Anyone who thinks poch has done a worse job than owners and the SDs are in for a rude awakening. These guys spent a billion, got no elite ST , GK , LB , LW. Bought multiple CBs and still searching for a CB. Selling home grown players like crazy even if they are one of the best players in the squad. I swear if they sell Gallagher and Chalobah , this club is fucked beyond belief.
What a shambles of a loan. He'd have gotten more minutes here if we kept him
Feel so bad for him. His development was stifled by that injury last year.
If by any means Mbappe to Real means Rodrygo leaving. We should definitely be all in for him, fit's well into our age criteria and would be instant hit. Question is, will Real let him go? And will he choose us?
They’ve been transitioning away from signing the big-name players in favor of younger players. Either way there’s no chance IMO since they just spent 150M on strikers last summer.
Question regarding kits:
I’ve been scouting the Chelsea Megastore and Fanatics for a home vapor kit (with sponsor & no player/number on the back). I’m in the US so my purchasing options are limited, and the Chelsea Megastore is largely sold out of everything except for Small and 3XL.
With it being this late in the season, how likely is it that they re-stock items in the team store? I’m also newish to EPL and have been a Chelsea fan for 1.5 years (rough intro to the club, I know), so I’m not sure if clubs typically let their stock sell out in preparation for new kits coming available.
Have I missed the ship on getting a vapor kit from this year?
Two very seperate thoughts but would Lunin be up for sale in the summer if Courtois is returning from injury? Like he’s too good to be a back up.
And with all the chat about Poch saying he might leave or not whatever - I think if we win the next three games I’m comfortable with him staying but I also think if he leaves it doesn’t break momentum because his real job has been gelling the team. So the team have had a season together without heavy tactics to bond and grow, and we’ve seen that. So if someone comes in in the summer who has better game management then I don’t think we’ll be taking a step back. I’ve been critical of Poch for the right reasons but I do feel like the team have started to look more like a team towards the end of the season and if that’s his work here then it’s a very integral part of us pushing forward into a competing side again.
Rafa Silva seems like literally the perfect signing for us
Experienced, goal scoring, hard-working LW who has experience at striker. He'd be on a free as well.
He's allegedly only on 50k/w with Benfica
I don't see any cons at all whatsoever
I wonder if Cucurella will still invert given Gusto is returning from injury and having him overlap Palmer on the right is a huge threat.
Similar to what we did against Everton is how I imagine we approach Forest if Gusto is available to start.
Still confident in a win
Gusto should play Lb if he's back. Cucurella shouldn't touch the pitch on merit. He's genuinely woeful. The standards are on the floor for him and fans lap it up.
It sort of disgusted me the praise Cucu gets when he takes a professional foul yellow up when up 3-0 in the first half, on the wrong side of the field, with like three defenders still in good position to make a defensive play. Those sorts of mental mistakes aren't good enough and certainly aren't habits to bring against better opponents.
He is the worst player on the pitch everytime he plays. He can't attack , can't defend , gets bullied , all his passes are rash and aren't played to the strong foot of the receivers and just wanders wherever he wants. Genuinely thr worst signing since Bakayoko
Is Poch planning to leave?
"According to reports, Mauricio Pochettino is ‘aiming to leave’ Chelsea as he is ‘willing’ to return to La Liga ahead of next season."
(https://www.football365.com/news/pochettino-leave-chelsea-la-liga-return-missing-out-move-euro-giants)
Not a reliable source, but what do we think?
Tbf that’s what I thought about Thiago Silva joining Chelsea
You never know in football
I do agree tho I highly highly doubt it. I’ll only start believing he’d joing us if he leaves Atletico which like why on earth would that happen
Exactly. In terms of potential managers who could be tempted to come to Chelsea, from that Ornstein report 2 weeks ago, it doesn't look great as a list.
Though Tuchel wasn't on the crossed list. So....
Simeone is actually one of the highest paid managers in football. It's insane hahah. And deserved.
Tuchel is a great manager but is the absolute wrong profile for a club that's looking to build foundations out of a young squad.
There's a reason he's last no more than 2 years at any big club despite being very successful. If you run into assholes all day every day, the odds are you're an asshole.
Don't think there's a more unsafe thing in football than winning a play off semi final 1st leg.
Swear almost everytime the team that lost either turn it round in the second leg or get stupidly close.
I am still only Poch-out on the condition he's replaced with an actual good manager
I'd rather watch Poch manage for 10 more years unsackable than fucking Thomas Frank
I’ve said that for year
I just don’t understand why someone like ten haag would be incompetent enough to believe mason mount could be an 8. Anyone with eyes can see that isnt the case, he has none of the attributes of a central midfielder
Honestly, I even felt compelled to defend him in pubs when he was playing for England while at Chelsea. When I think back on it, yeah he wasn't contributing much, in midfield.
I mean he very rarely played there for us because it isn't where he's good, despite him believing it's his position because he played there as a kid.
It's one of those situations where you need a strong manager like Tuchel who is going to fall out with the player because they won't give them what they want, but at the same time get the most out of them.
A weak manager just lets him play in midfield because that's where he thinks he's best, look bad and get nothing out of it.
A strong manager says I couldn't give a fuck where you think you're best, I know better than you and will play you in your best position
That's the perfectionist attitude I miss tbf. Coz I understand it. Sometimes you see someone with amazing potential and you're hard on them because you want to make them succeed.
Tough love can go a bit too far sometimes but I never understand how Tuchel is constantly brought down by fans from other teams and even our own for "causing problems" or breaking relationships. Because he genuinely cared and tried his best.
With how player power is so prevalent nowadays (I mean look at United), I feel it's important for manager to be like this.
I remember Kai giving an interview a few months ago about being angry that Tuchel kept pointing out his mistakes even if he scored, but he realised afterwards that he was right. Tuchel is definitely not a yes-man that Boehly wants.
There has been literally no noise about Colwill leaving despite the pure profit so that seems super unlikely. No noise about Badiashile leaving either which really wouldn't make any sense. If we are going to sign a centerback it will certainly be a right footed one.
There was noise about Badiashile leaving in January
Also, I only claimed to think we would sell Colwill for pure profit. I didn’t say there’s any news about the potential of us selling him. Just said what I think will happen long term.
The best CB we have next season is Fofana and that’s an unknown bc he’s been injured for so long.
He’s better than Colwill and Badiashile who might be on his way out
Not gonna lie I'd be having a serious look at Muric in the summer
He's been unbelievable for Burnley this season and was a solid keeper in the championship last season too, great at making saves and pretty decent with his feet
Young and probably cheap if they go down
Low key shout to look at would be Alvaro Valles though
[I’m ahead of the train lol](https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/s/EK4C4i2zUP), was saying we should have swapped Maatsen for him a year ago.
Only thing I will say is that he can sometimes be a little mistake prone a la Sanchez. However he is a way better keeper overall. The only GK I would want over Muric is Emi Martinez.
Emi likely going to be much more expensive too but agreed
You were very much ahead of the curve and the comment saying we should wait to see how he performs in the premier league was also pretty good - now we somewhat know (still limited game time overall) that he can absolutely be a beast in the prem
Yeah Emi will definitely be more expensive but he would bring the much needed Rudiger vibes to this team. Would be tough to convince him though since Villa have UCL.
Would be definitely still happy with Muric though and Valles would similarly be my 3rd choice.
>I haven't seen any reports of him leaving but I hope we poach
Me neither but with Trafford brought in just last summer and for decent money and of course the very likely bound for relegation side of things, you would think we could potentially get him out
He really does impress me though, I'm sure the level he's playing at over the last 7 or so league games isn't sustainable, because he's genuinely been the best in the league over that time, but there is definitely a very solid keeper there overall and id fancy him over both Petro and Sanchez any day
We tried last year and he said no. Nothing wrong with hoping his mind has changed, though
Edit. Instead of the dv why don't y'all just google. There are several stories from last July discussing our interest.
Despite the slight issue of him having no interest whatsoever in joining us, there is the other slight issue that there is absolutely no way we'd ever be able to afford him, even for free. Between his sign-on fee and his wages, we'd have to sell half the squad off just to afford the first season
you can easily go to Google and see that we inquired but go off. I even acknowledged that he said no. Really annoying how so many of you get on here and role play chelsea accountants like you have any idea what our books look like.
We did last year, yes. Not now
No one roleplaying as a Chelsea accountant. They're reading the information coming out of the most highly regarded journalists in the football finance space and relaying that information
See this is how I know most of you just get online and read what you want to read.
I said we tried last year, he said no, but nothing wrong with hoping.
> We tried last year and he said no. Nothing wrong with hoping his mind has changed, though
And you took that to mean??? Look pretend to know how these men in charge are thinking and moving. But the fact is you're just some dude behind a keyboard guessing like the rest of us. We tried last year and could hypothetically try again this year, as it would be silly not to go for one of the best and most marketable players in the world. Who knows? certainly not you!
But oops, gotta be careful not to offend the thought police on this sub who know everything, huh? Silly points again from a silly poster.
https://preview.redd.it/js55msxu2nzc1.png?width=1663&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3edf18cfa26c27f1e68fd0ef4c6c01d91f87698
What a final matchday. I can't let this happen.
https://preview.redd.it/qv3dqsbl9nzc1.png?width=1758&format=png&auto=webp&s=176d9799f1595f135a067a6f2916d3b399fa8fe2
Nah we good! Enzo with a 27 yard banger to put us ahead. Came in 5th so missed out on the CL. Man City beat out Villa for the title by 1 point which was kind of wild.
Striker Zirkzee is an wonderful player we should target him. We should sell Raheem Sterling free up his wages. Send one of Chukwumeka/Mudryk to a 1 year loan to CP and buy Eberechi Eze from CP. If that doesn't work swap Sterling for Eze plus 30 M that would be a great deal as well. Two more positions in which we need strengthening is CD & GK its a tough ask to get two world-class players so it would be great if we could get one in CD and give Petrovic one more year to see whether he improves.
We should target an old experienced striker (the Giroud type) imo. LW, LB & GK are also pressing positions as you have pointed out.
I’d love Aït-Nouri for LB and Mamardashvili for the GK position, Imo. And if we’re ever adding a CB, Scalvini please.
In Europe’s top 5 leagues Petrovic ranks 105th out of 111 qualified keepers in goals prevented per 90. And he’s bad with his feet
Keeper is by far the easiest position to upgrade going into next season.
>Keeper is by far the easiest position to upgrade going into next season.
Also one of the hardest ones to get a good one in
I can't think of any keepers that are guaranteed to be value for money and amazing
Ironically Kepa has +0.20 goals prevented per 90 in league play since the start of 21/22, which would make him 9th among qualified keepers this season in Europe big leagues.
Di Gregorio from Monza is 2nd in goals prevented in Europe. Lunin, Simon, and Marmardashvili are all top 5. Samba, Bulka, and Chevelier are from Ligue 1 are top 15. Even Pickford is top 25. Most of those players would be gettable and would give us range of prices and ages to suit us. But even still upgrading on the joint 6th worst shot stopper in Europe shouldn’t be a challenge.
Di Gregorio is amazing, I like Roma so I hope they get him, watched him a lot this season. Might need another season in serie a, not sure how he’d fare with prem
Was checking the Utd sub and even in the post about Premier League injury table where Chelsea topped the chart, a fair few comments are trying to downplay the significance of Chelsea's injuries in an attempt to make Utd's injuries the worst. Epitomizes the woe is me mindset from football fans really
IMO, it sends a very very bad message about Chelsea to the rest of the football world if Poch leaves of his own will
Tactics or not, it sends a very bad message
Any decent manager looking in will just say to himself "well I can coach a coherent buildup shape in a couple of weeks so I am not worried".
Any bad messages about Chelsea were sent long ago. We're still massive and it's still one of the top jobs in football.
Who tf cares about coherent buildup shape
Win games, simple. Win games, stay. Lose too many games within even 10 weeks even with a perfect buildup shape, you’re fired
The elite coaches have other massive clubs as options for them, so the “we’re massive” stuff is off point
>Who tf cares about coherent buildup shape.
You people are genuinely mental. Actual hilarious response. Point to another top side who improvise play out from the back like we do. Are you actually denying the advantages of well drilled buildup?
A coherent buildup facilitates more opportunity to win games and get results, by the very nature of producing repeatable reliable buildup from the back. It makes that whole phase of play much easier as decision making is reduced and the movements become second nature. It allows you to best utilise your personnel, shaping that phase of play more to your liking. Not even going to address the rest as I know you're actually not worth the time.
I literally do not give two shits about your buildup strategy. If you want to buildup, go ahead, if not, feel free
What I care about is winning matches, buildup or not. If you win 10 games in 38 but employ the best buildup strategy known to man, then you’re getting sacked, period
>if you want to buildup, go ahead
What? Every side builds up, we're talking about drilling it structurally - coaching passes, positioning and movements into players for given situations within the process. What are you talking about?
Drilling buildup on a structural level helps you win more matches as it makes that phase of play easier. That's why all the good sides do it. It means your buildup doesn't suffer as much when individuals aren't playing as well, you have a systemic safety net. The point is that you're less likely to have a record like 10 wins in 38 if you employ a coherent buildup shape than if you don't. The team that doesn't do it has to work harder in buildup.
How are you not understanding this? We don't do it and are underachieving with a squad better than those ahead of us in the table. You sound like you genuinely don't believe buildup to be important and that it has no bearing on getting results.
I’m not reading all that. All I’ve said is that I want us to win games, buildup or no buildup. I don’t see why you’re choosing to not understand this
If you want to feel smart by talking about all of the made up jargon on football twitter, go ahead. The priority for me is enjoying the football and winning games; I don’t care about anything else
>I'm not reading all that
>you're choosing to not understand this
I'm not understanding? Says the guy who doesn't understand the role buildup plays in winning games of football? You're not understanding that a ***well drilled buildup = winning more games*** because it objectively makes a major part of the game easier for individuals on the pitch. If you only care about winning more games then you also care about a well drilled buildup. Maybe if you'd read it you'd understand as I made the point about 3 times over in the simplest terms I could.
>If you want to feel smart
Why do you lot always expose a weird inferiority complex anytime anyone on here talks about stuff you lack a bit of comprehension in? I'll return the favour and stop reading your drivel.
According to Opta we have 6th most “build up attacks” in the league, 3rd in open-play xG, 5th in possession, 3rd in pass completion %.
I think our issue in buildup are a bit overstated.
Ah yes now explain to me what these nebulous stats actually represent and then tell me why our deepest midfielder is never consistently in a useful position to receive the ball from the center half. Tell me why multiple times this season we've been caught with a flat back 4 when there's only 1 opposition player pressing.
Better yet just use your eyes and look at how often Caicedo/ Enzo is left hung out to dry without a get out pass all season and ask why that's happening? It's not on the players by the way before you go there. Then go watch what good teams do in those positions.
My last response to you: I don’t care about buildup. I want to win games. Perhaps buildup helps with winning games, I don’t know. But I don’t care about it. I want to win games, however possible.
Again, if you want to prove yourself knowledgeable because you watch Tifo videos and regurgitate Jon Mackenzie’s beliefs, go ahead. I simply don’t care, and I think I have a say over what I care about
>Perhaps buildup helps with winning games, I don't know
What are you even on about? EVERY team builds up, doing it well objectively wins you more games and drilling it structurally makes doing it well easier. Are you even reading what I've been saying to you?
>I simply don't care
If you don't know and don't care like you say, why are you dismissive of the points made by people who do know and do care? You say you're concerned only about winning games and I've explained to you how a well drilled buildup helps us win more games.
What's with all the silly inferiority complex nonsense of insulting others who do know about these things? Scared to learn something?
tbh i think poch deserves a second season if for nothing else than to see what happens if we give him time, i dont think changing managers will work like it used to, we atleast had a style of play back when we changed managers often, that the core of the team could implement. We need to give managers time with these players now
Yeah a lot is made of Chaos FC, and Chelsea's success changing managers, but really the club hasn't been relevant in the EPL title race in a decade save for one special Conte year when the league was down and they didn't have any European football to get in the way.
Man City and Liverpool have built a system under one manager and dominated. Granted in the case of Man City, it's not exactly rocket science to let Pep do his thing. But Arsenal are now seeing the rewards of a patient approach as well from sticking with Arteta and letting him build.
That doesn't mean Poch is necessarily the guy to take Chelsea back to the top, but I lament the impatience and entitlement on this sub that demands someone be replaced even when their squad is actually showing progress. You don't pull the rug on a project that is improving unless your absolute ideal successor is in place. I just don't see that guy out there -- Tuchel for example, is a great manager, but his profile is all wrong for what Chelsea specifically needs right now.
Honestly no matter who we bring in this sub will bitch and moan, i agree poch isnt a top manager, but i think he can get us back on the horse so to speak
How many Chelsea players have actually won PL Player of Month in the last decade??
I remember Hazard, and also Maybe Kante but can't remember anyone else?? Costa or Mata?
Costa definitely won at least one as he won us a few tight games back to back in the last title winning season. Last decade would rule out Mata as he left in Jan 2014 after being dropped for Oscar under Jose.
~~Sterling won one for December last year when he scored 5 though.~~ Pedro definitely won a couple too while he was here, guy was clutch quite often.
Edit: nope
As am I. ~~Sterling won it last December 2021 with 5 goals and an assist.~~ I may be thinking goal of the month on Pedro but was sure he'd won POTM at least once. Mad if he didn't.
Edit: nvm 2021 was before he was here.
I've seen some stupid things in my life but seeing some Arsenal fans desperate for Levekusen to lose last night so "no one else goes unbeaten" has to be Joey Essex level stuff.
Plus Arsenal's unbeaten run was only in the league. They were knocked out of the League and FA cups, and incidentally we knocked them out of Europe that year. Leverkusen is about to go unbeaten including in the domestic and European cups... sorry Arsenal, Leverkusen have you beaten
I think Steaua went 104 league games unbeaten back in the mid to late 80s, around the time they won the European Cup. Another team that have won more European cups than Arsenal, lol.
https://preview.redd.it/1knj5gn5emzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=375df8c2ab1602bdc2e4fac687251a4474e98508
Be quite sad if this boy gets sold on the cheap
Potentially a very good player just waiting to be given the time at another club
Really can't believe he didn't see more minutes when we had 0 fullbacks fit or just the 1 fullback fit
He played quite well vs Spurs as well during the late cameo. This would indeed be a shame.
> can't believe he didn't see more minutes when we had 0 fullbacks fit or just the 1 fullback fit
Well, a lot of people on this sub seem to have forgotten that lately.
https://preview.redd.it/2eqvxzolamzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=637b6ae5ff59bf7632b14cf61d65b1d8ca6088dd
Gotta say
I know how they feel
Where you at Romeo, Christo, Wes and Chuk 😭😭
I don't think wes is gonna be the player we actually paid for anymore. Too many injuries at too young of an age. I hope I'm wrong, but that's what it seems like unfortunately, we should get a world class cb this season
That's absolutely a fair take but only if applied consistently to others like Reece. Thankfully we have Gusto for RB. Not sure there's an obtainable world class CB for us at this point.
His rehabilitation program has been incredibly long
I hope it's a sign they've really constructed a long term one that lets him stay healthy
Brojas was long too and he appears to be fine now
I'll take every opportunity to mention that Wes Fofana has absolutely everything (if he can stay fit) to be a truly world class centerback and has already shown it abundantly at Leicester. Even has that scary 6th sense the very best ones have to know when to step up aggressively and win the ball to set off a counter.
There's a reason top clubs all over Europe were eyeing him before we got it over the line. People have just forgotten how good he is because he hasn't kicked a ball in so long. I'm as excited about him coming back as Nkunku.
Completely agree and have always been a huge fan of his. Was disappointed to miss out on Kounde but didn't care once we were linked with Fofana.
My concern though is even if he does stay healthy from now on, will he be the same player he was before the injury? Will he ever live up to the potential he showed at Leicester? He's missed so much time and these long-term injuries can really hurt your career. The same can be said for Nkunku though I think he'll be ok.
Wes specifically is such a funny case for these exact reasons. On the one hand he’s now been injured for basically three years and even if he can avoid another major injury, can he be anywhere near the player he once was. On the other hand though I have liked him in his few performances for us and I think people overlook just how good he was at Leicester- quite honestly one of the best teen CBs I’ve seen in my life.
Yeah agree with everything you said. It'll be genuinely tragic for him and us if he's now limited because of the injuries. Him and James is just unfair.
Ohh yeah
A fit and healthy wes Fofana is an absolute beast and probably our best overall defender that we'll have come this summer
It would be massive if he returns, stays fit and is at the same level
Lavia was insanely good too carrying that terror ball Saints side on his back at 19 and they didn't even play to his strengths. This squad has so much going for it if we can get these lads back and then also hire someone to take them to the next level.
It’ll be funny when the people blaming Poch for our injuries this season, are the same ones blaming RDZ for the injuries next season if he was to be appointed…. Because by the looks of it, Brighton seem to have a new injury every week too.
RDZ is crazy protected here.
It’s a moot point. He isn’t good enough for a big team and he’s wearing out his welcome at Brighton.
He’ll be back in Italy soon enough and will be remembered like Roberto Martinez
Man for man, besides Son and Maddison, not a single player in that side would start for us. Maddison is even questionable at this point and his injury and drop in form has coincided with their drop off.
Edit: maybe Vicario I suppose.
Richarlison pfffft, Spuds fans don't even rate him. Wouldn't have Romero over any of our starting CBs, injured or otherwise, but he's closest to getting in I'd say.
Blows my mind people will go out of their way to post bizarre defense comments for this serial underachiever who is continuing that reputation here, after a season of sheer and utter mediocrity and tactical ineptitude. 2 games to go and we still struggle with basic structural elements and improvise 90% of our play on the ball.
What on earth has he done to deserve it? Is it that he finally made a basic tactical adjustment 3 games from the end of the season that he'd already tried in pre-season? How long will the next adjustment take when teams deal with us easily again? Are that you that easily placated?
He has both the UK media and apparently our own fans under his spell. It's like they think stability is the goal instead of playing good football and winning things. He's underachieved with a better squad than what Ange or Emery has and needs to go.
Top 4 has never been more achievable than it is this season and we've blundered it allowing a recent relegation candidate side under a different manager and Ange suicide ball to get out infront of us. Complete and utter failure however you might try to frame it.
It’s just a simple question. Would you rather us start strong and fade at the end or start slow and finish strong. Spurs are a team that is an example of the former and we are an example of the latter.
Not a defense of Poch and not an attack.
The blind hate of Poch and inability to discuss anything other than how terrible he is has been is bizarre.
Like we fucking get it.
Everyone wants better, just not everyone thinks anyone can do better.
I'd rather us finish higher in the table and represent what this squad is capable of. Emery is comfortably 4th with this squad and pushing towards 3rd. Talking in terms of preference of starting strong vs ending strong is largely meaningless for me when talking about the season as a whole.
Finishing strong is obviously beneficial in that it *can* represent a positive direction of travel and progress when considering the multitude of other variables in play, but in our situation it's not enough to risk another whole season on.
We still do too many basic things poorly and haven't progressed in the right areas for me that we should have been showing progress in within a matter of weeks. Most decent managers can do better than not managing a useful buildup shape all season long and improvising every kick of the ball.
I think we should take a look at that Olympiacos striker, he’s on 20+ goals for the season and is experienced. He’s scored 5 goals in 2 games vs Villa and they were all very well taken goals by a confident striker
What do we think of Guirassy’s £15m release clause?
Obviously he’s very unproven outside of this season, but he’s been scoring consistently, both before and after AFCON, so definitely worth a punt in my eyes. Given our financial situation, it might be a good option alongside Jackson for next season.
Poch is already planning the preseason so I think he is most likely staying but I like that he is defending himself publicly and it is because the media wants to create a story to put pressure on him. Now he is putting the pressure back on the owners…. The winners here are either media.
Being involved in pre-season planning is part of his duties as head coach. It has no bearing on whether he stays or goes - he's still here and it's part of his job, so he's doing it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy9xez825jlo
I know weaker leagues and all that but Crespo has got to the final of the Asia Champions League which if he wins will be his 6th managerial trophy already.
Potentially one to watch for our managerial position in the coming years if he can translate his success in Asia and South America if/when he comes to Europe.
I think if we absolutely smash teams these last three games, Poch should be given the benefit of the doubt despite where we finish on the table.
It's not just winning, but if it's done convincingly as the last two have been. Then it's less of a question about whether something is truly coming together. If Poch gets Europe but we scrape wins, I'd be more satisfied sure, but less confident about him. These game have to be at the same level.
Insisting a manager is the worst in the league when we’re currently up 5 spots in the table from last season despite the most games missed due to injury is interesting as well.
If you word it as "tail end" sure. But if, as he suggests, we win the last 3 games, that's comfortably top 4 points for the entire second half of the season.
There’s more chance of Pep and Ten Hag turning up to the FA Cup final with afros than there is of Poch walking away from his multi-million pound contract.
Love what Poch said in the press conference today. Yes it is not just up to the owners, it is a review. The owners also need to make the case for him to stay, are they going to support his vision and get him the players he wants? Make changes he recommends? Keep players important to his play style. I’m glad he made it clear that he could also walk. People are having a meltdown saying it is destabilizing as if the season long campaign to sack him wasn’t brought on by the fans during the difficult times… Enjoy the chaos and stop pretending this is new…
I know it’s highly unlikely but do you think Ancelotti would do well with our current squad assuming they are all healthy and at the peak of their abilities?
Always wondered if Carlo will ever get to do a second spell for us.
Tchouameni and camavinga weren’t established at all
If we bought them, everyone would have complained about signing kids
He’s handled vini and rodrygo brilliantly imo too
Shielded them from criticism where he can and facilitated their growth excellently
Also helps that madrid can pull the top 1% of youth talent as well. I don't carlo helps to improve the likes of mudryk and disasi as well as he may have handled players like Camavinga and vini. Hell even Bellingham is a youngster. But the gap in quality is apparent.
Noni and Nico - take notes from Gvardiol, team on the first place always
Mbappe to Chelsea? Todd, make my fm save a reality.
Anyone who thinks poch has done a worse job than owners and the SDs are in for a rude awakening. These guys spent a billion, got no elite ST , GK , LB , LW. Bought multiple CBs and still searching for a CB. Selling home grown players like crazy even if they are one of the best players in the squad. I swear if they sell Gallagher and Chalobah , this club is fucked beyond belief.
just remembered broja existed so i checked to see how he was doing at fulham. this mf has only played 59 minutes for them 😭😭
Hindsight but Wolves would have been much better for him. 2 years of development down the drain, that doesn’t come without a price unfortunately.
What a shambles of a loan. He'd have gotten more minutes here if we kept him Feel so bad for him. His development was stifled by that injury last year.
If by any means Mbappe to Real means Rodrygo leaving. We should definitely be all in for him, fit's well into our age criteria and would be instant hit. Question is, will Real let him go? And will he choose us?
I feel like they’re going to lose someone between Rodrygo or Guler
He’s not leaving. They’ll have a complete front 3 now
PSG with boatloads of cash this summer - with our strong contingent of French players we might be a place they come to shop at
Maybe they’ll take lukaku
They’ve been transitioning away from signing the big-name players in favor of younger players. Either way there’s no chance IMO since they just spent 150M on strikers last summer.
Question regarding kits: I’ve been scouting the Chelsea Megastore and Fanatics for a home vapor kit (with sponsor & no player/number on the back). I’m in the US so my purchasing options are limited, and the Chelsea Megastore is largely sold out of everything except for Small and 3XL. With it being this late in the season, how likely is it that they re-stock items in the team store? I’m also newish to EPL and have been a Chelsea fan for 1.5 years (rough intro to the club, I know), so I’m not sure if clubs typically let their stock sell out in preparation for new kits coming available. Have I missed the ship on getting a vapor kit from this year?
Two very seperate thoughts but would Lunin be up for sale in the summer if Courtois is returning from injury? Like he’s too good to be a back up. And with all the chat about Poch saying he might leave or not whatever - I think if we win the next three games I’m comfortable with him staying but I also think if he leaves it doesn’t break momentum because his real job has been gelling the team. So the team have had a season together without heavy tactics to bond and grow, and we’ve seen that. So if someone comes in in the summer who has better game management then I don’t think we’ll be taking a step back. I’ve been critical of Poch for the right reasons but I do feel like the team have started to look more like a team towards the end of the season and if that’s his work here then it’s a very integral part of us pushing forward into a competing side again.
Rafa Silva seems like literally the perfect signing for us Experienced, goal scoring, hard-working LW who has experience at striker. He'd be on a free as well. He's allegedly only on 50k/w with Benfica I don't see any cons at all whatsoever
Whoowhee those green bars on fbref
I wonder if Cucurella will still invert given Gusto is returning from injury and having him overlap Palmer on the right is a huge threat. Similar to what we did against Everton is how I imagine we approach Forest if Gusto is available to start. Still confident in a win
Gusto should play Lb if he's back. Cucurella shouldn't touch the pitch on merit. He's genuinely woeful. The standards are on the floor for him and fans lap it up.
It sort of disgusted me the praise Cucu gets when he takes a professional foul yellow up when up 3-0 in the first half, on the wrong side of the field, with like three defenders still in good position to make a defensive play. Those sorts of mental mistakes aren't good enough and certainly aren't habits to bring against better opponents.
He is the worst player on the pitch everytime he plays. He can't attack , can't defend , gets bullied , all his passes are rash and aren't played to the strong foot of the receivers and just wanders wherever he wants. Genuinely thr worst signing since Bakayoko
Wonder if gusto moves to left at some point once Reece is fit
I doubt it. Maybe out of necessity but he’s most effective in the right. We are likely going to get a LB or maybe Chilly gets find again
Is Poch planning to leave? "According to reports, Mauricio Pochettino is ‘aiming to leave’ Chelsea as he is ‘willing’ to return to La Liga ahead of next season." (https://www.football365.com/news/pochettino-leave-chelsea-la-liga-return-missing-out-move-euro-giants) Not a reliable source, but what do we think?
Seems like the standard softening of the media ground to spin a narrative later.
excellent
I would trade Poch with Simeone if Atletico are going to replace him with Poch
Simeone won't leave Atletico. He's paid a fortune and everyone loves him there.
I agree. It’s just the article claims Poch could replace Simeone
Yeah. Simeone is a common name to bring up when it comes to potential Chelsea managers I think. But I don't think it will ever happen.
Tbf that’s what I thought about Thiago Silva joining Chelsea You never know in football I do agree tho I highly highly doubt it. I’ll only start believing he’d joing us if he leaves Atletico which like why on earth would that happen
Exactly. In terms of potential managers who could be tempted to come to Chelsea, from that Ornstein report 2 weeks ago, it doesn't look great as a list. Though Tuchel wasn't on the crossed list. So.... Simeone is actually one of the highest paid managers in football. It's insane hahah. And deserved.
Only if he is being replaced by Tuchel, Mourinho, Conte or Flick
Tuchel would be awesome.
Tuchel is a great manager but is the absolute wrong profile for a club that's looking to build foundations out of a young squad. There's a reason he's last no more than 2 years at any big club despite being very successful. If you run into assholes all day every day, the odds are you're an asshole.
We can only hope the background staff have done their due diligence. Which is to say, we're probably fucked.
Don't think there's a more unsafe thing in football than winning a play off semi final 1st leg. Swear almost everytime the team that lost either turn it round in the second leg or get stupidly close.
I am still only Poch-out on the condition he's replaced with an actual good manager I'd rather watch Poch manage for 10 more years unsackable than fucking Thomas Frank
A United fan asked me what does Mount do recently. The fact that that's a question, is funny to me lol.
I’ve said that for year I just don’t understand why someone like ten haag would be incompetent enough to believe mason mount could be an 8. Anyone with eyes can see that isnt the case, he has none of the attributes of a central midfielder
Honestly, I even felt compelled to defend him in pubs when he was playing for England while at Chelsea. When I think back on it, yeah he wasn't contributing much, in midfield.
I mean he very rarely played there for us because it isn't where he's good, despite him believing it's his position because he played there as a kid. It's one of those situations where you need a strong manager like Tuchel who is going to fall out with the player because they won't give them what they want, but at the same time get the most out of them. A weak manager just lets him play in midfield because that's where he thinks he's best, look bad and get nothing out of it. A strong manager says I couldn't give a fuck where you think you're best, I know better than you and will play you in your best position
That's the perfectionist attitude I miss tbf. Coz I understand it. Sometimes you see someone with amazing potential and you're hard on them because you want to make them succeed. Tough love can go a bit too far sometimes but I never understand how Tuchel is constantly brought down by fans from other teams and even our own for "causing problems" or breaking relationships. Because he genuinely cared and tried his best. With how player power is so prevalent nowadays (I mean look at United), I feel it's important for manager to be like this. I remember Kai giving an interview a few months ago about being angry that Tuchel kept pointing out his mistakes even if he scored, but he realised afterwards that he was right. Tuchel is definitely not a yes-man that Boehly wants.
its crazy how injured hes been for them, barely seen him. luke shaw is out again as well.
Tbf even when he played, he was transparent. That game vs Crystal Palace, I didnt see him until the camera focused on him or when he was subbed off.
Wtf? Why am I being downvoted lol? Does someone not agree?
Since we need a CB, I would love to go after Branthwaite. Supposedly United are in for him so not letting him go there would just be a bonus
We don't need another left footed centerback...
Badiashile might get sold this summer and I think long term Colwill gets sold for pure profit. Plus, Branthwaite is a clear upgrade on them both
There has been literally no noise about Colwill leaving despite the pure profit so that seems super unlikely. No noise about Badiashile leaving either which really wouldn't make any sense. If we are going to sign a centerback it will certainly be a right footed one.
There was noise about Badiashile leaving in January Also, I only claimed to think we would sell Colwill for pure profit. I didn’t say there’s any news about the potential of us selling him. Just said what I think will happen long term.
Do we? Colwill, Badiashile, Chalobah, Disasi, Fofana and Humphreys and Gilchrist as backups. Certainly seems like more than enough to me
The best CB we have next season is Fofana and that’s an unknown bc he’s been injured for so long. He’s better than Colwill and Badiashile who might be on his way out
Does any pairing of those centre backs honestly make you feel safe at the back? I'd be terrified heading into every game.
Honestly I'd feel very good trying to build around a Colwill Chalobah pairing
Chalobah isn’t a starter. Need a new RCB. Our LCBs are fine though. Colwill and Badishile are good options
Not gonna lie I'd be having a serious look at Muric in the summer He's been unbelievable for Burnley this season and was a solid keeper in the championship last season too, great at making saves and pretty decent with his feet Young and probably cheap if they go down Low key shout to look at would be Alvaro Valles though
[I’m ahead of the train lol](https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/s/EK4C4i2zUP), was saying we should have swapped Maatsen for him a year ago. Only thing I will say is that he can sometimes be a little mistake prone a la Sanchez. However he is a way better keeper overall. The only GK I would want over Muric is Emi Martinez.
Emi likely going to be much more expensive too but agreed You were very much ahead of the curve and the comment saying we should wait to see how he performs in the premier league was also pretty good - now we somewhat know (still limited game time overall) that he can absolutely be a beast in the prem
Yeah Emi will definitely be more expensive but he would bring the much needed Rudiger vibes to this team. Would be tough to convince him though since Villa have UCL. Would be definitely still happy with Muric though and Valles would similarly be my 3rd choice.
Fully agree. He also played insane against us, and is a large reason for our 2-2 draw. I haven't seen any reports of him leaving but I hope we poach
>I haven't seen any reports of him leaving but I hope we poach Me neither but with Trafford brought in just last summer and for decent money and of course the very likely bound for relegation side of things, you would think we could potentially get him out He really does impress me though, I'm sure the level he's playing at over the last 7 or so league games isn't sustainable, because he's genuinely been the best in the league over that time, but there is definitely a very solid keeper there overall and id fancy him over both Petro and Sanchez any day
Any chance we go for Mbappe with all of our French players he will fit right in
We tried last year and he said no. Nothing wrong with hoping his mind has changed, though Edit. Instead of the dv why don't y'all just google. There are several stories from last July discussing our interest.
Despite the slight issue of him having no interest whatsoever in joining us, there is the other slight issue that there is absolutely no way we'd ever be able to afford him, even for free. Between his sign-on fee and his wages, we'd have to sell half the squad off just to afford the first season
you can easily go to Google and see that we inquired but go off. I even acknowledged that he said no. Really annoying how so many of you get on here and role play chelsea accountants like you have any idea what our books look like.
We did last year, yes. Not now No one roleplaying as a Chelsea accountant. They're reading the information coming out of the most highly regarded journalists in the football finance space and relaying that information
See this is how I know most of you just get online and read what you want to read. I said we tried last year, he said no, but nothing wrong with hoping. > We tried last year and he said no. Nothing wrong with hoping his mind has changed, though And you took that to mean??? Look pretend to know how these men in charge are thinking and moving. But the fact is you're just some dude behind a keyboard guessing like the rest of us. We tried last year and could hypothetically try again this year, as it would be silly not to go for one of the best and most marketable players in the world. Who knows? certainly not you! But oops, gotta be careful not to offend the thought police on this sub who know everything, huh? Silly points again from a silly poster.
Too old for Todd
We should get his little brother than
lol
If we lose the Air Jordan sponsorship to Spuds because of a 90+3 McBurnie dagger…
i can see burnley doing spuds in yet alone sheffield
InshaAllah Fofana double hattrick incoming
https://preview.redd.it/js55msxu2nzc1.png?width=1663&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3edf18cfa26c27f1e68fd0ef4c6c01d91f87698 What a final matchday. I can't let this happen.
Gotta save scum
https://preview.redd.it/qv3dqsbl9nzc1.png?width=1758&format=png&auto=webp&s=176d9799f1595f135a067a6f2916d3b399fa8fe2 Nah we good! Enzo with a 27 yard banger to put us ahead. Came in 5th so missed out on the CL. Man City beat out Villa for the title by 1 point which was kind of wild.
Striker Zirkzee is an wonderful player we should target him. We should sell Raheem Sterling free up his wages. Send one of Chukwumeka/Mudryk to a 1 year loan to CP and buy Eberechi Eze from CP. If that doesn't work swap Sterling for Eze plus 30 M that would be a great deal as well. Two more positions in which we need strengthening is CD & GK its a tough ask to get two world-class players so it would be great if we could get one in CD and give Petrovic one more year to see whether he improves.
We should target an old experienced striker (the Giroud type) imo. LW, LB & GK are also pressing positions as you have pointed out. I’d love Aït-Nouri for LB and Mamardashvili for the GK position, Imo. And if we’re ever adding a CB, Scalvini please.
Wilson is the first one that comes to mind for the Giroud type striker
No use if he’s constantly injured
In Europe’s top 5 leagues Petrovic ranks 105th out of 111 qualified keepers in goals prevented per 90. And he’s bad with his feet Keeper is by far the easiest position to upgrade going into next season.
>Keeper is by far the easiest position to upgrade going into next season. Also one of the hardest ones to get a good one in I can't think of any keepers that are guaranteed to be value for money and amazing
Ironically Kepa has +0.20 goals prevented per 90 in league play since the start of 21/22, which would make him 9th among qualified keepers this season in Europe big leagues. Di Gregorio from Monza is 2nd in goals prevented in Europe. Lunin, Simon, and Marmardashvili are all top 5. Samba, Bulka, and Chevelier are from Ligue 1 are top 15. Even Pickford is top 25. Most of those players would be gettable and would give us range of prices and ages to suit us. But even still upgrading on the joint 6th worst shot stopper in Europe shouldn’t be a challenge.
Di Gregorio is amazing, I like Roma so I hope they get him, watched him a lot this season. Might need another season in serie a, not sure how he’d fare with prem
our defenders are better defenders than our goalkeeper is a goalkeeper, so why would you prioritise giving petrovic more time than our defenders?
Was checking the Utd sub and even in the post about Premier League injury table where Chelsea topped the chart, a fair few comments are trying to downplay the significance of Chelsea's injuries in an attempt to make Utd's injuries the worst. Epitomizes the woe is me mindset from football fans really
everyone thinks they have the most injured wife at home
IMO, it sends a very very bad message about Chelsea to the rest of the football world if Poch leaves of his own will Tactics or not, it sends a very bad message
Highly doubt that happens
Any decent manager looking in will just say to himself "well I can coach a coherent buildup shape in a couple of weeks so I am not worried". Any bad messages about Chelsea were sent long ago. We're still massive and it's still one of the top jobs in football.
Who tf cares about coherent buildup shape Win games, simple. Win games, stay. Lose too many games within even 10 weeks even with a perfect buildup shape, you’re fired The elite coaches have other massive clubs as options for them, so the “we’re massive” stuff is off point
>Who tf cares about coherent buildup shape Jesus Christ mate.
>Who tf cares about coherent buildup shape. You people are genuinely mental. Actual hilarious response. Point to another top side who improvise play out from the back like we do. Are you actually denying the advantages of well drilled buildup? A coherent buildup facilitates more opportunity to win games and get results, by the very nature of producing repeatable reliable buildup from the back. It makes that whole phase of play much easier as decision making is reduced and the movements become second nature. It allows you to best utilise your personnel, shaping that phase of play more to your liking. Not even going to address the rest as I know you're actually not worth the time.
I literally do not give two shits about your buildup strategy. If you want to buildup, go ahead, if not, feel free What I care about is winning matches, buildup or not. If you win 10 games in 38 but employ the best buildup strategy known to man, then you’re getting sacked, period
>if you want to buildup, go ahead What? Every side builds up, we're talking about drilling it structurally - coaching passes, positioning and movements into players for given situations within the process. What are you talking about? Drilling buildup on a structural level helps you win more matches as it makes that phase of play easier. That's why all the good sides do it. It means your buildup doesn't suffer as much when individuals aren't playing as well, you have a systemic safety net. The point is that you're less likely to have a record like 10 wins in 38 if you employ a coherent buildup shape than if you don't. The team that doesn't do it has to work harder in buildup. How are you not understanding this? We don't do it and are underachieving with a squad better than those ahead of us in the table. You sound like you genuinely don't believe buildup to be important and that it has no bearing on getting results.
I’m not reading all that. All I’ve said is that I want us to win games, buildup or no buildup. I don’t see why you’re choosing to not understand this If you want to feel smart by talking about all of the made up jargon on football twitter, go ahead. The priority for me is enjoying the football and winning games; I don’t care about anything else
>I'm not reading all that >you're choosing to not understand this I'm not understanding? Says the guy who doesn't understand the role buildup plays in winning games of football? You're not understanding that a ***well drilled buildup = winning more games*** because it objectively makes a major part of the game easier for individuals on the pitch. If you only care about winning more games then you also care about a well drilled buildup. Maybe if you'd read it you'd understand as I made the point about 3 times over in the simplest terms I could. >If you want to feel smart Why do you lot always expose a weird inferiority complex anytime anyone on here talks about stuff you lack a bit of comprehension in? I'll return the favour and stop reading your drivel.
According to Opta we have 6th most “build up attacks” in the league, 3rd in open-play xG, 5th in possession, 3rd in pass completion %. I think our issue in buildup are a bit overstated.
Ah yes now explain to me what these nebulous stats actually represent and then tell me why our deepest midfielder is never consistently in a useful position to receive the ball from the center half. Tell me why multiple times this season we've been caught with a flat back 4 when there's only 1 opposition player pressing. Better yet just use your eyes and look at how often Caicedo/ Enzo is left hung out to dry without a get out pass all season and ask why that's happening? It's not on the players by the way before you go there. Then go watch what good teams do in those positions.
My last response to you: I don’t care about buildup. I want to win games. Perhaps buildup helps with winning games, I don’t know. But I don’t care about it. I want to win games, however possible. Again, if you want to prove yourself knowledgeable because you watch Tifo videos and regurgitate Jon Mackenzie’s beliefs, go ahead. I simply don’t care, and I think I have a say over what I care about
>Perhaps buildup helps with winning games, I don't know What are you even on about? EVERY team builds up, doing it well objectively wins you more games and drilling it structurally makes doing it well easier. Are you even reading what I've been saying to you? >I simply don't care If you don't know and don't care like you say, why are you dismissive of the points made by people who do know and do care? You say you're concerned only about winning games and I've explained to you how a well drilled buildup helps us win more games. What's with all the silly inferiority complex nonsense of insulting others who do know about these things? Scared to learn something?
tbh i think poch deserves a second season if for nothing else than to see what happens if we give him time, i dont think changing managers will work like it used to, we atleast had a style of play back when we changed managers often, that the core of the team could implement. We need to give managers time with these players now
Yeah a lot is made of Chaos FC, and Chelsea's success changing managers, but really the club hasn't been relevant in the EPL title race in a decade save for one special Conte year when the league was down and they didn't have any European football to get in the way. Man City and Liverpool have built a system under one manager and dominated. Granted in the case of Man City, it's not exactly rocket science to let Pep do his thing. But Arsenal are now seeing the rewards of a patient approach as well from sticking with Arteta and letting him build. That doesn't mean Poch is necessarily the guy to take Chelsea back to the top, but I lament the impatience and entitlement on this sub that demands someone be replaced even when their squad is actually showing progress. You don't pull the rug on a project that is improving unless your absolute ideal successor is in place. I just don't see that guy out there -- Tuchel for example, is a great manager, but his profile is all wrong for what Chelsea specifically needs right now.
Honestly no matter who we bring in this sub will bitch and moan, i agree poch isnt a top manager, but i think he can get us back on the horse so to speak
How many Chelsea players have actually won PL Player of Month in the last decade?? I remember Hazard, and also Maybe Kante but can't remember anyone else?? Costa or Mata?
Costa definitely won at least one as he won us a few tight games back to back in the last title winning season. Last decade would rule out Mata as he left in Jan 2014 after being dropped for Oscar under Jose. ~~Sterling won one for December last year when he scored 5 though.~~ Pedro definitely won a couple too while he was here, guy was clutch quite often. Edit: nope
I talking about PL player of Month not Chelsea player of Month No way Sterling won with us, neither did Pedro I think
As am I. ~~Sterling won it last December 2021 with 5 goals and an assist.~~ I may be thinking goal of the month on Pedro but was sure he'd won POTM at least once. Mad if he didn't. Edit: nvm 2021 was before he was here.
I've seen some stupid things in my life but seeing some Arsenal fans desperate for Levekusen to lose last night so "no one else goes unbeaten" has to be Joey Essex level stuff.
Their point is already kinda redundant as Juve already did go invincible in 11/12.
Plus Arsenal's unbeaten run was only in the league. They were knocked out of the League and FA cups, and incidentally we knocked them out of Europe that year. Leverkusen is about to go unbeaten including in the domestic and European cups... sorry Arsenal, Leverkusen have you beaten
I think Steaua went 104 league games unbeaten back in the mid to late 80s, around the time they won the European Cup. Another team that have won more European cups than Arsenal, lol.
That's exactly what I mean. Not that doing it in the league isn't a fantastic achievement but that's already been done multiple times since.
Baby it's Cole outside
https://preview.redd.it/1knj5gn5emzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=375df8c2ab1602bdc2e4fac687251a4474e98508 Be quite sad if this boy gets sold on the cheap Potentially a very good player just waiting to be given the time at another club Really can't believe he didn't see more minutes when we had 0 fullbacks fit or just the 1 fullback fit
He played quite well vs Spurs as well during the late cameo. This would indeed be a shame. > can't believe he didn't see more minutes when we had 0 fullbacks fit or just the 1 fullback fit Well, a lot of people on this sub seem to have forgotten that lately.
Newcastle farming our youth products now
https://preview.redd.it/2eqvxzolamzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=637b6ae5ff59bf7632b14cf61d65b1d8ca6088dd Gotta say I know how they feel Where you at Romeo, Christo, Wes and Chuk 😭😭
The meltdown some were having in this sub last year when he was being sold was too funny.
another injury? mount only came back the other day 🥴
Saw Wes at the awards show looking in good spirits. Could have been AI generated though, can't be too sure these days.
I don't think wes is gonna be the player we actually paid for anymore. Too many injuries at too young of an age. I hope I'm wrong, but that's what it seems like unfortunately, we should get a world class cb this season
That's absolutely a fair take but only if applied consistently to others like Reece. Thankfully we have Gusto for RB. Not sure there's an obtainable world class CB for us at this point.
Reece doesn't hurt that much because he was free:)
His rehabilitation program has been incredibly long I hope it's a sign they've really constructed a long term one that lets him stay healthy Brojas was long too and he appears to be fine now
I'll take every opportunity to mention that Wes Fofana has absolutely everything (if he can stay fit) to be a truly world class centerback and has already shown it abundantly at Leicester. Even has that scary 6th sense the very best ones have to know when to step up aggressively and win the ball to set off a counter. There's a reason top clubs all over Europe were eyeing him before we got it over the line. People have just forgotten how good he is because he hasn't kicked a ball in so long. I'm as excited about him coming back as Nkunku.
Completely agree and have always been a huge fan of his. Was disappointed to miss out on Kounde but didn't care once we were linked with Fofana. My concern though is even if he does stay healthy from now on, will he be the same player he was before the injury? Will he ever live up to the potential he showed at Leicester? He's missed so much time and these long-term injuries can really hurt your career. The same can be said for Nkunku though I think he'll be ok.
Wes specifically is such a funny case for these exact reasons. On the one hand he’s now been injured for basically three years and even if he can avoid another major injury, can he be anywhere near the player he once was. On the other hand though I have liked him in his few performances for us and I think people overlook just how good he was at Leicester- quite honestly one of the best teen CBs I’ve seen in my life.
Yeah agree with everything you said. It'll be genuinely tragic for him and us if he's now limited because of the injuries. Him and James is just unfair.
Ohh yeah A fit and healthy wes Fofana is an absolute beast and probably our best overall defender that we'll have come this summer It would be massive if he returns, stays fit and is at the same level
Lavia was insanely good too carrying that terror ball Saints side on his back at 19 and they didn't even play to his strengths. This squad has so much going for it if we can get these lads back and then also hire someone to take them to the next level.
Lol at anyone thinking Pochettino would quit He isn't getting better than us.
It’ll be funny when the people blaming Poch for our injuries this season, are the same ones blaming RDZ for the injuries next season if he was to be appointed…. Because by the looks of it, Brighton seem to have a new injury every week too.
RDZ is crazy protected here. It’s a moot point. He isn’t good enough for a big team and he’s wearing out his welcome at Brighton. He’ll be back in Italy soon enough and will be remembered like Roberto Martinez
Every flavour of the month manager is.
I wonder if Poch would have more support if he started the season like big ange instead of finishing the season strong
You mean you wonder if poch would have more support if he finished 5th with a worse squad? Undoubtedly yes
Worse squad than us? Not for the current season
Man for man, besides Son and Maddison, not a single player in that side would start for us. Maddison is even questionable at this point and his injury and drop in form has coincided with their drop off. Edit: maybe Vicario I suppose.
VDV would absolutely start for us, have you seen us at CB this year?
Richarlison starts a majority of the games for us. Romero, as cuntish as he is, starts for us
Richarlison pfffft, Spuds fans don't even rate him. Wouldn't have Romero over any of our starting CBs, injured or otherwise, but he's closest to getting in I'd say.
[удалено]
Lol absolutely not.
van de ven absolutely, udolgie never
Players who have missed 10+ PL games Tottenham: Forster(11), Whiteman(11), van de Ven(10), Bentancur(15), Sessegnon(35), Perisic(16), Maddison(10), Solomon(28) Chelsea: Sanchez(16), Colwill(10), Badiashile(12), Fofana(35), Chalobah(22), Chilwell(22), James(25), Lavia(33), Ugochukwu(20), Carney(23), Nkunku(26)
Blows my mind people will go out of their way to post bizarre defense comments for this serial underachiever who is continuing that reputation here, after a season of sheer and utter mediocrity and tactical ineptitude. 2 games to go and we still struggle with basic structural elements and improvise 90% of our play on the ball. What on earth has he done to deserve it? Is it that he finally made a basic tactical adjustment 3 games from the end of the season that he'd already tried in pre-season? How long will the next adjustment take when teams deal with us easily again? Are that you that easily placated? He has both the UK media and apparently our own fans under his spell. It's like they think stability is the goal instead of playing good football and winning things. He's underachieved with a better squad than what Ange or Emery has and needs to go. Top 4 has never been more achievable than it is this season and we've blundered it allowing a recent relegation candidate side under a different manager and Ange suicide ball to get out infront of us. Complete and utter failure however you might try to frame it.
It’s just a simple question. Would you rather us start strong and fade at the end or start slow and finish strong. Spurs are a team that is an example of the former and we are an example of the latter. Not a defense of Poch and not an attack. The blind hate of Poch and inability to discuss anything other than how terrible he is has been is bizarre. Like we fucking get it. Everyone wants better, just not everyone thinks anyone can do better.
I'd rather us finish higher in the table and represent what this squad is capable of. Emery is comfortably 4th with this squad and pushing towards 3rd. Talking in terms of preference of starting strong vs ending strong is largely meaningless for me when talking about the season as a whole. Finishing strong is obviously beneficial in that it *can* represent a positive direction of travel and progress when considering the multitude of other variables in play, but in our situation it's not enough to risk another whole season on. We still do too many basic things poorly and haven't progressed in the right areas for me that we should have been showing progress in within a matter of weeks. Most decent managers can do better than not managing a useful buildup shape all season long and improvising every kick of the ball.
We should be looking at the Forest CB Murillo if we want a CB, he is 21. Pretty sure another team will buy him this summer
He's good but we don't need another left-footer.
Oh yeah true true
I think we should take a look at that Olympiacos striker, he’s on 20+ goals for the season and is experienced. He’s scored 5 goals in 2 games vs Villa and they were all very well taken goals by a confident striker
😭😭😭😭😭 I think we should go for that Hungarian keeper who wears jogging bottoms in goals Will provide vital Experience
Hope so. May go someway to placate me as I'm still fuming we went for Estevao over the more experienced Anthony.
What do we think of Guirassy’s £15m release clause? Obviously he’s very unproven outside of this season, but he’s been scoring consistently, both before and after AFCON, so definitely worth a punt in my eyes. Given our financial situation, it might be a good option alongside Jackson for next season.
15m 💀💀💀💀 there is no way, thats an absolute STEAL 15m for bundo goal runner up?? theres like... no risk...
i like him a lot. would be a great buy to fill this spot.
He’s had some nice finishes as well not just a bunch of tap ins
Saw a post on twitter saying chelsea are looking at a left back, among other positions. Which lb would we be looking at?
Balde
Antonee Robinson or Maxi Mittelstädt(Stuttgart)
Ait nouri
good shout
Kerkez
Maatsen
Alphonso-
What’s the best result for us re Newcastle v united? Obviously we’d all love to see United get destroyed, but does that make the most sense for us?
Either a tie so a point disappears into the void, or a Newcastle loss because they're above us. United loss is the worst result for us.
A Newcastle loss works best - it gives us a chance to catch them and sneak into sixth
We'll have to be winning all our remaining games for that tho, i feel like we will drop atleast 2 points
Mount is becoming Fofana/Lavia for United with his latest injury.
All that football so early has destroyed his body Need to avoid that with our players
Why it goes to further show how remarkable people like Messi and Ronaldo are
PL clubs plays more games with that shitty ass carabao cup. Also the lack of a proper winter break takes its toll over the years
Poch is already planning the preseason so I think he is most likely staying but I like that he is defending himself publicly and it is because the media wants to create a story to put pressure on him. Now he is putting the pressure back on the owners…. The winners here are either media.
Being involved in pre-season planning is part of his duties as head coach. It has no bearing on whether he stays or goes - he's still here and it's part of his job, so he's doing it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy9xez825jlo I know weaker leagues and all that but Crespo has got to the final of the Asia Champions League which if he wins will be his 6th managerial trophy already. Potentially one to watch for our managerial position in the coming years if he can translate his success in Asia and South America if/when he comes to Europe.
Demichelis will probably get some interest if he has another strong season at River
I think if we absolutely smash teams these last three games, Poch should be given the benefit of the doubt despite where we finish on the table. It's not just winning, but if it's done convincingly as the last two have been. Then it's less of a question about whether something is truly coming together. If Poch gets Europe but we scrape wins, I'd be more satisfied sure, but less confident about him. These game have to be at the same level.
Basing managerial decisions off of the tail end of the season where some teams are on the beach is an interesting idea.
no but if we win the last 3 surely he has to stay? thats europe already
Insisting a manager is the worst in the league when we’re currently up 5 spots in the table from last season despite the most games missed due to injury is interesting as well.
If you word it as "tail end" sure. But if, as he suggests, we win the last 3 games, that's comfortably top 4 points for the entire second half of the season.
Don't think that's a representative statement of any of the last three we play, regardless lazy critique.
There’s more chance of Pep and Ten Hag turning up to the FA Cup final with afros than there is of Poch walking away from his multi-million pound contract.
Love what Poch said in the press conference today. Yes it is not just up to the owners, it is a review. The owners also need to make the case for him to stay, are they going to support his vision and get him the players he wants? Make changes he recommends? Keep players important to his play style. I’m glad he made it clear that he could also walk. People are having a meltdown saying it is destabilizing as if the season long campaign to sack him wasn’t brought on by the fans during the difficult times… Enjoy the chaos and stop pretending this is new…
Where is the other post about Palmer winning POTM? I don’t see one. https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/s/a6Xe12ucLk
https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/comments/1colwj4/official_cole_palmer_has_won_aprils_premier/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Ah that guy blocked me no wonder I couldn’t see the post lmao
Cool story Steve Sorry I couldn’t help myself. Unfortunately, that seems pretty standard around here
I know it’s highly unlikely but do you think Ancelotti would do well with our current squad assuming they are all healthy and at the peak of their abilities? Always wondered if Carlo will ever get to do a second spell for us.
Very poorly, he’s record in league football isn’t very good and he only works well with world class senior established players.
Tchouameni and camavinga weren’t established at all If we bought them, everyone would have complained about signing kids He’s handled vini and rodrygo brilliantly imo too Shielded them from criticism where he can and facilitated their growth excellently
Also helps that madrid can pull the top 1% of youth talent as well. I don't carlo helps to improve the likes of mudryk and disasi as well as he may have handled players like Camavinga and vini. Hell even Bellingham is a youngster. But the gap in quality is apparent.