A lot of talking heads are talking about the Return of Ross 'Da Boss' Barkley to Everton - I know there was a segment on The Sky Sports show 'The Debate', but I couldn't find it. However I found this nugget from Zola about Ross Da Boss

 

I don't think he will start on Sunday.

Yeah I would think he’s likely to be on the bench, since he started yesterday.

Complete midfielder my arse, a flawed player who has to prove week in week out he has what it takes to play for Chelsea. Fabregas came on and didn't look out of place, Barkley needs to do the same.

Edited November 11, 20187 yr by the special one

I want him to do well so badly but for me he just doesn't cut it consistently for us

15 minutes ago, the special one said:

Complete midfielder my arse, a flawed player who has to prove week in week out he has what it takes to play for Chelsea. Fabregas came on and didn't look out of place, Barkley needs to do the same.

Sarri shouldn’t have bought him on.

If he wasn’t going to start him then bringing him on for the final five minutes knowing his every touch was going to jeered every minor mistake ridiculed was just stupid. 

If Sarri wanted to chase the game then he should have thrown Giroud on and gone two up top. 

Why is Barkley always one of the first players that people target when we don't get a result or don't play that well? He didn't even start the game today, he played the last 15 minutes and 5 of those minutes were taken up by Everton's time wasting.

It's been clear from the moment we signed him that some people were never going to give him a fair chance.

7 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

Why is Barkley always one of the first players that people target when we don't get a result or don't play that well? He didn't even start the game today, he played the last 15 minutes and 5 of those minutes were taken up by Everton's time wasting.

It's been clear from the moment we signed him that some people were never going to give him a fair chance.

I'll also point out that Barkley hasn't started in each of the 4 games where we have struggled to create much and failed to get a win. Before people complain about Barkley, maybe they should take a look at the guy he is sharing that position with. In each of the 4 games we have failed to win, Kovacic has started, and in each of those games, we haven't looked anywhere near as threatening.

Kovacic - 10 starts, 4 sub appearances, 0 goals, 1 assist

Barkley - 8 starts, 6 sub appearances, 3 goals, 4 assists

Kovacic may be able to keep things tidy at times, but he's offering us nothing in attack. So if people are going to make complaints about Barkley, then the same complaints should be made about Kovacic.

You have to admit he had a terrible game against Everton, it was really crucial we don’t give the ball away because Everton was timewasting, and Barkley seemed to give the ball away every time he had the ball. 

I was disappointed, I’m not going to call him a sh*t player it’s just a disappointing performance even though he has only played for about 10 minutes.

He seems very hot and cold, will be interesting to see if he can become more consistent.

19 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I'll also point out that Barkley hasn't started in each of the 4 games where we have struggled to create much and failed to get a win. Before people complain about Barkley, maybe they should take a look at the guy he is sharing that position with. In each of the 4 games we have failed to win, Kovacic has started, and in each of those games, we haven't looked anywhere near as threatening.

Kovacic - 10 starts, 4 sub appearances, 0 goals, 1 assist

Barkley - 8 starts, 6 sub appearances, 3 goals, 4 assists

Kovacic may be able to keep things tidy at times, but he's offering us nothing in attack. So if people are going to make complaints about Barkley, then the same complaints should be made about Kovacic.

Kovacic is probably the best all round midfielder we have at the moment, his numbers in terms of goals and assists aren't much to look at, but look at his other stats like successful dribbles, key passes, tackles, and touches and he's a standout player. It pains me to say but I think it's Kante that may need benching, he's a phenomenal defensive midfielder but doesn't offer as much in that right central midfield role

20 hours ago, the special one said:

Complete midfielder my arse, a flawed player who has to prove week in week out he has what it takes to play for Chelsea. Fabregas came on and didn't look out of place, Barkley needs to do the same.

His problem is when pressed, he doesn't know how to keep the ball or get himself out of that situation. Instead he'll lose possession or rush a pass and misplace it, which then puts us in danger of a counter. If I remember rightly, he was much better at Everton. Maybe because he came back from a long term injury, didn't get play time and now is playing in a new system under Sarri. Maybe he needs the patience of fans, but honestly, I think Ruben needs to take his place. 

15 minutes ago, RMCM said:

Kovacic is probably the best all round midfielder we have at the moment, his numbers in terms of goals and assists aren't much to look at, but look at his other stats like successful dribbles, key passes, tackles, and touches and he's a standout player. It pains me to say but I think it's Kante that may need benching, he's a phenomenal defensive midfielder but doesn't offer as much in that right central midfield role

Bang on! Sounds a bit crazy suggesting it but it is the reality. You keep hearing fans suggesting Kante should be moved deeper, but the system won’t work if you have him next to Jorginho. 

Reality is Kante has won the league 2x sitting deep in a counter attacking team, even France won the World Cup playing a counter attacking style with Mbappé as an outlet. I reckon in the short term, Sarri will try to mask his contributions by fixing other issues in the team and leaving him where he is.

12 minutes ago, enigma said:

His problem is when pressed, he doesn't know how to keep the ball or get himself out of that situation. Instead he'll lose possession or rush a pass and misplace it, which then puts us in danger of a counter. 

Difficult to get definitive numbers but Barkley's pass completion percentage for the season in the Premier League is 92%. (Source whoscored.com)

Only Kovacic has a higher pass success rate in the Chelsea team. 

2 hours ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Difficult to get definitive numbers but Barkley's pass completion percentage for the season in the Premier League is 92%. (Source whoscored.com)

Only Kovacic has a higher pass success rate in the Chelsea team. 

IMO that is inaccurate and that's putting it mildly. You have to sometimes ignore stats and go with what your own eyes tell you and I have seen Barkley lose possession more than any other Chelsea player this season. Perhaps that's not passes though, more getting caught dawdling on the ball but I would still argue 92% is a figure plucked out of the air!!

On 11/11/2018 at 17:09, Scott Harris said:

I'll also point out that Barkley hasn't started in each of the 4 games where we have struggled to create much and failed to get a win. Before people complain about Barkley, maybe they should take a look at the guy he is sharing that position with. In each of the 4 games we have failed to win, Kovacic has started, and in each of those games, we haven't looked anywhere near as threatening.

Kovacic - 10 starts, 4 sub appearances, 0 goals, 1 assist

Barkley - 8 starts, 6 sub appearances, 3 goals, 4 assists

Kovacic may be able to keep things tidy at times, but he's offering us nothing in attack. So if people are going to make complaints about Barkley, then the same complaints should be made about Kovacic.

Hmm yes but giving the ball away is also counterproductive, Barkley might be involved more in the final 3rd, but Kovacic allows the final 3rd to occur more with his general style of play. If you look at other statistics you'll see that Kovacic has more forward passes and a better key pass completion, he isn't just passing the ball sideways, it's just that Barkley is ultimately a bigger risk taker, however, in some games that has become costly. 

I for one am happy to have both on the team. I don't need an either/or. I think the two styles bode well when we need to change the style based on the opposition. 

When we were playing Manchester United, my thoughts were that they were bullying Chelsea. I kept thinking, this game is crying out for Ross Barkley. We don't need a scalpel, we need a hammer. 

There are times against high pressing teams where I think Kovacic is the better option. 

That's why I'm glad we have them both and they offer something a little different. 

My criticism of Barkley might be that it seems to take him a bit longer to get up to speed on the game when he's coming off the bench. 

In case you peeps missed this interview

 

Ross was filmed (sozzled apparently) with Dele Alli at 5am on Monday morning at a Mayfair hotel. He's obviously allowed some downtime, but I wonder how Sarri will view this. Could it affect his chances of starting on Saturday?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6412431/England-star-Dele-Alli-filmed-demanding-upgraded-fans-slam-pathetic-bystander.html

 

8 minutes ago, DannyVblue said:

Ross was filmed (sozzled apparently) with Dele Alli at 5am on Monday morning at a Mayfair hotel. He's obviously allowed some downtime, but I wonder how Sarri will view this. Could it affect his chances of starting on Saturday?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6412431/England-star-Dele-Alli-filmed-demanding-upgraded-fans-slam-pathetic-bystander.html

 

You can take the Scouser out of Liverpool....

33 minutes ago, DannyVblue said:

Ross was filmed (sozzled apparently) with Dele Alli at 5am on Monday morning at a Mayfair hotel. He's obviously allowed some downtime, but I wonder how Sarri will view this. Could it affect his chances of starting on Saturday?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6412431/England-star-Dele-Alli-filmed-demanding-upgraded-fans-slam-pathetic-bystander.html

 

Socialising with Dele Alli, that's disgusting. Three match ban, if Sarri has any sense!

16 minutes ago, Valerie said:

Socialising with Dele Alli, that's disgusting. Three match ban, if Sarri has any sense!

Haha, that's what I was thinking. What is Ross playing at!

2 hours ago, DannyVblue said:

Ross was filmed (sozzled apparently) with Dele Alli at 5am on Monday morning at a Mayfair hotel. He's obviously allowed some downtime, but I wonder how Sarri will view this. Could it affect his chances of starting on Saturday?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6412431/England-star-Dele-Alli-filmed-demanding-upgraded-fans-slam-pathetic-bystander.html

 

Alternate headline: Two blokes go back to their hotel after night out

1 hour ago, RMCM said:

Alternate headline: Two spoilt brats blokes go back to their hotel after night out and get snotty with tired hotel staff at the end of a long shift pandering to the rich and feckless..

 

5 hours ago, DannyVblue said:

Ross was filmed (sozzled apparently) with Dele Alli at 5am on Monday morning at a Mayfair hotel. He's obviously allowed some downtime, but I wonder how Sarri will view this. Could it affect his chances of starting on Saturday?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6412431/England-star-Dele-Alli-filmed-demanding-upgraded-fans-slam-pathetic-bystander.html

 

The guy who uploaded the footage on Twitter is an Arsenal fan. 

He's got absolutely rinsed on there after putting the video up with people saying there is no evidence to suggest either of them were drunk or that it was 5am. 

All I see is Dele Alli getting mildly pissy with a hotel receptionist, but he has a c**ty demeanour on the pitch so that’s no surprise. It seems quite busy there for 5am so I doubt it really is 5am, and the idiot who filmed it clearly wants to generate OUTRAGE and get attention for himself so I don’t believe a word he says.