Tom Overend

Suspect that João Pedro will start on Sunday.

He has scored in his last two games against Arsenal, and was Man of the Match at the Emirates last season.

He will be very important to unlocking their watertight central defence.

Pedro Neto is a dilemma for Ajax.

Ideally, I would start him, as he adds maturity to a young attack. However, he played twice for Portugal and started against Forest despite being a doubt.

He should probably be on the bench, and enter only if struggling at HT

Robert Sanchez has continued his steady improvement since the Club World Cup.

If not for the Old Trafford red card, I think he’d be getting more credit for his start to the season.

He has been solid between the posts.

I will be on BBC Radio 5 Live at 6:20 tomorrow morning to preview Nottingham Forest v Chelsea.

Join us if you can!

Two game plus one off the bench

Benoit Badiashile out until December.

This is really gutting, just as a starting CB combination was coming together.

Injuries are a real limiter this season.

Always found it curious that people remember the Stamford Bridge draw against Ajax more fondly.

The victory at the Amsterdam Arena was a far more impressive result, and generated last-minute limbs.

Worth noting that Reece James has not missed a Chelsea game through injury in 2025.

This is a massive step forward, and allows me to hope for a similar outcome with Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana.

Remember the club revamped the Medical Department in 2024.

Looking forward to hearing about the availability of Tosin and Andrey Santos for Nottingham Forest.

Both should hopefully be back, and would add crucial depth for Maresca ahead of 7 games in 3 weeks.

This season will be a squad game more than ever with our volume of fixtures.

Estêvão is the best example of why Chelsea discourse around money spent is futile.

The £30m fee agreed in 2024 has been counted by pundits for 18 months, yet he only joined this summer - and only now we’re seeing how good that investment was.

Money spent for long-term success.

Marc Cucurella is the perfect illustration of why we shouldn’t write off any of the new players so early.

He looked lost in his first 12 months, yet with time he transformed into one of the best LBs in the world.

Signings sometimes need time to adapt.

How would we feel about this team against Liverpool?

Good to see that Enzo Maresca will be judged over the entire season.

I am glad the club are beyond sacking coaches mid-season whenever we have the smallest hint of bad form.

Andrey Santos was really solid last night.

He looked bright in midfield, and was dominant both aerially and on the ball.

I would like to see him start alongside Moises Caicedo against Brighton.

I hope Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and João Pedro don’t even travel to Lincoln.

Not worth risking their long-term fitness over a Carabao Cup 3rd Round tie.

If Enzo plays, I want to see him deeper in the pivot with a full-back overlapping.

He needs touches of the ball, and the chance to show his world-class passing range from deep.

How would we feel about this lineup against United?

No shame in losing away to Bayern.

In the end, it was three individual mistakes, combined with the individual quality of Kane and Olise, that decided the game.

Our lack of experience at this level showed as well.

You really do have a lot of anger and frustration in you. I genuinely have no idea where it is coming from.

I haven’t attacked you personally once, yet you have me multiple times.

Look, I don’t know you, I wish you well and hope you can get over this resentment of the club you support.

This response has been absolutely shocking to me. There is no inconsistency at all. Just a bit weird from them.

Disagreed with them many times. Just give them fair coverage when there is clearly no conspiracy such as in this case.

I am genuinely flabbergasted at this response from yourself and others.

I think Cole Palmer will hit a new level in the Champions League.

European teams haven’t seen him before and he’ll have more freedom to work his magic in the more open games.

His best performances will be in this competition.

Definitely was exaggerating for effect that you were literally justifying the comparison one reply ago 🤣

You are good.

How patronising!

Not at all. I just read two statements and don’t see any contradiction at all, as other people have also pointed out.

Look, I get you don’t like Maresca and/or the Sporting staff. That’s okay.

You could just say that instead of making GOP analogies and straw man arguments.

You called them ‘the GOP’ but of course nobody compared anybody to the current GOP President of course…

You think I’m a complete fool…

He hasn’t contradicted himself though, if you read both the statements they aren’t contradictory in any way.

He was signed as a versatile attacker, as they briefed in your favoured publication The Athletic all summer

He isn’t contradicting himself though.

He is saying João IS good against a low block, but not as the primary number 9.

Very harsh to call him a liar or akin to Donald Trump or the GOP based off that.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, genuinely.