Switch to 4-2-3-1 and get some more focus on the attacking third.

Back four of

Dave - Rudiger - Christensen - Emerson

Bring in Christensen and Emerson to introduce a bit more pace in the defence, make us less vulnerable to counter attacks. Luiz’s passing is great but that diagonal ball out to the right wing has almost become as predictable as a Barkley/Kovacic substitution. 

Midfield two of

Kante - Kovacic 

Kante’s best position and role. One of the best players in the world so we should play to his strengths. Kovacic because I think he’d be a good partner for Kante. Jorginho is too soft in the tackle for a midfield two in my opinion.

Attacking midfield three of:

Pedro - Hazard - CHO

Hazard in a free role in the middle, he goes walk about a quite often anyway so just give him the freedom to find space wherever he can without leaving our left side exposed. CHO on the left. Look to the future of the team, convince him we value him. His pace and directness will scare most defences. Pedro over Willian as his directness and goal scoring record trumps Willian.

Forward

Higuain

Don’t think we should keep him beyond the end of the season but he’s the best we’ve got. With a bit more support behind him we might create some better chances for him.

No more passing it around at the back, the defenders should be getting the ball towards the halfway line as quickly as possible. I want my front four having the most touches not my two centre backs and the holding midfielder.

Get the fullbacks forward as much as possible, hugging the touch line and forcing the opposition defences to split wider rather than camping on the edge of the 18 yard box.

 

I would revert to Conte's 5-3-2 based on the players available in the squad. We don't seem to have the mobile fullbacks for 4 at the back. Also Azpi looks much more comfortable as part of a central 3. So with that in mind:

Kepa

Emerson (although Alonso may refind form in the old system)

3 out of Christensen/Ampadu/Luiz/Azpi

Rudi (can play RB)

mid 3 of Kante/RLC/Willian

Hazard

Higuain

I think that would tighten us up defensively as that seems to be the biggest issue right now. Wouldn't be exciting but Higuain should score more than Morata so hopefully qe could grind out a fair few results.

7 hours ago, forbzy said:

I would revert to Conte's 5-3-2 based on the players available in the squad. We don't seem to have the mobile fullbacks for 4 at the back. Also Azpi looks much more comfortable as part of a central 3. So with that in mind:

Kepa

Emerson (although Alonso may refind form in the old system)

3 out of Christensen/Ampadu/Luiz/Azpi

Rudi (can play RB)

mid 3 of Kante/RLC/Willian

Hazard

Higuain

I think that would tighten us up defensively as that seems to be the biggest issue right now. Wouldn't be exciting but Higuain should score more than Morata so hopefully qe could grind out a fair few results.

But we’d have to sub on Kovacic/Barkley and then replace them with the other moments later with that line up. You’re not thinking straight!

Impossible to really say how to fix the team at any given moment.

Part of the challenge is we don't know what the team should look like year to year. Hence wasting huge sums on players who don't fit the style of the next manager.

For mine as many have suggested it starts with some principles for how we want to play. This should be based on what works in England. For mine the best football player in the last decade has been by teams who are disciplined and tight in defence but brutal on the counter. Consider Jose v1 or Ferguson's teams of the end of that decade. But that is merely my view.If we take the passing football as our model then we would use a different approach and need different players. 

We need a technical director to implement that model and then recruit to fill what we haven't got coming through our pipeline.

For mine the key immediate challenges are at fullback, centre back, box to box midfield and right wing. 

Fullback: Reece James should feature in the squad next season so I'm comfortable to sell Zappacosta without replacement. On the left we need a proper fast defender who has decent instincts and can cross. I'd love to say Jay DaSilva but I'll always be worried about his height.

Centreback: I'm confident in Rudiger and Andreas using Ampadu as a fourth options but we need a strong solid centre half to join (left footed is ideal) to move Luiz on.

Box to Box Midfield: There aren't any obvious youth prospects. We seem to have developed players who play as 10s or 6s noone in between. This is an area we need to purchase in (again a left footer would be ideal)

Right Wing: Pulisic in my mind was a bad investment. With Hazard, Willian and Pedro likely moving on in the next 18 months we have space for one more player on the right side (CHO has the left). Noone stands out from the academy for this role so this may need to be a buy.

On 19/02/2019 at 14:12, RIP Mourinho said:

Guessing you haven't watched much Derby this season???

Classic case of whoever is not in the current team is better than those who are.

7 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

Impossible to really say how to fix the team at any given moment.

Part of the challenge is we don't know what the team should look like year to year. Hence wasting huge sums on players who don't fit the style of the next manager.

For mine as many have suggested it starts with some principles for how we want to play. This should be based on what works in England. For mine the best football player in the last decade has been by teams who are disciplined and tight in defence but brutal on the counter. Consider Jose v1 or Ferguson's teams of the end of that decade. But that is merely my view.If we take the passing football as our model then we would use a different approach and need different players. 

We need a technical director to implement that model and then recruit to fill what we haven't got coming through our pipeline.

For mine the key immediate challenges are at fullback, centre back, box to box midfield and right wing. 

Fullback: Reece James should feature in the squad next season so I'm comfortable to sell Zappacosta without replacement. On the left we need a proper fast defender who has decent instincts and can cross. I'd love to say Jay DaSilva but I'll always be worried about his height.

Centreback: I'm confident in Rudiger and Andreas using Ampadu as a fourth options but we need a strong solid centre half to join (left footed is ideal) to move Luiz on.

Box to Box Midfield: There aren't any obvious youth prospects. We seem to have developed players who play as 10s or 6s noone in between. This is an area we need to purchase in (again a left footer would be ideal)

Right Wing: Pulisic in my mind was a bad investment. With Hazard, Willian and Pedro likely moving on in the next 18 months we have space for one more player on the right side (CHO has the left). Noone stands out from the academy for this role so this may need to be a buy.

Agree with most of the things you have listed. A technical director is imperative. 

I would add;

Left Back: Wouldn’t mind moving on one/both in the long term, in the interim sell one in the summer and buy one of Firpo, Ferland Mendy or Telles.

Centreback: I feel Christensen has enormous potential, he just needs games. Wouldn’t be against buying back Ake or allowing Zouma to compete as the 3rd CB. However if we are going to buy, buy at the top of the market instead of buying dross. So on of Koulibaly, Skrinar, Tah or Upamecano. 

Midfield: This is where we might disagree; we lack creativity in the middle of the park. Always felt Sarri wrongly went about fixing the forward position and insisting on a backup for Jorginho, ignoring the glaring lack of creativity in the side. Barkley will never be good enough, Everton was perfect for his limited talents. 

We need to spend big on this area; a Bruno Fernandes, Fekir, Aouar, Kai Harvetz instantly upgrades our midfield.

Wingers: Agree with your assessment of Pulisic; not a fan, loaning him back to sit on their bench was brainless & we overpaid. We have bought him so onus is on us to get the best out of him. Lack of clarity on the futures of Hazard & CHO will screw up our plans IMO, and a lack of a technical director is not helping.  I have a sneaky feeling both will leave in the summer without ample time to get replacements.

Pepe is the obvious one in the market but Bayern & Barça are rumoured to be in for him with the former already placing a bid; maybe as an alternative to CHO. Other player I can think of is Anderson who has be brilliant for West Ham. They will be demanding over £60m for him though.

Forward: I would clear the deck with all our forward options; sell Morata & Batshuayi taking hits where necessary, release Giroud & let Higuain go back to Juve or Milan.  We missed the boat on Piatek & Jovic night now be out of reach for us. Big fan of Joao Felix but the £100m clause might be too much. The other forward who has impressed me is Joelinton. Tammy would be my 2nd Forward.

 

 

Edited February 20, 20197 yr by ducavis

On 19/02/2019 at 12:22, RIP Mourinho said:

Not bad but been a passenger for a lot of the season. Certainly needs another year on loan.

Derby fans on the Derbyfansuk think he's very important to them and when he's out they miss him enormously.

42 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Agree with most of the things you have listed. A technical director is imperative. 

Can't see us getting one until the situation with Roman is stabilized.

The first and most important step after Sarri's sacking (which rightly or wrongly is inevitable) is to keep the process of building the possession/attacking based style of play. For all that's gone wrong i do believe Sarri has left something to build on in that regard.

2 minutes ago, Argo said:

Derby fans on the Derbyfansuk think he's very important to them and when he's out they miss him enormously.

About 85% of my close friends are Derby season tickets holders and want Wilson taking that CM spot instead of him because he drifts in and out of the team most of the time. 

45 minutes ago, ducavis said:

I would add;

Left Back: Wouldn’t mind moving on one/both in the long term, in the interim sell one in the summer and buy one of Firpo, Ferland Mendy or Telles.

Centreback: I feel Christensen has enormous potential, he just needs games. Wouldn’t be against buying back Ake or allowing Zouma to compete as the 3rd CB. However if we are going to buy, buy at the top of the market instead of buying dross. So on of Koulibaly, Skrinar, Tah or Upamecano. 

Midfield: This is where we might disagree; we lack creativity in the middle of the park. Always felt Sarri wrongly went about fixing the forward position and insisting on a backup for Jorginho, ignoring the glaring lack of creativity in the side. Barkley will never be good enough, Everton was perfect for his limited talents. 

We need to spend big on this area; a Bruno Fernandes, Fekir, Aouar, Kai Harvetz instantly upgrades our midfield.

Wingers: Agree with your assessment of Pulisic; not a fan, loaning him back to sit on their bench was brainless & we overpaid. We have bought him so onus is on us to get the best out of him. Lack of clarity on the futures of Hazard & CHO will screw up our plans IMO, and a lack of a technical director is not helping.  I have a sneaky feeling both will leave in the summer without ample time to get replacements.

Pepe is the obvious one in the market but Bayern & Barça are rumoured to be in for him with the former already placing a bid; maybe as an alternative to CHO. Other player I can think of is Anderson who has be brilliant for West Ham. They will be demanding over £60m for him though.

Forward: I would clear the deck with all our forward options; sell Morata & Batshuayi taking hits where necessary, release Giroud & let Higuain go back to Juve or Milan.  We missed the boat on Piatek & Jovic night now be out of reach for us. Big fan of Joao Felix but the £100m clause might be too much. The other forward who has impressed me is Joelinton. Tammy would be my 2nd Forward.

Agree with bits in bold text. 

For me we ought to strengthen our core of players, who should provide us a platform for the next 10 years and build a team that, as fans, we can really get behind.

Keeper - I’m not completely convinced by Kepa but the fact we paid £70m means there’s no viable alternative. 

Full back - I think both Chilwell and Wan Bissaka have enormous potential, and would give us more dynamism which we really miss from our current selection. Keep Dave but let the others go, they offer little in a back 4. Alternatively we stick with Azpi and bring Reece James back as cover. A top quality left back at both ends of the pitch then becomes essential with Azpi’s limited pace and also skill in the final third of the pitch. 

Centre back - No major overhaul needed here IMO. Allow David Luiz to move on and work on a starting partnership of Rudiger and Christensen with Azpi and Zouma to provide the cover as well as Ampadu as a rotating CB/CM option

Centre mid - Keep Kante, RLC, Barkley, Ampadu. Allow Kovacic’s loan to expire and sell Jorginho and replace him with someone more suited to the way we all want to see Chelsea play, ie more aggressive. Along with the full back area I think someone to play alongside Kante who is strong, aggressive, can pass and can put a foot in would be ideal. Perhaps look to blood in a youth midfielder to provide cover or maybe one of the loan brigade to return ie Pasalic? 

Wingers - It seems inevitable that Hazard will leave. Allow Pedro to follow him out of the door, keep hold of Willian and, for me, the most important deal of the summer, keep hold of CHO. Rotate Willian CHO and Pulisic - again, can one of the loan brigade come back as additional cover, or maybe deploy RLC as cover for the wing?

Striker - Unconvinced by Higuain so far, he seems a classy striker but not sure if his lack of pace might hinder him in the PL. Higuain or a capable replacement, ideally a young striker with a rising stock, rather than one in the twilight of his career for once. Abraham seems like he would be capable of being 2nd/3rd cover, would be happy to keep Giroud alongside but not sure how keen he’d be to benchwarm for another season. 

4-3-3 with 2 holding midfielders and a “free role” behind the striker for RLC, please! 

How to fix a team that's misfiring massively?  Hmmmmmmm...... just a hunch, but maybe try to change something in/about that team....any change....just a minor tweak even......just maybe that'll help fix it or help find the solution.

 

or, just keep on doing everything exactly the same and hope the change itself miraculously occurs...... that's apparently a good way of changing things at Cobham right now.

21 minutes ago, sabin6912 said:

For me we ought to strengthen our core of players, who should provide us a platform for the next 10 years and build a team that, as fans, we can really get behind.

Keeper - I’m not completely convinced by Kepa but the fact we paid £70m means there’s no viable alternative. 

Full back - I think both Chilwell and Wan Bissaka have enormous potential, and would give us more dynamism which we really miss from our current selection. Keep Dave but let the others go, they offer little in a back 4. Alternatively we stick with Azpi and bring Reece James back as cover. A top quality left back at both ends of the pitch then becomes essential with Azpi’s limited pace and also skill in the final third of the pitch. 

Centre back - No major overhaul needed here IMO. Allow David Luiz to move on and work on a starting partnership of Rudiger and Christensen with Azpi and Zouma to provide the cover as well as Ampadu as a rotating CB/CM option

Centre mid - Keep Kante, RLC, Barkley, Ampadu. Allow Kovacic’s loan to expire and sell Jorginho and replace him with someone more suited to the way we all want to see Chelsea play, ie more aggressive. Along with the full back area I think someone to play alongside Kante who is strong, aggressive, can pass and can put a foot in would be ideal. Perhaps look to blood in a youth midfielder to provide cover or maybe one of the loan brigade to return ie Pasalic? 

Wingers - It seems inevitable that Hazard will leave. Allow Pedro to follow him out of the door, keep hold of Willian and, for me, the most important deal of the summer, keep hold of CHO. Rotate Willian CHO and Pulisic - again, can one of the loan brigade come back as additional cover, or maybe deploy RLC as cover for the wing?

Striker - Unconvinced by Higuain so far, he seems a classy striker but not sure if his lack of pace might hinder him in the PL. Higuain or a capable replacement, ideally a young striker with a rising stock, rather than one in the twilight of his career for once. Abraham seems like he would be capable of being 2nd/3rd cover, would be happy to keep Giroud alongside but not sure how keen he’d be to benchwarm for another season. 

4-3-3 with 2 holding midfielders and a “free role” behind the striker for RLC, please! 

Lots to agree about above.

Chilwell looks good though with Sarri potentially going not sure if its worth buying anyone before the new boss arrives.

Kovacic I think we should see if we can play holding role in M/F he just might be a jewel there.

Agree with what you say about wingers.

RLC is always going to be injury prone so we will always needs a back up, he is worth keeping for me as he is skiful perhaps like Ramsay for Arsenal just good when he is fit.

Strikers keep Higuaín... let's see how the season develops, Tammy the same.

Zouma perhaps time to sell as we already have a number of CBs.

Bats and Morata, for me - we should look to sell.

 

@ducavis Those are all fair points. Although I am cautious to suggest who we should buy before we know who the manager will be and how we want to play.

I would say be cautious on Pepe. Very one footed and the team is built around him, I'm not sure how he would go at a higher level in a team where you don't get much space.

Most important for me, more than anything else is bring in a director of football. I dont really trust anyone in our club at the moment when it comes to buying players, we have been so bad in the last 3-4 years.

Keep playing attacking football, don't go back to bringing in a defensive manager.

Use youth more, play Odoi, Ampadu, Aina, Reece James, give Tammy a chance with us next season, play Loftus Cheek more.

Try and get rid of Alonso, Zappacosta, Pedro, Giroud, Drinkwater, Cahill, Willian (not agains't him staying but would be more of a backup next season) but could go depending on fee we get for him. Get rid of loan players, Bakayako, Moses, Batshauyi, Kennedy, Baba Rahman etc.

Try and bring in a left back, Telles be my first choice, a striker, Icardi/Jovic if we can. Bring in a creative midfielder someone like a Coutinho, Fekir. Centre backs i think we can do for now, with Christensen and Ampadu being used more. We need another wide player too, Pepe from Lille looks most obvious, but i wouldn't be agasint Zaha although i know many will disagree with me.

Edited February 21, 20197 yr by jack_super_class

Cut the fat and don’t purchase players that we’ll never see on the pitch!

Yesterday I noticed some slick sequences of play that may be Sarri ball.

The ball is played to the regista and goes to the wide back who then ignores the obvious pass to the m/f yet goes long to the wide attacker who makes himself available and then passes to oncoming wide back and gets us down the pitch.

Only saw it a few times yet looked good.

Later we had brief glimpses of Ampadu, RLC and CHO combining down the right.