My Blood Is Blue

I don't particularly want us to be in the Europa Conference next season, however, if we do end up in it then I want us to win it. We may as well complete the European set again if the chance is there, although it will need to be balanced against success (top 4) in the league. I also think it's a good test for this squad to see how they cope with the extra matches and travelling... if they want to be a CL team, they need to be able to deal with that.

It’s good to have a dream though

@Sciatika I love the positivity, but having been scarred by football and Chelsea too many times, especially this season, I'm fully expecting to mess it all up this Sunday! Genuinely though, the scenario you set out isn't all that impossible and I actually think Man United might beat Newcastle as well. Spurs losing to Burnley, I'm not so sure about although they have gone full-on Spursy at the moment, so you never know.

I expected inconsistency this season, with such a young squad it felt inevitable, however, the manner in which we suffered some of the defeats was deeply disappointing and far from acceptable (IMO). I've mentioned it before, but I feel like Pochettino let himself down with certain team selections and his apparent struggle to influence outcomes or momentum during matches. Looking back on this season, it's obviously important to acknowledge the extensive injury issues we faced. Losing players like Fofana and Lavia for an entire season, and key figures like Nkunku and James for prolonged periods, alongside other first-team members like Badiashile, Colwill, Chilwell, and Chukwuemeka who have missed large chunks of the season, created a daunting challenge. The fact that every single player in our first-team squad missed at least one game due to injury or illness is unprecedented, and I doubt any other club has encountered this before. Assessing Pochettino's performance is difficult. Undoubtedly, he has been dealt a tough hand, but at times I'm not convinced he has made the best use of that hand he's been dealt. Depending on the outcome of the final three games, my inclination will probably lean towards giving him another season, considering the need for stability and the fact it does seem like we're seeing some progress. The potential addition of James, Nkunku, and Fofana to the squad for the next season should see further improvements before we even take into account any new signings. However, if he does depart, I believe there will be clear moments in the season that we can look at and agree would have contributed to that decision.

I thought they had a rule that only allows each country to have a maximum of 5 CL places regardless of all the outcomes you’ve mentioned? So the opposite would be true and 4th place would no longer get a CL spot. I may be wrong on that!

It’s possible we had a window where we had to make a decision on whether to bring him back or not and it’s possible that one of the few remaining midfielders we had may have required surgery earlier than he has ended up having it. Maybe it was a choice between bringing him back or trying to find an emergency loan? I don’t know if this is the reason, but I would hope the reasoning was fairly sound. I agree, in terms of his development it has probably had a detrimental effect, but he has had some game time and been in and around the squad to help build relationships etc, so not entirely wasted.

Cole Palmer has also won the Chelsea Men’s Player of the Year! Star boy, Cold Palmer!

Cole Palmer has won the Chelsea Men’s Players Player of the Year award! Couldn’t be anyone else really, what a player, what a season.

Lauren James has won Chelsea Women’s Player of the Season! Outstanding talent and season for James.

Jess Carter has won Chelsea Women’s Players Player of the season! Full deserved!

Alfie Gilchrist has won the Chelsea Academy player of the year! Delighted for him, what an amazing season for him!

Really good video and good analysis. I've been really impressed with Cucurella recently, even before Enzo had the operation, but he has taken another step up since then and this video really helps explain why. It also shows how much it helps all the other players as well (Caicedo, Gallagher, Palmer and Madueke). The big questions the switch to this approach raises for me are... 1. What do you do with Enzo when he's fit again? 2. Can Chilwell play this role? If not, what do we do with him in the summer, especially given his injury record? 3. What happens when James and/or Gusto are fit? I think someone else posted it recently, but I think this is something Poch has wanted to do all season, but has struggled to implement it for various reasons, it would explain why Colwill was playing LB for so long, so act as that 3rd CB when the RB inverted.

Oh, cool, another Brazilian teenager.

Yeah, possibly, but what is true is that as a pairing in CM they didn't work, they would definitely at least have needed that third player sitting behind them... sadly, the England managers at the time were set on a rigid 442.

Yep, agree with his assessment as well. It’s not to say Enzo isn’t or can’t be a good player, but as I said the other day, sometimes certain pairings just work for whatever reason and when that happens, you need to stick to it and build from there. The opposite is also true… just look at Lampard and Gerrard for England.

Careful, it’s the hope that kills you!

I hope Poch sticks with the same team for this, I see no need to shuffle the pack (unless someone picks up an injury during the week, which isn't exactly impossible) as I think these players deserve to keep playing and seeing out the season. Cameos from those returning from injury are perfect as it allows us to gradually bring them back in with minimal (for us) risk of injuries.

body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .container { max-width: 600px; margin: 20px auto; background-color: #fff; padding: 20px; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); } h1 { text-align: center; color: #007bff; } p { text-align: justify; } .emoji { font-size: 24px; margin-right: 5px; } 🏆CFCnet 23/24 Awards!🎉 As the season draws to a close, it's time for our annual tradition of donning virtual tuxedos and ball gowns to honour our beloved Blues and CFCnet members. But before we roll out the red carpet and present the awards we need your input. I'll soon be asking you all to submit your votes across various categories, reflecting on the past ten months of ups and downs of our wonderful club and the season as a whole. Voting will commence soon after the final match of the season and will remain open until the end of May, with results then posted shortly after. Start mulling over your choices; it's the entire season that we're considering, not just recent matches.

It's a lot of 'ifs'! I think 6 is the highest we can get at this point and I think realistically, it will end up being 7th and that puts us in the Conference League...

Quite the analogy!

I completely agree. What Gallagher brings is something few others can IMO, in terms of his engine and willingness to close down and chase non stop. Equally his passion and desire to fight for the badge and the fans, is not something you can ever buy. In addition to all that, he seems to fit perfectly with Caicedo as you say. It seems like one of those partnerships that just works and once you come across that, you should do everything you can not to split it up.

Weird, it felt busier. It has always been the case that it's quieter when we're playing well. I think we all just get on better when that happens!

It's very often the case, although the Spurs match thread was very busy, so it could also have to do with it not being shown on TV. For me personally, I had a manic day today, so just about got to sit down and watch it and was then back up again cooking a roast, so haven't been has active on here today as normal.

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Looks on to me