After tonight game , this is must win game for Chelsea .. Costa needs to be fit enough for the match .. 

After tonight game , this is must win game for Chelsea .. Costa needs to be fit enough for the match .. 

 

Must win ? It's a different competition so i don't think it's a must win. I would be happy with a draw from this one. Would love another win against them on their ground though.

As long as Drogba and Willian don't start I'll be happy.

To be honest a draw here wouldn't be a terrible result either.

 

Manchester City's turf is always tough to go to and we came away with a solid result last season. City will be proper up for this following their defeat to Bayern Munich and if they lose to us here it could send their season into an early tailspin.

 

Expecting a draw to be honest.

After tonight game , this is must win game for Chelsea .. Costa needs to be fit enough for the match .. 

Sorry cannot agree with that. 

 

We are going to the reigning Champions and even if we are to have a reversal of fortunes from last weekends amazing results and lose this one we will still be 2 points ahead of City, 3 ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool and 4 ahead of United. So we would be able to make up for such a set of results in the remaining 33 league games with one of the seasons most difficult fixtures gone with our feet still out in front.

 

Which is good been as if we go to City and defend as we have been defending, offering up a paltry single clean sheet from five games played, then a loss is exactly what we will come away with. 

 

Hopefully Jose whips the back line in to shape for this one. Not feeling too confident about it, City need this win as a statement after 2 defeats and a draw from their last 3 games.

I think both teams would be happy with a draw.

After last season's game at the Ethiad, I can see City going all out to win it to get revenge.

Draw isn't a bad result considering the points dropped already by our title rivals and because of that I think there's a bit of pressure on City to get a result in this one.

I expect our most defensive minded display of the season so far in this one and reckon it'll be left up to Hazard and Costa to hurt them on the break.

PS. Hope we don't wear black.

I think willian should start ..Drogba should only be use as sub

Draw isn't a bad result considering the points dropped already by our title rivals and because of that I think there's a bit of pressure on City to get a result in this one.

I expect our most defensive minded display of the season so far in this one and reckon it'll be left up to Hazard and Costa to hurt them on the break.

So something like this?

 

Courtios

 

Brana---Cahill-----JT-----Azpi

 

--------Mikel--------Matic

 

Ramires-----Cesc------Hazard

 

------------Costa

 

or maybe

 

Courtios

 

Brana---Cahill-----JT-----Azpi

 

--------Ramires--------Matic

 

Willian-----Cesc------Hazard

 

------------Costa

Don't raise your expectations so high if you think this is a must win game, you could end up being very disappointed.

 

City haven't lost a game twice in a row since 2010 is it? They are also a very strong side and I believe they are our main rivals for the title, a point against them away would be a great result, I would be happy with that. A win would be unbelievable of course but I'm not going to underestimate City in any way, they did very well against Arsenal despite being written off.

Edited September 17, 201411 yr by Slawth

---------Courtois-------

Ivan-----Cahill----Terry----Azpi

-----Ramires---Matic---Cesc---

Willian-------Costa-------Hazard

Just hope Cahill and Ivan learn how to defend again come Sunday

feel uneasy about ivan and cahill. 

 

not sure how jose will have the team set up for this one. 

Just hope Cahill and Ivan learn how to defend again come Sunday

 

feel uneasy about ivan and cahill. 

 

not sure how jose will have the team set up for this one. 

How about Azpi at RB and one of Brana/Cahill with JT and Luis on the left guys?

 

And while not talking about the City game, if we continue to see defending like this do you think it will speed up Zouma's promotion to the first 11?

I think it's harsh to drop Luis as we was arguably our best player tonight but Azpi is in a league of his own when defending and we will need that against City.

With Ivan he offers so much power and energy especially at set plays so you don't want to lose out on that. His positional play though has and might cause us all sorts of problems at the back though.

Tough one but think we will go compact and solid while hoping for something like last season.

I'm so worried about the defence.  The CBs looked very shaky in every game. I don't think we can "park the bus" effectively this year, so my hope is we outscore them.

I don't think Ivanovic suddenly forgot how to defend, he won't be playing the way he does now without Jose's consent, surely he's been told to go up as high as he's been doing in pretty much every game this season.

 

I am worried about JT and Cahill though, it does seem like they've been under performing this season.

It quite obviously isn't a must win game, I think we'll set up for a draw and try to nick it on the counter, same as last season.

 

Back 5 pick themselves.

 

Ramires, Matic and Fabregas as the midfield 3.

 

Hazard and Schurrle either side of Costa up front.

I'm so worried about the defence.  The CBs looked very shaky in every game. I don't think we can "park the bus" effectively this year, so my hope is we outscore them.

 

Obviously we arent parking it this year and that is why we leave ourselves so open at times. Im pretty sure Ivan wont be allowed to bomb forward vs City. Expect a very different gameplan then what we have seen to start the season and Im pretty sure we will see a 4-3-3 with Schurrle and Hazard on the wings, thats essentially a 4-5-1 whenever we are off the ball

Some absolute bollocks in this thread.

 

Must win game?! 

 

A draw would be a f*cking good result

 

If you are not content with a draw at this ground against this opposition it's time for a reality check.

4-3-3

 

Courtois, Azpi, JT, Cahill, Luis, Matic, Ramires, Fabregas, Schurrle, Hazard, Costa

Courtois

Azpi, Ivanovic, Terry, Luis

Matic, Ramires, Fabregas

Willian, Hazard

Costa

Would take a draw all day long. We've got a run of about 20 matches after Christmas where we play only a couple of the teams who finished top 7 last year.

 

THAT'S where the league will be won. We can't win the league before Christmas but we can certainly lose it and not losing games like this is where we do that.

 

But I think City and Pellegrini will be majorly up for this game. He got absolutely mugged off by Jose last year and he'll want to remedy that so I expect them to come out of the blocks fast.

 

For us I think it's the 433 with Ramires and Willian in like last year. Keep it tight, look to hit on the break and sneak a result.

 

The big decision for me is Fabregas or Oscar alongside Ramires and Matic.

I am confident this will be our starting XI. As part of a masterful ploy to take pressure off the players, José will spectacularly revert to type and grind out the worst 0-0 draw since that game against Fulham under Benitez. The media will explode with stories about how Chelsea have chickened out of playing attacking football and will therefore bottle the league and will wax lyrical about how Man City's 78% possession shows they are the team to beat. We will then go on to win our next five games while City will put in a complacent performance against Hull and lose 1-0. Bank on it.

 

---------------------Courtois

Ivanovic-----Cahill-----Terry-----Azpilicueta

-----------------------Mikel

-------------Ramires-------Matic

----Willian------------------------------Oscar

-----------------------Costa

 

MOTM: Courtois or Mikel

Edited September 18, 201411 yr by PloKoon13