Chelsea Banter Archive December 06 2018

06 Dec 2018 16:37:39
I know we rely on Eden too much but he's been poor recently hasn't he? I know he's playing with dross but he always has this blip and I just don't think he's mentally good enough even though he's probably the best player talent wise we've ever had. I'm just thinking if his head is Madrid should we bother keeping an unhappy player?

What I'd give here for two direct wingers in our team again. Hazard can be so dangerous when direct but I think he can also be guilty of slowing the play down too much like Willian does. Duff and Robben were sensational. If Hazard was to leave and we could bring in a more direct forward I. e Griezmann who's a better goal scorer and play him one flank and maybe Hudson-Odoi the other would it make us a better team? I don't like the idea of Hazard going but we need to improve the team I think.

06 Dec 2018 10:32:53
I don't think Sarri style is s problem I think it's personnel, Willian isn't scoring morata isn't nor Giroud, and when hazard isn't then we look average, hardly no goals from midfield, and rudiger needs s partner.

06 Dec 2018 10:59:51
I can get on board with this.

Alonso was poor last night, and again at Fulham. Willian gave up on balls at least twice, once for the goal and the second, Rudiger was goal side.

FWIW, I thought Morata had one of his better games last night. Not his best but he held up the ball well, looked after it and won plenty of correct freekicks. I thought he stayed on his feet more too.

There's a lot of flack for Azpi recently too, and I don't get it. A drop in form maybe, but not to the point he should be transferred.

06 Dec 2018 13:53:18
Yes you could say personnel but he needs to adapt. Emerson is better than Alonso but he keeps playing him. Same with Willian over Pedro and Odoi. I’d give Sarri the time but if he keeps sticking with the poor players i think it might cost him his job.

06 Dec 2018 18:20:54
Emerson better than Alonso. ? I agree he should get his chance but it has been luiz is finished start Christensen his better. Then Christensen isn’t as good, then same with Giroud and morata then Barkley RLC and kovecic,

06 Dec 2018 20:18:32
I take it you rate Alonso due to free kicks? He has scored some important goals for us don’t get me wrong but he’s always been poor defensively. Just because he’s scoring goals because our strikers aren’t doesn’t make him a good player.

06 Dec 2018 21:47:31
I don’t rate alonso to be honest. but what my point is, we always want the next player and not always better option. We wanted kovecic, then said Barkley better, then he played and it was Loftus-Cheek, then Christensen over luiz and his been pretty dreadful, Giroud plays then we want morata. Morata plays we want Giroud,

05 Dec 2018 23:36:34
Ed001, what's up with Emerson? Does Sarri not rate him?
At this rate, too many of our players will leave for lack of gametime.

{Ed001's Note - it is the way he has always been, sticks with a pretty settled team as much as possible. Once he has decided who he thinks are best for a position, then he will go with them pretty much exclusively. From my knowledge of him, this season is the most he has rotated his squad. Whether or not it will be enough to keep fringe players happy or whether he will change it after a while in the Prem as he realises it is much more physical than he is used to, is something we will only learn over time. If he doesn't start rotating, I can't see too many fringe players hanging round.}

06 Dec 2018 04:56:53
Sarri should rotate more until he finds the right team of players cos this isn't looking like the right set of players. Chelsea isn't Napoli and Italy isn't England- both teams are and both countries' culture of football aren't the same- something must give way. For instance Guardiola's team at Barcelona is different in some ways from Guardiola's team at Bayern Munich and subsequently Guardiola's team at Mancity but one common thing is that he always played attacking football.

06 Dec 2018 05:15:14
Ed, what worries me more is that Alonso still has his place despite a poor run of form. I think that this sends a wrong message.

{Ed001's Note - I am of the same opinion, however Sarri often goes with the thinking that you stick with them and allow them to play their way back into form. It can work, as a player then feels they owe their manager for the support, but I do think it makes things a little too cosy and can have as much of the opposite effect.}

05 Dec 2018 23:56:20
These would be my quick changes to drastically improve the side:

• Play Emerson, drop Alonso
• Make Willian 4th choice, Pedro and Odoi should be before him.
• Christensen and Luiz aren't mentally good enough. I think Ampadu has got more cojones already.
• Make Giroud 1st choice striker

And the most important one play the best CDM in the world in his best position KANTE!

06 Dec 2018 04:46:34
That is my point, in football no matter how beautiful you want to play, results matter in certain key fixtures, even a seven year old sees these facts that you have listed above but our manager doesn't want to see any. By now Sarri should have seen enough in training and match days to know these facts but. Who said Sarri can't play the way he wants to play in certain games; but he should be able to improvise or tweek things a bit when things aren't going well and he shouldn't be afraid of making changes, I'm afraid that he's putting his faith in players that won't help him. If he isn't careful, Sarri's script might become that of Scolari and Chelsea might not be so patient unless something has changed.