End Of Season Reviews 21/22

This topic contains 23 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by  Chris451 1 year, 9 months ago.

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  • #2097575
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
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    • :

    Hi all, thought we should have a thread to review the season as a whole and get it out of our system.

    Before it began my target was 80 plus points. I never expected a title as I didn’t think our squad was strong enough but 80 plus points would have represented some progress.

    10 games in and we were 8-1-1 and top of the table. I admit at this point I believed we could challenge for the title, I wasn’t alone as many pundits and other fans believed it too.

    We all know how badly our form dropped and how crucial the fitness and injury problems to James, Chilwell, kante and Kovacic really hurt us. We also only had a decent lukaku for the first few games, he couldn’t have had a worse season.

    All the excuses above are only valid to explain why we couldn’t continue as we were, challenge for the title and keep pace with city after the start we made. But I honestly have to still hold the team to the target I set and conclude we have come up short this season as far as the league is concerned. 74 is the max we can achieve now.

    I have some sympathy for Tuchel as he has had so many issues to contend with. But in spite of the injuries he had enough quality available to be expected not to drop points in many of the games we failed to win this season.

    I am not going to pretend I understand all the circumstances and I’m personally not going to dig Tichel out too much, but this is a team, we fell short and tuchel is a part of it. I did expect better but whether I am entitled too is another argument.

    For the league I give the team, Tuchel included, a C grade.

    As far as Champs league goes, we’ll I don’t think any of us expected us to get to the final again, and to be fair it was a fine effort in Madrid. I was proud of the team and have no problem awarding a B in spite if not making the Semi’s

    The domestic cups were both solid runs ending in tight penalty shoot out defeats to a great pool team. I think an A- Grade is fair.

    The highlight of the season was certainly the world championships. May not mean much to some but its certainly meant the world to palmeiras fans and a hell of a lot to me. Chelsea have now completed football 😆

    All in all I think it was an underwhelming season, sure there were plenty of mitigating circumstances, but in a honesty I still think we could have done better with these circumstances considered.

    Overall, as the league is far more important than anything, I give the club a C+ for the season 21/22….Must do better but I still love ya to death 💙

    #2097677
    chelsea1967
    chelsea1967
    Participant
    • :

    Good post Lucky. Prior to this season when Tuchel joined he assessed what resources he had available and set us up accordingly. He did an amazing job as did the players. Top four and champions of Europe. Not a bad 5 odd months work. The new season and they continued on as if they had never had a break. Then came the double blows of the loss of Chilwell and James to prolonged injury. Plan B? I guess he never had one and remember he inherited this squad so had to work with what he had. Periodically injuries to Kante and Kovacic made things worse. Porous mid field and conceding goals therefore drawing and losing matches. Lack of goals? Nah won’t have that as they scored 74 or an average of two per game and conceded 32 both 3rd best in the league and exactly where we finished. Throw in the Roman issues of the last three months and its effect on the club and the supporters as another issue and half to three quarter full Stamford Bridge yet they still pushed Liverpool for 240 minutes in two finals and ultimately we cost them the league with the points we took off them there too. Even with all the issues we pretty much were their equal. No one can deny that over 4 matches. Yes we rode our luck but the results don’t lie.

    The last person I want to blame is Tuchel. He is more than worth his position of coach/manager. Not happy with Lukaku at all and reckon he’s a lazy self centred prat and disappointed we are about to lose some key players but heh this is a chance for Tuchel to build what he wants, not continue with what he inherited. Get back Chilwell to work on the opposite flank to James. Make strategic purchases, especially in defence. Allow Gallagher to come back and play a bit and maybe move on Lukaku and buy yet another no 9. I get a feeling Lukaku will stay and have a better season. Anyway time will tell and Tuchel to stay put and it to all fall into place come August.

    #2097679
    chelsea1967
    chelsea1967
    Participant
    • :

    Further to the above City took all six points off of us so that’s four points more for City than Liverpool in a title race that may well be decided by the mere one point. Pretty significant regarding the outcome. Who knows maybe Villa do Liverpool a favour and jag a draw but I doubt it.

    #2097725
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
    • :

    Yeah 67 we gave pool a great game every time. Its a tough season to take because of how inflated our expectations were after the first 10 games.

    This summer is so crucial and I am as terrified as I am excited because we really could go about it the wrong way.

    For me the right way is to do our best to offload our highest paid players that are under performing…lukaku and werner for a start but even maybe kante too as he is amongst highest paid but barely plays. I know tuchel raved about him, I love kante too, but he is only that player when he is fit and has a good run of games under his belt. The last 2 seasons really suggest he will be injury prone for the rest of his career now and his best is behind him.

    We need to get full bang for our buck and this summer gives us a great opportunity to reset if we can offload the highest earners. We could then give new contracts to likes of james and mount that better reflect their importance to the club and re establish a good wage structure. We need to allow tuchel, based on his assessment of all players available to him (be they current players, loaned players returning or youth academy lads) to decide where we need to focus in the market and I want the recruitment to be entirely pragmatic to provide only that which improves our weakest area’s.

    The other way is Neymar(or other over priced commercially driven purchases)……Please don’t let us go the silly route

    #2097761
    MightyM
    MightyM
    Participant
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    Good luck men and hope our divine right and light to win yet another title is with us again today.

    #2097789
    aindro
    aindro
    Participant
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    Kanté, Jorginho & Kovacic are clearly not enough. Our decline for me a big part was due to their unavailability/ injuries. So I’ve always been against this, but let’s just spend our money on Declan Rice. The lad WANTS to play for CFC, he is highly motivated.

    Obviously this will only come after we would find a solution to replace Rüdiger, Christensen, Azpi & Alonso.

    One more thing, I hope the prime numbers will be taken by our academy graduates / British lads: James should take no:2, Chilwell no:3 and buy Rice to take no:4. Sell Pulisic, thus Mount to take no:10

    #2097797
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
    • :

    I agree aindro. If we are going to spend big on one or two players it needs to be for special players that provide us something we are missing.

    I think with rice we could be able to set up in a 433 and he could almost be as big a signing for us as VVD was for pool.

    #2097808
    aindro
    aindro
    Participant
    • :

    I rate our season as B-. Would have been B+ had we won one of the finals. But not C as we can’t be blind with the uncertainty surrounding Abramovich

    #2097812
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
    • :

    Yeah I went C+ because I didn’t think it was worthy of B but given our runs in cup and and winning world championship a flat C seemed harsh. Ultimately the league is most important to me and I feel despite everything we should have more points on the board.

    #2098124
    MightyM
    MightyM
    Participant
    • :

    I don’t know why I feel so sad when I see the likes of Giroud, Abraham, Salah, De Bruyne, Declan Rice, Lampard, Gueyi, all performing so brilliantly at other clubs. At least Gallagher and Broja are coming back I hope.

    #2099592
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
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    #2099647
    chelsea1967
    chelsea1967
    Participant
    • :

    They also gave Arsenal and Spurs and even friggin Newcastle that plays once a week and probably had higher expectations than what they achieved higher ratings than us. Sorry but I think it’s all bollocks. No one takes into account the disruptive season we had for all sorts of reasons and still had higher expectations than what ended up being achieved. I think I might retire for a couple of months and come back refreshed like the players and we can hope for multiple trophies again next season. First of all a little dabble (maybe to the extent of two hundred million which I understand the new owner intends to inject) into the market could just be necessary. Let’s hope the execs get it right so we can do just that 🙂

    #2099658
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
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    67 the gradings would only make sense relative to each clubs expectations and potential

    #2099660
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
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    Lol 67 you didn’t take this issue when I gave C+ but how very dare sky 😆

    It’s just subjective grading bud. What would you give the team?

    #2099722
    MightyM
    MightyM
    Participant
    • :

    I’ve only seen one other team in Europe play we way we played sometimes last season. That was Feyenoord in Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Jose’s Roma. I mean, who passes the ball around at the back in added time when they’re losing??? They did. And so did we! Hopefully, those days are gone.

    #2099756
    chelsea1967
    chelsea1967
    Participant
    • :

    Yeah Lucky I guess its all about expectations and back in August they were high. Moreso in late Novemver when we were high balling it out in front BUT …… Multiple injury issues and the collapse of the Roman Empire were not factored in with those high expectations. I had a gut feel there and then that we would slide down the table and it happened. Not surprised so I guess I was resigned to the end outcomes and my expectations reduced whilst still hoping for better. I am fairly sure you would also have had reduced expectations.

    Top of the table until we lost Chilwell and then James with key midfield players also out from time to time through December and January when we basically blew it..

    3rd which is what most of us expected at the start of the season. Well I did anyway.

    Finals of two domestic cups that could have gone either way. If we’d won both shoot outs we’d be almost rating them as A, Played Liverpool 4 times and drew the lot.

    Quarters of the Champions League and a massive effort in the second leg and only a matter of minutes from progressing.

    Two trophies won the Super Cup and the World Club trophy.

    With all things taken into account. At times we had our key players all injured Chilwell and James were key to what Tuchel had achieved from the very start. I’ve always said that on top of that we needed to have two of the three key mid fielders available in Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho and use which ever combination of those were suited to the opponent. At times we only had one available and that was mainly Jorginho who can put on a magic ball from time to time but also can slow us down with his sideways and backward passing. Our Centre Backs minus Christensen we were too reliant on both Rudiger and Silva and the other too are dodgy as hell.

    RATING B no higher but no lower either – sorry no wriggle room

    Respect your views Lucky as always and if the only thing we disagree on is the rating then simply you are a harder marker. Well therefore maybe I mark them too high.

    Beware others on here would give them no rating just call them a total failure as one has many times. Sad really 🙂

    #2099762
    Luckydestiny
    Luckydestiny
    Participant
    • :

    Yeah just a harsher marker that’s all 67. I always thought B was a good Grade and given the number of games we know we should have done better in I just can’t give a B.

    #2099798
    NIBlue
    NIBlue
    Participant
    • :

    B is a very fair assessment. Two trophies won, albeit with limited qualification impact, but they were still there to be won and created additional travel and matches time played.

    Two other finals we were literally 4 touches of the ball away from winning.

    Key injuries and sickness throughout the season, especially with some players who were hitting peak form, CHO, Kova and Havertz as examples.

    Potential discrimination by the PL and FA around one of our poorest spells (Xmas) when we had several injuries and Covid cases, yet unlike other clubs, had no postponements. Which coincided with Lukaku’s outburst.

    Finally the sanctions. Many other clubs would have dropped like a ton of manure, but we managed to top 3 finish and a Cup Final during the uncertainty and disruption.

    #2099928
    chelsea1967
    chelsea1967
    Participant
    • :

    I think if we were just rating the quality of football that we produced in so many matches not taking into account any of the circumstances and just accepting them then I would probably rate our season as low as a D. Maybe it is due to that others have rated their overall performance lower than mine and I say to that the expectations considering the circumstances may have been a little harsh. Remove key players for extended periods and games coming thick and fast heaping more pressure on other key players and I knew what to expect. My viewing times were always after midnight so I guess I should have been a little more critical of them than most but I was aware of all the circumstances and therefore a little more forgiving of the club and its Manager than others. Writing off a manager due to some of his tactical decisions in a stressful environment with so many issues, cpmpounded by the fall of the Roman Empire I found a little harsh considering what he achieved the previous season when they were also on the decline for no clear reason under the reign of Frank Lampard. Onwards and upwards with the new season, a fit squad and some quality inclusions from new purchases and inclusion of some quality players returning from loans.

    #2099978

    nine nine nine
    Moderator
    • :

    Obviously a disappointing second half to the season but as 1967 and others have pointed out there were lots of reasons. Kante only played 40% of the games Kovacic probably not a lot more and the loss of Chilwell and then James cut out our main supply source of chances then there was COVID with Chelsea forced to play when others with less players affected were allowed to postpone their games, then finally the sanctions which among other things left the players playing in front of a three quarter full Stadium.

    I must admit it makes me smile when one or two on here refuse to take any of the above into account.

    Re Roman he was never going to let Chelsea go into extinction he’s got blue blood.

    Re transfers we would have already drawn up a list of preferred targets and will probably have unofficially approached the majority of them to date though we haven’t been able to make any official offers yet.

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