watching MOTD - we really mustn't start with Cesc and Bakayoko as a midfield pair again

5 hours ago, Liam said:

Handy 3 points.

Ratings:

Courtois- 5 - Beaten at his near post and lay down for the second goal.

Alonso - 5 - First time ever not rating as 6.

Luiz - 7 - Decent most of the time but looked afraid of getting hurt. 

Cahill - 4 - Why take one touch when you can take 96. Looks like he needs to be taught the basic mechanics of running.

Rudiger - 6 - Limited but at least he looks as if he's not afraid of getting hurt.

Azpilicueta - 7 - Plus one for the goal obviously.

Bakayoko - 3 - Scores one point each for the two times he didn't give the ball away and an extra point for having the imagination to give the ball away differently every time. Looks afraid of getting hurt. We can all have a bad day but try not to look so f**king casual the next time.

Fabregas - 6 = I don't care if he doesn't run around a lot looking intense I like watching him play.

Hazard - 7 - Looked like he really wanted it. We are so lucky to have him.

Morata - 4 - Make a decent run, finally receive a pass, flop down on your backside, look aggrieved. Repeat.  

Pedro - 7 - Looked like he really wanted it.

Subs - 9 - Completely changed the game, I mean completely. Wouldn't mind seeing more of Zappacosta despite the murine appearance. 

 

had to Google murine Liam, what a lovely word,and its deffo him

Phew what a relief. A few thoughts on where we find ourselves after that one:

1. Cesc is a leader and superb passer but he just leaves us so vulnerable in a two man midfield. In the same way as we were very open in 2015/16, we also are now. The common link in my view is Cesc.

2. Great to see Michy get a couple of big goals. I don't think he suits our style but boy can he find the net. He saved our bacon big time today.

3. Pedro needs to start regularly again. Our flirtations with 3-5-2 mean we have often left him out, but he showed today with his goal and cross that he is a difference maker. He will be crucial in the next month. 

 

Our best spell last season had magic and Kante in midfield. I like Fab and love his assists and he never stops trying but... just doesn’t provide enough in two man midfield. 

For their second goal Cahill was so out of position as a result of having to run diagonally to the wrong side and being stranded outside the penalty area   and noone covered. Must do better. 

considering chelsea have been a tad out of sorts this was a good win today, to come back and win 4-2 after going in front and then behind shows a bit of character, watford were after all above us and the table does not lie 

I was very negative about this matchup, but the spirit to win this game shows we are still there! Absolutely over the moon with this win. 

Just finished watching the game and boy did we get out of jail on this one. While we should have been 2 to 1 up at the break, after cesc and his poor chip miss how Watford were not up 1 - 3 or 1-4 I do not know. Those were some shocking misses. Only reason they deserved to lose was missing those easy chances as, for me, they were the better side until those last 20 minutes when they slowed and our subs started getting going.

The good for me first. Really appreciating rudiger in our back line. Complete no nonsense, take no prisoner and safety first. I like that in a defender. Thought dave, luiz and Cahill looked more back to their solid selves but can improve.

Cesc fought hard and showed good quality the limited amount he got the ball, same as Pedro. 

Willian looked decent again! Finally!

Batman big impact. Look what happens when your striker is not as weak as a wet piece of lettuce and crumple on slight contact. Strong and direct. I find it hard to believe this same player was so poor at palace. He must have been starved of service.

Now the bad. Alonso you need a break you have been poor for a while, surely kenedy could play a bit? Baka good grief, you know we play in blue right? Did they not teach you to pass to a team mate at Monaco? 

Morata a 70mill player? Second time this week I have watched him and my goodness am I not impressed. No stomach for a battle, knocked off the ball by sub par backup defenders of two sides that let in a combined 7 goals none of which he scored. Very disappointing.

Really fun game to watch. Good result lads well fought back and well done conte on getting the subs right and being brave enough to hook the misfiring star and giving Batman a chance.

Oh and I really look forward to a Kante and drinkwater midfield tandom for us, possibly with cesc if we play a midfield five. 

7 hours ago, carrickblue said:

watching MOTD - we really mustn't start with Cesc and Bakayoko as a midfield pair again

 

Unless Drinkwater or Kante are available for the next game we don't really have a choice. It would be stupid to play anyone else in that position, Luiz has always been poor in that position, Ampadu is inexperienced, there is nobody unless we go for a completely different formation with a 3 man midfield, even then we will be playing with either a CB or an inexperienced midfielder there at the expense of sacrificing our width. 

1 minute ago, Slojo said:

 

Unless Drinkwater or Kante are available for the next game we don't really have a choice. It would be stupid to play anyone else in that position, Luiz has always been poor in that position, Ampadu is inexperienced, there is nobody unless we go for a completely different formation with a 3 man midfield, even then we will be playing with either a CB or an inexperienced midfielder there at the expense of sacrificing our width. 

Exactly this! Now we see the problems of not strengthening enough during the transfer window.

7 hours ago, carrickblue said:

watching MOTD - we really mustn't start with Cesc and Bakayoko as a midfield pair again

currently we don't have any real options.

But, Yes I agree he makes us very vulnerable defensively. I think Cesc is best suited sitting ahead of Kante-Baka .

1 minute ago, Malcolm9 said:

Exactly this! Now we see the problems of not strengthening enough during the transfer window.

4 midfielders are enough, but it's hard to even class Cesc as a midfielder when he's such a liability playing 90 minutes defensively. 

I'm not going to blame Conte or the board on this one, they signed 2 midfielders and got rid of a regressed Matic. We can't help the injuries. 

Special mention on Rudiger,

 

I think he played a good game and should start more for Chelsea, still would have him over Cahill.

Edited October 22, 20178 yr by Jezq8

14 hours ago, Leonon said:

Great response from the bench and hopefully a momentum shifting win. My love affair with Bats continues - his good qualities warrant patience and I loved Azpis celebration, what a warrior. Willian's cameo is proof that form is temporary, we have a class team just lacking confidence.

The PL is so competitive these days that even Watford are a tough proposition and Huddersfield can beat UTD. A lot of the doom and gloom around clubs losing here and there is unnecessary and unfair - these external "crises" every bad patch are far too extreme. The football media doesn't help and loves nothing more than casting clouds over Stamford Bridge. Breath deep and move on , the club doesn't live and die on one, two or even three results 

This is so true - FWIW I thought we had a decent day yesterday.  The match was fascinating to watch, it ebbed and flowed nicely and caused agony and ecstacy in equal measure in our household.

I'm amazed that some of our fans are expecting pushovers when we play teams that perhaps have a less glamorous history than the usual suspects.  The talent in most clubs is way better than even just a decade back.  This is the nature of the beast these days.

For sure we had moments when our play was off the pace but it is rare for any team not to have a period or two in any match where they are sub-par and why should we be different.

Yes, our LH side is vulnerable and that was identified way back and sadly no fix has yet been made and yes, our midfield was all at sea yesterday (again) but without Kante we are always going to be in a makeshift position - at least until Baks sharpens his act up.

Re Alonso.  There's a lot of talk of him being tired.  How can this be so?  He's a PL football player, allegedly some of the fittest young guys on the planet and yet a quarter of the way through the season he is goosed.  Either people are confusing his lack of pace with tiredness or he is ill.  I can't see how someone at his time of life and fitness levels can be tired at this stage of the season.

Re Baks.  Let's stop trotting out the he's only 23 line please.  WTF has he been doing all his life.  Let me think, it wouldn't be playing football would it?  I thought he was beyond the pale yesterday.  At one stage I wondered if he actually understands the interplay between his boot and the ball at the moment of impact so woeful was his passing.  For a big lad he looks a total wuss at times - backing out of challenges happens too often.  He gave the ball away for one of their goals, casually trotted after the Watford player (can't remember who) with the ball and then suddenly realised we were in the mire and made a way too late attempt to speed up and make an interventionist tackle.  He may well have a bright future with us but right now, for a fairly big money signing, he's not passing muster.  On the plus side he did help to set up Bats yesterday but that's not really his core job role which is what really matters.

Re Bats.  Good day yesterday. But we need more from him than being an impact sub.

Re Cahill.  limitations aside why on Earth is he our Captain?  I see no evidence whatsoever of leadership on the pitch.  

Re Tibs.  Please, please, please can we stop the short ball rolls to our back 3 and wing backs whilst our opposition are adopting a high press.  The number of times this drops us in the crap in every match is beyond belief.  It's bloody frustrating and dangerous and does nothing to inject pace into our game.  I realise that this is part of the current football idiom but someone needs to make a stand somewhere and knock this rollocks on the head.  To be fair he may be 'under orders' to play like this in which case Conte needs to knock it on the head.

KTBFFH

 

 

9 hours ago, ozboy said:

Our best spell last season had magic and Kante in midfield.

Not true ozboy.

Last season our 'best spell' was our record run of 13 straight wins, for which Cesc was mostly on the bench.

I liked Batshuayi pointing to his head after the final whistle. He believes, now let's support him. Morata is class but has possibly been brought back a little early.

Great win yesterday, just sobering up after celebrating with a few too many. 

Missed match of the day but from where I was sitting at the game yesterday, Bakayoko was really poor, or have I got that wrong? 

Great to see Bats grab a couple and Willian looking better. Wouldn’t mind seeing Zappa get a couple more chances, he can put a great ball in! 

Overall we got away with it but who doesn’t love a winner in the dying minutes?! Up the Chels. 

1 hour ago, coco said:

Not true ozboy.

Last season our 'best spell' was our record run of 13 straight wins, for which Cesc was mostly on the bench.

Yes indeed. My iPad translated matic to magic. That’s exactly the point. Fab was on the bench in our best spell.

 

 I watched Monaco a lot last season and had reservations about Bakyoko lack of pace. Never mind that, he and fabregas struggle even more than matic and fabregas. Kante and Bakyoko might work, drinkwater and Kante or bakyoko might work but playing Fab from the start every game is a downgrade on last season and will leave Fab rooted in the last 1/3 or this season. Ah well I completely trust Conte to make the most of things. 

24 minutes ago, ozboy said:

Yes indeed. My iPad translated matic to magic. That’s exactly the point. Fab was on the bench in our best spell.

 

 I watched Monaco a lot last season and had reservations about Bakyoko lack of pace. Never mind that, he and fabregas struggle even more than matic and fabregas. Kante and Bakyoko might work, drinkwater and Kante or bakyoko might work but playing Fab from the start every game is a downgrade on last season and will leave Fab rooted in the last 1/3 or this season. Ah well I completely trust Conte to make the most of things. 

Totally agree.

Since we deserved to lose to palace last week, we deserved to win yesterday. Yes, they missed glorious chances, but same could be said about us in the past 3-4 games, so f* the what ifs. Compare to last week, at least we did step up in the last 20, and challenged them. I thought we played a lot more direct in this game, at times looked ugly but in the end it paid off. Pedro deserved to play a lot more, he provides to directness and eyes for goals we have been badly missed lately.

 

3 hours ago, Bloo said:

Re Cahill.  limitations aside why on Earth is he our Captain?  I see no evidence whatsoever of leadership on the pitch.  

KTBFFH

 

 

I knid of think we keep Cahill on the pitch to talk to the refs when things get overheated.

No doubt we have other possibilities that are probably technically better.

Edited October 22, 20178 yr by Strider6003

8 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Willian looked decent again! Finally!

Batman big impact. Look what happens when your striker is not as weak as a wet piece of lettuce and crumple on slight contact. Strong and direct. I find it hard to believe this same player was so poor at palace. He must have been starved of service.

Really fun game to watch. Good result lads well fought back and well done conte on getting the subs right and being brave enough to hook the misfiring star and giving Batman a chance.

Great cross by Willian for the Michy goal.

Get the feeling Michy might be our supersub this season rather than a starter, certainly both goals were well taken.

Have to say the guy in the front row oh the MHL has a great sense of humour as he held the ball out to give back to Gomez, he held it out for a good thirty seconds Gomez wouldn't take it gesturing to throw it back. He carried on holding it to say come and take it, eventually Gomez went to take it and the Guy took it away!!! Childish humour but after all Watfords time wasting it was funny.