Luckily Leeds didn't score a late equalizer, otherwise many of us be debating here and why the fastest attacker wasn't used to push for the second when we had the chance. For me, a straight swap for Felix or even the other 2 attackers be making sense.

How many clubs can sign a player for 62M, potential fee 88M, and sit him on the bench unused against a relegation battler. It would make sense if he needed to be rested. 

this is bizarre. My only conclusion is Potter deemed him to be far too positive and attacking and needs more time to coach it out of him!

feel for the lad and want to see him play 

32 minutes ago, PhilH930 said:

How many clubs can sign a player for 62M, potential fee 88M, and sit him on the bench unused against a relegation battler. It would make sense if he needed to be rested. 

this is bizarre. My only conclusion is Potter deemed him to be far too positive and attacking and needs more time to coach it out of him!

feel for the lad and want to see him play 

Actually it's not that uncommon for a new signing expensive or otherwise to be bled in over a period of time. Pep has done that very thing with multiple signings.

Add the fact he was in his off season when he arrived and it makes it all the more prominent.

There's a lot to critisize Potter for right now, this isn't one of them.

50 minutes ago, PhilH930 said:

How many clubs can sign a player for 62M, potential fee 88M, and sit him on the bench unused against a relegation battler. It would make sense if he needed to be rested. 

this is bizarre. My only conclusion is Potter deemed him to be far too positive and attacking and needs more time to coach it out of him!

feel for the lad and want to see him play 

He would have been a sensation at Arsenal, truly. 

Almost as if we’ve hijacked the deal just to prevent them strengthening.

8 hours ago, PhilH930 said:

How many clubs can sign a player for 62M, potential fee 88M, and sit him on the bench unused against a relegation battler. It would make sense if he needed to be rested. 

this is bizarre. My only conclusion is Potter deemed him to be far too positive and attacking and needs more time to coach it out of him!

feel for the lad and want to see him play 

Largely agree but Arsenal and Pepe, Utd with Sancho, City took a while for Grealish to get settled etc.

20 hours ago, Argo said:

Actually it's not that uncommon for a new signing expensive or otherwise to be bled in over a period of time. Pep has done that very thing with multiple signings.

Add the fact he was in his off season when he arrived and it makes it all the more prominent.

There's a lot to critisize Potter for right now, this isn't one of them.

Except he began phasing him in too early when he shouldn’t have. I agree with your sentiment, but Potter doesn’t seem to have a plan to introduce him slowly like the managers you mentioned have done with similar signings. Feel like there’s something going on behind the scenes. 

People expect too much of him because of his pricetag. He is young and relatively inexperienced player. People should drop the media's narrative where numbers are thrown: CHELSEA SPENT 600M! Mudryk 88M! I expect more from this forum and Chelsea fans.

First of all Mudryk's fee was 60+M but with bonuses it could rise to 88M. Second of all we have penned him down for 8 years. Now it doesn't mean we have succeeded with the deal other than we managed to steal him from Arsenal. Time will tell. 

What Boehly has done is he has secured players for us before our competition. Enzo and Mudryk were pretty high up on our competitors lists. 

Mudryk has shown he can be a top player. He is not one yet. Couple seasons under a hopefully stable management he should be a very exciting player.

1 minute ago, evissy said:

People expect too much of him because of his pricetag. He is young and relatively inexperienced player. People should drop the media's narrative where numbers are thrown: CHELSEA SPENT 600M! Mudryk 88M! I expect more from this forum and Chelsea fans.

First of all Mudryk's fee was 60+M but with bonuses it could rise to 88M. Second of all we have penned him down for 8 years. Now it doesn't mean we have succeeded with the deal other than we managed to steal him from Arsenal. Time will tell. 

What Boehly has done is he has secured players for us before our competition. Enzo and Mudryk were pretty high up on our competitors lists. 

Mudryk has shown he can be a top player. He is not one yet. Couple seasons under a hopefully stable management he should be a very exciting player.

Potter needs to start playing him first, didn't even sub him on last game

Just now, Drogba1 said:

Potter needs to start playing him first, didn't even sub him on last game

He gets his chances. I think he is at his best when opponent is attacking as opposed to sitting back. He needs the space to attack. 

17 hours ago, evissy said:

He gets his chances. I think he is at his best when opponent is attacking as opposed to sitting back. He needs the space to attack. 

You're describing Timo Werner. 

Mudryk has a technical level that makes him useful in both congested areas as well as exploiting highlines. 

My biggest fear is that Potter just has no idea how to utilize such talent. 

Can't get my head around Mudryk not getting game time. 

On 05/03/2023 at 00:20, Argo said:

Actually it's not that uncommon for a new signing expensive or otherwise to be bled in over a period of time. Pep has done that very thing with multiple signings.

Add the fact he was in his off season when he arrived and it makes it all the more prominent.

There's a lot to critisize Potter for right now, this isn't one of them.

Not coming on against Leeds was really bizarre. For me that is inexcusable. Against a team who likes to attack and were losing, he should have really introduced Mudryk. There were chances on the counter. He went too cautious, which in his defence was because we/he badly needed a win, however not bringing him on at all wit the game getting stretch bemuses me.

1 minute ago, timetowaste said:

Can't get my head around Mudryk not getting game time. 

Doesn't fit Potter's tactics. He needs to be facing goal, running at and in behind players. Our wingers are too often with their back to goal and don't run in behind defences. They also receive the ball too late and are standing still on the sideline. Everything we do has to be intricate with passes through tiny gaps. On counter attacks, our wingers are really deep with a massive gap between them and the striker, so he wouldn't even be able to make any use of that with these tactics. 

Mudryk is an ill fit for the system we play. There is almost no chance he will work out unless it changes. Our wing play is exactly the same now as it was when Hazard and Willian were here. Two wingers that could stop and suddenly burst to life with pace, close ball control and dribbling. We don't have wingers for that kind of football anymore, so why do we keep doing it?

Cucurella dropped for 3 games and Mudryk benched for 3 games ... I wonder if these decisions have anything to do with all that "Cucurella not passing to Mudryk" shenanigans, and the subsequent social media reaction from Mudryk ? Graham enforcing a bit of discipline in the interests of squad harmony perhaps ?

Who is this Mudryk you all speak of?

On 04/03/2023 at 23:42, PhilH930 said:

How many clubs can sign a player for 62M, potential fee 88M, and sit him on the bench unused against a relegation battler. It would make sense if he needed to be rested. 

this is bizarre. My only conclusion is Potter deemed him to be far too positive and attacking and needs more time to coach it out of him!

feel for the lad and want to see him play 

The only conclusion is Potter deemed him too good to play? You really genuinely think this to be the case?

I know the Potter Out narrative is ripe but seriously.

He hasn't played in months and is in his pre season.  The pressure is mounting on the manager who selected 2 fully fit players ahead of him then when we went ahead made tactical changes to try and ensure the result.  Something he has been widely criticised for not doing for a while now.

I think it was clear from the couple of times he played, minus the cameo again Liverpool, that he wasn't quite there yet and needs more time.

If anything I'd actually say Potter is managing his integration quite well and protecting the lad from the everyone and everything is sh**e narrative that is endlessly spouted just now.

 

5 hours ago, grantb said:

The only conclusion is Potter deemed him too good to play? You really genuinely think this to be the case?

I know the Potter Out narrative is ripe but seriously.

He hasn't played in months and is in his pre season.  The pressure is mounting on the manager who selected 2 fully fit players ahead of him then when we went ahead made tactical changes to try and ensure the result.  Something he has been widely criticised for not doing for a while now.

I think it was clear from the couple of times he played, minus the cameo again Liverpool, that he wasn't quite there yet and needs more time.

If anything I'd actually say Potter is managing his integration quite well and protecting the lad from the everyone and everything is sh**e narrative that is endlessly spouted just now.

 

No, I think the case is Potter does not know his best team.  Nothing to do with narrative of wanting him out.  I can understand playing Sterling for his experience, but prior to Sterlings return, the combination of an out of form Mount or the soon to be sold Ziyech starting over Mudryk does not cut it for me.

I also don't buy the preseason stuff.  He was already two weeks into training when we signed him Jan 15, 50 days ago.  He made his debut against Liverpool Jan 21, 44 days ago.  If Potter can't condition him in 7 weeks then I also question that.

To me this is a time to try something different.  I am concerned our best attacking player is a left wing back, and we look woeful from open play.  It would take a lot more than one player and improvement in the system/execution, but  I respectfully disagree and think Mudryk's integration has been poor.  I hope to be proven wrong.

I know it's early days, but how could the manager pick Ziyech ( who already packed up ) instead of Mudryk ? It made no sense in both short and long terms. Throw him on after 80 minutes chasing 0:2 was just criminal, you set the guy out to fail.  Pullisic is coming back soon, so poor Mudryk may not see much actions soon. I take it as Potter not knowing his best 11 our of 30 something, and he's not willing to offend any players, so everyone get a small piece of the pie.

Has to start tonight for me

I think he's not getting picked because he's a bit lost on his defensive duties. When you're a manager who is on the brink of the sack you dont want to take any risks so you go with whoever is more experienced in those positions.

Pulisic preferred tonight, quite telling? Is he struggling to settle ?

6 minutes ago, charierre said:

Pulisic preferred tonight, quite telling? Is he struggling to settle ?

He was on his off season when we signed him he’s still young and will be here for years to come plus he was ill potter is taking him out of the firing line to take the pressure off him and let him settle.

Sometimes we forget they humans and it’s not easy to just switch especially mid season 

Give the guy time.

7 minutes ago, charierre said:

Pulisic preferred tonight, quite telling? Is he struggling to settle ?

Could be a lot of things. His behaviour on social media, the system, fitness, could also be Potter is just leaving him out to give him time to settle, Lampard did the same with Pulisic.

1 minute ago, El regreso said:

He was on his off season when we signed him he’s still young and will be here for years to come plus he was ill potter is taking him out of the firing line to take the pressure off him and let him settle.

Sometimes we forget they humans and it’s not easy to just switch especially mid season 

Give the guy time.

It was more of a comment on his pecking order at present. Didn’t you read me questioning his settling ?

I don't know why he isn't being used, him and Felix are the most exciting players we have in my opinion. Hopefully he is just being eased in rather than just deemed surplus to requirements by Potter, Pulisic coming on instead of him is a slap in the face.