I'd honestly rather see us play efficient direct football and counters rather than useless possession and fcuking around with the ball ... Still can't explain how we lost the leicester game while being the best team on the pitch possession wise and even regarding the attempts we had. The only explanation lies within the fact that our strikers are atm as useful as the pope's condoms ... Therefore, Setting for such approach might be better imo since watford won't park the bus at home. UTC !

 

Kepa

Azpi Rudiger Luiz Emerson

Kante Jorginho Barkley

Pedro Hazard RLC??

Not looking forward to this game. 

An on-form Watford side playing against a Chelsea side that is suffering from inconsistent results, at their home. Doesn't sound like a recipe for surefire success, especially after the Leicester game.

It's unclear if they'll just look to defend deep or attack Chelsea, since they're at home, playing well and might smell blood in the water. 

Watford this season have lined up anywhere from 4-4-2, 4-1-3-2 to 4-2-3-1. They've had the most recent success with the 4-4-2 and so they probably (but not definitely) will just drop deep and hit on the counter-attack (they could also surprise us as Stoke did in 2016-17). They will definitely not be dominating possession against us, not with our 4-3-3.

Assuming that they're sticking with the 4-4-2 for the time being, I would trust Giroud to bully their centrebacks and use his first touch and passing to link up with Hazard/Pedro. I would start RLC in centre-midfield to add a goal threat, to try and knock the game out as quickly as possible. 

Then we could bring on Kovacic to see the game out by retaining possession and thus preventing counter-attacks, Willian can come on as a sub, because he tends to perform better as a sub anyway. Maybe Barkley/CHO can be the next sub. I haven't included Morata because I'm not sure of his status with the club. 

We need to get crosses to Giroud somehow. Azpi is a fairly good crosser but he's fairly reserved in his new RB position. Crossing from the left-back position would also be impractical since he's right-footed. Has Azpi ever done corners? LOL. The only thing I can think of is to rest Alonso for Emerson on the grounds that the latter is a little bit more secure in defence and then just have Azpi moving forward and firing crosses at Giroud. It's a risk, but it may yet work. 

EDIT: Javi Gracia's 4-4-2 at times becomes a 4-2-2-2 'magic box', as pioneered by Real Madrid's Luxemburgo, as the the likes of Pereyra and Hughes (not sure if available) shuttle out to provide support to their full back and in to provide a secondary attacking threat.  It can easily be dealt with by a 3-man formation, but for a 4-man formation its more tricky. You would have to suppress the full-backs to try and rob them of width/possession. Pedro can do that, but I'm not sure Hazard/Willian can. 

Edited December 25, 20187 yr by DaRick
Wretched typo

8 hours ago, TheBluesBrother said:

It looks like Sarri is fighting a losing battle. Our squad isn't strong enough, there is too much dead wood and our offensive play is too slow in the buildup. PLaying Hazard as a false 9 doesn't work but some of us knew that already as Conte tried the same trick.. We need a top striker or two and an overhaul of this squad. Top 4 is out of the question and you have to blame the board for sitting on their hands and allowing our squad to get so poor. The main culprit is that bird who negotiates for the new signings. She knows nothing about football and her handiwork is now coming home to roost. We need players that can actually score goals. and we don't have them. Another wasted season by being tight with the pursestrings. What we have bought just isn't good enough. Zappa, Emerson, Barkley, Drinkwater. PLaying Kante out of position doesn't work either. Watford are more than a match for us and can beat us. WE will have to pray......COME ON YOU BLUES !!!

It’s not actually being tight,we wasted fortunes on crap.

When you waste 225M pounds on utter tosh no wonder we are paying the price. Marina should stay well clear of getting players and agreeing a fee. Business side she is good at it seems but pkayer recruitment has been horrible under her. Its just not her forte and thats fair but if it was my money I would be livid by her. Its just not her acumen and has zero experience in that regard. DOF badly needed, one who has been there and done that.

So today we have decided Marina picks targets ?

She has the final say.......she deals with the Clubs. She agrees the fees etc. She is good in the business sense, the other thing not so much. Anyhow this aint the place for that.

2 hours ago, Stim said:

So today we have decided Marina picks targets ?

Didn't you hear? clubs don't have scouting departments anymore, they just have unqualified women running around chucking money at whoever they feel like.

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Didn't you hear? clubs don't have scouting departments anymore, they just have unqualified women running around chucking money at whoever they feel like.

Unqualified is one thing, but women is taking things too far, ugh  !

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Didn't you hear? clubs don't have scouting departments anymore, they just have unqualified women running around chucking money at whoever they feel like.

I get the point Atomis is trying to make though, compared to other top teams with a DoF our transfer strategy is piss poor. If I am not wrong Utd is the other top 6 club without a DoF. You just have to look at the signings Mislintat has made with Arsenal to see how important it is to have a good one. We have been rumoured to be making an appointment all summer but 6mths later and there is still no one in place.

I hate being negative, but I have no idea how we will beat Watford if we insist on playing with Jorginho deep laying and Hazard as a false 9. This Watford team are a watered down version of the Crazy Gang, they’ll eat our boys alive.

I am like many on here, just do not have the confidence we will get the three points here. Watford is a scrappy bunch that most always plays very hard, much like Crystal Palace, especially when playing us. I just do not see them sitting back waiting on the counter. They usually go right at us. This could help us I suppose, open up our forward attack.

Two matches I do not want to see us playing with the form we are in currently, at Watford and at Palace. Oh, wait, darn if those are not the next two fixtures. Timing could not be worse. If we get six points from these two, it says Sarri may have some secret sauce after all. Otherwise, one or two losses (or draws) and it is business as usual for the Chels. 

Just hope Sarri throws out something different that catches Watford unprepared. Could really help us.

Come on you Chelsea!!

Game Day.

Come on you Blues.

Of course, I'll take a 1-0 win for us.

I’m going to have to be the odd one out and have a little faith in my team to go out and win. I know, I’m a bloody weirdo!

Gonna be a long hard festive period, can't see three points, Watford have to much pace and hunger for our lot. 

Next two games Watford and palace away, lost them both last season.

On paper its a formality but im dreading this game, i can see us throwing away top 4, then god knows what that meams for us, worrying times i think

Match day,good morning you cheery old buggers lol.Please stuff em.....COME ON YOU BLUES !

18 hours ago, Kev56 said:

It’s not actually being tight,we wasted fortunes on crap.

 

Yep, I guess that is correct but when you have a woman who is a former CEO of Abramovic's oil company buying the players,, you can see where it has all gone wrong. She knows Sweet FA about football.

When I read Sarri wanted to buy

Gonzalo Higuaín

 

I nearly fell over backwards. He's way past his best and hasn't scored in 8 matches. LOL.. What is Sarri thinking of? Add another deadweight to the team? A bad move I reckon. We need a younger, proven striker

Crazy seeing people say we have no chance against the likes of Watford, did we not just beat City (arguably the best team the Premier league has seen) a couple of games ago?

Just now, RIP Mourinho said:

Crazy seeing people say we have no chance against the likes of Watford, did we not just beat City (arguably the best team the Premier league has seen) a couple of games ago?

....and lost to Leicester (miserably) 4 days ago. 

I'm expecting a reaction from Saturdays miserable performance.

11 minutes ago, coco said:

....and lost to Leicester (miserably) 4 days ago. 

I'm expecting a reaction from Saturdays miserable performance.

Despite the general meltdown after that game, I don't think it was that bad. We did hit the post twice. On another day people would've been saying we were just unlucky.

I'm positive for this game, because we had our best performances when the opponent is opening up a bit. Strangely enough I'm more concerned about the home games this season than the away games.

Edited December 26, 20187 yr by Vagabond

2 minutes ago, Vagabond said:

Despite the general meltdown after that game, I don't think it was that bad. We did hit the post twice. On another day people would've been saying we were just unlucky.

Yeah your'e right could have easily won. I watched the game from the stands, it was not pleasant viewing, i think Leicester had a much better game plan than us, their goal was something we used to do when we never had the ball that much. One thing we defintley need to do is stop taking too many touches and be quicker in the execution of our moves.

29 minutes ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Crazy seeing people say we have no chance against the likes of Watford, did we not just beat City (arguably the best team the Premier league has seen) a couple of games ago?

This City is really not even close to the best team the league has seen.

32 minutes ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Crazy seeing people say we have no chance against the likes of Watford, did we not just beat City (arguably the best team the Premier league has seen) a couple of games ago?

That is the problem, you don't know what Chelsea will turn up these days.

I just want goals today from us. At least three. We need to finish the damn ball.