Regardless of who the manager is, or what system he wants to play, how many players do we have on the books that are actually good enough to turn us into title contenders? 

I don't think this is a quick fix, if we bring in a more defensive manager, the squad still falls short.

kepa- Great prospect, suited to a possession team, but he may struggle if we sit deep and allow crosses corners to come in regularly. 

Azpilicueta - Isnt suited to play in a possession team, he could still be a key player for a couple of years in a more defensive setup, where he has more protection, and doesn't have to support the attack as much.

Zappacosta - not good enough.

David Luiz - Great passer, but he is inconsistent, which is the worse trait for a centre back. I don't think he is good enough.

Rudiger - He is pretty versatile, and I think he could do well in any system. He still makes a few errors, but his pace usually gets him out of trouble.

Christiensen - He lacks aggression, he has struggled with confidence since those mistakes 12 months ago, however he is still a top prospect, and I think he can go on to be a great player for us. Probably suits a possession based team more. 

Ampadu - Looks great, but needs games.

Alonso - decent wing back, but he isn't good enough as a left back. Too slow, too many errors.

Emerson - hard to judge since he's barely played.

jorginho - I think he will come good with the right players around him, however he isnt a versatile player, I don't think he has the legs to play anywhere else, and I don't think he has the defensive acumen to play in a counter attacking team.

Kante - 1st name on the team sheet, he will be one of our best players in any position or in any system.

Kovacic - I think he could be a good player in any system, he doesn't suit his role in the team right now though, and since we don't own him, I'm not sure he is worth spending big money to keep around.

Barkley - Not good enough for a top 6 side. 

RLC - Very promising player player, I think he has potential to be a big player for us, but he needs to start showing it regularly. 

Pedro - not good enough anymore.

Willian - not good enough anymore.

Hazard - World class on the ball, but he can be a liability when he plays wide, as he doesn't press, and he doesn't track back. If the rest of the team was up to scratch though, we would be able to carry him defensively.

CHO - Lots of potential, needs games though.

Giroud - not good enough.

Higuain - hasn't been here long enough to judge. 

Then we have James, Mount, and Abraham that could possibly make it here, but it's hard to judge when they have had a chance yet.

So out of our squad there is only 9 players (bolded) that are potentially good enough to compete for the title in my opinion. Azpiliucueta could also step up in a different setup.

We need an overhaul if we are want to compete, and we need to bring in quality players. We have reduced the overall quality of the squad far too much, despite spending £400m in the last 4 windows. A director of football is a must.

If the club don't want to spend what it would take, then we either need to lower our expectations or bring in a manager that can and will bring through youth players. 

 

no its not

Doesn't need as big of an overhaul as many think. 3 or 4 new players and we could have a very strong team.

NO

Definitely not. I reckon given that our first eleven isn't good enough and our bench really isn't good enough that we're probably 6, 7 or 8 players away from being a threat to the title again. So irrespective of the manager and the tactics, we're a mix of stale players that were once good enough and players that never were or will be good enough to keep us at the level to which we have become accustomed.

However, there is more chance of Hell freezing over than for Chelsea Football Club to find and sanction the spending necessary to overhaul this squad quickly enough to prevent a slide into perennial 5th/6th territory. And even if we did get the chequebook out and gave two fingers to FFP, would you trust anyone involved at the club now to spend it wisely? Dilibloji, Bakayoko, Hector, Drinkwater, Morata, Barkley, Zappacosta, Giroud, Emerson, etc etc. I wouldn't trust our board to do my weekly food shop.

I think everybody feel the same. Want to see the core of the team gone, and start afresh.

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Doesn't need as big of an overhaul as many think. 3 or 4 new players and we could have a very st?rong team.

100%. This season, despite all the issues, we have literally been 1 good goal scorer away (a Costa away) from putting in a credible challenge.

 

1 hour ago, big blue said:

Kante - 1st name on the team sheet, he will be one of our best players in any position or in any system.

 

 I agree with everything but this. Kante has been a 6/10 player where he is now. And would be the same in Jorginho's role. But his consistency is a great asset while he's adapting and we're trying finding out how good he can be in his new role.

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Doesn't need as big of an overhaul as many think. 3 or 4 new players and we could have a very strong team.

I don't think you're wrong, but I'd add a caveat to the original question... this team is no where near good enough, to play how Sarri wants to play.

Watching this Front 3 high press is a bad joke. It has been all season, none of the front three who have started are physically capable and aren't particularly mentally tough enough to press high. 

Kante - He's improving, and he'd be a lot of fun to watch on the high press, if he wasn't the only one of the front 6 capable of doing it.

Barkley - He has a role in this team, but against the top squads that press us, he's a liability. He's a hammer, not a scalpel. Sometimes the game calls for a hammer when teams are sitting back, but when they bring the fight to us, he's not good enough.

Kovacic - Solid defensively, a liability offensively. Is he a good enough player? Yes. Is he good enough considering the shortcomings around him? Probably not. I want to see RLC stay fit and make this spot his own.

Jorginho - What good is a distributor if the people he is distributing to aren't creative? I think he's a good player, but the lack of movement in the front 6 makes it hard to tell. Kante and Pedro are about the only two players willing to make a forward run. And we're not strong enough centrally for him to be a liability on defense

which brings me to... 

Alonso/Luiz - This is one side of our defense. Neither player is there because of his defending. Think about that for a second, a triangle of Jorginho, Luiz, and Alonso. Luiz has been covered by the fact that we hold the ball more and his forward passing is one of our best creative outlets... but he's never been a rock in the center of a back 4... never...

Rudiger, Alzpi, Kepa - Yes, they're good enough, but Dave still offers little going forward compared to fullbacks on other Top 6 teams. 

We have wingers on the squad who can't score in a brothel that are praised for their defensive work. We've got defenders Who are praised for getting forward who can't defend, and we've got the best destroyer in the world in an advanced position off to one side... opposite the side of the two defenders who can't defend.

well... that last line speaks to tactics and how it's NEVER going to work, and that's on Sarri... 

I've said it a dozen times... this squad is in for a major overhaul this summer. Some of it has started already. There's rumors of Luiz already signing an extension, but he could be off as well. 

I don't think the board can back an aging core of enigmatic players again. Hazard is really the only one who is under 30 of that group, but that doesn't mean Sarri is going to be in charge when the rebuild hits full force. 

It's going to be an interesting summer. That's about the only thing I'm sure of right now.

 

You seem to have started off by listing half the team and saying they're good enough but the players around them aren't good enough for them to play well.

And I keep saying this, whether someone thinks we need an overhaul of just two or three players or you think we need 6 or 7, it isn't going to happen. We simply don't operate like that any more. We'll probably get £50 million if we're lucky for Hazard, our one true game changer (with the caveat that the rest of team has to be quite good for him to have a cat in hell's chance) and we'll probably spend 45 million on an Everton midfielder and take Inter Milan's substitute left back on a seasons loan. Oh and of course we've got Pulisic coming - unless we send him out on loan straight away because Pedro and Willian sign one year extensions. Imagine Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic on the wings for Bayern Munich next season.

Just give Napoli 500m for the whole team.

We don't have the best team in the EPL, but this team is good enough under the UNDER THE RIGHT MANAGER to make top 4 every season. But to challenge for the title, it needs about 3 or 4 world class players and a manager that trust the youths.

Would keep:

Kante, Hazard, Kepa, Higuain, Christensen, Hudson Odoi and Ruben.

Unsure on:

Jorginho, Rudiger, Emerson.

Do not suit the system:

Azpilicueta, Giroud.

Not good enough and need to leave:

Alonso, Willian, Pedro, Kovacic, Barkley, Luiz, Zappacosta, Cahill, Drinkwater.

 

Obviously, we're not going to sell that many players but that's my opinion. Pep was spot on when he said we needed 10 new players a few years ago.

Edited February 11, 20197 yr by JMaher94

It pains me to say it, but I think Hazard has stopped caring. I think Alonso has too. Barkley just isn't good enough right now, and I don't know whether he will ever be. Willian is inconsistent, as is Pedro. Azpilicueta and Rudiger are both passionate and care, but unfortunately I think both look average, Azpi even more so. We need a overhaul, but it will cost a lot of money. Money I don't know if the board/owner will be ready to use. 

I read somewhere that 1 or 2 of our loanees do have recall clauses that could be enforced. If Jay Da Silva and Reece James fall into that category I would consider bringing them  back and integrating them into the team as full backs.

1 minute ago, forbzy said:

I read somewhere that 1 or 2 of our loanees do have recall clauses that could be enforced. If Jay Da Silva and Reece James fall into that category I would consider bringing them  back and integrating them into the team as full backs.

Its a pipe dream for this club to add in youth players. Ive lost hope in that fact. We are almost never going to change

Just now, ENygma said:

Its a pipe dream for this club to add in youth players. Ive lost hope in that fact. We are almost never going to change

It is either that, major investment, or a gradual return to mid-table (or worse).

1 minute ago, forbzy said:

It is either that, major investment, or a gradual return to mid-table (or worse).

I can't see how adding youth players does anything other than expedite your third option. If we'd played four or five youth players yesterday the score would have been the same or worse. You can only play the young players if they are good and ready. Yes, we do have a problem with giving them the opportunities to become good and ready, but now chucking half a dozen into the squad/team because things aren't going well is bonkers in my opinion.

45 minutes ago, JMaher94 said:

Obviously, we're not going to sell that many players but that's my opinion. Pep was spot on when he said we needed 10 new players a few years ago.

It may be more than you think...

Obviously the best we can hope for is drastic improvement... barring that, I think these are possible.

Alonso - best case would be a loan where we eat some of his wages. He'll never sign another contract, so he won't be sold.

Willian - Old and expensive. 1 year left on his contract. If you believe any of the rumors, there's 30 to 40M in the summer that can be had.

Pedro - See Willian, only his agents aren't as good at drumming up interest. Likely to see out his contract, but only one year left.

Kovacic - Loanee to go back

Luiz - Could leave on a free this summer

Zappacosta - Likely to be sold this summer for 10-15M

Cahill - Will leave on a free this summer, 7M in wages gone.

Giroud - Will leave on a free this summer, 7M in wages gone.

Drinkwater - See Alonso. Could at least get him partially off the wage bill, but a sale with his contract is going to be tough

Hazard and Hudson-Odoi are likely to leave this summer, which means Willian and/or Pedro could stay, but there's 120-140M right there.

Cesc has already been sold, and there's about 10M in wages alone. AC Milan is going to pick up Bakayoko's 35M option. We need Morata and Batshuayi to find form, and there's close to 80-90M

I won't be shocked if Emerson is moved along. There seems to be some interest in him back from Serie A.

This is a team in massive transition. And yes, there could be over 250M in player sales alone to put back into the squad. Spend that on 4 60M players and integrate youth, and next year could be really exciting from a growth and improvement standpoint.

That's what's so mind-numbingly frustrating with what's going on now. Half the 1st XI has no future with this club, so why is Sarri so hell-bent on trying to "improve" them. Improve them for what? Retirement?

2019

Kepa
Azpi Rudiger Christensen Purchase
Kante Jorginho Ruben
Pulisic Higuain Purchase

Reserves include Reese James, Tammy Abraham, Ampadu, Barkley, Pedro, and there's room for 2 or 3 more big time purchases with the revenue from Player Sales. Pepe? Fekir? Isco? Ascensio? 

 

7 minutes ago, Snedger said:

If we'd played four or five youth players yesterday the score would have been the same or worse.

obviously no one expected us to get beat 6-0, so I'll try and refrain from the "how could it have been worse" talk... 

but..

CHO in for Pedro
Christensen in for Luiz
RLC in for Barkley

That's 3 youth players, and I think the team would have been stronger for it.

Is it any wonder why the left side of the defense is attacked if you have Barkley and Alonso on the outside with Luiz and Jorginho in the middle?

forget Kante centrally, what's wrong with flipping him to the other side to provide a bit more defensive cover to the guys known for not being able to defend?

 

Obviously we'll never know what might have happened but I'm not so sure those three changes you suggest would have helped a great deal. Christensen hasn't filled me with any confidence for quite a while and seems as defensively brain fart prone as Luiz. Unlike Luiz he doesn't look like he has a killer ball, free-kick or goal in him.

RLC looks similar to me. I don't rate Barkley at all, and I do hope that Cheek will be better than him (he's got to be!) but from what I've seen so far, the lad needs to get his head together. He needs to get a grip of games more. He looks like a lot of the game passes him by (and it did at times yesterday when he was brought on). I'd play him ahead of Barkley hoping he'll lift his game and become what we hope he can be, but right now I don't see him keeping City at bay.

CHO for Pedro, definitely worth a gamble.

The team is not good enough. We need another CM, RB, LB, Move Azpi next to Rudiger, possibly a New Striker (Doubt Higuain would be happy if Sarri leaves ), a new Winger if Hazard or CHO leave. 

 

Thats an investement around 150-250 million depending on the quality of players we would be buying. Depending on ins, outs and money we would get from sales. 

Ability wise our squad is in the top 4 in the league. Mentally we're probably in the bottom 3. Where are the leaders? Who turns things around on the pitch? Who holds the rest of the team accountable? I dont see it.

Talent wise, its one of best squads a team could hope for.......but mentally its one of the worst. I have never seen a group crumble as often as our lot have.

TH chelsea team has not been good enough  for some time now  So the question should be is the structure of Chelsea good enough ? 

NO Director of football  NO football players on the board. NO young players getting game time   and we allow are youth team coach who had won everything put infront of him and would of been ideal to become Chelsea's   No2 as he knew all the strengths and weaknesses of our all concurring youth teams only we had to appoint Zola because we needed  an interpreter for Sari  is it any wounder we are a spent force   its a bloody shambles 

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