Jase

What's with you always claiming that Player X's career is as good as over? 🤣 Even I don't think the situation is anywhere near terminal for Lukaku but if he wants to repair the situation, then he has to go perform and score some big winners over the next few games and even lead us 1-2 major titles come end of the season.

Anthony Taylor is the referee for this game. LOL

He's really digging a hellhole for himself with this interview...

If Lukaku's goal was to placate the Inter fans with that interview, then it probably hasn't worked... Translation: “It doesn’t matter who runs away in the rain, it matters who stays in the storm. Bye Romelu.”

And there's also this...

We have played the back 4 before and we have seen that it can also be stifled. And we change formation to supposedly be more offensive...what about defensively? Alonso is not a LB. Can Azpi still function as a RB effectively game in, game out? Can Silva, Christensen, Chalobah and Rudiger thrive in a back 4 when their best work for us has come in a back 3? Can a midfield of Jorginho, Kovacic and Kante suddenly work consistently when it didn't under Lampard and Sarri? Also, Tuchel has complained about not having enough time in training to even do the things he wants to do with the current setup. I don't see how he would suddenly to a new system and having to coach the players to make it work at this time, especially with all the COVID and injury disruptions. Also, our attackers have played in the back 3 system. Lukaku obviously did it at Inter as well as with Belgium and Everton. Werner did so at Leipzig. Havertz did it with Germany. Mount with England and us under Lampard. Think Pulisic also did it at Dortmund under Tuchel.

Ifs, buts and maybes. Will a change of system really make us suddenly score more goals? Barring some players, Lampard played a back 4 with this team and things never really worked out. Half of this team, notably in midfield and defence, also played in a back 4 under Sarri and again, things never worked out either. We were OK in attack and more often than not, very leak-ish defensively. We never had the balance right. If anything, Tuchel has stuck with the back 3 because it will give us far more defensive stability to go win games compared to a back 4 system, especially when there are question marks over a good number of players on their suitability to play in the latter system.

The usually reliable Chelsea media have covered the news and with the quotes that he did question the system. In any case though, is it really a surprise if he did question it given he has looked at odds with the system so far this season and the fact that he has a history of doing/saying such things?

NIKKI FOR Chelsea MANAGER!

Everyone else seems to be claiming their own translated version of the interview but his quotes were apparently more or less that Tuchel plays a system that doesn't suit him/Tuchel chose to play with another system. I don't think the timing here is necessarily the problem but more of what he said. Did he really need to say what he said to the media? And that's without even talking about him wanting to go back to Inter while still in his prime (a kind of comment that is never going to sit well with fans).

I find it absolutely hilarious that all the talk has been we have to adapt to his strengths and not the other way around or even both parties adapting to one another. With all that talk, you would think Lukaku is Ronaldo or Messi that they have all the goals, trophies to back up their greatness and "force" teams to adapt to their strengths but he's neither like one of them and has only ONE major trophy in the bag. On top of that, this is a fella who said only a few days that he's a multidimensional striker these days, someone who has improved from his days at Inter. So, he should be adapt to different tactical needs etc.

Yes, just saw it. This bit is interesting (cc @Tomo) : https://football-italia.net/lukaku-expresses-Chelsea-regrets-and-inter-reunion-hopes/ “I am not happy with the situation at Chelsea, that is normal. I think the coach chose to play a different system, I just have to not give up, keep working and be professional. I am not happy with the situation, but I’m a hard worker and I mustn’t give up.” And then there's also this: “I really, genuinely from the bottom of my heart hope to come back to Inter, not at the end of my career, but while I am still at the level to win more trophies.”

He wanted 3 years but the club were willing to offer 2 years.

Luiz and Willian disagree with that statement.

Oh for sure. I'm not saying Tuchel should be sacked. Nowhere near it. Tuchel still has credit in the bank for the Champions League and Super Cup wins. Am just pointing out the reality vs the expectation of the squad when it comes to the title challenge. We have been more of a cup team than a league + cup team over the last decade.

Nothing has been confirmed yet though. Not saying that we should go into a bidding war with Newcastle but you never know if we just test the waters, Trippier may fancy coming to us instead, for obvious reasons.

Just throwing this suggestion out there - Kieran Trippier, anyone?

Or maybe, the team have never been good enough to challenge for the league and people over-estimated the squad especially after Guardiola and Klopp came to England and raised the bar. Furthermore, when you think about it, our last two title winning squads were brought to a title winning level by the same person - Mourinho. Since his sacking in 2015, we haven't had a manager who's built a title winning team before. Okay, there was Conte and fair play, he won us the league but he pretty much had the same squad formed by Mourinho and then of course, he gave up in his second season. Sarri had never won the league before coming here. Lampard was inexperienced. Tuchel has won league titles before but it was in Ligue 1, where he faced competition nowhere near as fierce and strong as the ones he faces now.

Maybe it was a penalty or maybe it wasn't but it's silly if we keep focusing on that and not the fact that we failed to create anything of note from open play against Brighton and especially, nothing after we scored.

Isn't this down to the manager to make sure the team build consistency, to instill a winning mentality and not just win when they want to? As I said earlier, we aren't going to catch City or Liverpool if we don't build any sort of consistency over the course of the season. On top of that, this group has not won the Premier League title before, apart from Azpi and Alonso. So, they can't just turn it on whenever they want to and think they can just walk over anyone. If we want to be best, we should aspire to keep winning games regardless whether we can win the big prize at the end of it. That's what the top teams do. Since when league titles are won over a small period of games? You're nitpicking at that when I've said it's all about the consistency over 38 games. Also and more importantly, it's less about the points and more about the performances. If we maintain consistency over the performances, then the results will follow. Otherwise, we end up what we've been seeing this season (again) and over the last few seasons. This is kinda a daft example. It was one of those seasons for Lille, where everything aligned for them. It's like when Leicester won the league. It's great for them but we also know it was gonna be a one off and they aren't a big enough side to sustain it season in season out. Are you happy with success like, winning the league once every blue moon?

He has been playing on the LW since the Malmo home game. Only at Zenit he played at WB.

Kovacic also got COVID recently. People might not want to hear it but think it's hard to estimate or know the impact of COVID on the players, especially as each person's body can react differently to the virus etc. Some may take a short time to get back into shape, some may take longer and all that. It's partly why Tuchel has been complaining to the media over the last 1-2 weeks.

The guy said he's a multidimensional striker these days. So, he should be able to adapt to different circumstances.

Not saying I'm agreeing with MB but way too early? CHO has been playing in the first team for like 3-4 years now.