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Chelsea 2018-2019: Sarri, not sorry

RichUT

By RichUT
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texifornia
texifornia

Hey guys, Rarely post over here, but travelled out to London for work and made the pilgrimage on my free, insanely sleep-deprived Saturday. It was funny, I hadn't been to the UK since I was a kid

MoJames
MoJames

Alright, down 4-0 25 minutes in, let's watch body language and see if we fall apart.

ztejas
ztejas

Surprised their bench has that many Chelsea fans

texifornia

texifornia 59009

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Hey guys,

Rarely post over here, but travelled out to London for work and made the pilgrimage on my free, insanely sleep-deprived Saturday. It was funny, I hadn't been to the UK since I was a kid, and you'd think something like Buckingham Palace would be the most memorable part, but because of how often I'm watching Stamford Bridge on TV and following the club, it was oddly touching to be at the Bridge.

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20181212-121129.jpg

 

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RichUT

RichUT 1936

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Hazard is gone, and it’s hard to blame him. We need to give CHO more starts and convince him that he’s part of the future (along with Pulisic) in an effort to get him to stay.

I get that we’re in the hunt for the top 4 and that we can’t just go full on into rebuilding, but there has to be some thought given to the next 3-5 years as well. We’ve let too much great young talent leave the club and we have to draw the line somewhere and hang on to players with that sort of potential.

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MoJames

MoJames 8258

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On 1/20/2019 at 10:14 AM, RichUT said:

Hazard is gone, and it’s hard to blame him. We need to give CHO more starts and convince him that he’s part of the future (along with Pulisic) in an effort to get him to stay.

I get that we’re in the hunt for the top 4 and that we can’t just go full on into rebuilding, but there has to be some thought given to the next 3-5 years as well. We’ve let too much great young talent leave the club and we have to draw the line somewhere and hang on to players with that sort of potential.

Eden Hazard - “I didn’t just frustrate Conte. In my career, I’ve frustrated all my managers, and now I’m frustrating Sarri. I frustrated Mourinho. They all think you need to score more, do such and such more. I’ll also frustrate the next manager I have.”

"If this season, I finish 30 goals and 20 assists, we will all say:" Oh yeah, exceptional ". Even if I make matches all rotten. But that's not what I want. I do not care ! For example, I prefer to make a match like the one we lost to Tottenham (1-0, in the semi-final first leg of the League Cup played two days before the interview) , where I took my foot. But zero decisive pass, zero goals, as against Brazil (2-1 victory of Belgium in quarters of the World Cup 2018). But it's to make matches like that that I play. "

"I do not know if I'm apart. I may be apart in the best players in the world. Because the best think goals, passes, trophies. And I have never been like that. So yes, maybe ... After that, in professional football, there are a lot of players like me who want to have fun. "

I don't know what to think about Hazard at times. It doesn't appear he wants to be the best when he makes comments like this.

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RichUT

RichUT 1936

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There’s an argument to be made that he’s a big part of the weak mental makeup of this squad. Teams are often a reflection of their best player, for better or worse. Losing alpha dogs like Terry and Lamps had a big impact on the mental toughness of the squad and Hazard doesn’t appear to be capable of filling their shoes.

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MoJames

MoJames 8258

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2 minutes ago, RichUT said:

There’s an argument to be made that he’s a big part of the weak mental makeup of this squad. Teams are often a reflection of their best player, for better or worse. Losing alpha dogs like Terry and Lamps had a big impact on the mental toughness of the squad and Hazard doesn’t appear to be capable of filling their shoes.

Right, like he needs to be paired with some other Alpha player and he can feed off of their energy.

I think the only players showing that this season are the defensive group. Dave, Geezer, Rudiger.

There isn't anyone in the mid forward that is constantly calling out other players to improve. I don't think Higuain is going to provide that either, granted a couple goals and we might get a bit more confidence rolling.

As well, Hazard is just so much better on the wing. Getting him out of the false 9 might be the best move of the season.

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MoJames

MoJames 8258

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Interview

Gonzalo Higuain, a proven striker at the highest level, has now completed his loan move to Chelsea for the remainder of the season, and after making the switch to Stamford Bridge the Argentinian spoke to the club’s official website.

Having previously played under Maurizio Sarri at Napoli, Higuain expressed his delight about working with the Italian once more, as well as outlining his determination to help the Blues achieve more success.

Before discussing the move, however, Higuain was keen to speak about his compatriot, and Cardiff City’s new signing, Emiliano Sala.

‘I send my strength,’ he said. ‘Hope is the last thing we can lose so we have to hold out hope that they are somewhere and, if that wasn’t to be the case, it will be a great loss.’

What made you decide to sign for Chelsea?

It was an opportunity that when it presented itself I couldn’t miss out on. I’m really excited to be here, to be working with Maurizio Sarri again and to be at a club with so much history. I’m just really happy to have completed the move and I hope to achieve all the goals which the club has set for itself between now and the end of the season.

What qualities can you bring to the side?

I’m someone who is always trying to improve, day after day. I think the most important thing is to be humble, even when we make mistakes, and so when that happens I will always try to rectify that improve. For the rest, I’ll leave other people to give their opinions on me. I’m not someone who likes to talk too much about myself but I’m someone who tries to improve, and get the best out of myself and my team, at every opportunity.

What are Maurizio’s biggest strengths as a coach?

Maurizio Sarri is the coach who, in my career, has got the best out of me as a player. He’s someone who knew how to work with me, particularly on the emotional side. That year together was fantastic and in big parts thanks to him, so coming to work with him is very important for me. I’m really happy to have been given the opportunity to do that and I want to get back to that level.

You flourished under Maurizio Sarri’s guidance at Napoli, what are your memories from that season (2015/16) when you broke a long-held Serie A scoring record?

It was a wonderful season and one in which I broke the goalscoring record, which is very important out there. It was a fantastic year for myself and Maurizio, and a period which we shared together, even though it was a short time. Now I’m just happy to be working with him again at a big club like Chelsea which has all the history and wonderful team-mates. I think everything is set on the right path to achieve our goals by the end of the season.

You were also a team-mate of Jorginho at Napoli, you must be looking forward to playing alongside him again…

It was my best year as a player and he’s a wonderful midfielder who contributed to that. He’s also a very good friend of mine so it’s a real pleasure to once more be joining up with him, and I hope we can achieve great things together again.

You’ve played in Argentina, Spain and Italy. Have you always wanted to test yourself in English football?

For a long time I’ve wanted to play in England but until now such a concrete opportunity hasn’t presented itself, so it was something I was never going to miss out on. It’s a huge challenge to come and play in the Premier League and I hope I’ll be able to settle in here at Chelsea. It’s a wonderful team and I hope we can bring a lot of happiness to the fans.

Chelsea is a team who always has great players and as kids everybody watched the Premier League, so it’s a real dream for me to come and play in this league, having already played in three of the best leagues in the world, it’s a real source of pride for me and I hope to make the most of it.

Have you watched much of Chelsea/Premier League this season?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve been following Chelsea because I know the coach and I have friends here. Now I’ve joined the club I’m going to give my all to help Chelsea achieve our objectives.

Do you know any other members of the squad?

Willy Caballero, Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso, Willian and I’ve played against Kovacic, so luckily I already know a few of them which is something that is going to help me settle in here.

You’ve enjoyed great success in your career so far, are you confident you can win more trophies with Chelsea?

Always in football you have those targets to win great trophies so I hope that’s going to be the case here. I feel very excited, with great hope and desire to achieve success with Chelsea.

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MoJames

MoJames 8258

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23 minutes ago, RichUT said:

Higuain isn’t splashy, but brings a level of consistency and mental toughness that this squad has been lacking. He’s not any sort of long term answer at striker, but will still provide a solid boost to our Top 4 aspirations.

Yeah, the question is my head is who is the long term answer?

Tammy is a long way off from playing anything consistent with Sarri Ball, but with a new manager might fit the mold.  Past that we have 2 aging 9s. Bats appears to be on the way out, and never clicked for us. 

Heres a list of young young talent not already signed by a top club, none I have heard of and are likely 4 years away from being considered.

Quote

Pietro Pellegri  17  Italy  Monaco

Fabio Silva  15  Portugal  Porto

Amine Gouiri  18  France  Lyon

Fiete Arp  18  Germany  Hamburg

Juan Hernandez  19   Colombia  Watford

Willem Geubbels  16  France  Monaco

Brenner  18  Brazil  Sao Paulo

That leaves players like Paco Alcacer (no clue on his play style), Depay (who already had difficulty in EPL), Fedor Chalov (young Russian talent), Alassane Plea (no clue), Sébastien Haller (no clue), André Silva?

I don't know enough about these guys, but lets hope someone at CFC is paying attention and gets one of these young 20 year olds in the fold to learn under Higuain and fills the void with the Morata flop.

The one thing I can say about Morata is atleast we acted quickly once he dropped out of form again.

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MoJames

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Sarri on Morata

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LONDON -- Maurizio Sarri said that Alvaro Morata forced Chelsea into the January transfer market for a new striker by saying that he wanted to leave the club.

Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain arrived in England on Wednesday to complete an initial six-month loan move to replace Morata, who is expected to join Atletico Madrid on loan until the end of the season with an option to make the move permanent next summer.

Morata has struggled on and off the pitch since arriving at Stamford Bridge for a then-club record fee of £58 million from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017, and had fallen behind Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud in Sarri's striker pecking order in recent weeks.

"I think that Morata is a very good player," Sarri said. "I think that Morata has the characteristics for playing in my team. But Morata, one month ago, said he wanted to play in another team, so it was really very difficult for him to give us the 100 percent for his mental situation, I think.

"I think that Morata is potentially a very important player. From the physical and technical point of view, he is a very good player and suitable for my football. But the situation changed in the last month, so we needed to change."

As well as clearing the way for Morata to return to the Spanish capital, the acquisition of Higuain also represents a significant departure for Chelsea, who have been reluctant to sign players over the age of 30 in recent years.

Sarri personally recommended Higuain as Morata's replacement, and has a different view of when a footballer's best years end.

"I think 31 and 32 is not really very old," he added. "I think that, for a striker, it's very difficult to score with continuity when they are 22, 23. So the best is from 27 to 32, 33. So I think [Higuain is] the right age."

Chelsea have an option to sign Higuain permanently next summer, but Sarri admitted that the 31-year-old needs to produce on the pitch for the rest of the season in order to convince the club to make a long-term investment in him.

"I don't know exactly the details of the contract, so it's very difficult for me to answer," Sarri said. "It's up to him, I think. He has to score, first of all. I think that, for a long-term contract, he has to do very well. He has to play. He has to score. He has to be useful for the team."

Chelsea could not register Higuain in time to feature in Thursday's second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, when all eyes will be on the response of Sarri's players to his scathing public criticism of them following Saturday's limp 2-0 defeat against Arsenal.

Sarri accused his players of being "extremely difficult to motivate" in a remarkable post-match press conference, but insisted that it was not his intention to create any of the "palpable discord" in the Chelsea dressing room that overshadowed the final months of Jose Mourinho's second spell at the club.

"I didn't attack my players," he explained. "I told only my opinion about our problems. But I wanted that they realise the problem. I think it's my job.

"Of course, I have the responsibility also of the mental point of view, so the performance was my fault, of course. I said I am in trouble because it's very difficult to motivate them, but I didn't want to attack them.

"I don't know why [it's difficult to motivate them] otherwise it would have been easy for me. I don't know exactly the reason, or maybe there are 100 reasons. It's difficult, but we have to try something to improve in this.

"We are changing something in training, something in pre-match. We are trying to do our best, of course. But, for us, it's a problem -- not always, but even in some very important matches. So it's really very strange.

"When you play against Arsenal or Tottenham, you usually arrive at the match with a very high level of motivation and determination, but we made mistakes also in this kind of match. So it's very strange and we need to improve.

"But they agree with me. I discussed with the players after the match, and I said to them the same things as in the press conference. It's not a big problem. I want to be direct with them in private and in public."

 

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RichUT

RichUT 1936

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Ffs CHO put in a transfer request. Sarri has gone out of his way to get him in the line up. Hes started more games than RLC, Ampadu and Andreas.


Frustrating, but I suspect our history with young players is working against us. He’s seen several promising young players not get any run and ultimately leave the club. He may not feel like sticking around and potentially being the latest example. Or he may not care for Sarri and his staff or their training methods.

I’m certain we would regret his departure but he has the ability to force us into it. I’d prefer to see us take less money for him in favor of a buyback clause if it comes to that.
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MoJames

MoJames 8258

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1 hour ago, RichUT said:

Frustrating, but I suspect our history with young players is working against us. He’s seen several promising young players not get any run and ultimately leave the club.

He may not feel like sticking around and potentially being the latest example. Or he may not care for Sarri and his staff or their training methods.

I’m certain we would regret his departure but he has the ability to force us into it. I’d prefer to see us take less money for him in favor of a buyback clause if it comes to that.

 

Our history with young players over the past 10 years outside of Lukaku, is that they weren't good enough to play first team football. RLC, Andreas, Ake and now CHO are they only CFC youth players who have the tools to play meaningful minutes. So our history with youth isn't a very good argument in my opinion.

Here is the list.

Sarri might play a role, but assuming he knows the training methods at Bayern and is choosing the team because of them, is a bit odd.

I'm not aware of Bayern being overtly friendly to youth either. Renato Sanchez is the only player I can think of outside of a German player, getting any significant minutes, and honestly he hasn't played much at all. As well the average age of Bayern last season was around 28.

And it isn't like he isn't getting the contract offer as he was recently offered 85k a week and playing time. He simply doesn't rate CFC as high as we have him rated.

The only thing I can think of in regards to positive news from him asking to leave is that Hazard is looking to stay. 

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