🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Frank Lampard

[Tomo 21,751]

59 minutes ago, Jason said:

Inclined to agree but on the other hand, there is an argument to be made of 'if we sack manager A, is there a good/suitable manager out there to replace him?'. 

That's always been a bit or a cop out argument in regards to keep or sack a manager in my opinion. Not so much with Sarri but when it got to the end with Mou and Conte here (examples from rivals would be Emery, Pochettino, Rodgers, Dalglish, Mou again at United) there would be many a manager that would have done better than the crap they were serving up, especially in the short term.

[Jase 43,479]

Wonder if Lampard wants to do something similar eventually...

 

[King Kante 1,643]

Beat expectations. I predicted 6th. So, 4th plus a cup final is way beyond. However, there is still work to do, I would say that things for SFL to do are: 

1) Buy a new GK

2) Buy a new CB 

3) Buy a new LB

4) Stop going completely gun-ho and leaving us wide open at the back. All he needs to do here is the easy to do 1 in front, 1 behind system i.e. when pressing have 1 CB in front of the attacker left up field and have the other CB or DMF sitting behind but in front of the next furthest up field opposition attacker.

5) Employ someone to coach the defense properly at set pieces. 

[NikkiCFC 8,319]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

And while we don't know if the club would have stuck with him if Juventus hadn't come calling, they didn't exactly fight tooth and nail to keep him, did they? 

I think Sarri would stay if no transfer ban. Pretty sure he even said this.

So transfer ban gave us: Frank, Tammy, Mount, Gilmour, Tomori, James, and now we probably would not buying Kai, Timo, Hakim if we could buy last summer. We would get someone like Pepe for instance.

So transfer ban has been amazing thing for Chelsea in every possibly aspect. We did not even suffer in terms of results at all!

[Tomo 21,751]

2 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

I think Sarri would stay if no transfer ban. Pretty sure he even said this.

So transfer ban gave us: Frank, Tammy, Mount, Gilmour, Tomori, James, and now we probably would not buying Kai, Timo, Hakim if we could buy last summer. We would get someone like Pepe for instance.

So transfer ban has been amazing thing for Chelsea in every possibly aspect. We did not even suffer in terms of results at all!

I wonder who we were actually set to get if we could have brought last summer. Pepe and N Dombele would have been likely, the former looked nailed on.

[Rapkun 668]

11 minutes ago, Tomo said:

I wonder who we were actually set to get if we could have brought last summer. Pepe and N Dombele would have been likely, the former looked nailed on.

I know reports from France said that we tried to convince Ndombele to remain 1 more year in Lyon so that we could sign him when the transfer ban ends. He would be a great signing for any club still. Brilliant player.

[Jase 43,479]

Some interesting graphics here...

[Atomiswave 6,117]

HAs it been mentioned that we are third in most wins and only behind pool and city.........we are also third in most goals scored, again only them 2 cunts scored more than us.

[Rapkun 668]

31 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

HAs it been mentioned that we are third in most wins and only behind pool and city.........we are also third in most goals scored, again only them 2 cunts scored more than us.

Statistically we've easily been the third best team in the country. Even our numbers defensively are quite good. You put any decent GK instead of Kepa and we finish comfortably in third with at least 8 more points. Frank doesn't get enough credit for the job done this season considering the circumstances and personnel available.

[Tomo 21,751]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

Some interesting graphics here...

The most worrying thing about these graphs is that City's poor season (in terms of results) looks like very much a one off.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

55 minutes ago, Rapkun said:

Statistically we've easily been the third best team in the country. Even our numbers defensively are quite good. You put any decent GK instead of Kepa and we finish comfortably in third with at least 8 more points. Frank doesn't get enough credit for the job done this season considering the circumstances and personnel available.

In an attacking sense based on chances created yes maybe we have been the 3rd best team in the country but even then its not a given because you still need to take these chances and our conversion rate was poor. Stats are misleading also. 

Do not think thats exactly fair on Kepa while he’s made glaring mistakes, we conceded 14 goals from corners, 8 from counter attacks and more goals than any other team in the top 10 of the PL. The generic struggle for clean sheets, its not just down to the GK and it would be extremely naive to think this group of defenders are enough to compete for titles even with a GK performing well/not making mistakes, we are still short there. Plus the ‘taller teams are gonna get more chances against us’ comment from Frank in a game however many back wasn't exactly the most reassuring thing to hear either when talking about defending at set pieces.

I wouldn’t have thought our defensive numbers should be that good, or if they are then it’s evidence enough stats are hugely misleading because from day one in pre season you could see defence was gonna be a key issue for us in someway or another. Even if the stats do look good, which I am intrigued to see where you seen them, it really doesn’t add up that we have 12 losses and 6 draws but have good defensive stats. I would say under Sarri for a spell we were more solid and at the end of that season statistically were the 3rd best defence in the PL league. Again more evidence stats are misleading because at times it was a horror show. 

[Laylabelle 9,535]

Out of the 20 teams 8 conceded more then us...hurrah lol.

[Supermonkey92 1,428]

The most worrying thing about these graphs is that City's poor season (in terms of results) looks like very much a one off.

Their stats look god like

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

[Henrique 9,133]

ESPN BR didn't show me the game. It was the only Chelsea's PL game that wasn't broadcasted, and it was just the most important one. Instead they showed us United vs Leicester, Arsenal vs Watford and Liverpool vs Newcastle. Not sure why they went with Liverpool vs Newcastle, since it was basically a friendly. 

Lampard got a top 4 finish after all. I still have a lot of misgivings about what he can do in near future. I think what makes most of us excited about next season are the new signings instead of what was produced during this season. Some great moments, and some terrible ones. We are going nowhere if we play a great game, followed by 2 mediocre ones, with a terrible match in middle. 

Even the Lampard most praised thing (introducing "young blood") is a not a given to carry one next season, since none of them seems to be good enough to be undisputed starting eleven. For example, if we get Havertz the ideal midfield/attack is Kante-Jorginho-Havertz; Pulisic, Zyech, Werner. Lampard's squad management will be tested next season. 

[Puliiszola 519]

7 hours ago, Henrique said:

ESPN BR didn't show me the game. It was the only Chelsea's PL game that wasn't broadcasted, and it was just the most important one. Instead they showed us United vs Leicester, Arsenal vs Watford and Liverpool vs Newcastle. Not sure why they went with Liverpool vs Newcastle, since it was basically a friendly. 

Lampard got a top 4 finish after all. I still have a lot of misgivings about what he can do in near future. I think what makes most of us excited about next season are the new signings instead of what was produced during this season. Some great moments, and some terrible ones. We are going nowhere if we play a great game, followed by 2 mediocre ones, with a terrible match in middle. 

Even the Lampard most praised thing (introducing "young blood") is a not a given to carry one next season, since none of them seems to be good enough to be undisputed starting eleven. For example, if we get Havertz the ideal midfield/attack is Kante-Jorginho-Havertz; Pulisic, Zyech, Werner. Lampard's squad management will be tested next season. 

LOL TROLL

[Puliiszola 519]

22 minutes ago, Mana said:

How about you explain why instead of just calling him that.

Because according to that poster we ended the sarri season better than the current one. 

According to him "none of our youth players are good enough". Despite mount being a mainstay, Reece showing his class, Tammy scoring 15 PL goals, Gilmour would have been played if not for injury.

This was also the same guy who said something along the lines of "anyone who thinks Reece is a footballer is an idiot". 

So basically no. I don't need to explain anything to any obvious troll and negative nelly.

Also, I have already made my opinion clear multiple times

So again, just gonna call an obvious troll as a troll. Not going to give him the bait.

[Vesper 30,175]

13 hours ago, Tomo said:

The most worrying thing about these graphs is that City's poor season (in terms of results) looks like very much a one off.

Pep is gong to sort their multiple issues, and with a vengeance

Look at the giant teams

Barca --- been there done that, do not see him going back for ages, if ever

RM --- he will NEVER go there (Barca)

Atleti probably never, just cannot see it ever happening

Bayern, been there done that (his huge regret is no CL win)

Dortmund, NEVER (too small and the Bayern thing)

Manure --- just like RM, he will NEVER go there due to Shitty

Victimpool ----- he will NEVER go there

Chels, very low chance he would come here ever, not as low as the dippers or Manure, but still very, very remote

 

now for the 4 possibles

 

PSG, but wow, once (if) they lose Mbappe (and even Neymar) I would think he would not go unless they grab Håland, Sancho, and a shedload of other younger stars (maybe he would make a play for Sterling on top of all that) OR they come raiding........ US, eeeek

AC Milan I could see him there, but ONLY if they have far better backing (which IS likely to happen down the road). I can see his mind interested in that, though, as when he was a player, AC Milan were a massive billy big bollocks global power, the biggest or near biggest for a 20 year period (mid 80¨s to mid noughties) or so (In that time-frame 7 Serie A tiles, 1 Coppa Italia (always has been their weak spot, they only have 5 in their entire history, and the other 4 all came in an 11 year period of 1967 to 1977), 5 Supercoppa Italiana cups, FIVE CL's, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cup's and 1 FIFA WCC (so 3 times they were world champions (including back to back), and 3 other times they were runners up (losing to some superb SA sides, including those insane 92.-94 Cafu-led São Paulo sides who were back to back Copa Libertadores champions, back to back Recopa Sudamericana, won the1993 Supercopa Libertadores, the 1994 Copa Conmebol, and were back to back world champions <<< insane run, you will never see a SA team like that again, the best players all run to UEFA now, especially after Brasil won the 1994 WC and Brasilian footballers went modern global media powerhouse, which was perma cemented in the 2002 WC)

Juve, maybe, but he would have to be given full control, as free flowing footie is so against their DNA, plus he might clash with the Agnelli's, they are very intrusive and very headstrong (ask Conte, Allegri, Sarri)

Inter (but he would need to be given full control and REALLY backed, which I do not think Inter is capable of unless a multi-billionaire of Abramovich's size or more buys them)

 

I think it would be PSG or AC Milan (and only if AC have upgraded ownership) or he just stays put at Shitty for ages until he possibly goes back to Barca for his final gig

 

 

:

[Vesper 30,175]

Clinching fourth also secures Lampard precious time to continue rebuild

https://theathletic.com/1951318/2020/07/26/chelsea-2-0-wolves-lampard-werner-ziyech-lampard-champions-league/

At the final whistle, there were no big celebrations. Frank Lampard simply shook hands with Nuno Espirito Santo and then walked on to the Stamford Bridge pitch to do something he’s had surprisingly few chances to do this season: congratulate his players on a convincing, drama-free home win. On his way back to the tunnel, his eyes drifted up the East Stand where, among others, Timo Werner had just had his first experience of watching his new team, and he raised one satisfied fist.

There was no sense that Lampard’s job might be in jeopardy if the unthinkable happened and Chelsea did crash out of the top four on the Premier League’s final day; he has been too prominent in the club’s recruitment of Werner and Hakim Ziyech, as well as their promising courtship of Kai Havertz, for that to be the case. All three players are keen to be part of the team he is building, regardless of where they finished in the table.

Champions League football certainly helps, though — both in terms of boosting the budget for further reinforcements in the transfer market, and also to maintain the broader momentum of Chelsea’s rebuilding project. Lampard can now say without any caveats that he has managed what was always going to be a bumpy transition into the post-Eden Hazard era about as well as any manager could — and he could still cap his primary objective with an FA Cup win.

That particularly matters when it comes to approaching next season, when Lampard will be subjected to the true unforgiving nature of the Chelsea job. While he won’t be required to immediately lead his team to the rarefied air occupied by Liverpool and Manchester City over the last two years, Roman Abramovich will be justified in expecting to see a significant closing of the gap — and every signing that follows Ziyech and Werner to Cobham will raise that bar further.

Delivering a top-four finish can only bolster the faith of those he answers to that Lampard is the manager to oversee the construction of the next great Chelsea side. It also allows him to address the glaring weaknesses that have repeatedly come to the fore this season from a position of real strength and authority.

Manchester United beating Leicester City at the King Power Stadium rendered Chelsea’s victory over Wolves ultimately irrelevant in deciding the Champions League spots. It was a conclusion in keeping with a staggeringly underwhelming top-four race; 66 points would only have been good enough to earn fourth place in one of the last 10 Premier League seasons.

Chelsea also got there despite letting in more goals than any other team in the top 10 and more than any Chelsea side in the Abramovich era. Lampard has his own questions still to answer as a defensive coach but he has at least used his most chastening experiences this season to solidify his thoughts on what to change in terms of personnel. There was a real finality to his decision to drop Kepa Arrizabalaga for a match in which so much was potentially on the line.

It would now be a major shock if the man Chelsea made the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in the summer of 2018 features at all in what are likely to be the club’s last two matches of the season — and a mild surprise if he is still at Stamford Bridge next term. Lampard has avoided criticising Kepa in public, even on his worst days, but his favouring of Willy Caballero against Wolves was the most emphatic statement of all.

Just as against United in the FA Cup semi-finals, Mason Mount and Reece James were the only representatives of Chelsea’s academy core in an older line-up against Wolves. Lampard has leaned more heavily on his experienced players since the Premier League’s resumption but there is something fitting about an academy product playing such a key role in the win that finally got Chelsea over the line in the top-four race.

It should serve as a timely reminder, if one were needed, that the thrilling youth movement underpinning many of this season’s brightest moments will continue to be a key element of what he is building at Stamford Bridge. If there is an eventual willingness at Chelsea to countenance selling Kepa at a huge loss, the sting will be eased by the millions that Mount, James, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour will save them in the years to come.

Mount, more than any of the others, has been the symbol of the Lampard era, featuring in all but one of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League matches and starting 32 times. His spectacular free kick to break the deadlock was the seventh goal of his debut campaign and his perfectly-weighted pass to set Olivier Giroud running through for the decisive second was his fifth assist; very respectable numbers for a 21-year-old, garnished with plenty of flashes that hint at greater things to come.

Lampard has been accused of playing favourites with Mount, sticking with him through his less impressive stretches of form and picking him a matter of days after two painful ankle injuries earlier in the season. But the reality is that Lampard’s success in managing the development of Chelsea’s youngsters this season has been founded upon his insistence that they earn every opportunity they are handed with unwavering effort.

Mount was one of three Chelsea players hooked at half-time of last month’s FA Cup tie against Leicester while Abraham, Hudson-Odoi and Tomori have all found minutes harder to come by in the final stretch of the season. Lampard pledged on arrival to pick his team based on merit and he has been unfailingly true to his word; this is a big reason why veterans like Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso have kept themselves in the frame of mind to make a real impact when called upon.

Quality arrivals this summer will only make Lampard’s task of squad management harder next season but the signs are that he is capable of finding the right balance. This season has been a learning experience for him as well as his players and the good news for Chelsea is that he has learned just quickly enough to keep them at Europe’s top table. Now, all parties have every reason to set their sights even higher.

 

https://theathletic.com/podcast/139-straight-outta-cobham/?episode=38

Is Kepa Finished? + Heading To Wembley Full Of Confidence!

 

Host Matt Davies-Adams & The Athletic's Chelsea experts, Liam Twomey & Simon Johnson, reconvene following a surprisingly comfortable win over Wolves on the final day of the season to confirm their place in next season's Champions League...

How much did Lampard's team selection say about Kepa's Chelsea future + could Ajax's Andre Onana replace him? Has Mount been Chelsea's best player OR has Giroud been our unlikely hero?

Plus, the trio look ahead to the FA Cup final against Arsenal and what a first managerial trophy would mean for Super Frank.

[Milan 17,956]

One positive aspect about having Lampard, not yet talked about so much in the previous page especially, is his own strength when it comes to luring players to join us. And especially the young ones. We have already heard Kovacic, Ziyech and Werner speaking about key discussions with Lampard himself, and Havertz will probably join them. They grew up watching him dominate statistics and win it all and when he directly approaches you, it might be the moment. Hazard - Zidane was the previous obvious chemistry. Not that it is the only thing players consider, but it is most certainly an advantage on our side.

[Tomo 21,751]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

Pep is gong to sort their multiple issues, and with a vengeance

Look at the giant teams

Barca --- been there done that, do not see him going back for ages, if ever

RM --- he will NEVER go there (Barca)

Atleti probably never, just cannot see it ever happening

Bayern, been there done that (his huge regret is no CL win)

Dortmund, NEVER (too small and the Bayern thing)

Manure --- just like RM, he will NEVER go there due to Shitty

Victimpool ----- he will NEVER go there

Chels, very low chance he would come here ever, not as low as the dippers or Manure, but still very, very remote

 

now for the 4 possibles

 

PSG, but wow, once (if) they lose Mbappe (and even Neymar) I would think he would not go unless they grab Håland, Sancho, and a shedload of other younger stars (maybe he would make a play for Sterling on top of all that) OR they come raiding........ US, eeeek

AC Milan I could see him there, but ONLY if they have far better backing (which IS likely to happen down the road). I can see his mind interested in that, though, as when he was a player, AC Milan were a massive billy big bollocks global power, the biggest or near biggest for a 20 year period (mid 80¨s to mid noughties) or so (In that time-frame 7 Serie A tiles, 1 Coppa Italia (always has been their weak spot, they only have 5 in their entire history, and the other 4 all came in an 11 year period of 1967 to 1977), 5 Supercoppa Italiana cups, FIVE CL's, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cup's and 1 FIFA WCC (so 3 times they were world champions (including back to back), and 3 other times they were runners up (losing to some superb SA sides, including those insane 92.-94 Cafu-led São Paulo sides who were back to back Copa Libertadores champions, back to back Recopa Sudamericana, won the1993 Supercopa Libertadores, the 1994 Copa Conmebol, and were back to back world champions <<< insane run, you will never see a SA team like that again, the best players all run to UEFA now, especially after Brasil won the 1994 WC and Brasilian footballers went modern global media powerhouse, which was perma cemented in the 2002 WC)

Juve, maybe, but he would have to be given full control, as free flowing footie is so against their DNA, plus he might clash with the Agnelli's, they are very intrusive and very headstrong (ask Conte, Allegri, Sarri)

Inter (but he would need to be given full control and REALLY backed, which I do not think Inter is capable of unless a multi-billionaire of Abramovich's size or more buys them)

 

I think it would be PSG or AC Milan (and only if AC have upgraded ownership) or he just stays put at Shitty for ages until he possibly goes back to Barca for his final gig

 

 

:

I personally believe Sarri has gone to Juve to prepare them for Pep, so he does the awkward transitioning style bit while Pep then goes in with a team fully ready to play the way he wants.

What really intregues/worries me is City first post Pep season, while long term his effect seems to wear off the immediate aftermath of Pep's tactical approach still being fresh in the mind but the sheer intensity he demands of his players not wearing a mental burden seems to create a perfect storm, Barca actually got more points under Tito than at any point under Pep (although lost badly in CL).

As you mention AC Milan I've actually for a while felt they may be Klopp's next destination, they seem more in line with Klopp's MO of taking over a fallen giants project.