I really don't see a whole lot of values from Ziyech besides accurate passes/crosses. A 90 min soccer match is A LOT more than just some passes/crosses. Not sure if he's a guarantee every match starter, he seems more like a specialist to me.
Frank is either clueless or is appeasing the money above if CP isn't penned in when healthy. It's likely the former. I've seen enough.
I kind of agree here, but he's like the new fresh shiny toy that everyone wants to play everyday until people get tired of. He's skillset is a bit different than the other wingers but he lack the pace and guile that CP provide out wide.
Reece James and Ben Chillwell aren't exactly shit so the first bolded is debatable. The second bolded part is flat out wrong, he does play other positions in the attack.
I think there is some confusion that my comments are my opinion on how Chelsea should line up. They are not. My takes are what I think FL is thinking/saying. Frank Lampard himself said Ziyech only plays RW. I’ll try to find the quote. but please show me where Ziyech has lined up in another position for Chelsea. and Reese James (who is out injured) and Chillwell are excellent crossers of the ball. But they are not wingers, and will not be moved up the field to replace Ziyech. FL spent a lot of money on Ziyech, Werner, and Havertz. Those are his signings, and he has pressure to make sure they play and that they perform. Havertz has just been so visibly abysmal lately, that FL had no choice but to be bench him. Ziyech is going to keep getting opportunities, for now, so currently the LW spot is in contention by CHO and CP.
I am not convinced Havertz is going to work out. I think Ziyech will be a contributor and has looked the part. He may or may not think Ziyech can play only on the right, but the fact remains he is much more than just a right winger. Frank is going to have to make some changes beyond CHO on the left for CP and Ziyech on the right. As to what Frank has been thinking or doing, I am hoping he sees it hasn't been working and changes some things up. Frank needs for his purchases to work out, but not near as bad as he needs to finish in the top four. If you are right about it being between CHO and CP, I do not think CHO is going to take too many of CPs minutes for very long.
I swear there are more people in this thread who expect to see Pulisic benched than in the Chelsea forums.
james in particular but also chilwell are very nice crossers of the ball, but comparing them to what ziyech does seems criminal.
It's the nature of this place. Reactionary, strikes and gutters. y-lee used to be the crazy guy in here talking about the ballon d'Or, now he's the voice of reason! Wild. CP will start some, and not start others. Not that complex. And it's not about biases, it's because they are trying to figure things out. If CP starts producing goals instead of just being more peripheral to the goals through build up play (which is still good btw!) he'll probably solidify a starting role. Frankly I'm not super convinced he isn't pretty much the de facto LW at this point in time... however Frank might want to try and get Ziyech & CHO with Werner and see what that looks like, or maybe Ziyech, Tammy, Werner (LW)? We will see. As always, I'd expect CP to play a fair amount of minutes, barring injury. Near first on the team sheet in a wide attacking position. The issue as always, is whether he can be healthy for a long stretch to give himself a chance to really produce.
Really?..Those I've seen are all pretty much picking CHO to start ahead of CP on the left wing against Fulham...Most of them believe CHO deserve a run on the team.... Now, whether Frank follows suit and start CHO ahead of CP is another story.....CP has looked much better if you don't include stats.
I still think he has the BdO in him. He will have to stay mostly healthy, and rediscover his post restart form for multiple seasons. I know it sounds crazy so I don't bring it up, either way he is easily on track to be the best attacking footballer we have ever produced and it is going to be fun to watch. I am just not all that reactionary about his position at CFC. I think he is MOL the default LAM. I also want rotation so if CHO is in form I am okay with him getting a run, but if Frank can't figure out how to connect the midfield and the attack then I don't care if he plays or not.
Imagine CHO played after the restart and scored a bunch of goals, and there was a consensus that he was Chelsea's biggest threat and played a huge role in them securing CL play. Then he played in a Cup Final, was extremely bright and scored a goal, before he went off injured and Chelsea capitulated without a fight. After an extremely short off-season, CHO was out for much of the first 2 months and when he did come back he was very dangerous, often adjudged to be one of Chelsea's best 2-3 players when he did play. But instead of goals and assists, he created havoc, drew extra defenders, drew fouls / yellow cards and had multiple second assists. He also played a completely different role than anyone on the team. Meanwhile, Pulisic had come into the team, scored a couple tap-ins, whipped some pinpoint crosses across the field, and grabbed some stats against a League 2 side. Would any of these Chelsea / CHO fans be demanding CP start because he was the most "deserving?" I think not. They'll be fine against bottom-feeder, Fulham, without CP, but Frank has a lot more to worry about than giving run to the nebulous, "most deserving player." As an aside, I find it strange how unabashedly pro-Brit (vs foreigner) the PL fanbases are, in a way you don't see in the US from large swaths of fans of the NHL or NBA.
Yeah about the anti-foreigner thing, that's literally not true. If a player comes in and is elite the fans will embrace them no matter where they are from. On the other hand, some of the more average English players are the most mocked.
I agree that Frank needs to be careful about going by sentiment of who the fan believe deserve a run on the squad..He should pick the best 11 to start.and sometimes, that requires you to look past statistic that doesn't necessarily tell you player A is playing better than player B. As for British based Chelsea fan having a pro Brit player-bias(anti foreigner)...I don't think they're anti foreigner...they're just a bit quicker to turn on a foreign player if he's not producing in compare to the home grown English player who will get a longer leash.
Talk Chelsea has CH-O (playing decently for 2-3 games means he's somehow "in form") starting in place of CP with Ziyech on the other wing. I know I'm biased toward CP, but I just don't get it. https://www.talkchelsea.net/news/reece-james-set-to-start-predicted-chelsea-xi-to-face-fulham/
frank hasnt told us or him yet... eta: if theres a record put me on it as "of course its because hes american". he would be the no-questions asked starter wherever he wanted if he was even (representing) croatian, much less german or british...in which case he would be the player/manager by now.
Agreed. I think he’s not starting today. Which is frustrating because CHO will get the chance to stat-pad vs a lower level team and CP will not. But hope I’m wrong...
With the form Fulham is in I doubt anybody will be doing any stat padding today. They are on 5 in a row unbeaten against upper half teams including Pool and spuds. l
Don't be so sure. Fulham are giving pretty much every team a run for their money, with draws in each of their last 5 Prem games. Not scoring much, but not giving up many, either. Spurs 1-1 Fulham, Liverpool 1-1 Fulham, ManCity 2-0 Fulham, Leicester 1-2 Fulham have been the fairly recent big games. Fulham are not playing as bottom-feeders, but will have a tough time getting off the bottom if they can't exchange future draws for wins. Mr. Coyote beat me to it. Sorry for the redundancy.
Comments like this are why Chelsea fans get annoyed by Pulisic fans and project it onto him. He is a quality player but not good enough to have an uncontested starting spot. Not even close.