Upamecano is garbage. I don’t care how athletic and how technical a guy is- if he makes around two critical mistakes a match like he does- he’s not a good CB. Naglesman deserves all the plaudits for losing Konate and Orban and having to play this clown while maintaining a Champions League place. Mark my words, Dayot Upamecano is going to be a massive flop no matter where he signs.
repped but don't think he'll be a massive flop. I think he'll be fine at a club that needs his dynamism. Hwvr, Chelsea should not think of signing him when they could have Konate or Orban (caveat: I dont know anything about the latter two's injuries that kept them out so long).
Subbed off at the 65' mark today and you could argue he was left on too long. Hardly alone in underperforming today, but still, that had to be Pulisic's worst performance in a Chelsea kit yet.
I've been saying this for a couple of weeks. I know Chelsea is in the middle of a Champions League fight with ManU and Leicester right in the mix, but Lampard went to the well too often continuing to play Pulisic. I was concerned about injury, but having a poor game could (and did) happen. I know he's 21, but you can't throw someone out there for 75-90 minutes every third or fourth day and continue to expect top-tier performances.
The whole team was $hit. Maybe CP is a bit tired, but this was an important game. No question about starting him. You don't need top tier from him if others are pulling their weight. Nobody was.
I never said Lampard should have rotated him for this game. He could have been rotated in a previous game. As Lampard develops as a Premier League coach, rotating squad players is something he will need to improve. The rotation games should have been Crystal Palace and West Ham. In each game, some players could have come on with something to prove while some key players got 60-90 minutes off.
Word. Literally atrocious. The fact that they have signed two offensive players and are still looking for more on that side of the ball borders on silly. They need at least one stud center-back... a quality left-back and a new GK. As far as rotating players after the restart... I give Frank a bit of a pass as he really doesn't have a ton of options and needed to keep winning to hold off Man U. Playing every 3 or 4 days really makes it difficult... If the schedule were once a week then starting CP and Willian every game would be just fine... I think he was just crossing his fingers that they could hold up until the end.... If the D could actually keep a clean sheet then he could have subbed CP and Willian earlier in matches.
There's still a lot of time to buy defenders though. If it's true they're looking to reduce their Loan Army, plus the guys leaving like Pedro and Willian, they'll have money for it in August.
Doesn't everyone have to reduce their loan army now? I believe you can only have 8 players over 22 this next season out on loan.
exactly. if there was a time to second-guess lampards rotating its over now. they have 3 league matches (along with the fa cup semis) left to qualify for the champions league. pulisic, willian and (hopefully) kante/kovasic need 3 goal leads (or to be blown out) if they want to rest...and im not sure 3 is enough with that backline. but just like complaining about a lack of rest of the last month- saying he looks tired in the fifth minute of every matchday thread doesnt matter either. its winning time. i sure hope hes not making as many whiny excuses as bs is...
Yeah it's clear that Frank is relying on him...time to get er done, tired or not. If he can come through, he'll be on his way to becoming a Chelsea legend. CP will have a nice long break after the next couple of weeks and it seems like a better offensive rotation next year to help him out, but for now it's time to prove he is world class.
He draws a lot of attention. He can use it smartly to help the team. But at some level of defensive attention his numbers necessarily go down. Next year I would expect the situation to change.
Some nice fluff for dessert this evening. https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2020/07/14/pulisic-world-class-player-farke-lampard-praises-usmnt-star/ "Pulisic has now scored three goals and had an assist since the restart, plus won two penalty kicks and a free kick which Willian has scored from, so he’s had a direct hand in over half of the 12 goals Chelsea have scored since the Premier League resumed."
I thought his trap, turn and power shot in traffic was even better than the assist. If he can start shooting like that he will power up another level. Don’t remember him hitting one that hard before. Maybe Frank or Mount are working with him.
No doubt Pulisic has emerged as one of Chelsea's top 2-3 players (arguably best player since reset, but you could also hear a case for Mount in particular.) One thing that's holding him back a bit: Chelsea has absolute crap spacing. Lampard plays his wingbacks adventurously and presses high, which is great, but I rarely see a match where there aren't 2 or 3 players within 5-10 yards of wherever Pulisic receives or takes on a dribble. Teammates gotta understand how directly Pulisic plays and check those runs, provide wider outlets or hang toward top of 18.
As I type this, Pulisic is Chelsea's best player. Azpi has an argument. This guy is on a totally different level than ANY US soccer player. Ever. Watch him for 10 minutes against Liverpool. The Best. Christian Pulisic. At 22. He made even more money today. $70M won't be his biggest transfer fee.
His goal was so impressive. The patience he showed in traffic to chest the ball down and get an additional touch on the turn was something to behold. He can score goals in so many different ways. His only question is his health. He stays healthy, he has every opportunity to be a global superstar.
I feel like his confidence is really blossoming out there. With his teammates looking for him and his production going up, he looks like he feels free to play a bit looser and take chances. Expectations for this kid were always through the roof and he's looking very close to exceeding them already.