Jase

Inside Chelsea: 'This wasn't about football any more - this was family.' How Lampard fell out with West Ham https://theathletic.com/1415029/2019/11/28/inside-chelsea-this-wasnt-about-football-any-more-this-was-family-how-lampard-fell-out-with-west-ham/?source=shared-article

https://theathletic.com/1418931/2019/11/29/exclusive-emery-likely-to-be-sacked-as-arsenal-head-coach-today/?amp#click=https://t.co/rGs4abUUZi Emery looks likely to be sacked today. Ljungberg will likely take over as caretaker.

But somewhat contrasting to what's on Guardian...

Still not older than 24/25. Not that I won't take Werner, mind.

I meant older than 24/25!

Either one would be fine on a short team contract, like 2-3 years etc. We need experienced striker(s)!

We need someone more experienced to complement Abraham. We don't need more young players!

If only Standard Liege had won at Vitoria! That would have put Arsenal's Europa League hopes in serious jeopardy!

We need strikers, go get Lacazette/Aubameyang!

We should put in a cheeky bid for one of their strikers.

Yeah and if we're being honest, what has Sancho done to justify the 100 million+ price tag? He might be talented but he only came to the fore last season - which he did well TBF - and while he's still posting decent numbers this season, he hasn't been performing at the same level and is suddenly displaying bad behavior at Dortmund. If we're going to spend that much on someone, it should be for proven quality and/or someone in their peak.

Even if Sancho is sold next summer, I'm not sure if it's worth spending over 100 million on a player. We have 2-3 other areas that need urgent addressing next summer

+ Sancho was reportedly late for a team briefing and training session before Dortmund's defeat at Barcelona.

Lampard on Kovacic's first goal... https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/27/frank-lampard-told-mateo-kovacic-needs-score-goals-strike-valencia-11230735/

Lampard on Kepa for Valencia's 2nd goal... https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/28/frank-lampard-responds-kepa-arrizabalaga-criticism-chelseas-draw-valencia-11231471/

Oh shit!

His career has really gone south...

2018/19 Derby County (all competitions) Played - 57 Goals Scored - 90 Goals Conceded - 70 Clean Sheets - 14 2019/20 Chelsea (all competitions) Played - 21 Goals Scored- 47 Goals Conceded - 32 Clean Sheets - 4

Pretty sure Lampard's main reason was James had been impressing and he decided to play him. Resting Azpi was the secondary reason - perhaps a diplomatic response of dropping him on the back of that 4-4 draw with Ajax. Azpi's defensive performances over the last 2 months or so have generally been fine, this after a bad start. But of course, no one said anything. One not so good performance and suddenly people are getting their pitchforks out again. People thought he would struggle against Sterling at the weekend but he kept him quiet and did a solid defensive job but no one said anything. Was Azpi really the worst last night? Could make a case for Zouma or Christensen. The biggest question/problem, if anything, is why did Lampard suddenly change the entire back 4 last night for a key game? They played like strangers instead of a unit, made worse by the fact that they got no defensive protection whatsoever from the midfield.

But compare to PSG, Bayern, Juventus and Barcelona, Atletico and Inter are somewhat more manageable, IMO. More "easier" teams lurking as group runners-up than winners.

But Azpi got benched against Palace? The problem is we don't have great full back options right now. Between Azpi, Emerson and Alonso, Azpi is still arguably the most dependable of the lot. Anyway, not sure why you singled out Azpi. If we perform the way we did in the last 2 CL games against Lille, we'll likely get KOed. The whole team needs to do better. Lampard needs to set up the team better.