OneMoSalah

He scored career high league goals in the PL under Jose IIRC.

He would never score that many goals. I am pretty sure many people thought that as well. He isnt as selfish or as ruthless in front of goal as Messi or Ronaldo. Or even to a lesser extent Bale and Neymar. I think fully firing he should be looking for 25 goals a season at Madrid though, someone of his talent should be able to do that when you consider the other guys they have around him. Its not been an ideal season for him but I dont think people ever excepted him to score the rates Messi or Ronaldo did. Thats an unfair ask for many players, not just Eden.

Hakimi and Emerson at wing back is an improvement on what they have perhaps. Emerson has struggled in a back 4 for us but he suits a wingback role more. Will be keeping an eye on what Inter do in the market, they have got a good nucleus of a squad and will make some big moves. Interesting to see who they replace Lautaro with when he goes to Barcelona as well, if they can arrange the deal.

Honestly think he still can turn it around and his performances last season as well as parts of this one are proof that he isnt as bad as people are making him out to be. I do get some will disagree and I do get he has made mistakes yes and in terms of his consistency he has struggled this season but out of our squad this season, who hasn't struggled for consistency? Who hasn't made mistakes? If we didnt make mistakes in games all across the team we would be better off than we are. Its not as if we were miles better last season in terms of what we had in the squad bar Eden. The fact that we have changed our CBs so often and LB as well this season just shows that there is nobody in the backline who has really got passmarks this season. Kepa is also unfortunate than Tibo and Cech before him were both top top level, world class goalkeepers during their spells here. He will always be compared against them or their reputations or it will always be his strengths aren't what theirs were etc. He took a risk but if he pulled that pass off Alonso/Emerson (cannot remember who played think it was Marcos) would of had space to go into as opposed to if he played that slightly safer to one of the CBs, Sterling and Mahrez or whoever were wide would of been able to make it up and pressure them. The willingness of us playing out under pressure or against pressing teams really has dropped since Sarri left. I dont think it was a huge issue that pass, nothing came of it, sometimes Alisson or Ederson or De Gea take risks with their kicking etc too and for all the amazing passes or whatever they provide youll find there will similar ones that didnt come off or were recovered by the other team etc. Its not as if it was a bad idea because if the ball was a foot or 2 foot higher Alonso would of had it and we would of been in their half.

I think if FL wanted to get JT in he would of when he arrived. In all fairness as well, Villa arent exactly a shining beacon of being a strong defensive team and Mings was maybe more just needing to play more often to develop as he was always very talented. it has to improve obviously though.

Exactly. Lets not forget that Conte revitalised Cahill and Luiz’s performances here that first season as well as Matic’s as well in midfield and managed to give Eden, Willian and Pedro that freedom that they weren’t really afforded with Mourinho. I do think the fact that he made David play in a position where he maybe didn't have to engage players in 1 v 1s in wider areas as often as he would of perhaps done so in a back 4 and gave him a more disciplined position in the middle made a difference without even mentioning the midfield. I mean how many times have we seen Luiz be out in wider areas trying to cover his fullbacks and get beat? Conte also gave him a bit more freedom to come out with the ball into midfield at times which suited him as his use of the ball is a plus. Matic and Kante also gave a lot of protection in the middle which did help but I do think that their individual performances were so consistent. Obviously there was the organisation that Conte drilled into the team too, something he has been renowned for doing for years, it gave us a real platform. Everyone knew their roles, where to be, the distances to be between each other etc when defending. In general it was a very complete team I felt, we had goals in attack as well as creativity in midfield with Cesc once he got in and the wingbacks, despite lacking obvious top level quality, created real width that freed up pockets for the likes of Eden and Willian in central areas too. It did mask some of the flaws of these players as you mentioned. We really should have built on that foundation with Antonio but Bakayoko, Zappacosta and Morata (still annoyed he started so well and then faded and is now likely to never become the player he should have been) were poor signings. Things obviously soured with him too but I do think what he has already done at Inter as well as what he did with Juve, Italy and here shows how good he is. I am also sure Cesc said on Twitter that Conte was the best manager he had ever worked with at giving a team such a clear and obvious identity in a short period of time. I would like to see us go back to using Jorginho, Kovacic and Mount. There was such a real connection and chemistry with those guys at the start of the season. I can see why hes trying to fit Kante in but it hasnt always worked. I think he has to play with a Jorginho or Kovacic in either a 2 or on the right of a 3 with Jorginho as a 6. He isnt necessarily in one fixed position he can get up and down a bit more as well as hunt the ball down in those areas of the pitch. Obviously he is top quality but shoehorning him into that fixed position in a 3 man MF in front of the defence isn't always going to suit his game or ours if we play smaller teams and have much more of the ball.

Exactly. Was almost like the days of AVB asking Bosingwa and Cole to play as wingers back in the day. I really dont see how FL couldn't see we were so vulnerable to West Ham counters and at 2-2 as well as the fact we conceded in the last few mins, he should have just played for the draw. I think with more experience behind him he will realise this in the future. Even more so when the teams playing badly. The in game management hasnt been great all season though, be it through having to chase goals due to not taking advantage of our chances and killing games off or pushing for more goals when we don’t necessarily need to etc. It is something that regardless of personnel needs to change.

That is odd. Actually it isnt an odd comment, it is incredibly mind boggling. Andre Villas-Boas wouldnt even stoop to saying something like that when it is so clear there is more to it than a team being taller than us. Or have we been playing taller teams most games this season then because defending set plays has been a major issue for us. If FL truely believes what he has said there then I don’t know what to expect. I know we lack height in comparison to previous teams but Andreas, Tomori, Rudiger, Zouma, Alonso, Tammy, Giroud and Barkley have all featured regularly across parts of the season and they are all 6 ft plus. Even if there is teams who have more height than us several other teams find a way to deal with that. They have done before us and will do after. It just seems like a very lazy answer to give or he’s deflecting it to protect his own arse or the players. It is clear as day we need to work on defensive set pieces... it has been since the first weeks of the season. I seen a stat in Feb that we had conceded 80 corners which was lowest amount but had conceded 6 goals from those which is 7.5% - the highest % of anybody in the league. Not sure where to find most recent ones but wont be good reading Id imagine.

In all fairness I disagree because I would of thought the in game management as a whole has to come more from the sidelines from the coach/manager. Obviously good players can see what is happening around them and identify these things but for instance, if the coach wants them to press high/be 20m further up the pitch in the last 10 mins and some players will maybe think its better sitting off, I mean who's right or who's wrong? Who's decision is it that ultimately matters above all? The managers usually and thats why he is paid to manager the team and thats why they do come out and take responsibility for these things at times. I mean City haven't been all relentless press high every match for 90 mins since Pep came because they manage spells of the game and neither have Liverpool because again they adjust and manage the game when they need to. Obviously in terms of maybe last 5 or 10 mins tonight, the fact we conceded 89th minute sums it up that there is a lack of it at times as well as many other games throughout the season. I dont think Lampard is too dissimilar from past managers where its likely his way is the only way to do it. Okay we can play different formations, use different players to suit games but still just like Conte before Sarri and Jose before Conte, I can see Frank is more in that mould where he will want players to do what he wants and maybe not be similar to what Carlo or Zidane are like where they kind of leave things the way they were and let the players have more a say or more freedom with some of these things. There have been games where we have gone and taken the sting out of phases of matches by managing the games better, just recently at City, the super cup v Liverpool, that game at Wolves away. Obviously there is more and theres also been games where it hasn't been done so well. I also don’t get this captain gripe with Azpi. He is severely respected by the squad and many many other top players in the league. In terms of seniority as well as how his career path has developed since arriving he is the best choice in the squad. Jorginho has shown in his time here as well good leadership qualities as well as at Naples which is why I can see in a young squad he has been given such a role ahead of others such as Rudiger or Kante. This captain thing was the same with Cahill in Conte’s second season and I do think it will continue to be a recurring theme because it was also the same when Azpi was made vice captain and it was things such as “greatly deserved” “will make a good captain” “very good choice” etc as it was most of the time when Cahill was wearing the armband in Terry’s place (although some did want Azpi to wear it beforehand).... in general some of the comments about Azpi on a whole the last few seasons be it about that he was written off as finished, isnt a good enough captain etc drive me insane. It just strikes me as madness. Reece James was going to be the number 1 RB from as soon as he was fit and had kicked a ball in the PL. based off the last few games hes had I would severely disagree that he will be first choice for another 1 or 2 years yet which obviously isnt a pot shot at him we all knew he would need time to grow and settle in the team on a more regular consistent basis etc. as he had come from the championship. The promise is there obviously as we have seen at times but we have also seen in other players at other clubs and even to a more severe effect here with Josh McEachran, they need that time to fully develop into these players. Even Rashford was in and out or on the bench when Van Gaal had all his players back from injury which ultimately led to him getting his shot in the first place with United. Now he really is undoubted first choice for club and country having played over 150 career games since making his debut 4 or 5 seasons ago.

Excellent post. Regarding Kante as a 6 which was heavily mentioned last season under Sarri for nearly the first 2 months of the season. Looking back on Kantes time here bar against Man City last week, I cannot remember any other games in which he has played this role except when Conte tried him there before going 343. I get the impression he is better playing with Jorginho, playing on the right of a 3 or even in a 2 as he isnt just fixed to that position and he can get up and down the pitch, while there is someone there who can take the ball from the CBs and play the passes to get us through a press or organised team. So tonight, I dont understand FL not playing Jorginho, I mean we had 73% possession or something but only scored through a penalty and freekick. He moves the ball forward more and quicker which takes the burden off the CBs to be more adventurous with the ball. We have also went from having the 3rd best defensive record in the league last season with Sarri to whatever we are now.... conceding more than Arsenal... and lets consider thats with the same defensive players bar David Luiz. The defending from set plays have been worse than last season 100% as well. Maybe with a CB and a LB we will improve defensively but there is an aspect of in game management and coaching that has to be considered here as well. Because these arent blips that happen irregularly, that can only be put down to individual mistakes, its been happening since the season began.

Poor. It is so poor that we can beat Man City (yes they werent great on the day perhaps), playing much better but to then get beat by West Ham where we’ve been dominant with the ball but havent scored from open play.... its close to shocking in all reality (even more so because if we concede that freekick Willi scored it would be the GK should have saved it - Fabianksi’s positioning was awful and gave himself a bad start in which if he hadnt be probably gets it). In attack Pulisic, was really the only one who looked like making stuff happening. You can talk about defending or GKs or whatever but look at the possession stats, look at the shots on target, that hasnt been good enough tonight. No point having the ball for god knows how long if your not going to create chances in the final third. 14 efforts with 6 shots on target. Our goals were a penalty and a freekick. Also to concede in the 89th minute, when you have a 3 or 4 point gap on the nearest team to you in the table, just sit back a bit for the last 10, take the draw, talk about naivety in game management even more so when you look at the performance as a whole. I mean does Alonso need to be that far up? 89th minute? Also the huge stroke of luck that their disallowed goal didnt count much earlier as well. Its a harsh reality now that if we drop any more points, which with performances like that after the good game v City, we ultimately will end up 5th or even 6th. May seem harsh but is that really good enough? When you consider the point gaps we've held recently and earlier in the season over other teams for the top 4? For me, not really. It has been a learning curve for Frank this season and many of the players but the harsh truth is if we do not finish in the top 4, it wont be because the other teams have been much much better than us, it will be down to us dropping unnecessary points due to a lack of taking chances in key moments of games, poor in game management and awful defending throughout the season. Obviously signings will be made in areas. Ziyech and Werner will help us in attack undoubtedly but If we dont sort out our defence we are likely going to be miles off competing for the title next season. Again.

I think the club kits should do what the international kits do instead of putting a massive shitty sponsor logo on the front, put smaller squad numbers there in the middle? I must admit I am quite irritated of seeing big fuck off sponsor logos such as three or LG or bet companies or whatever on the front of kits when they could easily put them on the back like with some German or US teams do. Maybe an unpopular opinion. Just feel the big sponsor on the front ruin some of the modern day kits and I get they are there to promote a brand or whatever due to an agreement but still. Theres probably some legislation shit from the FAs or UEFA regarding this but too much effort to look into it. Home top looks nice though, bar that giant three logo.

Its probably my bad for not looking far enough back 😂 and actually after checking it is 100% my bad for jumping the gun on a thread where he is mentioned maybe 3 times in a different context. Oh boy.

Not sure why Kepa is in this worst players in 21st century thread, he wouldn’t even be in the top 25. If he kept up his level from last season or didn't have that dodgy spell he wouldn't even be in the running. Weird to see that what maybe a dodgy spell that accumulates to maybe 7 or 8 games defines someone who was one of our better players and the better GKs in the PL last season to be in the running for worst Chelsea player of the 21st century..... People can mention the fee but it was a buyout clause. At a club who have only sold their other key players (Javi Martinez and Herrera for instance and rejecting offers lower than the buyouts for Muniain and Williams over the years) for their buyout clauses because they have a recruitment policy where they try recruit players from the Basque provinces (right way to word it I think). With some of the fee probably being paid in instalments and other bonuses over the basis of a 7 year contract. Or even then if not, still, did the money come out of their pockets directly or mines or whoever elses? I mean realistically who is worth 71mn? In a realistic world where football transfers weren't inflated? Maybe 15 or 20 players? Out of thousands? Also, In a realistic world there really isnt anyone in our squad who you would justify paying that fee for. But the market’s inflated which has been an accumulation built upon spending by the likes of Real Madrid, us, Man City, Man United, PSG and the high prices of television deals and sponsorships.... so these thing are going to continue to happen unless Covid totally sends it the other way. Even then if youve been watching Chelsea for any reasonable length of time and Kepa still makes your list of worst players in 21st century at the club, I really dont know. I can probably think of at least 20 others who were much much worse. Perhaps more if you went into real depth. edit:whoops should of read back a bit further... idiot... apologies... delete?

Hes certainly not slow but have to agree hes not as fast as some other fullbacks, likes of Walker, Cancelo, Robertson, Wan Bissaka but at the same time look at Alexander Arnold, he isnt exactly really quick and he is widely regarded as one of the best in that position now a days although defensively he isnt great. Takes more than just pace or physicality to decide how good a player is. For someone who is small he is certainly strong enough and would say he is definitely quick enough to get away from folk. Technically he has a lot of decent attributes as he has shown at Wigan and here. Final ball is good but needs more consistency.

No surprise Billy looks a bit rusty. This is his first match since whenever and even then its been tough for us because Leicester press really well and collectively. Plus he isnt limited to just one position. He can play as a 6, 8 or a 10. He's played higher up for the youth teams with Jody Morris beforehand and at Rangers so its nothing to do with hes only limited to playing as a 6. I do think it really is just more rustiness as well as the expectation he has to perform as good as he has done based off those last 2 games v Liverpool and Everton. Hes still only a kid. Our ability to play through a press has decreased since Sarri left. As boring as the football was final third at times, you knew that the boys would be comfortable taking it and there would always be options off the ball. We can go longer to Tammy but again Leicester probably are happy to defend against him in long ball scenarios.

Definitely but it is a stretch to say that when he came from Genk or even back from Bremen he was our best player straight away which is what I was replying to. Mata had just come off a huge couple of seasons. Hazard was also here. There was also a great deal of hope around Willian when he signed (maybe because how he played against us the previous season and I also think because Spurs wanted him) and I think that the signing of him and the clubs persistence in bringing Schurrle that summer always meant at least 2 of the attacking midfield players would always struggle for playing time and ultimately end up leaving either on loan or permanently. It is a shame that it was Mata and De Bruyne who didnt stay as opposed to Oscar and Schurrle but at the time, the 55mn recouped was well invested considering Matic cost 21mn and Salah (who for me I think seeing what he has done now in a position we’ve really lacked a regular goalscoring player in was just as big a loss if not more - imagine him playing where Pedro did in Conte’s system for instance or Sarri’s) for 11mn. Both obviously were hugely talented and we've seen the aftermath and heard all the quotes from Conte, several sky sports pundits and De Bruyne going on about Mourinho mentioning the running/tackling/interception stats to him in a meeting as well as whoever else has gone on about it. Those mistakes will scar Mourinho’s reputation a wee bit but still what he's done in the game in the last 20 years its hardly going to affect him hugely. I still think those moves definitely would of made them better than Mourinho would have as well. Young players haven't really been hugely common in Mourinho’s most successful teams plus his short term mindset was always going to work against the clubs idea of developing young players just like Villas-Boas’ lack of prioritising the present worked against him here too among other things. Plus in terms of how that season finished with Jose and then next year when we won the league next season, I dont think people really complained overly too much about missing Mata or De Bruyne either because their was always more talk of us needing a top CF (Costa), LB (Filipe Luis) and a deep lying playmaker (Cesc) to make that team work and compete for the league. It was always said, Jose had said it himself, many might have recognised Kevin and Salah’s talent but I do believe that nobody was saying when we finished 3rd and went into the summer window that we really lacked those players especially. That squad after making those signings (Cesc, Costa, Filipe Luis, recalling Courtois), again nobody really talked about Chelsea lacking De Bruyne or Salah.

Think Serie A will suit him. Not sure he will win a lot with Roma but they have some exciting younger players and he is a top pro who has won everything, so will be a good influence around as well as being able to still contribute. Hopefully he can get a few goals before the end of the season.

Still think his best moments even under Sarri have been on the right. That’s excluding the pre season games he played on the left with Sarri but I think as soon as Eden was back it was obvious he would either feature more on the right or as rotation from the left. I think on the left he is a bit predictable. Pulisic ice cold for his goal. Sucked in Mendy and went past him with ease as well. Really hoping he can maintain his fitness for the remaining games and next season, really think hes capable of getting 10-15 goals and assists if he plays every week.

True. I think United have just managed phases of the games against us better as well as having been more clinical. With regards to teams being clinical, it has been a bit of a recurring theme this season too that we haven't scored when our play has warranted it, ie that first half v United we were on top and didnt take advantage then United ended up winning the game quite comfortably in score. The Norwich and Sheffield United games as well come to mind which ties in with the dropped points v smaller teams.

The points weve dropped against smaller teams has been a disappointment as well. Top 4 would of been 100% sealed by now if we hadn’t dropped as many points. Overall (before even mentioning tonights result), there is still plenty to do.

He wasnt. Think people tend to forget that he really kicked on at Wolfsburg for 18 months. He wasnt given a fair crack here maybe but that cup game he played against a league 1 team he was so poor. The Hull game he was good but there was more inform and better suited players to our team when he was here. Saying otherwise is daft.

Mount that is poor. Have to hit the target. Poor.

I think having spent time in Germany has really helped that side of his game. Hes always getting in the box or looking to run from out to in. Was a really good finish too. He is capable of getting to 10 PL goals this season easily.

Still a bit shocked Kovacic didnt start giving Citys press and he can receive the ball under pressure but great finish Pulisic. Have to get up the park a bit more though.