Gotta switch Dave to left back and Baba at right back, at least then full backs will get cross s in and we'll have pace on both sides of defence.

Cesc needs to be dropped to the bench and give RLC a chance in midfield.

Start next game with Rami at least as well alongside Matic.

Only Dave and the keeper came out of that game with any credit for me apart from the subs

^^^ Switch fullbacks and I agree.

About time Jose started bollocking his players in public...too many are still dining out on last season's success

He's expressed his unhappiness with a few players before (without mentioning them by name). We have done a bit of guessing on this forum, and concluded he probably meant Ivanovic and Fabregas to name but two. I don't get why he keeps playing them if he is so unhappy with them. Bollocking them hasn't worked so far, with the possible exception against Arsenal.

BTW I also don't get why he limited his options yesterday with having Terry as the only defender on the bench. Putting him on would only make sense if Zouma would move to DM or thereabouts. I don't think that would have solved yesterday's bad play. Or am I not seeing some possible tactical switches here?

We're getting bullied and out muscled from front till back, losing far too many balls in the process. We need some steel in the middle which I believe begs for Ramires and RLC to start more often.

 

Switching Dave to right and giving Baba a start also looks like a no-brainer given that we're conceding so many goals anyway. I would understand sticking with players and trying to play them to form if they represented long term solution against a stop-gap panic overhaul. However, the long term solution is sitting on the bench while Jose's trying to play Ivanovic into form, who might not even be here next season. Mind-boggling!

 

Also, I really hope we dont have to draw from our pathetic backup of strikers too often. 

If we play with the intensity we did last 20 we will wipe the floor with teams. The problem is we don't play that way at the start of games. I felt newcastle came out with something to prove and out battled us. We badly missed Diego, as someone who would fight them and get in their faces. A lot of the team just went into their shell. No fight, desire. We came back because they were tired and Ramires scored a screamer. I'll take it, hate newcastle. Only 8 points in it. Got to play better tho.

Three quick fixes:

 

FULLBACKS: Make Baba and Azpi your first choice full backs even if it means playing it safe with experienced centre backs in the middle - Terry, Cahill and yes Ivanovic. Baba has the skills, may blunder at times, but he double backs, runs like crazy, has great control, adds width and does his best to correct his mistakes. Has tonnes of energy which can't be said about Ivanovic.

 

PIVOT: Fabregas needs to be dropped to the bench indeterminantly. That means a pivot made out of two from Mikel, RLC, Ramires and Matic, where Matic needs to be played less often and the former three more often. Mikel + RLC seemed to worked so well last game, so maybe thats an option? Mikel for one seems raring to go and we know he is at least dependable, so why not let him surprise us?

 

STRIKERS: Keep Costa as the number one choice, but given how poor Remy and Falcao have been it's time to give Traore a chance. Mourinho himself saw him as a striker. And his finishing at Vitesse was top notch last season.

 

WINGERS: Not much we can do there... Hazard needs to be benched a bit, but we have no real left winger to replace him. Willian and maybe Kenedy should be given some first team action. Pedro has been decent, so he can stay.

 

AM: Oscar needs to play to get back into gear. Replase him from time to time with Ramires, Fabregas and Willian.

I must admit I think I was watching a different game to most, I actually thought Oscar did ok, we were analysing his pass rate and he was pretty successful, unfortunately for him he was constantly being asked to compensate for the inept performance of Fabregas, who is not achieving on a regular basis. Certainly Cesc should have been the one taken off, apart from a couple of decent passes he cannot play a holding role and our midfield is getting ripped to pieces. Oscar needs to be given the responsibilty of playing a full game, as soon as the subs are introduced it's always him ( not always justified), this has to be the season when he is allowed the opportunity to show us what he can do or not, if not he needs to be moved on. I feel Oscar is a very capable of being an important player to the team but he needs more confidence and not always made to look the scape goat when things don't work out.

 

Lets face it, we let a very poor team dictate to us for most of the game, we lack passion and commitment and carry no threat up front without Costa. Hazard is brilliant at times but doesn't always no when to release the ball or to get a shot off, Pedro to be honest was a non-event on the day. Terry's prescence is definitely being missed, his leadership is fantastic and we miss that spirit.

Bran has to be dropped, he is lacking pace and his awareness has been shot to pieces.

 

With Man City getting thrashed, this has been a massive two points dropped.

any clips of the chelsea goals from yesterday?

any clips of the chelsea goals from yesterday?

Satah has posted some gifs in this thread yesterday.

A very poor performance but it's a miracle that we got out of there with a point after being 2-0 down. Our defence is shambolic but worse our midfield is seriously letting us down at the moment. Many are criticising Ivanovic and rightly so but Matic's poor form is really telling on the way this team plays. If he plays well, we play well and that was the story of the season last season.

 

Jose's post-match press conference was honest and raw! I liked what I saw and I think behind closed doors he will be fuming despite keeping it together for the cameras. Expect Ivanovic and Fabregas to get dropped from the starting side and we really need to see this squad freshened up because they almost look hungover from last season's brilliant effort to win the title.

 

Porto in the mid-week is going to be tough but winning there would be great for our Champions League campaign and to ease the pressure on Jose because the talk of those demanding that he be sacked worries me because our owner has been knee-jerk on such decisions in the past. We're experiencing problems but panicking now and making rash decisions will make things ten times worse for the club.

Edited September 27, 201510 yr by Jezz

Nice goal from Ramires

Three quick fixes:

FULLBACKS: Make Baba and Azpi your first choice full backs even if it means playing it safe with experienced centre backs in the middle - Terry, Cahill and yes Ivanovic. Baba has the skills, may blunder at times, but he double backs, runs like crazy, has great control, adds width and does his best to correct his mistakes. Has tonnes of energy which can't be said about Ivanovic.

PIVOT: Fabregas needs to be dropped to the bench indeterminantly. That means a pivot made out of two from Mikel, RLC, Ramires and Matic, where Matic needs to be played less often and the former three more often. Mikel + RLC seemed to worked so well last game, so maybe thats an option? Mikel for one seems raring to go and we know he is at least dependable, so why not let him surprise us?

STRIKERS: Keep Costa as the number one choice, but given how poor Remy and Falcao have been it's time to give Traore a chance. Mourinho himself saw him as a striker. And his finishing at Vitesse was top notch last season.

WINGERS: Not much we can do there... Hazard needs to be benched a bit, but we have no real left winger to replace him. Willian and maybe Kenedy should be given some first team action. Pedro has been decent, so he can stay.

AM: Oscar needs to play to get back into gear. Replase him from time to time with Ramires, Fabregas and Willian.

More or less what i was thinking!!

I know it is not popular to complain about line ups before the game on here but really this one is the final straw. From now on any time brana is picked to play right back it will be like Jose is starting us with 10 men.

Zouma is not helped in his game with no support on the right. For years a top full back help jt look as good as he is (mainly ash).

I do however agree with brana at cb, so long as it is not with jt. That lack of pace would hurt us. And I would sooner have jt with cahill or zouma with baba and Azpi at full back.

We cannot defend Jose picking brana anymore. Even walsall got at brana.

We were so poor yesterday, no urgency in the play no passion. Took for us to go 2 down to finally switch on so in the end we did well to get a draw. The passengers in the team are glaringly obvious at the moment and really need to sort themselves out, can't see Jose dropping them so they will have the chance to up there game. Ramires has to be in line for a start surely 2 goals in 2 games and decent performances.

It might have been my imagination but for the first goal it looked like Zouma got a call as he seem to stop going for the ball. I couldn't believe my eyes when we had 2 minutes to and we were attacking and someone passed the ball to right to Ivanovic.... so he puts an aimless cross that flies over everyones head.

The problem with dropping him is that we only have Dave and Baba as full backs. We have sold Phillip Luis, Bertrand and even Van Arnott would have been a better option.

I thought Oscar was one of the better players at least he was trying to get things going. Fabregas and Matic in midfield is just not working.

This type of performance is so de javu.. it's a team who's playing like a bunch of headless chicken, no gameplan at all.. no team turns bad overnight unless something is really wrong behind the scene.. could this season getting hampered by off field problems AGAIN? 

 

Just when I think we could start creating a dynasty by dominating the league and this happens.. 

If Ivanovic and Fabregas play the majority of league games at right back and holding midfield we will not be in the top four in May.When a team is leaking goals and being opened up too easily you have to revert to 4-3-3/4-5-1. Three central midfielders, Matic with Ramires and Oscar either side,sure Oscar could adapt to this role, loves a tackle and would be advancing from a deeper position so harder to pick up. Jose bought Fabregas for big money only fifteen months ago so he is probably reluctant to discard him, but his physical and athletic decline looks permanent.Costa has to be told to change his mentality when he returns or he will end up serving  a lot more three match bans.Bring Terry back for the Porto game, they beat Bayern 3-1 at home last year in the quarter final first leg so they are more than capable of beating us the way we are performing.

Every one is calling for Baba to get a starting spot while Brana drops to the bench. Well, Baba himself has been poor, so if we think he is the solution, dont be surprised when opposition teams start targetting him as our weakest link. For me, i will rather play Kennedy as LB. The first time i watched him play for us, he played that LB and he was amazing and his pace down the left side and his accurate cross will give us something we have been missing since the days of Ashley Cole.

Every one is calling for Baba to get a starting spot while Brana drops to the bench. Well, Baba himself has been poor, so if we think he is the solution, dont be surprised when opposition teams start targetting him as our weakest link. For me, i will rather play Kennedy as LB. The first time i watched him play for us, he played that LB and he was amazing and his pace down the left side and his accurate cross will give us something we have been missing since the days of Ashley Cole.

Baba has been poor based on what exactly? He's only played two games hasn't he?

Every one is calling for Baba to get a starting spot while Brana drops to the bench. Well, Baba himself has been poor, so if we think he is the solution, dont be surprised when opposition teams start targetting him as our weakest link. For me, i will rather play Kennedy as LB. The first time i watched him play for us, he played that LB and he was amazing and his pace down the left side and his accurate cross will give us something we have been missing since the days of Ashley Cole.

 

Defensively Kenedy was terrible and always out of position. Big no. 

 

Plus he hasn't been poor. He's been untested.

Edited September 28, 201510 yr by Jon Stakes

Well if we are going by that we would be far better off keeper Azpi on the left and bringing in Aina at RB, because Brana has sadly become a liability.

 

Even if baba comes in and is as bad, or worse, in his defending than Brana at least he will support Eden's attacking play far better than Dave does, and dave will offer far more on the right than Brana does both going forward and supporting Zouma.

Last season when the opponent challenged us, we usually fought fire with fire. The theme of this season is once the opponent put in a couple of hard tackles, our players let them have their way. If you don't want fight, you would have a hard time even beating teams in the relegation zones ( funny we aren't far from that)

another way of thinking positive is, it's not the 1st time when we 'struggled' against rock bottom team..