Chelsea Buzz

I'm in for this.

Agree. Willian extra slow for some reason.

I agree. Seems he could develop.

I knew Baba Rahman to Schalke, but Kenedy too?

I want to see Hazard, Kante, Batshualy and Cuadrado second half.

Before I forget to ask, where is Kenedy? I must have missed the news. Injured?

Nice hustling and effort from Traore, Really like this kid. Maybe not a starter, but certainly in the squad. Moses creating again. Seems he is every pre-season MVP and then shipped out. Come on you Chelsea!!

Ok, I hate to moan and complain about the media, but the Sky Sports Headline reads: Second Team Real Madrid beats Chelsea Am I missing something or was the game not second team vs second team for the most part? Both teams had a bit of a mix and were missing names like Ronaldo and Costa. Last time I checked, these Chelsea starting XI are not first teamers: Begovic, Aina, Oscar, RLC, Traore. Nearly half the squad. What gives?

I remember two, pretty meh in 4-0 romp over Aston Villa and then shaky vs Swansea. I am certain if he was better or even close, Conte would get him the game considering our crappy back line.

Falcao was a "free" loan I think. You are correct on the others. I keep holding out hope Pedro will put together consistently but am losing hope.

He seemed over matched the few times he played last year. Probably needs more work to be a serious threat to play.

Well, once again just a friendly but..... Shambolic first half after a nice opening 10 minutes. You can see Conte really wants to play a 4-5-1 and then counter quickly and immediately. it is clear some dead wood must go: Oscar, Mikel, Begovic, Ivanovic. RLC was lost before now non existent. Thought Striker might help. Nope. Experiment can end now. The Good: really like Batsguayi. Physical, fast and strong with the ball. Terrific addition. Chelobah shows potential. Hazard looked trimmer and quicker, glad to see him get action. Traore is quick and gained some weight. I like this kid. Hate to say it, but thought Cuadrado showed skill (other than falling down) getting past his man and keeping possession down the wing. Probably better at getting past the defender than Willian and quicker. Love Willian though. The Better: Kante will improve midfield a lot. Him and Matic may partner well. Cesc will have to move up the pitch and play in the middle behind Costa, etc. The Needs: gotta have Koulibaly and hope he is as good as advertised. Need one more striker and would love to find a quality RB. A Begovic replacement is a must for a decent back up keeper. Team is still trying to adjust to Conte style and strategy. Better and more implemented this match. It's coming, when the right players on the pitch of course. Even with the awful first half, I found some positives. Gotta keep improving. I see things I like. Gotta shore up the back certainly. Conte will sort it out. Come on you Chelsea!!

Well, it was a friendly. The refs were curious at best. We lacked some of our key offensive players.Did I mention it was a friendly? Seriously though, I saw more hustle defending tonight than in ANY match we had last year. You could see the guys are trying to prove themselves (1) to Conte and (2) that last year will not be repeated. Defended well. Had to because we did not control possession. Still don't get Cuadrado. All and all, a good friendly performance. Thought many players look in much better shape then last year, i.e.Cahill. It was a 1-0 win over Liverpool. Good night to be a Chelsea supporter and promises of good things ahead under Conte. Now let's have a few more quality signings and compete for the trophy!! Come on you Chelsea!!

I actually kind of "do" see it working. I thinking he may just have better striker skills than midfield. Nothing lost in trying. Come on you Chelsea!!

Agreed. Wish folks would stay on topic (tonight's match). Come on you Chelsea!!

So, who else is tuning in tonight/this morning to watch this live? I am here and ready. Match will end about 1:30 in the morning for me. Come on you Chelsea!!

Bringing your "A" game for preseason. I like it! Come on you Chelsea!!

I am very intrigued by tonight's match (23:35 local time for me). The guys have been training with Conte now for 2+ weeks. It'll be against a solid club, even if both teams start/play a fair amount of non-regulars. It is at night, so the oppressive heat should not be a factor. I do have concerns about the 15:00 local start time match in Michigan vs Real Madrid Saturday. The heat can really take it out of you if you are not used to it and it seems to affect these friendlies. I plan to stay up to watch and get about 5 hours of sleep prior to work. Hope it is worth it. I am curious if we see RLC at striker some. Conte has made some comments about it, and honestly, I can see with his size that may be a better fit than midfield. He is big and strong and play up front for corners. etc is not a bad thing. The only draw back tonight is that we will probably see Begovic again as keeper. I am ready for him to move on. Great effort from him last year but we need to be better behind Courtois. Come on you Chelsea!!

Hopefully that is the purpose, and I assume so. I was surprised when we went to the match vs PSG in Charlotte last year that the team left the Montreal hotel only about 5 hours prior to kickoff in Charlotte and arrived at the Charlotte airport about 3 hours before kickoff and then flew back to Montreal immediately following the match without staying a night in Charlotte. I have been curious in the past when they get into towns for a match, how much rest they'll get, etc. I was really surprised by the itinerary in Charlotte. Certainly will not give any details here other than they have flown both airline charters and private charters in the US previously. Come on you Chelsea!!

Barbara, great to see you in mid-season form already Seriously, you bring terrific insight and a light-hearted approach that is always good reading. You and many others on here make this place what it is. Missed you lots last year. Come on you Chelsea!!

While you are working on your thoughts, and I agree with your rationale, I will jump in. I cannot, as well as the rest of you, even start to predict how the Conte era will start and play out over time, BUT I have to admit I really like his approach to the game and attitude. I hope all the players will get their act in gear and dedicate themselves to Conte's system and Chelsea FC. I never want to see a replay of last year's lack of focus/effort. If we can add another striker and one (or two preferably) CBs, I think we can have a fun year. I find Conte's style refreshing. The media spotlight and pressure will be on Pep and JM in Manchester. We have no games in Europe. We have one primary goal, Premier League, and a couple of domestic cups. Conte may be just the guy at just the right time. I am looking forward to the games in the US v. Liverpool, Real, etc. Good warm up games. I am ready for August 15th and West Ham at the Bridge now!! Come on you Chelsea!! Barbara, I now give you the floor back

I have been trying this all day and it just locks up, no matter PC, tablet or iPhone. Never had the problem before.

Wish I could get any of the Chelsea FC links to work so I could watch. Bummer. I am trusting you lads for a spot on assessment of our play today. If anyone says Ivanovic was in complete shutdown mode, you will lose credibility for life Come on you Chelsea!!

Would agree. It is going to take some time (hopefully not too long) for our guys to learn the quick, fast pace, attacking style Conte wants. The first game was interesting as you could see Conte telling the guys to push the play, but instead we would bring the ball near the area and then start walking the ball all around allowing the other team to set their defense and make penetration only possible via perfect passing. Looked like last year, especially early when we would look for 1-0 wins until our defense started leaking like a leaky boat. Willian does this a lot as does Hazard (did not play Saturday). Love Willian, but he and others are just too methodical most of the time, much like Arsenal. This comes from the Jose training. We have got to break this. Even Costa appears to have changed from the free running player the first half of 2014-15. Jose is still in the heads of these guys in my opinion. I look forward to a change in style. Look back at how we played in 2012-13. Gotta get the mojo back and then some. Come on you Chelsea!!

So Cuadrado is back with the club i am sure he is not fit to play tomorrow, but after Conte's comments over the weekend, I am surprised he is getting another shot. Am I crazy, but in his time two seasons ago, he seemed so over matched and in over his head,no? He was always falling down, missing passes, etc. i just don't know who he'd replace in the lineup. I'd take Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Kenedy, Oscar, Traore over him. What am I missing? Is it just because he played in Serie A? Hope we put a decent lineup out tomorrow and get a nice win. Come on you Chelsea!!