06 Dec 2022 22:04:47
Just a bit of fun Lads.

How many Chelsea players will be involved in the semi finals of the World Cup?

1.) 07 Dec 2022
07 Dec 2022 05:51:13
The way our players are doing it in world cup sharply cast doubt on potter suitability to manage Chelsea at this point. Sacking tt to appoint potter is still something I may not be to rationalise. Nothing improved from tt but worst results.

I don't know anything about how it works but from the next transfer window, boaly will want to spend on players but I'm worried about potter. Chelsea have made the mistake of one manager spending a lot and then bringing in another to coach them which I consider not the best. regardless of who manager is though club will continue to sign players that meet their requirements.

Potter is clearly not the best for Chelsea now because even so far he's taken us too further backwards and his use of the players he has, is bad enough indications and Chelsea is built for the wins and should not be giving any average manager the reigns for a long haul without improvement on the players and results.
Watch Chelsea players in the world cup and realise that potter has no clue about the players he has but seems sentimental attached to certain players and really makes team selection based on heart not tge brain. Tuchel wouldn't have been this dismal with the squad that potter has.

So before going all out for players we should sort the managerial position first. There are better manager for the long term than potter and unfortunately potter can't have the amount of time he may require at Chelsea because we can't condone embarrassing results for long.

2.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 09:09:05
But Ilo making best use of players if especially in the EPL was a problem for TT as well as Potter. Neither have seemingly trusted Pulisic or Ziyech to any great extent, yet both have performed v well at World Cup. Pulisic had his best run, and not coincidentally best run of form way back towards the end of Frank's first season. He then looked as good as he has at he World Cup, a potential world beater. TT played him in semis v Real Madrid, where he scored a great goal, then dropped him for the final which of course we won, and TT got tactics spot on.

Yet I expect we've all wondered whether both Potter or TT have got their combinations right in the league, and especially up front where 'attacking players' (ie not just out and out strikers) for last two seasons have struggled to score enough goals/ convert enough chances. We've too often depended on goals from defenders and wingbacks and a few from midfield. Too much chopping and changing up front? Or is it that the combinations that both TT and GP have tried haven't succeeded? But have either manager stuck with those combinations long enough to see if they could?

So it may be a manager problem, but not confined to Potter. And he has only had a few months in the job. But yes we do have some v good players who have not being playing to their potential, and part of problem is that they have been played out of position - often as makeshift wingbacks - or not given a decent run. Can only hope Potter has learnt enough about is squad by now, plus watched players in WC, to get it right from now on. Starting on 27 Dec v Bournemouth.

3.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 09:12:07
PS or is it not just a managerial problem but a problem of player combinatiions we have, so a matter of changing some of the players?

4.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 09:15:59
Ilo, the question was meant to be a bit of fun.

How on earth you equate player’s performances in different international teams and there performances at Chelsea is beyond me and how there performances relate to GP is frankly bizzare.

The players are playing with different types of players, shapes and systems. In my opinion it’s impossible to make a comparison. Harry Maguire would be a good example of how different players performance can be at club and international football.

For the same reasons it is impossible to put up club managers as a comparison to their international counterpart.

This is just a classic case of finding an argument to fit an agenda.

5.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 09:48:28
Or it could just be a case said players have been coasting all season to stay fit and then star for their countries at the World Cup.
Ziyech ran more for Morocco the other day than he ever has in a Chelsea shirt!
People need to take off the rose-tinted glasses on Tuchel- for 9 months the football was generally absymal. He alienated so many players like Trev Chalobah for no reason. His transfer strategy is also extremely questionable - not one of his signings so far has been a bona-fida success, with jury still out on Fofana. He also clearly can't work in a more hierarchical structure because that was why he fell out with the owners at Dortmund and PSG.
As for Potter, time will tell. However, I'd use Brighton as the case study. He inherited an old tired squad. He lost quite a few early games. He was given the chance to rebuild it, with young hungry players, quality across the pitch and geared towards an expansive and attractive playing style.
Several years later, and they are scalping teams like us, Liverpool and Man United. We need to give a manager resources, backing and most importantly time. Pep had a terrible first year - City kept faith. Klopp had an awful first season - Liverpool kept faith. Arteta had a dreadful 18 months - Arsenal kept faith. All of them are now either reaping (or have reaped) the rewards for doing so.
Going back to the original point, I think we'll have at least 2 players in the semi finals.

6.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 10:18:02
RJ, your post in my opinion is reasonable and you make a well balanced case for GP and his time as a coach.

Spot on mate.

7.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 10:44:22
Thank you RJ for that note of clarity. I sometimes wonder why goldfish bother to support a football team at all. It can't be very satisfying.

8.) 08 Dec 2022
08 Dec 2022 17:28:41
I don’t put much store in how players perform at the World Cup or Euros it is completely differently to club football. Some make names for themselves like Ramos who has added about 50M to his fee in one game. That said, Bellingham and Gvardiol are now probably out of our reach now as their list of suitors will have increased. As for TT he has gone. TBH, I don’t have a great deal of faith in Potter but as people have said time will tell. How much time is the issue, we will have to live with no CL football next season but two seasons in a row would begin to bite. As I said previously if, as is likely, we finish outside the top four, I would be happy to be 10th so that we don’t have play pointless European games on Thursday nights.