quickpassnmove

Alonso, Jorginho, and Willian in the lineup again. Why did I imagine I could enjoy this match? Every fucking year with this club.

Nice performance by Hazard and Kovacic. Not much else to say other than I don't want to see Alonso and Willian anymore and I am still not a fan of Jorginho's MF. Sort of pointless having a weak CM sit in front of two CBs who can pass, esp. while we do nothing with possession.

yes you do.

Watching the ManUtd match versus Cardiff City, I am reminded what it looks like when a side has more than one or two real attacking talents. I wonder what Eden thinks when he sees such a performance. I mean, will that sort thing even happen at CFC with the likes of Willian and Alonso on the pitch and no goalscorer at CF? I want Eden to stay, but our squad is the weakest among the top six in the Premier League even if you think that Arsenal's central midfield isn't so good.

Nice match for Kovacic, RLC, Kepa. Emerson OK; hope we see him more. We really need a striker and we should sell Willian.

I've no trouble with Eden playing CF regularly --maybe not every single match, but it can work. I don't think Eden will hit the target as well as Aguero, but I just realized that they are the same size: 5'8" with huge quadriceps. Getting another CF soon will do us good, but I think getting Willian and Alonso out of our lineup will be best moves of all. I hope Eden stays.

It's very simple: regardless of what country you're from, the benefits of supply-side economics, heavy privatization, and general neo-liberal economics (where too much of policy is formed by industry interests instead of public interest), are short-sighted, short-term. I am not advocating communism; I am advocating for a mixed economy similar to Western Europe or Scandinavia --and none of that is backwards for a country like the U.S. either. Rather, it is a balanced mixed economy: balancing public interests and corporate interests. It is not backwards because no country on this planet is going to find a sustainable path for its people and ecosystems by pursuing 5 to 9% growth rate with a strong bias toward supply side economics and hyper-consumerism (defined by the 20th century U.S. and Baby Boomers' consumption in particular). The 20th century is still winding down, here, in America too; those big-spending Baby Boomers aren't spending on their households like in the past because they are retired/retiring or don't have any money after the 2008 financial crisis. Replaced by Millenials and Zeds, etc. who don't have an interest in spending big on the dumb shit of yesteryears (many probably do not have the means to spend like Boomer either). The 21st century is still coming online, but supply-side economics isn't going to make anything great again, nor anything great in Eastern Europe either; this is exactly the culprit for current right wing movements now and left wing movements in the West since the 80s/90s. Sure, you can improve the private industrial output in Croatia with better policy, oriented for pro-business growth, but the benefits will not spread far and wide among your population like the benefits of socialism and subsequent corporatist economics of America after WW2 --that is, IF your new "pro-business" policies are too pro-business (ie. very neo-liberal-oriented), you will not be making your nation greater, but pushing it toward a new era of crises. The big neo-liberal invasion of the post-Soviet Union also spawned the post-KGB Putin now ruling in Moscow. We can be humanistic without going too far toward communism and still be pro-business --without having strictly corporatist, supply-side economics and being victims of capital flight, privatization of our lands and healthcare and/or victims technological change. Don't be a victim.

They are probably all encouraged by the presence of a far right gov't in Hungary. These assholes need to be demoralized everywhere. Meanwhile, I don't think that we've seen the end of hypercapitalism/neoliberal economics, so we are sure to see more right wing human nonsense as the post-industrial white grievance industry gains more interest from the working class.

Should be buying someone like this, along with another CB, a new striker and another attacker for RW or whatever. Four Excellent players would make us a real threat again --but that CF position is always a tricky one for Chelsea to fill after Didier <sob>. The rest will be depth from our young players and probably keeping Pedro as a backup (selling Willian, that is).

I may have just pooped my pants. Too much coffee or N'golo Kante?

wake me up when it's over.

With what we have in the squad, I would rather see a change in CM, left back and just get rid of the RW in favor of a 4-3-1-2 formation, letting Eden move around freely behind Morata and Giroud --even letting Morata slide around because clearly he is total shit as a CF in the Premier League. Play either Kovacic, Barkley, or RLC or TWO of them with Kante in CM. I completely disregarded the transfer of Jorginho in the summer because even though he's a pretty good passer, I knew he lacked speed and strength. All dubious that it will ever work well with him as a deep CM. Seems dumb to me, but we will see how it turns out in months to come. Need some new striker(s) and different winger(s) in the lineup/bench to make the system work as Sarri imagines it. Just seems like our side is going to be reduced to passing the ball between, CBs, Jorginho, Hazard and back again for 70% possession and rarely finishing for the rest of the season unless some things are changed.

Goals for the very near future? Buy: one rising star striker with strength up against defenders one centre back, consider Jadon Sancho or find a top RW consider a new fullback WORK ALL THREE CHO, RLC, AND EA INTO THE SQUAD.

I have to add: now is different from Chelsea's titles in the past 7 years however. Chelsea will not defend their way to title (especially without J.T., superman) and we don't have a Didier or Diego to trouble defenders either. Now we have Pep, Juergen, and managers like Wolves' and Bournemouth to contend with. I think things have changed and Chelsea need go in fully for a real transition this time. No idea if Maurizio Sarri is an answer; so far, a manager has NOT been the answer (just as AVB has turned up again in discussion here).

I would say the 2004/2005 season.

Another November goes by and it's time to stop watching CFC unless we know that CHO, RLC and EA are getting into the lineup somehow. Eden Hazard's career is going by without top notch player around him --which is something I would argue we lacked during Didier's career too. Not the least bit surprised. This squad got to 55% of what Maurizio wants over a month or so ago and just cannot go further. Now it's up to the manager to start making changes. Changes have been due for some weeks IMO. And what about Morata? Can't fix that, I think. He should try another league probably. Oh... and are we in transition? FFS, this club has been in half-ass transition for a decade IMO, never fully transitioning to something and often reversing due to lack of quality and scoring in the squad. This is the fault of leadership at the club's offices.

No penetration in the middle, predictable on the wings and poor from fullback. Same thing again.

Put RLC in, but don't expect miracles with this squad around him.

Wow, this forum is dead! I agree with Blue Armour on the midfield and I will say the same thing on how our midfield works with our defensive line and attacking line, esp. noting our lack of impotence from fullback --not just because of who is playing fullback, but because we are not producing anything between our lines. I don't think think it comes down to not having a good striker or the wrong combination of midfielders and fullbacks or a lack of a good right winger. All the above, plus we do not produce anything punching the opponent straight up the gut; too many attacks arrive on the wings and go nowhere. I think by now every single opponent we face in the Premier League should know that they only need to shut down the wing areas and Chelsea offer almost nothing in combination play between CF and CM.

CFC will make all the money back on the transfer just from fan shop sales in the U.S. Jadon Sancho is a quicker player with better dribbling skills, but Pulisic has shown he can finish. I have no problem with this transfer and I'm also not a Pulisic fanboy. CFC probably need a much different player however. Pulisic is like an scrawny American version of Dele Alli. I think we need something different than this, but we'll give him a chance? Seems weird with Loftus-Cheek here already --again Chelsea make the money back on fan shop sales from the U.S.

Squad needs more talent; don't start on the manager already FFS.

Nice play by Gana and Gomes. Stuffed us. Good defending by Everton today. Can't really fault Morata much in this one( yea, he had chances and offside calls); I thought this match highlighted our deficiencies in MF and fullbacks. We just don't have enough to punch through like an elite side.

Off topic, but just going to share my current thoughts: Kante has been a good player to hold our side together while we have been severely lacking in other areas. If he wants to move on and we're going to use the money to sign more attackers and fullbacks, CBs, etc., etc., then so be it. What has been bizarre to me personally, as an American who doesn't have 4 decades of watching European football in my past, is how there haven't been more Didier Drogbas at the top level of European football. There are players I like (Hazard, Kante and others), but I would like Chelsea to find an indomitable CF again someday.

Hazard-Morata-Pedro/Willian just isn't enough. More disappointment awaits if that front line does not change in January and summer. I'm fine with Pedro staying as long as he wants; he won't be a first choice forward if Chelsea buy right, but he's a good backup.

...or push Barkley up and let Kante stay deep.