Chelsea Teams and Match Talk

07 Jan 2026 21:32:47
Not happy with the result and certainly not happy with yet another red card.

Pleased for Delap and he deserved that goal and should have scored another.

Caicedo good and James was ok but not happy with Palmer, Neto or Pedro.

Our new manager now has to work some magic on the team but more importantly some individuals.

07 Jan 2026 21:46:21
The red card defined the game and cost us 3 points.

I thought Palmer and Neto didn't have particually poor games when we were down to ten they worked hard and created a couple of chances . Although I would of replaced Neto with Estevao for the last 20 mins.

Thought 2nd goal was an unlucky deflection, not happy with the result but we played well 2nd half.

07 Jan 2026 22:17:01
Neto worked hard but as at City it. was largely huff and puff and not. much end product. Palmer produced some of his old magic in flashes in second half and we. did well to ger back into the game with Delap equaliser when down to ten men. We also dominated shots and pissession for a while.

But disciplin ahain cost us points and we are now behind on points whete we were atvdame season under Poch. But we did get.6th under him and will stick with my prediction of 3rd to 7th this season though 3rd and perhaps even 4th look optimistic. Yet 5th should be good enough for champions league place. or we will have to win it!

07 Jan 2026 22:31:53
I see we are currently 8th.

07 Jan 2026 22:39:40
Discipline really costing us this season needs sorting out by the incoming manager.

Looking at everybody's recent results hard to predict where we are going to end up any where from 2nd to 15th at the moment .

My guess is the CL qualifyers will be in no particular order Arsenal Man city Villa Liverpool and Chelsea.

07 Jan 2026 21:32:06
Negatives we lost, stupid red card, missed chances .

Positives, 2nd half attitude was great played as well as we could with 10

Delap looks a proper nos 9 in my eyes.

07 Jan 2026 21:30:26
How have we become so bad.

07 Jan 2026 22:12:16
Confident that without the sending we win the game. All the moans are then postponed.

All ifs buts and maybes.

I would not have brought on Pedro for Palmer but Palmer deserved to be hooked. I would have brought on Estavao or Garnacho.

07 Jan 2026 22:34:52
The game cried out for Estevao second half Tom. And we were domiating the game until Cucurella red card. But ill duscipline a recurring costly problem.

07 Jan 2026 22:36:38
Simple fact is we lost…red card was our fault can't have any complaints about it.

07 Jan 2026 23:28:05
JBS, I agree mate.

07 Jan 2026 21:07:31
For all the mentions of match going fans supporting the board…. i must be imagining those chants of F off eghbali.

07 Jan 2026 22:16:30
I have some mates who went to the game tonight, I will ask their thoughts on that performance. Seeing it live can be different.

07 Jan 2026 22:19:46
No. imagining those chants kazblue1 and the man himself in the stands with LR. probably in changing room again after the game?

07 Jan 2026 22:37:42
The fans made themselves very clear tonight- my worries are it will only get worse …eghbali was no doubt dead to the chants from that pound signs blocking his senses…probably thinking about where he can cash in next.

07 Jan 2026 22:59:02
I may be wrong but I seem to remember legally he can’t cash in until 2032. Let’s hope over the next 6/7 years the fans find something to cheer about.

07 Jan 2026 21:00:19
I know people on here have said he’s got better and I get it in some way but Sanchez is still awful and should have saved it.
I wouldn’t play palmer next game till he gets his hands out his arse the mardy sh! t then again it’s been coming having to play with this lot. We need to offload and get a few players in.

07 Jan 2026 22:22:08
Nib, I doubt Palmer will play against Charlton anyway.

07 Jan 2026 22:42:19
Saying that he should a goal may really help him at minute.

07 Jan 2026 23:00:45
Apparently, Robinson has still got him in his pocket. The club would like him back for the weekend. ??.

07 Jan 2026 20:27:11
Definitely a red card but why the three yellow cards. All very stupid.

Only two players worth giving a positive mention to, Delap and Caicedo. Palmer having another shocker but as I’ve said before his class will get him through this slump.

07 Jan 2026 20:44:45
Was a case for taking him. off and leaving Santos on with Hato coming on for Palmer.

07 Jan 2026 20:51:16
Fulham ahead and great header for it. hardly surprising and Delap getting a bit better but seemingly not great in the air. Please prove me wrong Liam!

07 Jan 2026 21:31:35
But ill discipline again and we are pointless in a game we dominated when we had 11 on the pitch.

We are making gaining a champions league spot far harder than it should have been. Not getting it and progress reversed.

07 Jan 2026 19:56:28
Chelsea discipline appalling again . yet another ted card and three yellows thus far. Probably has torpedoed chances of wiinning a game we were dominating and I was enjoying. How stupid!

07 Jan 2026 20:33:47
Red card was silly should of let him run, a point the best we can help for now.

07 Jan 2026 20:34:11
JBS, it is definitely an issue that can’t ignored; yellows for dissent are really irritating.

07 Jan 2026 20:53:37
Agree with both your posts seymns2 and Jimbo. And now Fulham have gone ahead that point looks unlikely.

07 Jan 2026 20:58:44
And Delap misses great chance. shoukd have taken it and hasn't done much else to recommend hom. in this game at least. Bring Pedro on?

07 Jan 2026 21:06:06
And Liam does get that goal. Great for him and perhaps we can get a point.

07 Jan 2026 18:49:30
Really like this team selection from McFarlane, I think it’ll look more like a 3-2-4-1, with Gusto pushing up high on the right, Cucurella tucking into the LCB role and Palmer coming inside as one of tens, alongside Fernandez. Also like the fact the players who played so well in the second half vs City, in Andre Santos and Delap, are rewarded with starts.

Interested to see how Chalobah and Tosin line up, for me, Tosin is best suited, out of currently available players, to be the CCB in a three.

These are tactics many have been calling out for, but ones Maresca was reluctant to use, outside of the very successful application of them during the CWC final. For me, it gets the best out of Palmer, which should be a priority. It’s also how Strasbourg have been playing, so we can expect to see more of it under Rosenior. Let’s hope it all results in a good win tonight.

P. S. - I’m full prepared for a flat back four and to be proved completely wrong.

07 Jan 2026 20:03:15
Another red card and we are backs against walls again. Santos who was playing well sacrificed for ypung Hato to take LB position vacated by Cucurella sending off. How stupid are we with sending offs and this one not controversial as clearly preventing a goal scoring opportunity.

07 Jan 2026 20:19:58
Well…. A very marescan first half…nice to see our experienced pro at LB make a schoolboy error…oh well we could nick a draw here …vision 2030 here we come.

07 Jan 2026 20:37:48
It was a definite red and will want to look back at it a few times but my first thought was, if Tosin runs back hard instead of jogging, then Cucarella the ref may well have just given a yellow.

I’m probably being harsh on Tosin.

07 Jan 2026 22:23:35
Not sure about whether Tosin coyld make it Tom he is pretty slow at besr of times. Fofana might have. But presumably not fit?

07 Jan 2026 23:30:05
JBS, seen it again a few times and I was being harsh.

07 Jan 2026 13:54:40
A London derby is never easy in my opinion, unless it's against The Spuds.

I would like to think that we can build on our second half performance against City and the team selection will be interesting.

I'm going for a win but not with any great conviction.

COME ON MY MIGHTY BLUES.

07 Jan 2026 16:48:46
Fulham are a funny team, they can be really good or really bad, depends if they turn up.

07 Jan 2026 20:05:22
We hey another red card and hopes of a win fade.

04 Jan 2026 22:30:55
Well done Calum McFarlane, would have been very easy for him rest on his laurels at half time, not risk looking a fool by trying too much and getting schooled by Pep. Instead he made key changes and we were the better side in the second half.

Went to a definite back three, at least in possession, within which Badiashille looked much, much better. Also had a three man midfield, within Andrey Santos excellent alongside Reece James, allowing Enzo Fernandez to me more effective further forward. You can expect Andrey Santos to play a larger role under Rosenior. Gusto was finally given freedom to push up wide on the right, ultimately creating our goal. As others have said, it was Delaps best EPL performance for us. Neto, effectively playing left wing back, looked pretty shot of energy. I was a little surprised not to see Gittens or Garnacho on for him.

Just a casual observation, but the second half setup was pretty similar to how Strasbourg have setup this season.

05 Jan 2026 07:46:28
Good analysos J and agree about successful changes made by Callum in second half.

05 Jan 2026 10:03:49
Totally agree J and JBS, it was a pleasant change.

04 Jan 2026 21:06:51
Didn't get to the game but watched on TV and thought the boss did really well with those tweaks at HT. Went up against Pep with half the side missing and we dominated that second half with our bunch of kids and could of even won it, thought Enzo and Reece were superb and Delap and Santos made a big difference.

Not a lot wrong with these boys, just need to revolve those doors in the summer and hoof out half a dozen and bring in a couple to make the difference.

05 Jan 2026 10:07:00
Greenaway

Totally agree with your first paragraph however rather than setting off the revolving doors, let's see what the new coach gets out of the players we have at our disposable.