Superblue

It's easy to question in hindsight. Perhaps Lampard wasn't comfortable with changing essentially to a back 5 for the last 10 minutes of the game and invite even more pressure from them.

It's easy to complain about Lampard's subs but Kovacic looked like he was struggling with a knock. If he needed to come off, I've no problem with Lampard putting faith in a youngster to come in as much of a like for like replacement as possible. These players have to learn and that's going to take time. It won't happen overnight. Our defending is not good enough at present that's clear. But another problem we have is there seems to be an inability to "dig in" when we're under a bit of pressure. The natural reaction for some of these players is to try and play through that when sometimes you simply can't and the result is playing more frenetic and disjointed. It happened in the last half hour against United, most of the game against Leicester and the second half today. Inexperience is a huge issue with this, possibly with Lampard and his tactics too but it's part of the process and unfortunately we're going to have to go through this to reap the benefits. The second half today we needed a performance similar to the one against Norwich in the second half where we dominated much of the play and controlled the game and it wasn't there.

So pleased for Tammy. The game last week must have been so huge for his confidence and belief he could make it at Chelsea as today's goals were about a striker's instinct and anticipation for being in the right place. If he can get somewhere close to 15 or more league goals for us this season and everyone else chips in around him, we shouldn't be far away from top 4. Especially as not all seems well with United and Spurs at present and Arsenal will always find some way of messing up an opportunity.

The most disappointing for me personally was Shevchenko who was simply a shadow of the player he was at Milan. Him and Ballack were really the first two proper superstar signings of the Roman era and having to accommodate him actually hindered us more than helped. Torres I already had a gut feeling about struggling because he hadn't been the same player for the last 6-12 months at Liverpool and the injuries had taken away his explosive pace. Having said that it probably doesn't stop him being the biggest flop simply because of the money spent at the time was enormous and the alternatives we could have signed at the time (specifically Aguero or Suarez). Bakayoko would have to be a close second simply because I think he may be the worst footballer I've seen at Chelsea, definitely in the Roman era and that transfer window set us back massively. (Morata and Drinkwater would be well in the mix for the discussion too) Hard to lump together pre and post Roman era signings because the level of players went up a notch that we were in the market for when Roman brought the club. Pre Roman and within the 21st century? Not sure if they were brought in the late 90's or early 00's but Jokanovic, Jes Hogh and Lambourde were all awful, Ambrosetti was a terrible buy too. Bogarde was really abysmal too, simply with his wages being a massive drain at the time when the club struggled for money. We also shipped out Emerson Thome to bring him in who I thought was a very astute and solid signing (a bit like an Alex).

I wouldn't be against drawing Real Madrid just to see the contrast in receptions that Courtois and Hazard will get.

He's vastly improved from last season. I didn't think he justified last season being lauded so much amongst our fan base over Alonso. He does look fitter and more confident that he has the trust of Lampard. The stat regarding tackles and not being dribbled past is interesting because I think overall he's been very good defensively so far this season despite the team's shortcomings as a whole. A lot of the problems we've experienced so far is down Azpi's side or straight through the middle. I don't remember many problems down the left hand side. He does however need to improve his attacking output if he is the long term solution. He's got a good pace and energy about himself, but his final ball or decision making in the final third is just far too inconsistent at present. He has shown flashes of capability so will be interesting to see if he can improve on this area over the course of the season because I believe right now the left back position is his to lose this year.

Can't say that Chelsea have learnt their lesson over Hudson-Odoi because we couldn't start trying to tie him down any sooner to a pro contract than we did. However it looks like the club are ensuring that the top youngsters are tied down for the long term and it is extremely smart long term planning. Even if some of them don't quite make the grade as first choice they can hopefully develop into reliable and useful squad players and with the premium on homegrown talent now, these kids are already very valuable players that are only likely to increase in value. (Abraham and in particular Mount's starts this season will already comfortably have them in a £30-40m bracket, whilst Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek will be even higher. If reports are true we turned down £25m for Reece from Palace already too so that shows his value also to us and he hasn't played yet). The signs so far are promising that the club are ready to really back these young players to make an impression within the squad. It'll be more clearer the longer the season goes how much faith they are willing to have in Lampard and the academy players but, for me personally, so far it's been refreshing to see. Our Premier League goals so far have come entirely from our academy and it seems to have re-energised a squad that was starting to look a little stale before the ban. There is a lot of work for Lampard to do still, the defensive make up of the side in particular but we already attack with so much more intent then we did last season.

I don't think he will for the sake of it but I think he does want a stong English core. You're spot on though they have to be good enough. I'm not saying myself to definitely go for him but I could see him being the sort of player we might identify. I've not watched West Ham very often but the couple of times I've seen him play for England he looked good and my brother-in-law is a hammer and absolutely raves about how good he is as a no nonsense, solid defensive midfielder which is the type we're probably missing above all else as an option in midfield.

It would cost a fair whack and it's grating to pay for something we already had, but I think we could look at making a play for someone like Declan Rice who would give us a completely different option for the pivot (i.e. an out and out defensive midfielder). And Lampard seems to want a really strong core of English, homegrown talent.

That second half was probably the best performance so far in terms of a more complete performance. We were far more solid defensively in the second half, much more controlled in possession but still created chances. Norwich and their fans would have fancied their chances in that second half and we showed a much more mature and professional performance, and a bit of personality in our play to see them off.

Bit of faith and patience will be repaid

Our midfield just dont recognise danger. It's just too easy to cut us open in the middle.

I like having Bats and Giroud on the bench today. Circumstances (Kante out) have probably dictated that, but it gives an alternative option if we're still struggling with goals to possibly change things in the second half and put two fresh strikers on the pitch.

I worry about the midfield makeup without Kante in there. Kovacic and Jorginho need to make sure they stay more solid as a partnership in the middle. We can't leave the gaps we left last week. Have to be careful with the press today too, we don't want a situation like last week where we're out on our feet after 25 minutes again. it's bloody hot today!

I would love Jadon Sancho. I think he looks like a real potential superstar. I'm secretly hoping that given time and some good game experience that CHO can develop into something as similarly productive and effective. However, our priority has to be strengthening the spine of our team. Kepa is a very good keeper who should get better and Kante is our best player but we desperately need a top drawer centre back and centre forward. I would actually have no problem the club sinking as much money as they have available in those two positions just to get the best players possible. An upgrade at left back would be priority after that unfortunately before we should be looking at someone like Sancho.

It's not just Azpilicueta, all of them seem to be like that. They should all be set to defend on the half turn to keep runners in their eye line and block them off or challenge them. I can understand Lampard wanting to defend zonal marking because we were so effective in his time at ripping apart teams that man marked by blocking off markers and leaving free headers. Zonal marking can be extremely effective if done properly but it needs a lot of drilling and the players need to be prepared to take responsibility, not be caught ball watching and attack their spaces.

There already seems to be this idea that we're just throwing tons of young players into the side. As per usual one "gold nugget" comment from someone like Mourinho and it seems to be taken as gospel. Tammy has started one game and been brought on in 2 games and Mount has started 2 games and been brought on in 1. When Reece James and CHO are back fit and amongst the squad then the situation will need to be managed more because we would need to ensure there is sufficient experience around them on the pitch but so far we only have two academy lads getting minutes. I don't think Mount has done too bad, the faith was rewarded with his goal yesterday and he does seem to offer a goal threat in a squad that needs it at present. His set piece delivery is light years above Willian too purely on the basis of being able to beat the first man! So this argument only really relates to Tammy and at present he seems to be second choice behind Giroud so it's hardly like he's being left to sink or swim. Our problems yesterday losing second balls all across the pitch and attacks breaking down started after 20-25 minutes. It got no better with Tammy coming on, but it was awful for a substantial period of time before he came on too. Like many players his age there are parts of his game that I really like and have a lot of potential and there are also parts of his game that do need work. I do believe that he is good enough to be given a squad role here this season and then he needs to show development and progress when given chances this season to justify this role for the longer term beyond this season.

Yesterday was extremely underwhelming after such a bright start in the first 20 minutes. I think the first 20 minutes is an indicator of how Lampard wants us to play and if we can sustain that for the first half (which to be fair we did against United and definitely against Liverpool) then I do think we have the capability of blowing some teams away this season. We have to be more clinical and sharp in front of goal but I think that will come and right now we just really need a couple of wins to get some confidence flowing all around. That attacking style is a big contrast to a lot of the slow and drab play from last year and as long as the chances are being created I do think the goals will start to come. I've always felt we've generally been quite a slow starting team over the years and so it's refreshing seeing us coming out of the traps early and putting the opposition on the back foot. City and Liverpool last season did this a lot and killed the game off in the first half, allowing them to control and wear down opponents further in the second half and I think that is where we're trying to head towards. I'm definitely prepared to accept tiredness as a big factor yesterday. We completely dropped off a cliff and the last hour of the game was a terrible watch. Maybe Lampard could have changed it up a bit with his line up but we don't have a huge amount of options and quality in reserve at present with a few out. We were cut open at will yesterday, there was so much space between the lines for Leicester who themselves are a decent possession based team and they should have capitalised and beat us. The last 10 minutes of the game was disappointing too as we seemed to get a bit of a second wind but everything became frenetic as we tried to push for a winner and instead left ourselves even more open to the counter. That's where we need a bit more calmness and composure in our play too. I can imagine the adrenaline was there to try and kick the season off at home with a win and I'm certainly not against the mindset of not settling for a draw despite us struggling, but the execution needs to be far better. I am still happy to reference that Liverpool game however as proof that given time, patience and players returning back, Lampard can get us playing the way he wants with an exciting attacking intent but also be more compact without the ball. Like many have alluded to already however, there will be inconsistency this season and it will be a steep learning curve for Lampard and the younger players, and it will also be an opportunity to see if some of the more experienced players can step their games up to fill the void of Hazard (Willian's 'cameo' yesterday was pathetic but he also didn't look anywhere near fit either and maybe he's rushed himself back to try and help the team when we're light on players in those positions). These next 2 games before the international break are massive. Take the wins from them and it will settle everything down, get some confidence and momentum within the side and should have us in a reasonable position in the league.

No I'm pretty sure he was helped off the pitch. He did come straight off though clearly in a lot of discomfort. CHO actually tried staying on the pitch for another couple of minutes after his which would suggest that it was far less serious than what RLC suffered.

A couple of other very pleasing aspects were the reactions to conceding the goals. For a few minutes after Liverpool's first we looked like we had lost our shape and it seemed to be a bit of a panic but we quickly composed ourselves and whilst we weren't as effective in the second half, we prevented Liverpool from dominating us thereafter. The reaction to the second goal too was promising. It would have been easy for our heads to drop, especially with some of the younger, less experienced lads on the pitch by then but we dug in and got a thoroughly deserved equaliser.

Very pleased with tonight, just a huge disappointment having come so close to lose like that but it's put a marker down for the season to show we can still compete with the top teams. This has been a baptism of fire for Lampard, he couldn't have had it much more difficult but I feel there has already been a significant improvement across both games. I mentioned at half time that he will make mistakes this early on in his managerial career but tonight was an example that he will identify and learn quickly from those mistakes and we'll be better long term as a result (note the Leeds play off second leg game too as another example of this). We were so much more defensively solid today across the park. The pressing was far less frenetic and was operated in a far more calculated manner, but was similarly effective to the first half at Old Trafford and kept us being hit constantly on the counter attack. The midfield dominated throughout the game, Kante has improved immensely on the ball and all three are so comfortable with it. Some of the play at times was excellent and enjoyable to watch, there always seemed to be an intent to our play. The willingness of players to run in behind was a very good sign. Pulisic in particular was very direct and I think will cause a lot of teams problems in that way this season. Kante was definitely man of the match, I cannot possibly fathom how someone misses pre season and then puts that performance in for 120 minutes. Zouma still looks uncomfortable on the ball but looked far more solid tonight which was very encouraging. I also thought Pedro had an excellent game, after his poor showing against United. Again a 32 year old who has won the lot putting in the shift he did tonight isn't just testament to his character and drive but it's huge for the younger lads we have in the squad to see the work rate one of the most senior players is putting in. Also just a note on Tammy Abraham. I've looked back at a number of posts pretty much writing him off already. Let's give the kid some time shall we? He's come in and first two games had to face up against the two most expensive centre backs in world football. There are aspects of his game that are raw but his work rate gives a completely different option to Giroud and I'm pretty certain once he bags his first goal, more will follow. It's easy to pan him for a poor penalty but I remember Ronaldo sticking his penalty straight down Cech's throat in Moscow. I'd far rather look at the character he has to step up and take such a high pressure penalty for us.

Just this first half makes me so much more confident with Lampard. He will make some mistakes but he's just shown tonight how flexible he is and how prepared he is to learn from those mistakes. Really good half of football and a thoroughly deserved lead.

I would play Pulisic from the start tonight. I think one area we could get some joy is on that right hand side of Liverpool. Salah doesn't track back nearly as much as Mane does on the left, and whilst Alexander-Arnold is an excellent player going forward, I still think his defensive game at times can be raw and suspect. That means one of Barkley and Mount for the central spot. I think Lampard will probably keep faith with Mount and Abraham tonight. It gives him the perfect opportunity early on to show how much faith and belief he has in the younger players in our squad, despite the criticism's of Mourinho and the usual media bollocks that follows. It should also be huge motivation for both that they have a point to prove that they do belong at this level. Despite a trophy on the line for this game, the Leicester game at the weekend has to take priority. This one almost feels like a bit of a free shot to get back on the pitch and start trying to right some of the wrongs from the weekend. As long as I see some progression and improvement on the weaknesses on show on Sunday then I'll be fairly content.

When you look at what came before him I agree it would be hard to argue and my dad has said that some of the football during this period was abysmal, but his methods were very much 'continental' driven and probably ahead of their time, certainly within the confines of the English game. Such a drastic change from what may be considered the norm will be a risk initially and there was proof of this by how much we struggled in the first months. Chelsea had been in the First Division/Premier League for 3 or 4 years by this point so we had began to establish ourselves in the league. Many clubs in recent years have gone down a route from simply staying in the league to looking to evolve the club with a bigger name or different style of play to then see it backfire and they get relegated. The club continued to persevere however because there was progress being made even if that wasn't reflected in the results. Hoddle gets a lot of respect and appreciation from older Chelsea fans who recognise the importance of his appointment in the overall growth and evolution of the club (something I believe within the media Gullit gets the more credit in this era when Hoddle laid the foundations for him and later Vialli to achieve success). I would just like to think (and hope) that the appointment of Lampard will show a similar trend. I think the culture shift at the club to placing a lot of faith in younger, inexperienced players will take time and results/consistency will suffer initially but it will overall benefit the club in the long term, even beyond Lampard's tenure at the club.

I see lots of similarities between Lampard's appointment and that of Glenn Hoddle in the early 90's. 1993/94 is one of the earliest seasons that I still can remember and Glenn was a very risky appointment at the time as he only had one year at Swindon and (whether it was having played abroad) had a much different view on tactics and style compared to most English managers at the time. We opened ourselves up to play in an expansive manner (with some pretty average footballers at the club) and it took a lot of time and patience to get used to what he wanted (if I remember rightly we were second bottom at Xmas only above Swindon who had one of the worst Premier League seasons on record) but we improved significantly in the second half of the season to finish a respectable mid table and our run to the FA Cup final. From then on we had Gullit and Mark Hughes, and from then on the early influx of 'next level' foreign players - Lebouef, Di Matteo, Petrescu, Vialli, Zola. Those foundations which pushed the club to the next level were built by Glenn Hoddle and he doesn't really get the credit for it because he left before any real success had taken place.and The Lampard appointment is similar. The money in the Premier League now makes it much more difficult to bully the market like we once did and the size of our stadium against our rivals similarly puts us at a financial disadvantage. Developing our own players for our first team is more vital than ever, but it needs someone willing to take that risk to put those foundations in place which Lampard seems prepared to do. It will be a huge learning curve this season for the young players, for Lampard and for us fans who have probably gotten used to the immediate success and impatient nature of the club in the last 15 years. But football is cyclical and rather than trying to short term fix to catch up with Liverpool and City, a longer term plan needs to take place. City won't have Guardiola forever and they weren't nearly as dominant before he came in, whilst Liverpool are at their peak as a result of a long term plan that is now reaping rewards. I do truly believe that a couple of steps backwards over the next couple of months, or even the season will lead to greater steps forward for us in the future.