Indeed, although I would quibble with the notion that it took a long time for him to settle in. I thought it was a pretty respectable amount of time for a young player of any price in the premier league.
So with the ban lifted, who does everyone think Chelsea is going to target? Based on everything I've seen, it seems like they view Rudiger coming back as being strengthening center defense in and of itself. To be honest, they probably could use another CB long term, but I get why the focus seems to be elsewhere. Prying Chilwell seems to be the most natural move for them, but would Leicester really let him leave in January? Beyond that they definitely could use another winger and another striker. Pretty big for Christian that he broke out like he did with the transfer window ban breaking like it did. But the team is two injuries away from being on the outside looking in on the Champions league for next year.
If I'm them, I don't make any moves in January. Their squad is lacking top-end talent in some areas, but they have enough bodies. Even at forward, you're not going to find a pure center forward who is better than batshuayi and is willing to be a backup to abraham. The only way they get a real boost there is getting someone who is versatile enough to spend time out wide. Maybe somebody like Werner would agree to that, but it's not an easy sell, and they'd need to offload their current backups first. For me, they need to focus on quality. Bring in 1-2 guys as starters, and 1-2 top backups who can rotate in as starters. Something like chilwell, sancho, and a solid midfielder who fits what Lampard wants would be a really nice summer for them, and wouldn't be an unrealistic haul.
Striker, CB, and FB. In that order. Striker - It's already proven that when Tammy is out of duty, Bats and Giroud don't cut it. They can't score goals without Tammy. Need a solid back up. CB - Rudiger is their only solid CB. Zouma and Tomori are still learning on the jobs. Christensen does not belong at this level. FB - James is still learning. Emerson has flaws, and Alonso is out of his depth. Winger can wait until next summer. Between Pulisic, Willian, CHO, Mount, and Pedro. They have plenty of wingers to finish the season.
Why was no one running with him? They just stood there watching. If Tammy had run into the box, that cross was an easy tab in.
I really think that next summer, Lampard should get another top notch winger and move CP to the center, either as an attacking mid or IMO a support striker playing underneath Tammy. Imagine CP running at the defense with options to spray the ball left, right, and forward.
Simple. They're as astonished as I am watching him dribble. They'll have to just get over it, as I will.
Christian is a budding fantasista. Good For him- that’s a hard position to develop because it requires having the keys to the car and young players don’t get those often.
In case you missed this in all the excitement yesterday ... https://www.ft.com/content/c0fe56fa-1ae3-11ea-9186-7348c2f183af "A US financier who co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team has tabled an offer to buy London’s Chelsea Football Club from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, according to a person briefed on the matter. The offer last month by Todd Boehly, former president of asset manager Guggenheim Partners, fell short of the £3bn valuation Mr Abramovich is believed to be seeking for the English Premier League club, the person said. Mr Boehly and Mr Abramovich both declined to comment. Chelsea could not be reached for comment. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the bid, said Mr Boehly’s offer had been rejected. He remains interested in a deal, according to the person."
Also from the linked article ... "Mr Abramovich later took Israeli citizenship after his application for a UK investor visa was delayed. Chelsea then shelved plans for a new £500m stadium in west London, citing an unfavourable investment climate. Although he has not attended a Chelsea match since the visa delay, Mr Abramovich remains actively involved in club affairs and is happy to follow the team on television, according to people close to him."
#USMNT attacker @cpulisic_10 met up with a 🇺🇸 fan last night after @ChelseaFC's 2-1 @ChampionsLeague win vs. Lille. 👍📷: @McConaughey pic.twitter.com/DE2Ex5lxin— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) December 11, 2019
The word from Frank last night was that they lost a lot of goals when they lost Hazard and that they need more competition up front. Of course, on Grumpy Pundits they must translate this into CP losing his job... but the guest speaker said that CP was probably one of the least likely to lose his spot. He did say that CP is not selfish enough and needs to shoot more... but he has essentially been a bright spot. Says Chelsea isn't getting enough from the other wingers and the rest of the midfield (outside of Kova)... and that they need another option up front other than Tammy. Order of importance for me: Left Back Striker CB Left Midfield Right Winger
He seems to look dribble first every time...needs to vary his touches to keep defenders honest. I always sense he holds the ball a beat too long, tries to do more when less would work just as well.
That's strange. Getting goals is not their problem. It's letting in easy goals, that's what they need to fix. Only 3 teams score more.
I too think it is strange and wonder how anyone can watch their games and not see the need for at least one stud on D... preferably two. I do think the drop off from Tammy might be good to address and if Pedro gets released then another winger would make sense... especially because Odoi hasn't been all that impressive and Willian will likely be gone in the summer. The left side of the team outside of CP isn't that strong right now... Emerson has a hard time getting the ball to CP and too many goals have come against the left-back. Getting a stud LB would drastically improve things offensively and defensively. It should be at the top of the list.