Chelsea Banter Archive February 26 2020

26 Feb 2020 16:28:11
Gutted about last nights performance just at the fact we've basically got nothing to play for 2nd leg because we haven't got an ounce of fight in this side to come back at all. I think Frankie will get their there is no point judging him until he's had at least one proper window to bring some quality and experience in. I can't wait to see the back of Rudiger I have never rated him he was the worst of everyone last night. Caballero, Emerson, Rudiger, one of Christensen/ Zouma, Kante (because it's the best time to cash in), Barkley, Willian, Pedro, Giroud and Batshuayi would be the first ones out the door for me. I personally would go for experience and quality in names like Oblak, Alex Telles and Raul Jimenez. Sancho would be better be main target but we've got other areas that need addressing first I think Ziyech, Pulisic and CHO as wingers is quality for next year but we need a target man with power and goals. Raul Jimenez is perfect for that. For CB it's hard I don't rate Koulibaly I'd take a punt on Ruben Dias as he's already a leader at at very young age.

Think we're crying out for a ball winning holding midfielder because we've never replaced Matic. I think the job Ndidi has done at Leicester has been nothing short of sensational. I haven't admired Jorginho like a lot of other fans have not sparing him in anyway I just know that to win the premier league you always need that, Makelele, Matic type because even Pep has played a Rodri or Fernandinho to give his CB's protection. I think it's one of the main areas we need to strengthen along with GK, CB, LB and Striker.

I think a Kovacic, Ndidi and Loftus-Cheek midfield would have everything. We have absolutely no balance. Before Gnabry's second goal Jorginho was pressing in the #10 position I mean what on earth is that about he's a holding midfielder for goodness sake!?

26 Feb 2020 16:51:02
Picking the so called No10 for next season will be interesting. I think RLC would be our best choice but we will probably try 4 or 5 players before making a decision.

26 Feb 2020 17:45:05
Touch choice because Kova is better in a two man midfield for ball progression and RLC is best as one of the two box to box midfielders in a three so he can burst forward. But Kova is that good he’d play well anywhere. I really hope to see Kova and Ruben together soon and next year hopefully with a holding midfielder behind them.

26 Feb 2020 18:52:49
I also think Mount is better as a No10. Well at least I hope he is better as a No10.

26 Feb 2020 19:18:09
I’m still secretly hoping we go for Sancho and play Ziyech in the no. 10 role.

26 Feb 2020 20:02:11
No way should Mount be a #10 until he’s consistent. Squad player when RLC is fit. Can’t expect to be challenging for trophies and have him cacking himself and rushes with his shots like yesterday’s. The boy worked tirelessly but he’s not good enough yet.

26 Feb 2020 20:18:50
Mount is inconsistent and hasn’t show that final ball quality yet. Ruben loftus cheek will always be injury prone, squad players imo, last night was a wake up call how far we are from being ready to compete, and this isn’t a negative reactionary post it’s clear for everyone.

26 Feb 2020 21:20:03
Mount is definetly a no 2

We can call it a transition season
Or we can say we simply ain't that good

1 we are playing a 38 Yr old sub goalie

2 defence has been all over the place all year in league games set pieces open play and especially to counter attacks
Plus I can't remember a back 4 or 5 being changed so much in 1 season by any team ever we have used 5 centebacks rotating constantly not good
We have played 4 full backs which is ok but we have 2 left sided defenders and he plays a right back there
So because reece James has been so good azpi plays on left if your not good enough in your own position you shouldn't be put in another 1
Azpi has been amazing for chelsea but he is finished and why was he played in the Cb role last night with zouma on bench weird
3 midfield
Jorginho offers absolutely nothing in that role
Kovacic has been the player of the season
Kante maybe I'm wrong but why does he play in that position
At Leicester he played in a 2 and made the other Chelsea player look World class
Barkley seemed a bargain but we ended up paying over the top plus that penalty
Mount I'm sorry I don't get him at all he seems a great lad and a very good professional and he is young
I don't mind youngsters being bleed in when every now and then you get a glimpse of what they have like the bayern left back or sancho or others but I haven't seen a glimpse of anything brilliant just a run of the mill midfielder
He had a alright season at Derby last year under Frank but ask yourself if Frank didn't get job he wouldn't be anywhere near the first team
Attack tammy has been great until December then we needed a back up to support him so we played bat's instead of giroud weird this is the position that needs sorted ASAP possible so we buy a winger in ziyech yes he is an improvement but striker was needed
Tactics formations have changed weekly no set pattern to any of our play we look like 2 years ago with conte pass back and sideways constantly
Sorry for rant but we just don't seem to have a direction or gamelan on pitch
I hope Frank turns it around but it will take 3 or 4 windows which is a massive gamble with a untested manager
Or do we buy big with an experienced manager and try for instant success again
I believe Frank will be manager next year because ziyech is apparently his pick so you never know
But I don't think roman will be anywhere near as patient next year and I fear Frank will be gone by Xmas.

26 Feb 2020 22:08:18
IMO Gianfranco Transition = Boddocks.

I’m fed up with the terminology that is an excuse for clubs who have failed to build in the correct way. Yes we missed a window but it’s been going on for a long time.

I love our club and I love Lamps but as you can probably tell the defeat last night, for me, was not good enough.

26 Feb 2020 22:49:12
Agree Tom if we aren't careful we will end up like arsenal.

{Ed047's Note - no ending up about it mate, you’re there!

27 Feb 2020 12:33:59
Its taken years of poor decisions plus the craving for a Pep style of ' good football' the net affect of which is we are looking more like the back end of the Wenger regime currently.
Arsenal are looking defensively more solid than us under Arteta which is worrying given the defenders he has to work with.

27 Feb 2020 14:27:32
I remember saying on this platform that with our desire to play "beautiful football, the excuse of not buying quality players because they are expensive and our obsession with having all academy 11" has set us up to becoming Arsene Wenger's Arsenal in his last season's.

It's a good thing to have these but imo our approach is something we have been getting wrong for some seasons now. Even Barcelona with their rare fortune of la masia graduates of the 'messis' still buy a neymar, Suarez, etc. No club that challenges for trophies every season run this our approach of almost no measurable investments and all gains like we are doing. We continue with this penny wise and end up spending money on players who are not better what we already have.

I'm afraid many fans will be disappointed after the summer window because this Marina's board will not buy the kind of players banded around on the Media. They are definitely going to be expensive as usual because other clubs will be interested and in as much as other factors are considered in transfers, money is a huge factor.

In all I think we are in a haste to ditch what served us well by adopting this not signing right quality players because they are expensive and they end up with our rivals. We need a few qualities to take us to the next level. We must not buy a Messi but as all of us know, we need some strategic signing - the spine.

As for Frank the legend, I'm waiting for windows of tranfers to judge but with Conte and Sarri's treatment I'm afraid. We are not only grooming the youth now but the manager but I believe with the right recruitments he might just be fine.

26 Feb 2020 09:57:16
Outclassed both on and off the field. So what did we learn?

1. After the Spurs game Frank said that 3 at the back worked when the opposition sit deep. Did Frank really think that Bayern would 'sit deep'? It was excruciatingly obvious within 20 minutes that our wing-backs were being pushed into a back 5 leaving our midfield outnumbered. We should have switched to a back 4 with James and Mount on the right and left of midfield and Barkley in the hole. Increasingly worrying about Frank / Jody lack of tactical awareness.

2. Why always like for like substitutions? At 2-0 down, why not play Tammy off Giroud?

3. Christensen was made to look an amateur by Lewandowski. Christensen has had his chance - not good enough - sell / replace.

4. Thiago reminded us what a quality midfielder looks like - Thiago is a class and a half above Jorginho. Jorginho never has been and never will be good enough - sell / replace.

5. I thought we had got ourselves a bargain when we bought Barkley - but we should have listened to our Everton friends. Barkley has not progressed since bursting on to the scene at 18. Too slow of thought and feet - sell.

6. Tammy. Tammy Tammy Tammy. When will he learn that his winger will attempt to get to the touchline and fizz the ball across the box and he needs to hit that near post at speed? Willian and Pedro were both successful and fizzed balls across the box and both times Tammy was a yard and a half behind the play. This can be learned but, at this stage of his career, Tammy should already know that. Worrying.

So a lot to work on and do before next season. Let's hope that we can cling on to a CL place so that we can bring in the required replacements. Including a new manager?

{Ed001's Note - I would add one more thing, Rudiger. He has the brain of a sparrow. That is why he is so inconsistent, he doesn't think, he just does. When up against clever movement, he ends up making the wrong choices time and time again. Someone needs to take him aside and teach him to keep it simple and stop trying to be clever.}

26 Feb 2020 10:11:46
Agreed Ed001 - but I do think that Rudiger would be ok next to a dominant leader aka van Djik.
I should also include Azpi as a player who needs replacing - Azpi has been brilliant for Chels for years but his loss of pace over the last year is frightening - this needs to be Azpi's last season as an automatic starter.

{Ed001's Note - you can't afford to lose Azpilicueta's leadership and experience right now imo.}

26 Feb 2020 10:31:26
I'd like to see us stick with the back three, but I agree the coaching needs to learn to adapt how the system works Vs different opponents. I felt one of Barkley or Mount should have player much deeper than they did Vs Spurs. Thiago and Muller ran the show through the middle of the park, we allowed that too easily. I'm not Jorginho's biggest fan, but you could see he and Kovacic needed help last night.

I thought Christensen did ok for 90% of the game, was the best of our three CB's. Like a lot of the team at the moment, that 10% of mistakes will cost us at this level. I'm not sure we'll ever see Christensen develop into a CB who we'll trust to be 100% concentrated in big games. I echo Ed's comments about Rudiger, you want him to be the experienced head and leader at the back, he is almost selfish in the way he plays.

James did get stuck back in our defensive third, and he struggled with the overlapping runs of Davies. But I think that'll be a common theme for full / wing backs Vs that lad.

{Ed001's Note - you can't judge anyone playing against Davies, that lad is a special talent and has destroyed pretty much everyone he has come up against.}

26 Feb 2020 10:38:48
First time I've seen him, he was unbelievable. They showed a highlight reel before the game, thought he looked good but so would anyone in a highlight reel. He then did all those things in the game. James did as well as anyone could expect to.

26 Feb 2020 16:43:20
Brilliant post MDW.

26 Feb 2020 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 26th February 2020

26 Feb 2020 01:40:29
Alphonso Davis is rapid lol can't help but laugh. Was men against boys unfortunately, what else can we say, the levels were staggering between us,

26 Feb 2020 07:15:26
We were well beaten.