OneMoSalah

Also this sort of performance is why I felt CHO would have been better suited, offers much more with the ball and has also shown defensive awareness. I suppose we have the 2-0 advantage so we aren’t desperate to be pushing for more goals but CHO would give us so much more I think.

Not been the worst start but still look a bit meh. That was a big chance and Chilwell done poorly there. Personally, Jorginho has been very good and very combatant so far lots of good interceptions/tackles whilst Kante hasn’t impressed.

If we get him in, its a huge signing especially for a free transfer. I mean look at Cavani at United this season as an example. And considering Aguero is also younger and a better player probably at current when he is fit and firing. His injury record as we’ve mentioned before is also hugely exaggerated. For 1 season, 18 months, 2 seasons, he would be better than hanging our coat on the ever decreasing chance we might get Haaland or on the chance Timo Werner or Kai Havertz are going to score those sort of goals we need next season. Yes I would hope their goal returns improve but we need a striker who can get 15-20 goals a season also on top of players who can contribute 10+ goals from other positions such as Werner, Mount and Havertz.

Would agree with that team bar Werner, would put Pulisic or Hudson-Odoi in ahead of him for sure. Unfortunately, can see TT using Werner v City, but again I would prefer to see that same front 3 v Palace line up v City. Would also imagine that Mount will play regardless.

Doesnt happen often enough though and thats what separates world class players from the potential world class players. No doubt winning a world cup etc plus trophies at Juventus and United, Pogba has achieved good things in his career but has never truly reached the heights he should have and thats on him more than anything. If he played like he did today, he would get in any team on the continent probably, but he will probably be average for 3/4 weeks now and churn out one other performance like this before the season ends. Then United fans will go why did we finish so far behind City and think that its purely down the OGS and not buying more top class players (which counts obviously for some of it) when guys like De Gea, Pogba, Martial, Maguire (yes hes overrated but clearly can play better than he has at times this season) have been so inconsistent costing them big points/lack of points from not being at it.

Honestly dont know who is going to finish top 4, its so tough to call. Leicester seem to be doing what they did last season dropping off a bit and then you’ve got the likes of us, Liverpool and surprisingly West Ham. Everton still have 2 games in hand also so its going to be an incredibly tight finish. The bigger games are going to make all the difference as well, we have to play West Ham, Man City, Leicester and to a lesser extent Arsenal in the league still. We have to win at least 3 of those remaining fixtures as the City game will be the toughest I think to give us the best chance (although I would take a draw at City as it wouldn’t be the worst result and if we take full points off Leicester, West Ham and Arsenal, it wont be too bad) and that is considering we win the other games v Brighton, Fulham and Villa. Arsenal not in the running but a big game none the less and we should be beating them and well if we drop any points at Fulham, Villa or Brighton we probably dont deserve to be finishing top 4.

Big goal from Cavani for United in the Spurs game. Something like 7 PL goals in under 1100 minutes. Maybe not hugely impressive but hes gotten some big ones and if he played more often from the start would probably have more. Must admit a very decent free for a player who still had plenty to offer and was saying that when we were linked in the January too.

Dont say that people will think hes Tuchel’s son next... It is mind numbingly annoying how people are seeing his value now because hes been playing under TT. Its quite embarrassing really. He may of had dips and games where hes not been at his best but it happens with young players. He is going to be a key figure here for the next 10+ years if he keeps going the way he is.

Typical. The Gary Neville’s etc of the world will say hes done an outstanding job also... United hypothetically could have been at the top/much closer if they had a coach who could tactically outmanoeuvre other coaches, they’ve had 9 draws this season. Or if they were better defensively. Crazy because the guys ex United they drop their standards/arent as critical, not saying they should be winning the league but even under Mourinho they managed a 2nd place finish and they were a considerably worse team probably. Every time they seem to look as if they are making progress with Ole they go and shoot themselves in the foot 😂

I dont see why not though? Tuchel isn’t going to let us sit off and just settle for a 0-0 its not his nature to play for draws. If we play like we did today, having Callum at RWB could be more fruitful than having James in to be honest. Both good players and good options but I think Porto are going to have to come at us as they did at times in the first leg so there will be gaps and having Callum in definitely bears more of a threat than James does in an attacking sense because he can go at players. James offers more defensive security to be fair but I think at 2-0 up if we play anything like today, we will be fine. I was concerned if it was a poor performance today going into it that we would find it more difficult as shown last week after WBA. Either way Pulisic has to play at all costs. Another timely reminder than without the injuries he is probably still our best attacking player considerably.

Milinkovic-Savic not a more advanced midfielder? I know Lazio play with a 352 more often than not also with him and Luis Alberto flanking Lucas Leiva so maybe he is a bit more box to box as Alberto strikes me as a number 10 but still, if we want/need a holding midfielder we need to get a holding midfielder. Not another round peg for a square hole, regardless of how good he is or what his name is. The guy at Ajax and Camavinga are good talents but I do think the fact both are only 18, they still could easily do another season at Ajax and Rennes and be no worse off for it. Another 30-40 games of playing every week undoubtedly wouldn’t hurt them or stunt their growth. Ajax are incredible as well as keeping young players, I mean de Jong and de Ligt both left at ages 20 and 19, having been playing regularly for at least 2 seasons and were clearly ready for a big big step. De Jong had over 80 games at Ajax and de Ligt over 100. Gravenberch has only played one season as a regular and that is this one. Ultimately it depends as well, would either of them be guaranteed to come in and start? They're only gonna move where they get a lot of minutes at that age, for sure. Plus, I dont think midfield will be an area we are particularly going to look to recruit in to be honest. If TT really has any faith in Gilmour it would be a daft move to bring another CM in when it is clear he has a preference of either one of or both of Jorginho/Kovacic and Kante as his first choice selections. So for two talented 18 year olds, I think they would be less inclined to think they’d get a lot of minutes here.

Same front 3 and Callum at RWB v Porto please TT. Will tear my hair out if Tuchel drops Pulisic for Werner after today.

Very good half. Good attacking play. Big difference with Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi in ahead of Werner and James.

Aye people thinking that 2012 will repeat itself (really was1 in a million despite AVB telling the players at the beginning of the season we would win the CL apparently) already before the QF 2nd leg are definitely tempting fate. I am not confident about playing Porto 2nd leg never mind Real Madrid or Liverpool afterwards... 2 away goals would normally be comfortable but if the performance this weekend is shite and we play like we did in the first leg for the majority of it... it will be close. Tuchel may have gotten to a CL final last season too which is maybe why people are also jumping on this.

This is why Pochettino for as good a coach as he is, only has 1 trophy, in which PSG were already in the final for (I think?). He doesn’t understand the magnitude of winning trophies and more so, at clubs like PSG, it is an absolute must. I think Lille will win it. And yet people will say he doesnt have his own players, he didnt get Dele Alli etc, I mean jesus .. look at their squad. Look at it and the value of it also. I still think if Tuchel hadn’t been so outspoken with Leonardo he would of still been there and turned it around.

Would be an improvement on Boothroyd but to be honest he has been stealing a living in that job for years. For the players they have, the u21s play absolutely brutal football at times. Seen in the article “Lampard, a more modern coach” as if that means anything meaningful though..... good old British media. He was anything but a modern coach here he seemed more old school in didnt coach shape by the looks of it and just let the players figure it out in the middle and final thirds. Interesting interview though, was always too big for him this early in his career and I have no doubts he will eventually bounce back. A club like of a Celtic or Rangers would be a good grounding for him. Plenty of expectations, lower standard domestically and budget wise but definitely the sort of place which could make him as a manager. Every game is a cup final for the opposition and also there is European exposure through CL and Europa.

He will be in demand, very true but nobody is going to he that desperate that they will make such a daft deal. I agree with the hardballing them approach and its how Marina usually operates anyway but, that or leaving them to consider who else is potentially available and they could try sign at CF or entertaining the idea of giving their best player who they value at over 100 m to us for Tammy and 10m are totally different things though 😂 Not even the club would be so daft to propose that. Marina would get laughed out of London. Nobody is going to value Abraham at over £35m just like nobody is going to value Barkley at over £20-25m (although we have moronically set a £35m asking price). Even more so during a pandemic. If we want Abraham in a deal for Rice the money side will more than likely start at around £40-50m. As it will for Unites if they include Lingard. Nobody will be interested in selling their best players cheap or taking bad deals this summer as well more so due to the pandemic hitting so many clubs also. So it will be top dollar or nothing for most top clubs wanting that bracket of players.

I am sorry but I thought April fools was over a week ago.... £10m and a player with a little over 2 years left on his contract? For someone who West Ham reportedly value at over 100m and has a contract to 2024 with a 12 month extension option? As well as the fact there’s talk they want him to sign a new and improved contract... I think some people are dreaming here. Its Tammy Abraham, not Leo Messi, who we would be trading here to West Ham 😂 going to take a lot lot lot more than £10m and him in any potential deal if this is to happen.

Sooner hes gone the better. Never fit for the shirt and never will be. Just not Chelsea level.

Exactly. As if people don’t expect players to argue or be competitive etc in training or to get a bit intense. Its just more bullshit as usual. I always wonder what footballers would of been like with social media 20 years ago. What peoples opinions on the Roy Keanes, Patrick Vieras, Alan Shearers, Duncan Fergusons etc would be if half the shit they got up to in training/behind the scenes/before and after games was leaked out in the manner things are now with social media 😂

You must be stoned, no way that deal come off. They value him over 100mn. I must admit I have seen an improvement in Rice this last year or so but I dont see him as a Chelsea player under TT. And the price will still be too much.

Meant show me stats of number 10s who have played in the PL at aged 22 or under that are so much better... Dele Alli maybe only one I could think of in recent times. I mean comparing anyone to Bruno Fernandes and KDB is unfair. Never mind a 22 year old who’s in his 4th season as a professional footballer at first team level. And again for all the talk of Maddison, whilst he is currently a better player than Mason at present, he has only got 2 more PL goals and 2 more assists than Mason this season. In the 91 PL games Maddison has played he has 21 goals and 15 assists. Mason in the 66 he has played, 13 goals and 8 assists. So lets not pretend that Maddison is exactly putting up world class statistics and that he should he used to beat Mason’s quality or potential down with. Or the fact Maddison’s been a professional for 3 seasons longer and has more experience/further on in his development. Who was the finished article age 22? Or even aged 24 for Maddison’s sake as well? You’d expect someone aged 24 with Maddison’s talent to be further on than Mason is probably due to the fact he’s been playing as a first team player more often, as well as having played in a smaller team where there isn’t the same demand or pressure where you have to win every game. That is no disrespect to Coventry, Norwich, Aberdeen or Leicester but coming through and playing at any of those is much easier than it is here for instance after being at Vitesse and Derby. The gap is bigger. Where as Maddison also played at a team that have strolled the championship countless times and joined a mid table/bottom half PL team. So he didn’t go from a 6th place championship side to playing every week at a top 4 club a season later.

Those games were good yes but the game v Liverpool was probably just as good as those performances and he was one of the best players on the pitch? Also the first leg v Atletico, again Mason played very well. Maybe we created more chances v Atletico 2nd leg and Everton but again, I still think we play much better with him. He takes the ball on the half turn and drives the team forward. He also gives the team a lot of energy and does the counter pressing side of things TT is big on very well. Obviously goal and assists etc can be better but will definitely come with time. As mentioned above Liverpool and Atletico first leg were also good performances. For me Liverpool was equally as good as anything we’ve played this season I think it was very complete. As I said hes 22, he can improve on scoring goals, or assisting or key passes etc but he’s a hugely vital player here and also was under Frank. Originally I felt Frank should have taken him out at the time he struggled last season but I dont think Frank played him undeservedly. Anyone living with this presumption still for me, to put it bluntly, is being ridiculous. I mean we spent 250m on players, a huge amount of that which went on on more offensive players..... yet Masons still one of our most frequently played players and was at the beginning of the season. Is it undeserved or is it just a stupid assumption made by people because they didnt have anything else to say? Maybe FL should have rested him as he accumulated a lot of minutes last season when he was having a bad run but this image he was given preferential treatment is a myth and Gareth Southgate basically called some Chelsea and other teams fans out basically saying Mount was always playing well and talented, and it shouldn’t have taken TT to come in and play him for people to see that. I think people are harsh on him because of his stats. Its not a given your always a good player if you have good stats or a bad player if you dont. Even then at 22 or under, show me number 10s recently with good stats in the PL?

Tbf, both of them have a lot to do. Kai has to find an actual position as opposed to being thrown in as a 8, 10 and a false 9 and flattering to convince in either of the three positions. Hes got huge talent but its failing to show at times. Bar the Liverpool, Newcastle and Atletico games, hes been pretty much a hinderance to this team because hes missed some big chances or hes been like an invisible player. You talk about the flashes for other players but whats to say that you cannot use that as the exact same excuse for Werner? I am inclined to start thinking he is going to go the way of Morata and Torres. Flashes v Newcastle, Liverpool, Atletico then nothing for weeks on end. I cant shake the feeling as well once that sort of thing happens, particularly here for an attacker, they struggle to shake it and it defines them. Wont disagree regarding Pulisic with Frank, absolutely he wasnt in great shape and had injuries but you cannot say for instance the likes of Werner or Havertz have been in form recently or that other players couldnt have a more positive effect in this team. Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi for instance totally different profiles and offer something different and a team that struggles to create chances, maybe we need someone or players who can drop the shoulder and take a few opposition players out of the game. Werner has been given a huge show of faith from Frank and TT but hasnt done much to justify this show of faith. As you’ve said contributions of 4 goal involvements in 11 starts.... give Christian or Callum or Ziyech or Tammy or Giroud 11 starts and lets see what they do in those. I think more than 4 goal involvements wouldn’t exactly be asking much. Its hard to say more about flashes not just being flashes when some players are featuring more often than others. With regards to dropping him, I dont know, his style you would think suits the City game but if he isnt going to affect the game or even do the basics like cannot dribble the ball without tripping over it like he did again tonight is there any point? His skillset might suit something but if hes not feeling it mentally then hes not likely going to score. And no its not all Werner’s fault that we struggle to score goals as a team. There are other reasons but dont tell me hes making great runs or even taking a lot of shots when he gets the chance.

One scary moment from a corner but looked comfortable. Few good saves.