Thor

Yes. He is solid. Colwill is wasted. And he isn't great out there.

Gusto is amazing. If James comes back he needs to play midfield.

This team needs to flood numbers. We are young enough to constantly move and make each other available. Its what we did against City and we looked so fluid moving the ball.

I'd prefer to stick with Jackson. I don't think Victor is much if any better coming into the PL. Plays in a weaker league - and Jackson aside from VO's amazing season last season was scoring at a similar/same rate while playing in a better league. Why not give a young player a go in a season where we will more than likely finish between 5-10th anyway? He is 22 - always getting in the right positions, works hard, does great things everywhere on the pitch bar finishing. He is great at carrying the ball for us when he drops a little deeper. He literally tries to pass the ball into the goal at this point because his confidence is low. Let him cook a little.

We outplayed City, Arsenal, Tottenham, and a few other top teams in the middle of the field. He was a large, large part of it.

Rice and Caceido are both good players. One is just in a better environment. One is struggling a bit given the turbulent nature of our team. Rice isn't a better player like some of you suggest.

We should have benched Drogba and never played him too because he got off to a poor start.

Jackson Mudryk Nkunku Noni Conor Lavia Maatsen Badi Silva Gusto

Not only that - but he isn't great as a LB. We leak goals when he plays there. We look good with him at CB.

For me it is due to some continuity for young players. You can't just keep changing and expect players to buy in as well. I think we need to get to a certain level with Poch then you can give him the flick. But - I think a lot of players being disgruntled will come with continuous sacking of managers. A lot of our defeats are down to Poch - not playing players in position and doing BS. Like mate, we are not winning the league, playing in Europe and can afford to rest players. We need some consistency. He literally puts on the team that needs to be in the game at the start, to chase, over extend themselves and make rash decisions. You're never going to get a proper judge on players then. How hard is it to field Gusto, Silva, Badi and Maatsen as the backline? It should be the only choice, yet... never done. He keeps playing the same players out of position, losing, and for what? With a fully fit team - we aren't fielding this team - so why do it now consistently and expect different results?

You've seen it before - but you make an example of that player. If you aren't for the team, sit your ass down.

That is why you aren't in the England squad.

Mudryk or Nkunku should be coming on right now. Not even kidding. Get Sterling out.

Take Sterling off. Can't have that. If you want to do that - on the bench.

Why do we start people out of position when options are on the bench?

Bang average. He comes here and the forum here complains how we signed a mid table striker who is on the decline at nearly 30. All this will be preceded with talks of how we finally have a proper striker and all that good stuff.

Osimhen would be an average player in Prem. Jackson on a better trajectory considering he is a more skilled player at the same stage.

Y'all clamouring for Rice, but when we played all the big teams - our midfield bossed theirs. Man United - who just out numbered and flooded us due to our lack of numbers on the bench, and Newcastle are the only ones that gave us trouble.

Hojlund - this amazing striker. On fire with 0 goals in 14.

It really isn't all that hard to turn things around. We have a great piece in Palmer upfront, as well as Nkunku. Both super young and full of promise. Does Mudryk work out? Maybe. Sterling is a good vet. Enzo-Caicedo-Lavia-Conor midfield as they grow will become even better. Honestly need to get our fullbacks and wingers sorted and we do okay. I think Jackson plays his way into a good player. Buy a striker if we need to. Market is trash right now. We aren't that many pieces away from good stuff. A striker that finishes and wingers that play better between the lines, and we have a bunch more points on the board now. This isn't some ship that can't be turned around.

I bet you in a year or twos time - most of you will be happy with the core of our signings. Sure there are a couple that won't work out, but the signings that are already here will be key/core to our team of title winners in the future. We haven't won a domestic title since 2017. We sprinkled in Europa in 2019 and a CL in 2021 which eased the pain of that - but the reality is, we haven't been the dominant Chelsea for a long, long time. We were a team that could win cups and be the best team on any given day. We're building towards being consistent, dominant players in the league again. I don't see much issue with taking two steps back to be able to take five forward. We weren't winning titles domestically. We weren't going to win another CL. The stars came together on that run and we played brilliantly, but we weren't consistent enough to continue to be that threat. I know we lost to United - but I look at what they're doing and there is no vision. I look at our signings and strategy in comparison, and at least we're trying to put together a team that clicks. Signings aren't an issue. Our habits and tactics on the pitch are. Some players are having to be forced out of bad ones. Signings won't fix it. Its why Mudryk and Palmer looked brilliant coming in, and eventually fell into the confines of lazy habits somewhat that the team as a whole displays. Vertical passing and breaking those lines in between defensive walls are our biggest problems at the moment - and its a key, key issue. We are really close to figuring things out. It doesn't take much - that last 5% - but it unlocks everything. Arsenal and Villa have literally gone through it.

Conor is an interesting one. He has impressed me this season. But - I had my Newcastle mate watch the game and he walked away saying that Conor was garbage and we should get rid of him, in a game many thought he was the best on ground for us. Don't chat specifics with my friend apart from roasting each other - but he said what a lot who don't rate Conor said - seems a bit of a cardio merchant and doesn't really impact the game. Super interesting to me to hear a non Chelsea fan give their take. And he was the one who brought it up funnily enough. I guess maybe some of us have been blinded given he wasn't as bad as last year? Or maybe its somewhere in the middle?

Poch was using ultra defensive back lines before Mudryk was getting proper minutes. His defensive work rate sucks. Sure. But his tight dribbling is fine. Bit of confidence issues to go along with it, but you can’t tell me you were popping Salah to be world class based on his close control while he was here. I’d argue it’s iffy even now lol. His game sense sucks. He comes from a league where he rarely played with his back to goal. Now it’s 80 percent of the way he receives the ball. He gets bullied and pushed out of the spaces he’s good in. There is a reason he looked good in the first game against Liverpool and tapered off.

I don't know - but we lack vertical passing and penetration. We need some proper full backs - not CB's put there. FBs are huge for attacking in todays game.

Gusto and Maatsen should start every game.