Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

[Stats 7,054]

Maresca needs to stop giving Palmer 'untouchable' status. If he isn't playing great then take him off. In some of the biggest games this season such as Liverpool and United, he played him whole game and he did not do anything to change the game of note. So today, he was quite quiet, especially in second half and if he was indeed struggling, then he should have came off. Why are we buying likes of Felix and Nkunku who are really good bench options if we are afraid to use them.

Happy with the point but frustrated with the subs. Neto was MOTM for me. He was brilliant all game. Fofana I thought was brilliant today too.

[DDA 9,690]

1 hour ago, mkh said:

Enzo Maresca on Madueke’s angry reaction after being subbed:

🗣️ "The problem is when you change a player, they are never happy. Probably the only way to be happy is after a hat trick, but it's not only about Noni, it's about the players as they want to be there through to the end.

At that moment [in the match] we saw a different way. We thought Pedro [Neto] with [Jurrien] Timber could be more aggressive -- so it was a tactical decision."

via@ESPNFC

A decision proved right after Neto bagging a goal from that side. 

[Strike 7,217]

4 hours ago, Mário César said:

madueke is disappointing a little and nkunku is coming into the games very late

Frankly, I don't know if Jackson will be the answer for the club in the medium term. at least as the undisputed starter, but let's see how the season ends

His workrate at the top of the pitch has been good and has been an asset. 

[Strike 7,217]

6 hours ago, Mhsc said:

Can't complain about 3rd in the league, only Liverpool really look on a different level to us.

Maresca's impact is remarkable. Did not fuck around whatsoever and got us into shape way quicker than I could have expected.

One thing we still clearly miss is big game players who step up when we need them most. Maybe Caicedo is the only one who steps up or at least maintains his usual level in the big games.

A very precarious third place. With the favorable run we have, I hope we are able to make a nice cushion in the top 4

[cosmicway 1,323]

No win in three derby matches but we managed to climb third on the table.
At a rather unmanageable distance to league leaders 'pool though.
Things will get better if we manage to avoid the old Chelsea tradition of the Christmas slump.

[The Rising Sun 709]

I was not sure earlier but at the risk of conceding more goals , we definitely need Enzo Fernandes or joao Felix in the team to be creative sparks as palmer alone can't do it. 

I would bench lavia for this.... Not sure how many times it will work vs not work but currently we can't score more than 1 in the league for the last 5-6 games.

[cosmicway 1,323]

32 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

I was not sure earlier but at the risk of conceding more goals , we definitely need Enzo Fernandes or joao Felix in the team to be creative sparks as palmer alone can't do it. 

I would bench lavia for this.... Not sure how many times it will work vs not work but currently we can't score more than 1 in the league for the last 5-6 games.

Gusto's free header was our best chance and Neto's goal also - it took him one instant when a gap was found.
They had several chances and also managed to limit our volume of attack (and it was n't as if we were settling for the draw).
Things could have been a little better if Palmer was fully fit.

[Special Juan 27,424]

Sanchez, say no more

[Special Juan 27,424]

10 hours ago, Stats said:

Maresca needs to stop giving Palmer 'untouchable' status. If he isn't playing great then take him off. In some of the biggest games this season such as Liverpool and United, he played him whole game and he did not do anything to change the game of note. So today, he was quite quiet, especially in second half and if he was indeed struggling, then he should have came off. Why are we buying likes of Felix and Nkunku who are really good bench options if we are afraid to use them.

Happy with the point but frustrated with the subs. Neto was MOTM for me. He was brilliant all game. Fofana I thought was brilliant today too.

He's not going to do that with palmer when he can't do it with Madueke who has been awful. Swap Madueke with Neto on the right and then you can play someone else on the left, but somehing has to give with Madueke, he's horrendous right now

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

Given how poor he is with his feet and decision making, Snachez has to have his shot stopping game spot on. This is not the first time he should have kept out a goal that made life really difficult for us. Otherwise he was ok but we can’t have a gk who is at fault for a goal roughly every other game on average. This will make top 4 way tougher than necessary plus throws our cup title challenges in serious doubt (for Jorgensen is not any better) 

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

38 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Otherwise he was ok but we can’t have a gk who is at fault for a goal roughly every other game on average. This will make top 4 way tougher than necessary plus throws our cup title challenges in serious doubt (for Jorgensen is not any better) 

If we don't get top 4, it'll be one of two reasons:

1. Sanchez being prone to errors

2. CB issues as we have no depth (wouldn't trust Badiashile or Disasi for an extended run of games). 

[Milan 17,853]

What is the situation regarding the 5th place? Is there a chance of the 5th place securing the CL place too?

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

11 hours ago, Stats said:

Maresca needs to stop giving Palmer 'untouchable' status. If he isn't playing great then take him off. In some of the biggest games this season such as Liverpool and United, he played him whole game and he did not do anything to change the game of note.

Think most managers out there will keep their star playmaker on the pitch for as long as possible (unless they are injured or you really need to shake things up on the pitch). 

Imagine the headlines if we lost the game and Palmer was subbed off early just for Felix/Nkunku to be ineffective on the pitch as super subs. 

[King Kante 1,476]

There are a couple of players who seem to be getting a lot of minutes for unknown reasons. First is Sanchez. How this guy got dropped last season for costing us a goal every other game to being our No.1 again is ridiculous. As I mentioned on his thread, the club seem to think give him enough minutes and he will evolve like a fecking Pokèmon. Even if that where to happen, why is he not doing this on loan? Even more concerning is how we have 7 GK's and none of us our certain if any of them are better. 

Next is Noni. Personally, I actually really like Noni, but not when it comes at the expense of the team. For me, Palmer should be playing off the right so that he can stay in the final third more often. However, we cannot do that with Noni on the pitch, so he has to drop into midfield. Imo, we need to start exploring a AM setup of Neto Felix Palmer. I feel that would be super fluid and allow Felix to do the AM donkey work. Noni for me is also better off the bench as he is both direct and strong on the ball. Nightmare for FB's with 65-70 mins in their legs already. 

Edited November 11 by King Kante

[cosmicway 1,323]

The Arsenal goal was a silly nasty nutmeg.

[cosmicway 1,323]

53 minutes ago, King Kante said:

There are a couple of players who seem to be getting a lot of minutes for unknown reasons. First is Sanchez. How this guy got dropped last season for costing us a goal every other game to being our No.1 again is ridiculous. As I mentioned on his thread, the club seem to think give him enough minutes and he will evolve like a fecking Pokèmon. Even if that where to happen, why is he not doing this on loan? Even more concerning is how we have 7 GK's and none of us our certain if any of them are better. 

Next is Noni. Personally, I actually really like Noni, but not when it comes at the expense of the team. For me, Palmer should be playing off the right so that he can stay in the final third more often. However, we cannot do that with Noni on the pitch, so he has to drop into midfield. Imo, we need to start exploring a AM setup of Neto Felix Palmer. I feel that would be super fluid and allow Felix to do the AM donkey work. Noni for me is also better off the bench as he is both direct and strong on the ball. Nightmare for FB's with 65-70 mins in their legs already. 

Noni in the second half. Not a bad idea.

[mkh 273]

When Romeo Lavia was replaced by Enzo Fernandez, he headed straight to the tunnel. There was noticeable concern, as Lavia had been struggling before the change. The medical team will likely monitor his condition during the international break.

(@iamrahmanosman)

[Special Juan 27,424]

It will be another 4 months out no doubt