Superblue

Ruud Gullit was such a level above when he joined Chelsea it was almost comical. That despite having bad knees and at the back end of his career. Without degrading the squad back then (especially Mark Hughes and also Dennis Wise who improved immeasurably as the club's profile increased), at times it literally looked like a professional football player playing a non league game. His peak is before my time, and obviously I've watched videos and clips of him, but purely based on how good he still was when he joined Chelsea makes me know how good he'd have been at his peak.

It's an incredibly difficult position the club is actually in. The 'easy assumption' is to just buy a striker that can finish these chances but if we introduce a striker who cannot offer much in the build up, will that then reduce our chances created, and thus potentially put us in a no different position to before. How many of those chances were created by Werner's movement and pace which could be a completely different skillset to someone else we buy. On the flipside however I do think we're talking one of the best players of this coming generation and we may not get a better opportunity to buy him, just like Havertz last summer. He could indeed be the missing piece of the puzzle and mix perfectly with the attacking players we have and score 20+ goals a season for the next few years. What I do hope is if it's not one of the very top strikers (Haaland, Mbappe, Kane), it won't just end up being anything for the sake of it. I'd rather in that situation we use our budget for other areas of the squad and re-assess again next summer when potentially Haaland and Mbappe both may be options on the market.

I don't think that would suit Chelsea to lose him mid-season, it would be more likely he'd stay on then until the end of the season in that situation. I keep forgetting the World Cup is in the winter!

I don't think it's unrealistic to think that our current attackers can't improve their output next season. Werner, Havertz and Ziyech are now a year into the Premier League and Mount, Pulisic and Hudson Odoi are all still young and have a lot of potential for improvement. Forgetting cup competitions and just concentrating on the league, I don't think it's unreasonable for Werner and Havertz to be targetting 10 - 15 goals each, and Mount, Pulisic and Ziyech to all be targetting 8 - 10 goals each next season. They should all be very capable of this, it's hardly like we're expecting them to suddenly go to 20-25 goals.

He's been up front that his goal is to play at the World Cup, so like you said I think he'll want to be fresh and fit to participate in that. That's obviously not to say that he wouldn't be giving 100% to us, but I think he'll want to be managed next season and not flogged to death. I think beyond the World Cup will depend on him. At the age he's at it can always go downhill very quickly and severely so I guess we'll have to see. He may also want to go back and finish his career in Brazil. The best part of Thiago is winning the Champions League with us. For all the great years he enjoyed at PSG, he'll always have a special bond with Chelsea just from winning the one thing that has always eluded him.

I could be wrong but I think even if we bombed out of all the cups at the first hurdle we still have a minimum of 48 games. Realistically we're looking at 55-60 games in all likelihood. Also factor in international fixtures (including the AFCON mid season), the Euro's this summer and the World Cup next summer and it is an insane amount of football across our squad over the next 12 months. I think we have the most players at the Euros for any club in Europe and will likely be up there again for the World Cup. Tuchel clearly trusts Christensen, and I see this coming season a role reversal during it where Christensen is the one preferred for the 'big' games and Thiago Silva may end up playing more against the 'lesser' teams. He'll play a huge role this season regardless.

I agree. For me, both have flaws in a 4 man defence. My biggest concern at times with Christensen in a 4 is being bullied, whilst Rudiger is the other end of the spectrum where his aggressive nature can end up leaving him out of position or ball watching. A back 5 limits those weaknesses whilst accentuating their strengths. Rudiger on the side can play aggressive knowing he has both a wing back and a spare centre back either side of him. Christensen meanwhile can play the spare man where he can read the game and cover. It also plays to the strength's of Thiago Silva at his age now, and Azpilicueta and even James if Tuchel wants to use him in the back 3. In this system, Christensen and Rudiger are arguably world class. It would be foolish for Tuchel to tinker too much with this system. By all means work on more attack minded options if we're chasing a game which could switch us into a back 4 but given how well the current system has worked defensively, that must be the building block for everything else Tuchel wants to do.

I too agree with this. I believe that Werner and Havertz could be significantly better next season, especially Havertz. I wouldn't write Ziyech off either, he's in the same boat as Havertz and Werner having to adapt to a new league and he arguably had things worse as the Eredivisie closed down after Covid and then he got injured so he effectively missed 6 months of football. Pulisic and Mount are both young and there's plenty of space for both to improve also. The issue here though is there may be an opportunity to buy one of the absolute top young talents in world football and somebody who looks primed to be one of the best strikers of this generation for the next decade or longer. With the current situation we're in compared to almost all other clubs we could really set ourselves up for another period of dominance. People questioned in the same way buying Havertz last season as we'd already signed Werner and Ziyech and had the likes of Pulisic and Mount, but I think it was a big and correct call to identify him as a superstar in the making and to get him when we had effectively a free run at him. If Haaland represents a similar opportunity this summer then I think we should try and get him. However if Haaland doesn't materialise, then I'd rather run with what we have then just buying any striker for the sake of it.

You'll always have patches in the season where some don't play as often as they'd like but I'm sure with 6 players, come the end of the season they'd have all started 30 games and probably played their part in 40 or more. It would be up to Tuchel to get them all aiming for one common goal, which is more trophies. I'd like to hope that the UCL has only given them a thirst for more and we've potentially got the squad to challenge on multiple fronts next season. Mount, Havertz and Werner could all play big parts for their countries this summer, and as you mentioned Pulisic is playing in the Gold Cup. Add to that extra club games, international games, Ziyech at the Afcon and then the World Cup next summer, the fixture list this next year is going to be ridiculous. They will all need opportunities to be rotated and rested during the season and I think 6 is a good number for 3 positions. I wouldn't necessarily say Mount is a certainty. I think he currently is in our "best XI" but we got a couple of good results/performances without him under Tuchel and the onus is on him to kick on again this coming season as he definitely needs to add more goals to his game to get to break into the highest level of players. Haaland too, would likely be used more often than not but he's not a cast iron guarantee to hit the ground running. He may need next season to acclimatise himself, so the alternative options to him could end up being a blessing. Unlike say Werner, who wasn't pulled out of the firing line when he was struggling for form because we had no other options at the time.

Next season with the Super Cup and World Club Cup, we've got even more games than normal. 3 - 4 extra games may not feel a lot but the World Club Cup in particular is awkward to push back league games for us so there will be more weeks of 3 games. The options hasn't done City any harm and if anything has aided them being able to challenge for everything they've entered. I'd argue the ability for Tuchel to rotate the options in attack helped us tackle 3 competitions ourselves. The other thing to consider is our attacking options have been susceptible to injury. Werner and Mount got flogged to death in stages last season because Pulisic, Ziyech and Havertz all had to contend with injuries. All it takes is a couple out for 3 - 4 weeks and suddenly the options look incredibly thin. Ziyech will also miss time with AFCON and wasn't there talk of Pulisic representing USA in the Olympics? If (and a big if) we were able to buy Haaland then I would look at an attacking group of Mount, Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic, Werner and Haaland. Besides Haaland, the others are comfortable with playing different roles in that attack. It gives us strong options from the bench and should keep pushing every one of them to challenge for minutes but stay fresh through the season. I'd be inclined to keep Hudson Odoi also, primarily as an attacking alternative to James at wing back (if the alternative is someone like Adama or Hoffmann then it seems a no brainer). But CHO then also gives an extra option in attack if we're struggling with injuries.

It works both ways though, if he continues being a success to the degree he already has, and goes into the last 6 months of his deal we could leave ourselves far more open to losing him if a Madrid or Barca came in for him.

I agree somewhat with this. I mentioned the other day that we could be getting to the point with striking options where we'd need to question whether it's better to stick with Tammy next season as a striking option to go with Havertz and Werner. But if we end up letting Giroud and Tammy leave, we're then left with Werner, Havertz, Mount, Pulisic and Ziyech (you could argue Hudson Odoi too, although he may be better off trying to continue developing as an attacking wing back option for Tuchel). Essentially though 5 players across 3 spots in a season which could stretch to around 60 games with the Super Cup and World Club Cup added alongside the usual comps is not enough. Especially when the only two so far who have proven to be durable are Werner and Mount. If top targets are unobtainable, it could end up boiling down to just how prepared Tuchel may be to still work with Tammy. Otherwise we're going to have to sign someone for those attacking spots.

The price would have to be drastically lower than previous years, but would Zaha be a potential option? His versatility to be comfortable to play across the front three, and most importantly he could play the central role in a false 9 capacity could make him a very useful rotational option. If Palace are still wanting £70m then it's a complete no go, but if there demands have climbed down significantly (say the £40m bracket) then it might be worth a punt. Particularly as I don't think a signing like him hinders the potential to go in for a top striking option next summer that may become available, but in the meantime he would offer a very good attacking option and chip in with some goals. We do have players who may be attractive to Palace who could help us cut a very reasonable price possibly.

Some of the striker options being suggested, we might as well just keep Tammy instead. Somebody (Matt Law?) wrote a piece saying that Tuchel wants to prioritise quality over quantity, and that may need to be evident here. If the club and Tuchel view the striker market as not being good enough, then it may be decided to bring Tammy in from the cold to replace Giroud in the squad as the rotational striker option. He has a number of flaws but the one thing he does have is a knack for being in the right place, on the end of chances and you know what you'll get with him - he'll chip in with a few goals throughout the season. That then may allow the club to go bigger for a couple of the other areas of the team they want strengthening, and then the budget next summer can be planned around a big striker if required (maybe it won't be if Werner and Havertz hit form). I would always prefer one or two top quality additions to the side, even if they don't address all the side's issues as opposed to 4 or 5 additions that are supposed to address all areas but simply aren't high enough quality.

It would be interesting to know how close to the final this was made, because the players look so relaxed. A couple of people I've heard talked about how relaxed the team looked in training before the game, the warm up, etc. Even looking back now at when lining up for the anthem we looked more relaxed and confident then Man City did. Tuchel said that he kept things as basic as possible, gave the team a day off at the start of the week, etc to keep the team relaxed and in high spirits. I would imagine Pep has been putting plans in place for this since they wrapped the league up, and City crumbled under the pressure.

It's a great point. They may lose a player or two this summer so may view keeping Haaland as even more vital for making sure they qualify for the Champions League again. That could well cover the £40m or so they may get as extra this summer.

I mentioned this last week and it was pretty much laughed off but looking very possible now. It probably won't be a long term appointment and could end badly but his coaching and tactical ability is first class. He'd be just about the last person I want going there.

It's another possible dilemma. Both Mbappe and Haaland may be available next summer and whilst it would be fierce competition, the club will surely want to make a play for both. The only chance we really have is to be as competitive as possible again next season in England and Europe, hopefully winning something again. But to aid this we could really do with strengthening, but do you then spend big on an attacker this summer or wait for the next? It's always going to be difficult going up against Real Madrid and Barcelona in the transfer market but this could be a really important season for both. They are both debt ridden and in need of a rebuild. I wonder whether Haaland and Mbappe are able to look through the glamour and history of both and instead look elsewhere. A strong season next year could really put us in a position to make a strong claim for one of them.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this win does to the younger players in the squad next season. They all seem to have the right mentality that this is just the start and they have the thirst for more success now. Ultimately I think the league is still going to be extremely hard. The experience of being in that grind for a title race is usually invaluable and we don't really have much of that currently within our squad. No doubt we should be coming a lot closer to the top of the league, but I do think it may take another season or two to build up towards a league title. However it feels like this squad is primed for the cups and in particular, European football. Especially with Tuchel in charge.

I would agree about Havertz, I think his best position is the false 9 role and there's very real potential there to build the whole attack around him. The problem is whether the club can risk going into the season with essentially Havertz and Werner the main two striking options. You have to believe that both will do better next season and I've said on a few posts that we don't necessarily need a player to be getting 20+ goals. But if we haven't got that then we probably need at least 3 in the 10-15 bracket and another couple in the 8-10 bracket. It would require everyone in attack (Havertz, Werner, Pulisic, Mount and Ziyech) all to step their games up with regards to goal scoring. It certainly isn't impossible but either way we probably need another attacking option to help share that burden.

I think he'd slot into the side as it currently is as a focal point striker but one that is also very capable of bringing others into play. He'd be about as good a goal scorer as it gets and I'm certain he'd finish a lot of the chances we create that go begging. Werner and Havertz have the flexibility that they can play in the other attacking spots alongside a more out and out striker so it shouldn't impact on their importance within the squad but it also allows us not to flog someone like him to death like Spurs do with Kane as we have other options, which would hopefully prolong him playing at the top level.

It's probably in the very unrealistic bracket like Haaland and Kane, but there have been a few rumours that Lewandowski wants to try a new challenge, he's even admitted it himself without directly saying he wants to leave Bayern. Pretty sure we were here with him a couple of years ago so I do take it with a pinch of salt for now that he may be angling for a new contract but it's also not outside the realms of possibility at this point in his career having won everything he could at Bayern. I know he's nearly 33 and any investment would be dead money in terms of sell on value but this isn't 2012 where we need to rebuild an ageing squad. We are well stocked with a younger core in the squad that maybe we can take the risk with someone performing at a peak level. For me he's the best striker in the world at the moment and if anything just seems to keep getting better. If you got 2-3 top years out of him and he fired us to a league or even another Champions League title then he could well cover the cost. It would very much depend on what Bayern would ask for in such a deal, but if he did push them to leave I'd love Chelsea to be in for him. Someone like him could be, and more than likely is, the difference between us and City in a league title race.

Yep same one, not sure how old he is but I assume his mid 20's now.

Just finished watching the game again from the Chelsea app (much better with some emotional Chelsea commentary rather than the crap we had to put up with during the game listening to Steve McManaman). The first half they fell completely into the traps Tuchel set and really the game could have been as good as over by that point. The second half though, whilst nail-biting at the time, was fantastic in a different way. I love watching Chelsea play good football and I think over time that side of our game will elevate significantly under Tuchel. But nothing gives me greater satisfaction than watching players throwing their bodies on the line, running themselves into the ground and just completely buying into the cause to dig in by any means necessary. A lot of our success during the Roman era has been built on those principles and there was always the risk that when the old guard stepped aside that would be lost. The crowd played it's part hugely in the last 10-15 minutes. Tuchel deserves great credit, he could see the players tiring and whipping the crowd into a frenzy was such an intelligent move (one that the Hoddle and McManaman questioned at the time, saying he should be showing calm...idiots). The crowd to it's credit responded and pretty much drove the team on those last 10 minutes or so. Jorginho visibly looked like he was running on fumes but sprinted to close down a ball which City lost in injury time. Havertz sprinted across the pitch from a throw in to close Ederson down in the 94th minute and caused him to kick the ball out of play. Whatever people say about the club's history, this is essentially the third chapter of the Roman era after Jose's team, then the team of Hazard, Fabregas, etc, and now this one. The history jibe can keep being spewed but before people's eyes the years keep on passing and we keep on evolving and winning big trophies. I think it was fitting that none of the 2012 squad are still there for this win, there's no ties to the two. I think it's also fitting that of all the talent we went and brought after the Champions League win in 2012, it was the signing that went under the radar and was probably looked at as a good squad player at the time who has stayed loyal to the club when others have chosen to move on, and captained us to this win. Incredibly proud of everyone of those players who stood up individually and collectively and fought for the trophy and our club. It's difficult to say this was better than the first time as nothing rarely beats a first time, but I can't put my finger on why but this one feels more satisfying.

I don't think that will happen. Not just in the Champions League but his Chelsea career overall has been outstanding given it looked like he was coming in very much as a short term option. To have got 3 and a half seasons out of him has been money very well spent. He's popped up with some critical goals across three cup runs that have ended in trophies and you can see how important his experience has been amongst a young group of players. I do think the time is right for him to leave, simply because his style and inability to press high doesn't suit Tuchel. He can definitely still do a job at a high level, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go to Italy as has been suggested and be a success for the next couple of years. It's sweetly ironic that he'll be yet another Arsenal player who will almost certainly end up looking back at his career, and Chelsea will be his favourite part of it with the success he's enjoyed here.