Leaderboard

Something that really has to go is the recruitment approach which means that generation after generation we underperform in the transfer market and collect players with a flair for the spectacular but lacking in the final stamp of quality.

We need a player like this guy in these days

All our best results this month have come against Spurs.

what about this kane goal? softest of fouls. we get lucky

Re-sign him, especially as it looks like AC is leaving

Ballack was fucking immense. We met him outside SB and he was proper decent

I am not sure what game you were watching, but we absolutely battered them first game and it says more that we were disappointed with the score ending 2-0, as we should have scored more and spurned many opportunities. The second leg, we were dominant first half also. Spurs only turned it on second half and that was about it.

The only thing I'd be concerned with bringing Maatsen back is how keen is Tuchel on him. Tuchel has at least talked up Emerson as someone he trusts could slot back in and "do a job". Emerson is never going to be the long term answer, but at least if he was brought back for the rest of the season I think Tuchel will use him and rotate Alonso with him. I think we have to accept that we'll struggle getting anything in January that upgrades on Alonso but we do really need an alternative there that Tuchel can use regularly if needed. I know CHO and Pulisic have played there now and again

With Tomo now that I will genuinely lose interest if Lukaku is in the lineup.

Top talent? What top talent? Havertz has been here for 18 months, we spent 70+ million on him and he has yet to show any sort of consistency and qualities that made people go gaga over him in the first place. I know players are different from one another but Hazard was already showing his qualities, making an impact, giving us that X factor the minute he joined the club and he didn't even cost 70+ million!

Why is Lukaku still on the fucking pitch? Havertz? Timo? Kit man? Anyone?

It's not just their attacking output being exceptional during that period, but it's the athleticism and pace that both possess to get up and down the pitch. Both being able to play that high up the pitch but have the speed and fitness to also get back into position to defend is what is the problem now with the system. With Chilwell and James we basically had five attackers and then one of Kova or Kante being a roaming midfielder to help hunt the ball high. Alonso and Azpilicueta simply don't have the same physical capabilities to play box to box, and I don't think either is as efficient

If they were fluke goals I'd agree but they were practically playing like number 10s in possession and getting into the right areas. Many thought Trent and Robertson's freak productivity wasn't sustainable and look at them now. Not saying we don't need a couple of the forward player's to step up we very much do but I don't think that was a fluke purple patch from those two, far from it.

We did in first game and it did not work.

This is what he said after the game about formation and Ziyech. This is what happens when he finally plays on best position. I think we are switching to 4atb permanently. “We tried a 4-1-4-1 formation today because we tried a 4-4-2 against them in the first match and that gave us an advantage but then they reacted to it in the second match. “[We] had the players for the formation, players in shape, players who wanted and should be on the pitch, and good positions for them. [We] thought it could give us solutions to escape the high pressing, put the game in the opponent’s half,

World class finger pointer.

Luverly. Just got back, Totteringham Hotspurs fans are so bitter.

Amazing what you can do when you move the ball forward quicker, take people on and create chances !! We needed the win, but we also needed to play with a bit more excitement, which we did . Thiago has been amazing since he came !! Now the Boards priority must be to keep Rudi — he deserves parity at least with the top earners

I know he has to do it more consistently but today shows exactly why I am on his 'train' so to speak. Ziyech's goal will get headlines but it was his quality that created the situation.

Spurs didn't score against Kepa this season in 4 games.

Glad for Ziyech. He was our best player first half and at least is always trying to make something happen.

At least Burnley held on. McNeil was very good

Rudiger is without question the main one. I'll be disappointed if Christensen leaves and we would miss Azpi's leadership and versatility as a squad player but if Rudiger re-signs and with Silva already in the bag, I wouldn't be concerned with losing the other two.

I understand why anyone would have their reservations on Dembele because I share the same concerns with his history of injuries and mediocre performances for Barca... but I watched him the other day vs Madrid and he was easily the best player on the pitch for some time In that match.. I think if TT got him here and could channel his focus.. we could could a serious player on our hands.

Antonio Rudiger says his 'family feel great in London', as talks over a new deal progress....

I agree. I know that our opinions on Chilwell differ as I rate him higher then you do and consider him to be a more than good enough left back for us to be challenging for trophies (put it this way, if Chilwell was the biggest problem position for the club I think we'd be doing extremely well) but you are spot on with what we should be looking for as an alternative left back/left wing back option for him. Chilwell could take a long time to get back to that form he was showing pre-injury. He may never even get back to that, it's not a given and shouldn't be taken as one. So we have to

I like that lineup mostly, but i think Conte has sussed that 4-2-2-2 now and we should try something different Maybe more like a 4-3-3 Azpi---Thiago---Rüdiger--Sarr ------------Jorginho---------- ------Kova---------Mount--- Puli---------Kai-------Timo a bit Sarri style. Usually gave us control, allows us to load the midfield which conte teams usually struggle with, without exposing the flanks like we did in the 2nd half at spurs in the cup semi.

Needed Spurs to get Top 4? He came in while most of us already gave up on Top 4, he brought us back in it, we had some issues but he showed his absolute class last season. It's pretty obvious the players in his attack are the fault not him, Ziyech, CHO and Pulisic are wildly inconsistent and unreliable while Lukaku is pure shit, no matter which manager comes in it will be the same.

This and our issues with Lukaku only continues to highlight in my opinion how poor the Italian league is. It's the same reason why I'd be hugely cautious about players like Vlahovic.

I'd take Dembele everyday of the week for a cut price

If Tuchel really did want Lukaku, then you gotta wonder whether he would make the right decisions when it comes to buying other players. Also, how badly do the club want to win the league or are they satisfied with just winning cup competitions? I don't mind the club backing the manager of course but the club's structure has been that they make the final decision on everything. Backing the manager fully means they would relinquish that control and power they have had so long. Will Marina and co. do that? There's also no guarantee that overhauling the squad and backing Tuchel would result

I believe this board was more determined to sign Lukaku than it was to sign Shevchenko. I firmly believe this. Torres was maybe manager wish, but Lukaku was wish from above. I will repeat it. Board was so damn sure prolific goalscorer is all we need. Sign that and we don't have to sign anyone else and we will be able to compete in all fronts. They have seen that our team was very good bar this little detail. They went for Haland. Best option. Didn't work out. They went for, in their short sighded minds, the second best option. It worked out. They sold couple of promising youngers and

For all your criticism or even hatred of Werner, he was one of the key players who helped made the system work last season. In fact, him and Mount were basically the two mainstays in Tuchel's selection last season. The remaining spot was open until Havertz grabbed that. The selection was almost consistent. Werner might not a WOW player but he was an important cog in the system. He might not have been the goalscorer that we all want but he contributed(s) a lot in different ways (would even say the same with Havertz at least). Different case altogether with Lukaku who if is not scoring, what doe

You can't honestly think Lukaku was a signing Tuchel pushed for?

For all the stick we give to those players, I don't think they are bad players per se (including Lukaku!). In the right environment, in the right setup, I think they would thrive. It's just we do a shit job at recruiting players because (a) the club don't have any idea how they want the team to play, (b) we keep changing managers and (c) the manager some times does a shit job at getting the best out of them.

He could have started Werner wherever from minute 1, we all know he would of done fuck all. He is hopeless. As is Ziyech. All the attacking players we have signed in the past 3 seasons have been pretty much useless. I sincerely hope that if we are serious about becoming a title winning team, or closing the gap to City even more, that we sell both (maybe Pulisic as well) and just play Lukaku against FA cup minnows to he can be sold because he is also shocking.

I honestly can't leave this game seeing how anyone of those players deserve to be playing in a Chelsea kit next season. Kante, Silva & Rudiger are really the only ones.

NO CHANGES. For fuck sake TT

The lack of pace in 3 of our 4 wide areas here is brutal. None of Azpi, Alonso, or Ziyech can run. And CHO may as well not be on the pitch. Brighton can be had on the counter but our counter attack specialists (Werner, Havertz, Pulisic) are on the bench. And Lamptey is literally unstoppable with our current personnel. Flying down that right side basically uncontested.

because Chiesa did his knee super poor man's versions would be Allan Saint-Maximin or Raphina or Moussa Diaby or Arnaut Danjuma

No thanks. His move to Madrid is proof that the grass isn’t always greener and ultimately, he is finished IMO. Honestly think for the fee he cost and wages he’s on, he will struggle to get a top club move. I mean Coutinho is a reference for this sort of thing also although he somehow got a move to Bayern for 6 months and eventually only got out of Barca to go to Villa with a chance of a permanent move.

Remember when we use to wonder how Hazard could show such little visible frustration when playing with the likes of Willian, Morata and Ramires? Now it all makes sense, he dealt with a lot worse at national level.

True but it is really good to have best number 2. Kepa price is irrelevant in 2022 which is major issue about him. And Kepa repaid a lot of money. Super Cup win is only on him and we got 5m just for that game. Played major part in winning EL with Sarri and this season in reaching EFL cup final. Also we never missed out top4 since Kepa is here. Put best GK in the world instead of him since he is here result would be the same. Top4 but no title. Kepa worst season was 19/20 we finished 4th with 66 points. 33 points behind Liverpool and 15 points behind City. So put Oblak or Me

Congrats Big Ed no chels goalie since Cech 2005 got that honour I think unreal considering he was basically out of work a few years back

Lamptey did not have the patience so there was not much we could do about it . Also he is hopelessly overrated by our fan base. Mainly bc we let him go this cheaply. he has a flashy burst of pace and looks like a little kid but that’s were the eye catching stuff ends. He has contributed 0 goals and 1 assist as a very attacking fullback. In short, he is a midget Adama traore. we have a buy back clause on Tino who is twice the player About Kennedy I doubt he will be in the squad already. Probably has the rest of the month to learn the system and to convince TT to warr

At least 50% of the forum were against Lukaku while I among others have always called for Alonso’s sale. When we failed to get hakimi, who would have been huge given out I juries, I we were not in the market for an alternative again and now stand here with the same problem again. I genuinely believe that if you put a selection of fans from here in charge of the footballing side of only scouting and transfer decisions alone we would probably not have a worse squad.

Kepa Azpilicueta Silva Rudiger Sarr Jorginho Kante Mount CHO Havertz Werner

I'm not ready for another 90 minutes of Lukaku, it's too soon.

I think we'll see more use of the back 4 as the season wears on. For me this weekend just continued to prove with the United and West Ham results that I don't think the teams below us are capable and consistent enough to go on sustained runs of wins that we can't match or better in the second half of this season, let alone 2 teams doing so. Obviously we need to start picking up and improving our form now but we've now played Liverpool and City twice, and after Brighton this week I think the only other team in the top 10 we have to play away are United. On paper, our fixture list for