Tran

[Tran @_Antony_Tran]

Jobs not done

[Tran @_Antony_Tran]

Man of the Match

[Jb @simplyjb22]

Maxence Lacroix vs Fulham

[Benn Jordan @bennjordan]

Flock takes their privacy very seriously.

But the ethical gray area in surveillance technology works both ways.

Under no circumstances should elected officials or public servants enjoy an expectation of privacy when spending tax dollars to attend a surveillance lobbying event.

[Eden Hazard @hazardeden10]

Football is back and so am I, but will they recognise me? 👀

BTW what is your discount @JohnTerry26 ? 😜

Let’s go @ChelseaFC 💙

[🎬N @Nino12x]

Maxence Lacroix Chelsea DEBUT 🤔

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

Someone once asked me:

“It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.

But how does the warrior stay a warrior when life becomes peaceful?”

I thought about that for a while.

And I think the question may be backwards.

A warrior in a garden does not spend every morning proving that he is still a warrior.

He tends the garden.

He protects what has grown there.

He fixes what is broken.

He teaches the young.

He does the difficult things nobody sees.

And when the people he loves can sleep without fear, he does not wonder whether he has become weak.

That was the point.

Perhaps peace does not mean the warrior has lost his purpose.

Perhaps peace is what all that training was for.

We spend so much of our lives asking:

Am I still strong?
Am I still useful?
Am I still respected?
Do I still matter?

Maybe those are the wrong questions.

Look at what is under your protection.

Is your family safe?

Are the people around you stronger because you are there?

Did you do what needed to be done today, even when nobody was watching?

Then the warrior is still there.

A sword is not valuable because it is always drawn.

Sometimes its highest purpose is making sure it never needs to be.

Take care of your garden.

That may be the greatest battle you ever win.

[Johyan @JohyanCruyff]

Been a few debates over what’s better between a back 5 & a back 4 but ultimately it will depend on what your team & style is

Some pros of the back 5:

The backline is less likely to get stretched due to the extra man, it also means you’re likely to have more options to defend the box, particularly if you run 3 natural centre backs that will also give you more threat on set pieces

The 3-2-5 in possession has become really relevant in the modern game, a back 5 allows you to transition into it very easily which makes it easier for the players to understand

And since a lot of teams have become ultra focused on having an attacking 5 to overload back 4’s, a back 5 matches against it quite well, particularly if the attacking 5 have little movement as it becomes easy to know who to mark

The extra defender allows centre backs to more comfortably step out to players between the lines knowing they’ve got cover behind them, in a back 4 centre backs can often get confused on whether to step out or let a midfielder deal with the situation

If you have midfielders or defenders who aren’t that mobile, the extra defender means the midfielder doesn’t have to worry too much about runs in behind & the CCB doesn’t have to worry much about defending wider areas (think Thiago Silva & Jorginho under Tuchel)

[LK. @LKCOYB]

For two years we gave Enzo a physically “average” LHS of Sancho/Garna + Cucu

If you now give him athletes/carriers like Palestra/Rogers + Colwill behind & think it will be the same;

You’re in for a shock.

[Trevoh Chalobah @TrevohChalobah]

Football by the lakeside, happy to be here Andiamo! 🇮🇹 @Como_1907

[Trevoh Chalobah @TrevohChalobah]

An 8-year-old boy walked through those doors. A man walks out. Dream lived. Purpose fulfilled. To every academy player at Chelsea: keep believing. Your time will come. Never give up. 💙

[Trevoh Chalobah @TrevohChalobah]

After 18 years, it’s time to say goodbye to Chelsea. I arrived as a nine-year-old with a dream, and I leave as a man who’s lived that dream in ways I never imagined. This journey tested me, lifted me, and strengthened me. To every teammate, coach, staff member, and supporter, thank you for shaping me. I gave everything I had, and I’m proud of the person this club helped me become. To the young players: the path won’t always be smooth. But stay ready, stay positive, and keep your faith. God’s timing is always right. Thank you all, truly, with love and gratitude.

[jakub @cfcjakub_]

Josh Acheampong vs AC Milan

[Pz. @Gametheorist_]

The ideal pivot player that Chelsea needs to sign should be able to replace any of our starting CMs [Enzo, Caicedo]—in the event of an absence, while also functioning effectively alongside both players in a standard three man midfield.

The requirements for this role is extremely specific and needs to be respected, so as to build a midfield core without any deficiencies.

Caicedo’s biggest strength is chaos. Therefore, his partner must bring order.

To complement Caicedo, his ideal midfield partner should possess this qualities:

—Primary first phase responsibilities to organize & dictate the pace of the buildup.

—A lopsided passing tendency [horizontal over vertical]—to balance out Caicedo’s vertical & chaotic passing preferences.

—Good spatial awareness, positional discipline to ‘sit’, aerial dominance to complement all his off ball deficiencies I.e insistence to vacate crucial defensive zones, height in aerials, movement timing etc.

—Legs + running power to run and carry on & off ball in both offensive and defensive transitions.

—Good ball striking and sense of movement in the final 3rd to compensate for his lack of direct box impact.

Qualities that complement’s Enzo Fernandéz seamlessly:

—Capacity to perceive pressure from every angle [360°], to eliminate players 1v1 in the first phase, manipulate against the direction of pressure [like Lavia] and the timing and awareness to pick the right moment for every action.

—Legs + Running power to cover large distances to compensate for Enzo’s lack of defensive awareness, positioning, power and quality in the duel.

—Positonal discipline to sit and block passing lanes.

—Height + aerial dominance to dominate long balls.

Notice, the player must also possess general anchoring qualities to facilitate both Enzo and Caicedo ahead of the ball, in light of a three man midfield set up.

A three man midfield setup allows both interiors to roam free into the half spaces and overload the last line against super structured opponents. Also, it frees up Enzo to crash the box frequently, with minimal consequences defensively.

As you can see, the possibility of getting a player that satisfies 100% of these qualifications are next to none. So, as a result, the best thing is to consolidate on some of the extremities of the attributes listed above.

Be it, extreme buildup and ball handling requirements or extreme defensive requirements.

Chema Andrés compensates for the lack of maturity to handle extreme buildup/metronomic responsibilities with box density & elite defensive qualities.

Manuel Locatelli compensates for the lack of massive physicality to handle extreme defensive responsibilities with elite buildup play + major ball handling qualities.

Chelsea’s ideal pivot is almost impossible to find. Chema Andrés and Manuel Locatelli don’t satisfy every requirement, but they each solve opposite ends of the same problem. If the club must compromise, these are the profiles worth targeting.

[Bored Poster @D_Thaumaturge]

I’m so glad someone brought this
to subwaytakes because so many of you are there and you need to be checked

[Paul Spacey ⚽️ @PaulSpacey]

Touch, fluidity of movement, change of direction, acceleration.

But at 5’9” and 160lbs he’s too small and too skinny to be a real athlete.

[skumm🧊 @skumWgmi]

Just chatted with a guy who has 2 kids, a loving wife, pulls in $350k before bonus, runs 6 miles every morning, owns a 4-bedroom in the West Village, just bought a boat, and is genuinely funny and kind and he still can't find a girlfriend.

Modern dating is so broken.

[Crystal Palace F.C. @CPFC]

European Champions.

[🐾 @elsdawg]

.@Arsenal

[🐾 @elsdawg]

SAKA HOOKED IN A UCL FINAL