Blue Armour

Agree with the lineup...but think Jorginho/Silva had some fitness concerns? Might see Kovacic and/or Chalobah instead. Also wouldn't mind seeing Ziyech restored to the lineup.

This. When Lukaku came, I already made peace with the fact that he is not Didier Drogba. His hold-up play and inventiveness is not up to par. But that doesn't mean he's useless in big games. I would still bet on him scoring given a decent half chance at any point in the game. His ability in front of goal is unquestionable. It just means that the team around him has to do all the work, and set him up. Today we couldn't. Kovacic and Kante could barely break out of our half with the ball, and very few long balls were played over the top to either Werner or Lukaku. Same happened at Anfield after we went down to 10 men.

Yeah, the main reason I'm disappointed was because this was our home against them. Should have done more to at least get a point. But anyway, last season they also beat us at the Bridge and we went onto win away. Also, City played Arsenal at home and also drew to Southampton, whom we face next. Need to take advantage where they didn't.

Yeah, hope that isn't a trend. I like that he's willing to try different methods, but hoping he doesn't settle on this one.

Come on Vesper, we need to be at least a little angry 😄 j/k

This same City team lost embarrassingly to Spurs at the season's start. They also had a terrible start last season only to win the title at a canter. So yep, 3 points on week 6 doesn't do anything. Just disappointed as a fan. Because this was the second big game of the season, possibly most difficult, and we lost it at home because we setup so negatively.

Well to be fair its only on loan, so it looks like they knew what they were doing. If RLC can maintain this form, then Chelsea are good.

Also slightly off-topic from the match itself, looks like RLC is moving ahead of Saul Niguez in the pecking order. Not that it wasn't obvious from the last two matches. Seems to have got some of his swagger back.

Don't think anyone is saying its the end of the world. It was always bound to happen. We've had difficult fixtures one after another, and Tuchel got it right in all of them bar this one. And on the topic of this one, he got it woefully wrong. Negative setup and didn't correct it at halftime despite that terrible 1st half. But yes, I agree the goal is to compete and be closer to the title. I don't agree with the notion that we're only fighting for top 4. This team, barring injuries, is much better than that.

Lukaku could have done better on a couple of occasions, but it was negative ultra defensive setup in midfield that cost us this game. Just woeful until Kante was swapped for Havertz

DP

Don't agree with that. Barring injuries, we can definitely challenge for the title this season. Its not going to be one of those seasons where 2nd or 3rd placed teams finish far from the first. This match just handed the reality check that was coming. We are just not outright favorites.

Another one of Tuchel's odd setups costing us the match. Setup too defensively with neither Kante or Kovacic having the ability to carry the ball out of City's high press. Should have changed it at half time, or at least shortly after, seeing how it was clearly failing. But not going to whine about it. He gets it right far more often than wrong, and after this relentless barrage of tricky fixtures, he deserves leeway. City deserved to win this match.

* Provided Kepa is keeping during penalties.

Quoting myself here....but today's match answered my questions a little more. Central midfield it is.

In the second half we became something like the title winning Chelsea sides of yesteryear....a relentless blue machine. Lukaku and Werner looked real dangerous on the break. I'm hoping to see more of that this season, albeit with goals scored!

Whatever the case, it would be daft to let him walk on a free. There's a reason why Rudiger is an almost constant member of our back line. You see all the other 4 position being rotated frequently by Tuchel, but Toni is always there. There maybe better defenders out there, but his character is what makes him unique. Also, he's got bags of pace. According to the latest reports, he's still stalling over an offer. Club's offering 125k pw. Shameful if true, considering how much the non-starters are earning.

Seeing Ronaldo baga brace made me a little tense about this season., but Lukaku really eased that bit of tension. Just relieved to have him on our side. Practically turned two half chances into goals (not too unlike Ronaldo)

Indeed. In his interview he said as much. Tuchel has asked him to be a leader in the dressing room. Reminds me of the time Mourinho asked Didier to be a locker loom leader when he returned in 2014. Hope there is a similar impact. Another good thing here is Lukaku is already joining a trophy winning squad with experience, so it should know how to respond well.

You ass 🤣

Hope we can get Christensen over the line soon. I don't know if Rudiger sees potentially better options out there, but we better offer a high wage package or something to entice him to stay. Sure there might be other CBs with better ability, but I don't want us to sacrifice that mentality and leadership he has displayed over the past few months. That sort of thing is difficult to buy.

Any idea why we're struggling with extending his contract? Or even Christensen for that matter. And to add, we've also lost an experienced defender in Zouma, another member of our CL winning squad. I see City and Liverpool managing to extend contracts of their key defenders, but we're seemingly at risk of losing these guys year. What gives?

He has become a lot better at passing the ball out of high pressure situations. No doubt Tuchel's influence, as I feel the entire team is overall very good at it. And yeah, he has a lot more steel. Hope the accolades will make him motivated to go up another level. Also thought Lukaku did decent considering he was isolated for the majority of the match. VVD is a tough customer, but he practically rolled him over on a couple of occasions. His passing and first touch were wanting on a couple of occasions, but I'm hoping Tuchel can improve that aspect of his play. Will be interesting to see how we rotate in the coming games. Ziyech, Pulisic and Werner won't be happy to remain on the bench for every single game., neither will Chillwell.

Yep. A point at Anfield is valuable anytime

Tbh..he played a lot better than I thought he would. Defensively I mean. Just glad he didn't get caught out of position too many times in the 2nd half.