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"Oh wow!" - Chelsea's Barkley and Pulisic have made an impression on Pat Nevin

Pat Nevin is tipping Chelsea as the "most interesting team to watch this season". The Blues will ...
Raf Diallo
Raf Diallo

18.43 7 Aug 2019


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"Oh wow!" - Chelsea's Barkley and Pulisic have made an impression on Pat Nevin


Raf Diallo
Raf Diallo

18.43 7 Aug 2019


Share this article


Pat Nevin is tipping Chelsea as the "most interesting team to watch this season".

The Blues will go into their debut season under their former midfielder Frank Lampard with a degree of uncertainty.

Whilst he's an inexperienced manager, there is also the matter of the transfer ban. Eden Hazard left for Real Madrid, leaving a number of younger players to take on more prominent roles.

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But it's one new arrival and a midfielder who's been inconsistent in his career thus far that's exciting Pat, based on their pre-season form.

Pat was back for his weekly chat with Off The Ball as the new Premier League season starts and touched on the midfield mix.

"All of the other stuff that Frank's putting together, he is trying the kids. Mason Mount's had a few opportunities. He's done OK but he's paled in comparison to Ross Barkley," he said.

"Ross Barkley has looked absolutely fantastic in pre-season - really stunning. There's something about him. His body shape changed last year but there's a cockiness about him at the moment on the field.

"He's always had everything you need except one thing, which is the right decision with the final ball. It's not always been as good as other players in that No 10 role. That's improved, definitely.

Joy To Watch

"And the other guy who's really caught the eye is Pulisic... oh wow! By the way, it's a real shame for him that he's walking in and people are saying, 'Are you going to be as good as Eden Hazard?' Do not compare him with Eden Hazard. That's not fair. But he's going to be a bit of a joy to watch. So midfield, they're absolutely fine."

It's up front and also at the back where Pat is more worried about Chelsea. However, he also sees his former club as the most intriguing to watch heading into the new season.

"The system is the most intriguing thing about Frank and Jody Morris. It's not a system, it's a bunch of systems," he explained.

"They're going to change it around. Chelsea fans have been used to exactly the same thing week in, week out, same subs etc, with the previous manager Sarri who I liked. But they got bored with it.

"And even though it was in the end successful, that's not going to happen this year. Chelsea, I promise you, will be the most interesting team to watch with maybe one exception."

You can watch the full chat with Pat Nevin via our YouTube channel.


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Chelsea Frank Lampard Mason Mount Off The Ball Pat Nevin Premier League Ross Barkley

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