1 hour ago, Gol15 said:

It's true that they are still the teams to beat but if Man City keeps having injuries their spending might not be such a big factor and we have seen that Liverpool could be beaten like this last season as well, we broke their backline as well just that nobody could score that many goals, maybe this is a sign that they are slowly being figured out.

Much as I enjoyed yesterday's results it is still very early.

Under Conte we went on a 14 match winning run and I think Liverpool are capable of that and City too.

Liverpool look in a better place for me than City right now though are they hungry enough after last season? 

Just now, Strider6003 said:

Much as I enjoyed yesterday's results it is still very early.

Under Conte we went on a 14 match winning run and I think Liverpool are capable of that and City too.

Liverpool look in a better place for me than City right now though are they hungry enough after last season? 

It's early but we are one of the few teams that actually improved quite significantly, if Liverpool and Man City lose their consistency we might have a change to challenge them, though I did vote for a top 3 finish for us this season. Man City bought Ruben Dias so once Aguero is back they will be a really strong side to face.

Lampard worked wonders last season. It was an unbelievable performance given the circumstances. 
 

This season he has parked the bus against Liverpool who have conceded 3 to Leeds and 7 to Aston Villa. We have drawn away to West Brom and we have played our new players out of position regularly. 
 

It’s time for the mistakes to end. Loaning Jorginho to Arsenal would piss me off. Don’t do it. 
 

Saturday was a great result against a defensive team with no intent to attack. We need to build on this. 

2 hours ago, MayosNoun! said:

Saturday was a great result against a defensive team with no intent to attack. We need to build on this. 

Seriously? You really think they came to our place after seeing us ship 3 to WBA combined with the confidence they would have gained from the way they tore United a new one with no intention to attack?

They  "didn't attack" because we didn't let them, we comfortably contained a very dangerous and pacey counter attacking team.

Edited October 5, 20205 yr by Argo

4 hours ago, MayosNoun! said:

Lampard worked wonders last season. It was an unbelievable performance given the circumstances. 
 

This season he has parked the bus against Liverpool who have conceded 3 to Leeds and 7 to Aston Villa. We have drawn away to West Brom and we have played our new players out of position regularly. 
 

It’s time for the mistakes to end. Loaning Jorginho to Arsenal would piss me off. Don’t do it. 
 

Saturday was a great result against a defensive team with no intent to attack. We need to build on this. 

Yeah because you should go gung ho against Liverpool with 10 men.

I have a feeling we will get the better of them in our next league match, especially with our best players fit and fighting (fingers crossed).

3 hours ago, Argo said:

Seriously? You really think they came to our place after seeing us ship 3 to WBA combined with the confidence they would have gained from the way they tore United a new one with no intention to attack?

They  "didn't attack" because we didn't let them, we comfortably contained a very dangerous and pacey counter attacking team.

Its amazing how when we win its because the opposition were rubbish, and when we lose its because we were rubbish.....

Unfortunate that he's stuck with a massive squad right now. Van Ginkel, Musonda, Baba Rahman, Rudiger, Alonso, Emerson, Moses and Drinkwater all still at the club. I suppose a few of those will spend their time with the development squad but that will do nothing at all for getting anything for them or even manage to loan them out in the future.
 

15 minutes ago, Sindre said:

Unfortunate that he's stuck with a massive squad right now. Van Ginkel, Musonda, Baba Rahman, Rudiger, Alonso, Emerson, Moses and Drinkwater all still at the club. I suppose a few of those will spend their time with the development squad but that will do nothing at all for getting anything for them or even manage to loan them out in the future.
 

Van ginkel has gone to PSV.

We need one of Alonso or Emerson. But not both

Failure of the board to not find a home for moses, baba rahman and one of our central defenders. As you say, if they aren't playing then their value is just going to plummet. 

Can't blame them for not shifting drinkwater and musonda. 

It's a bit cheap shot to discredit the performance on Saturday because Palace didn't attack, they put in the same long ball and cross that rip United open few weeks ago. We just happened to have the solution on the day. Zaha had a few runs but our defenders stopped him early, and they just couldn't get the ball quick enough to their front men, because we never let them have time and comfort on the ball. It's only one game, but WBA was one game too, neither define the rest of the season.  The football media want Lampard to fail this season, it will be sell.

 

Frank has so many players to choose from and at the same time also has to find the best formation for the team. He also still has one of his best signings on the injured list. You could almost say its an impossible conundrum to resolve but at some point he is going to have start making a few decisions. Or has that already started?

Barkleys departure tidy's up the midfield a bit but he still needs to get that Jorginho/Kovacic/Kante issue resolved. In fairness he seems to be looking at using both Kante and Jorge in front of the defence and to be fair again that worked very well against Palace. Somehow Kovacic could get overlooked but I think the success of Kante and Jorge needs to be given some more time. Can Frank settle on that or is he going to be tempted to squeeze Mason in somewhere. I don't think Mason makes the 3 in front of Kante/Jorge. Thats between Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech, CHO.

There are difficult decisions to be made and its early in the season but Frank needs to settle the team selection down a bit. Maybe the international break has come at a good time for him. He'll have a bit of time to think it through and maybe Ziyech will be fit for the Southampton game.

PS. Its great to not be talking about the goalkeeper.

 

 

2 hours ago, Andy North said:

 

Frank has so many players to choose from and at the same time also has to find the best formation for the team. He also still has one of his best signings on the injured list. You could almost say its an impossible conundrum to resolve but at some point he is going to have start making a few decisions. Or has that already started?

Barkleys departure tidy's up the midfield a bit but he still needs to get that Jorginho/Kovacic/Kante issue resolved. In fairness he seems to be looking at using both Kante and Jorge in front of the defence and to be fair again that worked very well against Palace. Somehow Kovacic could get overlooked but I think the success of Kante and Jorge needs to be given some more time. Can Frank settle on that or is he going to be tempted to squeeze Mason in somewhere. I don't think Mason makes the 3 in front of Kante/Jorge. Thats between Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech, CHO.

There are difficult decisions to be made and its early in the season but Frank needs to settle the team selection down a bit. Maybe the international break has come at a good time for him. He'll have a bit of time to think it through and maybe Ziyech will be fit for the Southampton game.

PS. Its great to not be talking about the goalkeeper.

 

 

Actually, if everyone is fit, he can play every formation under the sun, we have players that can suit every formation. I'd even go as far to say that this squad is as close to an Italian coach's dream.

11 minutes ago, Deino said:

Actually, if everyone is fit, he can play every formation under the sun, we have players that can suit every formation. I'd even go as far to say that this squad is as close to an Italian coach's dream.

I understand that but all the best teams know their best 11. Frank is yet to fathom that one. He's is a very young manager and is learning on the job. I have every faith he will get there in the end but I wouldn't under estimate the size of task ahead of him. Last season the squad had a large influx of youth players and this season its had an influx of 5 major new signings. In his first two years in the Premier League he is having to re-build a whole team. He needs to settle the team selection so the players can start to gel a little better.

Even Jose had a backbone to the first squad he inherited.

5 minutes ago, Andy North said:

I understand that but all the best teams know their best 11. Frank is yet to fathom that one. He's is a very young manager and is learning on the job. I have every faith he will get there in the end but I wouldn't under estimate the size of task ahead of him. Last season the squad had a large influx of youth players and this season its had an influx of 5 major new signings. In his first two years in the Premier League he is having to re-build a whole team. He needs to settle the team selection so the players can start to gel a little better.

Even Jose had a backbone to the first squad he inherited.

Actually if he continued with 4231 to bed the signings in, I think he'd have establish a good backbone.

Havertz can take his time to improve. Next season, if Franks makes it that far, he can implement the 433 that he tried last season. That seemed like a good formation until Pulisic started getting niggling injuries again.

8 minutes ago, Deino said:

Actually if he continued with 4231 to bed the signings in, I think he'd have establish a good backbone.

Havertz can take his time to improve. Next season, if Franks makes it that far, he can implement the 433 that he tried last season. That seemed like a good formation until Pulisic started getting niggling injuries again.

For now the 4231 is a defined shape within which the players can improve. I think the familiarity with the shape helps players understand their team mates roles and this helps with the link up play. We have had a couple of good results without playing well. Pulisic could be key so I'm hoping he's not the new sick note.

Somebody is going to get a right thrashing once we start to link up properly.

 

These players are not his concern, they are not options. The board and the club accountants should deal with that. He is not obliged to play them. 

Frank should decide between Havertz and Mount, Werner and Abraham and Hudson Odoi and whoever of the two glass men is healthy. 

Edited October 7, 20205 yr by Droopy

So just as our players are regaining complete fitness, just like that we've got Chilwell and Mendy injured. We can't catch a f**king break with injuries can we? 

We used to have a great record with injuries and always managed to keep our best players fit, what happened? Obviously Mendy and Chilwell can't be blamed on the club. But I have to say under Frank, we've had far more injuries than usual I reckon.

It's always been the thing with internationals at least we have Azpi that can slot in at Left Back and Kepa said he was ok with competition.

Pulisic should be back and I hear another perennial national casualty that is coming back is Bales for Spurs. 

What does surprise me is the international teams playing these friendlies and probably using foreign hotels and airports etc in the middle of the virus outbreak, mmmmm?

 

Those that were there and hugged him... What a feeling that must have been.

 

When Jose was here we had many injuries before the pointless international breaks and these players magically 'healed' right before the restart. You can say whatever you want about Mourinho but he knew how to play the game. Frank with the support of the club needs to do the same thing in 4 weeks. 

I think Lampard took enough chance but

he didn’t be successful 

now in beginning the season must to leaves Chelsea 

Anyone know if schools are on holiday at the moment? and if so when they go back.....sooner the better hopefully.

Students are still in in most places, as far as I know.

I heard on London news about a 2 week holiday for school kids, I guess starting next week.

9 minutes ago, Zeta said:

Students are still in in most places, as far as I know.

Talal must be still in nursery then I guess.

 

Summary:

• Mendy and Silva not fit, Mendy due to injury and Silva due to travel and short turnaround from International games
• Ziyech will feature but wont start
• Kepa decision will be made tomorrow (Whether he starts or not)
• Chilwell and Tammy understand they've made mistakes, Lampard describes it as an innocent mistake
• Lack of pre season has caused some of the weird results recently
• Rudiger can work his way back into the starting 11, this is the same for all players in the squad
• Happy for players to get game time at International level
• Team still gelling and the relationships on & off the field are still developing