robsblubot

couldn't agree more. Very good news for non-City fans. He'd be more of the same, while they don't really address their weaknesses.

Well, unless it's Bayern Munich. 😉

Neither. Griezmann is the better player, but is the wrong player for us and would kill our strategy of high intensity and pressure.

slay clear... all prima donnas who will ruin our team same way they've ruined theirs.

We all hope the newcomers improve in that regard. In theory we should have plenty of goals between Pulisic, Werner, kai, and Mount. I also agree with @Jas that maybe Abraham ain't gonna cut it when Tuchel would like to switch gears during a game and have a striker presence up front (he does not quite provide that atm like Giroud did). My concern is that a player like Lewa would not come to sit on the bench, which would definitely change the way we play. And the question remains, do we really want to change the way we play?

Who plays with a striker these days? Not the teams who played the CL finals, that's for sure. It does not seem to prevent City from winning the PL every other season. Not Liverpool... do they even have a striker in roster? Certainly Arsenal and Tottenham employ dedicated strikers... and have been doing so well. United with Cavani now, but not that powerhouse either. Real is the only strong competitive team which employs a dedicated striker atm, or am I missing someone? I'm absolutely not saying that one can't be competitive with a striker, but rather that most competitive teams nowadays choose to exchange that specialist with more mobile players who can press. Agreed with the above post: either get someone like Haaland or don't break what we have.

Bringing him in at this time makes no sense to me. He would come to start, despite his age, and will disrupt the team. We won't be able to play to our strengths anymore.

Good point, but I do see him a bit like a soft footballer. So, not sure he can consistently turn up, and by that I don't mean the occasional goal and assist, but I mean really compete. Can't imagine he trains a whole lot better hence why he does not play often regardless of manager. Mata was like that too, got that goal and assist in, but wasn't a participant for most of the game. This is one of the occasions I'd very much like to be wrong, but don't think I am.

He was not at fault for the goal, but I've been noticing a couple of things in his game. Just a tad slower and sloppier on the ball. Dunno, but I suspect it's his last season at this level and even that would be pushing it.

Zouma is sellable, but not sure Ziyech - we are prob giving him wages he couldn't get anywhere else, which makes it hard to get him out of the club. I suspect he's an easy game performer. Will do his MotM performance against a small club, but vanish against anything tougher. Laporte on the bench for City looks attainable indeed, and a ball-playing CB at that. I understand why you are not optimistic about Werner, but I think even small tweaks in his game can turn him into a much more lethal weapon. Yes, easier said than done, but have faith. The issue with the striker position is that either we get a Haaland type, or it's simply not an improvement over the players we've got. We are not going to bench Kai to field a mindless standing pole, regardless how many goals he can tap in. BTW, United will be held back by Fred, the same way City has been by Fernandinho - both not good enough at this level for very different reasons.

Smart business. Let the far less important player go for big bucks and keep the difference maker, who will not lose any value anytime soon.

Causality is misrepresented here. he did not "have the privilege" but rather took different teams to those finals. Winning the most important of them all? 😄 He made England more competitive in my view. How do you know England would've even made to the PKs without him? England played a far superior team, and were able to shut them down for the most part (with mount's help). You see the problem here? He did play in the final, so (mentally) removing him from the game goes into what ifs. It is very likely Mount will start for Chelsea for the next 10 years. So, suggest getting used to him and appreciate what he brings to the team.

Mason mount is a team fixer. he makes the team more competitive, which in turn makes it more likely to win silverware. some folks don’t like that and prefer flashier players, but consider that if it’s not mason it’d have to be another player like him elsewhere. I reckon he’s one of the best at what he does. we don’t have Messi, Neymar, mbappe… we are not a powerhouse. If we play as equals with them, will lose more often than not. We can level the playing field with intensity, tactics, and smarts -and Mason mount helps with all that.

Dunno if already posted, but this is the typical low-key that can strike gold. https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2021/marseille-strike-e20m-deal-to-sign-gerson-from-flamengo/ Not without risk, as this is his second stint in Europe - his first was in italy and he did not do so well. He then moved back to Flamengo and did amazingly well and is now a contender to take over the Brazilian midfield (since Juve's arthur seems to be a bust). Characteristics wise, he's an extremely skillful center mid. I'd say he has much better control than Kova, and similar dribbling skills. Now, the opposition was vastly different, so again, need to see how he fares back Europe, even if France.

Which brings the question: What exactly does Jorgi need to do and accomplish so that some folks will see that he's actually a very good player (let's leave it at that 😉) ?

good one 😆 Now maybe clubs will remember Emerson exists and looks like a fullback (has been his key advantage over Alonso). Because boy isn't he bad?! He's absolutely diabolical in defense and produces nothing in attack. It's really hard to see what he does on the pitch. The issue of having him around is that he ends up playing at the worst possible moment, which was showcased by the Euro final.

Think he's better than average, but agreed not a great player. Perhaps you are overrating England options in attack(ing mids) as well? I mean some good young prospects, and Grealish who plays for Aston Villa - with all due respect (to villa), we are discussing a different tier here. Foden, maybe, but still very young and not super consistent. Italy is waiting for Zaniolo who has the potential to be a difference maker, but has had huge injury problems. Folks hope he will be fit for Qatar tho.

First caveat about Brazil Argentina final was the pitch condition. Don’t be fooled by the looks of it - it was replaced days before the match, so it must have been soft as hell. this is the worst brazilian generation I’ve ever seen by far. The brazilian team lacks key players in midfield and attack. They rely way too much on Neymar. brazil can’t win anything with the likes of Richarlyson and firmino (or the crying Jesus) leading the line. Looks like Argentina has finally found some good mids. They could indeed become a contender for Qatar if they can improve as a team.

If Tammy starts regularly at his current level of play we are done for. He's simply nowhere near an elite striker any way you look at his game. He lacks so many attributes that it's easier to start with what he has: some pace and decent finishing. Regarding him as a sub, while I'm not sure he's good enough even for that atm, the first question is whether that role would be of interest to him. If he wants to start games regularly, then he needs to look for a smaller club. That's not going to happen at Chelsea or any other top club... that's why there is no interest from any top club. He could however, drop a tier and grind game time, and then even improve becoming a good striker in the PL. Don't think CL is where he belongs - his game simply lacks range. Personally I think he will leave.

definitely, but not only the goal... looks like a really talented player - motm until Martinez' show at the pk shootout no overtime because players can only suffer so much on those dreadful pitches.

Silva class as ever and hit a couple David luiz long balls for good measure against Peru. lucas paqueta is turning into a very interesting player. Prob attainable @ Lyon.

Translation: we are desperate to sell him to recoup some of the money spent, but we've got no offers yet, so we leaked some nonsense to agents/reporters so that potential buyers remember Ziyech actually exists.

the "Nothing regarding us." bit 😉

I disagree.☝️that's a fantastic signing for Chelsea.

fair enough. Point remains that Pulisic aint better at that. While he may not have the same deficiency, he has others. Pulisic lack of power makes him an easier target against low blocks imo.