Chelsea 2 Sheffield United 0

[Sciatika]

Given all the gloom and doom on this site, at the moment, I am going to try to be optimistic today. Our next four games in the prem are Sheffield (H), Wolves (A), Palace (H), and Luton (A). Is 12 points from those too much to hope for?

[Max Fowler]

18 hours ago, Sciatika said:

Who will we drop if Nkunku plays? I like the idea of him in behind Jackson/Broja but that would mean pushing out Palmer from the #10 role. Can Nkunku play wide or is that a waste? Maybe play three up front rotating. Can Mudryk and Sterling play as WBs? That would be an insanely attacking side.

--------------------Sanchez

--------Disasi------Badiashile-----Colwill

Sterling-----Caicedo-----Enzo----Mudryk

-----------------Palmer------

---------Jackson-----Nkunku

Maybe we just have the frontmen playing 45 minutes each.😀

Someone's been playing football manager...

I am sure Nkunku is off the bench.

[Max Fowler]

4 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

Given all the gloom and doom on this site, at the moment, I am going to try to be optimistic today. Our next four games in the prem are Sheffield (H), Wolves (A), Palace (H), and Luton (A). Is 12 points from those too much to hope for?

I mean when we played against the big teams we said how we struggle against these kind of low blocks. I predict these four are where the wheels are really going to start to come off - maybe 5 points across the four.

[Mark Kelly]

41 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

Given all the gloom and doom on this site, at the moment, I am going to try to be optimistic today. Our next four games in the prem are Sheffield (H), Wolves (A), Palace (H), and Luton (A). Is 12 points from those too much to hope for?

I think that may be thirteen more points than we're likely to get.

[ROTG]

52 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I mean when we played against the big teams we said how we struggle against these kind of low blocks. I predict these four are where the wheels are really going to start to come off - maybe 5 points across the four.

that’s some prediction 

In the event of it being reality, you can call 116 123 who have people who you can talk with Or Prozac 😀

Edited December 15, 2023 by ROTG

[My Blood Is Blue]

1 hour ago, Max Fowler said:

I mean when we played against the big teams we said how we struggle against these kind of low blocks. I predict these four are where the wheels are really going to start to come off - maybe 5 points across the four.

This is my fear as well, these next matches are massive for us and Poch now. We need to win them all, but I just can't see it happening. 

[Dwmh]

47 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

1 hour ago, Sciatika said:

Given all the gloom and doom on this site, at the moment, I am going to try to be optimistic today. Our next four games in the prem are Sheffield (H), Wolves (A), Palace (H), and Luton (A). Is 12 points from those too much to hope for?

I think that may be thirteen more points than we're likely to get.

Wolves are level with us so I can' see us winning that but the others are definitely expected wins of the kind where not getting 3 points is serious bad news.

 

I can see us getting 9 and some fans going overboard about it thinking we "are back".
But 9 points from this lot means very little.

If we beat the much weakened Newcastle there will be two LC semis to play in January.
(though now they are out of CL they may treat LC more seriously than then treated the PL game)
And 4th round FA cup if we beat PNE.

So our nice run of fixtures could change.
It might include 3 championship games with PNE and Middlesborough or Port Vale (league 1).
Or it might include 3 games against Liverpool in January - that would be Proof of Current Status.

[Sciatika]

♬ ♬ ♬
Colwill and Silva and magical playing
Enzo and Moises and Palmer and Sterling
Oppo defences, all tied up in strings
These are a few of my favourite things.
♬ ♬ ♬
 

[Max Fowler]

At this point, I don't think the board gives a flying f' about keeping Poch. They are moving on transfers without him - if things turn ugly they can throw him under the bus and distract our fans with more transfers and a new shiny appointment. Actually the real problem isn't Poch but our mid-table sporting team made up of Brighton and Southampton rejects.

[Blue Moon]

18 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

♬ ♬ ♬
Colwill and Silva and magical playing
Enzo and Moises and Palmer and Sterling
Oppo defences, all tied up in strings
These are a few of my favourite things.
♬ ♬ ♬

Never could resist a challenge …

♬♬♬

Arsenal roasting on an open fire
Palmer nipping at their balls
Yuletide chants being sung by the Shed
And our attack hitting brick walls

Everybody knows a turkey and we’ve seen plenty of those
They’ve help to make this season shite
Tourist plastics with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to cheer tonight
They know Ted Boehly’s on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every Chelsea fan is gonna try
To see if pigs really know how to fly

And so I'm offering this simple hope
To Blues from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, every day
Merry Christmas to you

♬♬♬

[paulw66]

No Sanchez, Cucurella and James

Set pieces worry me without Sanchez. Petrovic didn't exactly cover himself in glory with that late Everton corner. 

[chiswickblue]

Nine players injured and three players maybe fit enough for the bench. I think there is too much football.

[Miguelito07]

4 minutes ago, chiswickblue said:

Nine players injured and three players maybe fit enough for the bench. I think there is too much football.

...imagine if were playing in Europe 😞

[Miguelito07]

6 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

No Sanchez, Cucurella and James

Set pieces worry me without Sanchez. Petrovic didn't exactly cover himself in glory with that late Everton corner. 

should have played Petrovic in the LC matches - at least

[Max Fowler]

6 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

No Sanchez, Cucurella and James

Set pieces worry me without Sanchez. Petrovic didn't exactly cover himself in glory with that late Everton corner. 

To be fair Sanchez has hardly looked great from set pieces.

More flaps than a startled seagull.

[paulw66]

15 minutes ago, chiswickblue said:

Nine players injured and three players maybe fit enough for the bench. I think there is too much football.

we haven't had that much.

I actually think VAR has a lot to answer for in respect of muscle injuries. Far more stop - start with players getting cold, then starting off again

[paulw66]

27 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

To be fair Sanchez has hardly looked great from set pieces.

More flaps than a startled seagull.

I agree he doesn't always look convincing, but I can't think of a single goal this season we have conceded from a set piece where he takes any blame.

 

[blueboy1905]

 

Not sure if anyone is interested but through work I've managed to get a load of free tickets for the pantomime this Christmas 🎄

Limited to four per family 

You can choose Shed Upper, Shed Lower or the Matthew Harding stand 

Just let me know .!!!👍🏻

[Dwmh]

34 minutes ago, chiswickblue said:

Nine players injured and three players maybe fit enough for the bench. I think there is too much football.

One simple reason is we only have 20 Over 21 members in the squad.
This takes us back to 15/16 when we only had 19 (and predictably failed).

In 15/16 the squad included 3 GKs and 3 crocked CFs  and we were in the CL.

In 23/24 we have 4 GKs, Fofana, Chalobah, Chilwell, Broja, James, Badiashile, Nkunku all out injured for a significant number of games.
Many of these injuries were known about at start September, before the window closed.

In 15/16 we included Zouma, Baba Rahman, Traore and Kenedy to make up the numbers.  All of them were in their first season and so fingers crossed they might do OK.  Zouma was some years away from being a genuine starter, Baba too many injuries, and the other two just about made it to bottom half PL sub level.  40 starts between them.

Lots of others got minutes (Miazga, Clark-Salter, Tomori, Loftus-Cheek, Abraham but only Miazga(2) and RLC(4) got starts.  But most of these appearances were under Hiddink with the season done.

Essentially it was a season with
Courtois + GK2/3
13 outfield O21 players
Pato, Falco, Remy (all crocked - 5 PL starts between them)
Zouma Baba, Traore and Kenedy.

 

This season is not too different.  Quite a few of our senior players are known injuries and would not have been registered if we had a full squad.  
The core U21s are Gusto, Lavia, Maatsen, Madueke, Palmer, Colwill who all have more relevant experience than the 4 from 2015/16
Then there is Chukwuemeka and Big Les who don't (and should really be out on loan).

And this season we have a lot of 22 yo senior pros - the medics need to be careful to take care of them.

[Max Fowler]

Given that both our first and second-choice full backs are likely to be out on either side (I guess Gusto might play), we're missing our first-choice goalie, Nkunku still not fully fit and everyone else - I genuinely think our injury list has never been worse this season.

However this is absolutely no excuse not to win tomorrow - and Poch is already making excuses!

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Max Fowler

[Mark Kelly]

6 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

Given that both our first and second-choice full backs are likely to be out on either side (I guess Gusto might play), we're missing our first-choice goalie, Nkunku still not fully fit and everyone else - I genuinely think our injury list has never been worse this season.

However this is absolutely no excuse not to win tomorrow - and Poch is already making excuses!

 

 

Just the twelve out , glad it's not a crisis. 

[paulw66]

11 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

 

However this is absolutely no excuse not to win tomorrow - and Poch is already making excuses!

 

why, what has he said?

[Max Fowler]

5 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

why, what has he said?

Well it's the old "circumstances" line he's started rabbiting on about.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Max Fowler

[Mark Kelly]

[Max Fowler]