i don't get this. whilst we haven't created a ton, we had one huge with ivanovic, a denied penalty and two near misses from costa and hazard. all the while west ham hasn't played three consecutive passes in our half bar the first eight minutes.

 

if we sucked so bad last year, and our defence is so rubbish, how is that? this is a huuuuge improvement over last year.

 

only need the winner now.

Are we really playing a 4-2-3-1 ? Oscar is supposed to be the player playing behind the striker, but he looks a bit deeper than that at times. It looks like a 4-3-3 to me.

4-1-4-1 is what it is officially being called.  But yea I think it's definitely closer to a 4-3-3 than  4-2-3-1.  

Yeah very okay half! 

If Conte were to change Matic only RLC could replace him or?

 

If Conte will surprise us then RLC could be an option. His speed with the ball, his power, and his finishing. Could be an interesting move.

No way, having Matic and Kante both playing is working, it's stopping West Ham running straight through our midfield.

i so agree you wouldn't know. matic hasn't been super sharp offensively, but he's been, bar one bad pass, a rock in the pressing game and defensively.

 

if people can't see the use of that then i'm out of words.

So now posting about a sh*t pass in forbidden. Wow!!!

Did I say that? You are acting like a proper c**t though. What happenes to "When the gane starts Ill support the team"? One misplaced pass and you are in here throwing your toys out the pram

leave a rose for ayew's harmstring, hazard's a criminal

No way, having Matic and Kante both playing is working, it's stopping West Ham running straight through our midfield.

I think kante is doing enough to be honest, although I suppose it might be an unnecessary risk at this point

This game is shouting out for Cesc...sorry Conte seen it all before...Yawn ville compared to Liverpool yesterday

Solid if not spectacular half.

Hazard, Oscar and Costa are all impressing me.

Say it quietly but Ivan has looked solid too.

More of the same please Chelsea.

hazard and costa both look like they want to be here again

Some juventus supporter has said that chelsea fans are about to witness a second half conte team which are better than a first half lol

This game is shouting out for Cesc...sorry Conte seen it all before...Yawn ville compared to Liverpool yesterday

i so agree you wouldn't know. matic hasn't been super sharp offensively, but he's been, bar one bad pass, a rock in the pressing game and defensively.

if people can't see the use of that then i'm out of words.

This . .

We have been so much better than last year. Yeah we haven't scored yet, but we have come close. More important than that, west ham haven't had a sniff. The players look so much sharper and in shape. Costa has made a few poor touches, but he looks a yard quicker than last season.

I think kante is doing enough to be honest, although I suppose it might be an unnecessary risk at this point

 

Especially when Kante is on a yellow. If we were to take Matic off and Kante was then to get sent off, we would be in a lot of trouble.

Hazard, Oscar and Costa are all impressing me.

 

 

Apart from his effort that was 3 ft over the bar, can you tell me what else Costa has done to impress you ? His touch is akin to a dumper truck.

This game is shouting out for Cesc...sorry Conte seen it all before...Yawn ville compared to Liverpool yesterday

 

That is because both teams defended like sh*t. The defenses today have been a lot better.

Kante has completed 29/29 passes this half

Edited August 15, 20169 yr by Surf

Off topic, but watching a Chelsea match again suddenly makes me yearn for beer and pizza, but it's 10pm with a working day ahead....

Did I say that? You are acting like a proper c**t though. What happenes to "When the gane starts Ill support the team"? One misplaced pass and you are in here throwing your toys out the pram

LOL. So one comment regarding one of the brain fart moments of the game means I am throwing my toys out of the pram.

 

Some people love acting the moral police and claiming the moral high ground. Probably get some kick out of looking down their nose.

Decent enough half. Overall we certainly dominated; best of all we stopped them from really creating anything whatsoever. Another positive sign is that we are clearly match fit and switched-on; our work rate has been very good.

 

We seemed happy enough in the first 10 minutes or so to let them have possession, but we grew into the game over the course of the half and by the end we actually managed to create a few good chances.

 

Ivanovic has performed very well, and to my surprise has attacked very aggressively. This has been effective in pinning back Valencia (neutralising more or less any threat from their left flank) and has been quite useful when we've tried to plant our flag in their half and keep hold of the ball. Considering the criticism he's received over the course of the past year or so (some justified, some vitriolic) this is very encouraging to see.

 

Kanté has obviously been brilliant. Other than the early booking (which, being honest, was only really harsh in terms of the timing of it) he has time and again been in the right place at the right time to receive the ball and move it on quickly to get our possession flowing as swiftly as possible without allowing them time to reconfigure their defensive structure. His pace and raw physicality is obviously extremely impressive, but I am most delighted that we have signed such a top-notch footballing brain.

 

I'd like to see Fabregas come on at some point (assuming we don't score) as some imagination in our passing down the middle is perhaps the only thing we've been missing. Oscar is a fine player (and has been good so far) but his range of passing isn't really his dominant strength; his main creative asset is his intelligence in movement and his vision of space. Matic has been okay but I'd be willing to sacrifice him for some more penetration; it's entirely possible that the best passer in our team right now is JT!

 

I am also very happy to see the return of the daring, galloping, elite Hazard who ended last season rather than the tormented, niggled version of before Christmas.

 

Encouraging half, looking forward to the second.

PENALTY !!!

FINALLY

Yea pen

Yes penalty

Who steps up to take it?  Oscar?  Hazard?