Chelsea’s first half against Benfica has gone really well.
Enzo Maresca’s tweaked tactical setup worked really well, the players controlled the game against the Portuguese side, limiting them to almost no chances and creating plenty for themselves.
However as we reach half time it remains 0-0, and inevitably we fear that the other side will perk up in the second half and make things more difficult for us.
Delap disappoints with wayward passing and linkup play
While Chelsea did well, Delap did without doubt struggle a little, especially in linkup play. Fans on social media weren’t happy with some of his passing, especially.
It’s very early days for Delap, and we’ve largely loved what we’ve seen from the former Ipswich man in his appearances so far. But this was an important reminder that you don’t get a finished product or a complete package for £30m in the Premier League these days.
Chelsea fans demand Blues sign Benfica star who kept them at bay
“How much would Anatoly Trubin cost?” asked one Chelsea fan on social media, a sentiment which was being expressed widely.
Just days after keeping a clean sheet against a menacing Bayern Munich side who peppered his goal with shots, the Ukraine star was up to the same old tricks in the first half against Chelsea. Particularly notable was a near post strong hand to keep out a vicious Cole Palmer effort, and a great big body one on one stop against Marc Cucurella.
Given Chelsea pushed hard for Mike Maignan earlier in the summer, and given fans have never been convinced by the quality of Robert Sanchez, one can understand why there are supporters asking why we can’t have a keeper like Trubin on our books.
Not even Trubin is going to help Chelsea because under Mareska the team regressed instead of improving.
Gittens? It’s a waste. English players are good when youn bt rearly reach full potential; Walcott, Chambelain, Rushford, etc. only defenders are bett as English
That boy Gitten is very good, maybe you hv not watch him play, that’s a very good signing from Stanford Bridge
You’re very right
First of all they should stop signing kids. They are not gonna win you the titles or UCL. If Chelsea won’t bring few proven and experienced players next season will be about fighting for top four spot again. Let alone major trophies.
Gittens? It’s a waste. English players are good when youn bt rearly reach full potential; Walcott, Chambelain, Rushford, etc. only defenders are bett as English
Maresca is an inexperienced coach full of series of experimental turnaround. He’s tactically not stable and this makes many of his players bad.
How do you explain James playing unfamiliar LB so also Madueke on the LW.
Chelsea needs Antonio Silva…. The defender is always at the top
I don’t know what’s wrong with Chelsea they like signing average players
Liam Delap deserves better. Why condemn him. He has done fair enough at Chelsea. Give him a break. He only just came in and everyone needs to settle down a bit before they cld get their act together. He isn’t a robot or an Elon Musk’s creation. He’s just a normal human being which fellow human’s shld realize. You guys are condemning as if he was a Lionel Messi imposter. In fact he is a great prospect to take over Harry Kane’s role.. at least he has shown some effort before taking a shot at goal unlike Kane who often finds the net without any effort put in…who is nothing but an opportunist.
Chelsea needs to sign Mike Maignan. They now also have Pedro and Gittens. The next focus should be on defense and midfield requirements for the extremely long season ahead. Offload surplus players. Give the new guys a chance as soon as possible, and see what they bring to the team. The money generated from the surplus should be used during the mid-season transfer window to get the team into even better shape for the Champions League. Victor Osimhen’s worst and most underperforming season appears to be the 2024/25 campaign with Galatasaray. Despite scoring 15 goals across the league and Europa League, a third of these came from penalties, marking his highest penalty tally in a single season. The major issue was his poor finishing efficiency: Osimhen missed 28 big chances in just 19 matches, resulting in a very low goal conversion rate of about 12%, which is starkly below expectations for a striker of his caliber