Letting Michy go was a pretty stupid decision. We have literally two strikers and one is pretending to be a striker at the moment. If we don't find a sufficient replacement in January, I don't see us making any kind of challenge for the title. Maybe Morata will prove us wrong and come into some great form after the international break. Crazier things have happened ha. 

5 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I hope not. It may work better in Sarri's system compared to Conte's, but I don't want Hazard playing through the middle, he just isn't very good at it and we become 10x weaker on the left wing.

Maybe stick Willian in the middle?  Leave Hazard on the wing.

7 hours ago, mwblue10 said:

Maybe stick Willian in the middle?  Leave Hazard on the wing.

Nah, Willian hasn't got the finishing. 

15 hours ago, enigma said:

Letting Michy go was a pretty stupid decision. We have literally two strikers and one is pretending to be a striker at the moment. If we don't find a sufficient replacement in January, I don't see us making any kind of challenge for the title. Maybe Morata will prove us wrong and come into some great form after the international break. Crazier things have happened ha. 

Michy can't even get into the Valencia team at the moment, he's not the answer to our problems.

I have been defending him for a while but he did seem rather lethargic on Saturday but I wouldn't totally write him off yet.  Apart from the Arsenal game which he scored, the 3 other teams we have played have packed the defence and minimized and space for him and other attackers, as can be seen by the first half performances in those games; we had all the possession but couldn't do anything in the final 3rd, so I wouldn't necessarily put it all down to Morata that he hasn't done better, as chances created were few and far between until the breakthrough happened.  Clearly the open type of game suits him better where he has space and perhaps reversing the current trend of starting Morata and then bringing on Giroud could be something Sarri considers. Bring on Morata with 20 mins left when the opposition is tired and more space can be created.

5 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Nah, Willian hasn't got the finishing. 

Pedro, then.  The point is to leave Hazard on the left wing.

If Giroud is not starting, then a false 9 setup literally cannot be any worse than what we’ve seen with Morata up top so far.  Everyone shows such despair about a false 9 setup, and we have Conte to thank for that, but in our new system I don’t think it would be such a bad idea.

Edited September 3, 20187 yr by mwblue10

The difficulty with the whole false 9 position is that it suits a player who can drop deep, turn and play through balls while scoring himself.

Pedro is a capable scorer in the right system but he isn't overly inclined to drop deep to collect the ball from what I've seen and he isn't particularly creative. Willian can drop deep to collect the ball, but he has never been particularly prolific and is at best moderately creative. 

Hazard is in theory capable in that position but in practice is far better utilised cutting in on the left and running at defenders. 

New poster here but long time lurker

I think Giroud has shown enough over the last 3 games to merit a stater's place moving forward. Especially against teams that play a low block and try to park the bus, Giroud's pressing, hold up play and even link-up play with Hazard is just so much better than Morata's.  I would much rather have Giroud on the pitch and hopefully get on the front foot with a goal. Morata can come on when teams are chasing games and are forced to come out of their shell. The only thing he seems capable of doing decently these days is to make runs in behind. 

I think the main problem with Morata is the Intensity with which he presses. Going back to the Arsenal game, I remember distinctly thinking that he presses at a "saunter". Giroud, Pedro and others, when they go in to press, they immediately close down the space with intensity, forcing the opposition to quickly have to make a decision. They may not win the ball outright, but if they force the defender into a mistake, this creates an opportunity for our second or third "wave" of pressing to win the ball back high up the pitch. 

With Morata, his initial press is not done with enough intensity or urgency. He presses at almost a half-sprint, which gives the defender much more time to make the correct decision on how to pass out of the press.  The frustrating thing is, this should be the easiest thing to do. This is about 90% commitment and maybe 10% tactical awareness on when to begin the press (the triggers that Sarri talks about). I'm not looking for him to dive into every tackle,  I'm just looking for him to close the space with intent. Make the defender feel that we're "on top of them in a flash". 

This leads me to believe that he is one of those people, who believe they are working at their hardest, but are actually not working anywhere near hard enough. He likes to talk about how committed he is, and I think he might genuinely believe (or at least has convinced himself) that he is giving 100% on the pitch. However, his performance speaks for itself. He has very little impact on the game. 

I think at this stage, he needs to be dropped. Giroud has out worked him, and out performed him. Morata needs to show that he can impact a game in 20-30 minute stints, before he can be trusted for starting duties again. 

With the congested fixture list coming up, I do hope Sarri has a plan B for the striker situation. If Morata doesn't wake up, I think even RLC or Barkley in a False 9 Role would be better than what Morata is contributing now? Or move Hazard into the middle with CHO on the wing for Europa games? 

 

Morata on a potential return to Real Madrid:

“Who would not like it? I am happy at Chelsea but I have many years ahead in my career. 

I’m in Chelsea, not in a team that are very inferior. It is clear that Madrid are the best in the world and everyone wants to be there”.

I think he should be sending out a stronger message of wanting to succeed at Chelsea rather than fluttering his eye lashes at his ex.

Apparently a move to AC Milan fell through due to their change in ownership over the summer and it makes you wonder if he’s permanently got one eye on the exit door.

Dunno, just doesn’t give off a vibe of being particularly committed Chelsea.

31 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Morata on a potential return to Real Madrid:

“Who would not like it? I am happy at Chelsea but I have many years ahead in my career. 

I’m in Chelsea, not in a team that are very inferior. It is clear that Madrid are the best in the world and everyone wants to be there”.

I think he should be sending out a stronger message of wanting to succeed at Chelsea rather than fluttering his eye lashes at his ex.

Apparently a move to AC Milan fell through due to their change in ownership over the summer and it makes you wonder if he’s permanently got one eye on the exit door.

Dunno, just doesn’t give off a vibe of being particularly committed Chelsea.

That last game he had just summed him up for me to be honest, although people take words out of context I wasn't particularly fussed with his last interview he had about wanting to leave London last season. 

The hope I have of him making it here decreases every week I watch him. That performance against Bournemouth was absolutely pathetic, if he's not getting chances and missing them then he's off sulking and falling over whenever he has contact. I'm really sick to death of him going to ground all the time, is anybody telling him to stay on his feet? It baffles me why he keeps doing this, he should know it's not like La Liga. 

2 hours ago, Slojo said:

That last game he had just summed him up for me to be honest, although people take words out of context I wasn't particularly fussed with his last interview he had about wanting to leave London last season. 

The hope I have of him making it here decreases every week I watch him. That performance against Bournemouth was absolutely pathetic, if he's not getting chances and missing them then he's off sulking and falling over whenever he has contact. I'm really sick to death of him going to ground all the time, is anybody telling him to stay on his feet? It baffles me why he keeps doing this, he should know it's not like La Liga. 

A fair assessment, he really does need to get his act together, and talking about elsewhere isn't going to endear him to us that's for sure !! 

Giroud should be starting now.

13 hours ago, Zeta said:

Giroud should be starting now.

Problem is Giroud doesn’t score. We can’t keep relying on Pedro/Alonso to come up with the goods. Combine it with a midfield that lacks goals, and the 9 situation is a mess.

4 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Problem is Giroud doesn’t score. We can’t keep relying on Pedro/Alonso to come up with the goods. Combine it with a midfield that lacks goals, and the 9 situation is a mess.

Well neither does Morata much, and Giroud, I feel, is a better fit for this team.

15 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Problem is Giroud doesn’t score. We can’t keep relying on Pedro/Alonso to come up with the goods. Combine it with a midfield that lacks goals, and the 9 situation is a mess.

Only thing Morata would score more then Giroud is time on the floor. 

21 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Problem is Giroud doesn’t score. We can’t keep relying on Pedro/Alonso to come up with the goods. Combine it with a midfield that lacks goals, and the 9 situation is a mess.

Bit early to say we lack goals from midfield. We're only 4 games in, and 2 of our 10 have come from midfield already. Maybe wait for the 10 game mark before we start drawing conclusions. I reckon both Kovacic and Barkley have goals in them.

23 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Problem is Giroud doesn’t score. 

Morata's scoring record since the turn of the year is about as bad any strikers in the league I would imagine. 

We don't have a prolific striker at the club at the moment, that is the reality, but Giroud brings a lot more when he is on the pitch. 

Giroud is never going to be the long term answer, he just isn't that good, but when he is on the pitch he bullies defenders, imposes himself on the game, creates chances for others, and we look a whole lot more dangerous in front of goal as a result. 

I'm sure Giroud will work in some games, but he dosen't fit the way Sarri wants to play. We need fast attackers that close down defenders high up the pitch, thats our best defence, if the oposition manages to get past our high press then we are in trouble. Morata has the pace to do this, but his overall game is so poor at the moment, that for me a false 9 is the best solution. I would sacrifice Morata, if he dosen't improve in the near future and give Odoi his spot on the bench.

The biggest problem with Giroud is that he has always been a sort of a niche player. He does some things at a world class level, but in the grand scheme of things doesn’t cut it for me, nor did it for Arsenal. He has always excelled as an impact player, both for Arsenal and for us. 

I don’t buy that he had a good World Cup either; the fact that he didn’t score (or manage a single shot on goal) wasn’t due to his role in that French team, it was mainly because he isn’t quick enough to get his shot away. He filled a role they needed, but we need more from our centre forward (not that Morata is cutting it at the moment either).

Last saturday, Bournemouth tried to go at us for the first 10 minutes. After we almost managed to get that final ball over their defensive line, they stopped pressing all together. That is some part due to the fact that Morata has the pace to go beyond players. With Giroud, the opposition is basically only concerned about the knock downs our French man can provide - and are free to keep their defensive line high up the pitch. 

As I’ve mentioned, Morata as of now isn’t the answer either (as a matter of fact I probably think he’s best suited to an impact role himself, like he was at Real Madrid), but I don’t think we could ever go on to achieve what we’ve come to expect of Chelsea with Giroud as our main striker.

this would be a perfect time to start Tammy...I mean, If he is not allowed to play instead of Morata/Giroud, then he is not to play in the future for us anyway. But of course, they loan him to villa, this poor guy

Scary thinking Morata was the best available striker on the market at the time.

I’m still glad we’ve signed him ahead of the likes of that striker in Serie A and Lukaku.

1 hour ago, dansubrosa said:

I’m still glad we’ve signed him ahead of the likes of that striker in Serie A and Lukaku.

Hate to call him a one hit wonder, but I think you're right on Belotti.

 

47 minutes ago, Skinnedy said:

Hate to call him a one hit wonder, but I think you're right on Belotti.

 

Scored 3 in 4 this season, don't really see how you can conclude it as a one season wonder. Maybe if he had two or three shocking seasons after his great run of form but he's only had a year ffs.

Need Morata to focus on the here and now and not talk about future returns to Spain or Italy. Focus on Chelsea and getting that scoring record up where it should be. If he does that then the rest will take care of itself. If you get dropped and don't score goals; you can return to Italy or Spain but it won't be Real or Juventus, it will be Girona or Empoli,

Chelsea need him focusing and fighting every single day, getting stronger, physically and mentally. His mentality is what gets in his way the most. I really hope he has turned his scoring record around by Christmas. The last we want to be doing in January is looking for a striker to lead the line.

I do believe next summer's transfer window is going to be spent searching for potential attackers, especially on the right side. I imagine that Chelsea don't want to have to find a guy to lead the line then either if they can help it. I thought before that they would be looking at left backs, but from what Sarri has said about Alonso, I wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't happen.

On 06/09/2018 at 12:44, Zeta said:

Well neither does Morata much, and Giroud, I feel, is a better fit for this team.

I agree. It's a worry though that we are at the point where we need bring in a striker that is basically just a more flashy Emile Heskey.