Blue Armour

Will probably see Jackson and Nkunku link up again, like preseason. That is, if Poch starts Nkunku

But how can you definitively say we are better? 4 seasons ago we were a top 4 side. Under Lampard of all managers. You need a magic ball to say that all the young talent that we have is going to magically hit new heights next season. If the new management is serious about FFP, like you say, then the next window will be quite slow, in order to balance the books. The lack of European football for two consecutive seasons is going to leave a dent, for sure.

Poch maybe shite, but I think he is far from the biggest problem in the club atm.

Fucking annoying if it happens. More danger from the current stooges we have upstairs, than we were under Roman. Thanks to their kamikaze management. Top 4 team dragged to midtable., all on the prayer that this young squad will miraculously improve next season.

Delusional to think that Chelsea could overtake United or Newcastle this season for a European spot. 8th is the most realistic upper target for this current Chelsea side. Haven't changed my mind.

Not going to happen. Not if the board is serious about FFP.

Ah the ol' injury during warmup. Our players are so well conditioned.

Yeah., it's likely going to happen. And tbh, having more quality managers will make the league more enjoyable. Just like the Ferguson-Mourinho-Wenger-Benitez era, an influx of great managers is what makes the league as good as it is, more than superstar player imports. Leads to more competition., and more exciting fixtures.

Hack media is still perpetuating that story. Some journalists are truly scum of the earth.

Clownlake FC

They're turning Chelsea into another post-2004 Wenger era Arsenal. The only difference like you said, is that Chelsea is overpaying like crazy to acquire all this youth talent.

This article states exactly what I've been saying when those FFP charges came up last year. We are in more danger of violating FFP (or the PL equivalent of it) under the current regime, as opposed to the previous one under Roman. With each year outside Europe, we're losing ~ 80m pounds of revenue. And we are at risk of doing that again. That's why I don't really buy that argument from @Thor about making do with a mediocre season for a year or two to reap the rewards later. It's just too much of a slippery slope. The more the team underperforms and finishes lower in the table, the less we'll have available to re-invest and fix the squad. IMO, taking a top 4 team into midtable just to 'fix' it is just counter productive. Especially for the money that was spent. If the squad doesn't somehow click in the coming months (be it this season or next), that's it for the club. Why Chelsea HAVEN'T been charged over Financial Fair Play rules despite Todd Boehly spending £1BILLION and paying-off two managers... but trouble looks on the horizon next year https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12968471/Chelsea-billion-players-Todd-Boehly-two-sacked-managers-broken-Premier-League-financial-rules-Everton-Forest.html

At face value, decent goals and assist stats but that's from ONE bloody half season (this season) in the Portuguese league. Plus he seems to be a technical player, rather than one with physicality. In the PL, you need to be REALLY skilled to succeed as a technical attacker. On the flip side, what's the point of this shiny new recruitment team of ours, if all our targets end up being overpriced like this one?

One of those kits that looks better on the player. Well, like most kits. Would be nice to see the entire kit.

Lol,..this article is advocating Poch to move away from a double pivot and play a typical 433 with Enzo and Gallagher further forward of Caicedo. IMO, not sure if I agree with this. I think Enzo and Caicedo play too far apart., to even function as a pivot. Caicedo is no Makelele to play the deep lying role on his own. Not yet, at least. But who knows 🤷‍♂️

Either that or Enzo and Caicedo need to play closer to each other, like a staggered double pivot. Not sure if the fault is due to Poch's tactics, or the players inexperience. Probably both.

Playing Enzo as an 8 is an odd decision. He's not good enough to directly contribute in goal scoring, and he doesn't have the pace to track back quickly enough when we lose the ball. And to top it off, Caicedo is not capable enough to play in the lone CDM role. The last 15 minutes of yesterday's game were mess because of this. There were situations s where Caicedo got the ball and had no clue on where to pass because Enzo decided to rocket up the pitch (along with Gallagher). Inexperienced midfield following shite tactics.

Also, Caicedo and Enzo play so far apart from each other it's a bit ridiculous at times. As a double pivot, the 2 CMs should be staggered of course, with one midfielder holding back, but they play so disjointed. In fact, it's not clear to me whether they are even a true double pivot. Caicedo sometime positions himself as the lone CDM (which he isn't),. and Enzo rockets so far up the pitch, sometimes ahead of Gallagher. And we know Enzo can't score., so that's useless. This team needs a Viera or Keane type to whip these two into shape and start playing proper formations. No wonder we lose control so easily in matches.

Tha lack of control over a game is not anything new, though. It's been the case in nearly every game. That's why the team is midtable. Chances of getting a positive result is like almost like a coin toss., with this team.

We played the same as we typically play. Nice chances, but no real killer instinct. And no real control of the game, because our central midfield doesnt know how to do that. It could have easily ended in a draw. But no complaints. This is just how it's going to be this season.

Apparently Kante hasn't had a significant injury since moving to Saudi.

It's not just one clown. We have a whole circus.

That's the problem isn't it? What would Clownlake's next move be. Considering how long they took to appoint a full time manager., there won't be anything to look forward to in terms of an interim appointment.

He needs to stop this obsession of round pegs in square holes. Make players play in positions they are meant to play in. Not saying that Cole Palmer cant do a decent job as false 9, and 1-2 players out of position to cover up for squad deficiency is okay, but anything more than that for several games is a bit much.