We’ll have to see if JB’s agent/agency offers him to Chelsea. I think currently Fenerbahçe is the one to have received the exclusive, once in a lifetime, line splitting offer for JB’s services. Fenerbahçe just have to sign on the dotted line
CP is quoted as wanting to “take a stab” at securing more playing time. He feels he can really wrap up the left side and cut through defenders. “Once I draw first blood in front of goal this year I feel I will be a serial finisher”
He can do that. But his role is more to assist than to score. Hopefully they can unload Werner. The guy is called a "flop" everywhere, so Chelsea is likely to lose money to offload him. Latest rumor is that Leipzig is after him: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...B-Leipzig-recent-Thomas-Tuchel-criticism.html
Tuchel was quoted saying he wants to see more penetration and chance creation...by now, he understand his system build-up is too slow and too negative. Out of all the attackers, I thought Pulisic was the most negative on the ball as for back-passes and sideway passes...More than half his passes were negative and I think there's room for him to be more positive.
That happened after he took an immense amount of criticism from his coach for turnovers. You could practically see CP (and others) intentionally being more conservative in the interest of the coaching dictates - CP pre-Tuchel and early Tuchel was the most positive attacker on the team, for better or worse - it just didn't wind up successful as often as Tuchel wanted as he may have over-prioritized possession.
and yet Rudiger would carry the ball all the way forward once or twice a game and crank a long range shot out and smiled afterwards and everyone loves it. yes CP needs to carry it forward more and make the killer pass or great shot. … Or else he will start to remind us of back pass Bob (Bradley).
We should sticky your post onto the CP page. People who think CP isn't aggressive or positive enough crack me up. Early on (Lampard and early TT), he took so much stick for not playing more within himself--why couldn't he be more like Mount (who tries to blow past someone at most once or twice a game)?
To be fair, Rudiger wasn't looking over his shoulder when he was in because he had no real replacement. CP is just waiting for the hook so Timo can try and impress his German manager again. And again
That's not how I would characterize it. I suspect he will be the primary back-up for Mount and Sterling and possibly even Havertz if they want to shift Sterling to the #9. He should be getting lets of starts and sub appearances given the number of games Chelsea plays and the inevitable injures. This assumes Ziyech and Werner leave or stay behind Pulisic in the pecking order. If there is a switch to a back four it could open up a starting role for Pulisic as well. I don't view being part of a 3 man rotation for two spots a bad thing for team like Chelsea. See Kante/Kovacic/Jorghino. Obviously new signings could still impact things but he's clearly behind Sterling/Havertz/Mount at this point.
Well, he's gonna have to find the right balance because I simply cant see him having a good year while being so negative on the ball. The best we can hope for is for him to poach a goal in..His chance-creation per 90m and assist total were way down. I had seen a stat where he was among the top players who would successfully carry the ball forward per 90m..I'm sure he's at the bottom now amongst attackers. I think his main issue is awareness...during the Lampard years, he would often try to dribble into traffic and that's when most of his turnovers would occur. Now, he cant recognize when he has plenty of time and space to drive the ball forward. He's gonna have to figure it out quick.
Sterling, and this current Chelsea, are miles more likeable than their more successful sides over the last 15-20 years.
Or what? He is forced to go to a team where the attack is at least equal to the sum of its parts, unlike painfully uncreative Chelsea?
Especially with 5 subs. And the possibility exists that you could have Mount behind Sterling, Havertz, and CP. He should get a lot of minutes one way or the other. Not that I'll be happy with that fact alone. I want him to have a better season now that (supposedly) the offense is going to be opening up more.
And you don’t think that Rudiger walking it up the field and Pulisic not having any space to move in the attacking third are maybe related?
That's pretty useless info without knowing 65M pounds of what. Potatoes, for instance, seems like an overpay.
nah .... Rudiger just goes up the field because it looks like he just wants to wreak havoc .. which he often does. Pulisic looks like he is throttled back - whether that is inside his head or what Tuchel or teammates are telling him - who knows. but that is not due to Rudiger's walk abouts.
Not in a causal sense. It was more a function of he was the open man and defenses seldom tried to stop the ball and chose to live with that 35 yarder he was almost certain to take at least once every game. IMO the problem is too slow of movement, both ball and player, with too much emphasis put on possession. I get the not wanting turnovers when EVERYBODY is pushed up the field, but that crushes creativity when a player is more concerned with losing the ball than anything else. When the wingbacks went down so did the offense because the set up remained the same. I think Jorgi is a real hindrance to quickly moving the ball out of the back. They have enough speed up front and really need to incorporate some route one football. Keep opposing defenses honest. With Jorgi in the midfield there is no penalty or real threat of him attempting a forward pass if you put the slightest of pressure on him. Specifically this affects Chaos Agent Pulisic by letting team get 8 or 9 guys behind the ball, so now instead of beating one or two and through on goal he has to be three or four, and with the premium put on "no turnovers" that makes things extremely difficult. I really am having a hard time wrapping my head around tinkering Tommy's dogged devotion to the system they are now playing. FFS if you don't have wingbacks why keep playng a formation that requires wingbacks and a set-up that makes them be the engine that makes the offense go. All in all, this is TT's mo. After a year or two some issue comes up that he digs in and decides to die on that hill rather than compromise for the greater good. Kind of like perfect being the enemy of good. I don't think he is very good at taking what he has and making that as good as it can be.