10 minutes ago, hephzibah said:

We played like Barcelona last season.

 

May I ask where you get your drugs?

 

Asking for a friend, obvs.

Sarriball was so dull. It was like watching paint dry.

You know Zaha is going to put in a worldie here. 

3 hours ago, dansubrosa said:

Sarriball was so dull. It was like watching paint dry.

Someone here was obviously busy getting high on the fumes....

17 hours ago, hephzibah said:

What Lampard said concerning Emerson is not tenable. This is the reason why not all of us can be managers. It's a talent, I think. Alonso was so poor in that first half, I mean he was dire. If Emerson was as fit as he was against Watford, then even if Lampard wanted to take precautions, then he should have rested Emerson against Watford and played him against Ajax since Ajax is a more important match at the time. 

we shouldnt be confused by Alonso's occasionally goals from free kicks, and forget that his role is that of a left back. Who is a left back? A left back is a DEFENDER, (emphasis mine). If he is not able to defend for us, then let another person replace him. I dont know what that Ajax game would have ended with, maybe 6:2, if not for those two red cards that Ajax collected. 

The other area, I mean midfield, you read my analysis about Mourinho, how we need a stronger protection for our back four. Some people are just thinking of us scoring goals, they are not thinking that if we are conceding goals, all the efforts of our attacking players to get the goals will be in futility because we keep conceding goals. Against Ajax, if we had not conceded any goal in that match, we would have won the match by 4:0. If we defend better, we will win more matches. Thus, it is important for us to protect our back four.

Thirdly, concerning Lampard, I am criticizing him because of Jorginho. Jorginho is the same Jorginho of last season under Sarri ball. Jorginho is a good player, a good deep lying playmaker. He's very effective against smaller teams but not against the bigger teams. Sarri ball was a great style of play, very entertaining, and beautiful. But, considering the nature of the Premier league, that style was a very audacious style because it was contrary to the traditional premier league midfield which normally has two defensively minded players covering the back four and an attacking player supporting the attackers. 

Throughout last season we were all concerned about that midfield because for the past fifteen years or so of the Abramovich era, I don't think Chelsea has played like that. 

I am only reinforcing our concerns from last season that Lampard should find a solution to it especially when we are playing against a strong opposition so that our back four doesn't get exposed. 

Frank needs to take these points on board.

7 minutes ago, Andy North said:

Frank needs to take these points on board.

Exactly! Especially the sentence you highlighted, if we hadn't conceded any goal against Ajax we would have won by 4-0, is very illuminating and insightful. Frank should really do the maths.

Edited November 8, 20196 yr by Valerie

Everybody's expecting a tough game. But its been awhile since we crushed them easily at home. Which is not normal for a club of this caliber. I see 3+ goal difference in our favor. About time we teach them something about football. 

2 hours ago, Valerie said:

Exactly! Especially the sentence you highlighted, if we hadn't conceded any goal against Ajax we would have won by 4-0, is very illuminating and insightful. Frank should really do the maths.

Plus Ajax only scored because the keeper didn't save it, Frank needs to tell Kepa to stop conceding goals, that should do it. 

15 minutes ago, Slojo said:

Plus Ajax only scored because the keeper didn't save it, Frank needs to tell Kepa to stop conceding goals, that should do it. 

You really should be in football management at the highest level

5 hours ago, Droopy said:

Everybody's expecting a tough game. But its been awhile since we crushed them easily at home. Which is not normal for a club of this caliber. I see 3+ goal difference in our favor. About time we teach them something about football. 

Lets hope that most of us are very wrong and that you're right. Winning this game can boost the whole squad before Man City, the battle for the top 2 spot is starting if we win this one.

5 hours ago, Droopy said:

Everybody's expecting a tough game. But its been awhile since we crushed them easily at home. Which is not normal for a club of this caliber. I see 3+ goal difference in our favor. About time we teach them something about football. 

 

31 minutes ago, Gol15 said:

Lets hope that most of us are very wrong and that you're right. Winning this game can boost the whole squad before Man City, the battle for the top 2 spot is starting if we win this one.

You got two reasons why most believe it will be a tough & tight match. First, Palace are a veteran side & one that always grabs a point or two in past 3 seasons vs Chelsea. Secondly, it's a London Derby & as we all know for the other London sides it's a World Cup Final match, It will be an early start for me over here on the Left Coast of the US, but much watch TV for me.

On 07/11/2019 at 16:08, hephzibah said:

The other area, I mean midfield, you read my analysis about Mourinho, how we need a stronger protection for our back four. Some people are just thinking of us scoring goals, they are not thinking that if we are conceding goals, all the efforts of our attacking players to get the goals will be in futility because we keep conceding goals. Against Ajax, if we had not conceded any goal in that match, we would have won the match by 4:0. If we defend better, we will win more matches. Thus, it is important for us to protect our back four.

Thirdly, concerning Lampard, I am criticizing him because of Jorginho. Jorginho is the same Jorginho of last season under Sarri ball. Jorginho is a good player, a good deep lying playmaker. He's very effective against smaller teams but not against the bigger teams. Sarri ball was a great style of play, very entertaining, and beautiful. But, considering the nature of the Premier league, that style was a very audacious style because it was contrary to the traditional premier league midfield which normally has two defensively minded players covering the back four and an attacking player supporting the attackers. 

United are quite decent defensively yet despite that they're on their worst run of form for decades. The "build from the back" notion is so yesteryear, the truly successful teams/managers in the modern era are ones who have their base style and stick to it while riding the punches until they get to where they want to be.

Anyway regarding Jorginho, he's been very underrated defensively and is statically better than the supposed best DM in the league in Fabinho (as the pictures below will show). If you think sticking a sitting DM like Declan Rice in that position would make us a better team you're very sadly mistaken. Also you're weakening your own argument mentioning Jose, this is a man who has fallen so spectacularly from grace due to his unwillingness to adapt with the times.

22 hours ago, Slojo said:

You know Zaha is going to put in a worldie here. 

I don't really buy this notion about Zaha's record against us. He had two excellent games against us in 2017 but other than that has done the square root of f**k all to us.

It's the same with Carroll, he's scored against four times in nearly twelve years (two coming in our worst season in the modern era and another coming during our infamous 2010 winless run) yet I constantly hear when we play against him that he "loves a goal against Chelsea", I mean really?

I'm gonna predict that we continue our unusual run of not repeating any scorelines and say we win 3-1.

Just now, AlexTommo said:

I'm gonna predict that we continue our unusual run of not repeating any scorelines and say we win 3-1.

3-1 good shout, we nearly had 5-4 nailed down in the week, never mind, a 4-4 still keeps the run going, save the 4-5 for the city game.

FYI: Pulisic has scored more goals that Zaha this season

Ah Mike Dean is the ref...same mike dean who thought it was a pen for that dive lasy week on VAR.

We are screwed...

Edited November 8, 20196 yr by axman2526

9 hours ago, Argo said:

I don't really buy this notion about Zaha's record against us. He had two excellent games against us in 2017 but other than that has done the square root of f**k all to us.

It's the same with Carroll, he's scored against four times in nearly twelve years (two coming in our worst season in the modern era and another coming during our infamous 2010 winless run) yet I constantly hear when we play against him that he "loves a goal against Chelsea", I mean really?

Disagree there, Carroll yes I agree with sort of, he was dangerous against us for Newcastle and Liverpool but not at West Ham or in his last game, he's a shadow of the player he was and he was never really good anyway. 

But Zaha usually always puts in a good game against us even if he doesn't score, he even assisted the goal against us last season at the Bridge when we beat them 3-1 or 4-1, so he was still their best player despite Palace playing poorly. 

I don't know, he usually plays well in the big games, I wouldn't be surprised if he put on another top performance. 

On 07/11/2019 at 21:06, hephzibah said:

I cannot pardon Lampard for starting Alonso in our last match. why was he resting Emerson? with all the rest the guy had when he was injured, he came back and played against Watford, our defence looked so good in the game, then suddenly three days after against Ajax, Lampard didn't even put him in the entire squad.

These things are showing me that Lampard is not a good coach. It is in big games that you know a top coach. During Mourinho's days, he will adjust his formation and team selection so that he can present a very good team to beat a top team. He will not use the same team he had been using to beat small teams against big team. you can use an average team to beat average teams in the premier league, but you must create and craft a very top team from your squad to beat the top teams in the champions league and in the premier league.

I've not seen that from Lampard anytime we are playing the top teams this season, Liverpool, Man Utd (twice) and Leicester, have been poor matches for us because Lampard has had very poor big match management skills. And the problem is our midfield, and that is where Mourinho adjusts to win some of these matches. 

 At best, Jorginho is a physically weak player, and that is the reason he shouldn't be playing in that position against top teams. That position is expected to protect the back four, but can Jorginho protect the back four when we are playing against very good attackers and midfielders who move the ball very fast,  the answer is no. Reece James is bigger and stronger, he has played as a defensive midfielder before at Wigan, I was expecting that Lampard would develop that guy to play instead of Jorginho when we are playing against top teams.

Against Ajax, we couldn't even get the ball at all in the midfield because nobody was strong enough to tackle Ajax players in the midfield and collect the ball. That was why Mourinho developed Mctominay at Man Utd, played Makalele at Chelsea, developed Mikel to replace Makalele at chelsea when Makalele left.

He knows the importance of protecting the back four. 

TL;DR When in doubt put an NBA player in the middle.

Some of the injured players are going to struggle to get back in the starting 11. To start with Reece James is going to push someone out of the team soon. Zouma has exceeded expectations so  Rudigier wii not find it easy particularly as Tomori has adapted well to playing on the left. Each of Jorginho Kante and kova are class players but if you play all 3 there is no room for mount. And in any case it’s mount’s place that RLC will be eying off. 

so this is all good news, against palace assuming mount is fit enough I suppose James will start on the bench.  

I reckon we should play James just to counter the threat of Zaha, if Zaha is having an off game, Palace will lose. Azpi will have lots of problems handling Zaha, It will be a tough game, Palace has done well so far, and we will leave spaces behind for them to counter attack. I'm all for a fun game, but settle for a boring 2:0

Match Day !

Come on Chelsea !!

On 06/11/2019 at 20:59, haviet1 said:

 

I like to see Pulisic get more time in the center. I think he could be a player Frank can rotate between playing on the wings and in the center of attack.

 

 

Hazardish

On the way. Come on Chelsea.

On 07/11/2019 at 17:35, Argo said:

I don't want us to go there in terms of talk, I'm up for optimism as much as anyone but I don't think the title is realistic this season, I can't see us having the consistency. Maybe if the league was as weak as 2016 we could have pounced, but if we do it against these City and Liverpool sides at this stage of the process then Lampard deserves a nomination for manager of the decade.

I honestly believe one of the reason the fans turned against Sarri (all be it subconsciously I'd imagine) is our unbeaten start had us in the title discussion when realistically it was never on. While I know Frank wont become a similar target for booing I think if the title talk starts then a fair chunk of people won't be able to look at a slump in form (which I think is likely given the youth of our squad) objectively and see it as a "title challenging side" winning 2 in 6 or whatever the record is if/when he hit a blip.

However I do feel we have an outside chance of doing bits in the CL. I feel on our day we are capable of competing and even outplaying any team (as we shown in Istanbul against Liverpool) and if our great displays keep falling on CL nights you just never know.

We will get there in terms of challenging for the league, possibly even as early as next season, but this year I just can't see it.

I don't think either that there is any expectation to challenge for the title, nor there would be any pressure on Lampard if we are up there with Livepool and City but don't make it. I agree on inconsistency, my post was more a dream / wish than our reality this year. I said in previous posts that we are lacking quality in a few positions and if we manage to buy and cover those, maybe we are with a chance next year