Baba Rahman

[OhForAGreavsie 5,892]

Not even on the bench and Ivanvic starts.

Feck me

That is the correct response to the way he played on Wednesday. Despite the fact that many want to be positive for, and about, him he was in fact poor and being dropped as a result was inevitable. I hope those who say he has the right quality are correct, in which case he'll eventually force his way in. If, however, he trains the way he played on Wednesday, we may never see him again.

[The Skipper 20,593]

That is the correct response to the way he played on Wednesday. Despite the fact that many want to be positive for, and about, him he was in fact poor and being dropped as a result was inevitable. I hope those who say he has the right quality are right, in which case he'll eventually force his way in. If however he trains the way he played on Wednesday, we may never see him again.

Yup, fully agreed.

Baba has a lot to do to convince me he'll even displace Ivanovic, never mind become our long term LB. I just think it's a shame when other good left backs such as Alex Sandro and Kurzawa were available this summer for similar prices.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

His game against Maccabi will soon turn to KdB vs Swindon type of myth. As I was saying months ago, standard required for young players is MUCH higher than that from established players.

I think with Baba Rahman club try to copy Azpilicueta. He is similar player with huge desire to enforce turnovers, he was Bundesliga player with highest tackle and interception rate. The times he was caught out of position, especially that situation when they had the best chance to score, came exactly from not effective pressing. However club scouted him and decided to chase only him in the summer, there was left-back merry go round this summer and yet Chelsea were only linked with him from day one. They see big potential with him.

If you want to apply pressing you stick with Baba and Azpilicueta. They're the future of this club unless we go season by season with short sight view and short term solutions so we don't need any if after January we're reverting to deep line and "protection" football.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

That is the correct response to the way he played on Wednesday. Despite the fact that many want to be positive for, and about, him he was in fact poor and being dropped as a result was inevitable. I hope those who say he has the right quality are correct, in which case he'll eventually force his way in. If, however, he trains the way he played on Wednesday, we may never see him again.

Yup, fully agreed.

Baba has a lot to do to convince me he'll even displace Ivanovic, never mind become our long term LB. I just think it's a shame when other good left backs such as Alex Sandro and Kurzawa were available this summer for similar prices.

Thanks I was starting to think I had watched a different match. People were blinded by sheer hope. Demonstrably, Jose was 100% right to start Iva against Arsenal and I'm not saying that in hindsight as I said the same in the prematch thread.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Great that people are already judging him from his one and only game for us.

Just great.

[didierforever 7,349]

nervous to start with, made one or 2 errors, but in no way was he "poor". no way. he was very good in attack, and was not even really tested in defence. made a couple of poor passes, so i dont know how people are judging him to be poor enough to not even replace iva.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,892]

Great that people are already judging him from his one and only game for us.

Just great.

No, people are judging the one performance they saw. People are not saying Baba is a bad player. They are saying he played badly, which, as you know better than I do, is a different thing.

The only possible grade for Baba against Maccabi is fail. That's what the people you referred to are saying. Now, to be fair minded and logical you must be addressing your remark to everyone who offered an opinion on Baba, whether positive, or negative. After all, it can't be any more valid to judge him a good player on the evidence of one performance than it is to judge him a bad one. Are you addressing your remark to everyone?

In any case, I repeat, the critical posts I've read say Baba produced a poor display, not that he is a poor player. He may be great, he may be bad, I don't know. We will see, but what we saw on Wednesday was not encouraging.

[jasonlol 154]

what game were you guys watching? I thought he was excellent ; moved ball with speed and has brilliant frame etc.. etc..

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Some excellent crosses today! He's still not clicking but that's to be expected given how little he's played... Man does he ever look like he's gonna make a major difference on the team dynamic though! wow.

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

so this is what it feels like to have a full-back get in behind the defense and whip in a cross that doesn't hit the first man?

I don't think I can handle all this at once.

Keep playing Ivan.

[didierforever 7,349]

hopefully, we have a change in tactics.

and this makes sense.

bego

azpi-GC-zouma-baba

cesc-matic

pedro-oscar-hazard

costa

matic would be able to cover for baba much better than cesc will/has been able to cover for iva. with pedro, our RB will anyways get as much cover as hazard would give to our LB. in attack baba is brilliant and would give hazard that extra second of space and time by continously overlapping or passing the ball quickly cos he wont be busy switching the ball from his left foot to right or opening up his body to make a simple pass (both of which happens a lot with azpi playing on the left).

defensively, he has seemed shaky but better than iva (i know thats not saying much) but still its an upgrade.

think, we really need to see more of him.

[the wes 7,212]

I like baba but I think he's going to need time to settle in the PL

[Last Sicarius 610]

He need changes in PL to suit in league. But if we are going to play Iva all time... I wish i'm wrong but a feel he is just another young player which career will have stopped in our club :|.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

LOL ! When we play Maccabi again ?

He won't even enjoy his Carling Cup appearance since we play Stoke next !

He's not ready for Premier League yet some no-name from Newcastle who is right-back plays on the left and is bossing Pedro.

[didierforever 7,349]

LOL ! When we play Maccabi again ?

He won't even enjoy his Carling Cup appearance since we play Stoke next !

should put in a transfer request and save his career. i dont even get why these 20 year olds even join us. 99% (zouma being the only exception) end up screwing their careers.

[DYC. 7,542]

He must be absolutely woeful. Moving Azpi to the right and playing him on the left would actually worsen the worst defence in the PL.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Poor Guy...

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

Will he be sold to Augsburg next summer?