Erling Haaland

[Coatigan]

I hope you’re wrong : )

so do I

 

[chaddblue]

Always a chance but Kane appears to have been in the works for months.

My personal preference is haaland but how could anybody be upset if we signed Kane instead

if he can avoid injuries you’re looking at a guaranteed 40 goals a season for the next 3 seasons

there’s a chance haaland could flop. I’d say the chances of Kane being a flop are practically zero

and you just never know, Liam Delap could be the next haaland

 

[Blue Maverick]

I think you’re underestimating their threat like some other posters. They were in the FA Cup final, won the UCL and if you look at their percentage of points won in the PL since Tuchel arrived, they probably would have competed with the title with him since the beginning. They might be our biggest challenger in all four competitions honestly, alongside maybe PSG, Liverpool and Bayern for the UCL and Liverpool for the PL (underestimating United? Who knows)

Not underestimating them but I dont think they can rotate like we do on four fronts and it was a compact season, people seem to forget had Aguero scored that penalty we would’ve been out of sight that game.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

Not underestimating them but I dont think they can rotate like we do on four fronts and it was a compact season, people seem to forget had Aguero scored that penalty we would’ve been out of sight that game.

It’s not about that game alone. I think they came close this year, will be a stronger team next season and winning the UCL makes all their plans for the summer window easier. We have to look at them as an equal competition.
I also don’t think our rotation always worked this season

 

[Blue Maverick]

It’s not about that game alone. I think they came close this year, will be a stronger team next season and winning the UCL makes all their plans for the summer window easier. We have to look at them as an equal competition.
I also don’t think our rotation always worked this season

24 game winning run, no way Chelsea are getting close to that, they will be strong as everyone else will be, but had they lost on Saturday, everyone would be saying, they scraped top four, lost the fa cup and CL final, as you say it’s not about one game, but people seem to think they are the greatest ever after this win and it’s just not true, they played a great game, let’s see if they can play 62 games next year like that.

 

[bluesince76]

But when it matters they will break the bank we won’t, look at the VVD saga he could’ve been ours but we wouldn’t budge do you think Roman would give a shit about an extra £5 million? Haaland will go where the money is sadly, if he wants multiple trophies he comes to us, Chelsea may challenge with their first 11 but no way they can compete on 4 fronts, they will do a Liverpool and chuck the domestic cups.

Not sure the chance to win the Carabao Cup would sway him. He'd want the PL (or other domestic league) and particularly the CL. The chances of that are surely similar at Chelsea or City and possibly the likes of Madrid, if they were able to afford a Haaland as part of a rebuild.

Unless someone has a desire to play for a particular club, usually a Madrid, then it'll probably come down to money. And history has shown we won't get into that sort of bidding war for any player. I don't therefore see him joining us unless those Eidos shirts he had as a kid have left a really deep impression

 

[LucahArchie10]

24 game winning run, no way Chelsea are getting close to that, they will be strong as everyone else will be, but had they lost on Saturday, everyone would be saying, they scraped top four, lost the fa cup and CL final, as you say it’s not about one game, but people seem to think they are the greatest ever after this win and it’s just not true, they played a great game, let’s see if they can play 62 games next year like that.

Mendy made them so much better at the back just like Alison has with the Dippers
Top Keepers breath confidence into the defensive line with James & Chilwell they have very good defensive & attacking players
Do t underestimate Chelsea imo they will be closer than Liverpool & UTD

 

[Stoned Rose]

Think you're overstating some things he excels at.

Of his 68 career goals, 3 have come from outside the box and 5 with his head.
Kane - in this season alone has 4 from outside the box and 6 headers

Haaland averages less than 1 take-on per game(less than Kane who is not renowned for his dribbling) so not sure what he's using these electrifying skills for?

His incredible work ethic has led to 7 tackles and 4 interceptions for Dortmund this season. Kane 22 tackles and 11 interceptions. Neither come close to Gabbys per90(an actual grafter).
His numbers for this apparently uber pressing Salzburg were no better than his Dortmund ones so it can't be a system thing?.

Unusually tidy post for BM.

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

I think people really underestimate how many chances we have to counter attack.

We get half a dozen in each game, even against the likes of Burnley or Allardyce we get chances from their corners and usually break from them.

The reason we dont score from them is because Sterling is the only one with pace and seeing him get into the opposition half, look up and realise no one is around him, is something we see almost every game. When we had Sané, Sterling, Jesus/Aguero up front we scored the most counter attacking goals in the league because the person breaking got support. Teams aren't playing against us differently, we just aren't converting the counter attack into chances and goals.

Even in the first half on Saturday - and in every game we have lost against good opposition - we have had big counter attacks but couldn't work them into goals.

We can break down a parked bus, we do it every week and have won 3 league titles doing it. I think its a massive oversimplification of what Haaland does to say he can only play in space, but even if that were true he'd still score a bucket load.

Spot on, even in the CL final we broke on Chelsea a good 4 or 5 times, man v man or even with an extra man, and every opportunity was wasted.One of my favourite Aguero goals was the record breaking goal vs Napoli away, the perfect counter from their corner, we couldn't score that goal now.

 

[Stoned Rose]

24 game winning run, no way Chelsea are getting close to that, they will be strong as everyone else will be, but had they lost on Saturday, everyone would be saying, they scraped top four, lost the fa cup and CL final, as you say it’s not about one game, but people seem to think they are the greatest ever after this win and it’s just not true, they played a great game, let’s see if they can play 62 games next year like that.

This.

 

[blueparrot]

Mendy made them so much better at the back just like Alison has with the Dippers
Top Keepers breath confidence into the defensive line with James & Chilwell they have very good defensive & attacking players
Do t underestimate Chelsea imo they will be closer than Liverpool & UTD

No, they won’t, well not nearer than liverpool. Chelsea play like united defensive counter attacking. Great for one off games against better teams and cups. Like united they’ll struggle to break teams down when they have to go on the front foot because they lack creativity. So won’t win enough games to win the league.
It will be us and liverpool top 2 next season.

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

Mendy made them so much better at the back just like Alison has with the Dippers
Top Keepers breath confidence into the defensive line with James & Chilwell they have very good defensive & attacking players
Do t underestimate Chelsea imo they will be closer than Liverpool & UTD

The question mark about Chelsea is can they consistently beat teams who park the bus against them? Solid defensively and decent on the counter but a team that can get 90 points to challenge for a title?

 

[Deleted member 87819]

24 game winning run, no way Chelsea are getting close to that, they will be strong as everyone else will be, but had they lost on Saturday, everyone would be saying, they scraped top four, lost the fa cup and CL final, as you say it’s not about one game, but people seem to think they are the greatest ever after this win and it’s just not true, they played a great game, let’s see if they can play 62 games next year like that.

I never said they are the greatest ever, I’m saying they are a real threat. Do you expect us to have another unbeaten run like that? It’s never a given.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

The question mark about Chelsea is can they consistently beat teams who park the bus against them?

You’re talking as if they haven’t done that multiple times already last season

 

[lasereyes]

It’s not about that game alone. I think they came close this year, will be a stronger team next season and winning the UCL makes all their plans for the summer window easier. We have to look at them as an equal competition.
I also don’t think our rotation always worked this season

How is finishing 19 points behind us coming close? Problem is Tuchel's defence-first style can work well against teams like us (until Pep figures him out same as he did Klopp). But they dont have the firepower or creativity to breakdown less aggressive teams who will pack players behind the ball. Now they could go out and buy a striker and creative midfielder, but those dont grow on trees and Tuchel would have to change the way he plays which could have other trade-offs. I still see Scousers and maybe even Scum as a bigger threat in the league anyway.

 

[lasereyes]

You’re talking as if they haven’t done that multiple times already last season

Not enough (see West Brom, Villa games for instance). As their position in the table indicates.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

How is finishing 19 points behind us coming close? Problem is Tuchel's defence-first style can work well against teams like us (until Pep figures him out same as he did Klopp). But they dont have the firepower or creativity to breakdown less aggressive teams who will pack players behind the ball. Now they could go out and buy a striker and creative midfielder, but those dont grow on trees and Tuchel would have to change the way he plays which could have other trade-offs. I still see Scousers and maybe even Scum as a bigger threat in the league anyway.

Well, I don’t, I see Chelsea as the bigger threat. Tuchel said a few weeks ago that they would be hunting next season for the PL and I believe him. He, too, was adapting as this was his first season and did pretty well, got to the FA Cup final (if we’re honest, they had a disallowed goal that should have stood) and qualified to the UCL, which was their goal. They weren’t hunting for the title, so that meant they could spare points while focusing in UCL games and rotating. If next season the PL is a priority, the approach will be different.
Tuchel doesn’t play “defense-first style” necessarily like you said. Wasn’t like that in Germany and wasn’t like that in France. Wasn’t like that even in a lot of domestic games here which they won. He arrived mid-season with a side that he had no hand in picking, so it’s only natural that a more careful approach was taken, and for the most part it worked. Now they go into the summer window with money and, as CL winners, it becomes easier to get whatever players they want.

Not enough (see West Brom, Villa games for instance). As their position in the table indicates.

We also had our share of games in which we struggled. Like I said, they were competing for top 4, which means they didn’t have to give their all in PL, with focus in the CL. The reason they finished fourth is because they had a shit manager for good part of the season. Would they have finished fourth with the current manager since the beginning? My guess is, No.

But the main point is, Telling ourselves they won’t be a threat is a lie. We have to operate as if they are and be prepared. Saying stuff like “they will fire Tuchel mid season” is just banter. I have a feeling that if I were arguing for Liverpool as the bigger threat, you would have said no, it’s Chelsea and United. And if I argued for United, you would have said Chelsea and Liverpool are the bigger threat.

 

[RayCTID]

Chelsea don't have the strength in depth to go on all fronts.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

Chelsea don't have the strength in depth to go on all fronts.

Are you looking into the future and seeing what their summer window looked like? Winning the quadruple is hard, but to say a team like them can’t fight in all fronts is just unrealistic. Not all managers take the Klopp approach.

 

[RayCTID]

Are you looking into the future and seeing what their summer window looked like? Winning the quadruple is hard, but to say a team like them can’t fight in all fronts is just unrealistic. Not all managers take the Klopp approach.

They are similar to Liverpool and look like they are totally reliant on their first 11. Next season isn't going to be any different. If they want to win the league they would have to sacrifice one cup.