Chelsea had just the one pre-season game vs Brighton. Leicester for example played three.
Lot of the defensive improvement is due to Thiago Silva. The other pairings still ooze panic I think.
It maybe the second season but it was the same defense that leaked the record number of goals until Chilwell Silva and Mendy came in
I don't see anyone decent offering a starting role. Teams are looking for high-energy fullbacks. He might accept a rotation role here. Lampard has rotated between Azpi and James so far but I expect James to play most league games from here on barring injury
Unfair criticism earlier and undue praise now I think. Still long to go before I am convinced by this improvement but glad to see the signs are very much there now
Agreed. Its frustrating but I think Lampard playing victim here is not a smart move in managing perceptions. He's gotten away with it a bit because he's a legendary player. In 1 year + only autumn 2019 was a decent run of results!
Hmm there were quite a few draws there. Even in the Conte title run, that Higuain double (2-2) seemed like points spilled. But definitely not a bogey team