OneMoSalah

Exactly. But was apparently ripping us apart on the right…. I think he made one proper run from deep where he genuinely got away from anybody and into space. But fluffed the cross. The only good opportunity he had made from a Rudi and Alonso mix up where Rudi heads it out to him from a cross coming off the left. They made more opportunities/got into better positions from the left hand side with Cucurella.

I dont think we should use it a lot really. Barring the first leg v Spurs where we used a back 3 and 4 of hybrid depending on when we had the ball it hasn’t really worked at all.

Theres a reason we play a back 3 with Tuchel and have been largely successful with it. Simply, right now, I dont think this defence is good enough to play a back 4 in the way we want to play but apparently its “too defensive” according to some folk on here…..

Aye just noticed was Webster. Still, shocking to give someone a free header like that.

Who is picking up Duffy there? Honestly? Piss poor.

I don’t know what you expect though, Alonso and/or Azpilicueta are pushing up high when we have the ball (as usual, same happens with Reece and Chilly) and its giving us passing options on the sides/the opportunity to switch the play and utilise the overload they’ve created. Do we just have them sit in all game because Lamptey has had 2 or 3 runs down the right side? The 2 wingbacks today lack some athleticism but lets not pretend that this being countered on the wings by teams is necessarily something new or something that doesn’t happen. I think the commentator on the stream I am watching said he had 7 touches so far after the pass/shit run situation involving Ziyech. So he’s maybe at around 10 if that.

Aye but Lamptey hasn’t really affected the game at all though has he? I mean your making out as if he’s prime Cafu when he’s much more like the Theo Walcott of wingbacks. Basically needing lots of space to run into and then 99/100 times shits himself when he gets to the final third, delivering subpar crosses every time. (Watch now he will likely assist their equaliser or something) On the game itself, since the goal we’ve played better in the first two thirds of the field but the attack is disjointed and not making any sort of real impact. CHO spurned the only other half decent chance we had when he maybe could have tried putting it to Mason in and around the penalty spot.

Must win. That team is more than good enough too.

Maybe he can come in and play RWB or LWB 😂

No thanks. His move to Madrid is proof that the grass isn’t always greener and ultimately, he is finished IMO. Honestly think for the fee he cost and wages he’s on, he will struggle to get a top club move. I mean Coutinho is a reference for this sort of thing also although he somehow got a move to Bayern for 6 months and eventually only got out of Barca to go to Villa with a chance of a permanent move.

He may of done that but that seasons not that good when you break it down and look at where the goals came from. He only scored 8 league goals that season and the other 14 goals were in cup competitions (CL & Europa League 9, Community Shield 1, FA Cup 1, Club World Cup 1, League Cup 2). Even in the near 4700 minutes he played that season at club level, 22 goals equals a goal every 215 minutes roughly so a goal just a bit less than every 2 and a half games. He wasn’t bought to assist goals either so not even concerned about those, thats what Hazard, Oscar, Mata were all signed for, to build around the donkey that someone thought was a racehorse. Its not that impressive when you consider Costa scored 20 PL goals alone in his 1st season, 12 the 2nd season (and he was pretty shite alongside everyone else for the first half of the season), and 20 again in the 3rd. Even Morata scored more PL goals in 1 season for us than Torres ever manager, getting 11 the first year. Torres never ever scored double figure PL goals since 2009-10 season. He is still easily in the top 2/3 worst signings in the clubs history. Without a doubt. We honestly tried to build teams around the guy when he was finished. Even Carragher, his ex team mate said it, he couldn’t believe we paid 50m for him.

I think Bogarde and Torres both are still by far the worst transfers we’ve ever done off the top of my head. Both for different reasons too. I suppose Nando gets a little credit for that goal that made Gary Neville spunk his drawers on live TV v Barca at the Nou Camp and the one in the Europa League final v Benfica but other than that, he is by far the worst footballer I think I’ve ever seen play so regularly at any top club based on the majority of the first 18 months or 2 years he was here. Ok he still wasn’t good after that but those first 2 years he had, he was pish. Like everything he did - didn’t work bar the odd 10-15 minutes of looking like a reasonable level professional in a match every 4 months. Then well Bogarde though, £40k a week, for 4 seasons in which he played maybe 10 times. We all know that story too well. I think topping those 2 will be hard done, even considering everything re Lukaku. Even considering then the likes of Drinkwater, Bakayoko, etc. they would still struggle.

Not to defend Lukaku here but I do think you tend to see that sort of intensity in pre match drills much more often because usually throughout the week (granted there are no mid week games), the majority of teams will train at a pretty high intensity, then come the game day those sort of drills and exercises are just a warm up and to get a touch of the ball before kick off.

Even if that’s how your argument is based, there are still plenty of players we signed who are easily much much worse signings than Lukaku. Morata not working out was a bit gut wrenching after getting rid of Costa (although his career panned out badly after leaving here), AM looked like he potentially could have had everything you would want in a top modern day CF but turns out he was really only good at scoring with his head and he lacked any sort of personality and top player mentality .

Worst Chelsea signing ever? Hmm. A very bad fit yes but worst ever? I think if you look into it hard enough you’ll realise we have signed much much worse. We’ve not had much luck with CFs though now Lukaku looks a bad fit, Morata was a bad fit, Shevchenko was a bad fit….

He would be daft to go to Newcastle. Absolutely insane. I mean honestly imagine Hazard being coached by Eddie Howe and trying to play little cute 1-2’s with Chris Wood. It would be ridiculous. Plus he’d end up playing in the championship next year. I think a return to Lille at some point may be his best course of action because he is nowhere near the standsrd for Madrid or us.

And play him ahead of who? Have you seen Kovacic play the last few games no? He has very very good since the Liverpool game. Yesterday he wasn’t quite as good but that can happen against a team like City. Then Kante when he’s even at 75% in these sort of games, is essential.

No offence but someone has to say it, what an absolute crock of shite. ‘That line up is the line up of a manager who wants to get fired?’ Jesus Christ. Look at the injuries we’ve got, Andreas was also missing through COVID so Sarr had to play and then look at the inconsistencies/underperforming players in attack we have. The team was basically as strong as it could of been whatever way you look at it. You’d think he put the under 23s out going off your reaction/comment.

Still think its more than likely too soon for him personally, particularly as a first team player and even more so considering Gerrard’s youth record at Rangers which is non existent barring Nathan Patterson who just joined Everton this month and a GK who he needed due to COVID/injuries. I also have reservations that the interest is purely Gerrard driven also despite the talk because this move was definitely mooted in the summer IIRC alongside a few other clubs sniffing about (some papers said us and Liverpool then and now but whether that is true or not, I’m really not so sure). I think there was a trial at Man United as well as at Villa too also so its probably more of a club driven move. Just hope it works out for him, obviously 17 years old there is still a lot of time but if he were able to kick on and become an international footballer in 3/4/5 years, it would be great as younger CBs is something we lack in the Scotland NT.

I could understand the issue if we got beaten by some relegation fodder team but it was Man City today and it doesn’t really change anything we didn’t already know as in they will win the league and are miles ahead of us and Liverpool. Why is it always just before or just always after big games depending on predicted result/the actual result people seem to kick up a fuss and question Tuchel? Not saying its solely down to you as everyone is entitled to their own opinion but there is a pattern, it happens almost every big game before or after. A Tuchel assessment would be a bit extreme considering we are defending European champions, won the Super Cup, just got to another cup final on Wednesday and still have the Club World Cup and FA Cup games too. I mean what more do people want? We could finish the season 2nd or 3rd with potentially 3 trophies at least. Also we are comfortably much better than everyone else bar Liverpool and City so I wouldn’t expect it to come to being dragged into a top 4 race. Also this ‘cup manager’ notion is a bit silly when you look at it because we have more or less been more of a cup team now for the best part of 10 or 11 years. League Cups, FA Cups, CLs, ELs - all cup competitions. Not in a derogatory way obviously as trophies are trophies but we have won 2 PL titles in the last 10 years after the 3 in 6 years prior to 2010 under Jose and Carlo.

Hes still only 22 years old though and thats probably going to buy him a bit more patience alongside his obvious talent and the fact he’s probably had many better games than the likes of Timo, Hakim and Pulisic since he arrived last summer. No doubt TT and he himself should rightfully demand more in terms of goals and assists but I still really don’t think he’s cut out in the long run to be a CF. And thats why I felt it was 100% necessary to sign a number 9 this summer because for all the play, running the channels and being involved outside the box, he doesn’t have the numbers or strikers instincts to be a top teams number 9. False 9 or not. He is wildly inconsistent which is infuriating but when he is playing as a false 9, he seems to struggle scoring goals and I think that is because he really lacks the predatory instincts in and around the box from crosses/cut backs/saves etc that all good strikers seem to have. He doesn’t seem to anticipate where the ball might go/land and just seems lacking in that part.

Horrendous today. Absolutely pathetic. Has to do better even if its his type of game or not.

Have to agree on Havertz but again, Tuchel’s repeatedly mentioning precision and how the forwards/attacking midfielders need to show up more. This is why I personally believe Ziyech, Timo and even Pulisic are players who really need to be looked at and the question asked are they really up to it? For what we want to achieve? Pulisic only ever seems to come to life v Liverpool and well I can count on one hand the amount of good games Timo and Hakim have had this season.

Tbf I am surprised he played Rom today but personally, not that surprised he didn’t use Werner. If I am honest I was much actually more surprised he didn’t start Kai or Mason. He talked about lacking precision in attack, do you really think Werner is the guy to give us precision? In these bigger games? In fact are any of them ie. Timo, Ziyech, Pulisic, really consistent enough to deliver in these sort of games? I get the argument for Timo and his pace but other than that I don’t think Tuchel could of justified starting him today although again not playing Kai was a huge mistake for me. Lets be honest under TT, the attack hasn’t ever really looked hugely convincing on a consistent basis regardless of who plays. As alluded to above, are a majority of the attackers good/consistent enough? Do people really expect Ziyech, Werner etc to bring us up another level? Rom doesn’t suit these big games either, clearly.

Don’t think we will see him start v City if Havertz, Mount and Pulisic are fit or dare I say it, Timo, are all available. Just think the way we will look to capitalise on City’s weaknesses, it would be a better set up. Seriously have all but gave up on Timo though, his attitude and work rate is good, can’t knock him for that but just doesn’t strike me as having the minerals or quality to be a success here. Its been 18 months now, its been very start stop and ultimately he’s been very very mediocre. Rom has to seriously start doing something also because barring the good start, the Villa game and then that first leg v Spurs, again, he’s not offering very much. The interview also whilst its dealt with so to speak just piles the pressure on him if he doesn’t do the business.