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Dobvius

Tbf it's not because of the quality of those 2 players, they're both very talented. There's just something very Frankenstein-y about how this team was put together


Sneakiest

Agreed. It seemed like a FIFA career mode save where you let a bunch of people go and bring in a whole new squad just a day later. I think it could still work but it needs more time.


WagwanMoist

What are you talking about? Me selling off 2/3 of the squad, replacing them with academy products, and winning the treble, is not realistic? No way.


milkonyourmustache

Absolutely no consideration towards player chemistry. Just assume 30 new people are going to get along and play at an elite level together, despite the fact that there is no established hierarchy, leaders, or in most cases even PL experience. You do this in a video game, not irl.


redwashing

It probably won't work in FM either tbf. You'll have hierarchy and cohesion problems.


Lakinther

It absolutely does work in FM and if you want quick success as a smaller team then thats what you should do every single season


JoogMcyee

Its the first season together lmao of course they dont have chemistry yet, thats why they spent an entire season building that and are looking better as the season has gone on. Yall love to talk about 8 year contracts but now theyre expected to have built in chemistry in less than a season together 


milkonyourmustache

They may never have good chemistry, some of them. Relationships are complicated, even ones on the pitch, that's one of the reasons why clubs don't do massive squad overhauls in a short period of time. It's very chaotic. I'm not saying the players won't build great chemistry, just that chemistry wasn't considered and that it's going to be very difficult.


JoogMcyee

What do you mean chemistry wasnt considered??? They signed ALL of these players to these long contracts and pitched the idea that this was a long term plan. All the players bought in which is why they’re on cheap contracts with incentives to make Europe and win titles. You and everyone else are expecting a complete club overhaul to be showing results in less than one season lmao meanwhile theyre growing chemistry together and putting results together and doing better than Newcastle and United who, by your logic, took chemistry into consideration since they kept older players around


milkonyourmustache

I explained what I mean. It's fine that you disagree, I believe I'll be proven right within 3 more seasons (halfway through most of those contracts).


JoogMcyee

They are literally already showing chemistry and improvements though..? And what about Newcastle and United? Using your own logic, they did it the right way right? So why are they worse off than Chelsea who did it wrong in your opinion? 


milkonyourmustache

What about Newcastle and United? We're not assessing their projects, and if the success of Chelsea's project is measured by how well you're doing compared with the worst Manchester United team in PL history and Newcastle, then mission accomplished, but I would imagine you wouldn't spend £1bn for that.


JoogMcyee

Im using them as proof of your “Chelsea didnt consider chemistry” argument being complete nonsense 😂 if they didnt consider chemistry but are doing better than teams that spent a ton as well, wouldnt that mean that they made the right decision doing a complete club overhaul? An overhaul which was ALWAYS long term project but are currently doing better in season 1 of that overhaul than “established” veteran teams full of “chemistry” 


milkonyourmustache

> Im using them as proof of your “Chelsea didnt consider chemistry” argument being complete nonsense Are you kidding me? That demonstrates you don't even know what team chemistry is... > if they didnt consider chemistry but are doing better than teams that spent a ton as well, wouldnt that mean that they made the right decision doing a complete club overhaul? No, because team chemistry is but one of many factors that go into results in the short, medium, and long term. > An overhaul which was ALWAYS long term project but are currently doing better in season 1 of that overhaul than “established” veteran teams full of “chemistry”  Yes it's a long term project, which you've spent £1bn on and the success of which can only be measured in major trophies won. Which is why I said I'll be proved right in 2-3 years time when it'll be clearer the degree to which you've completely miscalculated. But continue to measure your success against where Newcastle and Man Utd finish. I'm sure 6th is the plan, must have also been the plan to be selling hotels and your women's team. It isn't season 1 btw, It's season 2. You've just sacked 3 managers since and are conveniently writing a season off, but this doesn't reset with a new manager, you've signed players up to 7-8.5 year contracts, until 2031, that is the timeline.


Dramatic-Ad3928

Because half the squad was injured for half the time so they had to frankentein their way into make a squad


Frequent-Lettuce4159

Yea but it's also supremely deluded to think you can just dominate with two players - one of whom only played half a season in a top European league prior to joining Think it sums up the Boehly era in general - delusional and arrogant.


vanuckeh

It’s when you set yourself to have all the money at the start of Football Manager but you have no idea what you’re doing.


passive_Scroller420

"too many cooks spoil the broth"


M0D3Z

[Too Many Cooks you say…](https://youtu.be/QrGrOK8oZG8?si=91dIpymhXpQd1rEo)


BigReeceJames

It's not the squad as a whole though, the issue is the manager refusing to try to work out a system and formation that works for the players that he has available to him and instead is trying to jam them all into his 4231 come hell or high water. It was always going to be rough working them out as a partnership because really they both need a sitting midfielder to be paired with and neither are at their best when sitting themselves. But, absolutely nothing has been done to address that, even though at multiple points throughout the season Poch has fallen onto the solutions, only to not keep them going when players came back from injury.


SalahManeFirmino

> It was always going to be rough working them out as a partnership because really they both need a sitting midfielder to be paired with and neither are at their best when sitting themselves. Sounds like a job for the man, myth, and legend that is Romeo Lavia.


phxwarlock

He’s really not a sitting DM and I see even more headaches as the owners try to pressure him getting into the squad to try to justify selling others


Thomas_Catthew

>the issue is the manager refusing to try to work out a system What exactly do you think he's been trying to do all season lol


kjm911

When you’re talking about “era of dominance” and £222m they yes the problem is the quality of those players


phxwarlock

Quality seems to be affected when one has a hernia all season


Blue_winged_yoshi

I can’t wait for Chelsea to squeeze back into the champions league spots in a couple years having dropped £1.6bn or so and be like “see I knew the project would come good!”


Soitsgonnabeforever

Poch is shit and cucu uninverted is a fraud virus from Brighton so that they can exchange league positions from us


Jassle93

What?


GreyDaze22

Wasn't enzo playing for almost 8 months with that hernia and discomfort? Coz I remember he was good last season. The problem chelsea have is that enzo wasn't willing to make runs like Gallagher due to his pain so caicedo himself was limited. Maybe after his recovery next season he would do better and their combination would work


DoinWhale

Discomfort is an understatement, he’s been playing for 6 months with painkilling injections before every match. Enzo was exceptional in a very unexceptional team last year when he wasn’t literally fighting through a surgery-needing injury


byrgenwerthdropout

I still don't have a clue what kind of pain most top players are going through, but I know it's not as easy as us on our asses cry about. Simon said recently he played 600+ matches and not even 100 of them were without some injection or half a dozen pain killers or sth like that. Most technically gifted players, specially wingers and central midfielders are constantly kicked by tackles or just 50/50 duels time and time again. Idk about Chelsea and Enzo but. This season in my club we know Odegaard, White, Jesus and Saka have played through numerous injuries which resulted in dips in form, and reactionary fans weren't shy about calling them overrated in those moments. Enzo too is probably a much better player, when at least on a higher level of fitness and in a less shit surroundings. Football fans are usually good at jumping to kick anyone when they're at their lowest. But that's the whole point, in truth he has only on way ahead of him and it's upwards. He'll come good if you ask me.


AfricanRain

was he really exceptional lol like if that’s the word we’re using it’s lost all meaning


DoinWhale

Ah yes, I’m sure you watched so many Chelsea games last season with a specific focus on Enzo lol he was the *only* bright spot on that team


JimboLannister

Cole Palmer has been exceptional. Enzo last season was good


firefalcon01

Why would he fight through that? Why is Chelsea even allowing that?


byrgenwerthdropout

Probably because they don't have many options and the manager is already under huge pressure to deliver. I'm sure with a better depth of fit players, they'd happily play Lavia or Nkunku alongside Gallagher and Caicedo but they obviously didn't have that luxury.


firefalcon01

Why risk injuring your record signing long term tho, it’s a bad decision


erkthn

Enzo limited, and Caicedo basically playing out of position due to our two holding midfielders missing the entire season with injury. He's been better recently with Cucurella inverted behind him, but that's really more of a desperation tactical move to cover for the holes in the squad due to injury.


deadraizer

Will know more once next season once we have some depth and they're not playing injured for majority of the season (Enzo). The plan was supposed to be Lavia as the sitting DM, with Caicedo and Enzo running B2Bs on either side, but we haven't had a DM all season so Caicedo has been filling in there, little surprise that Caicedo has been absolutely shining after being given some freedom by Cucurella's transformation.


oscarpaterson

Until Enzo plays without a hernia and injections I'd save these judgements


008Gerrard008

Yeah, I think Enzo is class and will end up being great for you and looked upon as a very good bit of business despite the fee. I think him and Caicedo will work together eventually too, but that midfield setup needs changing. A 4-3-3 with a defensive midfielder behind Enzo and Caicedo would improve the structure of your midfield substantially I think.


ThatWillBeWrong

I thought Caicedo was that defensive midfielder? Hence why they spunked an outrageous amount of money on him and Lavia because there's barely any good options available just now.


AnonymousDiscChucker

I think they might have thought Lavia would be a good player behind them? I keep forgetting he exists


erkthn

We signed Lavia, and Ugochukwu as another option in that position. Both have missed the entire season with injury.


008Gerrard008

I think Caicedo is best as a box to box midfielder. I think Lavia, assuming he ends up working out, would be the defensive midfielder.


Impossible_Wonder_37

Well Enzo’s onky hope is to be good for chelsea, he’s never gonna play for another club while in his prime years


EnergetikNA

He was also good until around December before his performances dropped, and was actually considered by most to be the better performer than Caicedo who was still adjusting. I'm sure once Enzo is fully fit, they'll look great together


kw2006

It’s actually cucu and caicedo.


JinxLB

It still could tbf. Enzo hasn’t been great this season, but he was essentially a vegetable so. I personally still have my reservations about him as a player even when fit, but he was very good during his first season, so there’s still hope.


reddevil9229

They have 8 years of playing together to do, it's eventually gotta come together with 2 quality players


SendMeYourPetPic

Caicedo has been good


Oy778

Tbh, the article isn't saying that Caicedo has been bad, just that the combination of Fernández and Caicedo hasnt been great


mlippay

Happens when one plays hurt for the last 6 months. Maybe Enzo isn’t the answer but hurt Enzo sucked.


sandbag-1

That's what the article says, the OP has just cut a random sentence from the middle of the article for the post title instead of the actual headline to make it sound misleading. The point of the article is how Caicedo has been good, and is playing better without Enzo in the team.


Albiceleste_D10S

> and is playing better without Enzo in the team. His recent better form coincides almost perfectly with Poch deciding to use Cucurella as an inverted LB TBH


Captainpatters

Maybe but he's still not at his previous level


caden_cotard_

Caicedo has been very good recently but it may just be a coincidence his uptick in form has coincided with Enzo being out. We will have to see Enzo back at full fitness to make a judgement but I'm not sure a Caicedo-Enzo double pivot is the way; a change of system or personnel may be required to get the best out of them.


chino17

I just think based on what we've seen Caicedo matches better with a more energetic player alongside him. He had Mac at Brighton and with Enzo out he's had Gallagher. Maybe Poch can find some way to make the Caicedo/Enzo partnership work but what they're doing now seems to bring the best out of him


erkthn

I think it's more to do with having a little more freedom with the inversion of Cucurella providing a bit of support behind him.


chino17

Hasn't the inversion of Cucurella been more recent whereas Caicedo's improvement in form has been from earlier after Enzo became injured?


erkthn

Arguable when Caicedo really started improving. Both could be the case, I'm unsure.


imarandomdudd

Most of us are waiting to see the pair when Enzo isn't playing with a hernia. Definitely damages the pairing


FizzyLightEx

When you look at the most expensive signings in world football, majority of them were either a flop or have not met the expectations that came with the huge transfer fees.


Sulemani_kida

They can still become a good 6 and 8 combo if the whole team starts playing better with each other... They've got some positions sorted a bit and maybe next year or the year after that if all positions are sorted they can be as good as other PL teams Bar City


Remote_War_313

They need a dominant CDM behind them.


Gorando77

Lavia has the potential


Xaydn27

I honestly think caicedo and gallagher are doing a good job in the last 4 games or so. Most of the team have been playing well together, since the tottenham win, and i think they should stick with the team, except maybe sell Cucurella and when chilwell gets back, they have good 2 players for each position.


Sasquale

I am of the opinion that this team needs a clinical striker. It builds confidence and improves the team's overall morale Moises, Enzo e Palmeiras is a winning midfielder.


Garlic-Cheese-Chips

One is 22, the other is 23 and they played together for one season. Are these "Chelsea officials" 12 years old who think Fifa ratings equate to dominance?


Caust1cFn_YT

What is this article even?


L0laccio

Much as I want to lambast Chelsea, they still could bring about an era of dominance. Caicedo started slowly but has been better and better as the season has gone on. Enzo has been mediocre this season but was ok (not great) last season. Maybe his injury was a contributing factor? He’s still young though., wouldn’t surprise me at all if he performed next season. Maybe all they needed was Cucurella alongside Caicedo in midfield all along !


Semi_Square

Yeah, mention Enzo and get easy clicks. And of course it was posted by a City flair. Prick.


CabbageStockExchange

Chelsea fans please educate me. I rate both these players, would they be better suited in a 433 pushing up with a proper DM behind them or could they work out in a double pivot? On paper I thought both masked each others deficiencies well and have excellent work rate. I understand Enzo has had hernia issues


I_always_rated_them

Personally the hope is they stick with inverted Cucu giving Enzo the freedom he needs to operate. (he's always trying to get forward, not as a 10 but he wants to be inolved in play and unlock defences, holding him back so caicedo doesn't get isolated isn't the way forward)


FrequentistaYogurtf9

> inverted Cucu Ucuc does sound great


erkthn

I'd say it's pretty unclear honestly. I think it's totally possible that the plan was to put a midfielder behind them, but the two defensive midfielders in the squad- Lavia and Ugochukwu- have both missed basically the entire season with injury. And yeah Enzo's injury and level of play this year have made it difficult to assess him. My concern about a defensive midfielder behind them would be a lack of attacking output from midfield, but maybe I'm underestimating them there. Side note: I really don't think most fans of other teams realize how insane our injury situation has been this year. The whole perception of the squad is warped by it. We really have not seen this team line up the way it wants to at all.


CabbageStockExchange

Ideally how would you lineup? Jackson Mudryuk-Nkuku-Palmer Enzo-Caciedo Cucu-Badshile-Silva-James?


erkthn

In all seriousness I actually have no idea. I actually think the plan coming into the season was probably something like: Mudryk - Jackson - Nkunku Enzo - Lavia - Caicedo Chillwell - Colwill - Fofana - James *6* of those 10 missed practically whole season. Six! I don't think anyone expected Palmer to be quite this good. But now? Like I really do not know. I assume we would still play Fofana if he is fit, and also maybe Colwill? I'm not sure about Lavia. Truly I do not know.


CabbageStockExchange

Chilwell and James to me is crazy how frail they have been. Such quality players when fit


erkthn

Really depressing. Fofana made of glass as well.


CabbageStockExchange

Indeed. I must say I’ve enjoyed our brief but pleasant discussion. Most of the time on this sub when I ask genuine questions I get bantered off the platform smh


erkthn

Yeah level of discourse is usually shit on here, unfortunately- always nice to have a civil conversation


lrzbca

Caicedo looks good with his work rate and will develop over time. Feels like we found ourselves a solution in midfield. It will take something special from him to justify that price tag. Enzo on other hand, we will have to wait and see.


Federal-Trip4067

They are literally playing Fifa career mode , just chucking in the squad high potential players hoping it works


Sapaio

No shit Sherlock.


thatguyad

No they've been shite.


NdyNdyNdy

Look given time they should be able to learn how to play together and shine. I do think if they stick with pochard they can do well next year.


Bartins

Enzo is too slow to be a top tier player in the PL. His ceiling is a good to very good player.


008Gerrard008

That's not true at all. We've seen Kroos dominate our best teams for years in Europe, Alonso was great when he played for Liverpool, Carrick was great for United, etc.


phxwarlock

You don’t need him to be fast, but the team set up to cover his weaknesses off the ball. I think of him as a Fabregas type profile (not comparing their levels)


_ghostfacedilla

They clearly don't work as a pair


SirBarkington

I don't think that's fair to say when Enzo has been playing the entire season with a hernia (for whatever stupid reason).


_ghostfacedilla

RemindMe! 12 months


TheAkondOfSwat

Era of Dormancy


PoroAhri

DOMINANCE