Team news is in! 👊#CRYCHE pic.twitter.com/ZGMEpmfa2L— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 7, 2020 COME ON YOU PALACE#CPFC | #CRYCHE— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) July 7, 2020 A fourth consecutive start for Chelsea's penalty-earner-in-chief, as they make the arduous 55-minute drive to South London to face Crystal Palace, sans Kayla the Eagle (RIP) at Selhurst Park. Chelsea are currently 4th in the league, 2 points clear of 5th-place Manchester United with 5 matches to go. Crystal Palace are in that boring lower-mid-table part of the league - enough points to ensure safety (15 clear), but nowhere near competing for Europe (7 back of 7th-place Arsenal). They're also in a dire run of form, with no goals scored in 337 minutes, while allowing 8 in that span. Kickoff is at 1 PM Eastern on NBCSN.
It's amazing to think we've gone from just hoping he could start to having him start so consistently that we are actually worried about him getting enough rest between matches!
gilmour going to have his hands full today. zaha/ayew/benteke not what they used to be still seem very capable of punishing a (in chelseas case easily) exposed back 4.
I saw a stat the other day regarding dispossessions - Zaha has been dispossessed something like 120 times this season, which was about 35 more than anyone else in the league. Dude loves to dribble at people constantly. Him v. the...unpolished Reece James is going to be a really interesting watch.
I'm really surprised by the lack of squad rotation. Really important for Gilmour and James to play better than they have recently ... but maybe today's the day the rust falls off.
Not a great game time for me, but I'm here. Someone please tell @freisland he needs to grace us with his presence here today - or face suspension.
I have to work. So I will be diligently working and not paying *any* attention to the stream running on my private PC a couple of feet from my work PC.
I am shocked that Gilmour is in the side. He's been horrendous. He weights all of about 100lbs soaking wet so he loses every single challenge in mid field and also has a horrendous habit of square passing right to the opposition for a counter.
I shockingly have to do some work today, which is really unfair if you ask me. Where's UI when you need it?!
it's because this 20 year is not quite ready to lead the right back position for a top 4 epl team. one that is competing for titles. he has a few games left to prove his readiness.
CP beats his man off of the dribble ... and Dave runs right into the space to clog it up and turn it over. I don't want to see sad Jorginho shots. Really surprised that Gilmour is the choice again.
So bummed for Cahill - but Palace complaining that Chelsea kept playing ... Willian was going to beat him there anyway and it might have played out exactly the same. Pulisic almost accidentally blocked Giroud's shot ... that wouldn't have been popular.