1 hour ago, Sexyfootball said:

But we ARE a possession-oriented side ... we have the third highest % (59.2) for possession in the PL this season, 1 pt behind City and Liverpool (60.2), and 2.4 pts ahead of Arsenal (56.8) ...

Really don't understand your motivation to constantly defend Fernandez on here. Thought you were Brazilian, and yet all you do is point out faults when it comes to Estevao and Santos, while simultaneously ignoring the multiple times per game that the Argentinian poster boy screws things up. That goes way against the grain for the usual Brazil vs Argentina rivalry as I've always understood it.

20 times Enzo lost possession against Everton ... 20 ! I suppose your mitigation for that is that he is overplayed and tired LOL

Interesting data, but I genuinely don’t know how to interpret it. We might have decent possession numbers, but we rarely feel in control of games—so clearly not all possession is created equal.

Also, not sure where I supposedly criticized Estevao. He’s probably the most exciting Brazilian talent right now. But pointing out he’s 18 isn’t criticism—it’s just reality. It’s incredibly rare for an 18-year-old to consistently impact games at the highest level.

I think we just have very different standards for readiness. You rate Santos highly—fair enough—but are we seriously calling him world class right now? I don’t see that at all. Could he become a top midfielder? Absolutely. But potential and current level are two completely different conversations. For me, that doesn’t automatically justify starting him.

As for “defending Enzo”—yeah, I guess I am. Mostly because I think a lot of the criticism is over the top. 😅 It feels driven more by preferences than actual performance. There’s a clear bias toward physicality—pace, power, duels—whereas I tend to value more rounded midfield profiles.

For example, I personally lean more toward a Rice-type midfielder than a Caicedo-type. But that doesn’t mean Caicedo isn’t a very good player—just that there are different ways to play the role. Same applies here.

Not every player has to fit the same mold to be effective.

Hopefully we hound him out.

Constantly flirting with Real Madrid over the whole international break, f*ck that. We ain’t having that. Give him dogs abuse and tell him to f*ck off.

Can't blame him for his choice of interviews lately. Surely he knows he is stuck here on a very long contract and the only way to force a move is by stirring things up in the media.

Most of the Chelsea fans do not like Enzo, but I think he is quality and showed a lot of times he is passionate about fightning for the badge. When he arrived here he was one of the hottest properties in world football and it's not like he chose Chelsea for the massive wages the owners offered him. At 180k per week, this is average wages for a club leader in comparison to what others earn at other clubs.

When he was convinced to join Chelsea, the owners have presented him a project that is totally different now from the one they vouched for initially. Would I be as mad as Enzo is? Totally. He is inside the club and probably does not see better days coming, so why waste his best years here?

We have to accept we are a f**king mess at the moment and as big an optimist I am, I do not see a bright future for this club either if these idiots in charge do not wake up and change their approach into a more clever one. And one that fits European football and a big club like Chelsea.

Slagging off the owners aside, it shows a criminal lack of self-awareness that the two players he [maybe sincerely] compares himself to are Modrić and f**king Toni Kroos.

3 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

20 times Enzo lost possession against Everton ... 20 ! I suppose your mitigation for that is that he is overplayed and tired LOL

1 hour ago, petre ispirescu said:

it's not like he chose Chelsea for the massive wages the owners offered him.

He was supposedly on £41,500 a week at Benfica, so I imagine a 434% wage increase to £180K had little to do with his decision to move to Chelsea LOL

Edited April 1Apr 1 by Sexyfootball

Almost like players don’t like it when a sh*t player is talking sh*t.

6 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Almost like players don’t like it when a sh*t player is talking sh*t.

He’s angling for a move and I love it because BlueCo sh*t plan seems to be falling apart little by little

15 hours ago, dermott said:

He would thrive here but for the fact that no club could afford more than about 10% of the price.

So they can only afford what he’s actually worth

‘Leader’

Hopefully this puts an end to the nonsense of the club trying to make him a poster boy for the club.

4 minutes ago, GarnachoCheese said:

So they can only afford what he’s actually worth

Boom-tish!

Well I for one am massively surprised that hes a snidey little sh*tc**t, he had given no hints he was that type of person up to now.....

😉

On 01/04/2026 at 03:21, acaeus said:

I get not rating the player, but I don’t really understand the point about the starting XI.

These days it’s not just about the "best" XI anyway — it’s also about squad depth, tactical flexibility, and being able to maintain intensity for a full 90 minutes (and across a season).

On top of that, you’ve listed Lavia, who’s barely played — I’m not even sure what his ceiling is yet, especially with the injuries. Estevao has had injury issues too, which is pretty common for very young players. Caicedo also tends to pick up a lot of cards, including reds.

Overall, the squad looks pretty thin depth-wise, and I’d argue it’s a bit one-dimensional in midfield as well.

Sorry bud, to expand on my opinion.

If Caicedo needs a rest Essugo steps up.

If Santos needs a rest Lavia steps up or vice versa.

If Palmer needs a rest then JP drops into the 10 & Delap or Jackson play the 9.

Estevao, Quenda, Derry, Garnacho all cover the wings between them.

My view is that Enzo isn’t better than any of those mentioned in the their natural positions. Ergo losing him doesn’t weaken the Starting XI and also has no impact whatsoever on the rotation.

Having Enzo in the XI/Squad always feel like we have to weaken ourselves overall to accommodate him into a position that he is no better than someone who naturally plays that position.

12 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Almost like players don’t like it when a sh*t player is talking sh*t.

I wonder where that story came from

13 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

I wonder where that story came from

Mr (or Ms) Pys click baiting for his (or her) podcast. I'm an equal opportunity cynic.

Edited April 2Apr 2 by dermott

I think CFCPys uses they/them.

17 minutes ago, Scott said:

I think CFCPys uses they/them.

That's gay.

It seems like Enzo is pushing himself out.

One thing about him, I think this season was his better season comparted to last seasons. His mentality is something I appreciate, he wants to win and he's emotional towards others. It's important when there is a player that shouting, angry, pushing and we as a club, needs to aim for that personality and mentality in the dressing room.

I think his wish is legit move for his career, he probably will be wanted around the top teams in the world and could play on highest level. But I also think that he still could give and perform better for us in his period. He had good performances, but also had a lot of bad games. We can find better solutions and players that will match more into the league and system. But I'd love to have his mentality in the team.

The irony of him trying to start fights with Mount for leaving Chelsea then spending our run in for CL trying to force a move out of the club LOL rat

1 hour ago, IliyaKrostin said:

It seems like Enzo is pushing himself out.

One thing about him, I think this season was his better season comparted to last seasons. His mentality is something I appreciate, he wants to win and he's emotional towards others. It's important when there is a player that shouting, angry, pushing and we as a club, needs to aim for that personality and mentality in the dressing room.

I think his wish is legit move for his career, he probably will be wanted around the top teams in the world and could play on highest level. But I also think that he still could give and perform better for us in his period. He had good performances, but also had a lot of bad games. We can find better solutions and players that will match more into the league and system. But I'd love to have his mentality in the team.

You do see the issue though of a player shouting at others to do better when said player also gets possessed 20 times against Everton?

And so the BlueCo PR machine has moved on to Enzo as the latest Villan to distract from themselves.

I'll happily see Enzo leave, in fact sell the whole squad, keep nobody, as long as BlueCo leave with them.

7 hours ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Sorry bud, to expand on my opinion.

If Caicedo needs a rest Essugo steps up.

If Santos needs a rest Lavia steps up or vice versa.

If Palmer needs a rest then JP drops into the 10 & Delap or Jackson play the 9.

Estevao, Quenda, Derry, Garnacho all cover the wings between them.

My view is that Enzo isn’t better than any of those mentioned in the their natural positions. Ergo losing him doesn’t weaken the Starting XI and also has no impact whatsoever on the rotation.

Having Enzo in the XI/Squad always feel like we have to weaken ourselves overall to accommodate him into a position that he is no better than someone who naturally plays that position.

The logic of losing a starter, not replacing him, and somehow getting stronger—especially over a long season—is something I just can’t wrap my head around. Now, if we are getting a proper replacement, that'd be a completely different story!

Essugo is 21 and hasn’t played, plus he’s spent most of the season injured. Lavia is now 22 and we’ve barely seen him—also constantly unavailable. Santos we’ve already discussed: I genuinely wish I saw what others see, but right now he looks like a solid 6.5/10 with the occasional ‘21-year-old moment’ in him. He even started in the friendly against France and was hooked at halftime after a really poor showing.

What you’re describing, to me, is extremely thin depth for this level. You’re relying on a group of 20–21-year-olds to perform consistently, basically every match, across a full season. That’s… optimistic, to put it mildly. 😅

Now for the actual controversial bit: I don’t think Cole Palmer is a very good #10, and João Pedro is an even worse fit there. Palmer for me isn’t a #10 in the traditional sense. He’s a right-sided playmaker who drifts inside and plays like a #10 in the half-spaces—more like a Mata type.

2 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

You do see the issue though of a player shouting at others to do better when said player also gets possessed 20 times against Everton?

It is issue. But overall in the last games, I'd want that someone will try to change the character in the dressing room.

12 minutes ago, acaeus said:

The logic of losing a starter, not replacing him, and somehow getting stronger—especially over a long season—is something I just can’t wrap my head around. Now, if we are getting a proper replacement, that'd be a completely different story!

Essugo is 21 and hasn’t played, plus he’s spent most of the season injured. Lavia is now 22 and we’ve barely seen him—also constantly unavailable. Santos we’ve already discussed: I genuinely wish I saw what others see, but right now he looks like a solid 6.5/10 with the occasional ‘21-year-old moment’ in him. He even started in the friendly against France and was hooked at halftime after a really poor showing.

What you’re describing, to me, is extremely thin depth for this level. You’re relying on a group of 20–21-year-olds to perform consistently, basically every match, across a full season. That’s… optimistic, to put it mildly. 😅

Now for the actual controversial bit: I don’t think Cole Palmer is a very good #10, and João Pedro is an even worse fit there. Palmer for me isn’t a #10 in the traditional sense. He’s a right-sided playmaker who drifts inside and plays like a #10 in the half-spaces—more like a Mata type.

Pretty much. We're about to see it in action anyway because there's no way Enzo plays from now until the end of the season.

2 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

You do see the issue though of a player shouting at others to do better when said player also gets possessed 20 times against Everton?

A majority of our players are passive. Even Reece can't say anything because he can't go 3 consecutive 90min games without injuring something