say he shades it ahead of rudiger in most categorys. 

Tomori has the sort of recovery pace that makes him a very interesting option to partner a dominant commanding centre back.

Christiansen has the best positioning and composure, but he is seriously lacking in aggression and mental strength, and he too would be a good partner for a dominant commanding centre back. 

I think we probably do need to replace Rudiger and/or Zouma with Terry/Van Dijk/Vidic type, but in all honesty, there arent many players like around and available, and with us looking like needing a goalkeeper, left back, striker, and winger, i think its a position we might have to wait 18 months to address. 

 

Boy he had a stinker last night, did he do anything right? He was woeful, he did his best to play every f**ker onside. 

He was Very good at Roma, good under Sarri, appears something has changed with him this season

5 minutes ago, Brutos said:

He was Very good at Roma, good under Sarri, appears something has changed with him this season

He mainly played right back at Roma. And he was OK under Sarri...in my opinion. I've never been overly impressed.

8 hours ago, Sindre said:

Simply not good enough. We have looked worse defensively since he came back and yesterday he looked more like a headless chicken then anything else.

If we are serious about this rebuild we need two top-class CBs in the summer. Currently we have none.

 

Whoever we pick, we are crap defensively. I don't think we look any worse since Rudiger was bought in, it's no better or worse than it was at the start of the season. I think we need new CB's, but at the same time, when I see everybody struggling so much, it makes me think maybe it's not just the ability of the defenders that is the problem, but how they are being coached defensively. 

At this moment, I think we would struggle no matter who we played in defense.

One thing I noticed was that, despite playing several games together, Christensen and Rudiger are not on the same wave length. The amount of times Christensen went forward and Rudiger deep to play Bayern onside was poor.

Sometimes, well a lot of the time I feel Rudiger has a brain the size of a pea with some of his decision making. 

He's a headless chicken at the moment. Probably the worst of our 4 centrebacks. I'm not writing him off at all, but he needs to massively improve! 

4 hours ago, DannyVblue said:

He's a headless chicken at the moment. Probably the worst of our 4 centrebacks. I'm not writing him off at all, but he needs to massively improve! 

He has been horrendous hasn't he, he's shocked the life out of me. I would play any CB at the moment over him. 

He's just not good enough. I suggested that we should give him another season in the CB thread but I think it is best if we cash on him in the summer and keep Andreas instead. 

I want to see Zouma - Tomori back together like at the start of the season.

3 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

I want to see Zouma - Tomori back together like at the start of the season.

Me too, for me Zooms gets unfair stick as he doesnt look "Rolls Roycey" he often looks ungainly even when in full control, and that highlights when he does make errors as it doubles up the error with looking like he is always about to fall over.

Zouma is still not Chelsea material for me but I still think he's currently better than Rudiger at the moment, and even maybe Christensen at that. The state of our defence ffs... 

23 minutes ago, Slojo said:

Zouma is still not Chelsea material for me but I still think he's currently better than Rudiger at the moment, and even maybe Christensen at that. The state of our defence ffs... 

We need a world class CB ideally to play next to Tomori next season, like Liverpool have done with VVD next to Gomez and like when we had Desailly next to Terry back in the day. 

Needs to go. Shocking "defender".

That performance is up there with Luiz Vs Man City a few weeks back.

Honestly I would be glad to see the back of him.