None of the top six have improved their team enough at this stage which is great news for us considering our transfer ban. Losing Hazard is obviously a shame so our quality level has come down slightly but...

Spurs have a lack of fullbacks and only added Ndombele who is a very good player but they need much more depth.

City have added Rodri but have sold Kompany and could lose Sané which would be terrible for them.

Liverpool haven't signed anyone.

Arsenal have had a decent window by their standards signing Pepe and then Ceballos on loan but they haven't improved their shocking defence plus they've lost Ramsey.

United have signed James and Wan Bissaka, they desperately need another attacker and a centre back, possibly two.

Edited August 2, 20196 yr by JMaher94

20 minutes ago, JMaher94 said:

None of the top six have improved their team enough at this stage which is great news for us considering our transfer ban. Losing Hazard is obviously a shame so our quality level has come down slightly but...

Spurs have a lack of fullbacks and only added Ndombele who is a very good player but they need much more depth.

City have added Rodri but have sold Kompany and could lose Sané which would be terrible for them.

Liverpool haven't signed anyone.

Arsenal have had a decent window by their standards signing Pepe and then Ceballos on loan but they haven't improved their shocking defence plus they've lost Ramsey.

United have signed James and Wan Bissaka, they desperately need another attacker and a centre back, possibly two.

United don't need a new cb, they signed Phil Jones up until 2023 

I know it's only pre season but the goals seem to be flowing this time round with 16 goals in 6 games compared to 3 goals in 5 games last time round, although we are much worse off at the back than last pre season (9 goals in 6 games vs 4 goals in 5 games). Seems to be a bigger spread of goals now without Hazard with Tammy, Michy, Giroud, Mount, Barkley, Kenedy, Emerson, Mount, Pulisic and Pedro all on the scoresheet.

It may be defense not goals we worry about this season.

I reckon 6th, although I would be more confident of a higher finish if we were able to start the season with a few more of our key players fully fit. Kante is only just back, and may take a few more weeks to reach full fitness. CHO is probably still at least a month away, and RLC is realistically not back until 2020. I am excited to see some of the youth products involved though. I am sure there will be a mixed bag in terms of results, especially early on, but hopefully we will show some progress over the season.

I still think 4th, but that's us playing to the best of our ability with this squad.  It'll be tough, but it's certainly achievable.

On 02/08/2019 at 09:32, Scott Harris said:

United don't need a new cb, they signed Phil Jones up until 2023 

They just signed McGuire for 80 million, he isn’t nearly the player VVD is and I remember people were moaning when we could have got him for 40 million from Southampton 

It really depends on our defence now. I do think we have goals in us, but as it stands we are going to concede a few as well. Once Kante, Rudiger and James are fit, we could be a different beast entirely. So for the moment I'm going with anywhere between 3rd and 6th. 

With the way Man City and Liverpool are looking at the moment, I can't see anyone shifting them two from the top two spots.

Well its all looking good so far, the new seasons started & we havn't lost a game.. 

Poll update.

162 votes.

43% think top 4

57% think outside top 4

82% think outside top 3

I'm pretty sure that most people voted before we lost David Luiz. Just not having enough depth if someone gets injured can be costly in the long run. As soon as the transfer ban is over Frankie needs to upgrade the defense.

An optimistic 7th, which in the state of things just now, would be a successful season.

In fact anything with a single digit might be a good hope.

We won’t compete with at least the top 4 I highly doubt.

I have a lot of faith in this club, but I can see this season to be a right struggle, at least in terms of what we’ve got used to.

Over the last 15 or so years, we’ve all come to expect things, it’s time to relax a bit with that now or there is going to be a lot of disappointment.

Who knows though, it’ll clear out some of the glory hunters!

/end past-3am negative post

30 minutes ago, Mod Stark said:

An optimistic 7th, which in the state of things just now, would be a successful season.

In fact anything with a single digit might be a good hope.

We won’t compete with at least the top 4 I highly doubt.

I have a lot of faith in this club, but I can see this season to be a right struggle, at least in terms of what we’ve got used to.

Over the last 15 or so years, we’ve all come to expect things, it’s time to relax a bit with that now or there is going to be a lot of disappointment.

Who knows though, it’ll clear out some of the glory hunters!

/end past-3am negative post

We will absolute minimum finish top six. 

Out of curiosity what on earth has made you think the squads potentially 10th or lower material?

Can't believe people think there's actually a chance we may finish below the likes Wolves, Everton and Leicester. Even with our mid season struggle last year Wolves were 15 points behind us, Everton 18 and Leicester 20. Talk about people being over dramatic and lowering their expectations for our club. 

3 hours ago, Argo said:

Can't believe people think there's actually a chance we may finish below the likes Wolves, Everton and Leicester. Even with our mid season struggle last year Wolves were 15 points behind us, Everton 18 and Leicester 20. Talk about people being over dramatic and lowering their expectations for our club. 

This is the realism of our situation right now, not last season.

17 minutes ago, coco said:

This is the realism of our situation right now, not last season.

There's no serious realism to the notion we will finish below those three, it's pessimism for the sake it.

9 minutes ago, Argo said:

There's no serious realism to the notion we will finish below those three, it's pessimism for the sake it.

Our record against those three teams last season Won 0 Draw 3 Lost 3, that's realism.

5 minutes ago, coco said:

Our record against those three teams last season Won 0 Draw 3 Lost 3, that's realism.

Kenny's Liverpool did two successive doubles over us, we spent a decade without a win away to Villa, sh*t happens in head to heads it's what happens over 38 games that counts.

Wolves will have Europa next season, even the European regulars struggle with the Thursday-Sunday thing, if Wolves maintain 7th next season then manager of the year is a one horse race.

Everton have lost their two best players (one of which to us) while Leicester have lost arguably their most important bar Vardy, doesn't sound the recipe to bridging 18/20 point gaps on a team.

If we conspire to finish below any of those three then Lampard has a lot to answer for. We may have lost Hazard but we still have a very good and well balanced squad, 6th while being a few points off the top four is absolute minimum requirement!

Edited August 10, 20196 yr by Argo

5 minutes ago, Argo said:

 

If we conspire to finish below any of those three then Lampard has a lot to answer for.

Planning to finish below them isnt an option for Frank, he will want top four. But we as fans cant conspire anything, the plan has nothing to do with us, we only have expectations.

This is probably the weakest Chelsea team that I can remember (Fan since 1996). 

 

We won't be in the CL next year, that much is obvious. We can use this year's CL run as experience for the youngsters, as I HIGHLY DOUBT we will be able to make it next year or the next 3-5 years. 

 

My prediction, we will be in 8th position at season's end.  

 

We will buy average to good players to rebuild, gone are the days of a dominant Chelsea Team. Hazard I would assume will have been the best player to play for us for a very long time. 

 

 

Do not get depressed by this though fellow blues, for we love Chelsea regardless ?

 

•  

51 minutes ago, Hazard STAY said:

This is probably the weakest Chelsea team that I can remember (Fan since 1996). 

 

We won't be in the CL next year, that much is obvious. We can use this year's CL run as experience for the youngsters, as I HIGHLY DOUBT we will be able to make it next year or the next 3-5 years. 

 

My prediction, we will be in 8th position at season's end.  

 

We will buy average to good players to rebuild, gone are the days of a dominant Chelsea Team. Hazard I would assume will have been the best player to play for us for a very long time. 

 

 

Do not get depressed by this though fellow blues, for we love Chelsea regardless ?

 

•  
•  

Yeah, this season is about finding out which players we go forward with next season and which ones are moved on.  I see no realistic chance of CL football next season and don't want EL qualification, so 8th would be fine by me.

Edited August 11, 20196 yr by Dixons

11th - not convinced we have a squad much better than Leicester or Crystal Palace.

If we fail to pick up results against the bottom 10 we're in trouble.

11th? haha. Even I'm not that pessimistic about the upcoming season. I still think we can make top 6. Once we have RLC, James and CHO back things will improve. Our problem is having more fixtures to contend with this season. I hope we can stay relatively injury free, but who knows. I do worry about keeping key players at the club without CL football though. Many of our fans seem to think it will be easy peasy to buy top players and keep our best players too, but if we miss out on CL and there doesn't look to be a clear sign of improving under Lampard, I doubt many, if any of the top players at the club and not at the club will want to come or consider remaining. 

On 15/06/2019 at 20:16, Munkworth said:

20th. Going down. It’s all doom and gloom. 

So far I’m the closest. Just saying! 

On 10/08/2019 at 11:18, Argo said:

If we conspire to finish below any of those three then Lampard has a lot to answer for.

No he doesn't. 

On ?10?/?08?/?2019 at 11:18, Argo said:

Kenny's Liverpool did two successive doubles over us, we spent a decade without a win away to Villa, sh*t happens in head to heads it's what happens over 38 games that counts.

Wolves will have Europa next season, even the European regulars struggle with the Thursday-Sunday thing, if Wolves maintain 7th next season then manager of the year is a one horse race.

Everton have lost their two best players (one of which to us) while Leicester have lost arguably their most important bar Vardy, doesn't sound the recipe to bridging 18/20 point gaps on a team.

If we conspire to finish below any of those three then Lampard has a lot to answer for. We may have lost Hazard but we still have a very good and well balanced squad, 6th while being a few points off the top four is absolute minimum requirement!

We do not have a very good centre forward or central defensive pairing. We have just let Nathan Ampadu go out on loan and sold one of our best central defensive players. We have just brought back two centre forwards from loan at Villa and Palace. The club have been caught cheating in the trading of young players and received a two window transfer ban and you think Frank Lampard would have a lot to answer for. I would say the board have a darn sight more to answer for.

It's way too early to be pointing the finger at Frank. You seem to be setting him in your sights if anything goes wrong.