16 Sep 2024 09:28:33
Update on my watch points:

Who is the first choice left winger? It's Sancho.

Who are the first choice front line? Jackson, Sancho, Palmer, Madueke. Madueke regressed this week, but I felt he offered more than Neto has thus far. Still don't really get that signing. Another shocker of a cameo from Felix. As we were.

Can this defence keep a clean sheet? Yes, but also no? You won't see a luckier CS this season. Any other day we are holding at least 2.

Who is the 3rd choice RB? Just. Play. Acheampong. Sorry to go over old ground again, but keeping Disasi over Chalobah is act of the highest negligence.

Can we take our early chances? Well, we didn't create any. Neto, Palmer, Madueke all anonymous. Jackson had one of those days but still ran the backline ragged.

1.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 10:58:46
RBD, good questions but we will have good games and bad games and our assessment of certain players will fluctuate. Although my personal view of Disasi will need a lot to make it change. I would never start Disasi at RB again.

On the one hand I can see that competition for a starting place could be a driver for certain players but I can also see some players wanting to start every game and if they don’t I can see them wanting to leave. The general depth of our squad is a good thing but could end up being a bad ish thing if players expectations are not managed carefully.

I’ve moved on from the Chalaboa debate in as much as he is on loan and if he has a good season he can come back.

2.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 12:34:43
I don't think chalobah will want to tom. He's been beyond disrespected.

Regarding our forwards, I think we have very high calibre forwards. I think felix was a smart pick-up, as was sancho. I don't quite understand why we signed so many, and the neto transfer still doesn't make sense, though I haven't really seen him too much so I will reserve judgement.

Sancho/ Neto as options on the left, Palmer/ Madueke on the right and Nkunku, Jackson as Felix as the forwards is quite strong. That doesn't leave the 80m man a spot (mudryk) but he definitely needs a loan, and probably a 2 year one at that. Coming to a club who were in a mess after the terrible situation he was in in his own country was not a recipe for success. I think mudryk has a lot of potential so I hope he can get a year or two loan in Dortmund.

3.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 12:57:18
Agreed Tom, although I would just move on from Disasi entirely. Unless the plan is to shift Tosin relatively quickly (no transfer fee, pure profit! ), I just don't see Disasi providing enough qualities that Acheampong doesn't possess to make it worthwhile playing him. It's not like we are in the Champions League and really need Disasi's experience, I'd certainly prioritise Acheampong getting minutes after this latest horror show.

Another interesting piece for me was the midfield. What is going on with KDH? A good player, but one that every top academy produces nigh-on every year. £35m and he's stunk out the gaff every time he's stepped on the pitch. This is a player that got relegated with Leicester as a back-up winger and midfielder and then hit career numbers at a lower level. Felix has already come in and replaced his role in the squad, I'm struggling to see him surviving being placed on the 'bomb squad' next summer. He's a Championship player, which is no slight against him, it just is what it is.

Following on from that - Viega just isn't good enough RIGHT NOW. I think he's got a bit about him and he will be a good player (not sure he'll ever be a left back, mind) but Santos and Ugochukwu are clearly, vastly, superior players. It's obvious that with international breaks, Caicedo and Enzo will need to be carefully managed, and Lavia could well be damaged goods. Very poor foresight from the SDs to send them both away on loan. I would prioritise recalling one of them in January should Lavia continue to fall apart.

For me, Mudryk needs a change of scenery. I could get on board with a Bundesliga loan, but I would imagine that we would look to move him on permanently if he showed any kind of resurgence there. Much like United and Sancho, ironically.

Looking ahead to this summer, I would love to see the following when it all shakes out (I doubt this will be how it ends up) :

ST: Jackson/ Nkunku
LW: Sancho/ George
AM: Palmer/ Paez
RW: Madueke/ Estevao.

4.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 13:02:41
I may well end up being wrong about Chalaboa and that ship may well have sailed. Time will tell but it could be a very long shot option.

5.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 13:54:54
Good thread,

Am also concerned about midfield for reasons you give RBD. The Lavia injury question the most alarming as a fully fit Lavia combined with Caicedo offered the kind of mobility that we need. Not sure how serious Enzo F illness is, but was not convinced n
by his partnership with Caicedo last season though then EF carrying an injury.

Yes both Santos and Ugo out on loan now making cupbaord look threadbear for DMs/ ball winning central midfielders.

Surely Casadei should be worth giving more game time? He looked pretty good in cameos he had last season. Surely he will get this time at least in Conference leage games to begin with or you'd hope so. He has physical presence and heading ability to combine with skills on the ball.

Would also trust that CC gets game time in that competition to stake claim for more game time in EPL plus ditto George and Acheampong perhaps.

6.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 14:33:35
JBS, the midfield is going to be an ongoing issue for a long time. My belief is that a major problem hanging over Chelsea right now is the transfer fees of Enzo and Caicedo. I don't mean in an accounting sense (although there could be an argument made there), but the the fact is that their fees dictate that they need to start more often than not.

Enzo and Caicedo simply don't work as a partnership with the rest of the squad comprised of the players it currently is. They needed Gallagher last season and there was a noticeable difference in performance when the midfield three was Gallagher-Caicedo-Palmer when Enzo was injured. Lavia doesn't do what Gallagher does to replace that.

If Palmer is going to play in the 10, then we need a player that screens the defence to play alongside Enzo or Caicedo, I just cannot see how we can play both. I haven't seen enough of Santos to know if he can do that to a high enough level, but it is where he played for the Brazilian youth teams. Ugochukwu is more of an attacking midfielder, if you have seen any of his career in France, so I don't know what the answer is. But at the very least, the pair of them are physical and aerially dominant, which we currently very much lack.

The rest are obviously going to be sold, so I don't know how much value there is in projecting where they could play for us.

7.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 16:06:21
This will sound like madness but I see Enzo as a potential issue and wait for it……. Palmer.

If it happens and I hope it doesn’t, it won’t be driven by a desire for profit.

8.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 16:10:17
Sorry I sent that post to soon. I’m also not sure George will make his career as a wide player.

9.) 16 Sep 2024
16 Sep 2024 20:23:14
Agree RBD that CG's incredible engine and ability to cover so. much ground combined with neck of nicking the ball high up the field was that made his partnership with a greatly improved Caicedo so effective in last third of the season.

Not sure who can fill that role.

A fit Lavia alongside Caicedo best bet but how often will Lavia be fit? Is Casadei worth trying eh in conference games? But the pressure to play Enzo/ Caicedo combo is great give price tags.