Conte just lost his first game of the season with Napoli. They lost 3-0 to Verona.

Conte apparently very unhappy with the state of affairs. Wonder if that gives the Osimhen move the jump start it needs to make it happen.

Otherwise let's just get Ivan Toney quick smart before the window shuts.

comment by RtM (U1097)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago

Early in our process of becoming a better team. We need time. And less panic.
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We were, then we sacked Pochettino. Cos we're smart like that

He wasn’t very good was he? Don’t understand this total flip of “he was the one to take us forward” we were stagnate for 80% of the season

Yeah I never saw it like that. Maybe I'm the minority but I saw improvement, from a very low base mind, pretty much from the beginning.

Was he the ultimate solution? Probably not. Would we have built on last season & improved further, be a probable top 4 contender? Yeah, I think so.

I get over Sanchez starting and doing as badly as all of us knew he would.

That kind of negligence is criminal.

comment by RtM (U1097)
posted 14 minutes ago
He wasn’t very good was he? Don’t understand this total flip of “he was the one to take us forward” we were stagnate for 80% of the season
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And that is the nicest way to put it. The fact that poor team selection and bad subs pretty much went till the end, as well as almost no evidence of a style of play emerging or evolving. Unless a style of play could be "don't fook it up in defence as we make 92 sideways passes and then pray Palmer can create something from nothing as the rest of the attack slowly wonder to the opposition penalty box" then he nailed it.

Apparently the punishment for the dodgy finances in Roman era we will receive soon

Probably a 1-2 year transfer ban
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As if we'd be that lucky.

The way to punish us is giving Clearlake special privileges to spend without restrictions

Did anyone have 47 minutes in the Sanchez sweepstake?

comment by Devil (U6522)
posted about 2 hours ago
Yeah I never saw it like that. Maybe I'm the minority but I saw improvement, from a very low base mind, pretty much from the beginning.

Was he the ultimate solution? Probably not. Would we have built on last season & improved further, be a probable top 4 contender? Yeah, I think so.
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I'm with you.

I’m pretty sure that we won’t finish this season looking noticeably better than how we felt at the end of last season.

comment by CSTP (U1453)
posted 13 minutes ago
I’m pretty sure that we won’t finish this season looking noticeably better than how we felt at the end of last season.
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Too early to say. Lavia already looks like he will improve us although I continue to struggle with Enzo fitting in this team.

Enzo is neither an 8 a 6 or a 10. I think he could play the deep quarter back position,but don't know if that suits Maresco

Think this'll be like the Sarri season, just adjust the results based on our current levels of averageness.

I'm a little curious how the fandom's reactions to this football will unfold as the season progresses. It's very "anti-Chelsea" stuff but we've been bludgeoned over the head with boring football so much over the last 4-5 years that we're probably desensitized now.

Try this appointment in 2018 & Marseca's getting hounded out by christmas

Lavia is definitely the one thing to feel positive about. Looks like he could be a class player.

I don’t think we can play a midfield 3 with him Caicedo and Enzo though, because there’s just not enough attacking threat. That’s where Gallagher would shine instead of Enzo. But we’re not allowed to keep academy players who actually care about the club.

I get what you’re suggesting, but Gallagher was a shadow of the attacking player we thought we were bringing back from Palace. He mainly just ran around.

And it wasn’t as if we brought him back from a new league.

It’s not about whether Gallagher was world class. It’s about whether we’d be better off with him than without him. Right now he would offer something that our other midfielders don’t. The main difference is he was already at the club and these guys prefer splashing out on players from other teams instead.

I think Enzo does have a role to play in the squad but it’s rotating with Lavia and Caicedo. Not playing so high up because he’s crap in and around the box.

In the 10 position I’d rather see Palmer or Nkunku.

comment by CSTP (U1453)
posted 6 minutes ago
It’s not about whether Gallagher was world class. It’s about whether we’d be better off with him than without him. Right now he would offer something that our other midfielders don’t. The main difference is he was already at the club and these guys prefer splashing out on players from other teams instead.

I think Enzo does have a role to play in the squad but it’s rotating with Lavia and Caicedo. Not playing so high up because he’s crap in and around the box.

In the 10 position I’d rather see Palmer or Nkunku.
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Well we were basically playing with 9 today, as Palmer pushed to the wing is ineffective, and Enzo as a 10 was chasing shadows and basically offers zilch in an attacking sense.

And the other team with 12, as Sanchez was basically setting up all their attacks....... seriously he set up more City attacks than Kev!

comment by CSTP (U1453)
posted 49 minutes ago
It’s not about whether Gallagher was world class. It’s about whether we’d be better off with him than without him. Right now he would offer something that our other midfielders don’t. The main difference is he was already at the club and these guys prefer splashing out on players from other teams instead.

I think Enzo does have a role to play in the squad but it’s rotating with Lavia and Caicedo. Not playing so high up because he’s crap in and around the box.

In the 10 position I’d rather see Palmer or Nkunku.
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Who said anything about world class. You’re just mad because we brought someone else in his place when he wasn’t very good to begin with. I get he loved the club but so have many others who we’ve let go. You give somebody else a chance you either IS better or who you believe WILL be better. Sometimes you give someone the chance to grow into the position. I don’t mind that and I don’t mind that Gallagher is moving on.

Plus he didn’t want to sign the contract.

.. you either feel* IS better…

Howdy

I think Sterling is done at the club. I think the club will try to force him out.

Enzo Maresca on Carney Chukwuemeka:

“Every case is a bit different. Carney is a very good player but because of some injuries in the past, I think it's important he plays 30 or 35 games in a row. Is he going to play that for us? I'm not sure.”
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This guys gone as well.

Good to see wheat and chaff being separated early