Blue Armour

And.. lead wiped out thanks to an idiotic decision by Madueke. Careless to give away a free kick in that area

Palmer saving Gusto from a red card, and also putting Chelsea back in the lead. Talisman. Also well done Jackson. What flick on.

True. Drogba & Essien were big money signings for their time. Especially the latter, I think. Got our money's worth and more from their pair of them though.

Personally, I'm waiting for Samu to start killing it at his next club.

Also, would like to see Renato Veiga given a run in the CB position. Fofana & Colwill were not terrible today. Definitely improved from pre-season.

Hopefully the next set of fixtures can serve as a platform for the team. Not going to complain about losing a game against a top 2 side. This team isn't there yet.

Can't blame Maresca because of the clownshow upstairs. No manager wants to work with a bloated squad. Last year they were quick in moving players on. Mount, Kovacic, Havertz, Koulibaly,..why? Because those players, 'useless' as they have been when playing for us, were at least known quantities and in demand by other teams. Gallagher, Chalobah, & Sterling will be the last scrapes from that 'known quantity' barrel. Next season it will probably be even worse, unless some of these Clearlake era signings step up

He was decent in preseason to be fair. Let's see how he fares on loan.

Yeah, pleased with Lavia & Caicedo. Enzo below par. Could be just his position, like you said. Wouldn't mind moving Palmer to central attacking in the 2nd half and bringing on another wide attacker for Enzo.

Hopefully he recovers that ruthless streak when we play some of the weaker sides. At least he was well involved in the play towards the end of the 1st half

Plenty of bright spots following the City goal. Lavia, Palmer., Gusto, Caicedo, Cucurella & Nkunku were solid. Can't complain at all. Especially against the Premier league's top side

There you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth. Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea are NOT eyeing Champions League qualification this season - as he reveals what target the club's hierarchy have given him https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13751543/Enzo-Maresca-admits-Chelsea-NOT-targeting-Champions-League-qualification-season-reveals-target-clubs-hierarchy-given-him.html# I wish him and the club the best of luck, but I'll always question whether a top 4 team like Chelsea had to go backwards for more than 3 seasons back to back, to become a competitive team again. Also, another season outside the Champions league can't be good for the revenue, especially when the match earnings are constrained. Tougher to attract sponsors and negotiate good deals, if you're not playing in the top competitions for so long.

Martin Samuel is pretty balanced when it comes to Chelsea, and has even defended the club during our glory days, even when snide comments of being filthy rich were bandied about. Even his daughter is a Chelsea fan. I don't think he is the run of the mill hater. And also, lot of fans share the same view. All of our current goalkeepers have question marks on them.

Harry Maguire gently caresses Cesar Azpilicueta and gives him a tender smooch on his right bicep. - Anthony Taylor, probably.

Lol, obviously not a true quote, but funny nonetheless.

As dull as Mikel could be, I still would have taken him last season over our other options at the time. This season hopefully our central midfield comes together well.

I don't know if the Oshimen move will happen, or if he will come good if moves here, but I do love the fact that Drogba and Mikel are still keeping an eye out for their old club.

That quote keeps coming back to bite them in the arse. Should never have made such a ludicrous statement.

Doesn't make sense for that amount, unless all Chelsea is looking to do is just seal a deal with Athletico. Felix is a completely different player profile to Samu, and while he might be better on the ball, isn't the end objective to get a player with actual end product? Granted Samu might never have got there, but the next option is Felix? Are they that desperate to get rid of Gallagher? Seems like a scattergun approach at this point.

2nd half looked solid., if not spectacular. Maybe not enough to overcome the elite sides, but decent enough for a top 4 push. If we can just sort out the issues at center back, things would be a lot better. Not convinced about the ideal CB pairing. Veiga can play at CB & CDM in addition to being LB, correct?

Very realistic assessment 👏

Curious to know if the hamstring injury is on the leg he had surgery on, or the other one. Following surgery, there was an article with the surgeon who said that the other leg would still be susceptible.

Seems to be a good header of the ball too., in front of goal. We haven't had that kind of threat since Giroud, and to a much lesser extent in Havertz So if nothing else, I guess Samu can provide a different option up front. And hopefully more. Let's see.

My only concern is that Sarri was working with much better quality at center back., and the back line in general. Maresca doesn't have those options. James, Fofana and Chillwell are returning from season ending injuries, Badiashile, Disasi & Tosin don't look convincing., and Colwill has been underwhelming so far. I hope a decision is made to bring in at least one quality CB option before the transfer window ends, but so far it looks like no real interest. Even if it's a question of players adapting to Maresca’s system, there are just some things you can't overlook. Like the poor performance in 1v1s.

Genuinely think he was the missing piece from our midfield last season. I'm not sure if it will be enough to trump the big sides, but it should make us more consistent for a top 4 finish. Barring a disaster at the back with our CB selection, of course.