The Chelsea Thread

[Mike.]

But scoring goals isen't the problem?? Scoring more goals wont stop us conceding huge ammount of goals thats my point. We managed to score 3 goals against Arsenal but still lost 5-3.

Its not just about the defence, which has also been down to individual mistakes, your overall attacking play is huge predictable and blunt. Scoring goals is a problem. At the moment you cant defend, cant particularly score well and cant create well. you should be playing 4-2-3-1 with a deeper defensive line

 

[CJACKO11]

Its not just about the defence, which has also been down to individual mistakes, your overall attacking play is huge predictable and blunt. Scoring goals is a problem. At the moment you cant defend, cant particularly score well and cant create well. you should be playing 4-2-3-1 with a deeper defensive line

But we are scoring goals?? We scored 3 at home against Arsenal but still lost the game. We score tonight and looked comfortable but made some errors in defence. I have issuses with AVB's system, subs and starting 11's at the moment its a mixture of things but it dont think scoring goals is one of them.

 

[DMF]

In my opinion, Chelsea's strongest XI right now is;

Cech
Ivanovic - Alex - Terry - Cole
Mikel
Lampard - Meireles
Sturridge --------------- Mata
Torres​

Torres drifting into the channels, Sturridge drifting centrally and Mata with a free role around in the hole (like Ozil for Real Madrid). Playing a high line with fast, short passes doesn't currently suit Chelsea. Although they could adapt and make it work, it will take time to make such a change but AVB doesn't seem to realise he hasn't got that sort of time. Stick to what the players now and slowly introduce different things such as the fluid movement between the front 3/4. Leave the high line in Portugal though Andre, Chelsea clearly need a deep defensive line - especially when they're playing with a holding midfielder too.

My opinion anyway.

 

[CJACKO11]

In my opinion, Chelsea's strongest XI right now is;

Cech
Ivanovic - Alex - Terry - Cole
Mikel
Lampard - Meireles
Sturridge --------------- Mata
Torres​

Torres drifting into the channels, Sturridge drifting centrally and Mata with a free role around in the hole (like Ozil for Real Madrid). Playing a high line with fast, short passes doesn't currently suit Chelsea. Although they could adapt and make it work, it will take time to make such a change but AVB doesn't seem to realise he hasn't got that sort of time. Stick to what the players now and slowly introduce different things such as the fluid movement between the front 3/4. Leave the high line in Portugal though Andre, Chelsea clearly need a deep defensive line - especially when they're playing with a holding midfielder too.

My opinion anyway.

Take Mikel out and replace with Ramires but appart from that i'd agree.

 

[TheBeardOfZeus]

The problem was clear in the summer.

They still needed players, and the only decent one to come in was Mata.

Meireles is only there because of the failure to buy Moutinho, they still haven't got a good right-back, as was proven by Sidney Sam tonight, and Sturridge isn't a wide midfielder.

AVB needed to get players in, and they will struggle for even top 4 if he doesn't sort out the mediocrity at Chelsea at the moment.

 

[Mike.]

In my opinion, Chelsea's strongest XI right now is;

Cech
Ivanovic - Alex - Terry - Cole
Mikel
Lampard - Meireles
Sturridge --------------- Mata
Torres​

Torres drifting into the channels, Sturridge drifting centrally and Mata with a free role around in the hole (like Ozil for Real Madrid). Playing a high line with fast, short passes doesn't currently suit Chelsea. Although they could adapt and make it work, it will take time to make such a change but AVB doesn't seem to realise he hasn't got that sort of time. Stick to what the players now and slowly introduce different things such as the fluid movement between the front 3/4. Leave the high line in Portugal though Andre, Chelsea clearly need a deep defensive line - especially when they're playing with a holding midfielder too.

My opinion anyway.

That still minimises Mata, and doesnt get the best from Torres, who likes to stay relatively high.

 

[Joel`]

But we are scoring goals?? We scored 3 at home against Arsenal but still lost the game. We score tonight and looked comfortable but made some errors in defence. I have issuses with AVB's system, subs and starting 11's at the moment its a mixture of things but it dont think scoring goals is one of them.

Scoring 3 against Arsenal was hardly your attacking brilliance though. You didn't offer much going forward against L'pool, and from what it sounds, was a similar story today.

 

[ChrisBird]

In my opinion, Chelsea's strongest XI right now is;

Cech
Ivanovic - Alex - Terry - Cole
Mikel
Lampard - Meireles
Sturridge --------------- Mata
Torres​

I agree, but I'd have Luiz in there rather than Alex. It's not the formation I'd like to use, but with the players that we currently have it is the best one to use.

 

[oja20]

It's a shame AVB's come to us this season.. A relatively new manager coming to us at a time when we need immediate success with such a poor squad is a hard task for anyone. I really really hope Roman keeps him for at least a couple of seasons, we need stability for a manager to build his own team, as J Redknapp said (like it or not) it's still a Mourinho side but with the players now being a lot older and probably, dare I say it, complacent with their positions locked down.
January can't come quick enough for AVB, hope he gets a decent budget to buy with and doesn't buy just 2 players with it.

Do the right thing Roman!

 

[Jack Fulham]

Anyone else think Sturridge is a bit of one trick pony when playing on the right. Always cuts inside and shoots, having said that, it works very well for Xerdan Shaqiri.

 

[Nick.]

Chelsea get beat again?!

Is winter like your March/April/May lol

What the **** is that supposed to mean.

I think we should play 4-2-3-1, it worked pretty well for 30 mins of the second half against Liverpool

Cech
Ivanovic - Alex - JT - Cole
Meireles - Ramires
Sturridge - Lampard - Mata
Torres

 

[Jamie.]

Ivanovic was poor once again, his mistake for the first goal was just as bad as the one Bosingwa made vs Arsenal. He's not the answer at RB he's far too immobile to get tight enough quick enough.

I'm not going to lie and say I'm not disappointed in the performance but let's face it this has been coming. You look back to Valencia and the dreadful mistake by Kalou, haven't seen much of him since, and the Genk game where we had the threat of a plastic knife.

Surprisingly I'm not worried about the high line as much as I'm worried about the 4-3-3 system AVB seems to be playing, playing a midfield of 2 box to box midfielders like Lampard and Ramires and expecting ball retention is just naive in my opinion and AVB is not naive so I'm assuming he knows this. Lampard couldn't retain the ball well enough and he took far too many touches in possession, Ramires had an off night and constantly over ran the ball. Meireles was excellent but he is a luxury passer and does look for hollywood balls more than he looks for 9 yard passes.

I mean in reality the attacking part of Chelsea's game has been muted for weeks and it isn't getting better. The pretty patterns around the box have been sacrificed for direct 25 yard passes to the strikers feet. I just don't understand exactly why AVB is sticking with Malouda/Drogba yet he has dropped Anelka/Kalou. He's probably waiting for a mistake to drop them but I would call what Drogba did at QPR a mistake. I think AVB did get his substitutions wrong and he gambled on holding out at 1-1, Alex was poor - far poorer than Luiz - and Sturridge may have been the biggest threat but that says more about players around him than about him. When we're relying on Daniel Sturridge to cut in from the right and split the opposition defence that's when we have to be asking ourselves about attacking threat.

People are saying it's down to the last day etc, what people have failed to mention is if Bayer beat Genk regardless of Chelsea's result now the best Chelsea can finish is 2nd which means facing a group winner. It's a tough time, not the time to be trying to carry Drogba and Malouda so I just hope next game we see a 4-2-3-1 without Lampard and Mikel with Ramires and Meireles sitting; Mata in the hole; Torres up front; Sturridge wide right but disciplined and he may as well put Lukaku wide left because he'd be more useful to the team than Malouda...

Fans can see why Pereira was needed now, the backup LB is now essentially Bosingwa...

 

[CJACKO11]

Scoring 3 against Arsenal was hardly your attacking brilliance though. You didn't offer much going forward against L'pool, and from what it sounds, was a similar story today.

Well we still managed to get 20odd shots on goal against Liverpool so attacking is not the problem because we are creating chances. Its when you stop creating chances thats when it becomes a problem.

The problem was clear in the summer.

They still needed players, and the only decent one to come in was Mata.

Meireles is only there because of the failure to buy Moutinho, they still haven't got a good right-back, as was proven by Sidney Sam tonight, and Sturridge isn't a wide midfielder.

AVB needed to get players in, and they will struggle for even top 4 if he doesn't sort out the mediocrity at Chelsea at the moment.

Sturridge isen't playing as a midfielder?? He was our best player last night so yes he can play that wide forward role.

Anyone else think Sturridge is a bit of one trick pony when playing on the right. Always cuts inside and shoots, having said that, it works very well for Xerdan Shaqiri.

Not really no, he whipped in a cross on his right foot yesterday which was cut out brilliantly by the keeper. And he cut inside and set up Drogba for his goal so he didnt shoot then did he.

 

[Mike.]

Well we still managed to get 20odd shots on goal against Liverpool so attacking is not the problem because we are creating chances. Its when you stop creating chances thats when it becomes a problem.



Sturridge isen't playing as a midfielder?? He was our best player last night so yes he can play that wide forward role.



Not really no, he whipped in a cross on his right foot yesterday which was cut out brilliantly by the keeper. And he cut inside and set up Drogba for his goal so he didnt shoot then did he.

the actual quality of those chances was very poor, until you switched to 4-2-3-1. for all intents and purposes, 4-2-3-1 with a deeper lines suits Chelsea far more

 

[Jamie.]

I don't remember too many chances created vs Liverpool, not many at all.

Didn't create many chances away at Genk either in the 1-1 draw. Didn't create much at Blackburn; not a lot of good chances against Arsenal. The type of chances Leverkusen were creating was down to their 4-2-3-1 system, Ballack was able to stand outside the 18 yard box and dictate the play and spread it wide or back to his 2 midfielders.

If Mata came inside to the hole in the 4-3-3 that just allows their RB to tuck inside and close the gaps. On Sturridge, he was running into Drogba/Lampard half the time he has the positional sense of a...Striker. The Sturridge cross that was saved was good but an actual winger would probably drill that low and away from the keeper for the runners.

It doesn't take a tactical mastermind to work out why Chelsea were forced into hitting Drogba from 20 yards away, the 4-3-3 with 2 box to box players is just far too deep to control a game in the final third. That's why the quality of chances and possession for Liverpool compared to 4-3-3 Chelsea is evident, in a 4-3-3 you just can't play neat 10 yard through balls to the striker because of the gap between lines.

I do think Mata is just as good a left winger as he is a CAM however, the problem is at Valencia he was a winger in a 4-2-3-1 with pacey technical players like Pablo and he looks across and see's Lampard running up and Sturridge on the other side...

Attack wise is the most concerning thing for me, forget the quality of chances - which has been poor lately - and think about the depth of quality in possession it just isn't there. When your team is labelled as 'open' and 'expansive' yet you can't create a clear cut chance derived from good possession that's when you worry forget about the cliche about as long as chances are being created.

Perfect comparison is Chelsea at the Bridge vs Leverkusen, they were expansive and sharp with Meireles more advanced and able to pick 10 yard killer passes not 35 yard cross field balls from deep. If it was me I would put Meireles in the hole over Lampard if you want to go with Ramires/Mikel at the base, Lampard is nowhere near the technical player a system like AVB's needs.

If Drogba does play at the weekend over Torres, I can't see this all looking good for AVB come Christmas because that's a step backwards not forwards. He was brought in to refresh the team, build a philosophy and get the best out of Torres. You aren't getting the best out of Torres by playing him on the bench...

Already wrote off the next month until January, reinforcements that should have arrived in the summer need to arrive in January that's for sure.

 

[Subtle]

This may be controversial but if we don't get into the knockout stages, I still want AVB to stay. ****, if we finish 3rd or even 4th I want him to stay. What we're asking for here is not only a total change to the way the team plays in both attack and defence -as well as a new formation- but a change in our culture of short termism. If you want to build a young squad, if you want your team to play attractive football, if you want make such a big shift, you need patience.

AVB deserves at least until the end of next season. If we're still poor with him having the time and money to change things, then it may be fair to sack him, at the moment it's like bringing a new manager for a stuttering, out of touch shop and expecting him to change things immediately. He needs time to find the right staff, to build teamwork, to let people adapt to the new ideas and to buy all the little furnishings. AVB was never bought as the quick fix man who would get you sales but leave you with the exact same problems a year later, he was brought in to revitalise the club...

 

[Mr Chelsea]

We need to stop sacking managers so quickly. It's so frustrating. We're in a huge rut, and the only way to get out of it is to keep a manager for 2/3 seasons to prove himself. However, I do get the impression AVB is clueless at times.

David Luiz should be played in midfield, but not in the holding roll because he's far too reckless and cannot mark. I also believe Sturridge should be tried in the 'number 10' roll, behind the striker. I saw evidence against Bayer that he'd be good there. As well as this, Mata should be played in the 'number 10' roll. He's no good to us on the wing because he's one of only two creative player in our squad. He's also get a lot more goals there.

My Chelsea XI would be:

Cech
Bosingwa; Ivanovic; Terry; Cole
Meireles; Lampard
Sturridge; Mata; Malouda;
Drogba

We really need a striker more than a defender in my opinion. I see one of our strikers through on goal in a one-on-one situation and can never get too excited because I don't believe they're going to score. They all far too inconsistent. All 5 of them. Torres, Drogba, Anelka, Lukaku and Sturridge.

 

[ajt09]

Transistional phase springs to mind

 

[Sam]

I think they should play:

Cech

Bosingwa - Terry - David Luiz - Cole

Mikel - Lampard

Malouda--------------------------Mata

Drogba - Torres
​

Tell Luiz to stay back, get Malouda to grow a pair, and make sure the Torres and Drogba partnership works on the training ground and they is a good team. I'm sure it's not that easy though XD

​

 

[oja20]

We need to stop sacking managers so quickly. It's so frustrating. We're in a huge rut, and the only way to get out of it is to keep a manager for 2/3 seasons to prove himself. However, I do get the impression AVB is clueless at times.

David Luiz should be played in midfield, but not in the holding roll because he's far too reckless and cannot mark. I also believe Sturridge should be tried in the 'number 10' roll, behind the striker. I saw evidence against Bayer that he'd be good there. As well as this, Mata should be played in the 'number 10' roll. He's no good to us on the wing because he's one of only two creative player in our squad. He's also get a lot more goals there.

My Chelsea XI would be:

Cech
Bosingwa; Ivanovic; Terry; Cole
Meireles; Lampard
Sturridge; Mata; Malouda;
Drogba

We really need a striker more than a defender in my opinion. I see one of our strikers through on goal in a one-on-one situation and can never get too excited because I don't believe they're going to score. They all far too inconsistent. All 5 of them. Torres, Drogba, Anelka, Lukaku and Sturridge.

Totally disagree, last season we attacked too slowly and would keep the ball for far too long (Serie A?). AVB clueless is unfair and I can't really be bothered to argue it.