"SQUAD ISN'T THAT GOOD!" Rory Jennings' BRUTAL VERDICT on Chelsea despite IMPRESSIVE Start!

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Rory Jennings says Chelsea's squad is not that good and fears the Everton away trip

This talkSPORT segment previews Chelsea vs Everton. Rory Jennings rates David Moyes highly but says Chelsea's squad is not that good and fears they will not win at Everton, while Everton fan Ollie Hayes says Everton are picking up points without playing well and expects a close game. The takeaway is that Rory is the more pessimistic one and would take a draw.

Flex and Rory Jennings are joined by Ollie Hayes to preview Chelsea's Premier League clash against Everton. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/c/talkSPORT?subconfirmation=1 🏆 Ready to win? Check out the latest prizes at talkSPORTwin.com Enjoyed this YouTube video? 😍 🖥️ talkSPORT's Website: https://talksport.com/ 📲 talkSPORT's X/Twitter: https://x.com/talkSPORT 📷 talkSPORT's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talksport/?hl=en 👤 talkSPORT's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkSPORT/ 📱 talkSPORT's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talksport ? 🔴 Download the talkSPORT app HERE! - https://talksport.com/apps/ 🔎 Want to see if you feature on our YouTube channel? Check out our Best talkSPORT callers playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVMnSsi04LGLa9pS9xDvme-Gjmlu2 talkSPORT premierleague chelsea

Transcript

H Chelsea taking on Everton. >> Dreadful. Dreadful. Dreadful fixture. Not looking forward to it at all. Feel like he's got a disaster written away. >> How do you know what I think? >> You got the best front three in the league. >> Yeah. And the worst scoring loads of goals. >> Worst back three in the league. >> Yeah. No, I I'm I'm worried. I really am. Do you know what? I think Moyes I think David Moyes, you're an interesting one to talk to about this flex obviously because of your Manchester United like support. I think that David Moyes is such a top tier manager. I really do. I rate him so highly. He has had he has had what 30 years at management. >> He has done it all. He has forgotten what most managers more than most managers know. You know the way that we talk about some young managers like young progressive managers. Like if you think about the way that Brenda Rogers used to be spoken about, people were linking in with all sorts of jobs. If you think about the way that Russell Martin until recently was spoken about, if you think about the way the way that various young managers who are seen as kind of noble choices, progressive choices, exciting choices and the sort of sneer that we talk about regarding somebody like David Moyes, I think it's so out of order. Moyes is the governor. He has been there from from day dot and I feel like the way that he sets his team up, the way that he will approach a game, it's everything that we don't want. You know, you know, like if you think about what Chelsea are good at and you think about what Chelsea aren't good at, I feel like David Moyes is probably the perfect manager to amplify what his own players are good at and negate what our players are good at. >> Well, you sound extremely worried um about this game. And joining us to talk about this game, we need to talk to an Everton fan. And that Everton fan is Ollie Hayes. He's the host of It's the Toffee Blues podcast. How you doing, Ollie? How how you doing listening to Rory quaking in his boots about coming to the Hill Dickson, mate? >> Not too bad, fellas. Thanks for having me on. I'm quite surprised actually, Rory, that you're actually not confident at all. >> He's not feeling it. It's that performance last year as well that's haunted me. You know, that Enzo Fernandez performance last year. >> I do. I do remember that the 3-0 at Hill Stadium. Sorry. Sorry to rub it in. Yeah, >> I can give you the scorers as well if you want. >> Yeah, you're fine. How are you feeling about it, mate? This is It's a big game. I'm going to be honest with you, right? It wasn't until we sort of doing the prep for this show. I was like, ever in a fifth in the Premier League, you got 10 point. I didn't realize you was going as as well as you are cuz I don't know from the outside obviously we had that that epic 22. I was absolutely fuming that felt like a loss. Thank you Amy Mate. No, I won't do that for the rest of his career. But anyway, um I just I didn't think I don't know. It just doesn't feel like you're going as good as what the table suggests. But is that is that is that my own naivity for not looking in as intently or you just quietly going about your business? Is that exactly what's going on here at Evan? I >> I think it's a a bit of both, weirdly. I think that Everton haven't really put a good performance together all season long. I think that's one thing that's that's fair to say, but we are just picking up points where we might have not done in previous seasons. You look at the draw against Bournemouth away from home. That's a tough place to go really. Bournemouth in the modern day >> obviously fight until the end against Manchester United with a screamer. Let's have it right that a freak goal where nine times out of 10 that goes blazing into the South Stand. So you are right in the sense that maybe the table is flattening us a little bit in terms of the performances we put in. We I thought we were really poor last weekend against whole city uh at the MKM Stadium. But that being said, we're picking up points where we're not playing the best of football. So yeah, a bit a bit of both really. I think on the one hand playing not great, but also picking up points. >> Yeah, I'm I'm I >> Why are you so worried? >> I'm just I'm just You got Cole Palmer CPR. What is it? JP Morgan. >> What do you think? Do you when you think about playing us, are you looking at it, are you confident? Do you feel like do you feel like you are more likely to win the game or do you think that are you worried about what we pose in terms of a threat? >> Weirdly, no. I'm I'm less confident than I was last season when you came to us under Lima. That's just, you know, because you you're playing once a week now. You've not got European football to worry about. Jabi Alonzo, there's no doubt about it. He's turned a corner for you. Um that that resulted last weekend against Bournemouth. As I said, Bournemouth are a tough side to play. I know they're playing sort of twice a week now, Thursday, Sunday. They're struggling a little bit in the league table, but that being said, it's still a Bournemouth side that have managed to get into Europe last season. So, you thrust them aside. It It's a tough game for Everton this, make no mistake about it. And I think Chelsea always seem to give us problems. I know last season was a little bit of anomaly, but you know, last season when we played at Stanford Bridge, for for example, we lost that game 2-0. So, I don't think it's as plain sailing for Everton as you think. I I'm actually surprised you're as worried as you are. I think it's going to be quite a close game, but I don't think we're going to turn you aside like we did in March. >> Do do you think Do you think I'm right about David Moyes? Did you hear Did you hear me speaking about Moyes just before we introduced you? >> Where where does he rank in your heart? >> Do you know what the thing with David Moyes is he's a safe pair of hands? And us everians have known that the the turmoil we were in before he came in, David Moyes has steadied the ship and he's got us on the straight and narrow now where we've got a platform. If we did want to kick on and go for a different project, then obviously we we would have to make that decision in the summer. But do we really need to be aspiring anywhere else? I think a lot of Evertonians will think this is a bit like a boring answer, a boring project and David Moyes sort of has come to an end of his time at Everton. But I do agree that I think he's a really good manager. But if you'd have asked me 6 months ago at the back end of last season where we went from after that Chelsea game, we didn't win another game for the rest of the season. So I think a lot of Evertonians were thinking, you know, this is the time now. There's Iola available, there's Oliver Glasner available. Can we make that switch and go for a different manager for a different project while the freaking group was still putting in money? Obviously now times have changed. Evertoner on the bat foot once again. We've got issues going off going on off the pitch with the board. >> What's your thoughts on that mate? How you feeling that the club's up for sale again? It feels like a bit of a destabling uh destabilizing time. You know, you thought with maybe with the freaking freaking group coming in, get a bit of stability, start to build. You're doing well in the league, but is it is it a worrying thing across the fan base now that the club's start for sale again? >> Well, we spoke about this last week, me and Rory, and I think that it's kind of something that Evertonians didn't want. It was sort of that period of stability. We had a solid platform with the freaking group coming in. They were putting in money. Everton was signing the likes of Greish, Jezebury Hall, Tyler Dibbling, everything was looking rosy. And then the last two, three weeks of this this summer transfer window. It all went, you know, pear shape. So I think that's something that everians have seen so many years with for Masheri, Bill Kemright. Those years of turmoil, we're kind of seeing those years come back now. And that's that's something that us Evertonians just didn't want at all. And it's something we're going to have to ride the wave with unfortunately because I think, you know, we're only at the beginning of this wave now. And I think there's going to going to be a big storm ahead unfortunately in terms of turmoil uh and ownership situations >> in terms of this fixture in terms of like who is ultimately going to come out on top. It's going to be whether you can keep us at bay like Pedro has been incredible for us like you know all the talk is always Cole Palmer striker league >> Morgan Rogers. Yeah, I think J Pedro now you know that you know that conversation around like the Chelsea curse of the number nine. >> I think that he has ended it. I think that he he has ended that. It's over. >> He's so good. >> Such a good player. It's going to be can we get at you? Will he will he be able to cause you a problem? And then can you get at our poorest back line? How do you think it's going to play out at either end of the pitch? >> Well, well, one thing that's good about Everton is we have been solid defensively. If the Everton of Hall City last weekend turns up, you're going to turn us over 3 4-0il. You know, two massive individual errors from mainly Maitlin Niles. Jar Branway playing at left back. We looked all at C really defensively. On another day, we win that game comfortably. So, the attack is doing all they can at the moment to to get results over the line. It's just the defense is letting us down. But one thing that we've noticed this season is we do look a little bit more solid defensively. James Tarowski has been pretty decent, pretty solid. Jared Bran when he's been playing at the center of defense, um, he's been good as well. The key for me and I know a lot of will probably disagree with this or maybe think it's you know a little bit out of left field but I think Vitali Melenko has been really good this season and his balance that he gives us a left back with Angley Maitlin Niles at right back. It's something we've not seen in a back four with Everton for so many seasons. We've not replaced Sheamus Coleman since you know he broke his leg all those years ago and he's not really been the player same player since. We've had Jake O'Brien playing at right back. We've had center halves playing at right back. Jared Branway playing at left back last weekend. So I think one thing that's been good with Everton is we've been solid defensively. So if we have that balance back four if Fatali Meno if David Moyes says he's fit and obviously David Moyes hinted that he's touchand go for this game. I think if if Fatali Melenko does play I think it will give us a little bit more balance defensively. So I think we'll be able to keep you out more than we maybe would have done with a makeshift back four. But then going forward Jack Greish hasn't really hit the heights yet. He's not really hit that form that we saw in the early stages of his first spell at Everton last season. Brennan Johnson, he's doing okay. He's maybe not really putting in the performances that we saw at Nottingham Forest. He's sort of lacking that little bit of confidence still, but watch out for Tiano Barry because I think a lot of Evertonians and and me included really. We sort of wrote him off towards the back end of last season. But watch out for Tiano Barry because I think he's got a fire in his belly this season. He really wants to improve. He's scoring goals, you know, he scored in his last two Premier League games, so he'll be desperate to make it three in a row. Yeah, I was we haven't really got time that actually, but I did want to talk to you about uh Tiano Barry because you did just touch on it there, the curious case of Tiano Barry. I really do. He's kind of one that I'm just rooting for. I saw that social media video he did. I think it was on his YouTube channel of >> you know, sort of him struggling for confidence and you know, he's sort of second guessing himself and he's having a bit of a bad day in training and >> um he's really put the work in and he looks like he's getting uh the rewards uh from it. Rory, you've got big issues at the back though. You are right. I do I do I do understand that. But the reason why I think you've turned the corner or you or you'll be all right in this game, I just think the firepower and you've got the players that have come back at the right time. You know, Ja Pedro back into the team in the last game. Kaisedo's back. Okay, Reys James is out for a long period of time, but I think, you know, it's really sad, but you're used to spending long periods without Ree James. But I just think I just think you'll have enough. You probably I just you out score Everton. They don't concede goals. >> Yeah, but you got the best you got the best attack in the league. >> Yeah. or a very a very potent >> and they've got joint best defense in the league. >> I know. I just I just think I just think you'll outscored him. If we tie I just think >> I really I really hope you're right. I just we had a terrible performance there last year. Like that's really haunted me. Like like you know the you know you know the worst like the the jewel in the crown of how bad it got. It was Oh yeah. It was like like Enzo Fernandez that day was an absolute disgrace. Like abysmal totally abysmal. So that's on my mind. I also think >> that's a long time ago. I tell you no. Okay. I'll tell you what wasn't a long time ago. Brenford. And if you think about what Brenford are good at, Keith Andrews, David Moyes, that like intense away game of an up for it crowd, a partisan atmosphere, it just feels Look, I I hope I'm wrong, but from what I've learned about Chelsea this season, when when we're good, we're good and we've beaten some decent sides, but you know when you know when we're not supposed to win? >> Yeah. >> I know we go away to Arsenal. when we're not supposed to win, we don't. And I feel like we're not supposed to win at Everton. >> Maybe a draw then. >> Yeah, maybe a draw. I'll take a draw now. >> Yeah. Um, what have you been most impressed with um with with Zabi Alonzo? Um, with what he's done since he's come in um the summer that you had um when you look at the squad now compared to last year and the the change in emphasis, the change in strategy, of course, the change in manager, but you know, the head coach to manager as well. What what what have you what have you made? >> Well, I think there's been a whole I think there's been an entire reshaping of Chelsea. I think that the ownership who are who are abysmal and I know that I'm talking to you here and you've got your own issues with your ownership and I don't think ours are quite so bad as yours. They're certainly not as prolonged >> but everything that happened to Chelsea since Roman Bramovic left since Clear Lake came in has been a disaster. >> Yeah, it has. >> They are the worst thing that's ever happened to Chelsea football. >> Is it all getting a bit dismantled now? >> Yeah. Yeah. Bley's gone. Bley's gone. Uh Eggbali doesn't cover himself in glory. I don't like Egg Bali. I wish he wasn't there either, but but he is. But what I do admire is it's kind of what I said to you earlier about Manchester United. It isn't personal. I don't care about bedali. I care about his decision-m. I don't care whether it's him or not. I care about him making good decisions for the club. So, you know, people go, "We need him out." I'm like, "Yeah, we do need him out if he's going to keep this this approach >> or he could just change what he's then I don't care if it's him, right?" He kind of changed it. He changed it. They, you know, we bought players that were over 21. We bought players that we'd heard of before. We we brought in a manager that was clearly proven, clearly the best that we could get. You know, when you go best-in-class, the best manager that we could get, a team that finished 10th, a team that recently appointed Graeme Potter, the best manager that we could get was Zabonzo. You know, it's all very well going, well, what about what about Enrique on Argusman? You're like, well, we can't get them, right? We're not in that market. We're not a Champions League club. We finished mid table. >> Zabi Alonzo was the best that we could get and then we called him a manager, which I think was good. Yeah. So things are moving in the right direction for Chelsea, but the squad aren't that good. Like we're not we're not particularly, you know, when you think about like the talent you spoke about like you know, you have the most offensive bit best side in the league going forward and that that is true, but there's so many players that are just so underwhelming. Malo Gusto for example, you know, it's like like he's not a good player. He's not good enough to play for Chelsea. He's not good enough to play for Chelsea if we're to to dream and be where we're supposed to be. The news about Ree James injured again. Like Laqua is supposed to be a top tier defender. I haven't seen anything like that. I feel like Levi Cowwell has this reputation that isn't becoming a demand. Like Levi Cowwell is like an all right center half. Yeah. And there was a big, you know, went on he was at loan at Brighton before that, you know, did really well and you wanted him to to come back into Chelsea and go to strength to strength. He's had problems with injuries and like you said, struggle to get going at that real top level. Just taking it back to Ree James though. I mean, it's just yet another story. He's out for another couple of months with minor and knee surgery >> and he just can't catch a break. And I I really feel for Rhys James because he's such a talented footballer, but you just get this feeling that you're just going to like when he's when it's all said and done and he's finished his career, it already feels like and he's still quite young, but he already feels like one of those if he didn't have them injuries like like he's just it's really sad because he just can't stay fit. And then even when he is back fit again, the careful management that's needed around him means he doesn't ever really truly get going. >> Yeah. I I I completely agree with you. Also, like he's still a young man, >> but the problem is, you know, in terms of like football, he's he's quite old. >> Yeah. >> He's been around for ages. >> Yeah. Yeah. Like that Champions League run was a long time ago. And I think it's got to the stage now where Rhys James at his best >> was probably the season we won the Champions League, right, under Thomas Tuk as a right back. >> Excellent. Yeah. and that right wing back right side of a of a back three then he was a phenomenal goal scoring you think about the goals he scored at Newcastle United just brilliant just totally brilliant it's been a long time since we've seen that player and I don't think he can do that anymore I don't think his legs are that I think the way that he's built he's not built like we're using he can't he can't be a marauding up and down wing back he doesn't have the fitness or the body his hamstrings won't let him do it so then people go and I feel like this gets really disrespectful you know when people say this I find it so infuriating and it's not about games. It's just about the theory. You know, people go like this. >> Why don't you just try them in central midfield? >> Are you insane? Do >> more playing at central midfield. It isn't something that you just have a go at. They are specialists. Central midfielders, good central midfielders are just like elite, beyond elite. They are so good. Think about your favorite central midfield, whoever it is, right? Paul Scholes. >> He is about as brilliant a footballer as you as you need to be in order to play that position. what you want. You don't g