3 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

The only ones that really annoyed me was the ref letting Ashley Young get away with tactical fouls and booking James for touching a Villa players face with his finger tips.

Was Ashley Young playing? Couldn’t tell from my loft perch up in the Gods. 

19 minutes ago, CFCCAN said:

  Barkley had a good cameo appearance.

Normality restored 

Hate to say this but CHO is actually nowhere near good enough for us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but we should have snapped Bayern’s hand off when they offered £40m.

 

11 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

There are question marks on 4 players tonight, 4 players I don't think are up to the required level to help us compete this year unless things drastically change for them.

 

Hudson-Odoi. He keeps regressing. He hasn't kicked on since he got over his injury. He doesn't seem to read the game well at all, and he offers nothing to our attacking game. Lots of talent, but doesn't have the understanding of the game. Too often I am seeing Tuchel coaching him throughout the game.

Sarr looks a bit out of his depth for me. I don't see him getting many games this season. He may play the next round and an FA cup match, but unless we get hit by multiple CB injuries, he's not getting in.

Saul, it's early days, but I'm not seeing much there. Loftus-Cheek looks a better option in CM and Barkley looks like a better option in attacking midfield. Not really seeing the point of this loan deal at the moment. What are his strengths exactly?

Ziyech, doesn't look like he cares if we win, lose or draw.

 

I don't think anybody played great tonight, but I feel like at this moment, these 4 will hold us back the most if they are on the pitch.

Have to agree with you Mr. Harris especially in relation to CHO.  I thought he was awful today spent most time on his arse, and slowed the play up when he did get hold of the ball.   He just doesn't do it for me.  I keep hearing about the bundles of talent he has but I'm yet to see it and be convinced.   

Sarr looked a bit lost but didn't make many errors.   

Saul, likely still rusty and still hasn't caught up with the pace of the EPL teams, 2nd string or not.  I'll give him to Jan to sharpen up or think about sending him packing back to Madrid.

Ziyech - he doesn't work hard enough for me to warrant a start, but always capable of getting a goal.   

No real cohesion in the team today apart from Kante and RLC, and Mount when he came on. James had a good game as did Chillwell I thought, penalty miss aside however I don't see him ousting Alonso in the immediate future.

 

 

 

23 minutes ago, timetowaste said:

Hate to say this but CHO is actually nowhere near good enough for us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but we should have snapped Bayern’s hand off when they offered £40m.

 

I only could watch extended highlights but CHO's absence in them and commentary in here seems to speak to this too.

Whether it was light-hearted joking in preason about CHO "hiding", or his more stern comments about CHO refusing to play for England U21s, you get the impression Tuchel needs Hudson-Odoi to take more responsibility in games and be less anonymous, and he just isn't doing that. 

Wouldnt have bothered if the result went the other way, but managed to win by PK was actually pretty cool, and proved we could win by the smallest margin. Let's face it, some of the guys played will not get another game outside this cup competition, just didn't prove their worth.  Werner finally got that first goal out of the way, although  even the blind could see the clearance difference between him and Lukaku. Ziyech, Saul, CHO not taking their chances, a long way back for them once Kante, Pullisic are fully fit. Kepa looked like a good second choice now, he had no chance with that goal, but otherwise had a good game even without the penalty save.

Both teams had chances to win it, both keepers were really good and had no chance with the goals they let in.

Honestly I don't care about this cup unless we make it to the final. Final is a final after all. But just cause many don't care about it now, no excuse for some of our players in looking like they did not care either.

This is the opportunity to get yourself more game time and push on for the first team. 

Some did good, like Werner, and RLC.

Some did very good, Like James and Chalobah.

Players like Saul, Sarr, CHO and Ziyech though...shesh

Edited September 22, 20214 yr by axman2526

2 hours ago, CFCCAN said:

Another disappointing performance from Saul; it's only his 2nd outing, lets see how he's doing midway through the season.  Barkley had a good cameo appearance.

Agreed. I mean, clubs were rumoured to be mulling over a 150m bid for Saul just a couple of years ago.

There must be a world class player in there somewhere. A 150m bid. What does that get you? It makes me think Saul is nowhere near his level at the moment.

Chalobah was badly turned once and RLC’s positioning in defence isn’t quite right  and win backs a bit low but in general they were both the two that Iimproved their reputations tonight. Chilwell was way off his best but improved as the game went on. Sarr isn’t ready yet but he gets a  oasis as first season near the team. Saul was very dissapointing but you can still say only his second game. I’d prefer RLC when it counts. Reece is wasted in back 3 but did the job. 
 

ziyechs ratio of good to bad is all wrong but he does bring flashes of excitement. Cho still needs to man up. Got to learn to play on the right. 

Edited September 23, 20214 yr by ozboy

Hopefully our backup players can continue to see us through so they get more game time just in case they are needed, never know some may impress enough to see league action.

Let's hope TT takes the next round more seriously...10 changes is too much to expect a coherent performance...

Just gonna run through the player ratings in my mind

Kepa - 9/10 - Looks like a new man, looked confident and is an excellent penalty stopper, 100% is the best backup goalkeeper in the league, having Mendy and this reinvigorated Kepa reminds me of when we had Cech and Carlo. 

James - 7/10 - Probably a bit harsh since he did very little wrong and assisted the goal with that peach of a cross, but for me he's so much better bombing down the wing as a proper wingback than filling the Dave position

Chalobah - 7.5/10 - thought he was excellent for most of the game, put in some great tackles and covered well, positioning needs a bit of work as is to be expected and was caught out a little for the goal. Looks a real prospect for us though, excited about him

Sarr - 5/10 - First game for us, young player looking a bit fresh and raw but he had a few good moments, did a bit of a Rudiger-esque run which was great, but again positioning and composure need some work. Undecided

CHO - 4/10 - Going nowhere fast in my mind, looked lazy as he so often does. I sometimes wonder what happens to these supposed tricky wingers we have who forget how to beat a man or do anything productive. Yes he's not a RWB, but he really needs to make more of a case otherwise I can foresee a conscription into the loan army, then moving to Bayern and scoring 30 goals a season like Gnabry while we all scratch our heads and wonder what happened. 

Chilly - 6/10 - Rusty. Don't need to criticize him too much because he's definitely needing some time to get back into the rhythm and we know he's quality. Alonso will definitely keep his spot for a while yet though I think

RLC - 7.5/10 - Looked good, so silky on the ball and actually beating his man, CHO needs to take notes. Probably not cut out for a defensive midfield role, though, but whenever he got the ball he looked positive

Kante - Kante/10 - Was Kante. 

Saul - 5/10 - Instead of stinking out the house like his last outing against villa this was more of a 'light a candle and spray an air freshener' performance. Still pretty sh*t, but he's not the first player to struggle with the pace of english games. Put in a few nice challenges and got forward well enough, was just a bit complacent on the ball again. Time will tell. 

Ziyech - 5.5/10 - Such an enigma, on one hand he has a bit of the Callums about him where he doesnt look arsed, but on the other hand he can do something out of nowhere. His deliveries into the the box have been garbage lately despite him being renowned for his passing, crossing and line breaking passes, maybe just out of form and lacking game time, I really thought he'd light up the place for us

Werner - 7.5/10 - Got his goal and ran his arse off, definitely should have had a second though. Movement is great, it's just his finishing that still needs a lot of work


Subs
Mount - 8/10 - Really gave us a lot more when he came on, had one or two games off the pace but he looks like that's over and done with

Rom - 8/10 - Battered the Villa defence around, reckon if he'd started he would have gotten a couple of goals

I may have missed another sub but i only remember the two of them 

edit** - forgot Barkley - 7/10 - decent cameo, not getting anywhere near the first team any time soon though, and a nice pen

Edited September 23, 20214 yr by RMCM

9 hours ago, Deino said:

Chilly going for the crossbar just to add drama.

Good job to all the rest. Cool penalty even Ross managed one

Had a moment of déjà vy when Ashley Young hit the crossbar - I think he did the same vs Italy in the Euro 2012 shootout.

10 hours ago, Argo said:

Even in a three he's had moments he's looked dodgy (super cup for example).

He's a good squad player but hopefully that's how he stays, we've had too many squad level players get roles above their station in recent times.

 

11 hours ago, Argo said:

I love Chalobah and think he could become a good squad player but he has too many sketchy moments in games to be starter level.

 

11 hours ago, charierre said:

Back four exposes flaws in players who look comfortable in a three

 

11 hours ago, Sindre said:

Trev is struggling.

Wow  - first season with Chelsea talk about picking on a player. He was easily our best defender snuffed out many attacks.. Goal wasnt his fault.. there was no pressure from Chilwell didnt close down fast enough . RLC and Saul made a hash of the transition and it was a superb delivery and header.. The lad is 22/23 hardly played 2-3 games, played with Sarr who had no positional discipline - given this context he is doing extremely well. 

As for him not being a first team player the 70mil one we almost signed has such moments once or twice every game. Not far back Rudiger had much worse. Lets support the lad.. i dont think he looked "dodgy" - given we play back 3 in most games moving to back 4 would feel unnatural to most. 

i hope the coach has more faith than this

Extremely harsh views on CHO must say. The lad was playing a wingback .. everytime he looked up there were a couple of players around him and he tried stuff which didnt come off always. but that is what made him stand out. If anything i see him actually try to dribble and take players on and not pass sideways. There was absolutely zero moment from ziyech cant remember a single time where he tried to run behind the defense to create space.  Maybe i have my blue tinted glasses but i think he is been given a raw deal by most for yesterday's perfroamcen.

instruction was to stretch play and create problems.. he had Ashley on toast for most of the game.. had one or two poor moments in the final third towards the end. but nowhere near as bad a game as Ziyech or werner (who apart from the goal) didnt do much. 

17 minutes ago, Jangz said:

 

 

 

Wow  - first season with Chelsea talk about picking on a player. He was easily our best defender snuffed out many attacks.. Goal wasnt his fault.. there was no pressure from Chilwell didnt close down fast enough . RLC and Saul made a hash of the transition and it was a superb delivery and header.. The lad is 22/23 hardly played 2-3 games, played with Sarr who had no positional discipline - given this context he is doing extremely well. 

As for him not being a first team player the 70mil one we almost signed has such moments once or twice every game. Not far back Rudiger had much worse. Lets support the lad.. i dont think he looked "dodgy" - given we play back 3 in most games moving to back 4 would feel unnatural to most. 

i hope the coach has more faith than this

why did you quote this comment instead of the one I made later saying to give him time to mature? Or the one were I said the player on the least wages was the best performer of the half? 

Trev did struggle a  bit more in the second half and playing a three to a four is a big difference.

Nah, plenty of moments where Callum had all the space he could want but couldn‘t produce anything out of it at all. I hope he hasn‘t got the same mindset telling him „that‘s not my position“ because that would be some lame a.. excuse. Seems he was unlucky that the transfer window went as it did since he clearly IMO should gonout on loan to a club where he has way more minutes and also way responsibility. 
 

Really liked RLC, Kepa, Trev and James yesterday. Werner did his thing and should be near to the  starting ones. Saul I reckon got a bit more stable..if he keeps on stabilizing himself and accustomed to our play he‘ll be a good option in this long season. I hope.

Fun match with a good outcome in the end.

Kepa looks like a new man this season. Confident in himself and being a positive contributor to the team. Saved us twice in penalties this season.

RLC and Chalobah were the most impressive among the academy products. I really hope RLC is given a chance because he was actually a good player under Sarri, but injuries have killed him in the last few years.

Confidence boosting goal for Werner. Should have finished the second chance a few minutes later, but I loved the way the playing group got around him during the goal celebration.

Have to give credit to Villa. Their goal was impressive. Kepa couldn't have saved that even with his best attempt.

Bring on Citeh.

1 hour ago, Jangz said:

 

 

 

Wow  - first season with Chelsea talk about picking on a player. He was easily our best defender snuffed out many attacks.. Goal wasnt his fault.. there was no pressure from Chilwell didnt close down fast enough . RLC and Saul made a hash of the transition and it was a superb delivery and header.. The lad is 22/23 hardly played 2-3 games, played with Sarr who had no positional discipline - given this context he is doing extremely well. 

As for him not being a first team player the 70mil one we almost signed has such moments once or twice every game. Not far back Rudiger had much worse. Lets support the lad.. i dont think he looked "dodgy" - given we play back 3 in most games moving to back 4 would feel unnatural to most. 

i hope the coach has more faith than this

It's not "picking on a player" it's a conclusion I've come too watching him at youth level, on loan and now with the first team.

Being a squad player isn't exactly an insult btw, good depth wins things and he's the exact profile of academy squad depth that use to beef up Fergie's title winning squad's.

3 hours ago, charierre said:

why did you quote this comment instead of the one I made later saying to give him time to mature? Or the one were I said the player on the least wages was the best performer of the half? 

Trev did struggle a  bit more in the second half and playing a three to a four is a big difference.

this is the first comment i read and reacted to it. fairplay to you then if that is your view.

As for the 3 to back 4 - the argument is both Rudi and AC also have struggled in a back 4 who are our first choice players.. So its weird to single out Trev in saying that the back 4  exposes flaws. If 90% of the team trains in a back 3 and then you put in Trev with Sarr.. i would expect the same performance in most cases.

2 hours ago, Argo said:

It's not "picking on a player" it's a conclusion I've come too watching him at youth level, on loan and now with the first team.

Being a squad player isn't exactly an insult btw, good depth wins things and he's the exact profile of academy squad depth that use to beef up Fergie's title winning squad's.

When i see him today i see he has physical attributes to be a good center half.. could bulk up a little maybe - but has showed composure , can tackle or defend by staying on feet, is pacy and can handle the ball on his feet. Centre halves generally dont mature untill a certain age.. VVD was playing in scotland ( i am using this as an hyperextension of my example) to amplify my point only.

But the fact is things like game reading /positioning etc do improve with experience. with him i think the basics are there.. so no reason why he cant go and play at the top level for a top team.. in comparison Tomori made more mistakes in possession last season. For me the lad is an upgrade on Tomori. 

Massively off topic, but we've just moved and I'm now within spitting distance of the stadium and could hear the roar of the crowd at 54 mins. That was very cool.

Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it yet but the was a player called Lampard Bogarde on the bench for Villa last night. He’s the nephew of a Chelsea legend…

22 hours ago, Munkworth said:

Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it yet but According to the US betting sites on there was a player called Lampard Bogarde on the bench for Villa last night. He’s the nephew of a Chelsea legend…

I didn't notice that but cool information anyway. I think I will actually rewind the match to see that moment.

5 minutes ago, Innoxent said:

I’m a tool with a tiny penis who’ll be banned soon enough. While I have you here I’d also like to mention my mother and the unspeakable acts I’ve performed in her  

Ah, interesting indeed.