Match Day Thread Chelsea v Southampton 02/10/21, 3pm

Best to take pity on the misguided twatters, they speak from a dank and musty place.

 

I take my hat off to Ralph as he has evolved with two or three different plans.
His changes at half time yesterday changed the course of the game until JWP was red carded. This is a big shift for him as last season nothing would have changed

 

Yep, he's far more proactive this season.

But no doubt that it partly because this season he has options on the bench which are of the same level as those already on the pitch. Rather than basically just having the youth team to turn to. By having more to work with, changing things up earlier in the mid match becomes far easier.

(That doesn't necessarily mean those options are good enough to play in the PL. Just that they're, broadly, on a par with the first XI.)

 

I agree with your first paragraph Brendy but I fundamentally disagree that our first team squad is not good enough to play in PL. We have drawn with the champions away, West Ham, Man U and were unlucky against the European champions yesterday. The Wolves performance was a disappointment but it was a match that we might've won on another day.

 

And from the matches you mention, we scored a penalty and an OG. That's it.

Using your bench to change the game is far more common in relation to the offensive side, rather the defensive side. Djenepo or Theo? Che or Redmond? A second striker or an extra number 10? Broja from the start, or off the bench? They're all rather of a similar level. And for me, unfortunately that level is "meh". But even "meh" is better than turning to the bench and just seeing Nlundulu, Long and Obafemi.

 

I think that the back 7 pick themselves although Diallo will come in for JWP (and he was very good when he came on yesterday). Ralph needs to find the right formula for the front 4 and having Stuey available will help, I think the goals will come and results and points will follow.
Penalties and OGs still count on the scoresheet.

 

Just seen Wood’s challenge on Ozan in the Burnley Norwich game

Both feet in the air, lands on his shin/ankle
Yellow card, no VAR review
Where’s the consistency?

 

Simples. No top6 in that game.

 

We need a match winner, someone like Mane, Le tiss who could change the game in a flash. That is what we are missing the most. There is no one in the squad to fill that position. Wolves last week had a match winner and that was the difference.

 

Trouble is, we can't afford to buy known match winners, so we have to take a punt on 'might be' match winners, where we've been (ironically) a little bit off target recently.

 

I get it, just trying to appraise the situation for the fans calling for Ralph's head. Hoping AA or Tella will raise to that level. We need one of them to become an Allan Clarke type forward.

 

We need a win, then the season is truly underway!

 

It’s a case of one person posts ‘Ralph out’ 20 respond with ‘stupid comment’, Twitter goes, ooh, interesting post with engagement and boom! Post appears in everyone’s timeline. Meanwhile, I post about being ahead of our points tally from last year and ..crickets.. Twitter goes ‘meh’ - here’s another post about Ralph out which 20 people disagree with.

 

Spot on. Our main issue is we don’t have a standout winger or CAM. No creativity.

 

Awful lot of them do agree as well though. Which is...well...it is what it is.

 

Fans calling for Ralph’s head need to kick themselves in the head.

Of course, they’d miss.

 

We also need just one of our players to be ‘lucky’.

 

It’s not crazy talk is it? I like Ralph a lot but how much longer can this form go on for?

I think a lack of creative attacking mids is our downfall, but what can you do with the window closed?

 

Its not so much our downfall as our achilles heel when it comes to goal scoring. Our defence has been very good.

What you can do is continue to develop and improve the players we have, give chances to young players. Look at the squad we have now, that back line is so much improved on last year. Jack Stephens was heading for player of the month FFS, Salisu came in and looked top class, Tino is brand new and top drawer and we have Peraud, Thierry Small and KWP contesting the LB position.

In front of them Romeu has been dominating games for months. JWP has been a bit off form but is still our talisman.

Now we have to find a replacement for Ings' goals.

But Ralph and the backroom staff has done an incredible job assembling and improving a squad of players IMO. Its worth noting that Ings best scoring seasons were achieved here under Ralph so given time its entirely possible he'll have a positive influence on Armstrong and Adams.