Chelsea 2022/2023 | THIS IS LAST YEARS THREAD YOU NUMPTIES

Status
Not open for further replies.
The most underwhelming ole-esque unbeaten run comes to an end. I’ll say it again, it’s the worst chelsea team since pre-Roman days.
 
Had Chelsea fans on here argue they weren’t a shit side but they really are since their 2022 league form has been so average it’s untrue.
Im guessing Potter didn’t have the chance to correct another starting 11 shit show by throwing on another DM to drag the game into being unwatchable.
Maybe next time Graham.
 
Meh. Shit happens. Great performance by Brighton.
 
Just looking at who Chelsea started with and who was on the bench.

All joking aside I’ve no idea what Potter was up to with that selection. Brighton isn’t an easy game for anyone especially given they were going to be well up for it today v Chelsea and Potter.

Absolutely not the time to be experimenting with playing Sterling and Pulisic at wing back, especially when you have a fit Chilwell and Azpilicueta on the bench? No idea why Auba didn’t play either?
 
Chelsea really haven't been that good for much of this season.

I think when Tuchel got sacked their points total then was actually flattering considering some of the performances they were churning out in the early weeks of the season.

Since then they got a last minute win v Palace when they should've been done to 10 men at 1-0 down, we missed so many opportunties v them at 1-0 down in first half at VP, 0-0 at Brentford and Man. United largely had better of game for an hour last week so today's result has been coming.

One of those seasons where a good cup run will probably mask mediocre league form. They have at least looked decent in the CL since Potter came in so could have a good run at that.
 
TheReligion said:
Just looking at who Chelsea started with and who was on the bench.

All joking aside I’ve no idea what Potter was up to with that selection. Brighton isn’t an easy game for anyone especially given they were going to be well up for it today v Chelsea and Potter.

Absolutely not the time to be experimenting with playing Sterling and Pulisic at wing back, especially when you have a fit Chilwell and Azpilicueta on the bench? No idea why Auba didn’t play either?
Click to expand...
I agree. This was a must win game simply down to them facing Arsenal and City in their next 2 games after facing us last week. Dropping points v Brentford and Brighton in the middle of all that after making major changes in tactics or personnel really is a poor showing
 
TheReligion said:
Just looking at who Chelsea started with and who was on the bench.

All joking aside I’ve no idea what Potter was up to with that selection. Brighton isn’t an easy game for anyone especially given they were going to be well up for it today v Chelsea and Potter.

Absolutely not the time to be experimenting with playing Sterling and Pulisic at wing back, especially when you have a fit Chilwell and Azpilicueta on the bench? No idea why Auba didn’t play either?
Click to expand...
They started with a mess of a formation and lineup. Once again like the Utd game, potter got the lineup and setup completely wrong. Luckily for him, he didn’t get punished for it in the Utd match.

He’s becoming Mr Correction.
 
cyberman said:
I agree. This was a must win game simply down to them facing Arsenal and City in their next 2 games after facing us last week. Dropping points v Brentford and Brighton in the middle of all that after making major changes in tactics or personnel really is a poor showing
Click to expand...

I also agree with you in the sense that Potter is essentially having his pre season now given when he came in.

That said though he isn’t half changing things about a lot from week to week, even in game. Thomas Frank even asked him why pre Brentford match.

Surely Potter knows the players and league well enough to not need to be so bipolar in his team selection unless he’s worried about overplaying players now he’s got midweek games to deal with?
 
cyberman said:
I agree. This was a must win game simply down to them facing Arsenal and City in their next 2 games after facing us last week. Dropping points v Brentford and Brighton in the middle of all that after making major changes in tactics or personnel really is a poor showing
Click to expand...
We will take points off Arsenal, I’m not concerned about them. As for today, we just take it on the chin. We haven’t been great but we have been much worse, especially under Tuchel. It’s going to take a while to get things right, the summer window left us a little unbalanced in the squad. Also too many players not carrying their weight or helping in any way and need shipping off like Ziyech.
 
SirReginald said:
We will take points off Arsenal, I’m not concerned about them. As for today, we just take it on the chin. We haven’t been great but we have been much worse, especially under Tuchel. It’s going to take a while to get things right, the summer window left us a little unbalanced in the squad. Also too many players not carrying their weight or helping in any way and need shipping off like Ziyech.
Click to expand...

Isn't your recent record against Arsenal terrible?

Not sure why you'd be so unconcerned about facing them.
 
Djemba-Djemba said:
Isn't your recent record against Arsenal terrible?

Not sure why you'd be so unconcerned about facing them.
Click to expand...
Last time Chelsea beat Arsenal at Bridge in Premier League was August 2018 so it's been some time. Far from easy fixture like it used to be back in Mourinho days.

On Brighton-Chelsea game: well done to Brighton, they lost their manager and staff at worst time probably so I'm sure they enjoyed beating Chelsea today. Think this kind of loss has been coming for Chelsea for last few weeks or so.
 
FootballHQ said:
Chelsea really haven't been that good for much of this season.

I think when Tuchel got sacked their points total then was actually flattering considering some of the performances they were churning out in the early weeks of the season.

Since then they got a last minute win v Palace when they should've been done to 10 men at 1-0 down, we missed so many opportunties v them at 1-0 down in first half at VP, 0-0 at Brentford and Man. United largely had better of game for an hour last week so today's result has been coming.

One of those seasons where a good cup run will probably mask mediocre league form. They have at least looked decent in the CL since Potter came in so could have a good run at that.
Click to expand...

Agree with most of that. Especially about lucky league points...

I thought we played well at Salzburg with a similar setup.

Can't be shipping 4 to Brighton. I imagine Potter will get plenty of time to sort things.
 
For all the plaudits Brighton will get Chelsea were terrible last week. I’ve seen United play better in big games & it be far more analysed. They were crap & haven’t been up to much for some time.
 
Their squad just feels weird but perhaps they're just playing the wrong formation.

Aubameyang & Sterling feel like washed up players. Ziyech has no significance. And their midfield without Kante is just bang average in my opinion as I'm not impressed by RLC, Kovacic or Jorginho without Kante's support.
 
I look at this Chelsea squad and I see weaknesses all over the shop. Many faded players. It's not a squad that's been underperforming but you'd come into and relish working with as a manager, you'd be thinking how did it get to this stage? It's going to take a bit of time for Potter to freshen this bunch up.
 
A squad full of a middling players with zero kind of star power in attacking areas. It’s a weird squad composition at Chelsea.
 
Kag said:
A squad full of a middling players with zero kind of star power in attacking areas. It’s a weird squad composition at Chelsea.
Click to expand...
The out of contracts and the sanctions have played their part. But it’s a little more than that. I’m cautiously optimistic with how we are targeting top young players and willing to bid whatever it takes to bring them here. We clearly just plugged holes over the summer. With that being said. Hopefully the squad balance can be rectified in the near future.
 
We have this type of game once or twice a year, just bad everywhere.
The Dinamo game comes at a good time to rest everyone. In our CL group that Milan vs RB Salzburg will be a CL or Europa outcome for both teams. I will have the Chelsea game on my TV and the Milan game on my phone.
 
Would you guys start Zakaria against Arsenal?

He had an impressive game against Zagreb, and yes it was a dead rubber and the opposition was really poor, but his physical presence in middle of the pitch is something I think we’ve missed, without Kante.
 
WeePat said:
Would you guys start Zakaria against Arsenal?

He had an impressive game against Zagreb, and yes it was a dead rubber and the opposition was really poor, but his physical presence in middle of the pitch is something I think we’ve missed, without Kante.
Click to expand...

It wasn't a dead rubber, they needed a result. Also, they have half the Croatian national team playing for them, they're absolutely not "really poor".

Depending on who is available, I would pick him. Maybe stick RLC at right wing back.
 
VorZakone said:
Their squad just feels weird but perhaps they're just playing the wrong formation.

Aubameyang & Sterling feel like washed up players. Ziyech has no significance. And their midfield without Kante is just bang average in my opinion as I'm not impressed by RLC, Kovacic or Jorginho without Kante's support.
Click to expand...

The team under Tuchel was always built around a top level midfield and defense carrying a pedestrian front three. The front three hasn't really increased much in quality while injuries and age have really hurt the midfield and defense.

Their three standout players during the Tuchel era were Kante, James, and Rudiger - all very sharp and dynamic athletes who could be game changing players in their own ways. Two are injured, Fofana is the closest profile to Rudiger among the new arrivals and he also got injured.

Then you have age. Thiago Silva, Jorginho, Koulibaly, Azpi still have very good qualities but none of them are physically and athletically at the level at this point in their careers and younger guys like Cucurella and Kovacic do not have elite athletic traits even in their primes. That group of players needs to have some athletically elite players around them to help compensate. So when the athletically elite players are all injured or gone, the lack of dynamism within the 30+ group gets more exposed.

IMO, their summer window was very scattershot and that is showing as well. Aubameyang was a silly buy in every respect, they needed a LB to rotate with Chilwell but Cucurella was way overpriced and arguably not the right profile given the rest of the team's lack of athletic dynamism, Fofana was a good buy but also way overpriced and prone to injury, and Koulibaly/Sterling were also just poor buys from a squad building standpoint given their age and the contracts they would command. I think Boehly just misunderstood where they were in the success cycle, thinking they were a couple prime to post-prime stars away from competing when they were actually needing a more fundamental rebuild. They needed to refresh the squad with a group of more athletically dynamic and physically competitive 22-25 year old players but Fofana is really the only guy they brought in that truly fits that bill (Cucurella at a stretch).
 
duffer said:
It wasn't a dead rubber, they needed a result. Also, they have half the Croatian national team playing for them, they're absolutely not "really poor".

Depending on who is available, I would pick him. Maybe stick RLC at right wing back.
Click to expand...

I meant for Chelsea, nothing riding on it other than using a pressure free game to try and get a couple players into form.

I don't know what his fitness levels is like, so it'll probably depend on that, but yeah I would start him
 
Really interesting to see how the derby goes at the weekend. Good indication to see how Potter has adapted from the United game and how Arteta sets up.

Chelsea need to bounce back from the Brighton result.
 
WeePat said:
Would you guys start Zakaria against Arsenal?

He had an impressive game against Zagreb, and yes it was a dead rubber and the opposition was really poor, but his physical presence in middle of the pitch is something I think we’ve missed, without Kante.
Click to expand...
yes, hard to judge properly in a game against so called "lesser" opposition [who are actually decent], but i thought he was solid. I did see someone on here suggest him at RWB, thats a big no no, but I'd start him Sunday for sure.

Zakaria's ability has never really been in question, was always linked to bigger clubs prior to his Juve move, him and Kovacic if fit, would be in my 11
 
ZolaWasMagic said:
yes, hard to judge properly in a game against so called "lesser" opposition [who are actually decent], but i thought he was solid. I did see someone on here suggest him at RWB, thats a big no no, but I'd start him Sunday for sure.

Zakaria's ability has never really been in question, was always linked to bigger clubs prior to his Juve move, him and Kovacic if fit, would be in my 11
Click to expand...
As some suggested above i will go with chalobah as rb and Silva kouli as cb pair and cucurella as lb. With midfield three of Zakaria jorginho/kovasic and rlc.

That will give height and bit of physicality in central midfield. Then mount auba/broja havertz front three. That will be my team against arsenal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.