Cherry picking and de-contextualizing lines from a longer interview is also a great way to get clicks, Disney!
Not in the squad against Morecambe. EDIT: Pulisic is on the bench! Chelsea originally put out a Tweet with incorrect info. Here's how we line up this afternoon!Starting XI 👇 pic.twitter.com/Ghjm3istCq— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 10, 2021
Thinking out loud - a bad habit, I know - I would start a full-strength offense on Sunday v Morecambe, because the forwards need to get some confidence back, and the players would still have just enough time to recover by the Fulham game on Friday. I believe in the FA Cup teams are allowed five subs, from a bench of nine players. But what exactly would that first-choice offense look like, with everyone healthy? I think Lampard should go with: Pulisic --- Werner --- Ziyech -- Mount --- Havertz -- --- Kante --- Emerson--Rudiger--Christensen--Azpi Kepa A first-choice offense with a second-choice defense.
^ That was written yesterday but not posted, because I hadn't completed my thought. I missed on just two players, so Lampard made just two mistakes. He has Hudson-Odoi, not Pulisic, who is on the bench, and Gilmour, not Kante, who is not in the squad. Let's see if this approach leads to the hoped for confidence-restoring goal-fest.
Score line flatters Chelsea. Not a good half considering the opposition and the money spent on the attack
they scored after he came on but I dont think he figured in at all in the touches leading up to the goal
The more I see of Timo Werner the less impressed I am. The next really nice first touch I see him take will be the first. He is fast and on a counter team he is a very useful player. When you need delicate combinations requiring sublime touches Timo is not your man. Pulisic got a little exercise but really it was game over by the time he got on and the were going down the right almost exclusively.
Werner had a goal and Havertz had a goal and an assist vs League 2 side Morecambe. Despite those results, if anyone watched the match, you’d still be very concerned about those 2 players. If I’m a Chelsea fan, I’m still very worried that they may not be the right fit for the Premier League. A lot of money was shelled out for those 2, and I’m seeing a lot of warning signs that have nothing to do with “needing a little more time to adjust” and “lacking confidence at the moment,” and are more to do with overall skill set and style of play. But who knows, maybe they will start tearing teams up. Pulisic, whether he knows it or not (he probably does), is locked into direct competition with Hudson-Odoi now. I think CP is the better player, but CHO is getting the assists and goals to make the argument that he should be the clubs main LW right now, with Ziyech on the Right. FL may try to start them both in a few matches, but eventually he will have to stick with one over the other. If CP becomes a super sub again, I have no doubt he will rise to the challenge again and will reclaim his spot.
“Awhile” = a couple weeks, and even in that time CHO has not been earth-shattering. He’s been putting in better than average shifts for a team that is playing poorly and still has no clear identity and plan. but yes, if I’m FL, I’d have to put CHO in my best 11 right now
Y’all promoting CHO realize that he started against a fourth division side to get minutes and Pulisic came off of the bench to get rest, right? Frank played guys who need minutes or confidence - Kepa, Dave, Gilmour, Kai, Werner, Ziyech, Emerson - all of those dudes have been getting less than desirable minutes amount of minutes due to injury or being a second option, or have been crap in those minutes (mostly Werner).
This was a game where I don't think Lamp should have put in Pulisic. Let the guy rest and ready for EPL. Mount should have been rested as well, dude been playing every single minute.
He’s been good in their premier league games as well. Deserves a start in the league if merit means anything.
I think CHO is a lock to start next EPL match..They've been a campaign to get him more matches and I think he deserve a run...One of CP/Ziyech starts on the other side.
You may be right, but I think Frank is wrong for that. I think he needs all three of Ziyech Puli and CHO on the field. Ziyech maybe in the midfield. I think CHO needs a run of games, and should be involved in the rotation. The way the games are coming 3 guys for two spots is probably not a bad thing. Everybody plays 2 out of 3 and subs determined by game flow.
I haven't seen anything from Ziyech to show that he can be the guy in the middle pulling the strings. Sure he got some nice crosses in him, but he has not shown me the ability to get out of tight spots with the ball while 2 or 3 defenders closing in on you. The only guy that can do it effectively right now is Pulisic, and perhaps Gilmour seems to have that ability also. Havertz is a turnover machine in the middle. He has given up many turnovers that lead directly to the opponent's dangerous attack. To get all 3 of Ziyech, CHO, and Odoi on the pitch; Pulisic almost have to play CAM/AM. I would love to see this a few games, if Lampard is not so locked down on Pulisic in left wing. -----CHO------Werner------Ziyech -------Mount----Pulisic----Kante -----Chillwell--Silva---Zouma---James ---------------Mendy------------- And if you need a bit more presence in the midfield, a 3-4-3 could a decent fit. ----------CHO------Werner------Ziyech-------- -------Mount----Kovaic---Pulisic----Kante ----------Chillwell--Silva-----James---------- ---------------Mendy------------- Mount and Kante could be the hard working midfielders, while Pulisic and Kovacic combined to be the creative force in midfield. I might be tempted to give Gilmour a chance here in place of Kovacic.
Yup... play CP in the 10 slot... For the life of me I don't understand why Frank hasn't even tried it.?.?
I think CP at 10 would mean you'd have to take Mount off the pitch. Or at least get him to stay back in a deep lying playmaker type of way. I'm not saying that means CP shouldn't be at the 10, but I don't know how he works at the 10 with Mount on the field at the same time.
What a mess that squad is right now, compared to reasonable expectations. No wonder Roman is getting itchy.
Me too. But more importantly.... it would play to CP's strengths. He would be creating imbalances up the middle and it would allow him to interchange with players on both sides of the pitch. When you beat a man on the wing you have very few options but when you do it in the middle of the pitch is causes all sorts of chaos. Right now the Chelsea offense is so predictable... get two or three players to make a play in the corners and then send in a cross. They need more thru balls up the gut and I would love to see CP take on CBs more often. I smell goals, assists and drawn penalties.
Maybe Lampard is replaying nightmare scenarios in his head of his England career alongside Gerrard where you had two guys playing a similar position who were less than the sum of their parts playing together. (See also: Bradley, Michael & Jones, Jermaine) Also thinking Lamps wants more defending from his "10" (he barely plays with a "9" and certainly not an "11") than CP wants to do or Lamps wants him to do