Firstly, let me state that at the beginning of the season I had zero expectations for Chelsea to finish top 4 and I don't think I need to yet again state all the obvious reasons why.
But, its impossible not to get caught up in hope and desire for a top 4 finish when your team is so close. So, after a performance and result like yesterday, I have to take deep breaths and focus on the longer term outlook, else I get thoroughly depressed
However, I am finding myself conflicted between the present and the longer term and bigger picture at Chelsea.
So I need to put down my conflicted thoughts as I find it therapeutic...here goes
Conflict 1
Frank Lampard this season has made quite a few poor decisions both in selection and subs, but the most worrying aspect of his tenure to date is his inability to get any improvement in our defense and it was the same for him at Derby.
Frank Lampard is a novice manager, of course he is going to make mistakes, he needs time to rebuild the team and he will sort out the defense in time, just like Klopp did at Liverpool, no need to be concerned.
Conflict 2
After yesterday's result we may well have blown top 4, what a total feck up and now we won't be signing players that improve our team if we are not in the CL next season. What a wasted opportunity to give our younger players invaluable CL experience next season.
It really is not that big a deal, the young players will still get invaluable experience in the Europa League and frankly they are not yet ready for CL football anyway. And as for transfers, it will only affect our chances for any marquee signings,,,,,,well Torres and Morata were both marquee signings at the time, so feck marquee signings
I could put many more conflicted thoughts down, but the article is already too long.
I will finish with one very clear thought though and its about our defense.
Kepa, Rudiger, Emerson, Alonso and AC all need to be replaced before we can ever think about challenging for the title again. No conflict on this one!
Phew! I feel better already.
I am a conflicted Chelsea fan
posted on 12/7/20
At the start of the season I only envisaged us being midtable, given circumstances that don't need explaining.
But moving on from that, maybe the success of early season has raised expectations of top four spot and with it now slipping out of our own hands if Yoonited and Leicester win today, the outcry on social media, in my opinion, has gone totally over the top.
Sure, I'm not happy with the manner of the defeat but I'm trying to temper that with the thought that at the beginning of the season I was expecting more of these days than have actually occurred, so trying to keep that perspective.
I'm still glad we went down the road of appointing Frank and the enforced policy of promoting youth, even if it's been on a greater scale than I'd have liked to see.
All that said, who should actually take the blame for the inconsistencies of this season and results like yesterday? For me the blame lies much higher and goes back much further than the current squad and coaching staff.
Rather than investing transfer budgets from previous seasons on top class players to improve the 1st 11, we’ve squandered it buying average players players, such as Batshooey, Zappacosta, Barkley, Alonso, Drinkwater and Higuain (I know he was only on loan but we were paying him close to £300k a week) who’s squad places could have easily gone to academy players who would have been acclimatised to the 1st team squad gradually, rather than all thrown in at once and expected to perform miracles.
With a little more forethought from boardroom level we could have a squad in a much healthier disposition than it is at the current time.
Also as an aside, I also think with regards to yesterday, if we hadn’t had three injuries to major players in one area yesterdays performance and result might have been so much different.
posted on 12/7/20
comment by BrummieBlue! (U3487)
posted 15 minutes ago
At the start of the season I only envisaged us being midtable, given circumstances that don't need explaining.
But moving on from that, maybe the success of early season has raised expectations of top four spot and with it now slipping out of our own hands if Yoonited and Leicester win today, the outcry on social media, in my opinion, has gone totally over the top.
Sure, I'm not happy with the manner of the defeat but I'm trying to temper that with the thought that at the beginning of the season I was expecting more of these days than have actually occurred, so trying to keep that perspective.
I'm still glad we went down the road of appointing Frank and the enforced policy of promoting youth, even if it's been on a greater scale than I'd have liked to see.
All that said, who should actually take the blame for the inconsistencies of this season and results like yesterday? For me the blame lies much higher and goes back much further than the current squad and coaching staff.
Rather than investing transfer budgets from previous seasons on top class players to improve the 1st 11, we’ve squandered it buying average players players, such as Batshooey, Zappacosta, Barkley, Alonso, Drinkwater and Higuain (I know he was only on loan but we were paying him close to £300k a week) who’s squad places could have easily gone to academy players who would have been acclimatised to the 1st team squad gradually, rather than all thrown in at once and expected to perform miracles.
With a little more forethought from boardroom level we could have a squad in a much healthier disposition than it is at the current time.
Also as an aside, I also think with regards to yesterday, if we hadn’t had three injuries to major players in one area yesterdays performance and result might have been so much different.
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The way we list to West Ham was worse than yesterday. Yes we were outplayed yesterday and never in the hunt for the points, but agst West Ham we through the points away agst a crap team
posted on 12/7/20
comment by SWTN - Judas is number 1 (U7916)
posted 14 seconds ago
comment by BrummieBlue! (U3487)
posted 15 minutes ago
At the start of the season I only envisaged us being midtable, given circumstances that don't need explaining.
But moving on from that, maybe the success of early season has raised expectations of top four spot and with it now slipping out of our own hands if Yoonited and Leicester win today, the outcry on social media, in my opinion, has gone totally over the top.
Sure, I'm not happy with the manner of the defeat but I'm trying to temper that with the thought that at the beginning of the season I was expecting more of these days than have actually occurred, so trying to keep that perspective.
I'm still glad we went down the road of appointing Frank and the enforced policy of promoting youth, even if it's been on a greater scale than I'd have liked to see.
All that said, who should actually take the blame for the inconsistencies of this season and results like yesterday? For me the blame lies much higher and goes back much further than the current squad and coaching staff.
Rather than investing transfer budgets from previous seasons on top class players to improve the 1st 11, we’ve squandered it buying average players players, such as Batshooey, Zappacosta, Barkley, Alonso, Drinkwater and Higuain (I know he was only on loan but we were paying him close to £300k a week) who’s squad places could have easily gone to academy players who would have been acclimatised to the 1st team squad gradually, rather than all thrown in at once and expected to perform miracles.
With a little more forethought from boardroom level we could have a squad in a much healthier disposition than it is at the current time.
Also as an aside, I also think with regards to yesterday, if we hadn’t had three injuries to major players in one area yesterdays performance and result might have been so much different.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The way we list to West Ham was worse than yesterday. Yes we were outplayed yesterday and never in the hunt for the points, but agst West Ham we through the points away agst a crap team
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd disagree with that Biggish, if you looked at the overall game against West Ham we were and looked the better team for the majority of the game but lost due to keystone cop like defending.
Yesterday we were outfought and out played for the majority of the game and no excuse can hide the fact.
I can find positives from the Hammers game that I can't from yesterday. For me the only positive was James.
posted on 12/7/20
comment by BrummieBlue! (U3487)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by SWTN - Judas is number 1 (U7916)
posted 14 seconds ago
comment by BrummieBlue! (U3487)
posted 15 minutes ago
At the start of the season I only envisaged us being midtable, given circumstances that don't need explaining.
But moving on from that, maybe the success of early season has raised expectations of top four spot and with it now slipping out of our own hands if Yoonited and Leicester win today, the outcry on social media, in my opinion, has gone totally over the top.
Sure, I'm not happy with the manner of the defeat but I'm trying to temper that with the thought that at the beginning of the season I was expecting more of these days than have actually occurred, so trying to keep that perspective.
I'm still glad we went down the road of appointing Frank and the enforced policy of promoting youth, even if it's been on a greater scale than I'd have liked to see.
All that said, who should actually take the blame for the inconsistencies of this season and results like yesterday? For me the blame lies much higher and goes back much further than the current squad and coaching staff.
Rather than investing transfer budgets from previous seasons on top class players to improve the 1st 11, we’ve squandered it buying average players players, such as Batshooey, Zappacosta, Barkley, Alonso, Drinkwater and Higuain (I know he was only on loan but we were paying him close to £300k a week) who’s squad places could have easily gone to academy players who would have been acclimatised to the 1st team squad gradually, rather than all thrown in at once and expected to perform miracles.
With a little more forethought from boardroom level we could have a squad in a much healthier disposition than it is at the current time.
Also as an aside, I also think with regards to yesterday, if we hadn’t had three injuries to major players in one area yesterdays performance and result might have been so much different.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The way we list to West Ham was worse than yesterday. Yes we were outplayed yesterday and never in the hunt for the points, but agst West Ham we through the points away agst a crap team
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd disagree with that Biggish, if you looked at the overall game against West Ham we were and looked the better team for the majority of the game but lost due to keystone cop like defending.
Yesterday we were outfought and out played for the majority of the game and no excuse can hide the fact.
I can find positives from the Hammers game that I can't from yesterday. For me the only positive was James.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But that is my point Brummie. We were never in for thd points yesterday, thatg happens. Agst West Ham at the very minimum we could have managed is a point at the end and it could proved to be a viral one
posted on 12/7/20
I hope wouldn't have been a viral one!
posted on 12/7/20
comment by BrummieBlue! (U3487)
posted 34 minutes ago
I hope wouldn't have been a viral one!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 12/7/20
I'm not conflicted at all, but that might be the benefit of very low expectations. Before the season started I expected us to finish outside the top 6 and for Lampard's job to be in jeopardy by now.
This season reminds me a lot of last season in you can see a progress taking shape & coming to fruition in the future. Had he been in the job 2-3 years then they'd be some frustration with Lampard's management of certain things - set piece weakness, naive shape changes from time to time, overly aggressive tactics exposing a weak sauce defense & GK, etc... but his lack of experience (in general) in season one turns them into strengths because he's brave enough to learn through failure.
Regarding yesterday's match, not defending our performance cos it was p!ss poor, but Sheffield Utd are a seriously good team with a manager who (IMO) is destined for great things. I don't think I've seen a manager whose appearance (that pork & pies, everyone runs in my team, give it to the big man look) couldn't match the competent, progressive & at times dynamic nature of his tactics any less .... Levy must be crying seeing his money flow into another Chelsea castoffs bank account when the ideal manager for his club & his business model is right there.
posted on 12/7/20
Yesterday aside I'm quite happy with this season overall. Our squad is very unbalanced and filled with players who probably wouldn't be here this season had we not had the transfer ban.
Lampard inherited some good players but our squad is also just a mish mash that was pretty much cobbled together based on whoever was available to be recalled etc. There's a reason almost nobody gave us a prayer of top four at the start of the season.
Our defence needs major surgery. I don't fancy Kepa at all. Statistically he's been awful this season and I think his uncertainty somehow infects our defence. Our CB's are very meh and Tomori is just a rookie still who may well become our first choice CB in time.
Next season I hope we have a much better and more assured keeper in the nets and we're going to need at least one new CB and a new LB this summer.
And not getting CL next season isn't the end of the world. First and foremost we need to re-establish ourselves as a PL force. If we do that then CL football will come and we'll actually be prepared to play in it.
posted on 12/7/20
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 34 minutes ago
Yesterday aside I'm quite happy with this season overall. Our squad is very unbalanced and filled with players who probably wouldn't be here this season had we not had the transfer ban.
Lampard inherited some good players but our squad is also just a mish mash that was pretty much cobbled together based on whoever was available to be recalled etc. There's a reason almost nobody gave us a prayer of top four at the start of the season.
Our defence needs major surgery. I don't fancy Kepa at all. Statistically he's been awful this season and I think his uncertainty somehow infects our defence. Our CB's are very meh and Tomori is just a rookie still who may well become our first choice CB in time.
Next season I hope we have a much better and more assured keeper in the nets and we're going to need at least one new CB and a new LB this summer.
And not getting CL next season isn't the end of the world. First and foremost we need to re-establish ourselves as a PL force. If we do that then CL football will come and we'll actually be prepared to play in it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Excellent comment Superb!
posted on 13/7/20
I'm in the superb camp.
Whilst this season has been frustrating at times I have also enjoyed it and my expectations will have been exceeded though it will be dissapointing if we miss out on CL football now. I'm looking forward to next season.
As for Frank, I seem to remember a few Liverpool fans doubting Klopp a couple of seasons back and Fergie was on the brink of a sacking before he won his first trophy for United. I have no crystal ball but he can come good, look at OGS right now, United have to be the most in form club right now and he has been up against it from the start.