Cronky

I would like to see some stats on how often Sean gets dispossessed, or misplaces a pass. I don't think the figures will be any greater than those for Bruno or Joelinton. However, he did go through a phase where his confidence was shot and he was playing in a very indecisive and fragile way. So I think that when he loses the ball now, it feels like he's reverted to type, rather than just made the usual kind of error which every player is prone to. Bruno and Joelinton will produce more spectacular moments, and so it's perhaps inevitable that they get more accolades. But Sean can pass the ball, he can shoot and his reading of the game and his defensive work are improving all the time.

Bit harsh on Anderson, I think. He did well to win get his header in under a strong challenge from Neves (I think it was) and he hit the post.

I'm not sure that this issue has been officially resolved one way or the other, but it certainly looks like Chelsea have decided that they have a strong enough legal case to go forward with their spending. From the bit of research I've just done, I think the issue is that Government sanctions against Abramovich mean that he is unable to have his debt paid to him. So the accumulated spending inherent in that debt, that would normally be part of FFP considerations, are not counted in this case. The counter argument is that the debt has not actually been written off and shouldn't just disappear from the ledger. The sanctions are just a temporary measure and the debt should be paid off in time. The money has still been spent, regardless of whether the new owners are allowed to pay off the debt at this point. But Chelsea obviously feel that this particular situation is unusual and that the Premier League will be unable to win any legal battle. This just feels like another example of legal issues, or the difficulty in enforcing them, is getting in the way of common sense. The regulations are there to protect competition, by stopping clubs from spending sums which are too much in advance of their income. That's what's happened with Chelsea, regardless of whether there are new owners, and regardless of whether the previous owner gets his money back.

Signing Jorginho would enable us to give Anderson a loan move. He badly needs games. Having said that, I can't see Chelsea letting a player go to a CL rival half way through the season. (Not a sentence that I ever thought I'd be saying a year ago)

It feels great to be hoping the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Man City lose rather than watching the results for Southampton, Everton, Leeds etc I gave it a 7, like many others. I think we'll continue to get results, but won't catch Man City or Arsenal. Liverpool are coming good, but Chelsea, Spurs and Man U are still in a transitional phase. I think we can keep ahead of those three.

I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get more. Leicester will be in trouble if they keep defending like that. The team have so much faith in one another and the organisation which the manager has brought to the side. 2nd in the league ffs.

We look like scoring every time we get the ball near their penalty area. Leicester look decent going forward, but their defending seems very half-hearted. We're likely to get more at this rate.

Yeah, but the money from the sale goes to Abramovich and not the club, so how can it be counted as the club's income?

Looking at Eddie's playing career, he suffered a knee injury in his debut for Portsmouth in March 2002, and then was out until the opening game of the following season. After 9 minutes of the opening game, he re-injured the knee and was out for 18 months. Eventually, injuries ended his career. So if he's being ultra-cautious with Isak, it's perhaps both understandable and wise. Aggravating an injury that hasn't properly recovered can be the worst thing for a player (eg Jack Wilshere)

Napoli seem to be building a fabulous side - arguably the best in Europe. Why should they start flogging their best players at this point?

I don't remember him as a 'slow starter'. My memory is that when he arrived, he made an instant impact, looking very confident and inspiring his other defenders. A bit like Dan Burn last season. However, when he came back from injury, that positive spark seemed to have gone. He's looked hesitant ever since. Those two jittery mistakes last night seemed a far cry from the dominating presence that really saved us from relegation that season.

He hasn't looked the same since his injury.

Wonderfully dramatic game, and am pleased for Messi, beyond question the greatest of his era. I thought France could / should have won it in extra time, but one or two of their players, including Mbappe, got a bit greedy, trying to beat their man instead of releasing the ball. But it was very weird how badly they played in the first half, and well into the second. Their first goal changed things completely.

Looks good. Keeps the ball very close to his feet. Yes please. £30m seems a fair price too.

I think that's a good point. When Bruno is receiving the ball under pressure, he often seems to be looking at ways of turning that to his advantage, like a matador. He'll see what space has opened up and how he can feed into it. Sometimes, my heart's in my mouth when I watch him, but most of the time it comes off. Rice has his qualities, but he's not fast or nimble, and when closed down, the ball often goes sideways or backwards like you say. A midfield player in that position sees a lot of the ball, and it's a big asset if they can get it forward accurately and quickly. That's why I prefer Phillips to Rice. Rice is a good, strong athlete, and when he has time and space, he can carry the ball forward. But he worries about losing the ball (understandably, with only the back four behind him) and he seems to lack the nerve.

Eddie's success with a midfield which has no defensive midfield players does prompt a bit of a debate anyway. The current trend is for a high press winning the ball upfield, so how valuable is the sort of defensive midfield player who just acts as a shield to the back four, like another centre back? Rice strikes me as a hybrid CB/DM, and whilst he's a good version of that type, I'd like us to go for someone with more pace and mobility, if we go for a DM at all. That young Argentinian lad who we've been linked with seemed a better fit. And besides, the prices I've seen touted for Rice have been around £100m. Given where our priorities lie, and given our finances, that's surely not worth it.

I think that's putting it way too strongly, especially when Longstaff is emerging from a very diffident period in his development. And there's Anderson waiting for his chance. Howe could encourage Rice to be a more positive force, but with all the names that get linked with Rice, ours never seems to figure. I suspect that Howe doesn't see him as worth the money, given the other priorities. There are other areas of the team which are more cost effective to improve. We don't really have a player like Maddison or Pulisic, and we need a third striker to replace Wood.

I don't think Rice is sufficiently better than the CMs that we already have, to make it worth the fee, which would be huge. Longstaff is improving game by game, which is a further consideration.

You got me. He just seemed to run straight into the defender, with no attempt to play the ball. One or both of them was bound to get hurt.

Somewhat crazy challenge though, wasn't it? Especially for a friendly.

Yeah, my error. Potter might well be a possibility, though like Howe, I think he works through coaching and an intense personal involvement with his players. However, my feeling is that things won't work out for him at Chelsea, where not getting into the CL means failure. Their recruitment strategy feels like a headless horse, and generating team spirit in that environment would be a challenge for any manager. So he may well become available at the end of the season. It's all academic anyway. I'm sure if Southgate feels that he still has the appetite for another spell, the FA will give him the chance. Given the youth and potential in the squad, he'll be very reluctant to walk away from the challenge.

Yeah, I can't see Eddie being interested in the England job at this stage. He's in the middle of a strong personal mission with our club, and would be eager to see it through. Maybe later on, when he feels he's achieved all he can in club management. Additionally, his style of management involves developing a close relationship with his players and steadily enhancing individual performances. A national team manager doesn't really get the chance to do that. I'm not sure who the FA might go for after Southgate. He's laid down a new template. After the ill-fated experiments with managers from abroad, they will be keen to appoint someone who is thoroughly at home with the culture of English footballers. Looking at the Premiership table, there is only one British manager in the top 12 clubs - our man - so if we exclude him there's nobody making out a strong case. I'm not convinced about promoting someone from within the current England structure, as I think top players really want to see someone who has already proved themselves within the same environment as them. That promotion worked with Southgate, but he had a good, long playing career at the top level, which included 57 caps. He had that credibility.

Pulisic would be a good signing - we don't have anyone quite like him. I imagine he'd be well motivated, in that he apparently feels a bit ill-used by Chelsea and has something to prove. I thought he put a lot into his performances at the World Cup too. Having said that, why would Chelsea want to sell him to a club which - incredibly - is now a rival for a CL place. Besides, they don't seem to be short of money.

Milan Skriniar linked in the Italian media.

I've always been dubious about Rice and his ultra-conservative approach but tonight he looked a lot more positive and got the ball going forward far more often. But our MOM was Saka, who unfortunately only got half the number of free kicks that he deserved.