🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ben Chilwell

[lucio 5,418]

I think people were way too quick to "admit they were wrong" about chilwell because he had a few decent games , he's looking like a mediocre signing at that price, if we are persisting with wing backs he will probably lose out to Alonso 

[Jase 43,479]

24 minutes ago, lucio said:

I think people were way too quick to "admit they were wrong" about chilwell because he had a few decent games , he's looking like a mediocre signing at that price, if we are persisting with wing backs he will probably lose out to Alonso 

If you say people are too quick to admit they were wrong about Chilwell, then aren't you too quick to basically say "I told you he's average"? 

Admittedly, he has not been at his best recently but he has nowhere been disastrous and considering the players' form and performance level nosedived for one reason or another under Lampard, I'd wait and see what they can do under Tuchel going forward. 

I also don't think the back 3 is gonna be a permanent thing under Tuchel and if the club have any brain, they should sell Alonso ASAP (back 3 or not)!

[Superblue 6,372]

25 minutes ago, lucio said:

I think people were way too quick to "admit they were wrong" about chilwell because he had a few decent games , he's looking like a mediocre signing at that price, if we are persisting with wing backs he will probably lose out to Alonso 

I think his early season form was enough to suggest that he will be a good long term signing for us. You could argue the same about James who's form has also dropped off from the start of the season.

I think similar to Werner, he's been flogged to death so far this season and looks mentally and physically fatigued at the moment and is clearly low on confidence. He's also having to adapt to a new formation and role which is one Alonso is already accustomed to. I think the new manager is a good thing for him, Alonso will apply pressure to his place in the team and some rotation should freshen him up. 

Sheffield United have a knack of making pretty much anyone they play look fairly average and their own set up left no real space out wide for the wing backs to operate. 

I think over time Tuchel will move away from the back 3 and at that point there's absolutely no debate that Chilwell is the best left back at the club and when in form, for me, is one of the best left backs in the league.

[Special Juan 28,141]

What the fuck was he doing with his body position when he fouled them for the penalty incident?

Fuck me it was like watching a kid.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

Hes struggled defensively for a bit and in phases of the season with Frank. Vs Southampton, the 3-3 game, he was particularly all over the place defensively I felt.

Said right at the beginning before we signed him defensively he wasn’t brilliant but again, have to be patient and also I think he prefers playing in a back 4 than as a wingback. 

He had a good start and for 50m you would expect that but even then over 4/5 years or whatever his contract and if he can be a bit smarter defensively and get his final ball more consistent, he will be an excellent player for us.

Would probably of still preferred Regulion because he looked very complete in both sides of the game at Seville (and in some of the games for Spurs I have seen, you can see this also) but Chilwell has been a pretty good signing so far. I hope Tuchel can get Chilwell to get his final ball to be better or more consistent because he arrives in the final third a lot as well as his defensive awareness, which can be better.

[Blue Armour 4,448]

When I saw him get hooked after a poor performance during the Wolves game, I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before Tuchel would restore Alonso to his place in a back 5 formation.

While I think we can manage with Alonso as a LWB for a while, its up to Chillwell to re-secure his place in the starting 11.

His performance has dipped a lot from his early season form. Hope the loss of his starting 11 spot will motivate him to do better in the future games.

We won't be playing back 5 forever, and Alonso will get caught out in any other formation.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Blue Armour

[Vesper 30,207]

Thomas Tuchel had private chat with Frank Lampard favourite to assure ace of Chelsea plans

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1397681/Thomas-Tuchel-private-chat-Frank-Lampard-favourite-Chelsea-premier-league-news

[James 5,331]

 

[NikkiCFC 8,331]

After not playing in Cup I expected him to play today but clearly Alonso is ahead now. Rightly so. 

[Jase 43,479]

7 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

After not playing in Cup I expected him to play today but clearly Alonso is ahead now. Rightly so. 

Just wait until Alonso drops a clanger or two and then Tuchel will see why he was out of the team to begin with.

[killer1257 3,282]

12 minutes ago, Jason said:

Just wait until Alonso drops a clanger or two and then Tuchel will see why he was out of the team to begin with.

Will take some good opponents until he makes those kind of mistakes. Maybe Atletico will be his first real test. 

[Vesper 30,207]

4 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

Will take some good opponents until he makes those kind of mistakes. Maybe Atletico will be his first real test. 

it is crazy how quickly Chilwell, Zouma, Kante, and Pulisic have fallen off the edge of the flat earth (joking about a flat earth, I am NOT insane)

Havertz too, but he is injured, has COVID long hauler effects and was not playing well anyway

Edited February 15, 2021 by Vesper

[Jase 43,479]

4 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

Will take some good opponents until he makes those kind of mistakes. Maybe Atletico will be his first real test. 

Yup and we have some really big, tough teams to play. Atletico, Man United, Everton, Liverpool etc.

[killer1257 3,282]

1 minute ago, Vesper said:

it is crazy how quickly Chilwell, Zouma, Kante, and Pulisic have fallen off the edge of the flat earth (joking about a flat earth, I am NOT insane)

Havertz too, but he is injured, has COVID long hauler effects and was not playing well anyway

I think Zouma just needs a chance. All the other players you mentioned are in a mess right now. 

[Vesper 30,207]

18 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

I think Zouma just needs a chance. All the other players you mentioned are in a mess right now. 

Kante was playing great when he played as the DMF in a 3 man midfield

[Vesper 30,207]

25 minutes ago, Jason said:

Yup and we have some really big, tough teams to play. Atletico, Man United, Everton, Liverpool etc.

citeh

😿

[nyikolajevics 2,700]

Bench Ilwell. Nomen est omen?

[Azul 1,615]

2 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

After not playing in Cup I expected him to play today but clearly Alonso is ahead now. Rightly so. 

Ever since late November he has looked like a legit fraud. Can't dribble, pass and his defensive side of the game looks average as well. The only thing he does is mindlessly cross. 

I hope he proves me wrong and becomes a better player, but it really looks bad at the moment. I didn't want us to sign him, because I saw a few games of his last season. Leicester fans didn't like him as well, and let's not forget that he is a Lampard signing too. All of these things worry me, however I might be overdramatic. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Vesper 30,207]

Height and tactics against deflated Chilwell in fight for club and country place

https://theathletic.com/2418978/2021/03/02/height-chilwell-Chelsea/

Callum Hudson-Odoi wasn’t the only Chelsea player feeling a sense of relief after their game against Manchester United on Sunday came to an end.

Referee Stuart Attwell’s decision not to award United a penalty for a possible handball by Hudson-Odoi dominated the post-match discussion. Forgotten amid the cries of outrage from manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the visitors’ camp was just how much of a significant afternoon it had been for Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell.

It would be understandable if Chilwell felt delighted just to be on the pitch. This was only the third time he had played for Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as coach in January.

His absence hasn’t been caused by injury or suspension. Tuchel has simply preferred Marcos Alonso, who had gone four months without an appearance under Lampard, to the England international.

Alonso has started six of Tuchel’s nine matches, playing 523 minutes in all. In contrast, Chilwell’s outing on Sunday took his tally to a mere 228 minutes, although at least he completed the game — the previous two appearances saw him being substituted. On one of those occasions it was Alonso who replaced him (at Sheffield United), a decision which is believed to have struck a nerve.

Naturally, before his selection at the weekend, the 24-year-old had been feeling rather deflated about things. Like with other players who haven’t featured regularly, Tuchel had pulled Chilwell aside to explain his decisions, although that can only succeed in diluting the disappointment somewhat.

Sources have told The Athletic that he hasn’t considered complaining to Tuchel about the situation or causing a fuss. In fact, it is believed Chilwell concedes that his form had dropped at the back end of Lampard’s reign so being left out initially didn’t come as a surprise, especially as he also recognises what Alonso brings to the left wing-back role.

This honest appraisal of the situation is typical of the man. In October, Chilwell admitted on social media that he had suffered from a loss of confidence while still a Leicester City player last season and went to speak to someone about it.

Still, this was not in the script for someone who changed clubs for £50 million last summer. Joining Chelsea was regarded as a move to help him take his career on to another level, not watch their games on a regular basis from the sidelines.

What Chilwell has been going through is a common occurrence in the sport whenever a club’s board decide to make a change in the dugout. A different coach can lead to different ideas and line-ups. What is so noteworthy about this case is it involves such an expensive and high-profile player.

There are two factors why Alonso jumped ahead of him in the pecking order. With Tuchel switching from Lampard’s 4-3-3 system to a 3-4-1-2, it requires a wing-back rather than a traditional left-back, which Chilwell is.

This suits Alonso’s skill set more. He won a Premier League title with Chelsea playing in that position under Antonio Conte, who also used three at the back, in 2016-17. The Spain international’s lack of pace isn’t as exposed defensively, but his fine technique going forward can be utilised. As this piece highlighted, no defender has scored more goals in the Premier League since he joined the club five years ago. He added to the tally with a fine volley against Burnley to reach the impressive landmark of 20. To put that in perspective, Chilwell has scored six times since making his Premier League debut for Leicester in 2016.

The other reason is his height. Alonso is 6ft 2in, Chilwell’s 5ft 10in. That is a useful asset to have in both penalty areas. It was a big reason why Alonso came on for Chilwell at Bramall Lane because Tuchel had also taken off Olivier Giroud and was worried about Chelsea’s ability to defend set pieces in the air.

Given the way Tuchel has used Alonso so regularly, it would not be a surprise if the 30-year-old returns to the line-up against Liverpool on Thursday and/or Everton next Monday. Even with over four years left on his contract and with youth on Chilwell’s side, that is an unsettling concept.

The uncertainty isn’t great for Chilwell right now. He not only has a fight on for his role at club level but naturally his position in the England team is under threat too.

In a fortnight, Gareth Southgate will name his squad for three World Cup qualifiers that take place at the end of this month, while England’s opening match at the European Championship against Croatia is now only three months away.

All 12 of Chilwell’s caps have been won under Southgate, but due to illness, injury and international football being postponed for a period because of the pandemic, has earned just one of those in the past 16 months.

He would only be human if he is concerned. Arsenal’s 19-year-old Bukayo Saka played four times for England at left wing-back last autumn, including against Belgium in November after Chilwell went off with an injury.

Leicester City’s James Justin would have been another major threat had he not suffered an ACL injury to his knee last month, but Luke Shaw is staking a very strong claim for the role. He has been in fine form for Manchester United for some time.

It was noticeable how Chilwell and Shaw were together after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge, enjoying what looked like a pretty light-hearted conversation. Judging by the 90 minutes each one had just produced, Southgate has a tough task choosing between them.

Shaw created three chances on Sunday to Chilwell’s one, however the latter’s run and cross to pick out Hakim Ziyech was arguably the opportunity of the match. It took a fine save from David de Gea to deny the former Ajax playmaker.

While Shaw won the tackle battle three to zero and won six duels to his four, Chilwell made more passes (53 to 47) and was more accurate with them (86.8 per cent to Shaw’s 80.9 per cent). There was an even more notable difference with the completion rate when in the opposing half (82.1 per cent, vs 57.1 per cent for Shaw).

Chilwell’s return of two goals and four assists for the season at Chelsea is good, although those all came before the turn of the year. Four of Shaw’s five assists came in February, so will be fresher in Southgate’s mind.

Yet it is worth bearing in mind Shaw hasn’t played for England since 2018. Form and injuries have been an issue for him too. Of the two, Chilwell has been able to earn Southgate’s trust.

But if he has only a minor role at club level on the run-in, it will be harder for Southgate to justify selecting him to play in a major tournament.

Tuchel won’t be worried about that, of course. He has his own targets to achieve and a new board to impress.

Speaking last month, he said: “I had a talk with him (Chilwell) before the Tottenham match (after he was named as a substitute for a second game in a row) and told him, ‘You have to trust me now. I see the potential, I see your talent’.

“It’s possible that (Chilwell) thinks a lot about this situation, hopefully not too much because he can have trust in himself first of all, and he can trust us as staff that we will keep on pushing and we will find possibilities to reward him.

“At the same time, we wanted to have a start where we are fair to everybody and we don’t judge anybody by the amount of money that the club has spent, but to give everybody the feeling that this is a fresh start.”

Alonso has made the most of this opportunity so far.

Chilwell now knows he will have to do the same every time he gets picked.

 

[R2D2 368]

Still remember the first 2-3 pages when he played a couple half decent games and some members here tried to be arrogant saying masterstroke from Frank, fair price for a potential worldclass player, not bad for a Mount's friend signing. The truth is he was always limited beyond belief and average, even the Leicester fans are laughing at him on their forum, we got robbed, thanks a lot Frank for adding to the deadwood.

Edited March 15, 2021 by R2D2