sunshine kebab

Further to my last post, regarding the need for a high tempo and intensity in English football, here is another thing that concerns me about Carlo: Against Portsmouth, by far our best spell of football was immediately after they equalised, during which time Joe replaced Deco. Those that were there will remember it was the only time the crowd came alive, as we started to play like we meant business. We went for them and had them under the cosh. Finally. Here's what Carlo said after the game, as reported in The Guardian: "There were 15 minutes in the second half after they had equalised when we lost our composure. We were afraid of drawing the game and lost our idea to play. But we reacted well and, in the end, deserved to win. That was the most important thing: to win after four games without a victory." He thought our best spell was our worst spell. And he thought the other 75 minutes were good. This makes me think he might not be suited to English football.

Unless we were playing 4-3-3 and Ballack simply got caught out of position. We'd probably play with a lot more cohesion. You said the diamond's success was contingent on our midfield retaining 60% possession. Not sure how realistic that is against the top sides, but against Fulham in the first half we had that amount of possession, it simply wasn't worth anything because we were playing the diamond. We're always likely to have 60% possession at home to Fulham. You said the diamond's success is also contingent on the man at the tip staying behind the strikers and you lambasted Joe for going out wide. If he were to stay in one spot he'd be a lot easier to mark. Is there anything else the diamond's success is contingent on? Being good enough and being suited are two different things. Essien's good enough to play right back. I'd still suggest we play him in midfield. However Frank may well be suited to the diamond, if it's functioning properly, which it's not. Unlike you I don't believe Frank wilfully disobeyed the manager. I believe he was trying to follow instructions, but those instructions either weren't very good or weren't conveyed clearly, hence he was confused. Of course he could just be out of form. But so are all our midfielders. Coincidence? However if you're right and he was wilfully disobeying, what does that tell us about Carlo? Would he disobey Mourinho, or Capello, or Hiddink? Carlo's record at Milan leaves a lot of room for doubt. As I've posted elsewhere, he's clearly a good manager, but in the same league as the men I've just mentioned? Well they're the yardstick I'm afraid. He's not going to be judged against Ranieri. Carlo may well have had success (with or without the diamond) in Italy and in Europe, but I'll judge him on what he does here. Many good managers (and players for that matter) are simply not cut out for the Prem. I will offer him this piece of advise however: In England you need to play at a high tempo and a high intensity pretty much all the time. Look how much better we look when we do. It's nothing personal. I want Carlo to succeed. I hope we've got a manager who can outwit Fergie. I wasn't watching Milan all those years. I was watching Chelsea. I've been watching Carlo this season and my observations are based purely on that. He's too concerned with keeping his players happy rather than just picking his best side. Either that or he doesn't know his best side. I'd plump for both.

The way I saw it, Ballack replaced Mikel in the holding role, when we went 4-3-3. If they're not strong enough to do it, you stop asking them to do it. It all sounds rather complicated, which is probably why everyone avoids it. Perhaps they're unsuited to the formation. He needs to ask them to do something else. Or ask someone else to do what he wants. Or perhaps he's not giving them clear instructions. I'd be very surprised if Carlo makes anyone his first choice, as he's too concerned with keeping everyone happy. If he does make a choice, I'd be very surprised if he risks alienating Joe. I just don't think he has that kind of authority, given what I've seen of him at Chelsea. I went back and checked the Juve thread. I wasn't around at that time but I wanted to see if most people saw it as I did. A tricky fixture away from home with them scoring early. We were in danger of elimination. Mikel became a man that night. In the holding role. Your fellow members gave him MOTM, which he was, clearly. Hiddink got him playing, preferring him to Ballack in the cup final, as the holding player. He's gone downhill under Ancelotti. In fact, very few haven't.

Funnily enough, the three players you mention were all absent from the starting line-up yesterday. Fair enough Chippy. However the last eight games we have malfunctioned badly and any momentum we had after Arsenal has been lost. We've been knocked out of the Carling Cup by Blackburn, dropped points to West Ham, Everton and Birmingham. Deservedly lost to City. And struggled against Fulham and Pompey. Something's wrong and the manager doesn't seem to be identifying it. Much more of this and we've blown the best chance we're likely to get. We only really play with any tempo when we concede, and when we score, we go back to being complacent, something I never thought I'd say about this group. I'm sure Scolari had engendered some trust from you this time last year. The warning signs are there.

Let's assume you're right for a minute. If our midfield lacked movement and Kalou was out of position, surely the blame for that lies with the manager. It's his job to get his players to understand what they have to do, and if they can't do it, he's asking them to do the wrong thing. If on the other hand they can do it, then he's not communicating himself well, which is his job. When we play the diamond the players look awfully confused, something that never happened under our previous manager. Under Hiddink, our players were very clear about what they were meant to be doing. Discussions like these never took place. No-one spoke about a lack of movement then. No-one had to explain the finer points of Hiddink's tactical masterplan to all those who were too simple to get it. Similarly Capello. Good managers are clear thinkers and communicate their ideas clearly. I get very suspicious when people start blaming the players for poor performances. That's usually a sure sign the manager's struggling. The players' performances are his responsibility, that's what management's about, getting people to perform. The best ones manage it. Under Hiddink, we never heard of our players playing badly. He got them playing to their potential. Now we hear of Joe, Deco, Carvalho, Ferreira, Lamps, Ballack, Mikel, Malouda. What's the common denominator? We never heard huge debates about team selection. He just picked his best team. He worked out whom he preferred in which position and picked them. Not a policy to please the hi-tech tactical wizards who like to over-complicate matters. Ancelotti doesn't convince me. I could give a whole host of reasons but here's a couple: 1. The Kakuta Penalty. It's not the fact he missed it, anyone can miss a pen. It's not even the fact he took the fifth kick, which is the most pressurised one. It's the fact he's a kid with no experience, therefore he's more likely to be affected by missing, therefore putting a dent in his development. He needs to be buzzing right now. It was just unnecessary. Actually it was stupid. 2. Against Utd, last few minutes, we were under the cosh. They had corner after corner, which we were defending well (albeit with no-one up the pitch, so the ball just kept coming straight back at us). Injury time, they get another corner, Anelka clears it with a firm header. Unlike Anelka therefore good for his confidence. Next corner, Carlo takes Anelka off, replacing him with Alex. Alex is asked to run on, last few seconds of a crunch game, defending a slender lead, and defend a corner. Carlo got lucky because nothing came of it. You might deem all this frivolous but to me it signals he's prone to basic errors, which hardly engenders trust.

the reason carlo changed his defence was to keep squad players happy, a sure sign that a manager lacks authority. same reason alex and carvalho (and deco and joe) get rotated. the manager is petrified of being disliked. he wants all his players to be his friend. memo to carlo: alex is better than carvalho joe is better than deco. is there any member of the squad carlo doesn't rate? it appears not because he plays them all. it appears not because he hasn't sold anyone. he is afraid to make decisions. he doesn't back his judgement, if he has any. hiddink had no such problems. ballack, kalou, deco and quaresma probably weren't his biggest fans but he didn't care, because (like capello, mourinho, ferguson etc) his authority wasn't contingent on him being liked. hiddink knew his preferred side and played it. we could all name that side. ancelotti inherited a bouyed mikel, malouda and alex. his poor management is slowly ruining all that. i am seriously underwhelmed by ancelotti. to play as bad as we have for eight games is pretty unforgiveable, given the players at his disposal and the fact we've been playing inferior sides. we've got a very hard run-in for the title. we hade to make the most of this period. furthermore, city and utd will be stronger next season. far stronger. this is the best chance we're going to get. we need width. everyone can see it. opponents will no longer allow our full backs to overlap. without overlapping full backs the diamond malfunctions. it becomes narrow and congested. all our midfielders are playing sh*t. that's the manager's doing. ditch the diamond. leave someone upfield at corners.

Someone should tell Carlo, because Ballack isn't a box-to-box player. As I've posted before, at home to sides who put all their men behind the ball, you can't play Ballack and Mikel together. It's way too conservative, ponderous, slow and predictable. You need to forsake one of them for an attacking player. Carlo needs to learn this fast, or call Guus, who'll soon put him straight. No sooner did Sturridge come on for Mikel than we scored two goals. No, and that's the problem. Everyone in the ground could see we were crying out for width, and have been for a long time now. Sturridge comes on, hogs the left flank. Kalou hogs the right. We bang in two goals in no time. What does Carlo need to do? Here's my two pennies: 1. Never play Ferreira again. Schoolboy error. Competent at best, incompetent generally. Ivanovic didn't need the rest, Carlo was just trying to keep his squad players happy, which is generally a sign that the manager lacks authority. 2. Understand that full-backs aren't wingers. Generally, when they receive the ball halfway inside the opponents' half, they're not going to beat their man and get to the byline and deliver a perfect cross. Without someone to link-up with, they're going to toss a harmless ball into the box from way too deep. If it's Ferreira hitting the cross, you may as well not even bother. Our opponents are no longer allowing our full-backs to overlap. They've cottoned on to this. Just like they did with Scolari. Ivanovic comes on, benefits from the fact Kalou is playing ahead of him, hits a ball that Ferreira can only dream of, we score. 3. Alex is better than Carvalho. Understand this and act accordingly. Stop trying to keep everyone happy. Carvalho can bide his time, wait for his chance, and when it comes prove his worth. If you're worried he won't want to perform for you or he might skulk around the place with a face on, then you may not possess the requisite authority. 4. Never let Deco near the first team again. I promise you, he won't care one jot. 5. When defending corners and free-kicks, keep someone upfield. That way, when we clear the ball, we may be able to avoid it coming straight back at us. We may also be able to counter attack. 6. When defending corners, get a man to stand ten yards from the ball. Fulham stopped three of our corners this way. Admittedly two of those corners were taken by Ballack. 7. Drop Ballack. Those that claim that Ballack is having a better season than Lamps are missing the point. While Lamps is having a poor season, he tries to give us an attacking thrust. He tries to make things happen. He could easily do what Ballack does but that wouldn't get us very far. 8. Stop saying things like "We are not at our best technically". "We are not at our best" will suffice. 9. A lot of our players are now playing well below their optimum. You're their manager. Get them playing better. We've been playing poorly for too long now against poor sides. You haven't really got any excuses. You've inherited a group with a big mentality and plenty of ability. 10. Decide who you like and who you don't. Get rid of those you don't. Bring in someone you like. It may be the last chance you get. 11. Today, you and Wilkins were in constant conference on the touchline, with Wilkiins doing all the hand waving. At one point, your other assistant joined you both on the touchline and started hand waving himself. This is confusing for the players, who clearly do not know what they're meant to be doing. Every time there's a break in play, they're summoned over for a tactical sermon from Wilkins. Imagine their dismay. Wilkins is nice, he means well, but he's thick. Keep the instructions simple and to a minimum. Players like this. Communicate clearly. Preferably, do the communicating yourself. There's too much hand waving from too many people. The players might not know who to ignore. They may also be getting baffled by a bit too much science. 12. Get us playing football.

judging by this thread, ballack is seriously overrated. by and large, he's been immensely disappointing for us. got better under hiddink, as everyone did, but guus still ended up preferring mikel, and never played the two of them together. ballack just can't get up and down, he's too slow, too ponderous. he would have been far better suited to spain, playing for real, steamrollering opponents, away from all the argy bargy. supposedly good in the air. have you ever seen him put his head in where it hurts? thought not. started this season well, got injured, reverted back to the ballack we know so well.

Don't be surprised if Carlo isn't up to it. We had our chance after the Arsenal game, but four league games later, against teams we should be beating, we may well be looking back in May cursing our December. Those games are gone. Harder ones are still to come. Malouda finished last term on fire, under a manager who knew how to use him and clearly believed in him. It's almost unforgiveable that Carlo has undone all that good work. We continually see players under the present regime do well and then miss out in the following fixtures, Zhirkov being the most recent example. We are crying out for width at the moment.

A winger. Who plays on the wing. I thought Zhirkov did well at West Ham. I must have been seeing things.

Agreed. I think this is Lampard's eighth season at the club. Apart from his first season or two, this is definitely his worst season, though he still has time to put that right. Carlo appears to have no idea how to get the best out of him, even trying him at the tip of the diamond at the start of the season, which was predictably misguided. Lampard is a box to box midfielder, who prefers attacking from deep positions. Lampard is IMO the best Chelsea player ever. Not the most skilful nor the most naturally talented, but for what he's done, the best, yet he looks a little bit lost in the current set-up, and we're not utilising his priceless abilities properly. It seems strange to be criticising carlo given that we're top of the league and finished top in our CL group, but the last five or six games we have started to malfunction badly, and I am of the opinion that earlier league results flattered us somewhat, and of course there's the fact that our rivals have been slipping up themselves.

he definitely deserves a season, i'm not trying to get the guy the sack, i'm just not overly impressed. he's a good manager, no doubt about that, but we've had hiddink and mourinho, so comparisons are inevitable. we now rightly expect to be challenging for the top prizes, which we still are i hasten to add. ancelotti has been very poor since the emirates. he played an experimental side at blackburn, when the time to play an experimental side would have been apoel. he messed up both games, our momentum and confidence faltered, and we've taken that into the league, against three piss poor sides ravaged by injuries. we beat everton and west ham and we're eight points clear, and the title is done and dusted. big opportunity. missed. i'd put money on us paying for it in may. you have to capitalise on those chances, that's what separates the men from the boys. this thread asks for a comparison between our current manager and our previous one. in the limited time we've seen of both, hiddink wins hands down, mainly down to the fact he was more decisive and his decisions were invariably correct. you can bet there were one or two who hated hiddink because it was clear he didn't fancy them. i bet everyone likes carlo, because he keeps giving them games. carlo gets his season for sure, and i want him to succeed, but hiddink may be available this summer, and with roman's track record he'd be well advised not to blow too many more opportunities.

there is a world of difference between withdrawing a player before half time and during half time. the former is a far tougher decision. to prove my point about tough decisions, lampard got withdrawn in turin. hiddink didn't do it to exert his authority or indulge his ego, he did it because it was the right thing to do and he was vindicated. it was a breathtaking decision at the time. a crucial difference i see between the two managers is that hiddink doesn't pander to his players' feelings. he never rotated in order to keep his players onside. the respect he commanded meant he had no need to. respect commanded by the fact his judgement was almost always right. this was a no brainer, especially after kalou's performance in the previous game, a performance which borini put to shame with his cameo.

regarding the loss to spurs, it was our only loss during hiddink's reign. we went to anfield, barca, arsenal, villa, juve, wembley. no manager on earth can get it right every game. yes we shipped four at home to liverpool, but a 4-4 draw was a damn fine result bearing in mind we were 2-0 down at half time and on the cusp of the mother of all painful and embarrassing exits. hiddink worked his magic at half time when all his players must have been a bag of nerves, sending the troops out early, making them wait on the pitch for liverpool to come out. we showed immense bottle that night. he also made a decision that night which showed his true worth. he withdrew kalou after half an hour. i see no evidence that carlo can make that kind of tough decision. hiddink worked out very quickly whom his better players were. kalou was out, malouda was in. miraculously, malouda looked a player under hiddink. players like alex, ballack, mikel and anelka all dramatically improved under hiddink, who was only interested in playing his best side, not in pandering to his players' feelings. he didn't rotate players just to keep them on his side. he was the first manager to drop ballack. more tellingly, he took one look at deco and said no thanks. is ancelotti in his class? my instinct says no.

against everton, first half, we only played for a ten minute spell, after they scored, in which we scored two, we then took our foot back off the gas and they inevitably equalised, hence we come out the traps second half, score, take our foot off the gas again, and the inevitable happens. but don't take my word for it, look at today's evidence, surely you're not going to blame the defence and individual performances for that. we've been playing dire since the second half at the emirates. we are completely malfunctioning. everton, pompey and west ham are piss poor sides. we've made them look good. at least carlo saw enough sense to drop deco, but he persevered with kalou, even if he took him off at half time. yet again, for the third game in a row, we only started playing with any motivation when the opposition scored. deco will be back. be sure of that. you might miss him though so watch carefully. he'll be the one with the pipe and slippers. the original poster pointed out the flaws after a win, against pompey. he could easily have let the result or league position blind him, or could have chosen to start moaning after a defeat. the reason there are grumbles at the moment is because there are quite clearly problems, and man utd ain't going to keep losing forever. we're blowing the best chance we'll ever get, and we've got our hardest games to come. i hope things improve before february, because if jose gets the better of carlo, as i fully expect him to, carlo will be in a whole heap of bother. we are being found out.