LAM09

James as a midfielder ..... Colwill didn't even attempt to close the shot down. How on earth did anyone think he was some wonderkid?

His comments about us no having any leaders really got to me - https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/football/you-dont-have-a-leader-Chelsea-boss-enzo-maresca-aims-veiled-dig-at-captain-reece-james-again-as-he-bemoans-lack-of-dressing-room-commanders/ar-AA1DdySM?ocid=BingNewsSerp It's his role to lead from the touchline and help encourage a youthful squad, not complain about the obvious especially after our current run of form.

Win or bust for our slim CL hopes. It's a London derby as well, so if the players can't motivate themselves, we're in a worse position than I thought.

It isn't of that much importance to me. 😄

Costa, Jorginho, etc. I could write an entire list of players that fall into a similar category. Either way, I still believe it's poorly written. An accurate headline would be - Dutch born Spanish international.

James' recent comments say everything. There's literally no pressure on them, and they couldn't give two shits about turning this around. Talk about the stark difference between this lot compared to what happened during AVB's tenure. In no world should this current crop have any sort of "player power".

I know his background, but he's a Spanish international. It's like saying Grealish & Rice are Irish internationals because of their heritage & having played youth football for Ireland. To me, it's misinformation and sloppy journalism.

I wouldn't trust an article mentioning the wrong national team even with him clearly wearing a Spanish jersey in the picture too.

Not to mention his awful injury record. You've covered almost everything and exactly why he shouldn't of been considered in the first place. People have their own preferences as to what I want from a captain - vocal type, someone who does their talking through performances, etc. I have always felt a mixture of both is exactly what you want especially when things aren't going your way. Since JT, we haven't had that person (credit to Azpi for his haul during his time). With the way things are going, we won't have another authoritative figure in our side until current ownership.

We have a CWC just around the corner, so it will be a little while before we have a break.

Our captain coming with such a comment. Imagine JT doing the same.

Having "yes" men without any authority is why. The board didn't like Tuchel being vocal. I feel a loan signing was decent business without any obligations. If rumours are to be believed, signing him to avoid a £5m fee is beyond stupid. Just can't stand the current owners. They have no connection with the fans at all. It's draining to sit through. The thought that there's the slightest chance we end the season well is the real killer, though.

Without Palmer delivering, we have no cutting edge. The majority of this squad aren't good enough to begin with. Talk of keeping Sancho on is exactly why we are in such a state.

Maresca's decision to play a full strength squad backfired massively. At what point do the board take notice of what's happening? Top 5, a European trophy & CWC to follow. Maresca will most likely blow all of that.

Jorgensen is a loss soul out there.

It's a worse version of Sarriball and that's saying something. Our players aren't doing much either, tbh. Cucu is backing goal poaching runs while NJ is in his world fighting someone. He literally has no résumé as a manager. We shouldn't be surprised by what we're seeing.

It's rather sad that we have our full squad playing when the tie is essentially over, and we still aren't winning on the night. Maresca's priorities are clear. It might be a sign of things to come.

Modric is on his last legs as well. They need some serious reinvestment in the summer. TAA won't help them defensively. I'd imagine Ancelotti will be gone in the summer (maybe he'll finally take the helm of the Brazilian NT).

Real Madrid's only goal against Arsenal was a gift. This has to be the first real shock of this season's CL. Tbh, they probably should have been knocked out against Atletico. Signing Mbappe isn't what this side needed.

To think their last 11 goals have come from players other than Isak (just scored recently). That Cup win has push them up a gear.

Unfortunately, I can't see either happening in the near future.

At what point do we stop becoming a team that's seemingly just here to develop players? Since this is the path we continue to take, we really can't grumble too much about not vying for major honours. Our board is obviously unaware of a concept known as balance.

We've been selling this project idea for seasons which has allowed us to sign promising talent. Owners forcing us to work with a shoestring wage structure will continue to work against us. Maresca was never cut out for this job. Finishing in the Top 5 and winning a trophy should have always been seen as a massive success, all things considered.

A lot can change from now till the start of the new CL campaign. If we don't qualify, what progression have we made? It will signal the end of us being considered alongside the top sides in Europe & will hurt us massively in the transfer window.

Very true. He's one player Liverpool couldn't afford to lose and don't have the type of funds needed to find a replacement of a similar level. The half a billion from Saudi will be waiting for him once his contract ends as well.