Magic Lamps

Saturday? I am afraid it is Tuesday already Anyway I thought that 4-2-2-2 looked quite ok the other day. As long as we only have Alonso and Azpi as wingback options, I agree. Back 4 is better Not gonna post a lineup. Used to be fun but now isn’t with all the absences. Defence picks itself and attack doesn’t matter. So many players there and none makes a difference.

9/10 strikers fail here bc we just are and never were an all out attacking team. Only absolute elite strikers or those with impenetrable confidence will prevail here. We can't attract players of this calibre anymore so we should just not spend much at this position. Just buy 4 wc wingbacks instead for all i care. In my almost 20 years of watching Chelsea games, I would consider only hasselbaink, drogba, costa and giroud a success here. honorable mentions to Gudjohnsen, Crespo... all except maybe drogba at the time came at moderate prices.

with his defensive workrate at least we don't need to worry he will ever be burnt out and needing rest lol.

Good thing is, nowadays there are very few Ppl consistently good at long shots. In the 00s we would have been toast with Kepa.

I have to say Joao pedro is one of my favourite non-Chelsea, non-Chelsea-target players in the league. He is technically super clean, runs and presses his ass off all game, is always an outlet for a hopeless attack and now comes in clutch when they need him. Just needs to get a little better with his consistency and end product and he can be a hit. Just 20 y.o. still. Probably not Chelsea material but i hope he stays in the league if watford go down.

He won the FA Cup with us in 2012, having played once in the earlier rounds he did receive medal. He has a record of dominating Arsenal and the sides we face at the CWC should be his calibre as well. Pretty confident he will do fine there. After days like today ppl will always have a go at him for being completely useless. While it is extremely frustrating having shed out 100m for a player who offers very little in big games (a fact which 80% of the forum predicted), it is easy to forget that Lukaku can be very clinical vs mediocre defences when afforded space. A scenario which is likely gonna happen in the aformentioned scenario.

Lukaku is a problem that I'd rather not have in most big games but at the CWC and in case we get Arsenal in the CC final he can be an asset. Trophies are won by fine margins. I can't remember us winning a trophy ever by an own goal after 2005 tbh. What we rely on to win trophies is a stable defence. Our identity as a club is being combative, tight at the back and ferocious on the break. We are still working on that last part but other than that everything is in place. Short pataches aside we never were and never will be a side playing scinitillating football.

That's the spirit. Apparently, the prevailing opinion on here is that he is a shit players and will add absolutely nothing. But I don't quite think it is true. Honestly, it can not really get worse from Alonso. From the club's perspective, bringing in one of our lefties on loan instead of buying one esp after the Emerson disaster makes perfect sense. I have seen some games of Kenedy for Granada, Newcastle and also remember him well from 2015/16. I don't think he is a bad player at all. He just had the bad luck of playing mostly for shit sides and got his career derailed by our loan system During that fateful 15/16 season he also was one of the brighter lights. Had a few decent performances and even scored a very good goal for us. At that failing Newcaslte side he was by far their best player and did most of the attacking on his own, which proved too much responsibility for him but improved him as a player. At granada he was actually quite good and scored a few absolute beauties. Not seen anything from his time at Flemengo. Overall, he has reasonable physical attributes and is technically proficient. Good crosser and set-piece specialist. An average defender and not very consistent but i dont see any disadvantage he has compared to alonso.

Yes, City are better than us and the tactics were again not right. Just as Guardiola got it wrong 3 times last season, TT got it wrong twice this season. Sure, we can't replicate their 12games winning streak with the attackers we have and we are not gonna challenge for the league as long as they have such a smooth operation in place. But despite all the handicaps we had today and our shit performance, it was a close game that could have gone either. on a good day we can still take City on, that is why in the all the cup compeitions we are still fair game. Now is not the time to be beat down. Next months we are playing for 2 titles, City do not have to play for. The league was already gone, so shed no tears. the club should focus now on getting a wing back in and TT on managing the minutes of the squad so they are all fresh.

Actually we tried to play to lukaku's strengths today clearly but either he or the player trying to pass to him let us down. Ziyech, alonso, pulisic telegraphed most passes and the 3 times lukaku got a sniff he fluffed his lines. Still he should no have played. A non-physical opponent who makes the spaces tight is perfect for a technician like Havertz. No idea why he sat it out.

This works the other way round then as well. City are said chosive attacking side. Even play the same system, Dortmund did under TT. Give Tuchel the City team for as long as Pep has had it and he would have won the CL twice by now.

100m for this shot ourselves in the knee once more here

At last season form we actually win this city had 1 chance from an error from us and a KDB moment of brilliance other than that we could have easily won this despite the gulf in class if Lukaku were not a donkey

? The difference is a superbly run board and transfer strategy

The irony is we would have won had Lukaku scored one of his chances

Apparently the order is no cards for city

Mourinho still haunting us

That’s the 10cm thing wingspan Kepa is lacking

Thanks Mourinho

How many fouls city are getting away with is curse

Our left side is dead

It’s disgusting

The ref is indulging all their dives

I accept we don’t have an alternative to alonso but can we at least sub fkin Ziyech

It’s not just Alonso’s lack of pace he just is careless and stupid