Agreed he was far and away the best player for Chelsea, especially as the game went on. Great to see. Only other player that came close would be Lacazette.
Rumor around in the Chelski boards is that they may solve the problem in a very English way: hire a foreigner to do the heavy lifting as "assistant manager" and keep the Good Old Boy as a figurehead. All pride is saved. Frank instructions every game seem to be the same: run wide and cross and hope someone's head connects.
As the front man, he'll still get primary attention from very strong and fast defenders so I'm not sure this position will make it easier on him...I don't think he's equipped for it "yet"...Maybe when he settles down. His best position is as a shadow striker where he can hide from defenders but I doubt a team like Chelsea will be willing to play a 442 just to fit in 1 player.....I'm not sure having Werner leading the line is the best option right now, specially with Abraham and Giroud banging in goals.
A big problem with Chelsea is that Mason Mount spends more time in the box than Schrödinger's cat. And it's not like he's making late runs into the box. He's often standing in there before the ball is anywhere near the area. He needs to let the forwards have that space while he tries to maintain some sort of midfield shape.
This team has no leadership or attacking coordination. I hate it. Take it down and shoot or lose it; repeat; repeat;...... Yes, emphatically. And, don't forget how woeful Mount's shots are. I believe all the more that Mount is a distraction to the coordination of team play. This year, the first victim is a structured attack and the second victim is a structured defense.
I'm an arsenal fan and I think we got really lucky and it could have easily gone the other way. Arteta handed a lifeline but I didn't think we played well. Our goals were xhaka randomly turning into messi for his once a year goal, a failed cross, and a penalty that wasn't a penalty.
Not sure about a better team. I think the team he's with right now have enough talents for him to succeed, but might need a better coach though. It'll be quite interesting if he reunites with Tuchel. If Lampard lose the next few games, he could get sacked.
Every inexperienced manager in his first big job should hire a big brain assistant. The self-aware ones do it on their own; the hubristic ones don’t. I’d take that solution because Frank is a mess right now, and odds are it’s the ego + inexperience.
Agreed. And yesterday Kante caught that same bug. The space behind the box is empty of Chelsea players. The box is jam packed. No spacing.
Has a "recent club legend" led his team to the PL title as their first PL coaching gig in, well, ever? I look at ManU, Chelsea, and Arsenal and wonder where this stupid idea comes from. (I just looked at the managers of the last 20 or so PL titles and am laughing my ass off.)
I like Arteta and it's possible he can grow to become a great manager (preferably at a smaller club for now), but he's hardly a club legend. He was a pretty average player for Arsenal. He's probably better known for his time at Everton tbh. Part of why the emotional attachment to him by certain parts of the fanbase is weird to me. He's no Zidane or Lampard as far as status within the club's history. I think he was just cheaper than other options. But I think some clubs are making these appointments as a culture thing. Bringing in people who know the dressing room at its best. Ole was brought in to bring back United's "DNA" they claim to have lost after Fergie retired.
A big reason why these choices are made are because they are both defensible, and to a lesser extent, affordable. A huge asset for a coach at a high level in terms of getting hired is that the press and fanbase will fundamentally not blame the hiring person if it goes horribly wrong. A TD, DoFO, President, whoever is doing it ... if they hire someone who has a lot of football acument but little defensible name value, if that person fails, it's on the person hiring. But if you hire Frank Lampard ... when Frank fails, no one blames you. He's a club legend -- of course it was a good idea! As long as people give the hire the benefit early on, the poor performance is on the coach if it happens. After all, it's hard to criticize the hire if you thought it was a good idea. But if people hate the hire and it fails... it's on you.
I was watching most of the Liverpool game today and it seems to me they do a far better job of creating chances with multiple strategies than Chelsea. THough in the end, they did not win against one of the bottom feeders, so sometimes things just don't go your way on any given day.
I not buying the lionization of Big Sam’s “genius.” There is a certain demographic of managers in English football with mediocre managerial winning percentages who get hired over and over and yet are constantly treated as if they are legendary geniuses. And if you look up the best winning % in EPL history precious few fit that demographic.
There's a HUGE difference between playing well and proven the superior team and still not win, versus playing terribly and lost badly.
Sure, but Big Sam has a proven track record with regard to preventing teams from being relegated. Further, he has seldom, if ever, had a team of players with true quality. He has been consistently saddled with the dregs of the PL and managed to elevate them to safety. Maybe that his sole skill as a manager. Maybe a team of better players would prove beyond his managerial abilities.
I agree that this team has a ton of potential. They just need a manager who can motivate them to play to their potential. I sure hope Pulisic stays as he could play a large part of their future success.
Chelsea, just like Barcelona, is a huge team with the motivation and money to stay at the top. CP has been one of the bright spots and when he’s on the field he’s been one of their few players who’s putting defenders on their heals.
Part of motivating at team is using tactics the team will buy into and succeed with. If his tactics don't lead to success, the motivation could suffer.
I'm going to defend Lampard a little here. Keep in mind that he is integrating Werner, Ziyech, Havertz, and now Pulisic back into the mix. Chillwell, Silva, and Mendy in the back. That is a huge task, and they are only 15 games in with this new squad. I think he deserves a bit more time to let these guys play together. They are right in the thick of it thanks to a good start, so there isn't any need to panic right now.