Chelsea 2020/21 - General discussion

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Nope you're right a 36 year old CB who's never played in the PL is of course one of the best CB's in the league, in fact considering what you guys are saying about your attacking players + this now one of the best CB's in the league then surely you'll be competing for the title? I mean surely nothing less than that can be acceptable given how good all your new players are right?

I understand your point and some skepticism is healthy, but which CBs in the PL currently could you see putting in the performances that Silva was last month? For me that list starts and ends with VVD. Yes he's getting on in years, but he's still very fit, he's used to playing in a high line for PSG, and all recent evidence points to him remaining a very very good defender (if not quite elite).

I think he'll require a period to adjust at minimum, but if he is able to come to grips with the league then I think he's up there with Laporte as being the 2nd or 3rd best CB in the PL. Granted that's a big if, but he's certainly not played badly in the CL which suggests he can cope (apart from when PSG were managed by that buffoon Emery).

 

[Forevergiggs1]

This is the season Frank can be judged as he doesn't have the cannot buy any players excuse. He has to get this team to knit together and quickly. Roman will be expecting a title challenge and a trophy of some sort. You cannot spend that sort of money for nothing.

Having spent a similar amount should Ole be judged the same as fat Frank this season? Especially as most of Oles signings have now played a full season together and Bruno a half season. Can we expect Ole to produce a title challenge?

 

[charlenefan]

I understand your point and some skepticism is healthy, but which CBs in the PL currently could you see putting in the performances that Silva was last month? For me that list starts and ends with VVD. Yes he's getting on in years, but he's still very fit, he's used to playing in a high line for PSG, and all recent evidence points to him remaining a very very good defender (if not quite elite).

I think he'll require a period to adjust at minimum, but if he is able to come to grips with the league then I think he's up there with Laporte as being the 2nd or 3rd best CB in the PL. Granted that's a big if, but he's certainly not played badly in the CL which suggests he can cope (apart from when PSG were managed by that buffoon Emery).

This is the problem with 'you' lot, see how easily you've been triggered? Let's analyse my first reply, it was simply saying steady on to the suggestion that he'll instantly be one of the best CB's in the league. Now you're even admitting he may require a period to adjust? That's not instantly then is it?

I'm tapping out now anyway, what was a throwaway reply has turned into every Chelsea fans on the forum getting involved, like I said you guys are too easily triggered

 

[Pow]

This is the problem with 'you' lot, see how easily you've been triggered? Let's analyse my first reply, it was simply saying steady on to the suggestion that he'll instantly be one of the best CB's in the league. Now you're even admitting he may require a period to adjust? That's not instantly then is it?

I'm tapping out now anyway, what was a throwaway reply has turned into every Chelsea fans on the forum getting involved, like I said you guys are too easily triggered

No you replied to a guy talking about how good hed be if he settles.

 

[Orc]

This is the problem with 'you' lot, see how easily you've been triggered? Let's analyse my first reply, it was simply saying steady on to the suggestion that he'll instantly be one of the best CB's in the league. Now you're even admitting he may require a period to adjust? That's not instantly then is it?

I'm tapping out now anyway, what was a throwaway reply has turned into every Chelsea fans on the forum getting involved, like I said you guys are too easily triggered

Pretty much every post I ever see from you is antagonistic and/or hostile. Like you're trying to wind people up or "trigger" people as you say.

 

[Giggsyking]

I can see Lampard sacked by December. I would bet a 100 on it.

 

[Dancfc]

Pretty much every post I ever see from you is antagonistic and/or hostile. Like you're trying to wind people up or "trigger" people as you say.

That's his MO, chat's utter guff, get called up on it then deflects and makes out we're triggered/insecure or whatever the day's buzzword is (it's not coincidence he went down that road this time almost instantly after the Zlatan contradiction was pointed out)

Very strange behaviour.

 

[SirReginald]

Having spent a similar amount should Ole be judged the same as fat Frank this season? Especially as most of Oles signings have now played a full season together and Bruno a half season. Can we expect Ole to produce a title challenge?

Is that not the minimum target of Man Utd each and every season? I understand the last few years the club has been mismanaged but you can’t tell me Ed and the board will say ‘Let’s aim for 4th place’. Chelsea and United are not Arsenal.

The key difference between our two teams and the top two in the league is ultimately lack of planning. I think both teams are now trying to correct it and it may take a couple more years to seriously be considered for the title but we both must challenge.

From a Chelsea perspective, we have clearly identified a player profile. We are getting young hungry and ambitious players who have even greater potential with the idea that in a year or 2 should mean we will spend less on player transfers. I think this is fantastic. FFP is not judged on one season, even if we go over a little we will recoup that easily and not be penalized.

Thiago Silva is clearly the exception to this rule but a player of his ability and experience for free is a great deal and is most definitely a stop gap for the future. Like I said, when we do need to get another CB to replace him we will have the finances to do that without stretching FFP.

Im excited for this season, as a fan I have expectations but if it doesn’t come off I know it’s a solid plan and look forward to this journey of development

 

[charlenefan]

That's his MO, chat's utter guff, get called up on it then deflects and makes out we're triggered/insecure or whatever the day's buzzword is (it's not coincidence he went down that road this time almost instantly after the Zlatan contraction was pointed out)

Very strange behaviour.

No I didn't reply to your Zlatan comment because do you really think I want to reply to all of you? I replied to one Chelsea fan then another piled in then 2-3 more of you. Do you really think I'm going to engage with all of you? For the record no I didn't think Zlatan would come in and instantly be one of the best CF's in the league nor did he score 20+ goals (he scored 17 in the league with others coming in cup competitions such as the Europa League)

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

This is the problem with 'you' lot, see how easily you've been triggered? Let's analyse my first reply, it was simply saying steady on to the suggestion that he'll instantly be one of the best CB's in the league. Now you're even admitting he may require a period to adjust? That's not instantly then is it?

I'm tapping out now anyway, what was a throwaway reply has turned into every Chelsea fans on the forum getting involved, like I said you guys are too easily triggered

Well, I never claimed he'd instantly be one of the best definitively. My point is that if he plays like he did during the CL knockouts, he is instantly one of the best. Outside of VVD, he has the highest ceiling for any CB in the PL. Whether or not he reaches those heights is the question I suppose.

 

[Mount's Goatieson]

That's his MO, chat's utter guff, get called up on it then deflects and makes out we're triggered/insecure or whatever the day's buzzword is (it's not coincidence he went down that road this time almost instantly after the Zlatan contraction was pointed out)

Very strange behaviour.

Always seems to have a problem when oppo fans dare to respond to his wind up posts....“how dare you chat sh*t to my sh*t on a United forum” kindda attitude.
Glad I'm not the only one who's noticed it.

 

[Dave Smith]

The way I see it is if Chelsea gel then they will ask questions in regard to the PL title. However, there are a couple of things that means people can question whether they will be able to, these issues are:

1) At the time of writing, possibly the worst GK set up in the league.

2) Relying on a talented 36 year old to shore up their shoddy defence. I do not care what the xg was for them last season, all I saw was their CB's either getting bullied, drawn out of position easily, doing incredibly basic mistakes or panicking like crazy when a ball got whipped in. Not all of those things can be blamed on the GK.

3) Having to hope their new signings can adapt to the league quickly. In my opinion, they have brought incredibly well but it is also known that some foreign players take 6+ months to adapt. If this happens to more than 1 of Werner, Ziyech and Havertz, they will not challenge for the league imo.

4) They suffered a lot of injuries last season to Pulisic and Kante. They will need both those players on a more consistent basis for the balance of their team.

All in all, I expect them to finish 3rd, still not quite ready to challenge for the league but will easily get top 4.

 

[Forevergiggs1]

Is that not the minimum target of Man Utd each and every season? I understand the last few years the club has been mismanaged but you can’t tell me Ed and the board will say ‘Let’s aim for 4th place’. Chelsea and United are not Arsenal.

The key difference between our two teams and the top two in the league is ultimately lack of planning. I think both teams are now trying to correct it and it may take a couple more years to seriously be considered for the title but we both must challenge.

From a Chelsea perspective, we have clearly identified a player profile. We are getting young hungry and ambitious players who have even greater potential with the idea that in a year or 2 should mean we will spend less on player transfers. I think this is fantastic. FFP is not judged on one season, even if we go over a little we will recoup that easily and not be penalized.

Thiago Silva is clearly the exception to this rule but a player of his ability and experience for free is a great deal and is most definitely a stop gap for the future. Like I said, when we do need to get another CB to replace him we will have the finances to do that without stretching FFP.

Im excited for this season, as a fan I have expectations but if it doesn’t come off I know it’s a solid plan and look forward to this journey of development

The reason I asked the question was because more than a few members here think unless Ole signs at least 4 players it will be impossible to challenge for the league. Maybe they're right but then they say with the money Frank has spent he should be pushing City and Liverpool hard when both managers have spent roughly the same.

At the start of last season I would of said us and Chelsea were on a level playing field. We've spent a shit load of money and now Chelsea have as well but for many Chelsea should be pushing for the title and United will be hard pushed to make top 4 which to me just goes to show how low our expectations have fallen.

I'm not sure I agree with your statement about us not being an Arsenal. Our net spending over the last 2 or 3 seasons hasn't been enough to get us closer to the top 2. At least to the outside eye it does look like our owners would be happy enough to settle for top 4 each season. A big statement from them would be to sign Sancho but the only way I could see that happening would be for us to sell Pogba which sort of defeats the object of building our team into title challengers.

I have to say I'm excited as well for next season. Hopefully our youngsters will push on even more, VDB for me is a great signing and Bruno has a half season under his belt so he should be even stronger for the restart and I know it's a massive if but if we could sign Sancho then expectations will be both United and Chelsea will be pushing the top 2. No excuses.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

The way I see it is if Chelsea gel then they will ask questions in regard to the PL title. However, there are a couple of things that means people can question whether they will be able to, these issues are:

1) At the time of writing, possibly the worst GK set up in the league.

2) Relying on a talented 36 year old to shore up their shoddy defence. I do not care what the xg was for them last season, all I saw was their CB's either getting bullied, drawn out of position easily, doing incredibly basic mistakes or panicking like crazy when a ball got whipped in. Not all of those things can be blamed on the GK.

3) Having to hope their new signings can adapt to the league quickly. In my opinion, they have brought incredibly well but it is also known that some foreign players take 6+ months to adapt. If this happens to more than 1 of Werner, Ziyech and Havertz, they will not challenge for the league imo.

4) They suffered a lot of injuries last season to Pulisic and Kante. They will need both those players on a more consistent basis for the balance of their team.

All in all, I expect them to finish 3rd, still not quite ready to challenge for the league but will easily get top 4.

I think most of this is spot on. Only thing I'd say is with regards to point 2, our defensive setup is in part bad because Kepa is so poor at commanding his area. I posted this before, but he somehow went the entire season without catching a single corner. As such, we basically have to keep 3 defenders in our 6 yard box at all times, which thus gives up space elsewhere in the box. Getting in a proper goalkeeper with half a brain would go a long way towards fixing this issue. Fortunately, all signs are pointing towards us signing one.

 

[Dave Smith]

I think most of this is spot on. Only thing I'd say is with regards to point 2, our defensive setup is in part bad because Kepa is so poor at commanding his area. I posted this before, but he somehow went the entire season without catching a single corner. As such, we basically have to keep 3 defenders in our 6 yard box at all times, which thus gives up space elsewhere in the box. Getting in a proper goalkeeper with half a brain would go a long way towards fixing this issue. Fortunately, all signs are pointing towards us signing one.

Do not get me wrong, Kepa is incredibly poor. I often label him as the 'funsized GK, with t-rex arms' (which is a term my Chelsea mate uses). However, some of the things I saw Chelsea's CB's do last season were incredibly poor. To be fair, on the point 2 I previously listed, they may have an excuse on the panicking when high balls went it due to him, but the other things are on them imo.

Again, the CB position for Chelsea will come down to how quickly Silva adapts to the league. If he can come straight in and command the line then I think someone like Christensen may respond well as I think his biggest problem is how he allows himself to be bullied, however I really do not rate Zouma or Rudiger as their tactical awareness leaves too much to be desired too often. That said, Amapdu is a very interesting prospect who I rate but I am not sure about his height as he is only 5'11"/6'0" while Silva is around 6'0". Not too sure if that would work unless you got another GK like Courtois who comes out and gets 90% of every high ball 8 yards from his goal line.

 

[ZolaWasMagic]

How on earth are you going to afford Chilwell who most likely will cost a fee way north of 60 million pounds as he's english. A new CB of good quality which likely will cost above 30 and Onana on top of what you've already bought?

Transfer outlay will be way above 200 million pounds mid pandemic? Sounds like high hopes to me. I think Havertz and one of those positions would be a fantastic summer for Chelsea and seems like a more realistic target.

High hopes indeed! Still not finished, either

 

[Stacks]

Chelsea been going stupid in the market. I don't feel they are title level yet but I think these additions propel them into 3rd best in the league.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Do not get me wrong, Kepa is incredibly poor. I often label him as the 'funsized GK, with t-rex arms' (which is a term my Chelsea mate uses). However, some of the things I saw Chelsea's CB's do last season were incredibly poor. To be fair, on the point 2 I previously listed, they may have an excuse on the panicking when high balls went it due to him, but the other things are on them imo.

Again, the CB position for Chelsea will come down to how quickly Silva adapts to the league. If he can come straight in and command the line then I think someone like Christensen may respond well as I think his biggest problem is how he allows himself to be bullied, however I really do not rate Zouma or Rudiger as their tactical awareness leaves too much to be desired too often. That said, Amapdu is a very interesting prospect who I rate but I am not sure about his height as he is only 5'11"/6'0" while Silva is around 6'0". Not too sure if that would work unless you got another GK like Courtois who comes out and gets 90% of every high ball 8 yards from his goal line.

I certainly don't think that any of our CBs covered themselves in glory last year; I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt given that they've all performed at higher levels than they showed, the underlying numbers were very good, and they were playing in front of literally the worst goalkeeper in the history of the PL.

Zouma is the clear choice to partner Silva; their strengths and weaknesses more or less perfectly cover for each other (e.g. Zouma is one of the 5 best CBs in Europe in the air; Silva isn't at this point, Silva is one of the best CBs at ball progression while Zouma isn't, Zouma is the fastest of our CBs which can allow Silva some leeway, etc.). Plus they both speak French & it looks like we're getting a French-fluent keeper (seems likely to be Mendy, who like Courtois is very large, elite in the air, & very good in terms of commanding his area).

Ampadu seems more likely to have a future as a defensive midfielder or as a CB in a 3; as you say his height is a potential issue in a back 4.

 

[Dave Smith]

I certainly don't think that any of our CBs covered themselves in glory last year; I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt given that they've all performed at higher levels than they showed, the underlying numbers were very good, and they were playing in front of literally the worst goalkeeper in the history of the PL.

Zouma is the clear choice to partner Silva; their strengths and weaknesses more or less perfectly cover for each other (e.g. Zouma is one of the 5 best CBs in Europe in the air; Silva isn't at this point, Silva is one of the best CBs at ball progression while Zouma isn't, Zouma is the fastest of our CBs which can allow Silva some leeway, etc.). Plus they both speak French & it looks like we're getting a French-fluent keeper (seems likely to be Mendy, who like Courtois is very large, elite in the air, & very good in terms of commanding his area).

Ampadu seems more likely to have a future as a defensive midfielder or as a CB in a 3; as you say his height is a potential issue in a back 4.

Sounds like we largely agree but where you come down to the benefit of the doubt side, I come down on the no benefit of the doubt. Be interesting to see who is right!

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Sounds like we largely agree but where you come down to the benefit of the doubt side, I come down on the no benefit of the doubt. Be interesting to see who is right!

Spot on and I suppose we'll see!

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

 

[duffer]

I can see Lampard sacked by December. I would bet a 100 on it.

I'll take that bet. If Lampard is sacked before 01/12/2020 I will give you £100. If he's not sacked after that you give me £100.

Deal?

 

[Rajiztar]

Liverpool won the league with 99 points and not a single one of their forwards had 25+ goals. I don't expect our team to just focus on one player getting us all the goals, like Leicester with Vardy and Arsenal with Auba. I think it would be spread out amongst the front 4 or 5 and we've gotten the players capable of that.

I am just stating I expect 25+ goals from him. With havertz and mount will be played as no.8 s and having wide players such as pulisic and ziyech Chelsea have goals from all front 5.

I just can't see defenders marking him out of the game with others too dangerous in and around opposition box. Will be a fun to watch I suppose.

With Giroud he can play as second striker too where he can be too dangerous. That will give him another dimension to attack opposition box. He will have plenty of opportunities to score.

 

[Kentonio]

Not sure why people are worrying about Ampedu’s height. The lad is a fraction over 6 foot, which isn’t exactly small. JT was only 6’1.

 

[Lentwood]

The Chelsea squad should have been competitive last season with a half-decent manager. The pressure is really on Frank now he has arguably the best squad in the league. Bare minimum expectation is to be challenging come March/April

 

[Rajiztar]

Not sure why people are worrying about Ampedu’s height. The lad is a fraction over 6 foot, which isn’t exactly small. JT was only 6’1.

Ampadu should have stayed last season. He wasted one year of development. He could have added steal in midfield last season when kante struggled to find fitness. Good aggressive player should be given chances coming season.

Any news about ziyech injury?

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Not sure why people are worrying about Ampedu’s height. The lad is a fraction over 6 foot, which isn’t exactly small. JT was only 6’1.

Really? Google says he's 1.82m, which is 5'10".

 

[Blades1889]

Not sure why people are worrying about Ampedu’s height. The lad is a fraction over 6 foot, which isn’t exactly small. JT was only 6’1.

I keep seeing his name recently being linked with a loan to us. What’s he like? Can’t say I’ve seen anything of him.

 

[duffer]

Really? Google says he's 1.82m, which is 5'10".

6ft is 182.88cm.

 

[VorZakone]

It just dawned on me that they signed Ziyech and Havertz. They should be able to break teams down much easier than last season.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

6ft is 182.88cm.

Oh! Ignore me. Odd that Google would list it as 5.97 feet; I assumed they'd converted that to inches. Apologies, @Kentonio !

 

[Kentonio]

Oh! Ignore me. Odd that Google would list it as 5.97 feet; I assumed they'd converted that to inches. Apologies, @Kentonio !

No worries!

 

[Dancfc]

I keep seeing his name recently being linked with a loan to us. What’s he like? Can’t say I’ve seen anything of him.

He'd actually be very good for you guys as you play a back three, excellent ball playing defender (both in terms of passing and running with it) and good positional sense.

Are you losing a member of your back three of is Wilder looking to strengthen depth wise?

 

[Mount's Goatieson]

The Chelsea squad should have been competitive last season with a half-decent manager. The pressure is really on Frank now he has arguably the best squad in the league. Bare minimum expectation is to be challenging come March/April

If you say so.

 

[Blades1889]

He'd actually be very good for you guys as you play a back three, excellent ball playing defender (both in terms of passing and running with it) and good positional sense.

Are you losing a member of your back three of is Wilder looking to strengthen depth wise?

Sounds perfect for us. And purely depth I’d imagine. We have Jagielka, Robinson and Rodwell as back ups for each position but we do need quality in there.

 

[Berbaclass]

What’s the story with Mount being supposedly unhappy with all the competition being bought in?

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

The Chelsea squad should have been competitive last season with a half-decent manager. The pressure is really on Frank now he has arguably the best squad in the league. Bare minimum expectation is to be challenging come March/April

Best squad in the league? City's 3rd winger is Bernardo Silva while ours is Hudson-Odoi.

 

[Pow]

What’s the story with Mount being supposedly unhappy with all the competition being bought in?

Nonsense talk. Someone instantly posted an interview of mount saying this is chelsea big signings are expected its up to me to raise my level to keep my place etc.
Which is exactly the attitude needed.
Lampard knuckled down when roman was buying top mids and kept his place. Its on mount to do the same.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

What’s the story with Mount being supposedly unhappy with all the competition being bought in?

It's Christian Falk grasping at straws since he had his pants pulled down over the Havertz transfer.

Here's what Mount is on record as saying: "Chelsea can always buy £60 million or £70m or £80m players that are world-class. But the mentality I have means I won't be pushed over easily. I will fight for my position and keep working hard. At a club as big as Chelsea you have to have that mentality."

Regardless, Havertz isn't a Mount replacement, he's a Barkley replacement.

 

[duffer]

What’s the story with Mount being supposedly unhappy with all the competition being bought in?

This is what his dad thinks about that...

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Also, "newly transferred player looks for a new house" is groundbreaking insight from Falk.