robsblubot

I don't think I take away what he did at Brighton; I claim it's not applicable to a club like Chelsea. It's akin (as an analogy) to working at a tiny company where you do everything vs working in a international powerhouse, where there is always a team already doing that work you used to do yourself; in the former example being a "doer" is more important, while in the latter being able to integrate is key. In my view even Arteta's experience at City was more relevant than Potter's. I really don't think much about playing career of managers... there are other ways to acquire that experience. None of the managers you mentioned moved from a nothing club (like Brighton) to a powerhouse like a top 10 club in the world. Tuchel in fact was dealing with shits like Neymar before he came to Chelsea. Klopp managed plenty of smaller clubs until getting a shot at Dortmund (once again a little bigger than Brighton). like Potter, there are hundreds coaches/managers who did far more impressive work in other leagues. Abel Ferreira at Palmeiras in Brazil (who played us in the WCC) for ex. I agree that that is what the leadership at the club is thinking, but I disagree it is the right approach. Maybe because I don't see what they see in Potter, or maybe there is nothing to see and he's there because he's English and did a good job at a tiny club--mostly because he's English tho. We will see if the new ownership will be patient with their yes-man, but yeah we have yet to see progress in *some* direction.

I just don't see what Potter did at Brighton relevant to a club like Chelsea. Arteta brought in ideas that worked at a top club, Potter is bringing what exactly? How to have a staunch defense? There is nothing cooler than having a "bet" like Potter work out, but tbf I still don't see how he got the job to begin with. Sounded like owners arrogance to me.

I think it was the deadwood who couldn't press high. I disagree -- I for one always knew where he was going, being a disciple of Pep, I could see what he was trying to do; can't do it if you don't have the players for it. What is Potter trying to do? I don't know

He’s becoming a fairly injury-prone player which is a shame considering his quality. It can really disrupt his career as it has just now with him missing a wc likely as a starter.

Yes, but arteta had a clear and modern vision and we could the improvement even while they struggled. He also had to get rid of some deadwood including our Auba. Honestly, I didn’t and don’t see anything interesting from potter. 🤷‍♂️

I think Broja is getting the nod because Kai is in poor form and looks a tad slow too. Abu may be a good finisher, but he's old and can't press up high (never could). Chelsea atm is not competing... forget about finishing unless we can regain the football, which we currently can't do. I watch and it's just a matter of time until we concede. No defense can withstand pressure like that.

I think I know what's going on with Pulisic (aside from the petulant attitude) and it's a common tale with pacey attackers: he lost quite a bit of pace (recurring injuries take a toll) and he relied a lot on his ability to outpace the opposition. It's a dangerous moment for him. Either he will adjust his game (if he has the quality for that) and adapt to his new physical condition or he will need to drop down a tier... it's looking more like the latter unfortunately.

no, I said previous owner, and you wrote, "Hope Boehly sends 90% of this team packing." So, far Boehly looks completely out of his depth.

The players signed under the previous owner are better than the players he singed. Be careful what you wish for. 😅

Only one side could have won this as only the same side can press high and retake the football from the opposition. team is in shambles… no longer competitive.

same player -- different opposition

At least we dodged Ake... small silver lining in a world of poor signings. Pulisic looks all wrong -- bad attitude on top of poor performances... nice going. Wish Werner had stayed and Puli was gone... yeah with all his deficiencies, he was a very competitive player and we miss that IMO.

The high press is gone. Very predictable because of recent moves (not only w/ signings), but it is still disappointing to see we are nowhere near the competitiveness we once had. Also a reminder why the starters are the starters: often it isn't a matter of skill.

Agreed and tbh not getting a proper replacement was a failure as a club -- plenty of time for that too. Now here's the concern I have: with the power shift towards players these days, the move of sacking a demanding manager like Tuchel (who likes high press) may have empowered players even more. I'm not sure Potter is the guy who can regain their trust.

And I think you did just about the same when comparing Di Matteo and Tuchel. 😉 I have no way of knowing how well Tuchel did behind the scenes and rather not speculate. I feel the club may have reasons for the sacking, but what I saw on the pitch made sense to me. Potter signing still makes absolutely no sense to me though.

Maybe... I just find it hard for them to cope without Kante (Pogba too to a lesser degree).

Because like it or not Tuchel won and won big. That's called credit for having delivered the highest honors. klopp got that when he lost his WC CB and had a terrible season. Pep gets that for his inability to deliver at CL. The new manager has not won a thing and his signing alone raised questions as to what he did to deserve the job. I understand the point of league form, but Guardiola loses sleep even though he wins the league every season.

I was already calling France "questionable" as a contender, and will have to add England as questionable as well. The losses in the fullback positions alone will be hard to overcome.

Personally I think the Zaha thing should be case study here. 😆 laughing Sterling is a good player and has always been a good player. We are not clicking atm, and much is down to tactical and personnel choices by the manager -- also my opinion of course. I'm far more concerned about the new signings who never ever reached Sterling's level wherever they played before.

I honestly do not know how much was his doing. I don't know if he's bad for being absent in those decisions, for giving bad advice, or finally for demanding bad players. Tuchel, being the boss, was responsible for both success and failure. I personally think he had more of the former. Still, Chelsea isn't a club that tolerates a bad season, which may put us in disadvantage in my view. Your point about Lukaku is a fair one, but once again I don't know how much that was on Tuchel. It's a big club and there are a lot of people making decisions with a lot of money in the mix. The fact that the manager calls a player to convince him to join isn't enough proof in my book. That's part of their job... besides the club should/could also say "no." Agree that we will see what he does in the future, but personally, I don't think handling transfer market is the manager's most important quality. It should be mostly with the club especially clubs who do NOT hold to managers for long. 😉 So, while I can totally see Ferguson before, Klopp now, and esp Pep being given a lot of power at the club, I hardly believe it's the same at Chelsea with managers coming and going every other year; they hardly ever work with a squad they've built.

He seems the polar opposite from Alonso as a footballer. Unfortunately for us, Cucurella's weakness is precisely Alonso's one saving grace: technique (esp skill on the ball). Cucurella has aggression, pace, work rate, but lacks technique (esp on the ball skills) which is essential at this level. I cannot think of a single reason, other than rotation, where he would play ahead of Chilwell. I do hope he improves and at least becomes serviceable, but things do not look good at the moment.

That’s arsenal’s 3rd kit I hope. 😅

makes sense, but regarding the bolded part, that'd be a failure of Newcastle "project."

I think Bruno is the best there is in his role atm and will likely star for Brazil in the WC. We should definitely make a move for him if he’s available. His mentality alone makes him almost a sure thing.

It's hard to know Endrik's ceiling atm. He's just too young at 16. Could be anywhere between Ronaldo 9, Ronaldinho, Neymar, or a Robinho (talking about the footballer not the person 🤮). It does not look like he's going to turn into Robinho at this point tho. Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras Portuguese manager/coach is also someone to keep an eye on. He's doing something incredible and without the riches of Flamengo. Word is that he's disciplined, tactically savvy (as we saw when we played them in the WCC), and also a great motivator--his players eat dirt for him.