Posted January 6, 200916 yr Mad or actually has sense? Now I agree with him that we need a left-winger cause we just haven't got one, but I don't think Malouda is that left winger. I guess he'll have to do until we buy one as it seems that he and Ashley are the only left footers in our squad at the moment. And we've just gone and given Sinclair to Birmingham...
January 7, 200916 yr why cant we play a 4-4-2 diamond midfield like this: .........Joe Cole......... Ballack.........Lampard ...........Mikel.............
January 7, 200916 yr Mad or actually has sense?Now I agree with him that we need a left-winger cause we just haven't got one, but I don't think Malouda is that left winger. I guess he'll have to do until we buy one as it seems that he and Ashley are the only left footers in our squad at the moment. And we've just gone and given Sinclair to Birmingham... I'd say not only mad but a load of bollocks. How can things depend on Malouda of all people? If there is anyone you would not want to rely on it would be Malouda. What happened to us using attacking full backs? Why do we suddenly have to have a left winger and one that must be left footed? So Joe can play on the left for his country but can't for his club? Why not play both Cole's on the left and play Bosingwa left midfield with Paulo at right back? Oh no, we can't according to BFS because Joe is predominantly right footed Ps. ...and why send Sinclair out on loan again and what about Stoch and why not give Kakuta a chance and............ Edited January 7, 200916 yr by Nibs
January 7, 200916 yr Could Bridge not of played there!? He's quite good at getting forward and has a great cross.
January 7, 200916 yr If you think about it, he does have a point. Unlikely as it may be, our goals dried up when Malouda was out injured. A naturally left-footed left winger gives you true width, not an inclination to bring it inside on the favored foot. One of our problems is we are not able to stretch the defense, making it easier for them to crowd us out in front of their goal. Ash has lost some of his attacking threat since Malouda's been out as he has no one in front of him to hold up the ball and interplay with him. Notice that when he gets the ball now, he has an awful lot to do, and he really isn't a winger. Deco, who plays predominantly right of midfield does well with Bosingwa and so the right back is still able, to a certain extent, to manouver further up the pitch more consistently, although the nice crosses have dried out a bit, but on the left Ash is a bit isolated. So, yes, I do believe Malouda is an important player for us as it stands now. But he has not been in very good form and we do need him to step up. When he does play, regardless of his form, I think we look more fluid and that helps Anelka. Cheers, Butch
January 7, 200916 yr I am starting to believe it was a mistake employing him; he eems out of his depth. Avram Grant did play a 4-4-2 and it wasn't reliant on Malouda. I reckon it has to do with accomodating Ballack &/ Deco in his line-up both of whom are not playing well. I for one am up for selling Ballack for a few quid-offsetting the fee against Ballack's wages and playing him on the left. why are things so complicated at the moment??
January 7, 200916 yr im of the opinion that he simply isnt a winger. he rarely takes a man on, his crossings poor and he never tracks back. if anything he looks more suited to a second striker role or the top of a diamond.
January 7, 200916 yr it's a confidence booster. to an injured player? ''Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari believes he cannot partner Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba together as he does not have a left-sided player. '' Why sell Wayne Bridge then? Sounds like pre-Manu excuses already to me!!!!
January 7, 200916 yr yea i think it is a bit of a confidence booster but also Scolari is right we do need a left sided player - this player is not Malouda however, i don't care how much Scolari believes in him. Along with the fact that J C isn't exactly firing down the right, leaves us very narrow. However bolstering the midfield doesn't make up for this, 2 strikers might be the perfect way to try and get some control up front. Drogba to throw his weight around and anelka for the runs past the defender. Scolari needs to look at what is available and give it a go, as it dnt look like we will be spending in jan.
January 7, 200916 yr to an injured player?''Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari believes he cannot partner Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba together as he does not have a left-sided player. '' Why sell Wayne Bridge then? Sounds like pre-Manu excuses already to me!!!! or maybe its his excuse for not playing drogs and anelka together because he thinks they cant, wonder what will happen when malouda is fit
January 7, 200916 yr why cant we play a 4-4-2 diamond midfield like this:.........Joe Cole......... Ballack.........Lampard ...........Mikel............. And replace Ballack with Essien when he returns! ....Anelka.........Drogba .........Joe Cole......... Ballack.........Lampard ...........Mikel.............
January 7, 200916 yr or maybe its his excuse for not playing drogs and anelka together because he thinks they cant, wonder what will happen when malouda is fit I think LFS is thinking about it a bit too much, or he's trying to play a system he doesn't have the players for!! If Anelka can play off Kevin Davies - he can play off Drogba FFS!
January 7, 200916 yr Complete crap. This just goes to show how ridiculously inflexible Scolari is. While it is the mark of a good manager to have a tried and true tactical philosophy, managers also need to adapt those tactics to circumstances and situations (ie. players, injuries, diabolically controlling board members etc.). Scolari has so far shown that he has absolutely no tactical flexibility or creativity and I strongly believe that this is a major reason why we have been unable to "finish-off" close games recently, and also why we struggle to come up with a "Plan B" when we find it harder to break down opponents of higher defensive quality and organization. Also, given that Anelka seems to drift out wide on the left alot, especially when employed in a two-man front, Scolari's quote about needing a true left-winger in order to play both Drogba and Anelka doesn't seem to make much sense. Could just be me though. Edited January 7, 200916 yr by dustbin00
January 7, 200916 yr Complete crap. This just goes to show how ridiculously inflexible Scolari is. While it is the mark of a good manager to have a tried and true tactical philosophy, managers also need to adapt those tactics to circumstances and situations (ie. players, injuries, diabolically controlling board members etc.). Scolari has so far shown that he has absolutely no tactical flexibility or creativity and I strongly believe that this is a major reason why we have been unable to "finish-off" close games recently, and also why we struggle to come up with a "Plan B" when we find it harder to break down opponents of higher defensive quality and organization. Also, given that Anelka seems to drift out wide on the left alot, especially when employed in a two-man front, Scolari's quote about needing a true left-winger in order to play both Drogba and Anelka doesn't seem to make much sense. Could just be me though. Spot on Dusty! BTW I'm not in the 'sack Scolari' camp, but he does have is faults, highlighted in Dustbin's post above
January 7, 200916 yr ..........Drogba............ Anelka ..................Deco/Cole ..........Lampard........... Ballack .....................Mikel Deco - his prefered position and will allow him to concentrate on playing through balls and concentrate on passing, something he hasn't been able to do when put on the wing or when put up against strong battling prem midfielders (only way i see to get him playing back to his best) Cole - the same, he loves to play in this hole and when he is on the right he drifts in here anyway. Both are playing poorly and this competition should help them up thier game. Ballack getting constant games in this postion should (in theory) get him back to the form he was in last season. Too Narrow? Fullbacks can provide width Anelka drifts wide even when Malouda and Cole are on the wings Man in the hole would have abit of a free role and could drift wide if the space opens up Just a thought
January 7, 200916 yr christ, after 4 billion football articles, you'd think people would learn how to read them properly. a) ignore the headline B) read the quotes, and nothing else c) consider the context looking at the quotes, and considering the context (relevant issues- the january window, malouda's form and the quotes from kenyon on not signing players this month), I would merely conclude that without wanting to say it, scolari has little faith in malouda and more importantly wants to put further* pressure on kenyon in regards to signing a player this window. *further, after scolari mentioned at a fan meeting / forum needing one or two players to complete the squad- remarks omitted by chelsea from the official transcript. Edited January 7, 200916 yr by gullit4
