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EP6 - Forecast Friday!
23 Plays10 months ago
It is Friday morning, not just any Friday morning, the morning the 2024/25 Premier League season re-commences, it’s been 89 days since the conclusion of the 23/24 season, and we can’t wait for things to kick off again. Will Chelsea sign about 89 more players before the end of the month, will Enzo Maresca be fired after 89 days, who knows… but it begins today.
Join us as we discuss Sunday's Manchester City game and much more!
Host: Martin Li
Guest: Luke Charlton
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Transcript
Introduction and Premier League excitement
00:00:11
officialgspn
Hello and good morning, good afternoon, good evening to wherever you're listening to this in the world. Welcome to the Daily Chelsea podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. It is Friday morning, not just any Friday morning, the morning that the 2024-25 Premier League season recommences. It's been 89 days since the conclusion of the 23-24 season. And we can't wait for things to get back started again.
00:00:37
officialgspn
um Will Chelsea sign about 89 more players before the end of the month?
00:00:40
Luke Charlton
Thank you.
00:00:43
officialgspn
Will Enzo Maresco be fired after 89 days? Who knows, but it begins today.
Guest Introduction and Match Recap
00:00:48
officialgspn
To discuss this and much more, I'm Martin Lee and I'm joined by Luke Charlton. Luke, welcome.
00:00:54
Luke Charlton
yeah Thank you, thank you, good morning.
00:00:57
officialgspn
Good morning. How have you spent the last 89 days?
00:01:01
Luke Charlton
um Just really waiting for for the season to start again, I think. I mean, we're we're all we're all craving craving league football. I mean, the Euros was wast was ah very much entertainment for the summer and obviously we've had Olympics as well, talking away from football. But getting back to getting back to the start of the Premier League is always ah is always a highlight of the end of the summer, I think, for me.
00:01:22
officialgspn
Totally agree, I think. Euros, Olympics, Wimbledon as well if we extend it there have been good fillers, but the real action is the Premier League.
00:01:27
Luke Charlton
Yeah.
00:01:32
officialgspn
um Listen, it's a Friday, which means forecast Friday, where we look ahead to the weekend's game. um There's really no bigger a test than the reigning champions. um And in this first part, we actually want to dial the clock back a little bit to this equivalent game last year. So Luke, you'll remember, all our listeners will remember this equivalent fixture at Stanford Bridge last year, produced an eight goal thriller, 4-4 at the bridge, Sunday, the 12th of November, 2023. A game that went back and forward actually. um it was half It was two-two at halftime.
00:02:15
officialgspn
an earning Harland penalty, Putman City ahead, Thiago Silva equalised, Chelsea would then went ahead thanks to Raheem Sterling to one, Man City then went back ahead through Akanji and another Harland goal, then Nicholas Jackson equalised, then Roger put Man City ahead again and then Cole Palmer 95th minute penalty gave us a point.
00:02:37
officialgspn
um Luke, if you rewind your clock back a year, what are your overarching memories from that game?
Key Players: Cole Palmer and Thiago Silva
00:02:45
officialgspn
Emotions um and just thoughts?
00:02:50
Luke Charlton
I mean, for me, it that typifies, I think, the average Chelsea fans experience when it comes to a big game of football. It's what we want. It's end-to-end action. we We managed to pluck a draw from the arms of defeat in in spectacular fashion.
00:03:05
officialgspn
Hmm.
00:03:07
Luke Charlton
And I think the main thing I took away from it was it really established Cole Palmer as a Chelsea player particularly scoring such a pivotal, high pressure goal against his ex-employees, but also as our main penalty taker as well.
00:03:18
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:03:21
Luke Charlton
I think he's just gone from strength to strength in that moment. I think that he was already producing, we could see, we can um and build up to that to that match, but that final moment there to to to to equalize and to kind of shrug the shoulders and go, what did you expect?
00:03:34
Luke Charlton
Like that was that was when we really knew we had a had a player on our hands for sure.
00:03:41
officialgspn
Yeah, no, for sure, a standout individual performance as well. um And it sort of gave Chelsea fans a glimpse, as I said, this was November 2023, so still fairly early on in the season, um it perhaps typified the craziness that we would go on to see for the remainder of the season. Classic Chelsea conceding a lot, scoring a lot, but mainly conceding a lot as well.
00:04:05
Luke Charlton
Yeah, 100%. I think it typified what was an inconsistent, probably season for us overall, um but also an inconsistent kind of period of time since the Boley and the Clear Lake Consortium takeover. It really was a... If you could tip... um If you could put onto a football pitch what the the exasperation of how fans had been feeling over those last 18 months it pretty much summed it up. It was ups and downs and it was entertainment galore but in the end we didn't quite come away with everything we wanted but it felt like we were on the right track.
00:04:38
officialgspn
Yeah and also let's not forget because it was fairly early on in in the season You could have also excused some of the players for being new. um I'm looking actually at the starting 11 for that match. And just to to read it out for you, Luke. Robert Sanchez was in goal. The defense was Rhys James, um Tiago Silva, Axel Dazzazzi, Mark Kukareya. midfield was Enzo Moises, Kaiseido, and Connie Gallagher.
00:05:08
officialgspn
and then up front Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson. So reading out that 11, what are your thoughts on that 11 as they progress through the season? Have they improved since that match or or not?
00:05:25
Luke Charlton
I think it's, it's a fairly mixed bag. Obviously. I mean, we can't, we can't really talk on Tiago silver anymore. He came to the club. He changed, changed the culture.
00:05:32
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:05:34
Luke Charlton
I think around, um, the defense when we were missing a lot of players, he kept, he kept the kind of consistency there. When he played, there was all this talk about, could he play it back for, and he proved that he was still good enough at that age, maybe not every week, but in the big moments he came up, he came up, um, trumps for us for sure.
00:05:52
Luke Charlton
A hundred percent. And it just. He exudes class as a player and I think that there was um it was still at that point in the season still and unsure about Canenzo, Quesedo and Gallagher all workers in midfield together. There were some consistencies there who's playing the pivot, who's pressing higher up. I think even Pochettino at that point still wasn't sure how to rotate through the midfield. but I, for me, I think that was, it was one of Sterling's better games.
00:06:13
officialgspn
We'll
00:06:15
Luke Charlton
I think he was still in a fairly positive patch at that point in the season. Um, and obviously as we, as we touched on earlier, Palmer really kind of announced himself in in spectacular fashion with that, with that last minute penalty to, to get, to get us a point and.
00:06:29
Luke Charlton
I think yeah it it was it was it was it was a it was yeah ah typified exactly the kind of the squad as as it as as we now know it I think. Reading out the list actually I look at that and go to be fair there's there's quite a majority of those players that I'd still want in the starting 11 now but maybe in a different capacity and in different ways.
00:06:42
officialgspn
be right back.
00:06:45
officialgspn
Yeah,
00:06:49
officialgspn
yeah and it's interesting you mentioned the midfield if we just go into Moises Kaiseido and Enzo van Andes.
Midfield Analysis: Enzo Fernandez's Potential
00:06:55
officialgspn
um In reality, I put it to you that they are a no better as a as a pairing because, to be honest, when Chelsea improved in the second half of the season, it was really a Connick Gallagher with Caesado and Enzo, ah the Enzo-Caesado sort of axis, if you like, didn't actually work. How hopeful are you that those two will, after a year sort of playing together, will have improved?
00:07:26
Luke Charlton
i think I think they're going to benefit ultimately from Mareska's style. We've completely kind of flipped on his head now. It's not as high intensity, high press. It's it's it's obviously ball possession. um It's intensity in winning the ball back and very much in the Guardiola style of that first seven seconds you want to snap into into tackles and and keep possession for as long as you can.
00:07:46
Luke Charlton
um And I think that will benefit Enzo potentially more than Kaisado, who has that ability to run for days, a lot like um in the mold of Angola Kante.
00:07:56
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:07:56
Luke Charlton
Not as good in that manner, but but in having that engine, I think he he definitely is more of a physical presence than maybe Enzo can be. but Enzo's eye for a pass is probably the closest we've had to Fabregas since he's left.
00:08:08
Luke Charlton
So I think this new system with Maresca could benefit both of them.
00:08:10
officialgspn
I praise.
00:08:12
Luke Charlton
ah The one kind of ah interesting point being that Gallagher, whether or not he ends up staying, we don't know.
00:08:13
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:08:18
Luke Charlton
I mean, he's he's pretty much been resigned to the under 21s now. So He's probably not going to get a lot of football if he does end up staying until January.
00:08:22
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:08:25
Luke Charlton
um But lavia Romeo Lavia has come in and and he has been breath fresh air really.
00:08:29
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:08:31
Luke Charlton
He's like an additional new signing to to all the other players we brought in because he was out for so long last year. We barely saw him feature and he has really, really um asserted himself as one of the starting names on the team sheet for ah for this game against City coming up on ah on the weekend.
00:08:45
Luke Charlton
and he um he He just yeah he just look he looks every part of the player we thought he would be. um But we just weren't sure because he was so young and and potentially so inexperienced. But there's real quality there.
00:08:55
Luke Charlton
And I think he'll be pushing either one of Corseido or Fernandez to really ah really get that spot if they don't if they don't hit the ground running.
00:09:01
officialgspn
can asking
00:09:04
officialgspn
Yeah, what amazed me actually from all of that is um you've given Enzo really high praise there to essentially call him, if I put words into your mouth, the new fabric ass.
00:09:15
officialgspn
um yeah Or is that putting words into your mouth?
00:09:18
Luke Charlton
I mean, no, no, yeah I said, I don't think we've had a player that can have an eye for a pass in the same way.
00:09:21
officialgspn
I think he progresses his generational talent, in my opinion, picking Premier League football.
00:09:25
Luke Charlton
I mean, Fabregas is a generation of talent, in my opinion, particularly in Premier League football. There's not many players that have been like him in terms of the way they can play passes, but he, kind e Fernandez, Enzo Fernandez, give him the time, he can pick out a brilliant pass.
00:09:31
officialgspn
There's not many players that have been like him in terms of the way they can play passes.
00:09:36
officialgspn
In the time, he can pick out a brilliant pass.
00:09:41
Luke Charlton
I just don't know if he can maybe keep up with the,
00:09:42
officialgspn
I just don't think it may be
00:09:45
Luke Charlton
The intensity and the speed of the Premier League is still yet to be seen for me, I feel.
00:09:49
officialgspn
Yeah, yeah um i'm I'm very expecting on him actually this season. I still can't work him out if I'm really honest because if he's a defensive midfielder and it's sort of two sitting just in front of the defence, I don't think he's that.
00:10:05
officialgspn
He's a number six, he's got our number eight shirt but then if he's a number eight,
00:10:05
Luke Charlton
Hmm.
00:10:09
officialgspn
We're thinking, I mean, we grew up with one of the best number eights in terms of Frank Lampard. And if Enzo wants to be a number eight, does he have the goals, um even Fabregas chipped in with the goals? um That is my concern with Enzo, where I don't quite know if he's if he's a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder. um But as you say, it might play to his advantage being in Enzo and rescue system.
00:10:33
officialgspn
um Luke, that's all we've got time for for the first section of this podcast. Before we go into the second section where we will um turn our attention to Sunday's game, just a shout out to one of our sponsors, Zencaster. It's the platform we use here at the Global Sports Podcast Network. And if you have a story to to tell that the world needs to hear, or if you've struggled with reaching new audiences who are engaging with your story, it might be time for you as well to start a podcast.
Podcast Promotion and Tactical Discussion
00:11:03
officialgspn
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00:11:18
officialgspn
that automatically removes the ums, the r's, the your no's and 22 other speech patterns. So Zencaster makes it super easy to start a podcast that sounds great. So if you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zencaster.
00:11:36
officialgspn
All right, part two of the Daily Chelsea podcast brought to you this Friday morning. um And rather than winding the clock back a year, we're now going to wind the clock forward two days, um Luke. Predictions, I guess, for this year's match at Stamford Bridge. Now, of course, a lot can happen in the sense it's the first game of the season. Some players have had a very good pre-season. Some players obviously have had a fully free summer. Erling Haaland has had a fully free summer. um Some players, especially on the Chelsea side, Cole Palmer, Mark Kukireya, have been ah right to the very end of the European Championship, so perhaps less fit.
00:12:17
officialgspn
um Actually, if I compare sort of the the starting 11 that I read out for the game this season and the starting 11 that you think we might play on Sunday, where's your head at in terms of are we better placed or are we worse placed than last year?
00:12:42
Luke Charlton
it's It's a good question. I mean, the majority of the players that are going to start and that have played have had a a year's additional time as a team.
00:12:49
officialgspn
Mm.
00:12:49
Luke Charlton
I think the question marks do kind of hang over our head with, we still look um susceptible at the back in defense. um because we've we obviously we've lost the influence of Tiago Silva 100% but I think also learning the system because we've gone from pressing high up the pitch to to sort of dropping and and defending him in numbers and the Maresca and very very quick turnover is what we get caught on I think that on the counter attack we can be susceptible to that So, it will be an interesting tactical game. I don't imagine it will be too high scoring, I say, Touchwood, um because I worry that City, if they get into their groove, could could score quite a few. Just because we are, we're fairly, I'd say, naive, maybe still, to the full intensity of playing under this system. I think there'll be a few changes. I mean, ultimately, Rhys James won't feature. He's still ah playing for his suspension, so I believe Malogusto will probably be starting in that position. I think Cucarello will probably end up starting as well. um I think one of Quesada or Enzo won't be there from the start. It might be Lavia that will be playing.
00:13:54
Luke Charlton
I'll be interesting to see if Kieran Drewsby Hall plays from the start. um and he's He's featured a bit in pre-season, he's looked good, he's looked solid, but I'll be intrigued to see whether he goes um all out with ah um the attacking talent of Nicholas Jackson as well because he did feature at the end of the game against Inter Milan.
00:14:13
Luke Charlton
Mark gert Gui has been um one of our shining lights in preseason for sure and I think he he deserves a chance. um I don't know if he will get it but I think he ah deserves a chance to start.
00:14:25
Luke Charlton
um So yeah it's it's an interesting it's an interesting tie for sure and we know it's the first game of the season we can't we can't pin our hats onto anything from the result of this unless we go out and win six nil then I might get a bit excited but
00:14:36
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:14:38
Luke Charlton
Let's not get carried away here.
00:14:39
officialgspn
Hahaha.
00:14:40
Luke Charlton
um it is This is very much a testament of looking at how far we have still to go rather than looking at how far we've come, I think, is what we've got to look at as.
00:14:50
officialgspn
Yeah, no, totally agree. Although, yeah, if it is a 6-0 Chelsea win, I will eat my hat up. but and Yeah, now and if we if we break down, actually, the 11 that could start on Sunday and the 11 that did start, as I say, in the game last year, some of the big differences, obviously, if I read out again the the starting 11 that started last year, just focusing on the defense for a second, it was Robert Sanchez in goal, Axel Dassazi, Mark Kukureya, Tiago Silva, Rhys James.
00:14:56
Luke Charlton
Yeah.
00:15:18
officialgspn
um From what we know, all five of those just names, Sanchez, Dessasi, Kukureya, Silva, James, actually maybe four of the five, Mark Kukureya might start.
00:15:29
officialgspn
Dzazzy probably won't start, Silver's gone, Rhys James is injured, and Robert Sanchez probably won't start, but who knows. Are we any better if we focus on the defensive centre-back pairing? As I say, last year Dzazzy, Silver, this year potentially, well you tell me it could be Fafana and Colwill,
00:15:51
officialgspn
Is that, are we more, we we conceded four goals last year with DeSasi and Silva. Are you more confident with a centre back pairing of Fafana and Colwell or whoever it could be on Sunday?
00:16:04
Luke Charlton
ah confidence is difficult. I don't think you can ever be confident in any defender against the city side. I think the potential of Kekoa for Fauna, yeah 100%. I think if we can get things ticking for them and get get a relationship there and a partnership forming, they they they can go right to the very top. I think in terms of their ability, they they are excellent exceptional footballers on their day. um I just i look at it and go,
00:16:29
Luke Charlton
there's not too much experience there in terms of the high pressure moments. I mean, Fafana again is another one where we touched on about um Lavia not playing a lot last year. um He's been in and out with injury and I do worry that he he's done some potentially long term damage that will just keep reappearing his head whenever he plays, but hopefully he can keep fit and get a run of games under his belt.
00:16:50
Luke Charlton
I really think there's an exceptional player there. I mean, originally when he was playing, um, I think it was sent Etienne with, uh, uh, William Saliba, he was touted as the, the, the better player of the two.
00:16:56
officialgspn
Mm
00:17:01
Luke Charlton
And, uh, that's, that's the reason we spent so much money on him.
00:17:03
officialgspn
hmm
00:17:04
Luke Charlton
And that's the reason Lester spent so much money on him in the first place. And then we bought him from Lester. So it, it, yeah, I'm in the long-term idea of that defense. I'm much more confident in that than Tiago Silva and Axel Tassasi, but
00:17:17
officialgspn
what
00:17:17
Luke Charlton
Right now, um ah you could you could give me John Terry and Ricardo Carvalio. I'd be very confident, but against the Pep Guardiola side with Erling Haaland up front, you just you just can never tell.
00:17:30
officialgspn
Yeah, no, take your point, although I would love for a John Tarrion Riccardo Carvalio pairing to come back. um If we spend a minute on transfers as well in terms of just versus last year um going into this season, um it's a two-part question really, are we better or
Transfer Insights and Fixture Analysis
00:17:51
officialgspn
worse? And are Man City better or worse? And if I just have a look at some of the transfer ins and transfer outs, on the Man City side, it's been fairly quiet. um They've signed one player, a right winger called Savino, and they're notable
00:18:08
officialgspn
um departure is Julian Alvarez. On the Chelsea side, as we all know, rather than one in, one out, it's probably about 20 in and 20 out. And some of the key names that have come in, Kiernan Jusby Hall, as you mentioned, Adra Bio from Fulham, as a centre back, Mark Gooey,
00:18:31
officialgspn
the Villarreal goalkeeper Pedro Natto, are we incrementally any better or are Man City incrementally any worse for you to feel confident that the 4-4 score line could rather than than a point for Chelsea be three points to Chelsea?
00:18:51
Luke Charlton
I think the, what gives me confidence and it's almost not, it's a naive sense of confidence because it's the opening day of the season. Anything can really happen.
00:19:02
Luke Charlton
We looked fairly competitive in recent kind of open games of the season.
00:19:03
officialgspn
Yep.
00:19:06
Luke Charlton
um I believe was it, was it the to be was it the draw with Liverpool at the start of last season at the bridge?
00:19:12
officialgspn
ah That was the first game, yes.
00:19:15
Luke Charlton
Yeah, so, yeah I mean, I don't think we had a lot of hope going in there against the clock side. The bridge, you just never know. I think I think I would be much, much more worrisome if we were playing at the Etihad 100%. I think any fan would be but I do look at it and I go, I don't think we've got worse. It's hard to know if we've got better because our systems changed, the personnel has changed. um You've got players that are playing now that that wouldn't have featured in the game before. um but We've got some exciting players. We've got some clear but future investment players that we brought in. I look at City and I don't think the departure of Julien Alvarez is going to massively weaken them because they have so much depth and that's what they always do. I think the thing that will that has weakened them
00:19:59
Luke Charlton
it's just the passing of time and that all of the players they've relied on have got a little bit older. So Kevin De Bruyne is maybe not at the height of his powers anymore, but Nardo Silva is probably not as good as he may have been a couple of seasons ago.
00:20:04
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:20:10
Luke Charlton
You've got um ah Ruben Diaz is slightly getting on, John Stones may not feature. So there's this ah Edison is potentially this conversation of him being slightly unsettled. ah We don't know
00:20:20
officialgspn
yeah
00:20:21
Luke Charlton
ah as much about the kind of mindset of the city players, I think they're going to be obviously buoyant from finally winning the community shield on their fourth attempt, I think in a row or something like that. They finally got one. um But, but it's it still ought to play for.
00:20:39
Luke Charlton
you can't There isn't really any form to go off of. We have the game we played against him in pre-season. I think a lot of their goals came from our own mistakes. I don't think it was the system.
00:20:48
officialgspn
Yes.
00:20:49
Luke Charlton
I don't think it was Guardiola Masterclass. I think it was individual errors because there was naivety um in the style of play um and we will just have to work through that.
00:20:59
Luke Charlton
That may be the case at the weekend. I personally don't think Sanchez is the future in between the sticks for us so I will be a little bit worrisome if he starts.
00:21:06
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:21:08
Luke Charlton
um I'd rather have Jorgensen start just because I think he's going to be in it for a much more longer term for us.
00:21:14
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:21:15
Luke Charlton
um Whether he's ready or not I understand but but I think for me yeah it's going to be nerve-wracking it always is i do think though because of the two styles of play i can't see it being end-to-end and as high scoring as last year's game i maybe see it one nil two nil or or two one one one draw that that kind of thing i'm not predicting more than five goals i'd say that that would be too difficult for me to say
00:21:29
officialgspn
yeah
00:21:40
officialgspn
Fine. No, I think I'm agreeing with you actually, but I am just edging this as a Manchester City win, probably by two goals to one. um
00:21:50
Luke Charlton
Yeah, but but but that's that's that's the head speaking sense. I think the heart tells me that Chelsea could just somehow click and and we get we get double hat tricks for Sterling and Palmer and they put two fingers up to the city.
00:21:55
officialgspn
Oh, yeah.
00:22:00
officialgspn
What a dream.
00:22:02
Luke Charlton
It would be brilliant. But I don't I just yeah, it yeah, exactly. Yeah, we can dream. and We've still got a couple of days to do so. So let's revel in that.
00:22:09
officialgspn
Yes, sadly probably just a dream though, but who knows?
00:22:12
Luke Charlton
Yeah.
00:22:13
officialgspn
um And to your point on all the players being slightly older, I guess the one where it works out is Pep Guardiola is now essentially a year wiser and we've always got him to contend with as as as manager.
00:22:27
Luke Charlton
That is true.
00:22:27
officialgspn
but um
00:22:28
Luke Charlton
That is true.
00:22:29
officialgspn
Yes, no, that concludes the second part of this podcast. um Before we move on to the third part, just a shout out to the Global Sports Podcast Network. um This podcast is part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. It's the only network bringing you exclusive daily news and views on your Premier League team, on the Premier League overall, on women's football and on fantasy football. um It's a unique listening experience that puts fans first bringing you the very latest breaking news from your team. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and make us your first listen every day. Global Sports Podcast Network, every club, every day.
00:23:09
officialgspn
All right, Luke, we have about six minutes left. um And what we want to do in this section is really give a longer term forecast. So I think we've spoke spoken at length now about Manchester City, the game last year, the game we expect to see on Sunday. um But Extending the definition of forecast Friday and if we forecast further than just Sunday's game as you say win or loss There's essentially 37 more games to um either make up for it or continue that good form um if we look
00:23:46
officialgspn
at the immediate games after that Man City match and this is me really from PTSD that Chelsea always struggle in and around the November mark and then before you know it it's the festive period of games thick and fast and then all of a sudden you You question ah how long a manager will stay because results haven't gone our way, etc, etc. If we look at the run-in just before that festive period, we've got Man City to start, but then Game Week 2 and onwards, it goes Wolves, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, West Ham, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and then it goes Liverpool on the 19th of October.
00:24:25
officialgspn
But essentially, after Man City, which is the 18th of August, and before Liverpool, which is the 19th of October, we have a decent, well, on paper, a decent two-month run of Wolves Palace, Bournemouth, West Ham, Brighton, Nottingham Forest. Surely that's 100% win, no?
00:24:47
Luke Charlton
ah I mean, you you can never say things like that in the Premier League, but you'd like to think that with that run of fixtures, we can find a bit of form, find a bit of consistency. um I think the Wolves one's fairly favorable.
00:25:00
Luke Charlton
favorable um Gary O'Neill is a solid manager.
00:25:01
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:25:04
Luke Charlton
he's clearly He's clearly proven himself at Premier League level for sure. um But i don't I don't think Wolves are a particularly strong outfit as they may have been in the last couple of seasons, particularly now we have one of their star players on our books.
00:25:16
Luke Charlton
um
00:25:16
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:25:17
Luke Charlton
look Crystal Palace, hard place to go. Glasner has made it. Sorry, hard team to face. Glasner have made them a really good outfit. um They're obviously missing a lease. They may not have Eze at that point as well. Mateta may still not be starting. So you'd like to think that we can, we can do some damage, but I would be cautious, particularly as any sort of London Derby that that that there's so many of nowadays in the Premier League, it's always hard to call. um And then when you get to Bournemouth on West Ham,
00:25:44
Luke Charlton
agree on paper you think we're going to beat them but the vitality we have had our struggles against Bournemouth in the past and West Ham we know as well have also been a bit of a difficult difficult place to go I remember I think it was the the last season um where we we we had quite quite a dramatic game against them at the London Stadium and it was quite early in the season as well I think Chukwameka scored was his first goal.
00:26:07
Luke Charlton
ah and yeah yeah it's it look ah under They've got Lopotegui now at their manager. They're going to be going through a bit of a transition. They've got a new style of play. They've had some really good reinforcements. I've been really really impressed, I think, actually, is ah as an opposition fan with their signings they've made so far this summer.
00:26:24
Luke Charlton
um So they're hard to call. Brighton, Nottingham Forest, I think they they they should be wins, they should be wins. I mean, the Brighton manager, is he's an unknown quantity. um He could have them firing in all cylinders, but I just think that squad isn't as is good as it once was um back when they had Quesada and McAllister and Cucarella in their team. and It was much, much more of a frightening opposition. And Nottingham Forest, again,
00:26:47
Luke Charlton
Um, I, I think their manager could be on the first to go this year. So for me, if we don't get three points there at home, that's, that's gotta to be a gimme. Um, but again, another team we have struggled with in, in recent games at the bridge, they they have taken points of us before. So yeah.
00:27:03
Luke Charlton
I want to be optimistic and I feel optimistic. I feel that we are only going to get better the longer we play under this style, number but with Enzo Maresco, but it, it, yeah, it's the Premier League. Every team is competitive.
00:27:13
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:27:14
Luke Charlton
I think all the way down from, from second to 10th, it's anyone's position. At the moment for me, Man City is still on top, as most people probably say, but all the other positions, any team can go on and run a form and, and, and, and they're really impressed.
00:27:27
officialgspn
yeah Yeah, I mean, of those six matches I mentioned after the Man City match, um I put it to you that actually we need six wins from six because if I then tell you the four games afterwards, it goes Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United, Arsenal.
Chelsea's Long-term Strategy
00:27:45
officialgspn
so Do you agree or disagree that if Enzo doesn't get six wins from six, I mean, and that those four aren't looking good, um we could again potentially see trouble going into the festive period.
00:27:47
Luke Charlton
but
00:27:59
Luke Charlton
ah potentially potentially i i i i do think though that that the maresca plan is the long-term plan so whatever happens uh i think u ultimately i think they they want us we want we all want to be in champions leagues we want to be top four but if we can win the conference league and guarantee europa league football next year
00:28:07
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:28:19
Luke Charlton
whatever happens in the league, I think the owners are willing to say, look, let's build momentum. If we can see that there's something happening and and that we can see the football is good, which I think a lot of the fans have felt in preseason, there's been so much going on within going to outgoing to the link with who we aren't buying, all that sort of stuff.
00:28:34
Luke Charlton
If we're going to have a transfer ban, all these different things, but the football has been getting better each game for me personally.
00:28:35
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:28:42
Luke Charlton
There's been moments of madness.
00:28:42
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:28:43
Luke Charlton
There's been moments of, I don't know if I believe in this, but the Inter Milan game, I was confident. I thought that was good. It was a good solid performance. um We were cut open in one move and that was only real key chance.
00:28:55
Luke Charlton
I think the Inter Milan really had. they took it well it was an excellent goal but but for me it's that okay we're building momentum we're creating chances the football is enjoyable um so I'm excited and the big games as a Chelsea fan we know what they're like historically I would say I'm more confident playing Liverpool Newcastle and United and Arsenal for us to somehow get a result than I am against the smaller teams.
00:28:59
officialgspn
Yeah.
00:29:16
Luke Charlton
um So if if we look at it from that perspective, that could be a great running. We could end up with 12 points from there. But um yeah, there's a lot of things have to go in our favor for sure.
00:29:23
officialgspn
yet
00:29:26
Luke Charlton
But um yeah, i i'd let we look, we've been Chelsea fans long enough.
00:29:33
officialgspn
yes
00:29:33
Luke Charlton
It is too hard to call. We have to take it game by game, day by day. um gone Gone are the times of the of the Mourinho era when we knew 1-0 or 2-0 up, we've won.
00:29:44
officialgspn
yeah yeah
00:29:44
Luke Charlton
Nothing's going to change. um We'd love to go back to that the comfort of knowing that this was safe and we were going to steamroll the league, but it's changed. The the football has changed and in in in the Premier League and every game every game is winnable, every game is loseable. So we have to really be really be wary of that. And um no, it's exciting. um I'm just excited. And I think having that big run of fixtures before the Christmas period is really something to look forward to. That's what we live for as Chelsea fans. We want the big games.
00:30:13
officialgspn
Yes, no, spot on. And again, it gets no bigger than this Sunday, 4.30, Chelsea Manchester City to kick off and um the 24-25 season for both clubs. Luke, it's been a pleasure. We're at time. um Thank you very much to everyone listening today. You've been listening to the Daily Chelsea podcast on the Global Sports Podcast Network. Thank you for being with us and goodbye.