Jase

Had hoped Werner would try to take the first penalty but alas, it didn't happen. Then thought Mount might take the second penalty but alas again, it didn't happen. Seems like the players are strictly following the hierarchy...

Is this Simon Phillips trying to spread his own agenda? Didn't Tuchel mention or weren't there actual reliable articles that when Tuchel came, he decided immediately on using the back 3 system before taking charge of the Wolves game? I also don't see how Tuchel has much time to work on different systems when we have to play every 3 days or so with the focus on being rest, recovery and preparation for the next game etc.

Chelsea vs Norwich PRE/POST-MATCH DISCUSSION, LIVE CHAT AND ANALYSIS 2021/22 Premier League Matchday 9 23rd October, Saturday 2021 Stamford Bridge 12:30 Kick Off (UK time)

It kinda matters in the sense if Juventus beat them twice and we beat Malmo twice (would be 6 points clear of Zenit after 4 games), it would give us some leeway in the final 2 games.

Juventus gone 1-0 up at Zenit...

Will Tuchel try to sub Havertz later just in case? lol

Not sure about Lukaku's ankle problem but hope it's only a scare/precaution in Werner's case. He's usually durable.

Maybe...

Can see why Tuchel wanted to take this seriously but on the flip side, he was complaining about the players playing too much yesterday and then what happened, happened.

If those two are out for a few weeks, that leaves only Havertz, Mount, Ziyech and CHO essentially. 4 players for 3 positions? Or is Tuchel gonna compensate by going 3-5-2? There are also 5 games before the next international break. Would have to flog those fellas to death at this point.

My joke was a reference to that.

Don't worry, Haaland will come to our rescue in January...

Tuchel is already having problems trying to fit Lukaku in and now he's talking about a front two of Lukaku and Haaland? LOL Also, remember when Tuchel said he doesn't want to disrupt the squad harmony and how he has always talked about the squad unity being the backbone of the team's success? Here he is talking about another attacker and spreading rumors...

Last season, the complaint was that the team created lots of chances but had no one to finish them. This season, the complaint is about not creating enough chances and there is talk of changing formation, all after spending almost 100 million on a player bought to bury those missed chances. Hilarious.

But do we gain any extra money from more club matches being shown live in the US? Thanks. The article projected what would happen when we signed him but things haven't exactly gone to plan given his injury record. Hard to attract US sponsors if he's constantly injured or being a sub, no? Plus off the top of my head and I might be wrong but I don't seem to recall we have gotten many US sponsors since signing him.

Have the club even commercialized him much for the US market?

Who would take him if he continues to be injury prone?

I'd say we played them at the right time in the first game before they got up to speed with Vieira's football etc.

Speaking of Sancho, remember when most people thought he was gonna come to the Premier League and tear teams apart from the start? Obviously that could still happen down the line but so far, United fans been underwhelmed by his performances even if some of them are blaming Solskjaer.

What did Werner do to you to be called an arrogant prick? 😥

Don't think Tuchel had any intention of keeping Loftus-Cheek in the summer. It's just that there were no takers for him, he ended up staying and Tuchel was forced to look for alternatives due to injuries and poor form. Hindsight is 20/20 but the Saul loan is looking a waste at this point.

I know players have different roles and we haven't exactly been the best at bringing the best out of our attackers in recent years but as you alluded to, the lack of service reasoning doesn't seem to quite wash. I mean, if we aren't providing our strikers with service, then why did Werner have way more touches against Brentford compared to Lukaku - 44 to 18? The attacking setup was slightly different against Southampton but again, Werner had 46 touches compared to Lukaku's 24. Against Man City, Werner had 28 to Lukaku's 18. Does Tuchel just ask Lukaku to stay up there and wait for the ball to come to him - if that's the case, then questions should also be asked if he's making himself available for the pass etc and not just the lack of service - or does Tuchel give Lukaku tactical instructions but he is not able to execute it? I don't have the full stats from the cup competitions but for comparison sake, the lowest number of touches Werner has had when he's started as the central striker in the league under Tuchel is 19 and the second lowest is 26. Havertz's lowest number when he's started in that position is 25 and the second lowest is 36. So again, is he making himself available for the pass? Is he moving around to make himself available as an option? Or are the others supposed to just find him at wherever he's standing? Furthermore, besides the missed chances last season, I remember people also criticized Werner that when he did get the ball, he didn't do much with it and by the same token, questions should also be asked of Lukaku on whether he does do enough when he gets on the ball because it's not as if we don't pass the ball to him at all. At the moment, all the talk seems to be like we're having to lay chances on a plate for Lukaku and that's it. Given how often Lukaku boasts about himself, talking about how he's much improved, how he's more complete etc, think it's fair to expect more from him in general than just being a goal poacher, especially for someone that we paid almost 100 million for. The drop in our pressing game could be down to several factors but I don't think it's outlandish to suggest that Lukaku is one of those several factors. As mentioned by Pizy, the commentators mentioned during the Brentford game that we're 19th in the table at winning the ball back in the opposition half so far this season, and while I don't have last season's figures but I imagine we would not be that low. Plus it's no surprise that we're coming under more pressure this season due to our lack of pressing than at any point under Tuchel last season. Our league xGA this season is 10.1 after 8 games and that's already higher than Man City (5), Brentford (7.7), Palace (8.1), Wolves (8.5), Liverpool (8.6), Everton, West Ham and Brighton (all three on 8.8). In the 19 league games under Tuchel last season, our xGA was only 12.3. And not to mention, while Tuchel has praised Mendy this season for saving our butts, he has also mentioned that he's not quite happy that he's been too busy this season. So, our xGA is 10.1 but we've conceded only 3 goals. Is that sustainable? You have seen the graphic that was recently shared but regarding the attackers' pressing, here's a comparison of Lukaku with our attackers on Pressures per 90 in the Premier League this season: Werner - 22.6 Mount - 15.8 Havertz - 14.7 Lukaku - 6.32 It's worth remembering that Lukaku has started every league game since joining while the others have been in and out of the team at various points during the same period. For context, Werner's stat above puts him the highest among the attackers in the Premier League - above Jota, Firmino, Jesus, Salah, Aubameyang, Bamford etc - while Havertz's and Mount's numbers put them in the middle acceptable range of the list among the attackers and Lukaku's is near the bottom, just a tad higher than Ronaldo's, as you pointed out. So Tuchel's gotta figure out how to make Lukaku work in the system that he wants to play, especially in regards to pressing. If he's going to give him a free pass in that, then Lukaku needs to do more in attack and produce the goods consistently, similar to Hazard when he was given lots of leeway defensively because of what he did going forward. P.S. Didn't include Ziyech and Pulisic above since they played only less 100 minutes so far while the others have played at least 320 minutes.

Maybe if Conte turns up at Newcastle, the move for Lukaku might happen. lol

Wow, we're already at that stage..?

If anything, I'm surprised there hasn't been more moaning after yesterday! Yes, we are sitting top of the table and all that but the team has been somewhat off over the past month or so aka there are some problems with the team. Will they persist or will they go away? Moreover, we Chelsea fans should know better than to get carried away about a good start to the season. We have had plenty of good start to the season over the years, only to fall away come the winter period.