What Is Going On
What Is Going On?
I wonder whether Conte’s remark about “we’re only big on paper” is aimed not only at the players, but Roman and the Board, and also himself?
Because as the team that he has selected for the last 3 games has shown the same faults, yet is comprised of most of the players who failed last season, why is he still selecting them? Why, when he has praised Aina, Chalobah, Alonso, Batshuai, & RLC to name some, does he persist in using the others – with similar results?
Is it him? The Board? That is what is perplexing. I thought that we had a manager with genuine credentials, based on what he’d achieved at Juventus, where he had to rebuild a team and got it promoted and won the Serie A title the following year, and at the Euros he took “the worst Italian team for 50 years” and turned it into the most organised team in the tournament.
I cannot work out why he hasn’t ripped the team apart and composed one that is in his own image. Yes, we may well lose while it tries to gel, but one hopes that the players that he’ll have selected will fight and try and justify their selection, none of which seems to apply to the team as a whole at the moment. Apart from Costa and Kante I’m hard pushed to recall any of our starting 11 who showed any of that commitment in the past 3 games – and I include Fabregas, even after his substitute appearance against Leicester.
It’s all very perplexing. Nothing appears to have been learned. Another pretty disastrous summer in the transfer marked. We didn’t bid high enough for certain players. How badly did we want them? Why can City and United pay stupid money for players and keep within FFP, yet seemingly we can’t?
It’s true, we’re no ordinary football club. With our silent owner and his band of 2nd rate Board members, especially those in charge of player recruitment, it’s all too easy to imagine complacency, interference, and sheer ineptitude in transfer dealings. Who would ever have thought that we’d miss Peter Kenyon!!? How much interference does the owner make in team selection, squad selection etc? We grasp at straws because how else do we wrap our heads round the seeming incompetence of someone who is a top-rated manager?
My overriding emotion after the Liverpool defeat and this one is actual Dismay. Add the first half against Leicester and the way (with Marriner’s help) we didn’t put Swansea to bed, one wonders what the hell is going on and when will Conte change things? If he doesn’t change things for Hull then he has to be a major part of the problem, sharing as much responsibility as the players.
The only thing that makes this at all bearable is you lot, who are suffering as well. We’re the Club, more so than any number of Mercenaries who flit in, take the money, then f*ck off.
So win or lose, up the Blues.
Posted by CFCNick
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CFC NICK
YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL
NOTHING TO ADD
WELL WRITTEN
DAVID MUTAMBIRWA
ZIMBABWE
The problem of Chelsea would never end because the are not playing as a team and the play to slow
I totally agree, though I do think that Conte has had to give a(nother) chance to the established players.
Five games against different level opposition is enough to get a good idea of the merits of each of the individual players. Another couple of games to assure himself he’s come to the correct conclusions and I think we will then see the axe being wielded big-time.
Of course, he can’t do much until the transfer window – and even then his hands are tied by the ineptitude of the Board (that may be harsh, but it’s true: one failed transfer window is bad, but to have two in a row, and arguably three, shows how unprofessional and under-achieving they are).
Obviously the players want to do well. To say otherwise is just plain wrong. But those that have the character to turn things around when things go bad, like Branners, are now aged and lacking in pace; those that have the ability are lacking in character.
So, I’m waiting for the next month or so. We’ve already seen a tactical change (3-5-2,3-4-3)which paid dividends against Arsenal, The personnel changes will be phased in (I hope) through November and December.
I firmly believe we will have a new look team come the middle of January, one that has balls and effort and commitment to add to the talent and experience.
Of course, the same changes, relating to balls, effort and commitment, also need to made at Boardroom level.
So here’s hoping…
ktbffh
I am with you. Before we castigate the manager let’s remember what he has inherited. Somewhat reminiscent of Moyes/Ferguson. I cannot believe that he was not pressing the Board for centre halves in the summer – the guy is Italian after all – so there is a big question mark in my mind as to why we have screwed up two windows in a row. Everyone knew that is where the weaknesses were, but instead of getting the business done early, we hung on and on hoping that a superstar was going to drop into our lap. Lord knows where we would be without JT. Zouma will be welcomed back, and Dave needs to switch to RB. Let’s move Matic on and push Luiz into midfield – he is much better there.
One player worthy of praise you have not mentioned is Victor Moses. 100% effort going forward and tracking back. He deserves a first team Sto more often. It is very early to pass judgement on the manager. Maybe he is allowing some of the players enough time to prove them stud, and also have enough reasons to drop them. Evolution as opposed to revolution. As for transfers, the owner and the board nothing had changed much in the lady 10 years in terms of how they go about their business, except the obvious…. Don’t want to spend lots of silly money in one transfer window.
If Conte is such a good manager why does he pay 24m for a left back and leave him on the bench and play a right back in that position. Two of the arsenal goals came down our left. Ivan is well past it so why not play Dave there and bring in Alonso on the left. It just goes to show how JT is missed . Also two holding midfielders does not work. We need to play Kant in the makele role and let matic forward to win ball and give us a presence. We are letting teams dictate play far too much. I fear for Conte if he does,nt make some changes and kick a few backsides.