The Chelsea Thread
- Thread starter Ramires
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So you're comparing a player with half a season in the premier league with a player that's been 5 years at Real Madrid? =/
No, just no. Carroll had only had half a good season. Higuain is and has been a fearsome striker for a good few years
What we lack is a goal-scoring Centre-Forward, we struggle to put the ball in the back of the net or fashion chances
My patience is slowly running out with Torres, he was dreadful against Swansea and yes I know he is suffering from a lack of service blah blah but come one, over 13 hours without a goal is a bullcrap record for a striker of Torres quality and he has had over a year to gel with the team, I find it difficult to fathom how he has not managed to perform well in more than 5 matches
Right now if someone offered us 20m for Torres, I would snap their hands off... if he fails to improve before Drogba comes back, I say we bench him and get rid of him in the summer.. he is already 30 and who knows if he will ever find form
I'd say we get someone young in, if we are going to persist with a striker, might as well do it with someone young who can still offer us something for many more seasons
My patience is slowly running out with Torres, he was dreadful against Swansea and yes I know he is suffering from a lack of service blah blah but come one, over 13 hours without a goal is a bullcrap record for a striker of Torres quality and he has had over a year to gel with the team, I find it difficult to fathom how he has not managed to perform well in more than 5 matches
Right now if someone offered us 20m for Torres, I would snap their hands off... if he fails to improve before Drogba comes back, I say we bench him and get rid of him in the summer.. he is already 30 and who knows if he will ever find form
I'd say we get someone young in, if we are going to persist with a striker, might as well do it with someone young who can still offer us something for many more seasons
I believe the fashion chances is the biggest reason why Chelsea lack to score and I think the reason for that is that their build-up play sucks. The pattern how Chelsea attacks is pretty dumb if U ask me. What Ive seen, they play through the flanks, which consists Cole & Bosingwa and Mata & Sturridge. Now what happens after that is either;
A) Cole or Bosingwa tries sum crazy cross from deep or byline, which is eventually played out by opposition defenders. Sometimes Bosingwa tries his luck and shoots from 40 yards in which he has been somewhat successful, I remember that one goal he made like that, cant remember who was the opposition.
B) Mata & Sturridge either try to cut inside and shoot/cross or then they run to byline or to center and then cross the ball, which is one again blocked by opposition defense.
To be honest, Chelsea's lone striker cant do anything cos hes mostly alone in there as rest of the Chelsea players pass the ball around deep. Then randomly Ramires goes mad and does his berserk runs, which with luck can result in goal or free-kick or something worse. All Lampard does is try to stretch the play with crosses and passes and maybe see if the mistress of luck is on his side with long shots.
So therefore Im really not even surprised Torres aint scoring. What Chelsea would need to do is to play more on foot and create more chances thna they now do. In the past games, how many goal scoring chances has the Chelsea's striker man had? I dunno as I havent watched ''the latest'' games, but I feel its like 1 or 2.
This is my opinion.
The issue with Torres is twofold and a lot of people fail to see that and recognise one without the other. The first is due to his lack of service, the way the team is set up etc, all of which restrict Torres and force him into a role he is not suited for. I'm not going to ramble on about it, I've made a series of long posts in the last 2/3 weeks about why I feel the team, and by extension Torres, are not performing well.
However, it's very easy to accept that as a blanket excuse for Torres' failings. We might only crate one good chance for him a game but over time that adds up and you would expect him to have grabbed at least a couple more goals. There is a clear issue with his confidence and the impact of that on his skills. Confidence is a very real factor for a player like Torres, in his role he needs to do 3 things well: (1)dribble his man, (2)create space and (3)finish chances.
(1) His hesistancy, combined with his heavy touch, have seen him run at his man a lot less than he should this season, generally preferring a short pass to a dribble. That is not his role, nor does it suit his playstyle: he is not an especially creative forward and it's not a role I feel he is suited for.
(2) This isn't entirely his fault (**** Sturridge) but Torres isn't always making the right moves to create space. You need a lot of confidence to do this because (A) if you're creating space for yourself, you need to believe that you can either beat your man or thread a pass (B) if you're creating space, you have to be confident enough that defenders will follow you. Torres projects this air of nervousness and you'll notice that a lot defenders seem to mark him fairly loosely these days, confident in the knowledge that he is unlikely to be able to turn them or run at the successfully.
(3) This is the big bone of contention, Torres has had chances, he has not finished them. Yes we create a lot that do not suit him but Mata and others have given him the chances he so desperately craves and he has not finished them.
So yeah, basically, he has to shoulder part of the blame. There's no denying that we're trying to ram poor little round Torres into our square hole (phwooooar!) but on the rare occassion that he gets a chance to prove that he's still a great player, he fluffs it. You guys seem to be picking up on that and I think it's a fair criticism.
tl;dr team doesn't suit Torres but he's not doing himself any favours. Shame because his workrate this year has been amazing.
However, it's very easy to accept that as a blanket excuse for Torres' failings. We might only crate one good chance for him a game but over time that adds up and you would expect him to have grabbed at least a couple more goals. There is a clear issue with his confidence and the impact of that on his skills. Confidence is a very real factor for a player like Torres, in his role he needs to do 3 things well: (1)dribble his man, (2)create space and (3)finish chances.
(1) His hesistancy, combined with his heavy touch, have seen him run at his man a lot less than he should this season, generally preferring a short pass to a dribble. That is not his role, nor does it suit his playstyle: he is not an especially creative forward and it's not a role I feel he is suited for.
(2) This isn't entirely his fault (**** Sturridge) but Torres isn't always making the right moves to create space. You need a lot of confidence to do this because (A) if you're creating space for yourself, you need to believe that you can either beat your man or thread a pass (B) if you're creating space, you have to be confident enough that defenders will follow you. Torres projects this air of nervousness and you'll notice that a lot defenders seem to mark him fairly loosely these days, confident in the knowledge that he is unlikely to be able to turn them or run at the successfully.
(3) This is the big bone of contention, Torres has had chances, he has not finished them. Yes we create a lot that do not suit him but Mata and others have given him the chances he so desperately craves and he has not finished them.
So yeah, basically, he has to shoulder part of the blame. There's no denying that we're trying to ram poor little round Torres into our square hole (phwooooar!) but on the rare occassion that he gets a chance to prove that he's still a great player, he fluffs it. You guys seem to be picking up on that and I think it's a fair criticism.
tl;dr team doesn't suit Torres but he's not doing himself any favours. Shame because his workrate this year has been amazing.
Spot on, 37% down the left , 35% down the right side, 28% through the middle.
I am a total Mata fanboy but it's not fair to lump him with Sturridge. Sturridge is not a winger (at all) and he can't cross or really pass that well. Mata does incredibly well from the left and makes more successful crosses and key passes than any other Chelsea player.
Building on the Torres issue, here's a great article on the type of service he's getting and a good match analysis of what went wrong vs Swnasea
TORRES: THIS IS WHY I THINK IT'S GOING WRONG - VIDEOS. - CHELSEADAFT - A Chelsea fans blog.
http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2...a-match-analysis-tactics-statistics#storyjump
TORRES: THIS IS WHY I THINK IT'S GOING WRONG - VIDEOS. - CHELSEADAFT - A Chelsea fans blog.
http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2...a-match-analysis-tactics-statistics#storyjump
I wasnt denying their talent, but as I see it, the thing is those Crosses into the box are just useless. 90% of the time opposition gets it. Chelsea shoudl play by foot, midfield dudes need to go higher up the pitch and support the lone forward, especially Torres.
Torres's workrate has been good and he has done good job defensively (giving pressure to opposition midfield) and I have seen him taking the ball away from the opposition midfield quite a few times. I know about the confidence problem, I know how it affects. 1 chance per game for the striker? Just imagine how low that amount is. Thats probably also the reason why everyone blames Torres, when he gets that 1 little chance in the game. I read from some article that at Liverpool, he had 4 - 7 shots per game and lets count those as Chances. Now at Chelsea it was something like 1 - 3. Huge difference huh? Im sure if he would have more chances to prove himself in front of goal, he would do it. Torres aint supported properly, Chelsea's midfield is playing too far from him. Now this is probably connected to the reason why Chelsea plays those dumb crosses all the time. Why cant they push the midfield a bit more up, Mata and Sturridge a bit more centre of the pitch, near the 16 yard box and then Bosingwa and Cole takes the flanks's responsibility fully. Then they would have a tighter pack and more ppl around the box, around Torres.
And play on foot, instead of air. Torres aint no Crouch ffs.
1. I know its the Sun
2. It probably wont happen
But surely you wouldn't sack AVB after 1 season just for this?:
Jose Mourinho news: Mourinho says he will manage Chelsea | The Sun |Sport|Football
2. It probably wont happen
But surely you wouldn't sack AVB after 1 season just for this?:
Jose Mourinho news: Mourinho says he will manage Chelsea | The Sun |Sport|Football
Torres thrives on being played in behind the defence, he is good when he is left to run off the shoulder of the last defender.. In his role he is regulalarly forced to drop deep and run at the defence from outside the box which does not suit him at all
One reason for our tactics is probably because we do not have the right personell to play a 4-2-3-1.. Malouda is inconsistent and ****, Kalou is Kalou and Piazon is too young.
Looking back now, I would have taken De Bruyne to Chelsea instead of sending him on loan to Genk, he would have at least provided a bit more penetration and creativity than Malouda. I still think AVB should continue to pursue with Piazon in the squad and give him a run out in a game just to see what he can do
But enough rambling.. This is what I feel we need
We need to buy Hazard and Willian and play a Mata, Hazard and Willian/Sturridge front 3 behind Torres. Willian, Mata and Hazard are all fundamentally creative players and all of them have the offensive awareness and ability to play the ball into space behind the defence. Having a player in the hole behind Torres would also improve his game loads as it will allow him to remain on the shoulder of the last defender.
I am ultra-confident we will be going in for Hazard in the summer, I am not too sure on Willian but itf it was a case between Willian and Lucas Moura, I would take Willian.
All in all, an attacking front 4 of this magnitude will allow Torres to play the prima punta role of scoring loads of goals by finishing off through balls threaded through the defence
To be hones, if Mourinho was keen on coming back.. I would not even hesitate to sack AVB and bring in him
AVB is a class manager but Mourinho is Mourinho
Not that I will be particularly happy to see AVB go, he has been brought in for a long-term project and he himself said that the club are going to make a major push for all 4 trophies next season when he finishes overhauling the squad this summer
Totally agree but you kind of proved my point(^^)) which was that it's very easy to excuse Torre's poor finishing and unwillingness to take on his man atm by looking at the players around him, when he himself has to take some of the blame.
Yeah well... I would still cash in on him if he does not improve by the summer, right now my expectations of him are very very low so that if he does suprise me with a good performance vs Man Utd, I will be reasonably happy
That said, sadly Vidic is not there in the game for him to rape