Sanctions and AML are pretty serious shit. Have to deal with that in my line of work and it’s a major deal in the world of finance. The laws are very broad and money moves very easy- and regulators have little sympathy.
I heard yesterday on Grumpy Pundits (SiriusXM FC) that Chelsea have 81 days of cash remaining until they cannot pay expected debts, at least under the current rules preventing the club from generating income from new ticket sales, etc. Apparently, player salaries and other similar obligations are not included in the "funds to be paid" category. A travel expense ceiling of 20,000 lbs for each single event has already been imposed, although apparently flexibility will be allowed. Travel to the upcoming CL game at Lille is expected to exceed the limit.
Pulisic has recovered enough to make the bench today. Mount, Havertz, Werner, and Ziyech all start. Your Blues! 📋#CheNew pic.twitter.com/O5xPJLs41L— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 13, 2022
I was wondering how Pulisic was going to be used with the match crunch and it was thrown off slightly by one extra match in the rotation. Then he missed out on Thursday but I figured he wouldn’t start today. I am guessing twenty-twenty five today then a start vs Lille. Then a start vs Middlesbrough.
Pulisic looked a little gaunt today during his wing-back cameo. Poor dude probably couldn't hold any food down and lost some weight. Maybe it'll help him gain back some pace. Meanwhile, Werner and Ziyech didn't do shit and Mount was subbed at 65' for a shit performance so Pulisic should be starting next match.
Uneventful 15 minutes for Pulisic. He did fine, just not much that he had a chance to impact. I hate when he plays WB, but at least he got some minutes, and I’ll say with complete bias, that the game changed when he came on (although he was not the main reason)! I’m hoping he will get a chance to start the upcoming CL match in the front 3, preferably at LW. CP-Havertz-Mount was playing fire until Pulisic got sick. Or a CP-Havertz-Ziyech front would be nice. wow, Havertz is turning into a world beater. What a goal. Lukaku really does look like a really bad signing. He is playing so poor right now. Good player, but just does not fit their system, and with all the turmoil and drama, he is clearly not with it at the moment.
Pulisic stepped on for 15 min and Chelsea scored the game winning goal. At least, he brings luck to the pitch.
Lukaku would have likely scored their second today if Havertz had passed to him late instead of taking a shot from a bad angle.
As a USMNT fan, I don't mind the reduction in minutes ahead of the next qualifying window. But it does seem sometimes if the guy can't catch a break. His form had been very good, he seemed close to putting a lock on a place in the starting XI ... and then he gets a random illness and the door reopens for Ziyech.
That’s great. But is no one else seeing Lukaku’s clumsy touches out there and poor passes? Good player, but don’t think he fits well with what they are trying to do. We’ll see. But he is not in TT’s first 11, despite being signed for 100mill, so that says something.
Kai Havertz with an absolutely sublime goal. He is hot right now. Great feed from Jorginho. Good sub appearance for Pulisic.
Good outing from our lad, didn't look to be carrying any illness hangover and looked to have maintained his form, look for a good game from him against Lille.
He'll be back starting soon. Ziyech and Mount looks pretty average out there today. Actually, we shouldn't really want to see Pulisic start every match.
Lukaku was playing the 9 and drawing the attention of two defenders when Havertz scored his goal coming from a wide position. Lukaku is struggling for the same reason all Chelsea attackers have struggled the past year. The setup is defensive and concerned more with possession than directly attacking the goal. So yeah, he's a bad fit for what Chelsea are trying to do. But so is Havertz. And Pulisic. And Mount. And Ziyech. And Werner. And so on.
He is the biggest disappointment of them all. Sure, all of them have suffered under this system. But he's really played like a donkey a lot of the time. So has Werner, but at least he's always giving 100 percent effort.
So you’re saying Tuchel has set up the team like Berhalter? In terms of Havertz I wasn’t talking about just this last game, but more then more recent run of games where he’s been playing without Lukaku and the team has looked more coherent. More explanation here https://theathletic.com/3172585/202...tacking-potential/?source=user_shared_article
It seems TT is getting to win again, after that terrible Dec/Jan run. They won 6 out of the last 7 matches. That's quite impressive. Make it 7 out of 8 this Wednesday when they put Lille out of the CL competition.
Final bids for Chelsea must be placed with Raine Group by Friday, which should separate the contenders from the pretenders. That said it could be weeks before any sale is finalized. Moreover, I suspect the Premier League wishes to avoid another team Abramovich/team Bone Saw/ team Abu Dhabi situation, so bids from folks with questionable human rights records or links to state money will be heavily scrutinized.