[Young_blue]

Very surprising line up from Tuchel. Sarr starts? Tuchel must have seen something specil from him at the training to start him in this derby game. i’m also happy to see Loftus Cheek start his second game in a row, may be that was down to the fact that he didn’t go to the internationals and had two weeks of training with Tuchel. also delighted to see Kante back in that midfield. but i have to say, we will miss Mount and Jorginho. Mount is our chief goal or chances creator, while Jorginho controls the tempo for us and calms the situation.

To play devil’s advocate, i would have started Barkley for this game instead of Kovacic. granted Brentford will sit and have as many men behind the all as possible. so Barkley’s vision could be a game cnanger IMO. but i trust Tuchel’s judgement since he has proven his credentials.

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[Young_blue]

Moos,

Mourinho was the most successful manager that Chelsea and remains that until someone else comes and dethrones him. Yes his methods are declining these days, but you can’t completely write him off. He is one of the best managers in the world and his record says it all.

As for you saying he left us in a mess, look at our team that has won the league? How many where Mourinho era signings? Matic, Costa, Fabregas and Willian all have played big part in our league win and all were Mourinho signings. Even our team that have won the 2010 Double majority were his signings. And the CL winners of 2012 were also his team or at least the core were his team.

You may not like him as a person. But respect the man as a manager.

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[Young_blue]

Perosnally, i don’t wish to see Rudiger leave Chelsea, but at the sametime no player is bigger than the club. despite our spending spree in the transfer market, we have always maintained good wage structure. we rarely break our wage structure, and when we do it has to be for a special player. now what is my point? Rudiger came from leaps and pounds since Tuchel has taken over at Chelsea. and that is partly down to the system that Tuchel plays which covers player’s limitation rather than the player blowing trees.

We have been in this situation with Willian who has been outstanding in his last season with us. i would like to see Rudiger stay, but if he chooses otherwise, i will wish him well in his next destinition. only that i was reading he was eyeing Real Madrid as a potential destinition, i would advice him to stay away from that club for the sake of his career. or at least he should have a chat with Hazard. once you are comfortable at Chelsea, the moment you leave, you start missing it. we have seen that with Hazard, Willian, Mata and Matic. all those players left under different circumstances, but the result was the same. all of them lost their happiness and were not comfortable in their new environment.

Rudiger will have more money, but he will not have what he has at Chelsea. so he has to choose what he wants wisely. as for Chelsea, if Christensen signs a new deal, and assuming Azpi signs also another deal, and we have Chalobah in place, then we may need only one CB if Silva extends his stay and stays injury free.

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Nine,

Am with Lucky on this one. Hazard is way past his best now. He is not the player he was 2-3 years ago. He is injury prone, can’t dribble past player which was his main strength, he can’t create chncesas he used in his Chelsea days. I think to be fair his best days are behind him.

I would rather give that time amd patience to Havertz and Pulisic. He was the ine who run to Real Madrid, so he should have his cake. The only way i would consider him now is if he is prepared to accept significant pay cut and play the one odd cup game and back up role. When fit Pulisic is better than him now. His best days are behind him anyway.

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[Young_blue]

Happy for Ben Chilwell, after his difficult time at the Euros, and then came back only to lose his place in the team. Bit his hopes are high now, two goals in two games for club and country will do a world of good for his confidence.

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[Young_blue]

Brain,

Personally, i have learnt a few things about Chelsea approach and i came to realise that managers life is very short these days, even shorter when you are at Chelsea. and i have supported every Chelsea manager excluding Rafa Benitez to their last days at Chelsea hot seat. but i personally feel this man is special, the way he handles our squad is unbelievable! and he is tactically astute guy.

My hope is that Chelsea will give him time and resource. and i have no doubt that he is the right man for Chelsea at the moment. and these days quality coaches are hard to find.

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[Young_blue]

Moos,

Tuchel didn’t even had one year but he has already delivered the objectives which he was appointed which were return the club to the top four. on top of that, he has also reached the FA Cup final and won Europe’s biggest club competition. so he didn’t even needed a year to show his class. nobody has a crystal ball on what tomorrow will bring and so far Tuchel is leading Chelsea into the right direction. I remember G. Neville was saying when Tuchel arrived he will not even last 4 months and that was his opinion. Lampard was a club legend but the Chelsea job came too soon for him. Tuchel on the other hand seems to have learnt one or two from his PSG days, since PSG and Chelsea are in a similar environment where you are always under pressure. his approach is 100% working so far. and kudos to the club for backing him.

As for this season, he is part of a host of clubs who are competing for the biggest price in England and in Europe. we have only played 7 natches in which he has won 5 drawn 1 and lost 1, that is a decent record IMO. so far, the club have football men and women running the footballing matters, the presence of Cech is also helping Tuchel. Chelsea is also learning from the past, you can’t just dispense coaches without giving them any chance. and my hope is that Tuchel will be different. i’m personnaly a massive fan of him.

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[Young_blue]

You may as well say Chelsea have a team work. because Chelsea function as a team ever since Tuchel have taken over at the club. if our two forwards click into gear, and the number of other talented midfielders also step into the plate, then who knows what might happen. you can’t still rule out Chelsea. we collected extra 7 points that we dropped last season, we drew the Southampton fixture which means this season we have won extra two points, last season we lost at Emirates, this season we have extra 3 points. last season we drew Villa at home, this season we have extr two points. that means +7 compared to the fixtures we have last season, we won at Anfield, but dropped 2 this season. so i see improvement already.

And let us not forget, our Manager is only at the club for only 9 months, while Klopp and Guardiola have had 6 and 5 years each with their clubs. our striker only arrived this summer, so he is yet to have an understanding with the team, he has only played 6 games with them. there is more to come from Chelsea. And i have no doubt that we with Tuchel we are in safe hands.

We have room for improvement no doubt to reach the level of City and Liverpool. but with Tuchel, we are in safe hands. if only we can afford him the time and patience that City and Liverpool have afforded their current managers. i was even reading that Barcelona are interested to hire him to replace their current coach. I don’t think Chelsea will entertain this, world class coaches are a few and far these days, and the fact that Juventus rehired Allegri whom they have sacked suggests that. and United are stuck with Ole, becase there is no alternative in the market these days.

But for me Tuchel thicks several boxes. he is a winner, he gives the academy players their chance as you could see the emergance of Chalobah and Loftus Cheek this season. he is even trying to revive the career of Hodson Odoi who seems to have hit the wall in his development. i don’t know why? but he have show so much promise which is un able to deliver.

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[Young_blue]

I don’t think we are that inferior to Liverpool and City as Leicester was to their competitors when they won the league five years ago. Chelsea are a team of winners, and we know how to handle the pressure of winning. Some of our core squad have won the league with the club four years ago. Alonso, Kante, Azpi are a few i could mention. Saul have won the league with Athletico. we have leaders who can keep the players on their toes. So far nothing have been won, and there will be tests and trails that will come to our way.

We still need a decisive player like Hazard who was decisive in both of our 2015 and 2017 title wins. i don’t see that kind of player emerging from our current group. but we have several things that can compensate that if they click together. for example, if Werner and Lukaku form a good partnership and each scores double figures in PL goals, and creative players like Barkley and Mount contribute assists, then come the skills of Pulisic in taking on players and the talents of Havertz as a goal scoring attacking midfielder. all of these factors could compentsate Hazard’s situation.

Then we have our ever rock solid defence well marshalled by Thiago Silva alongside Azpi and Rudiger. it was encouraging that Chilwell overcame his conceading of the penalty and scored to boost his confidence. he will be a vital ingredient going forward. he may not be anywhere near his best form, but he has the perfect opportunity to outst Alonso now. i suspect he will start after the international break. we badly need Reece James to return from his injury, he is a vital cog in our attack. Azpi isn’t getting any younger, at 32 he can’t be running up and down in the flank. then you have Christensen who is in the form of his life, although he was showing signs of fatigue in our last two matches.

In midfield, Jorginho is our go to man, he controls the tempo and teams know that. who plays alongside him is the question. Kovacic is also in an imparious form. although he is also showing signs of tiredness. and to add that woes is Kante has contracted Covid19. but luckily, we have Loftus Cheek and Barkley who are stepping up to the plate at the hour of need. especially Barkley has a very good vision, i think we should play him in the games where teams sit deep and block spaces. he is good at unlocking such defences.

Loftus Cheek also offers us physical presence in our midfield. he drives the ball forward and strong enough to resist the press. all of that came at a zero cost. some times what you think is a failure could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

And above all, in Tuchel we have a born winner. he will not let standards drop and players to become complacent. and he is tactically astute manager who can extract every bit of performance from our players.

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[Young_blue]

My God! If City got Kane,the title would have over in October.

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[Young_blue]

Quality strike from KDB

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[Young_blue]

Only the referee has to explain how Milner has stayed on the pitch. And then Liverpool goes and scores a minute later.🙄

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[Young_blue]

Well, i have to say it will be difficult for Chelsea to win the league, i would rank the lowest because of the decisions that go against Chelsea, it’s difficult to win when the system is fighiting against you.

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[Young_blue]

Very interesting line up from Tuchel. Chalobah has been recalled and deployed in midfield. Loftus-Cheek, Werner, Chilwell and Hudson Odoi have been recalled. Jorginho, Alonso, Christensen Havertz and Ziyech drop to the bench. the formation is 3-5-2. let us hope that Werner remembers the reverse fixture of last season when he scored twice in the first half

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[Young_blue]

Tuchel has confirmed that Mount is fit to face Southampton. that is booster for the team, we looked deviod of creativity in recent matches, and also our tempo slow because attacking players we not pressing the defenses, i think the return of Mount would help that. i’m not sure if he will start the game, but if i was Tuchel i would throw him straight into the line up. he will be useful than Ziyech who is both lazy and looks disinterested. i will be surprised if Ziyech starts another game except if he has a turn around if form and attitude.

As for Havertz, he needs to learn to be tough and ruthless, this league is an unforgiving league for young players, he has to fight for his right to be in the team. Once Pulisic returns, i don’t think he will be automatic starter, he will have competition. if Pulisic is fit, he gives you goals, and i won’t be surprised if Tuchel prefers him. Aslo, Reece James will miss the match as he is yet to recover from the injury. Tuchel said he was surprised when he heard Southgate has selected him.

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Nine,

The double standard in the media reporting is unbelievable! Chelsea have identical record as City and United, win 5, Draw 1 and lost 2 in all competitions. But if you read the media reporting, you will think that Chelsea have lost 10 games in a row. When you read phrases like Tuchel’s honey moon period is over, and he is under pressure, you will think Roman has spoken with them.

The same media that led us to believe that Tuchel is capable of walking on the sea without a boat or life saving jacket😊.

Personally, i feel Chelsea is heading in the right direction, but we still have room for improvement as every other team in Europe. No game is easy in the premier league, but the intensity in which you play in bigger matches is higher than the one you play with smaller teams.

Chelsea have been playing with big teamals since the second match of the league and majority away. So it’s understandable if there is a drop in performance, after all we cannot win all of those matches, it was bound that we may lose some. But i’m still happy with our position. I remember many pundits were predicting that we may fall behind once we play the bigger games. But did we?😊

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Moos,

That defensive coach is in joint second position with that attacking coach you always hail by virtue of only only goal. Both teams plus United has 13 points. This is the same system that won us the CL last season. Sometimes you shouldn’t post for the sake of it. We lost to Juventus the biggest club in Italy! All teams will games, let us wait at the end of the season and see who has accumilated the highest points, not the team that have played the best football.

Prizes are won by sheer of hardwork not beauty. It wa only two weeks ago that Tuchel was hailed as the best coaches in the world. One bite doesn’t fill a stomach and one game doesn’t make him a bad coach. I fully trust his judgement, and so far he has got 9/10 right. The last cimpetitve team we had was when we won the league and Conte in 2016/17 season. Although this team has won nothing yet, they are competitve and nobody would want to face them.

Tuchel has also saved the careers of players whom the club spent a lot, they were assets that the club would have lost. But now they have saved money that could have gone into the team for their replacement. If i mention a few, Rudiger, Christensen, Azpi, Alonso, Jorginho, Havertz and even Kepa. All of these playere are key players for the team today, but 9 months ago majority looked to be shown the exit door last summer. Creidt to where it’ s due, Tuchel has rebuilt their confidence and the team is reaping the rewards.

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[Young_blue]

I think we need to look at our strengths and where we can hurt Juventus rather than their strengths and where they can hurt us. This is the toughest match of our group, and if we can claim victory, then it will be ours to lose in top spot.

We need to avoid second Spot, simply because there are tough teams who may likely qualify as group winners. I would rather face Barcelona than Face PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern.

We have a few injuries not sure if any has recovered since Saturday. My prediction is that Tuchel will rest Kante and Silva. One because of his age which is impossible to play two tough matches in one week, and the other to keep him fit.

My predicted team is: Mendy, Azpi, Christensen, Rudiger,Hodson Odi, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso, Havertz, Lukaku, Ziyech. But it may hapoen that Silva may start and Hodson Odoi benched. But instead of Ziyech, i would like to see Loftus Cheek who has had an excellent cameo against City.

Whatever happens, i think Tuchel will go for the win so that we can qualify early and rest a few of the boys in the later stages of the group games.

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[Young_blue]

Chilwell had two misfortunes that coincided, he had played in the CL final on 29th of May, two weeks before the Euros. by then Shaw has already reported for international duty. Chilwell played too much football that season, and he was given one week off by Southgate, and that has been his undoing. by the time he returned for international duty, Shaw has played all the frinedly matches and caught the eye of Southgate. and when they started the Euros, Southgate did what he could do which was correct as England reached the Euros Final.

Then there were more misfortunes at the Euros for Chilwell as he and Mount had to Isolate themselves after coming into contact with Gilmour who tested positive for Covid-19, that was another missed Opportunity to impress the coach. once he returned from the 10 day isolaton period, Shaw had already established himself.

Then, the Euros ended two days before Chelsea started the preseason. Alonso has been there for preseason, while Chilwell like others who went to the Euros was given a two weeks holiday, again that was his second undoing as Alonso has gained competitve advantage over him. and as Tuchel himself admitted, the lad has lost confidence, and Tuchel has to rebuild it little by little.

His performance against Astonvilla didn’t help his case. he was poor, had too many misplaced passes, and failed to stop the cross that led to Villa goal. and as if that wasn’t enough, he missed his penalty. this is the time when player’s character comes into play. he is facing an uncertain period, it’s upto him how he overcomes in this dificult period. but no doubt that he has got the talent to do so.

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[Young_blue]

Adlab,

I have seen since yesterday you have been preaching Chelsea had no shot on target, would that have changed any thing had we got 100 shots on target and all of them got saved and went on to lose 1-0? The only stat that matters is the goals, City had 1 and we had zero.

Chelsea play as a team, and we had an off day as a team yesterday. We gave City too much time on the ball, and we got punished for that. It’s a lesson for Tuchel and the boys. And i hope such mistake won’t be repeated. City were better than us yesterday, but that won’to be measured on Chelsea’s strength so far. We have played Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs away and collected 7 points out of 9 and played 50 minutes with 10 men at Anfield.

It was always pound to happen that we may lose at some stage in the season. We lost to the Champions, then did our rivals take advantage?

Despite our tough matches, we are level on points with City and United, and a point behind the league leaders Liverpool.

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