Loftus-Cheek: Disappointed but determined for better
12 FEB 2023
Ruben Loftus-Cheek saw plenty of promising signs in Chelsea’s first-half performance against West Ham but he still left the London Stadium frustrated we didn’t collect all three points.
The Blues dominated the early proceedings in east London and deservedly went ahead through Joao Felix’s fine volley.
We might have extended our advantage before Emerson equalised for the hosts during a rare spell of West Ham pressure, and the second half was a more even affair in which both sides were denied late winners in the case of an offside Hammers goal and a non-awarded Chelsea penalty.
‘We are all disappointed in the changing room,’ Ruben reflected. ‘We dominated in the first half, created the chances. They didn’t threaten us too much, we thought we had the game under control.
‘It was a fantastic goal, a great finish from Joao who is settling in really well. He’s a great addition to the team. It was looking good, but one good cross from them and it’s 1-1. That gave them a bit of confidence and the crowd got involved.
‘They defended well in the second half. It was difficult to get in between the lines. They were compact. We found some joy down the side, that’s where it looked like we would get in, but they defended crosses well.
‘We’re all shocked about what we thought was a handball in the closing minutes,’ concluded Loftus-Cheek. ‘I didn’t see much from the bench at the time, but seeing the replay it was clear to me it was a handball for stopping a shot at goal.’
Loftus-Cheek got his first minutes since the loss at Newcastle in our final fixture before the World Cup when he exited the action early because of injury.
‘I can’t believe it’s been that many months,’ he admitted. ‘The injury took a bit longer than I had hoped, it’s been frustrating, but I’ve been training for a couple of weeks and I’m feeling good.
‘The gaffer saw that and asked me if I was feeling good to step in, and I said yeah of course. I wasn’t flying about and feeling 100 per cent, but I have to build on this.’
Yesterday’s draw was therefore the first time the midfielder had played with five of our starting XI, including his midfield partner at the London Stadium, Enzo Fernandez.
As one of the longest-serving members of the Chelsea squad, Loftus-Cheek acknowledges a period of assimilation is required, but that is no excuse for not picking up more wins in recent months.
‘I’ve never had this kind of feeling before with so many new players coming in. We need to embrace it; it’s happened for the better.
‘The quicker we can get these boys to settle in and gel, the quicker we can start performing better. But believe me, we’re not taking these draws and losses and that’s it. We’re hurt when we lose or draw. We’re taking every necessary step to win.’
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很高興太子爺回歸，看起來速度沒消失，過人非常過癮，
不過.... 留給他的時間應該不多了，再不爆發一波，位置被搶走是必然的。
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