ozboy

It was interesting watching City against their last opponent ,Luton was it? Lots of long distance shooting and and also just walking or bullying the ball in.

Have always liked Jackson. Certainly the equal of Kalou and stronger as well.

Maybe players just worked it out for themselves. I was very taken by him pulling the shirt off. Saw a lot passion for success in that. What I saw he played deeper and more centrally. team was way better for it.

Very good game but the end attacking product still needs work.

A great free kick and generally he and the team look so much better when he plays deeper.

Should have made the subs earlier put chucky in there moved Jackson central and taken Palmer off at the 60 minute mark. Also gilchrist for gusto at the same time.

Great result. Better team throughout. Silva absence improved the team. Jackson looked good out wide. Poch is a genius.

The last two games have killed confidence on this forum, wonder what it’s done to the players.

Hard to see too many goals in that lineup. Hope Badi can step up. Also there is no pace in attack for the fast break.

We can win this if Poch picks the right team and the team ignore his instructions and just play sensibly. We can score two even if they get one.

Any opinions on Arne Slot?

Silva;s wife is beside the point. The point is Silva can’t play in a back 4. Chelsea want to play back 4. Therefore drop Silva. That’s been obvious since before the season started.

The better answer is not to switch to a back 3 but to pick the players that can play in the formation and to instruct the players that do play in that formation to play to its strengths and not expose its weaknesses. So that means dropping Silva, and not doing that at the beginning was the first sign of weakness, and making Enzo play deep. Enzo doesn't have the pace but he is excellent at receiving the ball in the tight space and therefore is instrumental in beating the press. If gets the ball in the centre and can then find Caicedo who can run with it or Chukwumeka we will do better. I am no football coach but it looks so obvious.

Julien Laurens writes for espn. I don’t know his background but I have read his articles for years and from the little I know he has come across as well informed and good understanding.

Id have thought Hazard played wide and Oscar central. After a while we worked out that actually Fabregas and Matic were indeed too slow but at least they know how to stick together and the three in front of them could come deeper as needed particularly willian. Anyhow looking back at the past is useless. The team we have has to write their own boys own adventure. And no doubt its off to a bad start. I'm dropping Silva. He is surely still better than recent Badiashile but he is out of my line up. Gusto Disasi Baddy Chilwell Caicedo Fernandez (sitting) Chukwumeka Palmer Jackson Nkunku.

It is absolutely true that the players can be up for it even if they don't like the manager. But professionals in every business are more motivated at some times than at others. In the champion's league final the players were up for it because its the pinnacle of success and most of them had worked years to get to those finals. They did for themselves and not even because they were professionals. But those same players went on strike and told Vilas Boas to piss off. Over the course of a season even professional players need to be given motivation and reasons. If you do take pride in your job but your boss keeps stuffing it up you are going to get grumpy and demotivated. This can also happen I guess at the end of your career when you want to blame someone else for your shortcomings and so you become a trouble maker. I definitely don't put Silva in that category. I reckon he is your true pro. But I also think he just can't play in a back 4 but equally playing a back 3 just to hide Silva's lack of legs is also the wrong answer. I dunno I got up at 3 am in sydney to watch that wolves game and I do it week after week. For some dumb reason I look forward to it. Einsteins definition of madness. My overwhelming feeling remains that the players have more to offer than it seems right now.

Look if the players aren't up for it that is on the manager. It's the manager's number 1 job to have the players ready to sacrifice themselves for their team mates. No 1 job. How the manager does that is up to the manager but the players have to buy in. That can be because they believe they can win, they like the manager, they like the tactics, they fear the manager or whatever but if the players arent' fit, motivated and more or less functioning as a team that is totally on the manager. Pretty much the first thing a manager does is identify trouble makers and sideline them. You have to.

Poch pretty much has to drop Silva. You simply can’t have silvas wife criticizing in public.She wouldn’t be doing it, if it didn’t reflect his view.

An interesting article probably behind a paywall about Arne Slot's coaching style. As Bisright1 says he does look like exactly the sort of coach that would get the best out of the players. And Feyenoord is a club we probably could get a coach from if we wanted. https://marclamberts.medium.com/coach-principles-arne-slot-feyenoord-2f1ea00379f4#:~:text=Slot's philosophy is based on,and central through his ideas.&text=There are a few key,seasons in terms of attack.

Interesting, to me, article on Flick's coaching style. Not sure it would translate to us just now. https://www.coachesvoice.com/bayern-munich-hansi-flick-bundesliga-coach-watch/#:~:text=Flick inherited a squad that,front of ball-playing defenders.

Another point is that Poch has not taken any responsibility for himself. This goes to character.

They should play together but yes Enzo behind Caicedo leaving Caicedo free to run with the ball occasionally, although when he does at least one full back has to be infield to cover, with a fast centre back to prevent the long ball down the wing.

I reckon Conte might jump at the chance of working with young players. But he will get grumpy at lack of input into management.

There are probably worse managers than Pochettino and the injuries, no striker argument is valid enough but Poch is the worst manager at Chelsea I can recall since the sacking of Villas Boaz. He makes Potter, who in my opinion, had a far worse squad to deal with, look like a genius. The players are not untalented there were other bidders for nearly all of them. But they are being made to look awful. As Bob Stark says it actually starts with Silva who can't cover the wide areas and is utterly unable to do the required job in a back 4 despite being a fantastic player.. Most useful thing Bob has ever said on this forum as far as I am concerned. And it just goes on from there. It starts with Silva, and you might just make it work this season in a back 3, but it goes onto the midfield and playing Enzo too far forward and playing Gallagher as 10. At one fell swoop this makes Caicedo, Enzo and Gallagher into half the players they actually are. And that's before we get to Colwill, or playing Palmer as false 9 etc. Above all it's the lack of belief and defeatist mentality that now pervades everything.

I’d be fine with that team, or with Sterling for muddy or with playing nkunku at left wing for the first 55