Greetings earthlings,

Let's not beat around the bush. The game vs QPR was a travesty. One could argue that we were the better team, statistically, but anyone who watched the game cannot seriously argue that we were in control, and we were just as fortunate to leave with a point as were were unfortunate to get all three, against a poxy side of part timing nobodies from a part of London that seems to be filled with more Australians than English.

This post isn't a knee jerk reaction; rather it is a culmination of many games of observation. For many seasons now, regardless of how much we spend and who we buy, our team's attack lacks any sort of real cutting edge. There is no method to the team's madness. It is simply a collection of very talented players who are asked to solve a problem with no clear framework or direction to do so. The end result is that while the players, being very talented, are good enough to solve the problem many times, there are far more times where their individual ability is not enough to effect a positive result.

I didn't want this thread to be a sole discussion of "player A is good at X & Y, our midfield is missing X&Y so let's sign him/put him there. I think that's far too simplistic. For example, in the current debate about Lampard and Mikel in the double pivot, there is lots of debate as to whether they can be effective or not, but no one is really looking at why they aren't working, and few have applied that to our midfields as whole through the years.

So to kick us off, here are five points that I think need addressing or improvement in our midfield.

1. We don't know how to play the ball from defense.

Don't get me wrong. I love Petr Cech. I think that on form he is one of the greatest goalkeepers ever, let alone at present. But he cannot kick. His long punts upfield, whenever we lose the ball, cost us possession time and time again.

The Lampard-Mikel axis (of evil, according to some) doesn't help matters either. Both midfielders are great at retaining possession, but are immobile once they have the ball, or when coming to recieve it. Both of them seem to occupy a deep position, recieve the ball, and then play it as soon as possible. Those that truly excel in the deep lying role, such as Pirlo, Xavi, Scholes, Alonso or our very own McEachran, are much more patient. They will recieve the ball, pass it back, move, recieve again...repeat until the best pass is possible. Our midfielders are very one-track and don't seem to be willing to combine with their teammates to create better situations, looking to either play a safe option or release the ball as quickly as possible.

Maybe the solution is David Luiz? Unfortunately not. What was particularly evident against QPR is that Luiz would often completely bypass the midfield- not in the air, but with hard passes along the ground that even

Hazard let alone Torres couldn't control. They were pointless, and ended up ceding more possession than anything.

So is it any wonder that our "double pivot" seems ineffective when our defense and keeper completely bypass them? Is it any wonder that they do bypass them when they are so static and individualistic? Questions like these suggest the problem with our midfield is less to do with the individual's ability and more to do with their mentality or instructions.

2. We are not comfortable in tight spaces.

Imagine you are on the road and you come to a mountain. Your home is on the other side. There is a tunnel through the mountain, or a road around the outside. Which would be the most efficient way of getting home?

It sounds stupidly common-sense, but this is one of the smallest yet most influential problems within our attack. If you watch closely, our players always take the longest route around the opposition. Where a simple pass through two onrushing defenders could take them both out of the play, our midfielders more often than not will pass it backwards or sideways. By that time, the opportunity for progression has passed, the defense is set, and the chance is lost.

Our players also seem unable to control the ball properly in tight spaces. The keys are moving towards the ball, good balance and flat passes. The aim is to retain the ball and progress, not merely play it off the defender for a throw in. Around the box, we are even worse, with too many rushed shots and passes that don't end up doing anything. This comes down to teamwork more than anything.

It's hard to believe that our players lack the technical skill needed, so why do they keep messing it up?

4. Width.

"What? Too WIDE?" exclaimed Davey Baby, harshly.

I think there's a difference between playing with width and playing with too much width. It goes back to point 3 above. With our reticence to play in tight places, we find ourselves ever longing for more and more real estate on the pitch. Truth is, we have wide options, some great ones in fact, but we almost never use them effectively.

Fullbacks and wingers tend recieve the ball in the midfield third, near the sideline, and are never played in behind a defense to put crosses in the danger zone. There is a huge comparison to be made with Manchester United here, who seem to build their attacking structure around getting a winger or fullback into that pocket of space in the corner where crosses are at their most deadly.

True overlapping is infrequent to the point of being nonexistent. It's largely becuase our wide attacking players, or Torres/Sturridge, recieve the ball on the sideline. There's no room for the overlap and no teamwork.

The other side of the spectrum is that sometimes we appear to be too narrow. Many times by the time the ball is switched to a wide attacking player, he is closed down or marshalled by his opponent leaving no option but a backpass.

The ball is worked back across the line to the other side to the other wide attacking player...who is closed down by his opponent and has no option but a backpass. It's easy to see how this, combined with the lack of overlapping play, gives the impression that we have no width.

There's two things wrong here. One is the speed at which we switch play. I was really looking forward to Modric signing last summer for this reason, as he is one of the best in the business at it, but there is no point in bringing him into the team if the rest of the players are not on the same wavelength. Is it laziness or instruction that our players take 4 or 5 laboured passes to switch the ball to the other flank?

Secondly, we don't always need to switch the play. Against QPR, each time the attack broke down on the left, the ball was moved to the right flank too slowly, not really giving Ramires a chance to run at the opposition because there were simply too many bodies around him. The problem was that after he failed, the ball would find its way to the left side. Then back to the right. Then back to the left. We see this when the defence try to "play out", only to resort to a long pass. And yet again, all this is effectively bypassing Lampard and Mikel in the midfield, who are doing little but shuttling the ball left and right.

It's bland, it's predictable and it's easy to counter. If an armchair muppet like me can pick up on this you can be sure it's common knowledge among the oppposition managers.

5. The "I don't care about good football, I just want results" mentality.

Firstly, there is nothing inherently wrong with the statement. Results are the most important thing in professional football.

Sport is about competition; theatre is about entertainment.

However true that rings, it does not mean that results and good football are mutually exclusive. Good football brings good results. There is a time and a place for tactical flexibility and you cannot be at your best every match. On average, teams that play good, attacking football do much better in the long run than teams that focus solely on getting a result.

The problem with the above mentality is that it just doesn't work for a team with top aspirations. When you're a small, limited or up and coming side, it's perfectly justified. When you're the reigning European champions who teams will especially raise their game for, it just doesn't work. Over the years, I've seen our fans focus far too much on "grinding out wins" as the mark of champions not realising that champions also need to seek to dominate their opposition.

Good football is dominant football. It forces the opponent to change their game to try and contain ours. Good football happens when both attack and defense are in sync. Good football is not just tricks and flicks or open, mindless attacking. Good football requires character and communication and most of all team work, a team working as a team, sharing the ball and not relying too much on the individual. I think we can all agree that most if not all of these things are not present in our current team. The attack, midfield and defense operate as separate, disconnected units, leading to ineffective attacks and chaos in defense.

The problem for me lies in that this mentality brings with it a certain passivity that does not befit a champion team. It's Chelsea being reactive to the other team's plays when it should be Chelsea dictating the game to be played. It's Chelsea passing the ball sideways hoping for a chink in the opposition's armour when it should be Chelsea punching chinks in their armour.

I think we're selling ourselves short as a team and a club with this mentality and its unfortunate side effects.

Great post, I touched on some of the points in a separate topic, I think we place too much emphasis on formations and specific players, when our problems are a lack of team cohesion in both attack and defence.

Watching Madrid smother man city in the first half an hour last night is something we haven't done to a top team since probably Jose's era. We've had good results but that has been mainly down to a solid defence and clinical finishing.

A change in mentality is needed probably more than any change in personnel. Roman and rdm both realise this but whether rdm is the man to fdo it only time will tell. Still early days this season and the Newcastle game was encouraging fingers crossed that becomes the rule rather than the exception.

The only team I can think of that we "did a Madrid" against was Bayern Munich at home, where Drogba and Joe Cole had their best games of the season and Lampard and Makelele looked the best midfielders on the planet. Even that 3 0 start vs Barcelona in the previous round didn't come close, that was more resolute defending and excellent finishing.

Other than that, against the top teams there are only sporadic instances. A couple of games against Arsenal under Ancelotti come to mind, particularly the 3-0 at the Emirates where they appeared to not attack for nearly an hour.

Again these aren't really big things. They're just a whole host of little things, basics, that snowball into a much larger problem.

This post isn't a knee jerk reaction

I love it when people post this and then follow it ith exactly that!!

But I'm not accusing you of that SC. Great, well thought out post and most of which I agree with - even though I don't have the time to read it all thoroughly right now.

Along with the Lamps/Mikel combo which I hate and don't want to see us use in 99% of league matches, my biggest gripe so far this season is Cech hoofing the ball long as often as he does. It shouldn't be happening - not with the quality of outfield players we have. It's shocking. If I was Roman, I would be knocking on Robbie's door and saying I don't want to see Cech kicking the ball long unless we are in the 90th minute of a semi final in the CL again with Barca and clinging onto a 1-0 lead.

It's simple. Roll the ball out to JT or Cahill or Luiz / whoever and let's build it and use Hazard, Mata, Oscar etc. Why f**king hoof it long just so we can bypass all of our creative players and give away possession. It's criminal.

Does amyone else think that we perhaps don't work as hard as we could without the ball? I mention this as we have allowed to teams to come at us a bit this season and I think back to some games in the past where we closed teams down so quickly. I recall a game at Villa Park where we were excellent at this. Every time a Villa player got the ball 3 blue shirts lept on him. I know that it requires great fitness levels but it is incredibly effective at stopping attacks ever starting.

I agree with Sydneys post. It all seems to ring pretty true. Funny thing is that after winning the CL last year I was of the opinion that nothing matters now. Everything is just a bonus so relax. But it turns out that it is impossible to relax. I just can't help wanting us to win every game and win it well.

Does amyone else think that we perhaps don't work as hard as we could without the ball? I mention this as we have allowed to teams to come at us a bit this season and I think back to some games in the past where we closed teams down so quickly. I recall a game at Villa Park where we were excellent at this. Every time a Villa player got the ball 3 blue shirts lept on him. I know that it requires great fitness levels but it is incredibly effective at stopping attacks ever starting.

I agree with Sydneys post. It all seems to ring pretty true. Funny thing is that after winning the CL last year I was of the opinion that nothing matters now. Everything is just a bonus so relax. But it turns out that it is impossible to relax. I just can't help wanting us to win every game and win it well.

You only have to look to Barcelona and how they work when not in possetion to see how it should be done. Harrassing the opposition on the ball, getting in their faces and forcing them into mistakes is how it should be done.

Have you ever thought of sending a CV to Roman, Sydney? I think you'd be a good addition to the club! Agree with everything you've said!

You only have to look to Barcelona and how they work when not in possetion to see how it should be done. Harrassing the opposition on the ball, getting in their faces and forcing them into mistakes is how it should be done.

This is very true, there a is 5 to 10 second spell when Barcelona lose the ball, where they close down high tempo in packs of 3, most of the time they either nick the ball back or force the opposition to play a long aimless ball.

This is a big reason why teams struggle to retain good possession against them. The problem is if we are giving the ball away to frequently then our players will tire pressing at high tempo.

The ability to keep possession and pass well goes hand in hand with having enough energy to play a high pressure defence strategy.

I don't think Barcelona's attacking players are known for their defensive qualities but the likes of messi, iniesta, Pedro, etc have bought into guardiola's philosophy, which has been implemented also with the Spanish national team.

I doubt we could play this way with the players we have at the moment as we don't keep the ball well enough.

Edited September 19, 201213 yr by big blue

Generally , the way we play slowly going forward ENCOURAGES other teams to play with an attacking mentality. We need to fight forward non stop . Attacking from so many areas that the oppo have no time to think of attack...WE HAVE THE PLAYERS CAPABLE OF THIS..Just not (too many times) the mentality to do so

Spot on Mike and I think we were shown that today after Juve scored their first.

Look i'm not going to lie, I could've sworn someone from Chelsea read this thread to the players!

Everything we have discussed so far was on show in that first 30 minutes. The attacking and control of the game was much better, and there was even a very good pressing game in the first 20 or so. Even Ramires didn't look out of place on the wing.

It all started falling to pieces when Juventus had this annoying habit of getting uppity. In the playground (BB please back me up here) if someone gets uppity and thinks they're better than you then you do you damn well best to cut them down to size. I think we've lost that mentality, whereas Juventus on their unbeaten run have it in spades.

Well its done now...We have to sort our 2 home games into max points...A minimum of two draws away and one win should see us scrape through..Then the team will start to think seriously about what they have to do. I see a quarter final place...Personally i want the PREMIERESHIP

Well its done now...We have to sort our 2 home games into max points...A minimum of two draws away and one win should see us scrape through..Then the team will start to think seriously about what they have to do. I see a quarter final place...Personally i want the PREMIERESHIP

In the words of Queen (the band, not "the queen"): I want it all!

Have you ever thought of sending a CV to Roman, Sydney? I think you'd be a good addition to the club! Agree with everything you've said!

Not sure what i'd put on my CV; "coached Under 10s once" probably doesn't help. Psychologist, counsellor and statistical enthusiast isn't exactly inviting either!

...although, I knew someone working at QPR (spit) that could've given me a foot in the door. Imagine that, they'd employ me probably to counsel poor Anton Ferdinand. It would take all my strength not to harm him for setting back actual anti racism causes 20 years.

Edited September 20, 201213 yr by SydneyChelsea

You could have used subliminal messaging to completely f**k him up