Ben Chilwell

[daddylonglegs]

40 minutes ago, FLAN said:

Don’t disagree about the availability but let’s be honest here his crossing is woeful regardless 

I think it definitely could be improved. It was his cross Evans should’ve scored with against Chelsea. He’s got it in him.

[urban fox]

2 hours ago, daddylonglegs said:

When he's floating balls into the box and there's no one there, that's only partially on him. We get so few players into the box that his statistics will be shocking but in actual fact when you've got a striker whos been on his heels for the last 15 games and no one else attacking crosses - what do you expect?

Agree to a certain extent. some of his crosses are woefully over hit and he does need to work on it, but when you have nothing to aim at then it either means punting a hopeful ball into the box or checking back to find a team mate. He gets criticised for not attacking the full back and getting to the byline but whats the point when he can see nobody is busting a gut to get into the box for a cut back?

[Wymsey]

Where's the evidence that he wishes to leave, a claim some on here are suggesting?

[Guest An Sionnach]

4 hours ago, Paninistickers said:

Totally agree. Or allows us to play a desperately needed link man to Vardy. 

Ricardo being much more two footed can cut inside and cause trouble but Ben is very reluctant to use his right foot so he can't put the defender in two minds , if he could do that with his speed and control he would be a dangerous attacker.

[inckley fox]

4 hours ago, Fox92 said:

When? What games?

 

Barnes offers Chilwell nothing, not the other way around. Barnes often hides and all Chilwell can do is go back. I also recall our best opportunities against Chelsea came through Chilwell's set pieces (both centre backs should have scored).

 

I agree with UniFox, Chilwell looks better with nobody in front of him. Considering the wingers do fvck all, I'd go with wing backs for the remaining games leaving Chilwell and Justin to bomb up and down.

 

Chilwell isn't our best ever left back, of course he's not, but he draws criticism when others are just as bad and they don't get it. He's not gonna be complete and be great defensively and great in attack. Just like Justin isn't. Those sort of players play for bigger clubs than us. I don't like the word scapegoat but Chilwell is ours.

I should say before anything else that the last thing I want to do is dedicate loads of time to criticising one specific player. It's unbalanced if we're not having similar conversations about Barnes, Tielemans, Perez and, more recently, Justin, Vardy, Ndidi, Albrighton, Maddison (yesterday excepted, perhaps). I have to emphasise that I rate Chilwell, above all in terms of his potential, and would love to see him fulfil that potential with us. Our problems can't be put down to an individual.

 

As for your question about which games there have been in which players who normally struggle in front of Chilwell have done better without him - well there are a few (though I should add that I was wrong about results with and without him in the side since Xmas: our record with him in the EPL is W2 D4 L5 and the Cups W2 D1 L2. Without him in the EPL it's W2 D0 L1, and in the Cups W1 D0 L0.).

 

If you look at those EPL games in which he didn't feature, then you've got Albrighton looking the part in the West Ham game, and Barnes having a stormer in the Villa game. Even in the Burnley defeat, Barnes was our highest rated player on here. If you go further back, there have been occasions when Barnes did better without Chilwell alongside him on the flank. It should also be noted that of the two league games we've won since Xmas with him in the side, Fuchs was the left back in one of them, with Chilwell more advanced.

 

The point stands that, in our post-Xmas downturn, we've not looked better with Chilwell in the side (or, at least, not when he's been left back). He's not played well, and there's little evidence to suggest that his loss will be felt keenly.

 

People are definitely right to say that we shouldn't focus so much of our frustration on one player. Equally, I don't think people should over-state how well he's played. Yesterday, unless we're setting the bar horribly low, he really wasn't good enough. I've re-watched the game and he was guilty of more aimless punts down the line than anyone in those dismal first fifteen minutes. There's a question mark over his defending for the goal. Throughout the game our build-up either went backwards or came to an end with him. The end product was mostly poor, and there were lots of what we tend to call 'lazy' balls.

 

I agree that there were other even bigger culprits, but he looks - to me - like a player (one of several, in fact) who has to be honest with himself, accept that serious work needs to be done on his game, and then sweat like mad to put things right. I haven't had that impression with him for a long time, and suspect we'll only see that sort of application only when he's left the club.

[Hoopla10]

It's in the last third that he seems to break down. He doesn't hide from the ball, runs, works hard and carries the ball. But there's that moment as he steps into the last third of the pitch he stops, looks up, pauses for a second or two (by which time the opposition can casually set themselves) then he passes back. Obviously it's not entirely his fault, I don't remember many overlapping him or a partner on the wing who can one-two so he can push to get behind. Or whether there's a lack of movement in front of him when he looks up. Maybe there's trust issues and confidence problems. He's young and needs to work on his game (that's a given). So we get behind him and support him (also a given). He's definitely not the root of our current lack of goals. Maybe symptomatic of it, but not the root.    

[Kinowe Soorie]

Chillwell is a left back version of David Oldfield.

[Costock_Fox]

5 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Where's the evidence that he wishes to leave, a claim some on here are suggesting?

Where’s the evidence he doesn’t want to leave? Rumours about Chelsea for the last 12 months and not a single denial, speaks volumes.

[Hales]

6 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Where's the evidence that he wishes to leave, a claim some on here are suggesting?

There is no proof, Brendan has actually said he hasn't ever had the feeling from Ben he wants to go which strongly suggests to me he hasn't requested it. I think it's just media gossip at the moment and also maybe Chelsea trying to unsettle the team and putting out the feelers to Ben?

[sacreblueits442]

On 01/07/2020 at 20:04, shailen said:

If you want to see an inept full back at this level, see Justin. Lost the ball pretty much every time and doesn't offer anything. Losing Ricardo and replacing him with Justin is a large reason why we look toothless going forward 

...we are aware of what Ricardo brings to the table!!!

  The only problem with this insight is that we were poor and ineffective when he was in the team.

[daddylonglegs]

20 hours ago, urban fox said:

Agree to a certain extent. some of his crosses are woefully over hit and he does need to work on it, but when you have nothing to aim at then it either means punting a hopeful ball into the box or checking back to find a team mate. He gets criticised for not attacking the full back and getting to the byline but whats the point when he can see nobody is busting a gut to get into the box for a cut back?

Exactly. He's probably fed up of every time he puts it in the box no one attacks it. Or fed up of sprinting 60 yards up the pitch just for one of Barnes/Vardy to miscontrol it and give the ball away. He's a left back, his job is not to create opportunities, it's to support the creative players. I actually think he's done that well in the past 3 games.

[Guest An Sionnach]

16 minutes ago, daddylonglegs said:

Exactly. He's probably fed up of every time he puts it in the box no one attacks it. Or fed up of sprinting 60 yards up the pitch just for one of Barnes/Vardy to miscontrol it and give the ball away. He's a left back, his job is not to create opportunities, it's to support the creative players. I actually think he's done that well in the past 3 games.

I still think his future is as a midfielder , if we persist with a back four , we need a more solid defender like Fuchs.

[daddylonglegs]

2 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

I still think his future is as a midfielder , if we persist with a back four , we need a more solid defender like Fuchs.

How about... now bear with me here.....

 

 

 

Fuchs

[Guest An Sionnach]

1 minute ago, daddylonglegs said:

How about... now bear with me here.....

 

 

 

Fuchs

If only we could fit him with new legs ehh.

[Hales]

Maybe moving forward put Fuchs in defence and move Chilly up to run the wing? At the moment he is running one end to the other continually and he can't do it all. With Ricardo out they need Ben to make the runs.

[Vardinio'sCat]

In all the pain of the last game, I had forgotten seeing something during the match, which I just remembered.

 

Did we see Chilwell round the outside, and threatening to do it several times more? He looks fitter and more confident to me, as if the break has actually helped him.

[Hales]

25 minutes ago, Vardinio'sCat said:

In all the pain of the last game, I had forgotten seeing something during the match, which I just remembered.

 

Did we see Chilwell round the outside, and threatening to do it several times more? He looks fitter and more confident to me, as if the break has actually helped him.

Yes definitely! I think he has clearly been training hard and I'm sure Brendan said he has been analysing his performances. He made a stonking grear tackle too. I think with the right coaching and guidance he could be great. His confidence is definitely better.

[lcfcsnow]

7-0 in the last one and half games without Ben 😜

[whoareyaaa]

I think his head is well and truly turned, I would drop him for the rest of the season.

[Hales]

6 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

I think his head is well and truly turned, I would drop him for the rest of the season.

What? The guy was injured and had an injection in his heel and still came out and tried to run that's why he was subbed or did you just ignore that bit of commentary? Head turned my arse. He has worked his socks off since the restart!

[Jimmy]

yesterday must have shown people exactly what we missed from Chilwell we had next to nothing down our left flank the whole game

[Guest An Sionnach]

14 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

yesterday must have shown people exactly what we missed from Chilwell we had next to nothing down our left flank the whole game

I have always said his future is left midfield or wing back and he is our best option there. However right foot , right foot , right foot ...................

[foxinsocks]

On 04/07/2020 at 17:39, Hales said:

What? The guy was injured and had an injection in his heel and still came out and tried to run that's why he was subbed or did you just ignore that bit of commentary? Head turned my arse. He has worked his socks off since the restart!

I'll take that as a maybe

[Beechey]

50 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

yesterday must have shown people exactly what we missed from Chilwell we had next to nothing down our left flank the whole game

Not just that, but we were being constantly exposed down that side.

[Stinkenzo]

When are Chilwell and Maddison back?