A great test for an opening match and I go along with the positive comments posted already. The level of fitness, sharpness and intensity was higher than we've seen for some time. The boys were on the job. Also I felt our defence was much less brittle, with the protective midfielders being deployed to better effect. Kante's athleticism even resembles Makalele for God's sake!

Our full backs were further up and Ivanovic was linking up well with Willian while being a threat himself - unrecognisable from last season. Whenever it's a great team performance you will usually get a result. I was even resigned to a draw putting it down to rotten luck.

One can only assume (and hope!) that the team will improve, so I think we can safely say we're not sh*te anymore :-)

The way I see it, it's called match review regardless the result.. You know not everytime when we win it's all good and when we lost, it's doom and gloom, sometimes we played well but lost and sometimes we didn't play well but win...  I won't focus on those mancs because I agree they didn't look that good either..

 

It's about chelsea and conte.. 1st of all I think we all agree we didn't look creative but we did look solid.. we limited west ham to a very few shot on goals and that's positive.. But the main objective is always to create clear cut chance to score goal and I feel we didn't do enough in that departement hence the concern from some fans.. That has much to do with the tactic and the players that conte put on... It's pretty much he sacrificed creativity for that solidness..

 

You singled out the substitution as somewhat conte's brilliance but do you know how late conte made that subs? I'd say both moses & pedro did nothing of importance coming on, the former even lost quite a number of possession recklessly.. Only batshuayi had some effect but my argument is that he should have come on a lot sooner..

 

lets just face it, on another day it could have been easily a stalemate.. we didn't create a single clear cut chance at home against only west ham and costa should have been sent off before he got the chance to score that winning goal and maybe that's the so called lucky part... It's really a very small margin between lost, draw and victory in this game..

 

Any game could have been a stalemate or a loss or a win - infact our last years form would guarantee a stalemate, but this year versus a better team we got a victory.

 

I thought the strike by Costa was a clear cut chance carved out, Also we did have a more shots as well as more possession so again not sure why you say we got lucky and it was a great play wher the presence of Batshuyayi caused the defender to focus on him allowing more space for Costa and Costa was able to aim it well and score a goal.

 

If you want to say that is lucky then will you call a gift wrapped goal that Juan Mata scored for United Vs Bournemouth ? Also if u remember in the past, think of how many times Solskjaer would have saved Man Utd from blushes ? What about Portugal in Euros ? Are we really going to complain that luck is favoring us ? 

We played pretty well. Only problems were that Costa kept giving the ball away and we looked like we were trying to make things transition from midfield to attack a bit too fast, which I think was a tactic but we weren't quite sharp enough to pull it off. 

My thoughts on last night's match.

Thought we were very good. We looked sharp, fit and together, and we also played with a bit of freedom which was nice to see. West Ham were missing key players and it showed, they offered practically no threat at all, and we completely dominated for most of the match.

Looking at last night and the close season in general, and the transfer window, it looks like Conte's going to go with experience. Let's not forget he's come into this job late, after the Euros, so he hasn't had the same preparation time as other managers. He'll have been concentrating on Italy so he'll have had little time to assess his squad. These guys won the title two seasons back, a lot of them have won a lot and have bags of experience, and I think he wants to give them another chance, after last season's failure. He's throwing down the gauntlet if you like, offering them a challenge to prove themselves, and perhaps appealing to their pride a little bit. Most of these guys know they're playing for their Chelsea futures. Cahill, Terry, Ivan, Oscar, Matic etc, they have a hell of a lot to prove if they want to stay at the club, and that just may work in our favour, particularly as Conte seems to be a good motivator.

I was dismayed when I learned about Traore's loan deal, and equally dismayed to learn Kenedy will probably be shipped out, but having thought about it, I think I can see Conte's thinking. Firstly he wants those players to develop, and they need regular football to do that, secondly, he wants to give the experienced lads a chance to redeem themselves, because it appears he believes in them and believes in his ability to improve their performances. I'm still a bit miffed about Traore going to Holland, which makes no sense, but I'll blame Emenalo for that.

So, Conte's first line-up. It was a bit galling to see Cahill and Ivan starting but he had little choice, and I thought every member of the back four played well. I'm not a big fan of Cahill but he had a good night. Ivan still leaves a lot to be desired offensively but he was more back to his old self last night. I long to see Dave on the right and a left-footed left-back on the left however, to give us more attacking impetus. As much as we dominated, we still failed to create chances, which has been an age-old problem for us.

I'm so glad Terry's still with us. It beggars belief that we nearly let him leave and thank f**k he waited for a decision and didn't negotiate himself a lucrative deal in China or somewhere else. I think he's going to enjoy this season and I hope it's going to be a big one from him.

Midfield? Interesting, to say the least. Kante, Matic and Oscar. Kante was excellent though he was playing a far deeper role than he was at Leicester. Matic was giving us solidity and Oscar boundless energy. I can see why they were picked but I find it slightly disheartening that both are preferred to Fabregas when neither can hold a torch to him for class. There were positive signs from both and Conte clearly believes in them but I think we can probably upgrade on them long-term. If this is the way we're going to go, without Fabregas, I think Loftus-Cheek may have a claim for one of those spots. You'd hope he is going to get game-time otherwise we'll just be stunting his development and he may as well go out on loan. The other option in Oscar's position is Willian, who I've said for a while should be playing in midfield, because I don't think he has enough cutting edge in attack, which again showed yesterday. He has energy, good technique, he can spot a pass, he can shoot, he's tenacious, I don't see any reason why he can't be a top midfielder. Having said all this, midfield wasn't a big concern yesterday, because we completely dominated that department.

Hazard was great, our best player by a mile. Costa? Unimpressed. Not saying he had a bad game, he didn't, but he lacks dynamism, and I thought he was a major reason why we couldn't convert our dominance into more goals. He's a good striker and we could do a lot worse but is he good enough for the level we aspire to? I know opinion is divided. I'm not his biggest fan. He loses the ball way too often, he dribbles down blind alleys, and he hardly ever wins anything in the air. Also, of course, his temperament is questionable. Having said that, he will score goals, and I like what Conte has said to him through the press. He's challenged him to score more goals and stay inside or nearer the penalty box. That's what I want to see Costa do. I don't want to see him arguing with the ref, baiting opponents and getting into needless fights. It's tiresome and counter-productive. Yes, he scored the goal and props to him for that. He should have been booked for the foul on Adrian however, so we got away with one. A straight red? Never, but a booking yes. He also "jumped" into the crowd after he scored and as far as I'm aware that's a booking as well, unless the rules have been changed. Maybe Conte will help him and I'll change my tune, we'll see. Conte clearly wants to bring Lukaku in and in the last few minutes we got a clearer idea why. Two up top. Batshuayi won a header and knocked it down, Costa found himself with a bit more room, and hey presto we scored.

Lukaku is a good player, no matter what anybody says, if we manage to bring him and Koulibaly in, we will be a lot more powerful, in terms of brute strength, and that obviously appeals to Conte as well.

So, Batshuayi for Oscar, Moses for Hazard and Pedro for Willian. I thought all of Conte's substitutions worked well. I thought Moses in particular did well. He hugged the touchline, he drove at opponents, and he put them on the back foot.

All in all it was good to see the positivity. We played like a team with real desire and real ideas. A work in progress, obviously, but a good start, good for Conte to get his first win, good for Hazard and Costa to score, and good for the general vibes around the club.

Let's hope we can keep up the good work against Watford. Up the Chels.

Best post on the match thread thus far well said Davey...

If you want to say that is lucky then will you call a gift wrapped goal that Juan Mata scored for United Vs Bournemouth ? Also if u remember in the past, think of how many times Solskjaer would have saved Man Utd from blushes ? What about Portugal in Euros ? Are we really going to complain that luck is favoring us ? 

 

Some people can't be satisfied mate - enjoy the victory - I did & I am still buzzin' over it

My niece was at the match last night in the East Stand right next to the Pikeys.  When Diego scored she said that a Pikey in his 50s turned and started yelling abuse at her and calling her a cutn and telling her to meet him outside and "generally being vile".  The stewards chucked him out and he only went and waited for her outside!

 

She is 23 and all of 5 foot 3!

 

What a complete and utter tosser!  

Edited August 16, 20169 yr by Beerqueen

My niece was at the match last night in the East Stand right next to the Pikeys. When Diego scored she said that a Pikey in his 50s turned and started yelling abuse at her and calling her a cutn and telling her to meet him outside and "generally being vile". The stewards chucked him out and he only went and waited for her outside!

She is 23 and all of 5 foot 3!

What a complete and utter tosser!

What a brave man ! Hope he got a good kicking...

Any game could have been a stalemate or a loss or a win - infact our last years form would guarantee a stalemate, but this year versus a better team we got a victory.

 

I thought the strike by Costa was a clear cut chance carved out, Also we did have a more shots as well as more possession so again not sure why you say we got lucky and it was a great play wher the presence of Batshuyayi caused the defender to focus on him allowing more space for Costa and Costa was able to aim it well and score a goal.

 

If you want to say that is lucky then will you call a gift wrapped goal that Juan Mata scored for United Vs Bournemouth ? Also if u remember in the past, think of how many times Solskjaer would have saved Man Utd from blushes ? What about Portugal in Euros ? Are we really going to complain that luck is favoring us ? 

 

A clear cut chance, in my understanding, is the chance where you get 1 on 1 with the keeper... shooting from distance is not 1 of them for me..

I think we agree on 1 part that the impact made by batshuayi so the question is why he was introduced so late? why not earlier or maybe even start him? shouldn't we reap more benefit if he was introduced a lot earlier rather than in the 80+ minutes?? 

 

And the lucky part, 2 of our goals coming from the penalty spot and from someone who shouldn't have lasted that long to even have the chance for that strike, you know costa could have been easily awarded a 2nd bookable offence (not to mention his celebration), same with kante..  apart from those 2 occasions, we didn't look like scoring, did we? unless you considering shooting from distance and set pieces as good enough..

 

As for what happened to other teams, it's irrelevant to the topic being discussed but for the record I will definitely call that a gift wrapped goals for MU, were they lucky? absolutely, pretty much the same with city.. a penalty and own goal for them, wasn't it?

 

I think I already mention that I don't think other teams are miles ahead of us, they have their difficulties but it's their own problem, I'd rather focusing on my own team.. Like I said it's a match review based on this particular 1 game, it's not a general verdict on conte or anything, I'd just feel batshuayi and cesc should have been introduced a lot earlier.. defending 1 single lead made from the penalty spot is bonkers..

A clear cut chance, in my understanding, is the chance where you get 1 on 1 with the keeper... shooting from distance is not 1 of them for me..

..

Good lord.

So for instance a header from a corner which just goes past the post is not a clear cut chance.  Right.  

 

Or a goal-line clearance from a defender....

 

I could go on.

You could go on and still get nowhere with that kind of logic.. Basically you think as long as the player hit the ball regardless of the circumstances and that ball go near the goal, you would deem it as clear cut chance, I see, are you the only 1 who thinks that way or all the same with your associates? 

I certainly don't know anyone else who defines a clear cut chance in the way you do.

Really? How about you try this..

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/chelsea-vs-west-ham/stats/356338

 

Scroll down and find the 'Clear-Cut-Chances' section.. It shows a big fat zero..

Good lord.

 

Ah the irony..

A concept like 'clear cut chances' is like 'key passes' - it's far too subjective to be able to neatly categorise. It really has to be evaluated on a chance-by-chance basis and isn't something which can be easily counted like 'number of passes' or 'shots on target'.

 

I think statistics can be a very useful analytical tool (with context and with one's critical faculties fully employed), but the two categories I mentioned above are two I tend to ignore.

Really? How about you try this..

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/chelsea-vs-west-ham/stats/356338

 

Scroll down and find the 'Clear-Cut-Chances' section.. It shows a big fat zero..

 

Well sorry, to my mind a clear cut chance is one where there is an opportunity to score.  But then I'm old fashioned and started watching and talking about football before the days of Football Manager and statistics.  I guess in those days we came up with our own interpretation and weren't told how to define things.  

 

You carry on with your view but I'm not going to change mine thanks.

Edited August 17, 20169 yr by Beerqueen

My only criticism about the performance is that like on many occasions last year we failed to make our advantage count. I'd prefer not to become embroiled in a debate over what is "clear cut" but I accept the point Bola is trying to make... not taking anything away from the performance but I didn't get the impression West Ham were really 'under the cosh' at any point (by that I mean I don't recall Adrian having to make that many saves / last ditch tackles etc)

Edited August 17, 20169 yr by the special one

 

 

Well sorry, to my mind a clear cut chance is one where there is an opportunity to score.  But then I'm old fashioned and started watching and talking about football before the days of Football Manager and statistics.  I guess in those days we came up with our own interpretation and weren't told how to define things.  

 

You carry on with your view but I'm not going to change mine thanks.

 

 

I don't need some special official stats to know what I'm talking about but since we're at loggerheads in this case then I guess you can't just take my words for the definition, right? hence the links provided and even so you still don't agree, that's fine..  you don't wanna change your mind? never was the idea in the 1st place..

 

The purpose is simply just to show that there are indeed people who have other definition than yours, a counter to your earlier claim, so you and your mates may have to respect that in the future instead of writing it off just because it's not the same with your own interpretation..

Providing links to try and prove the definition of a goal scoring oppertunity? 

 

Good bye. 

How is a clear cut chance deemed anything other than a shot on target?  For that matter, I could even see a clear cut chance being a higher statistical number than shots on target because it doesn't limit itself to working the goalkeeper.  For instance, Hazard's shot that went less than a meter outside the post is absolutely a clear cut chance.  How can it not be when the threat (chance) to score was there?

A clear cut chance, in my understanding, is the chance where you get 1 on 1 with the keeper... shooting from distance is not 1 of them for me..

I think we agree on 1 part that the impact made by batshuayi so the question is why he was introduced so late? why not earlier or maybe even start him? shouldn't we reap more benefit if he was introduced a lot earlier rather than in the 80+ minutes?? 

 

And the lucky part, 2 of our goals coming from the penalty spot and from someone who shouldn't have lasted that long to even have the chance for that strike, you know costa could have been easily awarded a 2nd bookable offence (not to mention his celebration), same with kante..  apart from those 2 occasions, we didn't look like scoring, did we? unless you considering shooting from distance and set pieces as good enough..

 

As for what happened to other teams, it's irrelevant to the topic being discussed but for the record I will definitely call that a gift wrapped goals for MU, were they lucky? absolutely, pretty much the same with city.. a penalty and own goal for them, wasn't it?

 

I think I already mention that I don't think other teams are miles ahead of us, they have their difficulties but it's their own problem, I'd rather focusing on my own team.. Like I said it's a match review based on this particular 1 game, it's not a general verdict on conte or anything, I'd just feel batshuayi and cesc should have been introduced a lot earlier.. defending 1 single lead made from the penalty spot is bonkers..

 

Seriously ? By that measure people like Bale, are utter crap, Infact more than 50% of the goal scorers anywhere are utter crap cos more than 50% of the goals scored are not always form 1 on 1 with the keeper. It seems like you have an unusually high standard for what creating chances is.

 

For substitution of Batshuayi, He is the manager and he is entitled to start who ever he feels like. Maybe he wanted to introduce Batchuayi slowly into the league, maybe he thought our offense was trying enough but were not lucky or needed more time and given the 1 - 0 situation that we had, there was no need to make a substitution for the sake of making one. Only he knows what his reasoning was. But the fact remains that he made the substitutions and they had the positive impact that was needed.

 

Fair enough on your opinion to just concentrate on Chelsea and ignore the other teams form. But you have to consider that based on last year's table, West Ham is  a better team and hence were going to be a tougher opposition (Also, holding on to their players, another year under the same manager and having players like Payet) so it is not going to be easy for us to dominate them, so for us to get a victory, even if they were not upto your standards is still a big thing. 

I never watch any of that crap, as soon as the match finishes it's off.

 

I've vowed to do this after every game now too.  No point getting myself worked up by bitters on TV.  Enjoy the game, ride the rollercoaster of emotions, and then get on with life when it's all done.

 

THink I'll actually watch less football this year.  Maybe just Chelsea games.  The pre-build-up and post-deconstruction...it's all a bit nonsense, really 

I can't remember if I came in for an argument or abuse.

I can't remember if I came in for an argument or abuse.

Come for the argument, leave abused.

I love the match day thread!! I think we should get people to read post match and guess if we've won or lost.