closed Brighton 1-3 Chelsea

[Hutcho 8,443]

What with, Chilwell, Zyech, and Silva, + Pulisic.
Whats going to be different from last season fucking same keeper, same defence, possibly without Havertz, the more it changes the more it stays the same.

Well we have one of last seasons most clinical strikers and havertz on top of the squad last season. Plus it appears pulisic is fit.

I highly doubt even if they were all fit Frank was gonna start all 5 new players in game week 1.

Put it this way. The squad available should be enough for Brighton.

[Hutcho 8,443]

Havertz sounds like he's ready to start straight away. Werner likewise. Chilwell we all knew would be missing for a while.
Ziyech is the new signing I was probably most looking forward to seeing initially so this injury really annoys me. Why Frank even played him in the second half of that useless friendly I don't know. Was really feeling that Ziyech was the one new signing that would instantly provide decisive goal involvement.
Guess the Ziyech blow is softened quite a bit by the fact that CP is back already.
 

We can't all be saying we needed more preseason minutes then say that 55 minutes is too long for a player to play when most were coming off after 60.

Hindsight is wonderful but it's just a very unfortunate thing that could have happenned to anyone.

[Tomo 21,751]

7 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Havertz sounds like he's ready to start straight away. Werner likewise. Chilwell we all knew would be missing for a while.

Ziyech is the new signing I was probably most looking forward to seeing initially so this injury really annoys me. Why Frank even played him in the second half of that useless friendly I don't know. Was really feeling that Ziyech was the one new signing that would instantly provide decisive goal involvement.

Ziyech's league didn't continue post lockdown so he needed minutes for match fitness in what was our only pre season game.

[Atomiswave 6,119]

 

[ahmedou 198]

I'm just worried about our defence and that “goalkeeper”. Other than that, I'm relax AF.

[bigbluewillie 1,930]

16 hours ago, Hutcho said:

Well we have one of last seasons most clinical strikers and havertz on top of the squad last season. Plus it appears pulisic is fit.

I highly doubt even if they were all fit Frank was gonna start all 5 new players in game week 1.

Put it this way. The squad available should be enough for Brighton.

Agree mate.

But it's still really depressing that we're going to start with last seasons back four ,and GK's

[King Kai 49]

Kepa, James, Zouma, Rudiger, Azpilicuetta, Kante, Mount, Havertz, Pulisic, Werner, CHO 

[prehuman 119]

Monday seems so far away, I wish the game would be tomorrow at noon!

Many doubts about the eleven that Frank can present in Brighton.
Azpi and Pulisic have just returned from training, so maybe he won't risk putting them on, at least at first.

Kepa
James, Rudiger, Zouma, Alonso
Kante, Jorginho, Mount
Havertz, Giroud, Werner

With Ziyech gone, and if Frank decides to save Pulisic this would be a good option.

 

P.S.: We have a league for Fantasy PL??

[Unionjack 7,531]

2 hours ago, prehuman said:

Monday seems so far away, I wish the game would be tomorrow at noon!

Many doubts about the eleven that Frank can present in Brighton.
Azpi and Pulisic have just returned from training, so maybe he won't risk putting them on, at least at first.

Kepa
James, Rudiger, Zouma, Alonso
Kante, Jorginho, Mount
Havertz, Giroud, Werner

With Ziyech gone, and if Frank decides to save Pulisic this would be a good option.

 

P.S.: We have a league for Fantasy PL??

Not sure if FL will stick Werner and Kai in at the deep end tho its probably a good game as any to do it. Maybe he will bleed them in slowly.

The one thing that absolutely irks me is seeing that same back 5! It feels like sod all has changed and no lessons have been learned.

Just noticed us and Brighton had the same GA last year. 

[bigbluewillie 1,930]

8 hours ago, Unionjack said:

The one thing that absolutely irks me is seeing that same back 5! It feels like sod all has changed and no lessons have been learned.

Me too bruv, me too.

Said it as well earlier.

[Unionjack 7,531]

3 minutes ago, bigbluewillie said:

Me too bruv, me too.

Said it as well earlier.

Still think we need another CB mate and right now tho Id put Rice as CDM Id stick him next to Thiago in a blink! The sooner Ben and Thiago get sorted the better.

[NikkiCFC 8,372]

I still think one of our CBs can look much better with Silva alongside.

And as I said many times... Zouma-Rudiger pairing played just 4 times last season and we had 4 clean sheets. So they would be best option for Monday.

[Unionjack 7,531]

19 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

I still think one of our CBs can look much better with Silva alongside.

And as I said many times... Zouma-Rudiger pairing played just 4 times last season and we had 4 clean sheets. So they would be best option for Monday.

Lets just hope theres no Rudi in a back 3!

Gotta say you got more faith in our CBs than I have. But if any Id stick Happy with him. Tall,strong,fast,brave old boy with a head the size of a pumpkin and brain of a grape!

I never really got looking deep at Sarr but he SEEMED ok to me from YTs and scout reports..Thought he mighta worked.

 

[Puliiszola 519]

17 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Lets just hope theres no Rudi in a back 3!

Gotta say you got more faith in our CBs than I have. But if any Id stick Happy with him. Tall,strong,fast,brave old boy with a head the size of a pumpkin and brain of a grape!

I never really got looking deep at Sarr but he SEEMED ok to me from YTs and scout reports..Thought he mighta worked.

 

Rudiger should be 4th choice CB this season. Just seems so shaky.

[Unionjack 7,531]

33 minutes ago, Puliiszola said:

Rudiger should be 4th choice CB this season. Just seems so shaky.

Its weird cause he was so reliable 2 seasons back. The one we was all loving. Maybe Luiz's brainfarts was passed on to him/

AC is a letdown too. I really thought he was going to be our long term leader. Hes just so inconsistent tho. MAYBE he might get summet from Thiago?

[Vesper 30,303]

1 hour ago, Unionjack said:

Still think we need another CB mate and right now tho Id put Rice as CDM Id stick him next to Thiago in a blink! The sooner Ben and Thiago get sorted the better.

I know it is contrarian

in fact it is contrarian against myself  because months ago, long before we had a hard link to Rice and long before there was any talk of actually switching him to a CB here, I, was saying , as a lone voice to buy him and switch him to CB

BUT

atm

we need Rice at trad DMF

we have no trad DMF

Kante would flourish (as long as he stays healthy, which is a huge 'if') in a double 8 pivot with Rice

IF we do eventually switch Rice to CB, then that saves us buying another CB

BUT

we then simply must buy another DMF

Assuming we get Rice this window or next summer we should be looking at some DMF's who would be an ideal partner for him in a double pivot

Camavinga (my dream signing)

Bruno Guimarães so versatile, the most skilled on here after Camavinga

Ismaël Bennacer  <<< tough pull but he is little pitbull, player of the tournament at AFCON 2019

Boubacar Kamara (recently switched to DMF, where he was been superb, and he is also, of course a very decent CB, so lots of versatility) <<< all day long over Boubakary Soumaré, who Lamps seems obsessed with for some reason

BUT if we do switch Rice to CB, then we simply must be looking at a crunching DMF type to partner with one of those 4 above

one name stands out atm (if one assumes that Bennacer is not the type to play the cruncher role)

Denis Zakaria  , beast mode ability

wild card

Thomas Partey (if Arsenal fuck it up) <<< I  doubt he will be around to be an option, and age starts to come into play with him in summer 2021, as he will be 28yo then and will have only 3 or 4 years top play left, max

 

I sob that Tonali just went to AC Milan, I have coveted him for ages, they now have 4 of my favourite players on the planet atm, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez (who I swear could be converted to a LCB like his brother, witch him and Rice as our starting CB pairing for yeas and years), Bennacer, and now Tonali, plus a top 10 GK target for me in Donnarumma (only his price, agent (Mino della Cunt) and the fact he would be crazy hard to pull removes him from top 2 or 3)

ffs (plus I am an Inter fan, lolol, if those 5 were at Inter it would be a wee bit less irritating)

[Unionjack 7,531]

As usual I find myself agreeing with you.

Any reason why we didnt look at Hernandez? Seemed to be the best LB we could look at or my old fave Telles. But I'll give Ben all the support I cam.

We talked about Tonali before too. Always liked him/

Going to have to check out those other DMF names tho cause I dont know any of them lol

You think we can get Dun a runner?

[lucio 5,418]

Personally I'd go with 

Cab 

James zouma christ alonso

Mount kante rlc

Harvetz werner cho

 

I'm assuming puli wont be risked from the start and jorginho is due to be sold and wont be risked 

[bigbluewillie 1,930]

What is all this talk of of using a DMF against Brighton FFS, yes it's Brighton not last seasons scouse or Bayern.

If we've not improved on last seasons defensive debacle particularly against relegation fodder, then there's no hope.

I'd go with Kova (if he's fit) Mount and Kai, let them worry about us and not us to them.

I think a front 6 will demolish them.

KTBFFH

[Unionjack 7,531]

1 hour ago, bigbluewillie said:

What is all this talk of of using a DMF against Brighton FFS, yes it's Brighton not last seasons souse or Bayern.

If we've not improved on last seasons defensive debacle particularly against relegation fodder, then there's no hope.

I'd go with Kova (if he's fit) Mount and Kai, let them worry about us and not us to them.

I think a front 6 will demolish them.

KTBFFH

I kinda agree but the problem is bud we have that same old monkey on our back. The back 5!!!

We bave only brought in 1 proper defender and hes not playing. So alllll those teams that took us apart on the break are still going to be looking to do it.

I THINK that FL THINKS like you and HOPES we score a couple early with our new amazing attack that it just demoralizes the opposition so they give in.

Im wondering if Kai might start on RW and FL sticks 2 number 8s in with Captain N'Golo