I'm starting to think @jack_super_class was right about Chilwell. He's obviously much better than all of other LB alternatives, but that doesn't make him great. 

If you look at Gusto on the right hand side and the stuff he's doing, he's performing far better than Chilwell is. Every time I watch Chilwell he's always in safe mode, just passes it backwards or to the side, when do you ever see him try and take on players and whip the ball in like Gusto does? 

I'm honestly starting to think even if we put the injuries aside, we should probably be looking to upgrade that position. 

Not world class yet decent.

We do need cover as he is injury prone and not sure what is happening with Cucurella.

2 hours ago, Victor90 said:

I'm starting to think @jack_super_class was right about Chilwell. He's obviously much better than all of other LB alternatives, but that doesn't make him great. 

If you look at Gusto on the right hand side and the stuff he's doing, he's performing far better than Chilwell is. Every time I watch Chilwell he's always in safe mode, just passes it backwards or to the side, when do you ever see him try and take on players and whip the ball in like Gusto does? 

I'm honestly starting to think even if we put the injuries aside, we should probably be looking to upgrade that position. 

Thank you Victor, he is a very average full back. 

8 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

Thank you Victor, he is a very average full back. 

Also very sellable for FFP. England international, 9 mill left on FFP book value. Could easily get 25 to 30mill for him.

36 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Also very sellable for FFP. England international, 9 mill left on FFP book value. Could easily get 25 to 30mill for him.

Stop with all the sales talk! That's the Clearlake mentality! We should get behind the players, not whore them out!

That money doesn't go into our bank accounts!

Chilwell is a class full back when he is in a decent team. 

18 minutes ago, Modueke said:

Stop with all the sales talk! That's the Clearlake mentality! We should get behind the players, not whore them out!

That money doesn't go into our bank accounts!

Looks like he is bang average at LWB too 

20 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

Looks like he is bang average at LWB too 

Look at what Gusto did yesterday with that cross, when was the last time Chilwell did something like that? I know he's come back from a long layoff but he needs to step his game up. It's just sideways, sideways, pass it back. You get nothing from his side offensively. 

He does a good job getting into dangerous areas on the occasional counterattack, but even Alonso offered that and IMHO was better at it. 

35 minutes ago, Victor90 said:

Look at what Gusto did yesterday with that cross, when was the last time Chilwell did something like that? I know he's come back from a long layoff but he needs to step his game up. It's just sideways, sideways, pass it back. You get nothing from his side offensively. 

He does a good job getting into dangerous areas on the occasional counterattack, but even Alonso offered that and IMHO was better at it. 

Poor mans Alonso, all he has over Alonso is speed.

27 minutes ago, jack_super_class said:

Poor mans Alonso, all he has over Alonso is speed.

Seems currently so... man Alonso was fun to watch.

4 minutes ago, Nevamind said:

Seems currently so... man Alonso was fun to watch.

25 goals in 154, he had a goal in him! He always came up with a goal when we started going to sh*t!

Another dollop of experience sold on, that would’ve helped having around in hindsight!

12 minutes ago, Nevamind said:

Seems currently so... man Alonso was fun to watch.

He was but he was also a pain in the ass defensively too. 

We have a few decent fullbacks in the academy that I am surprised haven’t been used at all. 

3 hours ago, Modueke said:

25 goals in 154, he had a goal in him! He always came up with a goal when we started going to sh*t!

Another dollop of experience sold on, that would’ve helped having around in hindsight!

Alonso with pace would've been an elite player. He was a very underrated footballer, great touch, control, and passer of the ball. A lot of his defensive errors came down to a lack of pace unfortunately. And probably one of the best freekick takers I've seen at Chelsea, if it didn't go in it hit the post. 

Still, he was definitely the best LWB in the league under Conte, gave us some good years. 

Edited March 3, 20242 yr by Victor90

This is the Chilwell i was worried we were getting in the first place.

5 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

Poor mans Alonso, all he has over Alonso is speed.

Alonso scored

1 hour ago, Victor90 said:

Alonso with pace would've been an elite player. He was a very underrated footballer, great touch, control, and passer of the ball. A lot of his defensive errors came down to a lack of pace unfortunately. And probably one of the best freekick takers I've seen at Chelsea, if it didn't go in it hit the post. 

Still, he was definitely the best LWB in the league under Conte, gave us some good years. 

Could win a header as well. Wasn't a bad defender on to one either, as you say it was the pace or lack of in getting out to players and if caught behind.

5 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

Poor mans Alonso, all he has over Alonso is speed.

Chilwell has the 1 thing Alonso has never had. Great PR.

Alonso got scape goated for everything while people bent over backwards to pretend Ben was a top class fullback,  he got very lucky being injured at the same time as Kante and James who were genuinely world class so people tended to group him in with the other 2 when he was out.

He's decent enough but he's a long way from that level.

10 minutes ago, Whats_The_Mata? said:

Chilwell has the 1 thing Alonso has never had. Great PR.

Alonso got scape goated for everything while people bent over backwards to pretend Ben was a top class fullback,  he got very lucky being injured at the same time as Kante and James who were genuinely world class so people tended to group him in with the other 2 when he was out.

He's decent enough but he's a long way from that level.

He's basically had a 7 game purple patch at the beginning of 21/22 when he scored 3 goals from LWB. Then he got injured and was out for the rest of the season.

Never remotely reached that level since unfortunately ... but that is what people seem to remember as his "level", when in reality he's been pretty average both before that little spell, and very definitely after it. 

No doubt the injuries haven't helped. 

I think Cucurella was signed as an intention to replace Chilwell in the starting XI, with Chilwell either as back up or sold (contact extension done to try and facilitate a decent fee).

With Cucu not quite working out either, it wouldn't surprise me to see us in the market for a new left back in the summer, with an attempt to offload one or both of the incumbents.

I think the injury definitely halted his progression, used to charge in the box like a inside winger during his best days, although he was LWB at the time which suited him the most. Still, not bad of a defender back in those days either. It will be astonishing if we spend another 50-60M on a LB in the summer, we probably can't afford it but it's possible. Does Chiwell represents pure profit? 😄Think he'd be gone in the summer if that's the case

2 hours ago, icecoolguy22 said:

I think the injury definitely halted his progression, used to charge in the box like a inside winger during his best days, although he was LWB at the time which suited him the most. Still, not bad of a defender back in those days either. It will be astonishing if we spend another 50-60M on a LB in the summer, we probably can't afford it but it's possible. Does Chiwell represents pure profit? 😄Think he'd be gone in the summer if that's the case

We have Maatsen who wouldn't cost anything

 

Scored a great goal for Dortmund the other day too

8 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

He's basically had a 7 game purple patch at the beginning of 21/22 when he scored 3 goals from LWB. Then he got injured and was out for the rest of the season.

Never remotely reached that level since unfortunately ... but that is what people seem to remember as his "level", when in reality he's been pretty average both before that little spell, and very definitely after it. 

No doubt the injuries haven't helped. 

I think Cucurella was signed as an intention to replace Chilwell in the starting XI, with Chilwell either as back up or sold (contact extension done to try and facilitate a decent fee).

With Cucu not quite working out either, it wouldn't surprise me to see us in the market for a new left back in the summer, with an attempt to offload one or both of the incumbents.

Tuchel himself said that Cucu is not really a competition for Chilwell in LWB position. Maybe in back 4,but they are two very different player. 

6 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Tuchel himself said that Cucu is not really a competition for Chilwell in LWB position. Maybe in back 4,but they are two very different player. 

Agree, but I don't think the club signs a full back for £56m and pays him £175K a week if they are expecting him to be a reserve.

I think TT was probably planning to move to 4 at the back, and Cucurella (much better defensive metrics than Chilwell) was intended as the LB. Tried it in three games out of the 7 he was in charge of last season ... 

 

1 hour ago, Sexyfootball said:

Agree, but I don't think the club signs a full back for £56m and pays him £175K a week if they are expecting him to be a reserve.

I think TT was probably planning to move to 4 at the back, and Cucurella (much better defensive metrics than Chilwell) was intended as the LB. Tried it in three games out of the 7 he was in charge of last season ... 

 

The plan imo was to play Cucu as lcb and kouli as ccb.