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Baba Rahman - The heir to Ash?

Actually, Stoke ar good in the air and we couldn't handle Andy poxy Carroll :-/ maybe Ivanovic is needed.

 
^ to let the crosses come floating in at will from the right flank? No thanks. Unfortunately, Iva or no Iva, defending aerially has been so poor this season.

 
Yup... that had nothing to do with Ivan. But I also expect Baba to sit on the bench this weekend. That was the usual run of maximum 1 game, that youth players get under Mourinho.

 
He did okay today. Should get more games. He should get the ball more often when we have the opportunity to cross.

We are playing the ball too often through the middle.

 
No shame in getting bested by Shaqiri, he's a very good player when he turns up like he did today. I was more concerned at the lack of protection Baba had from both Hazard and Willian. 

 
His performance was acceptable for me today. He did his best and tried to do everything, I can't also blame him for the goal. He's learning from game to game and experience will come, just matter of time. 

 
I thought he as ok, nothing spectacular but did ok against a good player. Maybe at times he was trying too hard to impress, like when he picked up the yellow in the fist half needlessly. I'd keep him in the team and give him the chance to improve.

 
In the long run him at LB and Dave at RB is best, if we actually utilise them to give us width going forward, and overlap our attackers, but today against a left footer on the right in Shakiri, I think Dave would have done better.

 
Not an easy place or player to play against but I felt his presence and ability to use his left foot really improved us. With a few games he will certainly get better and more confident.

I would hate for us to revert back to ivan at rb and azpil lb after the international break. Give this lad a run in the team

 
Got torn to shreds by Shaqiri today, needs to improve and will do if given a long run in the side.

 
Given the circumstances, not bad.  He needs to improve but its never hard to find your way in a new club/league when the expectations are the sky and the performances about level with hell.

 
Not the best game (poor, actually), but Shaqiri was playing well today. Also, agree he could have done with a bit more help.

There were so many times they could have used him to go around the defence today, but they insisted on trying to go through a crowd of Stoke shirts through the middle.

(Hazard, especially).

You can see he's capable of doing damage in that position but they weren't willing to use him.

 
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Im not even mad. I don't expect him to come in to a new league, especially one as tough as thr prem and set the world alight. He turned 21 in july and hasn't had a consistent run in the side. He is still a baby in footballing years and will for sure improve; he just nedds time and shown patience.

 
That's what frustrated me the most. He offered width, but Hazard just decided not to use it instead dribbling around the middle. If Baba has proven anything is that he can cross the ball and can use his left very well.

Baba was being targeted and despite struggling I think it would be important to note he managed 4 tackles and 3 interceptions, which is the most of all players (and he only played 2/3s of the game). So despite losing many duels he still won the most of all the players from Chelsea. What does that say? Not necessarily that Baba did great, but he was obviously overworked and none of the players on the left were really helping him out. 

Also - the reason Baba did so well vs Dynamo is was that he wasn't isolated wth Oscar helping out. Yes, Baba won almost all one on ones vs Yarmolenko, but after a tackle there was someone close by to clear the danger. 

 
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The team looks nicely balanced when on the ball. The only problem yesterday was having such a toothless striker and not enough bodies in the box.

I would like to see a 4-4-2 diamond or a 3-5-2,

Just so that with two strikers there's a chance the opposition defence has something to actually worry about.

 
Yes he made a mistake that resulted in a goal, but if Jose drop everyone on the basis on that, we won't have 11 players to play next game. I thought he had a decent game until he got carded, considering the amount of cheap tackles went on that day, thought it was pretty poor to card him. After that, he wasn't sure whether to get too close or stay in his zone, therefore the mistake. He could have got a bit of help from the attacker ahead of him, 1:1 against Stoke's best winger was a challenge, especially on a card. There was a nice forward pass he put in for Hazard in the first half, showed he has some quality. I thought after the card, he stopped charging forward. He should get another game, let's not go back to the Ivanovic at right back, Willian at wing back scenario.

 
icecoolguy22 said:
Yes he made a mistake that resulted in a goal, but if Jose drop everyone on the basis on that, we won't have 11 players to play next game.
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Don't know how you can blame him for the goal. Baba was in a no win situation with him basically left defending against two players. Yes, he probably should have been more aggressive, but it wasn't his faul he had no backup.

I blame Hazard much more than I blame Baba. Hazard left Baba overexposed and constantly fighting 1-on-1. Hazard was Chelsea's worst player. Up front he was uselessly dribbling instead of passing to better placed players. At the back he was non-existent.

 
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