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The slate is now clean, we start again in August. My main hope is the EPL title again but we will need some fresh players. The game is about speed and possession now and I think that is whERE our choices will be. I expectthe same 6 to be fighting it out but hope to see an outsider in there or maybe, one/twoof the six loose there way and let somebody in
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Both European finals were won by the more defensive sides. Who says defensive organised football is outdated? It arguably makes the team more resolute and firmly concentrated on the job in hand, particularly in cup games where every game is important and so youβre less likely to make mistakes. It also puts the pressure on the attacking team. Chelsea had clearly got into Pepβs head in their previous meetings and so he felt he had to be very bold against them in the CL final to get a result. I think heβll be reflecting on these games vs Chelsea for some time. As for Chelsea, the challenge will be to transfer their cup form to the league. (Liverpool had a similar challenge under Benitez, winning the CL but struggling with the league). But a fascinating dichotomy between the two teams, and the strengths and weaknesses of both. One better in the league, the other, cups.
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Next year will be our year Brian π€£π€£π€£π€£π₯²π₯²π₯²π₯²π₯²π₯²π₯²
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Finally got round to watching the game, not really as much fun when itβs not live though. Great goal from Havertz, would have been interesting had he not scored to see if the European VAR would intervene with the goalkeepers handball, as for the Rudiger incident, currently its a yellow card offence, but for me any deliberate foul, no matter where on the pitch should have greater consequences, instead of being labelled as taking one for the team. Hopefully KDB doesnβt miss the Euros.
On to 9, Iβm sure he knows we all wish him well, he followed The Blues through the 70s and 80s, so we know heβs mentally positive and strong as he came through them smiling, chin up 9 and keep that positive mental attitude going…..Pagan
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“As for Chelsea, the challenge will be to transfer their cup form to the league.”
I think they did in the main against the likes of City and Liverpool however their main need now is to identify how to beat the team that set up for a draw or nick a winning counter attacking goal. They are rather naive in that respect wheras the old United sides always found a way, especially in Fergie time..
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Think you’re right 67 there’s enormous potential in this Chelsea team/squad and the likes of Mount and James etc have lots more development in them.
How quickly the team develops next season will depend on how successful Chelsea can be in the Summer transfer market getting in the 2 or 3 players they want particularly a striker.
I think it’s also crucial that Tuchel is signed up to a longer contract in the Summer and that currently looks very likely.
If it all works out with both transfers and Tuchel this Summer I would be disappointed if Chelsea are not challenging for the PL title this season and I think there’s every chance of them winning the PL over the 2/3 years despite the level of competition.
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Thanks for that Pagan.
Showing my age now but I started supporting Chelsea in 61/62 when we were relegated to the 2nd Division bouncing straight back to Division 1 the next season.
Hopefully I can do the same.π
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Steve..I hope so but we need 3/4 new faces , young to energise us. 61 games out of 62 is a big ask for any team. I am satisfied with what we have won and still want the EPL and FA Cup before CL….sorry Pep and players who want it but our Domestic football is still best for me. I did admire Chelsea defensive play, I have no problem with that as a tactic.
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Nine…Chelsea will chaalenge for the title but in the EPL if you play totally defensive through the season you will start to draw a lot of games you should be winning, that is what you will have to solve, just my view
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Brian, if you look at points per game since tuchel took over and project over 38 games we woyld have 80 points. Now you can brand us totally defensive if you want but it is ignorant of the reality and a little bit condescending. if you have watched us in games we have played against teams other than City you will clearly see we dominate possession and create a ton of chances. It is taking those chances that is the problem. If we improve that this summer the projected 80 could become 90, then we have a title challenge.
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Whether you play a more offensive or defensive game, the teams that win the most games are those that transition the best between the two. Chelsea have been extremely good in the transition phase under Tommy Tickle, excepting the WBA match, they have been very good at quickly going into their defensive shape when theyβve lost the ball, and on the break they have created plenty of opportunities, unfortunately not converting them has been the problem, put an instinctive 25 league goal a season striker in the team and I think theyβll be title contenders…..Pagan
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Steve…maybe so…but I am talking about next season and I think Chelsea have found a way to play that may well bring them to the fore, a settled tactical game….that is how Liverpool and City won it. All I was sounding alarm bells for was that you may need a little more. Next season I beieve will be more competitive, I am sure Chelsea will be in the mix. Steve…you are stretching me by hypothetical guesswork on numbers, you cannot change reality. I also did not mean that Chelsea were defensive but said “if they play like that next season” Being defensive I do not see as a negative as long as you have some attacking intent which I am sure will plan for
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Brian, sorry buddie although I love you as I do Chelsea do not “play totally defensive” even on Saturday with their backs against the wall as City searched for and equaliser Chelsea had more shots than City so to suggest Chelsea had no attacking intent in the CL Final is wrong and one of your own in Micah Richards describes Chelsea as the best counter attacking team in Europe.
In most PL games last season Chelsea completely dominated the games and had plenty of attacking intent what we lacked is a striker to finish off the numerous chances we were creating.
Consequently you’re right we do “need a little more” and that’s a goal scoring striker if we can fix that this Summer then I think we can challenge for the title and probably sooner rather than later but we will need to solve that problem first to do so. Cheers 9’s
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Chelsea look the most organized team in the league. They get back into shape so quickly when they lose the ball. They absolutely go for it and play some great stuff up until they go ahead. Then they sit in and are very hard to break down. Before they go ahead, they create plenty of chances but donβt take them.
Once you go behind to them you really are snookered. Without Kante they are a different team as the plan doesnβt work aswell but they are an excellent well organized side who are going to get even better
Defensively strong and so much pace going forward
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Brian, if you look at points per game since tuchel took over and project over 38 games we woyld have 80 points. Now you can brand us totally defensive if you want but it is ignorant of the reality and a little bit condescending. if you have watched us in games we have played against teams other than City you will clearly see we dominate possession and create a ton of chances. It is taking those chances that is the problem. If we improve that this summer the projected 80 could become 90, then we have a title challenge.
Lucky, I think Chelsea will definitely challenge for the title next season but I think it’s always a bit misleading to take points from a certain part of the season and extrapolate over the course of the season like that. Especially when Chelsea, in this case, had a new manager and the inevitable new manager bounce that always comes with that.
I do think they’ll challenge though. Kante is key, as Sean says. Chelsea have to be challenging really with the strength of their squad and the likely further strengthening this summer.
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I have this thought of ‘Wedding’ attributing to Chelsea because everything effectively last Saturday went without a glitch. I knew this in my mind right from the start because of his Managerial background and his achievements, plus the Teams he’s managed.
With that in mind, am I right in thinking though the thought of knowing your best 11 to execute a game plan and having the availability of players in the first place?
Kante provided balance, but he’s not always been available due to injury. What has changed in recent months for Chelsea is the identity and a structure of the right jigsaw pieces to occupy the essential playing positions. A Positive.
Without squad depth however, it’s difficult to uphold the consistency over a 38 game period in which Man City proved with their abundance of quality.
A huge platform to work from for Chelsea, and can challenge for the Title next season, though there are strands of factors to be mindful of.
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Ed, come on mate I am not trying to prove existence of dark matter here, just that pretty much all metrics indicate chelsea are moving quickly in the right direction towards a title challenge.
Sure extrapolating like that doesn’t create accurate predictions you honestly don’t need to convince me of that, but it is far from meaningless information and shouldn’t be so easily dismissed as new manager bounce.
We should be challenging for the title next year and everything the club does indicates that being champions is their only goal. If tuchel fails bye bye tuchel and on to next. Ole got his new contract yet? π
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I’m not suggesting it’s meaningless information Lucky. I’m just a little bit sceptical against those kind of things, personally. There were a lot of those kind of things after Bruno had been with us for the whole year that suggested we’d have been top of the league if the table had run from when he joined to the end of the year.
I’m certainly not dismissing it all as a new manager bounce either. I’ve already said I think Chelsea will challenge. I don’t think they can NOT challenge with the strength of their squad and now that they have a proper manager. But the new manager bounce cannot be entirely dismissed either. I was one of the few suggesting Lampard’s initial positive spell should be seen with a certain degree of caution and that we’d only know how good Lampard was when the pressure was actually on him and he had a full season. Let’s see what Tuchel does in his first full season. I do think they’ll challenge, like I said.
As for Ole’s contract, looks like it will happen yes. Won’t make a difference though as he’ll be gone if we don’t progress further this season and rightly so. I don’t for a minute think he’s the man to lead Utd to a trophy but he’s earned the right to prove me and others wrong after going from 3rd to 2nd.
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That last point is actually somewhere where I wish we were more like Chelsea. UTD have often been quite patient with their managers, giving them more time than I think a lot of the top clubs would put up with. Chelsea are just so ruthless with managers but you look at what they’ve won with that strategy and it works.
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Instant turn around of fortunes in our case to me would be brewing internal dressing room trouble over a period of time with Frank not having the experience to come up with the answers, having favourites, over playing others and tactically playing into opponents’ hands as a result. Simply, under Frank the opponents’ managers had us sussed out and as good as beaten before a ball had even been kicked. The turn around under Tuchel was pretty much instantaneous with a scoreless home draw with Wolves as he rectified the defensive deficiencies with a few tweaks here and there. Simply Frank the footballer was a natural, a gifted legend. One of the best. Frank the manager has a long way to go and needs experience back in the Championship or less even. Look at Zola the player compared to Zola the manager, a pretty good comparison to Frank I reckon. Big chance Frank will only be just another average manager and that would in no way tarnish what he achieved in the game as a player. Same, in time, may be the case with Solskjaer. Will United kick on or was this run into second something that just peters out into the new season. A United side over the years doesn’t make the final of a big European competition and lose to the likes of Villareal notwithstanding it was only on penalties. A firing on all cylinders United wins that game in a canter 3 or 4 nil.
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