Looking a bit better for the 'run in', still apt to have 10 mins or so looking decidedly 'shaky' though - RLC was fab again but I also thought Barkley did well when he came on, he seemed to steady the ship again and his pass to Hazard was brilliant. We 'could' have a good couple of years coming up if Hazard stays, he is of course the best player we have, I think we should offer whatever he wants (he is that good), he has a chance to become a Chelsea legend like Lamps or god himself (Zola of course) as long as he stays. If he goes to that 'joke' that is the Harlem Globetrotters.........erm sorry mean Madrid I think he may regret it, I reckon that long streak of p*ss Courtois is regretting it already (the muppet).
A little bit better on the non-hazardy bits (cho a more regular threat and rlc more aggressive with his energy) but still very short of ideas when it comes to touches in and around the box. I'm confident pulisic will upgrade us in this area. The hazard factor again though the difference. I've said it before but our tactics are basically knock it around a bit and wait for eden to do something special. This is not a clever strategy longer term and we really need to find more ways of bringing others meaningfully into the game. Happy with the points, hope our alt-11 does the job Thursday and the lads have fire in their bellies for liverpool. Third!
This won't happen until he leaves, unfortunately. A mercurial talent, but a one-man team is not wise. CHO and Pulisic on the wings is very exciting, though not of the trophy-winning caliber.
What I enjoyed in this game is how fast and direct our transition was. Kante, CHO, RLC and even Azpi just went for when given the space. I miss seeing that
CHO and Pulisic have a lot of potential but they are both very young and although they may turn into very good players neither of them are going to be in the same bracket as Hazard (only a very small number of players become THAT good), the worry for both is that they will have a 'void' to fill that they simply won't be capable of filling, I worry that this may have a damaging effect on them.
Their 19 and 20. Neither are finished products. Far to early to make a statement like that. We go and get a legit striker to complete that front 3 and it could become one.
You proved my point. Today, those two are not at the level to compete for trophies in this league. Will they be? Yes. If we trot out a front three of Higuain, CHO, and Pulisic next season....it will be interesting.
I mean sure but you could also say Hazard isn’t good enough to be the sole reason to drag a team to trophies because we’ve won playing defensively first and we haven’t won a trophy with him being the focus/team structured around. We weren’t built defensively to max him and he was the best player no doubt but it’s easily arguable structure is why we won. It’s a team game.
I've gotta vent about this. I keep seeing people (pundits and journalists) say that Hazard is too good for us? WTF? Would they say that about Kane or Dele? What about Rashford or half of Citeh's squad or any number of the ********sticks at Liverpool? What does it mean that he's too good? Would he be too good for any of those sides? Was Suarez too good for Pool? What about Lampard when he was one of the best in the world? I'm so ********ing sick of the absolute tint all these pricks look at us. I can almost guarantee you they don't say that about almost anyone else.
Also, we're now guaranteed a finish of no lower than 6th place this season. Europa League at the very least.
I get that, but this is really bugging me. I watch a lot of PL programming on NBC Sports Gold Package and it's all the same shit. I'd be willing to bet that next season if he leaves the narrative will how poor it was for us to let him go. How could we do that! Diego Costa was a monster until he left. Now they miss him, he was so good to watch.
It’s because to them we will always be new money and have no history earned just bought. And for the longest time we did it ugly and combatively. We won no support in the media. The later reason is why we will remain hated compared to Man City.
I can appreciate this opinion, but it's 16 years after the fact. No club in that timeframe has had the overall success we have. If what you say is true, they're even more fickle than I thought. I get we're new money, but is almost 2 decades of us blowing people out of the water. Time for those ********sticks to move on.
No doubt just what I assume it’s about. That’s really where the winning ugly and combativeness with the media hasn’t helped. Mou looking at you. Then you can also add Roman as doing us no favors either in the media department. Point blank, he’s Russian. It’s not fair and it’s BS but from the look of it we will always be the hated team of the big 6 by the media. They need someone to try and pick. I’d rather be hated then a laughingstock like Arsenal and Spurs are. I also think this could change if Sarri or someone else gets us playing the beautiful game and we win trophies, we will turn some of those haters.
An additional perspective is we have not been liked for a long time if ever. In the 70s we were the cocky lot from the kings road, in the 80s and 90s the hooligan element was particularly rank. We had a nice little window gullit to Claudio (the Zola years) when we were palatable but then had the temerity to close the gap overnight on more worthy clubs. How dare we use our capital to succeed in a capitalist business. Dont we know our place? I never understood the obsession with how billionaires spend their money anyway. Why should a sp*rs fan be happy that their owner makes a profit? Do they see it? No. I'd be angry they didnt dare to do more in the transfer market. May have one a title or two if they did What a f***ing joke of a club motto. F**k the media and f**k the other fans and their fake moral high ground. Blue got me all riled this morning
I was going to mention the hooligan ties from the 80's and early 90's. You know what though, that's 30 to 40 years ago. You how else had rampant hooliganism during that time. Everyone. The English national team. There's a ********ing reason there was a European ban. As I said earlier, time for them to move on. Sorry to get everyone going, but Carragher's piece on MNF after the match set me off then even the general coverage on PL programming is rubbing me the wrong way. They need to ********ing get over themselves. We're one of the best sides in the ********ing world. We've won the lot. We don't put a DVD out for 2nd place. We don't celebrate a trophyless season. We ********ing win stuff, loads of things. As KDB said, ******** the lot.
RLC, wow, what a difference a proper and dangerous dominating midfielder makes... Announcers a bit harsh on CHO but his speed and danger kept two guys on him, which opened the field and along with/especially with RLC's presence allowed Hazard to be spectacular and Kante to look like a mini Essien rather than out of position. (only took Sorri 84% of the season to figure that out) Was really fun to watch til RLC went out and it reverted back Somebody has to rain on the parade; as good and fun we were to watch for a good while, we were an exceptional save by Kepa after yet another Luiz defensive mistake, and about a cumulative 3 feet in West Ham aim from being ********ed. We still don't control our top 4 destiny ourselves which is inexcusable seeing what a proper Chelsea lineup and an improved 1st half system could do, even if only against a so-so West Ham team. But in third and other teams effing up to so lots of hope still, have to get CL with a ban coming but Sorri still need to go regardless, and scouse an absolute must win, looking at the finishing schedules. So lets see if hes learned a wee bit and goes with RLC especially and a proper line-up. Tough ask but he put us here.
We qualified for Europe and then the English teams were banned. All because some Liverpool fans murdered* Italians in Belgium. * sorry manslaughter. 14 Liverpool fans went to prison for manslaughter.