The goal that we scored against Huddersfield away with the one touch passing - you could see how much the players enjoyed that goal. If we can reproduce that the boys will enjoy the season. 

I'd love to reclaim the Europa League - no reason to think we can't combine that with finishing top four.

Think top 4 is more than possible with the current squad, Europa would be nice too. Mostly looking forward to there being a buzz back at Stamford Bridge, was a miserable place at times in the last few months of last season. That and CHO taking the league by storm! 

Entertain us, That is all.

....and keep Haz.

Expectation: Like Sarri said in his first interview, exciting football that excites us all and makes us all proud of the team. Top four league finish. If a cup trophy comes along the way, it is an added bonus. 

Hopes: Hazard stays and continues to shines. We get a replacement for Morata and Higuain is NOT that guy.

Fear: Losing Hazard; missing out on the top-four. 

 

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, yorkleyblue said:

Hope?  As with every season, that we get enough points to avoid relegation.  Anything more than that is a bonus.

Expectation?  My only expectation is that the players give 100% on the pitch and try not to be too much of a tit off it.

Fear?  That the fan-base will display its customary lack of patience and start the dogs' abuse of manager/board member/scapegoat player of the week when we aren't 20  points clear at the top of the table after three matches, and we will also get the logical dichotomy of people in here demanding that we play the "youf" and then abusing the likes of Christensen when he makes  a  mistake.  (Actually, this is what I expect, as  well!)

 

I knew you'd write that 

Hope: Challenge for the title, whilst playing scintillating football, Hazard signs a new contract, Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi get into the first team. Win the Europa League and FA Cup.

Expectation: Challenge for 4th place. Slow start with some defeats and pressure on Sarri. Gradually performances improve. Courtois goes. Hazard stays but doesn't sign a new contract.

Fears: Hazard goes, Courtois goes, Willian goes, Bakayoko stays. Poor goalkeeper signed, who's good with his feet but crap at being a goalkeeper. Awful start with pressure heaped on Sarri. Players struggle to adapt to his methods. Finish outside the european places.

Expectations - challenge for top 4 and a run at the Europa League

Hopes - quadruple

Fears - West Ham finish above us

23 minutes ago, Zeta said:

 

Fears:Nightmares: Hazard goes, Courtois goes, Willian goes, Bakayoko stays. Poor goalkeeper signed, who's good with his feet but crap at being a goalkeeper. Awful start with pressure heaped on Sarri. Players struggle to adapt to his methods. Finish outside the european places.

 

Expectations:- Top 4

Hopes:- Exciting football and Hazard wins the Ballon d'Or as a Chelsea player.

Fears:- Liverpool win the league and Hazard wins the Ballon d'Or as a RM player.

On 13/07/2018 at 21:12, Scott Harris said:

I expect to finish in the top 4. I think with the squad of players we have, this shouldn't be as hard as we made it out to be last season.

I hope we can get top 4 and win the Europa League. Like i said above, we have the squad of players and i don't see why we can't achieve both.

My fears are Sarri being another AVB or Scolari. After chasing him for so long this summer, it would be very frustrating if he can't get us into that top 4 and competing again. I also fear losing one of Kante or Hazard, we need them both if we want to compete with the best again.

People keep mentioning that Sarri is like AVB 

Surely he is more like Conte. Except rather than 5 at the back, its "Sarri Ball". 

He has a system he likes, he is an established manager with high credit across the Continent, he clearly has a strong personality. Main difference in how they act is less of a reliance on buying the best players and spending big in the transfer window. 

I would hope for top 4, but at a minimum I just want to see the team going in the right direction. I have a feeling we will be lying 6th or 7th at the beginning of October before things start to click.

Expectation: finish between 6 and 8 in the league, put all our eggs in the Europa league basket and hope the best and almost best cl teams don't fall in to it. English cups could go either way depending on how serious we take them. Hazard is not allowed to leave, tibo and Willian are.

 

Hope: spurs be spursy and United make a hash of it, so we can push on for top 4. Win the Europa league and we take the two domestic cups seriously. Hazard signs, tibo signs, Willian, pedro and baka all sold. RLC, mount and CHO all given opportunities as part of the first team squad.

 

Fears: we don't adapt to sarri's methods so we neither attack nor defend as a cohesive team. We sink like a stone and board pulls the trigger fast. Or  that my expectation is right and that is not enough for the board.

 

Higuain looked dreadful im the World Cup. Would be another Sheva signing. I wlll be amazed if Bakayoko turns it around. His basic lack of technical ability and speed of thought just do not look up to it. I cannot see how he can possibly fit into paying Sarriball. We desperately need fullbacks who's main strength is defending. 

I don't go for this being a make or break season. Every season is a new one that stands on its own. If we don't get top four, then so what. We go again next season. No club has any right to demand top four in this era of one quality team and  a chasing pack of 5.

Really excited by the appointment of a manager who wants to win but to try and entertain as much as possible while trying to win. Every single club,  manager, set of players and fans wants to win, so why not try and do that in the most enjoyable way possible.

Whatever happens it's Chelsea, so it won't be dull and predictable that's for sure!

 

Expectations:  Has to be top 4 ...nothing else will do...... unless I see a number of youth players coming through and a season of Sarri bedding them in will be good enough for me regardless of where we finish......save and except relegation of course.

Hopes:  That we have a clear out of bad buys and dead wood

Fears:  that either Utd, Spurs, Arsenal or Liverpool finish as Champions 

 

As many have said. Top 4 is the minimum expectation. 

My fear is that his system will struggle in the same way AVBs did, teams will sit deep wait for us to become more and more open and then evicerate us on the counter against our weaker defence (with the exception of Dave)

Hope is that Sarri demonstrates that he can be pragmatic and adaptable when required and that his system cuts through. 

Additional hope is that Christensen continues to progress and that RLC and Ampadu get some opportunities too. 

Expectations - For every Chelsea player to give 100% on the pitch. To approach every game with the aspiration to get 3 points. For any disputes between Manager/Board to be settled in-house.

Hopes - A comfortable Top 4 finish. To still be in a race for the title in April. For several of the young players to get significant minutes in the Europa League. To get better in the transfer window instead of just younger. 

Fear - Higuain replaces Morata. Kante goes. Chelsea turns down 60M for Willian. 

I expect a lot of fun games with a lot of goals, I hope we beat Spurs both home and away and I fear that Klopp/Mourinho will do everything on and off the pitch to beat Sarri.

I want to win the Europa League. 

We will struggle a lot in the league and I think Sarri might be gone before the end of Season. Players will give a final big push with Zola as head manager and that hopefully sees us making top 4 or winning Europa. 

 

Expectations:

- to put up a serious challenge for a top 4 spot.

- to be more competitive when we play Man City.

 

Hopes:

- to keep Hazard and Kante as they are absolutely vital to us and would be very difficult to replace.

- to get a good replacement for Courtios if he was to leave.

- Our defence is fine IMO, so I hope we can quickly switch our attention to sorting out our attacking options, as I think this is the end of the pitch that will make or break our season.

- to win the Europa League and guarantee a Champions League place this way if the league route does prove to be beyond us.

 

Fears:

- Selling Hazard or Kante after the transfer window shuts, as other transfer windows around Europe will still be open until the end of August - that would be the worst possible thing we could do.

- Liverpool winning the Premier League - we would never hear the end of it, the media would absolutely love it and there would be probably be a campaign to have Klopp knighted.

Edited July 21, 20187 yr by 2211

Hopes:

1. Challenge for the title 

2. The players to give 100%

3. Win either a domestic cup or the Europa League (preferably the latter to guarantee a place in the Champions League

Expectations:

1. Finish around 3rd to 6th

2. A run to the semis of the cup competitions 

Fears:

1. Sarri doesn't work out and gets sacked, with the knock on effect being players such as Kante and Hazard leave

2. Finishing below Spurs and Liverpool again 

Bookies have us at 14/1 to win behind ManC and Liverpool and ManU. 

‘We must score more goals to win this season, more from the strikers and more from central midfield. More goals from wide on the right and more from central defender=nders at set pieces. 

I expect Bakyoko and  perhaps Barkley to feature more this season. One or both of Morata/Willian either has to do a lot better or be replaced. If we stay with Morata it’s a real gamble, not one I’m comfortable with. 

Its hard to say ManC won’t win but recent history is against a team winning twice in a row. 

We are not far off being a contender. 

I just want a exciting season, I will not get as frustrated as I would of in previous season due to how I know we will play and fact we will have some downs which am perfectly fine with. Let's get a good base this season and build on it for next season

3 hours ago, ozboy said:

Bookies have us at 14/1 to win behind ManC and Liverpool and ManU. 

‘We must score more goals to win this season, more from the strikers and more from central midfield. More goals from wide on the right and more from central defender=nders at set pieces. 

I expect Bakyoko and  perhaps Barkley to feature more this season. One or both of Morata/Willian either has to do a lot better or be replaced. If we stay with Morata it’s a real gamble, not one I’m comfortable with. 

Its hard to say ManC won’t win but recent history is against a team winning twice in a row. 

We are not far off being a contender. 

City without doubt are favourites but united are a shambles with the bitter one in charge, and Liverpool just don't know how to win anything. We'll be about up the top. City aren't stupid they know the Chelsea winning machine will be up and running again this season. Pepe has had to many run ins with us over the years to write us off.

Expectations:

1. Top 4
2. Reaching at least the semis of UEL
3. Reaching at least the semis of the FA cup

Hopes:

1.  Challenging the title
2.  Winning either the FA cup or UEL
3. Hazard scoring 20 goals in the league

Fears:

1. Failing to qualify for next year's UCL
2. Sarri sacked
3. Losing twice to Liverpool or Spurs

 

I think those sound fair

Top 4 will be a challenge - Dippers & City are going to repeat last seasons antics, cant see Spuds or Man U faltering, Gooners have done a better pre season than CFC - new coach in early, a few new players added to the squad. CFC - appoint Sarri a week into pre season then a week later fly to Australia, best players not back from WC until after the CS game, so I'd say top 6 is my expectation 

Hope Hazard stays and Sarri makes a full season

Fears it all goes pear shaped by Xmas