Really? Let's see what the likes of Burnley will do against Chelsea.
2019/20 Rivals - Chelsea
- Thread starter AkaAkuma
- Start date
Lampard is popular with the English media/pundits so he'll get a nice and easy ride for a while.
If that was Sarri's first game with the exact same performance, he'd have been torn apart by the English media already and completely dismissed. Chelsea fans would already probably be grumbling about 'not a Chelsea man' by now as well.
Leicester should have won the match especially given their dominance in midfield with Jorginho completely ineffective. Chelsea's rebuilding job will entail a lot more than just a centre forward.
We haven't.
Unlike a lot of United fans I don’t care about youth, I’d rather we went out and bought some world class players. Mata and Matic problem is their lack of pace and physicality so despite being proven winners, they’re quite off the pace in the league these days. It’s different with Chelsea’s winners though. If we had Alonso, Willian, Pedro etc at United, I’d want them to start
What an ironic username. Just like saintmuppet who is pessimistic about every player we were linked with.
I think Lampard is going to have the same issues Ole did. He has good ideas and is an intelligent lad, but he’s lumbered with too much dross and the fitness isn’t there (albeit he’s had a preseason). I really hope Chelsea don’t sack him this season as a football fan, I’d prefer to see managers given time.
Top 4 for Chelsea would be a huge success this season.
Top 6 a reasonable expectation.
Outside the top 8? You’re fried if you think 8 teams would finish above Chelsea.
Nobody expects anything from them. They were shite for a couple of years, then got Lampard in charge to give youth a chance while they got a transfer ban and sold one of the best players in the world who they were built around. They literally have a free pass and everyone knows it because of their unique situation, and nobody expects them to achieve anything this season. I'd be surprised if they came close to top 4, I'd say they're more likely to finish 8th or 9th this season. Just can't see them doing much.
You finished 10th in 2016. Can see the same thing happen this year.
Chelsea will finish 6th imo.
What’s wrong with the 4231?
Yes, with the way we play we'll likely have periods of dominance in most games and against sides in the bottom half those periods should be enough to win the game. Out of the 66 points available against those sides I'd expect about 50 (last season we got 57).
As for Burnley, our game at Turf Moor last year was our easiest game of the season and we were without Hazard.
I think the stick Chelsea have got for not playing their academy players has been unjust tbh and just a stick to beat them with just 'because'
You don't play young players unless they're good enough, especially when you're a club with a squad expected to be challenging for titles. As I've mentioned before I cant recall any academy graduates from Chelsea who have gone elsewhere and showed they were good enough to play for Chelsea which is why I always felt this season would be a struggle for them. Harsh truth is someone like Abraham is not a PL striker let alone one playing for a side as big as Chelsea
Physicality is overrated. Those teams have nothing to offer technically. Chelsea can do some serious damage when they are on song even if it is for some patches. They have shown glimpses. It's the settling period and I believe Lampard will steady the ship.
Its August and people are already coming up with predictions as if they're facts. Tell me, what teams finish the season playing the way they do from the start of the season ? Very very very few.
Thank feck you’re not in charge at United then. Willian is dreadful and the other two aren’t much better.
While I very much agree Abraham is not good enough to be our number one for the long haul I don't think he's been as bad as made out, not good enough by a long shot but you'd think he's been Ali Dia 2.0 the way people are speaking.
Mount however has been very good (even at Old Trafford) and the pot shots that have been taken at him are just bizzare.
Alonso, Willian and Pedro, feck sake
Bats, Giroud, Tammy. That's as bad forward line as you can get. I still don't know why Michy isn't getting game time
Thing is though do you think Mount is good enough long term or has he been 'very good' given the circumstances? When I think about the Chelsea teams you've had over the past 15 years Mount doesn't come close to getting in any of them nor do I think he should be someone you rely once the transfer ban is lifted
The transfer ban will affect them, and probably is affecting them. They'd normally throw money at things. It was always going to be tough losing a manager and their best player, with no spend directly on a replacement.
As others have said, they'll get a relatively easy ride off the press. Ole came in and had an amazing run of results, but I'm pretty sure that after 3 or 4 bad results the press were out to make an issue of it. Let's see what happens with Lamps/Chelsea.
I genuinely couldn't believe the amount of space Leicester were being given yesterday.
Yes, from watching him at youth level and on loan i think he's very good (infact this time last year I thought he was better than RLC) and only to get better, there's a reason Ajax was looking at him after his loan to Vittese.
Out of the latest generation Reece James is our best product followed by CHO, but he is definitely 3rd after that.
Can't speak for others but personally I've been looking at that Chelsea squad before a ball was kicked and saying they won't do well. It's just a very average looking side when you take Hazard out of the attacking force.
Add an inexperienced, unaccomplished manager like manager to that mix and you've clearly got trouble. The early results are pretty much exactly what I expected. He's going to be very naive with his tactics and youth policy, and he'll have no world class attacker consistently bailing him out. Teams will smell blood in the water at Chelsea this season and I don't think Franky Lampard is going to know what the feck to do about it.
Of course, the Mount we see at the moment wouldn't have been good enough, but he's showing promise for the future and with Chelsea it's about building for next season and beyond.
Chelsea were stupid to give him a job he clearly was not ready for. (They wont do this because he is there golden child but) The quicker they sack him the better because Chelsea have 7th place written all over them.
I expect some of the lower rated clubs like Burnley and Brighton to take Chelsea apart in matches to come.
And before the season started I thought Chelsea under Lampard would will look more free flowing going forward as Sarri shackled them due to the system. You can come to reasonable conclusions but that's what they are. Conclusions. Who knows where they will finish come May.
For the main part this squad came 3rd last season. I think 6th is reasonable.
I guess I'm in the minority who think Chelsea will be fine? I mean, they might compete for top 4 but it's not the end of the world for them if they don't get it this year as they'll introduce new and potentially important players for their future.
They do have a lot of young & young-ish players in their squad.
If Tammy Abraham doesn't develop to being a good PL striker this season then they can rely on Giroud for a ok striker to get results. If Tammy develops then they'll have a good youth product scoring goals.
Mount looks good already, I don't have much doubt if he'll make it at Chelsea (baring injuries and fallouts), moves around well and has a good pass and shot on him.
Loftus-Cheek is already established as far as I am concerned, it's just about how good he can become.
Emerson looks to have a good shot on him and runs up and down a lot. Could be a good investment or at worst a good squad-alternative to have. Pulisic is a lauded talent, the same goes for CHO.
Kepa, Kovacic, Rudiger, Barkley and maybe more, they have loads who are entering their prime as opposed to leaving it.
Could be a great front-line if they develop together.
The ones they have to replace over time now are really two they have already replaced in a potential first eleven, like Pedro and Willian & Azpilicueta and Kante who can still go for a fair few more years. The rest just needs to find their feet and develop. If one or two don't, then they'll have the cash to replace them.
The question becomes if it's enough to compete. Truth be told I think it is enough to compete for top 4 and it will take something special to compete for the title anyway at this point with City playing like they do with the squad that they have.
They do have a lot of young & young-ish players in their squad.
If Tammy Abraham doesn't develop to being a good PL striker this season then they can rely on Giroud for a ok striker to get results. If Tammy develops then they'll have a good youth product scoring goals.
Mount looks good already, I don't have much doubt if he'll make it at Chelsea (baring injuries and fallouts), moves around well and has a good pass and shot on him.
Loftus-Cheek is already established as far as I am concerned, it's just about how good he can become.
Emerson looks to have a good shot on him and runs up and down a lot. Could be a good investment or at worst a good squad-alternative to have. Pulisic is a lauded talent, the same goes for CHO.
Kepa, Kovacic, Rudiger, Barkley and maybe more, they have loads who are entering their prime as opposed to leaving it.
Abraham
Pulisic - Mount - CHO
Jorginho - Kante
Emerson - Rudiger - Christensen - Azpilicueta
Kepa
Pulisic - Mount - CHO
Jorginho - Kante
Emerson - Rudiger - Christensen - Azpilicueta
Kepa
Could be a great front-line if they develop together.
The ones they have to replace over time now are really two they have already replaced in a potential first eleven, like Pedro and Willian & Azpilicueta and Kante who can still go for a fair few more years. The rest just needs to find their feet and develop. If one or two don't, then they'll have the cash to replace them.
The question becomes if it's enough to compete. Truth be told I think it is enough to compete for top 4 and it will take something special to compete for the title anyway at this point with City playing like they do with the squad that they have.
I've never seen James play so i can't give an opinion on him. But so far i've been a bit more impressed by what i've seen from Mount than what i saw from CHO last season.
That's a bang average mid table side. Chelsea have got a massive rebuilding job to do which they need to start as soon as the ban is lifted. I mean take someone like Rudiger, he's one of their better players but even he needs to be playing alongside someone who's better than him. Other than Kante I dont see a position/player they couldn't substantially upgrade upon (maybe if Azpilicueta gets back to his best you can add his name to it as well)
Wigan fans seem to think he's the best player to ever wear their shirt, which when you consider they were a midtable PL team (and got to two cup finals winning one) for years is no mean feet. He got brought off in injury time in his final appearance for them so he could get a standing ovation.
After Wigan's win at Elland Road last season I saw a Leeds fan describe his performance as a "defensive version of Mbappe".
Apparently most PL clubs (including United) enquired about him in the summer.
Right now it is underwhelming, but it certainly has a lot of potential for growth. ""Bang average mid-table" is a overreaction in my opinion.
Sorry just dont see it, Abraham like I said isn't a PL striker. I'm not seeing anything amazing from Mount and CHO I dunno, I remain unconvinced - I think the hype around him is based on the fact that he's A- English and B- Bayern wanted him (which in itself was imo due to their want to find their own Sancho)
The way I look at it is how many of the Chelsea players would getting into the starting XI's of the other top 5? Kante aside I'm struggling to name any and then you have players like Neves at Wolves, Maddison/Tielemans at Leicester who are players who would probably walk into this Chelsea side
Like I said it's a big rebuilding job and Chelsea fans have got to hope Abramovic is going to fund it like he has before
He hasn't "funded" anything transfer wise since the mid 00s (with the possible exception of the Torres/Luiz January) and with the TV deals and income we make these days, won't need to start again now.
"We play good football and eventually this project will take off sooner than later" is going to be their mantra this season...
With any luck, 4th-7th...
With any luck, 4th-7th...
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Fair enough just confusing if that's the case how your squad was 'allowed' to get into this state pre transfer ban? I mean take your last title winning side, that wasn't even the best on paper (Moses and Alonso week in week out?) but of that side who's the replacement for Matic and Fabregas? Who's the replacement for Costa? Where's the phasing out been for an ageing Pedro/Willian? The squad has been horribly mismanaged hence the over reliance on Hazard and now he's gone :/
My assessment of Chelsea finishing outside top 8 might be a bit extreme. However I’m 100% certain they won’t finish within top 6. They don’t have the individual quality to win games on a bad night or the players to play in lampards system. If lampard sharpens up and realizes that his team isn’t capable of consistent pressure and changes to a counter attacking system there might be hope of a finish between 7-8th place.
Relying on Tammy Abraham/ giroud is a bit much for team looking for goals. You guys also barely created anything after the first 20 minutes similar to our game but you were at home?