Jase

No one said we didn't defend well. We did. The game at Anfield aside, did we leak many goals against Liverpool last season? The aggregate score of the other 3 games was 5-4 in our favor. Why do you focus only on the defending side? Does it have to be one or the other? Why can't we do both sides well? Again the game at Anfield aside, we had the right balance between defence and offence in the other 3 games. Sure, there were some silly defensive mistakes in the goals we conceded (not that it was any different on Sunday) but we were still okay defensively and didn't look like we were going to get blown away. And not to mention, we had threats going forward, more so than on Sunday. Have said it a few times, I wasn't necessarily against the counter attacking approach on Sunday but what was our plan to win the game? How were we going to hurt them? Because as it turned out, it didn't look like we had a proper plan. Hoping Werner did something was like hoping Hazard did something in the past. Werner is great in his own right but he is not like Hazard who can conjure something out of nothing. We had Havertz upfront but ended treating him like a target man by lumping long balls up to him to win against Van Dijk. Other than that, we didn't look like we had a proper plan on how to hurt Liverpool because we had a defensive player on the RW and 3 midfielders who couldn't do anything offensively to save their lives.

You joked there but I wouldn't be surprised if that happens.

Sunday's starting XI wasn't our ideal best new XI but judging by how some people keep on using the absentees as an excuse, you would think that our squad was actually down to its bare bones and had to rely on academy players for the match. Werner and Havertz aside, the team was basically the same one that played against Liverpool and competed very well and looked very threatening against them last season. There were also enough options that were sitting on the bench to do more than what we did on Sunday. If this is how we're gonna play every time we have a few absentees, well then, we are truly fucked going forward.

What would be the point? Mount will just end up being used out wide...

No, we DO NOT need another midfielder, not when we do not even look like selling one.

That is why the reaction would be interesting to see if CHO does end up leaving under Lampard's watch. Have seen lots of Chelsea fans elsewhere comparing this situation to Pulisic's last season. Do not know if they are just trying to convince themselves or what but there were some differences between the two.

From the fans' perspective, think the annoyance is coming from the fact that we have played a player out of position instead of using the one and only wide player we have now in CHO. If he cannot even get opportunities now to show his worth with Pulisic and Ziyech out, how many will he get when both are back? On top of that, you have noises coming out of CHO's camp that he may leave while Lampard is seemingly leaving the door open for him to do so.

I hope to be proven wrong down the line but I have the feeling that Lampard doesn't quite know what he wants and does not want based on the constant flip flopping seen over the last 14 months or so.

Of course and every player should be expected to train properly in training but Lampard seems to emphasize that a lot till the point it feels like he's picking the players solely on that. Obviously he considers other factors as well but it just feels like he reads too much into the training stuff.

Oh, it would be so interesting to see the contrasting reactions if we have Sarri in Lampard's place right now...

Given how often Lampard has emphasized that player needs to work hard, train hard and all that in training, it would have been interesting if he was managing Hazard now considering Hazard is not one to take training seriously.

Lampard's "work hard, train hard" = Conte's "we must be prepared to suffer"

It will be interesting to see how this situation develops over the next 2 weeks, especially after Sarri got so much stick for almost forcing CHO out...

Lampard acknowledged the squad is too big right now and will have to be cut down. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/22/hudson-odoi-and-rudigers-future-in-doubt-as-chelsea-reduce-squad-frank-lampard

I think there was an element of pressure. He basically went full Mourinho and prioritized results over anything else. Circumstances are not favorable right now but for our long term sake, hope to see some semblance of a plan, a coherent idea coming together in the coming weeks, months. We can't be going back to the kind of football we saw under Mourinho.

Lampard did not rule out Rudiger leaving in this window... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/09/22/could-antonio-rudiger-callum-hudson-odoi-leave-chelsea-remains/

Lampard on whether CHO could leave in this transfer window... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/09/22/could-antonio-rudiger-callum-hudson-odoi-leave-chelsea-remains/

You think Boris Johnson has done a decent job?

At the risk of provoking some people, do you think we are heading in the direction based on the football that Lampard has tried to implement over the last 13-14 months or so? Do you see a coherent idea coming into place?

I don't get your reaction. You don't think the government's handling of the pandemic has been abysmal?

Yeah. Despite the boring football, there was a structure to how we play out from the back, how we beat the press etc. IIRC, the sequence which led to Kante's goal against Man City at home under Sarri was also another example of working around the press.

This feels like such a narrow-minded view on how to beat pressing, especially when you have been drumming it so often. Having ball carriers or players who can dribble past players is one way but it is not the only way. You can beat it through 1 touch football (see Hazard's goal vs Liverpool at home in 2018) or play long balls to a target man (definitely not Havertz!) and build the play from there or play balls in behind the defence for players to run into. Obviously, it is not easy to beat teams that press and press well but there are different ways to do so. If we keep on thinking that dribbling past players is the only way to beat the press, then we are truly fucked.

Oh dear...

This could blow up...