Premier League Games 14/15/16/17 July

[mat]

Yeah, the club allowed Hazard's brilliance to mask what really has been a sharp decline in the overall strength of the squad. Chelsea have essentially, since 2015, piggy-banked on the Hazard's back. Seldomly giving him some quality players to work with (Fabregas and Costa for 2 seasons etc). It is why I had zero issues with him wanting to leave.

With Hazard gone, it has laid bare the sort of quality we have to work with. Thankfully some of our academy players have stepped up and grown. Abraham, for example, might be having a poor time of it at the moment, but without his 14 league goals we don't even sniff the top 4.

Thankfully the club have realised this, and we look like we're taking the steps to move in the right direction again.

If Frank build the team around Pulisic you’ll be grand.

 

[MCFC1993]

Yeah, the club allowed Hazard's brilliance to mask what really has been a sharp decline in the overall strength of the squad. Chelsea have essentially, since 2015, piggy-banked on the Hazard's back. Seldomly giving him some quality players to work with (Fabregas and Costa for 2 seasons etc). It is why I had zero issues with him wanting to leave.

With Hazard gone, it has laid bare the sort of quality we have to work with. Thankfully some of our academy players have stepped up and grown. Abraham, for example, might be having a poor time of it at the moment, but without his 14 league goals we don't even sniff the top 4.

Thankfully the club have realised this, and we look like we're taking the steps to move in the right direction again.

Sorry my phone auto-corrected Kante in that last post.

I think if you look something like this next season you'll be doing okay:

---------------------Kepa
James-----Rudiger------?????---------?????
--------------------Kante
---------Kovacic---------Ziyech
?????---------------Werner-----------Pulisic


I don't rate Kepa at all but I think you'll stick with him. Azpilacueta could be used as a stop-gap in one of the defensive slots. I like Hudson-Odoi but he's not quite clicked/had enough minutes yet. Probably should keep Willian for one of those slots but he's not signed a new contract yet.

Overall it might take a couple of seasons to get the squad you need, unless you go mental this transfer window.

 

[Vialli98]

Sorry my phone auto-corrected Kante in that last post.

I think if you look something like this next season you'll be doing okay:

---------------------Kepa
James-----Rudiger------?????---------?????
--------------------Kante
---------Kovacic---------Ziyech
?????---------------Werner-----------Pulisic


I don't rate Kepa at all but I think you'll stick with him. Azpilacueta could be used as a stop-gap in one of the defensive slots. I like Hudson-Odoi but he's not quite clicked/had enough minutes yet. Probably should keep Willian for one of those slots but he's not signed a new contract yet.

Overall it might take a couple of seasons to get the squad you need, unless you go mental this transfer window.

Chelsea likely have access to even more advanced stats that we as fans do, so I would be extremely surprised if Chelsea stick with Kepa.

Rudiger has become a massive liability and will hopefully be nowhere the starting 11 next season.

Ziyech will operate as RW-ish more than a attacking midfielder, I think.

So I think this is more realistic;

???? (Onana?)
James - Zouma/Christensen - ???? (Rice?) - ???? (Tagliafico?)
???? (Havertz?) - Kante (Gilmour)- Mount(Kovacic/RLC)
Ziyech (CHO) - Werner (Abraham/Giroud) - Pulisic (Werner, CHO)

 

[MCFC1993]

Chelsea likely have access to even more advanced stats that we as fans do, so I would be extremely surprised if Chelsea stick with Kepa.

Rudiger has become a massive liability and will hopefully be nowhere the starting 11 next season.

Ziyech will operate as RW-ish more than a attacking midfielder, I think.

So I think this is more realistic;

???? (Onana?)
James - Zouma/Christensen - ???? (Rice?) - ???? (Tagliafico?)
???? (Havertz?) - Kante (Gilmour)- Mount(Kovacic/RLC)
Ziyech (CHO) - Werner (Abraham/Giroud) - Pulisic (Werner, CHO)

Looks good your way as well. I'd forgot about Christensen.

Onana, Rice, Tagliafico, Havertz?

Talking £200m on top of Werner and Ziyech. Do you guys have that? (FFP-wise, I know Roman has it and in an ideal world you should be able to spend it). Would you recoup any money in sales?

 

[Vialli98]

Looks good your way as well. I'd forgot about Christensen.

Onana, Rice, Tagliafico, Havertz?

Talking £200m on top of Werner and Ziyech. Do you guys have that? (FFP-wise, I know Roman has it and in an ideal world you should be able to spend it). Would you recoup any money in sales?

Those are the players we have been heavily linked with. Chilwell too, but we seem to have cooled on him lately.

Technically, there is the £50m Atletico Madrid have just paid us for Morata (obligation to buy after a 1 year loan). We have already sold about £20m worth of loan army players (Pasalic to Atlanta £15m for example, and some other guys for £3m each). We stand to gain £15m extra on the Hazard deal if Real Madrid win the title in the first season, which is looking likely.

That's before we look at whatever the budget would have been this summer anyway.

It's difficult to predict who we'll actually manage to sell, but Emerson has been heavily linked with a £25m move to Inter, who also appear to want to make the Moses loan move permanent (about £10-15m). Bakayoko has been linked with numerous clubs, including Milan and PSG. We could also flip Barkley for £30m (ish) to a stupid club like West Ham or Newcastle :)

I think it's doable, but it also sounds like a complicated operation.

 

[penguins4kompany]

Please explain, not being betting savvy - Betfred - home 9/2, draw 3/1, away 4/6

Newcastle haven't lost at home since Jan 1st. Spurs have been awful of late even when winning against Everton and arsenal etc. Still wouldn't back them though, could be a lure in from the bookies for those willing to risk big money.

 

[balotellishaircut]

I see it's the hateful 8 Derby tonite, 6 fingered inbreds v wolves wankers.

if anyone wants to watch this bore fest instead of City, it's on BBC 2. 5.30

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Going well for Burnley so far

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Liverpool get favours as Arteta concentrates on FA Cup so picks a shit team tonight

 

[dronefromsector7G]

Burnley 1-1 95th min