Chelsea (a) post-match thread

Pep knows the league was gone long ago, hence the team selection tonight.
There are several more important games coming and saving legs for those is a bigger priority. We have only 1 fit striker now and there’s absolutely no point taking chances in dead rubber games...
 
Burtonblue said:
Pep knows the league was gone long ago, hence the team selection tonight.
There are several more important games coming and saving legs for those is a bigger priority. We have only 1 fit striker now and there’s absolutely no point taking chances in dead rubber games...
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every game in the league is a dead rubber now.
 
jimmygrimblesboots said:
Our league form this season reminded me of Pep's first season , eight defeats is ridiculous for the squad we have and some of that blame is at the managers door , signing Cancelo for £60m has been a disaster , he wasnt needed , the money should have been spent on a centre back , losing Sane and Laporte has been a massive blow , and Bernardo and Sterlings form has been hit and miss .
After two brilliant seasons i expected a drop off but not to this level, we can still salvage the season with two more trophies but that would be papering over the cracks of an ageing team , Merlin is leaving and i expect Kun and Dinho to leave next season some big players need replacing just hope Pep & Txiki have got the right players lined up.
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Yeah, the good thing is though that although historically the 3 aging players have been some of our best ever, we do have a strong core of younger players that under the right circumstances can all become world class.

In hindsight I think we made the same mistake in the summer that we did in 2012, which was not bring in players to keep things competitive. Had Liverpool not had such a freak season I do believe we would have been a little tougher this season and been on course for 90 points, but obviously they are and we aren't.

It's still largely the same batch of guys that got 198 points over two seasons. Whatever it takes, moving forwards I honestly believe the best solution is that they need a kick up the backside, however it's done.
 
Starting Gundogan, never a good idea. Of of Pep's blindspots. At least the wait has been over and those cuts on merseyside can have a party and start to end the wankathon
 
city986 said:
Fuck me some people on here need to give their heads a serious wobble, I've had a season ticket for over 40 years this team is the best the Premier League has ever seen and next year we go again we are not Wimbledon on steroids like livarpool we play the right way and we will be back
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Summed their style up perfectly, long ball into the channels for Salad and Mane to chase.
 
We lost the league months ago. So them winning it, isn’t that much of a shock.

2nd place, league cup win, and doing very well in other competitions. We can’t win the league every year.
 
Burtonblue said:
Exactly
We can expect a similar approach going forwards
2 cups still on offer...league games mean fuck all.
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So every player can have another couple of months off with the odd game in between. Sounds a good way to keep up match fitness. The best we played was that grooling end to last season when we had match after match after match and won the lot. That's how you stay fit and on the ball.
 
jimmygrimblesboots said:
Our league form this season reminded me of Pep's first season , eight defeats is ridiculous for the squad we have and some of that blame is at the managers door , signing Cancelo for £60m has been a disaster , he wasnt needed , the money should have been spent on a centre back , losing Sane and Laporte has been a massive blow , and Bernardo and Sterlings form has been hit and miss .
After two brilliant seasons i expected a drop off but not to this level, we can still salvage the season with two more trophies but that would be papering over the cracks of an ageing team , Merlin is leaving and i expect Kun and Dinho to leave next season some big players need replacing just hope Pep & Txiki have got the right players lined up.
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"I expected a drop off but not to this level" FFS, Listen to yourself
 
BolinCell said:
every game in the league is a dead rubber now.
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Yep, a perfect opportunity to see whether our youngsters can make the grade.

Garcia and Foden should start every league game IMO. There is no reason why Otamendi and Gundogan should get PL minutes at their expense now the league is done.

A pacey and energetic LB and a physical striker should be the priority this summer.
 
paulchapo said:
We peaked last season when we were magnificent. The warning signs were there though, Liverpool were getting stronger and stronger. We have strengthened but our recruitment has been sub standard. Going forward we need a major rebuild due to my last statement but financially we probably won't be able to.

Our defence is shocking and our midfield is slow, too easily bypassed and weak. Up front we have an ageing Aguero and in patches Mahrez. Bernardo and Sterlings form has gone off a cliff, will it ever return? Jesus is a more skilful Dickov. Totally anonymous in too many games in spite of his hard work.

In defence only Ederson, Laporte and Walker should stay. In midfield we have Kev, Foden and Bernardo if he regains his form. Fern can do another season but he is coming up to 35 years of age. Up front Aguero and Mahrez should stay, the jury's out on whether Sterling and Jesus can somehow up their game to the level required. Sterling has in the past but has been pretty shocking for a long time now.

Rodri for me is a bad fit for us and the premier league in particular. Too slow. Cancelo and Mendy have been a disaster. Gundogan has quality but again he is slow and disappears too often when the going gets tough. We are losing Silva.

We may have to see us slip down the pecking order for a couple of seasons, especially if the champions league ban stands. Sorry if this sounds a bit doom and gloom and we could still win another two trophies this season but it can't mask our weaknesses

Oh and yes I was there in the dark times but we have to stop measuring today from that, we are a top team and club now and have to be ruthless to stay there.
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There's nothing particularly doom and gloom about that. It's the reality we face over the coming seasons and it will be even worse if we don't win at CAS. Then when you factor in that Pep wont be around forever, the decline is virtually set in stone. This is just the start of it. But we will be back, there's no doubt in my mind. Yeah, it may take a while, you look at the declines of Rags, Chelsea, Arsenal etc over recent years... we are not immune from that, it's the nature of sport. But where we differ to those clubs is we have the best owner and best chairman in the world. That's where I draw my faith that we will return to the summit of English football relatively quickly, despite the rebuilding job we have infront of us.
 
Not our best night. Some poor defending cost us, how often have we said that this season? Doesn’t really matter but still hurts a little. Fernandinho had a shocker culminating in his red card, got left for dead several times in that 2nd half. Sterling needed to shift that ball to his right for a tap in at 1-1, he was even almost facing that way but chose to shoot.
Good showing from Walker though. Bernardo was similarly off the pace. Time to start the media blackout.
 
Too many teams have sussed out how to beat us , low block , wait for the mistake in midfield , pounce on the misplaced pass and all too often this season the first chance has led to a goal , Fernandinho in defensive mid used to be our insurance against that and very effective he was , arguably the best defensive midfielder the premier league has ever seen , Rodri doesnt have the agility or the engine , we need to find another younger version of Fernandinho , maybe someone like Declan Rice under Peps tutelage could do the job ..
 
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