Premier League Fans Preview: Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton and Fulham
- Chris Coughlin
- Sep 8, 2020
- 15 min read
Updated: Sep 11, 2020
The 2020/21 Premier League season is less than a week away so Matchday FM is getting the views from fans across the most watched league in the world.
In today's article, we get the thoughts of fans from Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton & Fulham ahead of the new campaign
Chelsea: George Priestman (gpriestman1998)
What a summer it’s been at Stamford Bridge! Ziyech, Werner, Havertz, Thiago Silva, Chilwell plus Sarr who’ll be going out on loan what do you make of Chelsea’s business?
On paper, it looks fantastic because we’ve spent money and brought quality in positions that we needed to. Especially at centre half and left back, where the team struggled last season.
When you look at the prices we’ve signed players for and the clubs we’ve beaten out to get them it’s remarkable business for sure. It’s reminiscent of the 2004/05 summer window where Chelsea bought so well and decisively.
It’s one of those windows where you can’t decide who your favourite signing is! Every signing is one that we needed and apart from Silva, are all aimed at the future as well as the present.
Thiago Silva might end up being the one who has the best impact as the centre back position is crying out for someone of his stature and experience. He can come in and make a real impact even at 35.
However, the fan favourite signing will be Kai Havertz as he has the potential to be a world class player and is the most high profile signing with Timo Werner.
All of that with the likes of Mount, Pulisic, Abraham and James very much developing as well, do you feel this is the start of strong side for many years?
The youth have had their exposure at the top level for a year, which is exactly what they needed. Bringing in the talents we have, a lot of them are a good age bar Thiago Silva.
We’ve added quality with experience to go with the youth already at the club. The average age of the squad was significantly lowered last season and now you look at Malang Sarr, Chilwell, Havertz and Werner all signed who were under 25.
It’s a very exciting crop of players, like I said, we’ve added the quality and experience needed to help this younger squad thrive. There is a focus around youth and the future but these players can perform in the present too and I'm backing Werner to hit the ground running in Blue.
The long term goal is trophies over a long period of time and this squad is set up to thrive over a period of a few years. It’s extremely difficult to say how quickly we will see success on the pitch, but the squad in place now is one of the best for a while now.
How much pressure is there on Frank Lampard, however, to achieve something with this squad with this significant investment?
We all know the circumstances in which Lampard had to deal with in his first season in charge. Losing hazard and not being able to replace him was always going to be tough.
Add in the fact that the younger players were unproven at this level and suddenly they are all starting in big games. He achieved top four but the season revealed the issues in the squad.
Now he’s got the likes of Havertz, Werner, Thiago Silva and Chilwell, it’s going to feel like a completely new side. This new side now has different expectations, higher expectations as a result. The job now is to improve on last season, concede less goals, lose less games and convert more chances.
There is huge pressure of course, I think he has to find the right balance with the new players and if he can do so, we’re looking at a team that’s capable of going much further than the season we just saw.
One particular area where Chelsea have struggled is between the sticks. Do you see Kepa regaining the number one jersey or has his time gone?
A lot has been made of Kepa and rightly so. His season was so poor for someone who is the most expensive keeper of all time and a keeper at a top club.
This season can’t possibly be worse than what we just saw and his aim will be to return to the 18/19 season form which saw him have 14 clean sheets in the league. With another keeper coming in, he’ll have to fight for his spot and this season is make or break for whether he will a chelsea keeper next season.
I think the shot stopping ability is still there but his weakness is in the air and if Eduoard Mendy does come in, he can nullify that threat with his height and that would leave Kepa in a tough situation.
What are your hopes/expectations for the 2020/21 season?
It’s hard to gauge how well this team should do because we could see 6 new players in the starting lineup. That’s more than half the team switched out.
It’s going to take time to gel and the quicker the new players hit the ground running, the better season the blues will have. My expectations are we improve on last season; we created more chances than anyone bar City and Liverpool which shows if we are more clinical we’ll win more games and Havertz and Werner can help to do that. Silva and Chilwell instantly improve our defence so we should concede less and new keeper will help too.
I think top 3 minimum in the league, a cup win and much further journey in the Champions League with the Quarters being the absolute minimum. If all these players hit the ground running, it could be that those expectations change as the season progresses, but for now it’s as I’ve listed above.
Crystal Palace: Dan, creator of Hopkin Looking To Curl One @HLTCO
Palace struggled towards the end of last season before getting a point on the final day against Tottenham, does that concern you going into this season or do you consider it a clean slate?
It’s a bit of both from most fans’ point of view, there are obvious and fair concerns about our chances of getting back on a run of good form from the start but if you look at the standard of opposition we played in that late run of games, it was an extremely tough spell on heavy legs.
Add into the that the addition of Eze and Ferguson alongside the potential of more to come before the deadline, there’s definitely cause for optimism on a number of fronts.
There’s also the renewed goal of securing safety, which we practically secured on the first game back after Project Restart against Bournemouth, it wasn’t obvious but there is the possibility that we dropped off just one or two percent mentally after that victory.
Every year there seems to be a saga about Zaha but it’s appeared to be quiet on that front this year, do you expect him to be a Palace player after the window closes?
The Zaha saga is one we’ve had to deal with in every single window for years now and this summer is shaping up to be no different.
He and his agent have been very open in expressing their desire to move on but as has always been the case, there needs to be concrete interest in him from reputable clubs and offers that we deem to represent value from money.
That figure is likely to have shifted a little bit lower in the last 12 months but I still can’t see the club green-lighting his sale for anything less than £45-50 million given his importance to the team over the last few years.
Replacing him in like-for-like fashion would be a practically impossible task, so regardless of his desire for a fresh start, a number of moving parts have to click into place at the right time. If I were to nail my colours to the mast right now, I’d put the chances of him still being a Palace player after the deadline at 75%-25%
The area where Palace have struggled since being back in the Premier League is not having a regular goalscorer, do you think that’s what’s holding the Eagles back from being at least a top half team?
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, or indeed those of most Palace fans, that the addition of another 10-15 goal a season striker is the key to us troubling the top half rather than perpetually looking over our shoulder at the relegation scrap but just like everyone else, we’re in the market for a precious commodity.
When Roy Hodgson had Michy Batshuayi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yohan Cabaye, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend in the same XI week after week, we were an aesthetically pleasing and feared attacking outfit, so the sight of Ebere Eze arriving from QPR and solid links with Batshuayi appearing once more give me a fair bit of optimism for our chances of success this term.
The most comforting thing is that everyone at the club is in agreement over the need for added depth at the head of the side, it’s just a case of who we bring in, rather than if.
What are your thoughts on Palace’s transfer business so far and who would you like them to sign? Ferguson and Eze look like very exciting signings
As I’ve said in previous answers, the signings of Eze and Ferguson have been viewed in an extremely positive fashion by the vast majority of Palace fans and there is the prospect of another two or three fresh faces appearing in SE25 before the October deadline.
The key to the renewed sense of optimism from me and many others amongst the Palace fan-base over our business so far this summer is the very clear departure it represents from the norm.
We were well documented as having the oldest squad in the Premier League across the 2019/20 campaign whilst also lacking badly in goals, the feel and direction of our transfer strategy since has looked to remedy both things in a clear and obvious way.
It’s led supporters to feel, for the first time in what feels like years, as though their hopes and those of the scouts and directors behind the scenes are aligned.
What are your hopes/expectations for the 2020/21 season?
It feels like something of a cliché but this season is one which could and indeed should be the precursor to a period of quite significant change at the club.
Roy Hodgson has one year left to run on his deal and isn’t expected to put pen to paper on fresh terms; this will see the club look to appoint a long-term successor who can continue and ideally build upon the stability the former England boss has brought to the club following the short but disastrous spell under Frank de Boer.
The recruitment we’ve done and continue to do is being put together to strengthen the hand of Roy’s eventual successor, hopefully following a season in which we can remain clear of the drop zone throughout and possibly trouble the top half whilst playing with a tad more panache than we managed for long swathes of the campaign just gone.
Everton: Sarah Halpin (SarahHalpin9)
Last year was a tough one to take for Evertonians but what to you think Carlo Ancelotti was able to learn about his squad last season?
Last season was indeed a tough one for Evertonians, the lowest point was finding ourselves in the bottom 3 after a crushing defeat to our arch-rivals across the park in December.
Things were feeling and looking bleak. However, with the way things panned out, and following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti from Napoli, and a successful spell as interim manager from Duncan Ferguson that stabilised the team and made the fans feel more connected to the team again, we found ourselves in a position in the final month of the year where we had been able to appoint one of the finest managers in world football.
A serial winner as both player and manager, Carlo Ancelotti! Ancelotti took charge of Everton for the first time on Boxing day 2019 and we registered a win over Burnley at Goodison Park and the Italian was welcomed with a rapturous ovation as we felt that the man who could truly turn the Club’s fortunes around had finally arrived.
In the time that Carlo has been at the club so far and with the games he’s managed both before and after the long pause in the season I think he has been able to clearly identify where things have been going wrong for us and where the team needs strengthening as well as the players that he feels have a future at Everton as part of his plans.
Whilst there will be a disappointment at not having European football, could that be a good thing with no continental distractions for Ancelotti’s first full season in charge?
Make no mistake, Everton Football Club absolutely must be in Europe. Not only because of the weight we hold as one of the most prestigious and historical Clubs in English Football, but also because of what we are trying to achieve in the coming years.
The club has received large financial backing over the past 4 years since Farhad Moshiri’s involvement with the club, but it has not materialized in the way that we had all hoped for. However, things feel different this time around and that is largely down to the fact that we have Mr. Ancelotti at the helm.
I believe that us not having to focus on European football this season could benefit us in that it gives us more time and energy to focus into the domestic league and competitions. I think the aim and objective is clear that in terms of a league finish we need to qualify for Europe, and we have gone far too long without silverware and that needs to be corrected.
Ancelotti will want to win one of the cup competitions and bring trophies back to Goodison Park. I would have loved to have seen us back in Europe for this season, however we must use this as a positive to go on to achieve even more this time around with Ancelotti having his first full season in charge and making his first stamp on our squad with the players he is bringing to the club.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was on fire before the suspension but struggled after the restart. Are you backing him to rediscover both his form and his partnership with Richarlison?
Dom was emphatic for Everton last season, that is before the suspension took place. He had scored 13 Premier League goals and had built up an exciting and effective partnership with Richarlison in that 4-4-2 formation.
The time Duncan Ferguson spent in charge of the blues before we appointed Ancelotti, I feel was a critical point in the turnaround of Calvert-Lewin’s form and fortune in front of goal. Ferguson is one of the most iconic ever to wear the number 9 of Everton, the number that carries more weight here than any other.
I think Dunc really helped instil the confidence and mindset in Dominic and helped him amend a few small things in his game that have brought the young striker more success in front of goal in blue than we’d seen in any of his previous seasons.
I do not think we can downplay how influential Ferguson has been to him. Of course, Ancelotti saw that form continue and Calvert-Lewin was firing on all cylinders under the Italians management.
After the restart, he struggled to rediscover the form that he had those months prior, but he has already bagged himself a few goals this preseason and there is no doubt in my mind that we will see this player grow and progress into an even better Striker with one of the best in the world in charge, and Duncan still heavily involved too, all these things will only be good for Dom.
The players he has around him will also bring his game on further. The understanding himself and Richarlison have established will go from strength to strength I hope and believe.
What have you made of Everton’s business in the transfer window? James Rodriguez and Allan could be very important signings couldn’t they?
The arrival of Allan from Napoli and of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid are both enormous signings for the toffees and hopefully a few more to come with a deal also agreed with Watford for Abdoulaye Doucoure. They are all tremendous acquisitions for the club.
With Allan and Doucoure, our midfield is automatically improved drastically. I think that Allan is exactly the player we needed to sign as a priority for the midfield. He is that ‘box to box’ midfielder who will always get stuck in to the opposition and look to break them down, loves a thunderous tackle which will go down well with Evertonians, and he offers bite, much needed energy and tenacity to our midfield. He has also played under Carlo Ancelotti in their time together at Napoli, so there is already that understanding and relationship between player and manager.
Doucoure is also an excellent signing, a player with real class, physicality and strength, someone Everton seem to have been linked with for many seasons now and it is finally happening. As a player with plenty of Premier League experience under his belt already, I am sure he will make a positive impact here.
The big one though is no doubt the signing of James from Real Madrid, we’re talking about a player who was won the golden boot at a world cup, has won titles in the biggest leagues and competitions wherever he has played around the globe. A player with something like 50million followers on social media, the global interest in Everton that his signing will generate is gigantic! This feels like when Manchester City signed Robinho, a catalyst signing for things to come.
A player who is reuniting with the manager for the 3rd time after previously working together at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The pair have a very trusting relationship and Ancelotti is the manager who will be able to get the best out of this star-studded Colombian yet again. This is a real luxurious signing and a player with remarkable talent, skill, and winning mentality. I am sure he will not only score plenty of goals, but also get a lot of assists for the likes of Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
It has certainly got us fans excited. Ancelotti has enabled us to attract players like this to the club and hopefully this will create a snowball effect.
What are your hopes/expectations for the 2020/21 season?
My hopes for the season for Everton are to see us really discover our identity again. I feel that the winning mentality and confidence has just been lacking over recent years and a lack of identity.
After David Moyes tenure of over a decade, we saw a high turnover of managers that followed suit over the coming years and that saw us in a position where we had spent money on many different players brought in by many different managers and I think it caused a real lack of identity to seep into the club.
We now have a world class manager, we are signing world class players, we have a word class stadium on the horizon and it’s a really exciting few years ahead where we will hopefully see success finally brought back to the club.
This is a major ‘project’ that looks like it is starting to take shape. In terms of what I would like to see us achieve on the pitch, I think European football is a must, so finishing in the top 6 and ideally winning a trophy. That is something that needs to happen soon, and I genuinely believe it will.
Fulham: Cam Ramsey (@94CAMRAM)
It was an incredible end to the season for Fulham, winning the playoff final in extra time. How much momentum do you think that can give the squad going into this season?
Beating Brentford at Wembley in extra-time will definitely create a feel-good factor amongst the camp but as far as momentum goes, I’m not too sure.
Last time we were promoted, off the back of a 23-game unbeaten streak, we certainly had the bit between our teeth but the Premier League doesn’t recognise consistency, you have to work at it week in, week out and now we know what we’re faced with when we return to the big time.
It’s the expectation that kills you.
There’s lots of experience in the squad from the relegation in 2019, how much do you think that could help in terms of knowing what to improve on this time around?
Retaining vital members of the 2018-19 campaign, as well as members of our plighted return to the Premier League, was crucial. Tom Cairney, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Tim Ream, Stefan Johansen and so on.
They’ve sampled triumph and bitter defeat in equal measure and I believe the club, as a whole, still hurts from our demise after one season back in the top-flight.
The costs at stake are greater than ever, although our recent experiences at this level will serve us well, hopefully.
Scott Parker is still a very young manager but he’s clearly a very confident boss. What’s he changed about the style of play opposed to when they get relegated?
Parker’s taken a broken squad and built it back up to a reputable standard. Albeit a slow process, he’s ousted a defeatist mentality and replaced it with a belief that’s characteristic of past Fulham squads.
The football may not be as eye-catching at Slavisa Jokanovic’s or as potent as Jean Tigana’s, for that matter, but he’s a young boss with a formula that promises hard-earned results.
Amid teething problems, setbacks and scathing criticism, his professionalism and dedication to the cause has unified a once divided group.
It looks set to be another busy transfer window for Fulham. How would you assess their business so far and who would you like to see come in?
I’m currently wading through the tabloids for Fulham news and we’ve been linked with some whoppers.
Gerard Pique, Gonzalo Higuain, Ryan Babel, they’re names you’d commit crimes for but the players we’ve drafted in are also excellent.
We needed an expansive left-back, so we signed Antonee Robinson from Wigan Athletic for a cut price. Mario Lemina, cast aside by Southampton, is fairly temperamental but a live wire with the ball at his feet and Harrison Reed is a baller beyond belief. He's a highly necessary purchase.
We still need a centre-half, a right-back and a back-up striker, so I’ll take Chris Smalling, Matty Cash and Callum Wilson respectively.
What are your hopes/expectations for the 2020/21 season?
Survival. I want nothing more from next term other than that.
We’ve no real right to aim for a Europa League spot, an FA Cup fairytale, I just want us to do the basics right and react to inevitable hardships with innovation and resolve.
15th, that’s a position I’d be happy with and, whilst that may be setting the bar a little low, I’d rather a season of consolidation over a 9-month trip through turmoil.
Either way, we’re back where the club ultimately belongs and we’re prepared for the good, the bad and the ugly moments ahead.
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