Chelsea Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2023/24

kalych

To me the issue is the pedestrian pace of the Chelsea build up play that's putting our defense under unnecessary pressure. If we played just a little more direct, had clearer wingers dropping deep to receive the ball rather than this constant switching the ball from left or right in defense, we'd surely be able to cut out these silly mistakes that keep costing us games.

GavRedKing

That result is awful, like really, really bad but in a way, especially at HT, its a point gained but before K/O, you'd see it as 2 points dropped.

Lampard got it tactically wrong again, we're still missing 3 or 4 starters but hes getting it wrong far too much for liking.

Christensen and Alonso shouldnt have played, Zouma/Tomor at CB and Azp at LB would have been my call.

Tammy rescued a point but for 94 mins, he was poor.

Odoi changed the game when he came on and he should have started him wide left, with Werner through the middle.

Speaking of Werner, hes started so brightly but the poor f**ker needs a goal.

The Silva error is Gerrard-esque but apart from that he done alright.

Big game on Tuesday, away to Spurs who have played a few games more than us and look just as poor and inconsistent as they were last year.

Saying that, at the moment, I dont think we're much, if at all better than them without our full squad back.

A win there though and the poor start is forgotten about.

grumpymunster

Lampards free ride is over now and the team has to start performing. Our defence has not improved at all since he took over and I do not believe the players are as bad as they look. Rudiger for example has regressed terribly over the past season and Christensen has not looked anything like the player he was on loan at Monchengladbach.

These are odd times which must also be factored in I guess - City being hammered 2-5 at home to And Leicester Happy Hammers beating Wolves 4-0 are to say somewhat unexpected results but conceding 3 in 30 minutes to the Baggies is simply unacceptable. Thank God Kepa wasn't in goal otherwise he would have been blamed to paper over the cracks.

GavRedKing

I think the main issue and it will be an issue for a few weeks yet is, no team has had a pre season and it shows.

I said it previously, I dont think we'll see the est of most teams until about 8-10 PL games when fitness, tactics and training starts marrying up.

I do agree though, Lampard has to get the side top 4 again anything else is really a failure given the players signed. A trophy would be nice and very welcome too but Top 4, and get within about 10-12 points of the winners would be a good season.

Gav, welcome back from Hiatus

GavRedKing

Deleted User wrote: »

Gav, welcome back from Hiatus

Thank you, it was far too long.

Working from home has helped a lot, mainly I can access Boards whenever I want, as work blocked Boards, no idea why though. :pac:

Johner

Wonder what sort of team we will see tonight, Spurs have it awful with fixtures last Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday again so I’d imagine they will make a lot of changes. I’d hope we go relatively strong, would like to win any trophy this year.

GavRedKing

I'd like to see

Mendy
Azp Zouma Tomori Chilwell
Kante Kovacic
Mount Havertz Odoi
Werner

Willy
Silva James
Barkley Jorginho
Tammy Giroud

grumpymunster

Might throw RLC and Barkley in the mix give Barkley game time and cup tie RLC:D

Carpentry

GavRedKing wrote: »

I'd like to see

...

Us winning, for a change, don't care who's playing

duploelabs

grumpymunster wrote: »

Might throw RLC and Barkley in the mix give Barkley game time and cup tie RLC:D

And decrease any loan fee we might get for RLC, no thanks

GavRedKing

Carpentry wrote: »

Us winning, for a change, don't care who's playing

I think we will, Spurs being involved in the EL qualifiers is fairly taxing this early and their schedule is reflecting that.

It wont be easy but I'd hope we have enough in the tank to get it done.

I cant wait until we can finally see Zieych and Pulisic start for us, will give us a serious potent attacking trident.

I do hope Werner can get off the mark too, hes done everything but score for us so far.

GavRedKing

Just checked Spurs fixtures and they will be playing 6 games in 14 days.

Thats mad.

We should hopefully grind them down tonight as you'd imagine, while Jose would love a trophy, the EL qualifiers on Thursday is far more important than a League Cup game.

Carpentry

GavRedKing wrote: »

Just checked Spurs fixtures and they will be playing 6 games in 14 days.

Thats mad.

We should hopefully grind them down tonight as you'd imagine, while Jose would love a trophy, the EL qualifiers on Thursday is far more important than a League Cup game.

still wouldn't think we will walk over them like we did with Barnsley

GavRedKing

Carpentry wrote: »

still wouldn't think we will walk over them like we did with Barnsley

Oh, no hope are we winning by that much but if we're as loose at the back as we were against Barnsley, we'll be punished.

grumpymunster

GavRedKing wrote: »

Oh, no hope are we winning by that much but if we're as loose at the back as we were against Barnsley, we'll be punished.

Yea was good that we really tightened up against the Baggies :eek:

Any old win will do and of course Spurs will be up for this.

GavRedKing

Well Lampard has beaten Mourinho twice last year, would be great to add another now tonight.

peteeeed

https://twitter.com/chelseafc/status/1310999049160593411?s=21

peter4918

peteeeed wrote: »

https://twitter.com/chelseafc/status/1310999049160593411?s=21

Loftus Cheek obviously heading out on loan if he doesnt even make the bench tonight. Hope CHO has a good game. Really want him to stay & fight for his spot.

Killinator

Another game thrown away

Tubbs4

Really need to be winning something this year. At least going out early we can get some defence training in.

kalych

Missed the match, however from the highlights I saw 3 positives:
Before Emerson (and admittedly Kane for Spurs) came on our defense seemed to be better equipped than before and we stopped trying to play everything out of defense opting instead to clear from the box. I think that's a positive. Second, nice to see Werner score and in general he looked sharp almost adding a second. Third, CHO again from highlights alone looked to be getting fitter by the game. Also Mendi looked like a presence in the box we've been missing, made a good save from a Spurs wingback's strike.
Negatives obviously the goal with Emerson getting on the wrong side of his man. Let's hope Chillwell doesn't get injured this season or we're in real trouble.

GavRedKing

So much wrong with that defeat that I dont know where to start.

Theres no way that we should have lost that game given the circumstances.

We dominated the first half and deservedly led through Werner.

Spurs were well on top in the 2nd half and deserved their goal too through all the pressure.

The biggest issues for me though is the decision making is still atrocious.

1-0 with 15mins to go and Odoi instead of playing in Tammy or Werner, decides to go alone and misses the target, it was a bad miss and an even worse decision.

1-0 with 10min to go, Mount and Werner are 2 on 1 against a Spurs CB, a simple straight pass sets Werner in to finish game and Mount doesnt even get close to making it, TBH, that was far more disappointing than him missing a penalty.

The goal is another shambles, 2 CBs dont get off the ground and Emerson is trotting back to cover the back post and Lamela has an easy finish.

Penalties are a lotto, cant blame Mendy for anything really and Mount was unlucky with his effort but the biggest gripes are the 3 issues above and that when Spurs stepped it up in the 2nd half, we had no answer at all.

We're not good enough to sit on a 1-0 lead and at the other end, simple, brain dead decision making is make us pass up opportunities to kill teams off.

Its almost like we've learned nothing from last season and thats the most concerning thing about last night.

GavRedKing

Barkleys gone to Villa, season long loan.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1311238112098553857?s=20

GavRedKing

If RCL and Barkley go on loan, does it mean we'll go s**t or bust for Rice?

I hope not TBH, I don't rate him at all.

Techless

GavRedKing wrote: »

If RCL and Barkley go on loan, does it mean we'll go s**t or bust for Rice?

I hope not TBH, I don't rate him at all.

Not sure about that. IMO we need another defensive minded midfielder to work with Kante. We are so open that teams seem to run straight through to attack our leaky defenders. He gives that option plus could cover in central defence if needed.

Barr

I don’t see any improvement over last season, still leaking goals for fun.

Mendy looked ok last nite , he had one dodgy moment but got away with it .

He didn’t get near any the pens , in saying that they were well taken by spurs .

GavRedKing

Penalties are a lottery, I'd say he had 0 info on potential takers and where they prefer.

I think during the game he done alright, nothing spectacular but was assertive, which is all you can ask really.

I agree on the new improvement too and its a big worry.

Barr

What was weird was Jose smirking all through the shoot out - I haven't seem that man so happy in years :pac:

Johner

Second half performance the other night was an embarrassment. Really disappointing to go out in the end. Was a bit surprised at Barkley going out on loan, thought he could be a decent squad player this season.

grumpymunster

Yea second half was terrible really CHO and Tammy need to step up in a big way. Mount did make a mess of that pass to Wagner but overall thought he did OK he put in a hell of a shift working very hard.
I guess Barkley wanted game time with the Euro's next summer so I can understand from his point of view - at least he wants to play - but agree he would have been a good squad player for the season.

Tom Mann Centuria

If team had had a pre season I'd definitely be saying Lampard is on borrowed time, but 1 game, with half a new team is a long way from any kind of useful pre season.

GavRedKing

The problem is, theres nothing changing from last year. Thats the worry.

Its like we've learned nothing from the previous 15 months.

hots

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

If team had had a pre season I'd definitely be saying Lampard is on borrowed time, but 1 game, with half a new team is a long way from any kind of useful pre season.

He's trying to bed in half a new starting 11, and by and large it's individual errors killing us (against spurs, Emerson, Mount, Cho alone make a 3 goal swing). The real concern from that game was the attitude in the second half, we were the far far better team in the first half and even in the second created better chances, but there's a serious lack of leadership on the pitch, after 45-55 of getting outworked that's when you need someone to grab the team by the scruff of the neck and get them working again.

Bringing Kovacic off was a big mistake from Frank mind you, he was the driving force from midfield, if anything I would have added someone beside him to strengthen the middle rather than taking him off.

I also don't think CHO and Tammy can be on the pitch together, you can't afford 2 passengers in a team, Tammy always is and CHO works in fits and bursts. Particularly against a jose team there's zero room for that.

Johner

Sevilla not the worst from Pot A.

Johner

Krasnodar the handiest one from pot 3 apart from the travel.

Johner

Rennes.

That’s a handy enough group tbf should be getting out of that without much trouble.

ShoulderChip

Not sure about declan rice.

GavRedKing

I think that CL draw was as kind as possible TBH.

One of the "easiest" sides from Pot 1 and the Pot 3 and 4 sides, we avoided the better sides like Inter, Atlanta and the RB sides.

I'd be confident of going through, pick up 4 points against Sevilla and we should top the group.

GavRedKing

ShoulderChip wrote: »

Not sure about declan rice.

Not worth it TBH.

I dont see it happening anyway at this stage, its too late in the window to get the business done, not unless we want to pay up to 80m for him.

GavRedKing

Todays press conference

Lampard on selling Chelsea's squad: "We have a big squad. I am not interested in getting involved with the speculation over the last few days of the window." #CFC

Lampard on loaning players like Hudson-Odoi, Tomori and Loftus-Cheek: "With every player in the squad, you consider what's best for the players. With those three players, I haven't got an answer." #CFC

Lampard on Mount missing a pen: "Everybody rallied around Mason as they would do around anyone in the squad. I have been a penalty misser. With Mason, the biggest thing is that he might feel he let down me or his team-mates but it has been the opposite. He is fantastic" #CFC

Lampard on injuries: "Pulisic is in the squad for tomorrow but he won't start the match."
Ziyech won't make it but is close. #CFC

peter4918

Lampard on loaning players like Hudson-Odoi, Tomori and Loftus-Cheek: "With every player in the squad, you consider what's best for the players. With those three players, I haven't got an answer." #CFC

He hasn’t got the answer?
Very strange, Surely he’s the only one who has answer, they are either in his plans or not. It’s going to be a long season and I think it would madness to let any of them go at this stage.

GavRedKing

The players might want to go, they'll all want to be playing for England in the Euros and like Barkley, a loan was his best bet.

Tammy might have enough brownie points to stay in the squad but Odoi and certainly Tomori and RLC are on the fringes of the squad.

GavRedKing

Its then up to Chelsea to find a viable PL loan that, a) will play them and b) the player will join.

ShoulderChip

GavRedKing wrote: »

Its then up to Chelsea to find a viable PL loan that, a) will play them and b) the player will join.

Filling in for Pete who is fitting a rug or something,

No mount, CHO steps in instead hopefully to fend off bayern's interest in loaning him.

Big move.

Good luck folks.

Johner

Chilwell!! Probably our most dangerous player, very impressed with him.

peteeeed

Great win, back 4 superb

Carpentry

Now that's my TEAM

Tom Mann Centuria

Dave needs to play every week.

Panthro

Think we've found out back 5.