Nicolas Pepe

[!Hazard! 3,394]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

You really thinks so?

I think there is a shit tonne of great young players there

also France has blown Brasil away as the best producer nation of top players in my opinion

France has high levels of inequality these days and for many kids (of which many are of African descent )sports is the only escape from those horrid banlieus. France has effectively followed the American model as high percentage of their top sports talent comes from those poor ghettos. I don't know what going on in Brazilian favelas but they don't seem to be producing top talents at the same rate as in previous decades. 

[Unionjack 7,531]

On 2/5/2019 at 0:28 AM, !Hazard! said:

France has high levels of inequality these days and for many kids (of which many are of African descent )sports is the only escape from those horrid banlieus. France has effectively followed the American model as high percentage of their top sports talent comes from those poor ghettos. I don't know what going on in Brazilian favelas but they don't seem to be producing top talents at the same rate as in previous decades. 

I was thinking about this since it has been made crystal clear that the team have a lack of fighting spirit.

Made me wonder whether now the lads all have a few quid, living comfortably, yoof driving to practice ib £250k sports cars, have that hunger any more?

You would expect getting players from those poorer areas o cities//countries they had the fire in their bellies to want to go out, get better, prove themselves. And I would guess that if a club was to show faith in them they would want to give it back to them.

 

I also had a conversation with @Sideshow Luiz about team spirit. We had both talked about how at one time (mot so very long ago) the team was made up of many various captains of their national teams. This of course is a great help both spirit wise,attitude,character,footballing mind and just being a professional. We now have 1.

The idea of Pulisic coming from a U.S. sporting background also came up. We thought that the training these American sports people got both in skills and mindset gave them that professional attitude, the mental urge to achieve.

That type of character has slowly been lost over the years and we need to look into getting it back.

The times (in the PL at least) of yoof getting a bolloking and told to clean players boots are long gone. So we need to be looking at other ways to instill it into the lads at some level.

[Sideshow Luiz 2,310]

6 hours ago, Unionjack said:

I was thinking about this since it has been made crystal clear that the team have a lack of fighting spirit.

Made me wonder whether now the lads all have a few quid, living comfortably, yoof driving to practice ib £250k sports cars, have that hunger any more?

You would expect getting players from those poorer areas o cities//countries they had the fire in their bellies to want to go out, get better, prove themselves. And I would guess that if a club was to show faith in them they would want to give it back to them.

 

I also had a conversation with @Sideshow Luiz about team spirit. We had both talked about how at one time (mot so very long ago) the team was made up of many various captains of their national teams. This of course is a great help both spirit wise,attitude,character,footballing mind and just being a professional. We now have 1.

The idea of Pulisic coming from a U.S. sporting background also came up. We thought that the training these American sports people got both in skills and mindset gave them that professional attitude, the mental urge to achieve.

That type of character has slowly been lost over the years and we need to look into getting it back.

The times (in the PL at least) of yoof getting a bolloking and told to clean players boots are long gone. So we need to be looking at other ways to instill it into the lads at some level.

Well, it's not just the US sporting background.  There are plenty of NBA, NFL, and MLB players that waste their gifts and/or don't have the right mentality.  But, it seems that the top US footballers all generally work hard.  Those guys were not always the most athletic players growing up.  So, to compete they had to be more tenacious, IMO.

I think that winning teams have to have a mix of youth and experience.  There's a reason why serial winner like Jose (I know he's fallen from grace, but they guy wants and wins trophies) values experience.  Someone in the dressing room needs to be a leader besides the coach.  A 20 year old making 3 times as much as the coach might not always listen to him (this isn't all), but they'll listen to a JT, or Drogba, or Lamps.

Leadership doesn't come across in the stats or the youtube highlight videos.  But, in some ways, previous coaches have already identified it.  Players who have been made captain of their team at club level, or international, even U-21.

It's something that the New England Patriots have done and they are a dynasty (long one) in a league that's designed to not have dynasties.  

I've shared this with @Unionjack before.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidching/2018/02/01/unheralded-factor-in-patriots-winning-culture-a-roster-loaded-with-college-captains/#67898ec224fc

[!Hazard! 3,394]

It's not just a Chelsea problem though. To me all Premier League top6 teams seem to lack those traditional captains to the extent which makes me wonder if those types of characters even exist in the modern game. None of the top teams in Europe seem to loaded with those types of personalities the way were, or United were, 10 years ago.

[Vesper 30,083]

21 minutes ago, !Hazard! said:

It's not just a Chelsea problem though. To me all Premier League top6 teams seem to lack those traditional captains to the extent which makes me wonder if those types of characters even exist in the modern game. None of the top teams in Europe seem to loaded with those types of personalities the way were, or United were, 10 years ago.

Juventus

Giorgio Chiellini

Andrea Barzagli

Leonardo Bonucci

Miralem Pjanic

Blaise Matuidi

Mario Mandzukic

Cristiano Ronaldo

 

all have been or are currently captains of clubs and/or national teams at multiple times in careers

 

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

26 minutes ago, !Hazard! said:

It's not just a Chelsea problem though. To me all Premier League top6 teams seem to lack those traditional captains to the extent which makes me wonder if those types of characters even exist in the modern game. None of the top teams in Europe seem to loaded with those types of personalities the way were, or United were, 10 years ago.

Wonder why this is.

theres still academys - but I suppose worldwide the apprenticeship system has or is fastly disappearing.

But I woulda still thought that the young players from the poorer areas would still  have that touch more hunger and desire .

I'm provably over thinking it tho.                                                                                              

[!Hazard! 3,394]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

Juventus

Giorgio Chiellini

Andrea Barzagli

Leonardo Bonucci

Miralem Pjanic

Blaise Matuidi

Mario Mandzukic

Cristiano Ronaldo

 

all have been or are currently captains of clubs and/or national teams at multiple times in careers

 

 

You're right, why didn't I think of Juve. But look at their age structure though. This season might be their last opportunity to win the Champions League

[Vesper 30,083]

3 minutes ago, !Hazard! said:

You're right, why didn't I think of Juve. But look at their age structure though. This season might be their last opportunity to win the Champions League

Oh for sure, they are RAPIDLY ageing. Impossible to see that team together in 2020-21. Maybe even in 2019-20. I think they have as good a shot at winning CL as any team this year. Would rather them than most others left, for many different reasons.

I think one of only 4 teams have real shots at winning CL (I am sure my picks will not be popular)

Juventus

Shitty

Barca (especially if Umtiti comes back fully healed and on fire)

PSG (only if Neymar comes back fully healed and on fire)

 

Darkhorses    Borussia Dortmund (only if Akanji comes back fully healed and on fire and Reus stays healthy, as he has a minor injury now)

Atletico Madrid (most under the radar top 10 team in Europe atm, no one is talking about them)

 

Do not see Victimpool, Bayern, Real Madrid or Manure winning

No chance (watch one win!!! lolol) Porto, Spuds, Roma, Ajax, Lyon, and BY FAR the worst team left, Schalke

 

Outrageous that Roma and Schalke got luck of groups and draws (Porto is actually really dangerous) and are still in there

 

Biggest victims of that were Napoli and Inter (by far the biggest threats to us winning the EL, along with Arse, Sevilla, and my dark horse there, Red Bull Salzburg who just CRUSHED RB Leipzig, their 'big brothers' (they would be truly dangerous if they still had one of my favourite young MFers, Amadou Haidara, who blew his knee out and was just sold to the already-mentioned sister team, RB Leipzig)

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

How are Barella and Pulisic's end product anyway?

 

Higuain

Pulisic--------------Pepe

Barella---Kante

Jorginho

[Vesper 30,083]

1 hour ago, MoroccanBlue said:

How are Barella and Pulisic's end product anyway?

 

Higuain

Pulisic--------------Pepe

Barella---Kante

Jorginho

I hate Sarri's formation

Barella and Kante in a double pivot would be devastating defensively

I now think Barella is lost after seeing a lot more in depth articles, I think even after his wife gives birth both their families are going to block him from leaving Italy.

Assuming Sarri doesnt get sacked (a huge assumption)

I would have to think that the AMF role will go to either Isco, James, Sarabia or Fekir

but that also assumes a lot

we are really teetering close to the abyss if Real play super hardball on Hazard and try and shove £50m plus Kovacic down our throats. 

I will keep on pushing Pepe, but I do not see the board buying him if Lille wont come down from their £72m demand.

IF CHO is sold as well, that leaves us so fucked at wingers. Lets say we end up selling Bats and Baka for a total of £60m. 

Take the £40m for CHO, £50m for Hazard, and £60m from the double B and B sales. Lets say we sell Zappacosta for £15m (Reece James replaces him), Emerson to Juve for £15m £40m for Morata and fail to unload anyone else other than say £10m for a (hopefully recovered fully) van Ginkle. Lets say Luiz bounces on a free, Cahil on a free and Willian is not sold.

That's £215m to play with

BUT

we have to replace/upgrade

CB Ake (£40m)

CB ? 

Backup LB (no clue the board goes for but lets toss out a £15m figure)

AMF (unless we roll with the same shit we have now, which is a BIG possibility if we bollocks up all of Sarabia/James/Fekir/Isco options) so a ?

LW ?

LW ?

CF (I really see us dropping £60m on Callum Wilson)

 

add that up

that leaves us only £100m to buy a CB, 2 wingers, and an truly class AMF

assuming Sarabia is removed

all AMF's eft will be well over £50, £70m

lets say a miracle happens and we can pull James from Bayern (we get them to activate his buy clause for £39.5m and swap him to us for that in exchange for CHO)

now we are down to a net £60m to spend

and still need another CB and TWO wingers (one of whom has to replace EDEN)

so so fucked we are

Lozano alone will cost around £50m

might just say fuck it and leave it there with £50m or so net profit (as we need to make a place for Drinkwater as no one will buy him I fear)

OR James deal falls though and we have to drop £80m on Isco (which leaves us £10m net profit) or £65m on Fekir (£25m profit left over) 

 

if this all went down

our 25 man squad would be (9 HG so have one over the 8 limit)

 

GK Kepa

GK Willie

GK Bulka or Green (HG)

CB Rudiger

CB Ake (HG)

CB AC (HG)

CB Ampadu (HG)

LB Alonso

LB Rogerio  (most likely as Juve offered him and they want Emerson)

RB Azpi

RB Reece James (HG)

DH DMF Jorginho

DH DMF Kovacic

CMF Kante

CMF RLC (HG)

CMF Drinkwater (HG)

AMF James Rodriguez (Or Isco or Fekir)

AMF Barkley (HG)

LW  Hirving Lozano

LW Willian

RW Pulisic

RW Pedro

CF Higs

CF Wilson (HG)

CF Giroud

other than the massive upgrade at AMF

that team is not anywhere near good enough overall still at so many places

I dont rate Wilson at CF that much (and dog help us if Higs goes cold)

The wingers are potential FUCKED (if Lozano somehow goes bust and Puli just plays to his form of last 3,4 years)

Both fullback positions are still weak (Alonso will be out there most games, Azpi will be 30 with a 5 consecutive 4000 minute season under his belt and Reece not at all proven in top flight)

and CB was not REALLY been upgraded/fixed and we have less depth there (we could slide Azpi over in a pinch IF Reece comes good big time, but that, again is a HUGE if)

Also, if the sales (other than EDen and CHO) go bad (can always happen) and Roman clamps down on spending forget about those top end AMF's (especially if Sarabia doesn't go to us)

then you can pull out the starting AMF and place in Tomori at CB

if THAT happens

that team is a potential disaster

and remember

I am assuming in all that we get Lozano, we may FAIL and also FAIL on Pepe and end up with who the fuck knows (and not in a good way, say Bailey and he flops (as he is SHIT this year so far)

 

 

 

[NikkiCFC 8,286]

Great scorer. This and last season he averages one goal every two games. Plus he is young and likes Chelsea. Willian needs six and half games to score rare PL goal. What more do I need to say? 

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

Safe to say if there is any player that is an absolute must next season, it's him. 

Get it done.