Superblue

A pretty damning stat.

Tuchel still speaks glowingly over Dembele that he's one of the most technically gifted and amongst his favourite players he's ever worked with so I wouldn't actually rule out Tuchel discussing him with the board if he's a free agent in the summer.

I was only around 6 years old when we bought him so my memories are fairly vivid, but I do remember my dad firing many expletives his way. I remember Mark Stein and John Spencer from that timeframe though so that can only highlight the (lack of) contribution of Robby Fleck. Paul Furlong - I can remember going to a friendly Chelsea were playing away at one of my local teams. I think we had just signed Vialli and I was really hoping to see him, Gullit, Mark Hughes, etc and instead Chelsea rolled out pretty much a reserve/U21 side spearheaded by Paul Furlong and he was dreadful. We laugh at Lukaku's touch at times but this guy couldn't trap a bag of cement. Chris Sutton - In my opinion we were one top striker away from winning the league. The season before we only finished 4 points off United's treble winning team and really threw our chances away in the last few games of the season. Ultimately though when Poyet went down injured we lost a huge goal threat. Things happen for a reason but I think if we had bought Hasselbaink a year earlier instead of Sutton we could have kicked on again that year. By the time we'd rectified the Sutton transfer with JFH, the team's peak had come and gone unfortunately. I know Lukaku has been signed for £100m or so but it's all relative. These were huge fees paid at the time, especially for Chelsea and all were far greater disasters than Lukaku.

It's not just their attacking output being exceptional during that period, but it's the athleticism and pace that both possess to get up and down the pitch. Both being able to play that high up the pitch but have the speed and fitness to also get back into position to defend is what is the problem now with the system. With Chilwell and James we basically had five attackers and then one of Kova or Kante being a roaming midfielder to help hunt the ball high. Alonso and Azpilicueta simply don't have the same physical capabilities to play box to box, and I don't think either is as efficient once in attack. Their absence has definitely showed that we need adequate replacements for them because if Tuchel wants the back 3 to be his favoured formation the wing backs arguably are the most important part of the team.

And how could I forget Robert Fleck, the transfer record holder before Paul Furlong!

I'm guessing you weren't following the club when we broke our transfer record on Paul Furlong and then Chris Sutton. Lukaku could fail to score for a year and then take an Inter flag and plant it in the centre circle of the Bridge and he still wouldn't touch those two.

I think the entire attack will be changed based on Tuchel's feelings after the City game. This may be a game to change to a back 4. I'd consider Sarr at left back just because I think he'd have a better chance dealing with Lamptey, and an extra body in midfield whether that's Jorginho, Kante and Kova as a three or someone like Mount dropping in when needed might be required. We got dominated by them at home, and I think winning the midfield battle against them will be the key.

If we didn't have Lukaku, I'd say there's no harm trying to get him back on loan and seeing what he has left, because it isn't just injuries but it looks like the life and enjoyment has been completely sucked out of him over there. But you couldn't accommodate for Hazard and Lukaku in the same team because you'll end up in a similar situation to United being unable to pressure and retrieve the ball high up the pitch. I look forward to hearing from Hazard at the end of his career to find out if moving to Madrid in hindsight was a mistake in his opinion when he was literally made for life here. I think if the opportunity came up for him to return he'd be on the first flight to London.

I think we'll see more use of the back 4 as the season wears on. For me this weekend just continued to prove with the United and West Ham results that I don't think the teams below us are capable and consistent enough to go on sustained runs of wins that we can't match or better in the second half of this season, let alone 2 teams doing so. Obviously we need to start picking up and improving our form now but we've now played Liverpool and City twice, and after Brighton this week I think the only other team in the top 10 we have to play away are United. On paper, our fixture list for the remainder of the season should be a lot more kinder than the teams chasing us. I think a back 4 would have left us far more exposed against City and a back 3 was the safe call, but against most other teams in the league it could be an option to get the attack firing a little more with an extra attacking body.

To be fair Ziyech started and scored in two of the wins against City last season so at least there's previous form against the opposition with that choice. Pulisic is the strange one. I think Tuchel expected we'd be playing a good chunk of the game on the counter and therefore a quicker player would be needed who could support or even run beyond Lukaku. I would have chosen Timo for that role, but has only recently returned from covid and maybe Tuchel felt Pulisic therefore was the better option for that role. I personally am not sold on Pulisic the most out of all our attackers. He had a real purple patch after lockdown a couple of years ago but has not kicked on and in my opinion regressed a lot. Although to be fair he's actually been one of the few players to remain fit throughout the last few weeks, he regularly seems to pick up niggles and muscle injuries which hampers any progress he appears to be making. At least with Werner and Mount their pressing and willingness to work for the team can go for them when they're attacking play is inconsistent. Havertz has the capability of linking play and making others around him better and Ziyech offers something different to the rest with his passing range when he's playing well. I also think that whilst CHO can be incredibly frustrating at times, he always seems more willing to get involved in play and on the ball. Unfortunately when Pulisic isn't contributing much in attack he is far more anonymous in my opinion then the rest and for me, he'd be the first player I would look at as 'disposable' if we were to look at attacking options in the summer.

Did he play much under Tuchel when he was at PSG?

Personally I think he's trending in the right direction but I think if he comes back here too quickly it could be to his detriment. We've all seen the strides that Gallagher has made this season compared to last with the continued exposure to first team Premier League football. I think one more year on loan after this will be best for Broja and I think then will be the best time to make a decision on him. I wouldn't be against him staying another year at Southampton if Hassenhuttl is that high on him.

Difficult one to decide I think. Costa was definitely a more lethal predator in and around the box and had a great striker instinct and technique to go with that. Didier is always hard to assess because if you look at his stats in more detail he only ever had a couple of outstanding Premier League campaigns but then always stepped up in cups and europe. I think if you're looking for one to pull you through a league campaign you'd possibly take Diego. Cup finals though I'm definitely taking Drogba, the man was literally a cheat code for Chelsea in them. I think the only other striker in the Roman era I would put up against Costa and Drogba, although because he never settled probably sits a little below both is Crespo. I was always a massive fan of him. Both feet, incredible attack positioning and excellent in front of goal. There was one goal against Liverpool at home which always stuck out with a ball over the top at an angle, perfectly timed run and anticipation and he just buried it with his left foot. It was a huge shame that he never settled in England (ironically he still talks warmly about his time at Chelsea and I think now on reflection wishes he'd tried more to make things work) - I think if he'd stayed for a couple more years over those early Mourinho years he'd be viewed very much in the same way as Drogba and Costa were.

In case an incredible opportunity arises for a top target this month we should only look at the most cost effective, short term solutions to any injury issues. We've dodged a bullet in my opinion with Digne, and the same should be said in my opinion about the likes of Adama and Dest (Dest I think has potential and is far younger but I'm still not convinced, certainly in the present). We've suffered for far too long with bringing in squad players to fill gaps in the squad and then be left stuck with these players for years as we can't get a reasonable value back in the market to cover our own outlay. It's why we still have Alonso and Barkley in the squad and a host of players still attached to the club out on loan. I know it hasn't really worked out (although promising signs recently) but the loan signing of Saul in the summer was the perfect move at a time when our preferred midfield targets didn't open up. It allows us this coming summer to re-target a Tchouameni or Rice or whoever, rather than be left with another squad player on the books that we've paid over the odds for. If a Dest or Adama was available on a loan with a buy option then grab them for the rest of this season and see how things go. But I really hope the club doesn't panic here and waste £20-30m of the summer budget on a player who if everyone in the squad was fit, wouldn't be starting. That's what our academy should be for - to fill in these blanks so the club can focus on just securing a couple of top targets each season. Tuchel will have a lot to do with this too. If he's comfortable and feels secure in his position (and there's no reason why he shouldn't) then he doesn't need to rock the boat like the Mourinho's and Conte's have in the past. If he's given the option of a stop gap now and then less money available in the summer for top targets, or try to make do with what we have this season and be backed again in the summer I'd like to hope he'd prefer the latter.

Professional job done, killing the game in the first 20 minutes. Fair play to Chesterfield they never crumbled and whilst it would have been nice to get a clean sheet, I don't begrudge them their moment scoring. Tuchel got the balance right in my opinion. Strong enough to win the game without concern but in doing so was also able to rest some key players and also split game time across others. His respect for this game though is pleasing to see as I think whilst he is here, we'll give maximum respect to the cup competitions we are in and attempt to win them. For all that Klopp has done in his time at Liverpool they've won a couple of big trophies but not hauled in as much as they perhaps should have. I think the domestic cups Klopp has for the most part dismissed in his time in England, which is something I wouldn't want to see from Tuchel.

I don't know how it pans out in other countries as I don't keep enough track, but when it comes to the FA Cup it rarely works out that way. If we were to win by 3 or 4 today I'd be more than happy with that.

Completely agree, some of the players actually need this game for minutes.

As long as we have the right mentality going into this game we'll be fine. Defensively we look suspect though, I've no idea how we're setting up with all these attacking players. So we just need to dominate that ball and get a couple of early goals.

Back 4 with CHO full back?

Thought Saul was excellent tonight. I've felt his most recent couple of games have shown a lot of improvement and a suggestion that there is something there that can be utilised here at Chelsea, and tonight seemed to confirm that. Most of his possession was one or two touch passing which has helped him adjusting to the intensity and pace of the league. He clearly has the technical game, and given how rough his form has been so far here, I thought he showed real character and personality tonight. It should do him the world of good. With half the season to go and such a glut of matches coming up, he can still play a big role in the squad this season. Here's hoping tonight was the start for him to really kick on now.

Sky Sports are reporting tonight that Newcastle have offered £22.5m and Sean Longstaff to Everton for Digne. I think we should stay well clear. As a loan option to cover this season that would be fine, but it would be a huge mistake to buy him - he's not an answer long term to be spending money on.

Yeah and I felt his work-rate and willingness was there. This was always going to be a big game to get under his belt with everything that has happened. He didn't get many touches in the first half but I felt he wasn't anywhere near as static as he has been. There was much more movement to the flanks, especially the right hand side. I don't know if this is something that has been discussed with Tuchel or not, but it troubled Spurs. He was occupying Sanchez and Davies for a lot of the time, which allowed us to overload at times on the left hand side and isolate Tanganga. There's still significant room for improvement, and a goal would have been nice but I'm happy with aspects of his game that I saw tonight.

That sounds positive about Azpi. Give him a rest this weekend and he should be fine I assume for next week then.

He snatched at a couple of chances that usually he'd be a bit calmer with but I think with everything that has happened this week it can be accepted. The main thing I felt tonight whether it was more willingness or more freedom but he seemed far more free in his movements rather than being static. Whatever people think of him, defenders would not want to play against someone that strong and quick, especially when his back isn't always to the goal and he can turn defenders around the other way. I do also think his presence aided the likes of Havertz, Mount and Ziyech around him.

Sky Sports seem to suggest Ziyech at RWB