Ha ha. A late Didier Drogba chip-cross-goal changes the tone of this post! Despite 30 shots I doubt many would be overjoyed with the performance.

I think everyone was worried when they heard "442 Diamond", and everyone was very worried, when they heard Lampard behind the strikers. Personally I don't see how professional manager can interpret that Lamps as going to do well there if he has watched him in the past at all. The question very much at hand is: does ancelotti know what he is doing, and the answer is going to going to given next week. Unlike many, I haven't ruled Ancelotti out after 30 minutes of football, but I think he's made a bad start.

Though not his fault (worthless fantasy pre-season) the players, especially Anelka, look not only unfit, but unready- and the system looks un-ready. He hasn't decided on Boswinga at RB, and he hasn't decided on how he wants him to play. But like I said don't rule him out. I'm of the opinion that Ancelotti comes to England with very little knowledge of this Chelsea squad. I don't think he watches the EPL too often!!

My final opinion is this: I am discouraged by the unreadiness of the team and the interpretation of Lampard as an AMC, but I definitely have not ruled CA out and what will decide will be his reaction next week. Obviously: Deco must start, Lampard must play further back, and Malouda needs to get the f**k off!

------

Cech: 8: Heartwarming to see 2 or 3 great saves from our big man Cech, it's confidence building to see a good performance from him. Great save with his feet early and obviously kept us in the game with reading's cross/shot late.

Boswinga: 6.5: One of the only players in the right position (whom there was a choice for!!). As said in match chat- he needs to be told to stay out wide and get the crosses in- he cut the ball and himself inside wayyy too often for this system.

Terry & Carvalho: 6.5: Can't fault the defense at all for the goal- was lucky and properly defended.

Cashley: 6.5: No complaints. I think Ancio is going to get a nasty surprise though when he realises Cashley can't cross.

--------------------------

As everyone knows, the real problem was the midfield. Mikel is not Pirlo, and therefore we don't need Essien/Gattuso to protect him. In the first half the midfield was althogether TOO defensive.

Mikel: 5.5: Lazy and slow with the ball in DMC- thinks he has too much time. Is weird because he's usually very sharp when higher up the pitch and knows he doesn't have time. He was ok, but he will only ever be OK in that position.

Essien: 5: Totally annonymous and not really his fault. As i said: was not needed to protect Mikel (a player who doesn't need protecting) against HULL! But the fat man is learning- give him 2-3 weeks.

Lampard: 6: some nice passes as usual and as in the England game midweek. But is woefully out of position further up the pitch. He must play box to box in a midfield that respects the fact that Mikel does not need the constant protection that pirlo does, and that demands some defensive work from Lamps.

Malouda: 5: Did he play?

Anelka: 4: Looked unfit psychologically and physically.

Drogba: 8 (Motm): Played well, linked with the dodgy midfield as best he could and saved our ass at the end.

----------

Deco: 8: Couldn't ask for anything more from his 20 minutes- got in and around their defense with movement and every pass he gave the right one to put their defense under pressure. Totally changed the game IMO and must start next week.

Ballack: 5.5: Not much impact

Kalou: 6.5: Moved well, wasn't anelka.

Ancelotti: 4.5: Worsed only by the shocking anelka IMO.

a) Boswinga did not understand his job properly

:( Lampard playing AMC a choice telling he has obviously not watched him play a lot.

c) Essien Mikel Lampard Malouda midfield too defensive (though i'll forgive him for that one)

d) altogether we look unprepared.

Good luck to the man during the week!!

Pauly

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by Mod

Have we watched different games?

Hey, Pauly, please don't call him Cashley. What, are you a Gooner?

And damn, your rating of Deco is inane, he was bad, bad, bad.

Have we watched different games?

i think we all must have been watching a completely different game to pauly. hes lost his mind...

oh and the cashley thing, behave will you.

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by dkw

DKW, you and I are in lock-step.

Have we watched different games?

Hehe- the point I was trying to make Mod was that although we got 30 shots on the goal, they didn't really seem to come from the intentions of the Formation being well carried out. They just happened because Hull were defensive... I tried not to let a 92nd minute Cross/lucky chip goal change the view of the match too much.

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by Pauly

DKW, you and I are in lock-step.

i dont know what that means. should i be worried? :(

Just means that we are thinking the same thoughts concerning Pauly (two computers operating lock-step run the same instruction sequence to perform the same task, one being the primary computer and the other being a backup computer, for example).

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by Phillip

fist game in, 2nd half was a massive improvement,Ballack and Deco gave a bit more impetus,and if we played that poorly,somehow we inadvertently created so many chances,give the team at least a few games before the usual bemoaning starts,...................we are top of the league :( ;)

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by Ballack & Blu

Just means that we are thinking the same thoughts concerning Pauly (two computers operating lock-step run the same instruction sequence to perform the same task, one being the primary computer and the other being a backup computer, for example).

ah right.............(still no idea to be honest....) :(

Just means that we are thinking the same thoughts concerning Pauly.

I wear a chastity belt;)

Ha Ha, Pauly.

I am just pulling your tail, no offense.

Pauly, I haven't tried watching a game high and underslept, while reading a book on football tactics.

You should tell me how it's like.

ah right.............(still no idea to be honest....)

No me neither

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by Ballack & Blu

I wear a chastity belt;)

IF your knowledge of the beautiful game is reflected by the state of your Boots maybe explains it.

Agree with Pauly. Quite a lot of our shots were from outside the box - Essien took at least 4 of them - and we never really carved Hull open. Hopefully this will force Carlo to think about the diamond once again.

Have we watched different games?

certainly wasn't watching the game you and I were.

Jesus, there is some pompus crap there

I would like to say, from what i have seen this season, Pauly is corrct on a couple of points.

Our diamond, must surely evolve towards the following:

..................Anelka............Drogba.........................

............................Deco

........Lamps/Zhirkov...........Ballack/Lamps.......

............................Essien

Im not convinced that Lampard is best that far forward. Especially when our play can be soooo narrow.

Im certain that Mikel is not good enough to play such an important part of our system.

I didnt think Deco was too bad today, and i have a feeling that he could cement his place in the No 10 spot.

Hello all, point I was trying to make was that if the match finished 1-1 which it nearly did, we all would have been picking holes in the team and strategy. It's no great achievement to hit 30 shots at a Hull team who score first.... How many of the chances we got came from good play through the center of the park? They were all shots coming out from rebounds, or chances from set pieces...

The deco comments are hillarious

I agree with a lot of Pauly's main points. The diamond doesn't look good at the moment - partly because the players aren't used to it and partly because we have players in roles that they are not suited to. The vast majority of people must see that Lampard is out of sorts playing at the tip. I am not convinced Malouda has the tactical brain or concentration to play well consistently on the left hand side and Mikel has looked all over the place in the two competitive games so far this season.

The only players we have in the first team just now who could play at the tip are Deco and Joe Cole (unless Zhirkov can) and with Cole injured I think Deco does have to play there.

The deco comments are hillarious

jesus! forget to flog yourself this week bjd?! Deco looked good because he was more natural playing in the first 30 yards of the pitch than Lampard. He moved around, didn't look unnatural playing a free role like that out wide and deep and in the middle. I get the impression you have your mind made up before it happens, and your opinion is totally dependent on the result. If we had of drawn people probably would have been in here massacring Ancelotti- I heard: "I give up: Scolari Mk II" in Match chat many times. I'm trying to take an objective look at how the tactic actually performed..

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by Pauly

Agree with Pauly. Quite a lot of our shots were from outside the box - Essien took at least 4 of them - and we never really carved Hull open. Hopefully this will force Carlo to think about the diamond once again.

we did though didnt we. drogba had 3 good chances in the box from good play, anelka had 2, lampard had 2. a mixture of good last dithc defending and poor touches were the only reason this game didnt finish about 6-1. to say we didnt cave hull open is just plain wrong.

Disagree entirely with the OP over Essien being totally anonymous. As for "unlike many, I haven't ruled out Ancelotti after 30 minutes of football". Christ mate, get off your high horse and realise you aren't some pompous know-it-all.

jesus! forget to flog yourself this week bjd?!

what the f**k is tht supposed to mean ?

Deco looked good because he was more natural playing in the first 30 yards of the pitch than Lampard. He moved around, didn't look unnatural playing a free role like that out wide and deep and in the middle. I get the impression you have your mind made up before it happens, and your opinion is totally dependent on the result. If we had of drawn people probably would have been in here massacring Ancelotti- I heard: "I give up: Scolari Mk II" in Match chat many times. I'm trying to take an objective look at how the tactic actually performed..

of course i am aware there were some major flaws today. i would never be so naive to let a final score hide any issues we may have. you dont know me so dont proclaim to all that you know how i work things out please.

but come on, ITS THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEASON FFS

the players are not still 100 percent and they are still getting used to the new boss and his new ideas, lets give them some time before we start with the doom and gloom eh ? hows about giving people a chance, or are we that spoiled we cant even do that ?

im thrilled we won, im thrilled we had nearly 30 attempts at goal. if we are still playing like this in oct/now we are justified in being vocal about our concerns, but not after the first game of the campagin, surely

Edited August 15, 200916 yr by bjd