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Time to address the root of our current problems

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'Let's hear it from the East stand'....cue tumbleweeds.

He's awful and needs to restrict himself to reading out the team sheets and nothing more.

 
Blue Sun Tzu said:
Now this always happens... the moment one starts asking a few questions one gets accused of not backing the manager. Can we collectively all say that we are entirely happy with what has transpired over the past few games? Surely not. Had I posted my concerns after the arsenal game everyone would have been right to shout me down but it is clearly evident that there are issues to be addressed. We have looked decidedly dodgy since the magnificent win over the arse. We have looked tentative in attack and panicky in defence. Certain players have been seriously under-performing as has the team unit as a whole.

There is no doubt that we have taken our foot off the gas until events in the game have forced otherwise. Against Everton and Portsmouth we only started playing with urgency onece we conceded. Just listen to what Frank has to say about this: "It was never going to be easy with Portsmouth battling but we didn't capitalise on going 1-0 up," he said. "It's a problem at the moment. We're going 1-0 up and not pushing on like we were a few games ago." He goes on to say, ""we're having a patch at the moment where we're not pulling away from teams when we might do and every free-kick and corner seems to drop to them in a funny way. We are being punished every time and it is just a phase we are in. We went a long time without conceding goals and that was fantastic but now, we're having a patch where we are."

Perhaps certain of us are guilty of being as complacent as our beloved team. If this attitude is echoed by the players and management we will surely not be picking up the Premiership trophy come May. I qualified my criticism in my post. Carlo is cleary no Ranieri or Scolari. He has done a lot of good. I do not want to see him fail. Of course not. My blood runs blue. But anyone who thinks that everything is tickity boo in the Chelsea camp at present is frankly deluded.

Come on lads, as much as we love to crow when things are going brilliantly but we must also recognize when there is a hitch and be open to discuss how things can be improved. That is the stuff of champions.
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I can understand You have a few concerns although I don't personally see any cause for alarm but this sentence from you're first post doesn't qualify much for me:

Carlo started very well and I have been impressed by his willingness to blood the youngsters. Let's be very clear about this: he is NOT another Scolari. However there are alarming signs that he is no Jose, Ferguson or Capello either. He doesn't seem to have the ruthlessness required to get the best out of his players over the course of a season. This may the reason he only won Scudetto in his time with AC Milan. This can be seen by the recent reluctance of our team to push on when one up.

OK you are saying he's not a Scolari but then adding he's no Jose, Fergie or Capello either? well hopefully he is none of these as he obviously has his own management style but he has so far certainly not been outshone by the one you mention (and likely the best of the lot) who is in direct competition with him,

If I dare say he had a quarter of the time here that Ferguson has had at UTD we might be able to make a better comparison.

 
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Blue Celery said:
At being a great friend and being Chelsea to the bone.
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oh dear!

Well I'm sorry if I've abused a mate but I can only go on what I know and as I am not a hypocrite I can only say from my experiences with Barnett is that he is a slimy cretin!

 
bjd said:
oh dear!Well I'm sorry if I've abused a mate but I can only go on what I know and as I am not a hypocrite I can only say from my experiences with Barnett is that he is a slimy cretin!
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Oh no worries mate. Believe me, I know he's outspoken and it sometimes puts people off. But that's just him. Trust me, once you get to know the w**ker on the pitch, he's a great guy. Great drinking buddy. Head full of history and stories. Funny sob as well.

 
Chippy said:
...OK you are saying he's not a Scolari but then adding he's no Jose, Fergie or Capello either? well hopefully he is none of these as he obviously has his own management style but he has so far certainly not been outshone by the one you mention (and likely the best of the lot) who is in direct competition with him,If I dare say he had a quarter of the time here that Ferguson has had at UTD we might be able to make a better comparison.
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'Tis is fair point you make. It is unfair of me to compare him with Ferguson as had the climate of football when he took over at UTD been as it is now there is no way he would have been in the job after 6 months.

Anyway, I hope that the "worrying signs" that I speak of never come to fruition as I believe that this is best chance we will have to win the league for years to come with UTD having their best player and having been ravaged by injuries. I can't help myself I am a born worrier!

That said I am mightily cheered by the reports in the press regarding Aguero.

 
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Matt F said:
Regarding the Portsmouth game Ballack spent most of his time playing extremely deep, at times behind Alex. The thing you get from Ballack is setup and composure in the midfield. He might play a short pass more now than he used to, but he is always looking for runners or wingers. He and Lampard have played a very similar role this season, but from different positions. They are both working on setting up the attackers, not trying to do it all themselves. Essien and J.Cole are obviously different in that respect, but it doesn't mean one or the other are poor. If everyone played like Ballack right now the midfield would be slow, but if everyone played like J.Cole it wouldn't be settled. I do miss Ballack attacking though, his shooting has been limited and poor when it does emerge lately. Deco has been off with his passing, but that can be said of many of the players lately. He is a nightmare for defenses when he is playing well and I've enjoy watching him play this season. My feeling is that if Deco and J.Cole can improve on their individual form, there will be more high scoring games and very likely the title.

Couldn't agree more with Coco. I'm ignoring the doomsday talk, my sidebar gadget shows Chelsea in the top spot!
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On the whole, they are good and valid points.

Have to say, early this season Ballack was playing really well and was a key player for us. I thought he was decidedly average against Pompey – far from being our best player on the night, but then I think that probably had a lot to do with the whole midfield selection being wrong that night. As I posted elsewhere, Mikel, Ballack, Lamps & Deco is not a midfield I would be too keen to see again – especially with Kalou in the same starting line up.

It’s all very well us playing this short passing game with little intricate one – twos, but for many sides, they find that too easy to defend against and it all becomes far too predictable. You have to have at least one player who can, with the ball at his feet, run and take on defenders. Whether it’s Joey, Kakuta, Malouda or we get Stoch back (can we in January?) – it doesn’t matter who, but we need a better balance or a bit of variety.

No real cause for concern as long as Ancellotti doesn’t insist on the kind of starting line up he put out against Pompey.

 
Kalou is a no brainer. He would struggle to get in the over half of the Premiership team's first elevens and if we do sign a new striker in January we should look to offload Kalou - we should also look to make more use of Borini and Sturridge instead of relying on kalou.

Ballack was excellent earlier in the season and although his form has dropped since then I still think he easily merits his place in the team. if Joe Cole is to be allowed to play his way back into form as slowly as he is I don't see why Ballack should suddenly be dropped.

Deco is disappointing me and that, combined with Joe's form, is hurting us due to our need to have someone at the tip of the diamond. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this is a position Ancelotti is considering recruiting someone to fill in January.

 
Hamsik is someone we have been linked with a few times and I think I discussed him a month or so ago. He would make sense in that he can play at the tip but can also play elsewhere in the diamond (most probably left hand side)

 
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There have been a lot of rumours (which I have been quite happy to hear) about Dzagoev coming to Chelsea. He would be great at the tip of the diamond, as well as being far stronger than Joey Cole or Deco. I would hope he wouldn't have the same fitness problems as the other players from the Russian league, though...

 
Blue Sun Tzu said:
There has been much debate about our stuttering form of late. The problems we are having are not new and the very same cause has reared its ugly head at some point in each of the last three seasons. We have too many players that despite their undoubted ability do not have the drive and desire or mental attitude required to be champions in the blue of Chelsea. Lets look at the culprits.Chief amongst them is Deco. I have posted time and time again that I have never liked the player.

Now we come to Ballack. Another player of undoubted ability but despite the odd upturn in his perfromances (the end of season 08/09) he too often goes missing. I can't remember the last time he stamped his authority on the game.

Mikel. So much promise, so much potential, but he is a casual brother who adds nothing to the team, quite the opposite in fact, he has become a liability.

Combine Deco, Ballack and Mikel and you have only half a player.

Now we come to Kalou. A nice man by all accounts who does try his best. The problem is that his best is no where near good enough.

Carlo started very well and I have been impressed by his willingness to blood the youngsters. Let's be very clear about this: he is NOT another Scolari. However there are alarming signs that he is no Jose, Ferguson or Capello either. He doesn't seem to have the ruthlessness required to get the best out of his players over the course of a season. This may the reason he only won Scudetto in his time with AC Milan. This can be seen by the recent reluctance of our team to push on when one up.

It is his selections of late that have worried me the most. At the risk of repeating myself, how can he play Mikel, Ballack and Dedo in the same side? How can he have such a defensive formation when playing at home against the side at the very bottom of the table?

I realize that this has turned into something of a rant. Of course we are top of the league and through to the next round of the Champions League. By comparison with others - particularly the bin-dippers ha! Ha! - there is no disaster here. However until he addresses these issues I fear that Man U will up their game in the second half of the season as they always do and we will be left floundering. So Carlo if you are reading this here is what I think you need to do:

1. Relegate Deco, Kalou, Ballack and Mikel to the bench at the most until their form and attitude deserves otherwise.

2. Have a plan 2 and 3 that allows us to get width when we need it.

3. Be more ruthless. Instill a sense of fear in the payers should they under-perform.

4. Understand that the fans want players who perform with flair. Of course it is up to the fans to lift the players but that goes both ways, it is also up to the players to lift the fans.

Onwards...
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"neat 3 yard passes and little one-two's"... that's how we play football. we're not a direct side, the ball doesn't go from defence to attack in ten seconds often. you have to manouvere your way into good positions and wait for the right run and the right pass.
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some great posts here well done. In response to the "not attacking enough" phrase i'll offer this:

What g4 says is true, the diamond is a formation which seeks to control the ball slowly and get everyone apart from the 2 central defenders forward. We are massively missing Boswinga in this sense I believe. It is not a formation at all built to defend. So ballack "slow, sideways passes" are fine in this formation. Ideally I agree- he should be taking the game by the balls and playing as a playmaker, but I believe Ancelotti will be working on turning these 4 midfielders into Pirlo style movement machines which is what they need to be.

I was surprised Deco started V Portsmouth but if we're honest neither Deco nor Joe are overly fit at the moment. I was in match chat and I find the sentiment of "bad team selection" really indicative of some weird thinking. It's very indicative that a "poor team selection" can happen when the options are: Kalou or Borini, Ballack or ........... nobody? and any team that involves Deco is a "poor team selection". It shows people's pre-judgments.

In my opinion there are 2 genuine issues: "CA not motivating, Deco, and choosing a lack of width" are not one of them.

1. Boswgina: In a system that tries to overload the opposition he is absolutely crucial. Especially considering A.Cole isn't going to be your Cafu style full back.

2. Carlo will not sign anybody. People mention the CA Scudetto count and make some incorrect assumptions. He is a manager who has NEVER had troubles earning the respect and fear of his players. I was pleased to hear he went mental after the Apoel draw and as a man manager I definitely think he is a winner- he always develops a great personal and developing relationship with his players. The reason he didn't win more IMO was that he (a) let his transfers be dictated too much by the Milan staff and (:lol: kept his policy of not signing and prefering the same squad. This chelsea team is one that desperately needs another quality striker- I hope he realises Kalou isn't good enough to be third choice in time and signs.

 
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Blue Celery said:
Oh no worries mate. Believe me, I know he's outspoken and it sometimes puts people off. But that's just him. Trust me, once you get to know the w**ker on the pitch, he's a great guy. Great drinking buddy. Head full of history and stories. Funny sob as well.
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If you do know him, can you please let him know that real Chelsea fans find his pre-match antic's with the mike rather embarassing and cringe-worthy.

 
Pauly said:
some great posts here well done. In response to the "not attacking enough" phrase i'll offer this:What g4 says is true, the diamond is a formation which seeks to control the ball slowly and get everyone apart from the 2 central defenders forward. We are massively missing Boswinga in this sense I believe. It is not a formation at all built to defend. So ballack "slow, sideways passes" are fine in this formation. Ideally I agree- he should be taking the game by the balls and playing as a playmaker, but I believe Ancelotti will be working on turning these 4 midfielders into Pirlo style movement machines which is what they need to be.

I was surprised Deco started V Portsmouth but if we're honest neither Deco nor Joe are overly fit at the moment. I was in match chat and I find the sentiment of "bad team selection" really indicative of some weird thinking. It's very indicative that a "poor team selection" can happen when the options are: Kalou or Borini, Ballack or ........... nobody? and any team that involves Deco is a "poor team selection". It shows people's pre-judgments.

In my opinion there are 2 genuine issues: "CA not motivating, Deco, and choosing a lack of width" are not one of them.

1. Boswgina: In a system that tries to overload the opposition he is absolutely crucial. Especially considering A.Cole isn't going to be your Cafu style full back.

2. Carlo will not sign anybody. People mention the CA Scudetto count and make some incorrect assumptions. He is a manager who has NEVER had troubles earning the respect and fear of his players. I was pleased to hear he went mental after the Apoel draw and as a man manager I definitely think he is a winner- he always develops a great personal and developing relationship with his players. The reason he didn't win more IMO was that he (a) let his transfers be dictated too much by the Milan staff and (;) kept his policy of not signing and prefering the same squad. This chelsea team is one that desperately needs another quality striker- I hope he realises Kalou isn't good enough to be third choice in time and signs.
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Echoing Pauly’s first sentence I will offer this on Michael Ballack’s worth to the team and the ‘not attacking enough’ debate…

I’ve long since given up on trying to convince the German captain’s detractors of his importance to the team and since the middle of last season have merely adopted a ‘Ballack must play’ attitude, either in words or by implication, in all posts where he is concerned. Quite honestly, his ability to interchange with both holding and tip of the diamond players on the right side works better than on the opposite flank. In effect, that’s down in no small part to his greater versatility compared with Frank and for those who might doubt this assertion I’ll cite the fact that, if Carlo ever wants to gee up the attacking element within the system, he always switches Essien and Ballack, pushing the Bison further forward, rather than seeking to make the same [or any] change on the opposite side where Frank has [allegedly] made his positional preference known.

On the ‘not attacking enough’ issue, it would be tempting to point out that scoring two or three goals at home is usually an answer in itself, yet this is too simplistic a response when you consider our reliance on Didier and there being no obvious replacement striker out there of his type. Supplementary goals have come from Frank in the past and Anelka in the here and now, but none of this triumvirate gets any younger and the style of at least two out of the three cannot be said to be an exact fit for the system anyway. Whilst you may boldly predict that Carlo will not sign anybody, Pauly - deeming the Milan experience to be one of him succumbing to staff influence on transfer matters - let’s not forget that he has already stated that he ’likes Aguero’ and Kalou’s current form is hardly going to stop him looking [and liking] what he sees.

To my mind, your last sentence should have ended with a series of dots followed by your chosen one in what is admittedly a very limited quality field. In contrast, the Media seem to have already settled on at least another two forwards coming in with Schweinsteiger and Dzeko the added flavours of this particular month, but personally I’d be more than happy with Aguero backed up by Borini, Sturridge and at a later date Di Santo, subject to his improvement at Blackburn. This minimalist policy for the January window would also satisfy a need to see the younger players progress within a system that could find a place for Ribery, but is one that hardly cries out for his inclusion, unless you are in the camp that feels the diamond has been a failure so far using the personnel we‘ve got. The only other attacking area to consider is out wide, ably covered by the Bosingwa/Cole point that’s been made here. However, should the real plea be for an out and out wide man, the return of Stoch for next season gives us that future option at no extra cost whatsoever, diamond or no diamond.

 
Pandev and Toni are available from the rejects bin, I wouldn't favour either though! Bring me the next Pato damnit. A lot of clubs around Neymar it seems?

 
Yeah, I've read Chelsea are a good chance for Neymar...but again, just random rumour sites and what not.

 
i concur with the original poster's sentiments. deco got an hour against pompey. an hour. i'll say that again. an hour.

let's forget the pros and cons of ballack. the fact is that he and mikel in the same team doesn't work. hiddink understood that immediately. no pace. no mobility. plodders. they may or may not be good players, i'll leave that for you to judge, but you can't play both, and you certainly can't play both alongside deco. carlo got it completely wrong against pompey, as he did against everton. you can say we were unlucky with the goals conceded but the truth is those goals were an inevitability due to our complacency. we only played when they scored. in both games. we only really got going against pompey when joe came on. he did something deco fails to do. got involved.

at home to piss poor sides and in the absence of essien you play one of mikel and ballack, swapping one with a more attacking player such as malouda or zhirkov or my aunt nelly. if you must play the diamond you play joe at the tip and you leave deco at home with his pipe and slippers. as opposed to on the park with his pipe and slippers.

all the talk at the bridge before pompey was that he'd picked the wrong side and it was becoming a habit. and all the talk was right. just because everyone else is blowing their chances doesn't mean we have to join in.

however, deco will play again, because carlo likes to keep his players happy. he'll rotate ricky and alex rather than have to make a decision. the original poster is right, alex was our best player against pompey. he'll probably be dropped tomorrow. or ricky will get the hump.

my worry is that some games, inexplicably, we're mentally switched off. completely lacklustre. wigan, villa, city, pompey. i don't mind bad performances, i mind when you're not at the races. these are the managers which win cups but not leagues. the arsenal performance should have been a platform instead carlo conspired to halt the momentum. i don't think we'll win the league. best change we'll ever get. we've been very lucky in very many games.

EDIT: when we're defending corners, we leave no-one upfield. what's that about?

 
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