Pizy

It was true all preseason long and it happened once again today. Our wingbacks (and Reece in particular) didn’t really get forward and contribute to the attack at all. The main feature of our play all season last year. What’s the deal? Anyways, some positives and some worrying signs. The 3 points is all that matters but there are several issues that aren’t easy fixes. Goal scoring at a reliable clip is going to be a huge problem again. Sterling was the only attacker who looked good today. Mount and Havertz were totally anonymous. Not helped by Kante and Jorgi being poor on the ball today. On the plus side, Koulibaly looked good if a little rusty with his passing at times. Cucu instantly looked quicker and more precise on the ball than Chilly.

So many bloody long stops, ffs. I just want this damn bogey match to be over!

Starting to worry about Kai as our #1 striker option. Love him as a player and person but he just isn’t intense and aggressive enough. He doesn’t seem desperate to score and get shots away. With Sterling looking this sharp and fantastic already, if we could add an alternative to Kai to the squad we’d be so much better.

Jorginho is totally out of place in a match like this. Offers ZERO going forward and because we have possession all the time, when we get quickly turned of]ver the opponent breezes by him. Kova should’ve started.

Our midfield is so unbelievably slow and uncreative on the ball. Painful to watch.

With our next 2 fixtures being against bitter rivals I feel like we absolutely need all 3 points today or we risk having a pretty rotten start to the season.

That Everton side is absolutely dreadful and has so little attacking quality. But this being the first match and it being at Goodison this surely won’t be easy.

Alonso not in the squad so his Barca move is indeed close. Azpi starting but at least it’s at CB and not wingback…

People were creaming themselves last night about Saliba on his debut. I think Fofana is easily the superior young Frenchman. Don’t care what we pay for him tbh. He’s going to become one of the best in the world within a few years. As for De Jong, I still don’t buy our interest being so hot.

Think Arse have been pretty shit today. Started really well in the first 15 minutes but then looked poor. Palace mistakes for both goals.

Nah, I’m saying with another forward brought in. We can at least make it less embarrassing than finishing 20+ points behind them.

If we end this window with Fofana + a forward I’ll be over the moon. We can make a real run at the top 2 and the CL then I feel. Our depth throughout the whole team would be insanely good.

Think what he means is that yes, some players will leave (I’m guessing Tielemans?) but that his very best players he wants to keep at all costs. So now we wait to see if the club hierarchy can turn down gigantic money with the financial trouble they’re apparently in.

Going to be incredibly difficult to pry him away from Leicester and you’d have to think if there’s any slim possibility we have to move quickly before Newcastle comes back in for Maddison for a third time. They won’t sell both. We need to offer a monster fee and we need a transfer request.

Exaggerating shall we say. Maybe getting a bit carried away since he’s speaking publicly and wanted to get people talking about him.

I don’t think he’s lying, I just feel like he’s probably been reading the same stuff we have regarding De Jong preferring Chelsea. I doubt he’s got any inside info.

Harry fucking Redknapp! 🤣 As if that melted face idiot knows anything…

Hopefully Leicester’s cash problems are a big enough issue that if we bid £80m they can’t really say no. Because otherwise this Cucurella fee may have priced us out of Fofana who they may suddenly quote us £100m now. Would also be beneficial if Fofana himself pushes for the move and forces the issue.

Get in! But I’d actually wait until next match to play him. I’m sure his fitness levels are fine but I wouldn’t throw him straight in.

Scorer of a lot of great goals but it’s good that Alonso is moving on. I’m sure he’ll be good for Barca and I wish him well as he’s been a solid player for us. Will be a gigantic relief to not have to worry about getting abused down our left side when he was in the team. And I certainly won’t miss his total inability to dribble past anyone.

Getting Fofana after Cucurella would make this an amazing window. Getting anyone else after that would move this into legendary territory.

Think Alonso will be in Barca by this time next week. Emerson will probably be gone, too.

This is the sort of money you pay for someone who goes right into the XI. I think Fofana was an impossible deal this summer and Cucu will slot in and be our LCB. We aren’t going to pay more than £52m on a rotation option for Chilly, surely.

No chance Conor goes. Will play a lot for us.

With Carney here and apparently staying it seems ludicrous to think we’d still be in for De Jong. Barkley and Billy haven’t been given squad numbers so we can assume they’re off. But that still leaves us packed in midfield. Unless one of Jorginho or Kante goes it seems super unlikely. Jorginho has been quoted seemingly every week this summer saying how delighted he is to still be at Chelsea, how much he’s looking forward to the new season, that he can’t wait to play with Koulibaly again, and even hoping he can extend his contract. Doesn’t look like there’s any way he’d leave. Kante is someone Tuchel sees as our talisman and best player. There have been no rumors at all about him going.