***Official*** English Football Season 2020-21

[Uppercut]

Rhys Williams is shocking.

Fun to beat Liverpool but playing them in the cup doesn’t have the arse clenching tension of the league games.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Caught some of the Everton v Sheff Wed game after work and BT sport were playing some annoying crowd noises of kids shrieking. Has that been done on all the games this weekend, not seen any as 12 hour shifts mean you see nothing.

 

[sledger]

Liverpool's lack of recruitment in the last couple of years is starting to come back and bite them IMO.

Apparently they are considering signing Sokratis...

 

[JOJOXI]

Thomas Tuchel gets Chelsea green light after Frank Lampard is sacked by owner Roman Abramovich

Exclusive: Former PSG manager Tuchel is heading to Stamford Bridge to replace the fired Lampard

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Uppercut]

Makes sense. It's arguably the best squad in the league. There's no excuse to be 9th halfway through the season.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Makes sense. It's arguably the best squad in the league. There's no excuse to be 9th halfway through the season.

Not just 9th but quite a way behind the top 4 as well. 5 points could be made up under a new manager but I doubt Frank would have done it.

 

[Kraken]

He’s ruined Havertz, should be gone just for that tbh

 

[JOJOXI]

It annoys me at times that Lampard is virtually criticism free with some parts of the media and fanbase but I think I would have given it a few more games and reflected at table then but guess Abrahmovic isn't known for hanging around if he doesn't think the manager is cutting it.

Will be interesting to see how Havertz does if Tuchel joins wonder where he fits, if he fits in Tuchel's side - I'm not sure I'd agree with the ruined Havertz part about Lampard with disrupted season and Mount's form - I think Mount and Kante are pretty set in 2 spots of a midfield 3 with fully fit and available side (under Lampard). If Mount is going to be the person to link the attack to the midfield 3 a question what role Havertz will have in the short term as he hasn't really shown all that much

 

[Furball]

Can't wait for Tuchel to fail at Chelsea.

 

[Uppercut]

It annoys me at times that Lampard is virtually criticism free with some parts of the media and fanbase but I think I would have given it a few more games and reflected at table then but guess Abrahmovic isn't known for hanging around if he doesn't think the manager is cutting it.

Will be interesting to see how Havertz does if Tuchel joins wonder where he fits, if he fits in Tuchel's side - I'm not sure I'd agree with the ruined Havertz part about Lampard with disrupted season and Mount's form - I think Mount and Kante are pretty set in 2 spots of a midfield 3 with fully fit and available side (under Lampard). If Mount is going to be the person to link the attack to the midfield 3 a question what role Havertz will have in the short term as he hasn't really shown all that much

I'd have said that if you need to leave out much more talented players to get Mount in the side then that defeats the purpose of Mount. He's just not the main guy, he's the tidy and intelligent guy who can get the best out of the main guy. He's a malleable piece that you use to build the side around someone else.

I mean he's been your best player this season and you're 9th. If Werner or Havertz had been your best player this season you would not be 9th.

 

[Pothas]

Tuchel does not seem very Chelsea at all.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Tuchel does not seem very Chelsea at all.

He does, stays in big jobs about 2 years before moving on. He won't see out his contract at Chelsea.

 

[Furball]

Tuchel is a total fraud.

 

[AOCW6]

Lampard needed more time at lower division clubs. Was drafted in to Chelsea way too soon. I think he has the makings of a really good manager, but £200m+ spent and sitting in mid-table won't do it at a "big six" club.

If Tuchel can get the best out of Havertz and Werner then Chelsea could still be a force this season and get top four.

 

[JOJOXI]

I'd have said that if you need to leave out much more talented players to get Mount in the side then that defeats the purpose of Mount. He's just not the main guy, he's the tidy and intelligent guy who can get the best out of the main guy. He's a malleable piece that you use to build the side around someone else.

I mean he's been your best player this season and you're 9th. If Werner or Havertz had been your best player this season you would not be 9th.

I'm not sure he is all that malleable - I'm not sure he has a long term future in a front 3 and not defensive enough to be the deepest lying midfielder. I also wonder defensively quite how secure we are with Mount and Havertz in the same midfield 3. Shove Mount to the left or right of a front 3 and you are getting rid of Pulisic or Ziyech from the first XI anyway. I just question especially against decent sides (say the top 10) if the deepest of a midfield 3 is left with too much defensive responsibilities with Mount and Havertz in front of them. And whilst I agree that Havertz will be the star man whether here or somewhere else in the medium to long term - replace Mount with Havertz and Lampard would have been sacked even earlier than this. Havertz does need time to adapt to a new country and new league but most managers nowadays cannot afford to hang their hat on a player adapting and hoping they start fulfilling their talent before they've been sacked - it's a tough situation not every player will hit the ground running but as soon as they do not the manager is under pressure - build their team around an underperforming player and hope they start to perform before the manager is sacked or play with a side that might not be as good a year down the line but at the current time is the best side you can play with.

 

[Uppercut]

I'm not sure he is all that malleable - I'm not sure he has a long term future in a front 3 and not defensive enough to be the deepest lying midfielder. I also wonder defensively quite how secure we are with Mount and Havertz in the same midfield 3. Shove Mount to the left or right of a front 3 and you are getting rid of Pulisic or Ziyech from the first XI anyway. I just question especially against decent sides (say the top 10) if the deepest of a midfield 3 is left with too much defensive responsibilities with Mount and Havertz in front of them. And whilst I agree that Havertz will be the star man whether here or somewhere else in the medium to long term - replace Mount with Havertz and Lampard would have been sacked even earlier than this. Havertz does need time to adapt to a new country and new league but most managers nowadays cannot afford to hang their hat on a player adapting and hoping they start fulfilling their talent before they've been sacked - it's a tough situation not every player will hit the ground running but as soon as they do not the manager is under pressure - build their team around an underperforming player and hope they start to perform before the manager is sacked or play with a side that might not be as good a year down the line but at the current time is the best side you can play with.

Yeah I definitely don't think he should have dropped Mount. The solution was probably Mount and Havertz as roaming 8s behind a front 3, and maybe one of them dropping out for Kovacic against tougher opposition depending on how it goes. Kante isn't literally doing the work of 2 players any more but he can still cover a lot of ground.

 

[sledger]

I'd have said that if you need to leave out much more talented players to get Mount in the side then that defeats the purpose of Mount. He's just not the main guy, he's the tidy and intelligent guy who can get the best out of the main guy. He's a malleable piece that you use to build the side around someone else.

I mean he's been your best player this season and you're 9th. If Werner or Havertz had been your best player this season you would not be 9th.

The best teams almost always have one player like this tbh.

 

[Uppercut]

The best teams almost always have one player like this tbh.

Definitely. It's like being best supporting actor, it's a whole skill of its own. Iniesta was an ATG at it imo.

 

[sledger]

Yeah exactly. Like a domestique in a pro-cycling team.

Park Ji-Sung immediately springs to mind whenever I think of players like this as well for some reason.

Pedro as well.

 

[Uppercut]

Man I loved Park. I don't know if he was a supporting role guy exactly. He was one of Ferguson's massive squad of players who were all tactically useful in different ways, and only he knew which one to use in which situation. You'd forget he was even at the club for months then he'd appear in the starting lineup against Arsenal or Chelsea and put in a MOTM performance.

Firmino is in poor form at the moment, but he's a great supporting player too.