1 hour ago, 2211 said:

What's worrying is that 3 of our recent defeats have been against West Ham, Everton & Bournemouth.

3 teams who are in wretched form.

This recent run is indeed really quite a concern. Before the season started my hopes and expectations were a realistic top half of the table finish and a decent run in one or two of the cups.

So far we've done  better than I was hoping for with regards the league position but the slump in form is gradually eroding that, the home form is particularly worrying. It's been a very long time since Stamford Bridge was considered 'a fortess' but even so we should be doing better at home than this.

The youngsters seem to be struggling and none of the senior players seem able or capable of leading the way at the moment. Fitness levels seem to be an issue as well, too many players looking tired, leggy, lethargic this early in the season is not a good sign with the busiest period still ahead.

I really hope Frank can turn things around pretty soon. The January window should be interesting now we are allowed to make some signings.

It's really funny to see all of the lurkers come out of hiding as soon as we hit a rough patch.

5 hours ago, loz said:

5 hours ago, Jangz said:

I have long held a view that the pitch at SB is just too small to play possession football.. teams are able to sit back given the narrow pitch size.. teams that have in the past done this well.. like barca.. city ... All have bigger pitches.. I think at home we need to go more direct..

That debate has been had before. Our pitch is almost the identical with to the Nou Camp. Only about a metre in it.

I recall reading a Pat Nevin article discussing our pitch size and he said that even though a metre in width and in length sounds like nothing, it equates to something like two tennis courts in area. And I’ve played 5 a side on pitches similar to a tennis court. So on that basis, it can make some real difference to the area that needs covering.

We've dropped so many bad points recently. The team has ceased functioning in any positive manner, and look lethargic and lost of any ideas. We should be there with Leicester at the moment, but now we're right back into the scrap for 4th. Not bad considering the expectations at the start of the season, but very bad when you consider our recent performances and the sides we have thrown away our points buffer on.

I don't know whether it's fatigue or inexperience, but hopefully Frank has some ideas up his sleeves. 

Edited December 14, 20196 yr by Cam

It's both.

You can see a lot of these players are tired with heavy legs.

Lack of quality rotation is what's hurting this team the most.

On MOTD they said our CBs were pumping it long when Jorginho was in space in front of them.

I've noticed this a few times and not just with CBs yet WBs too when we have a man inside with space yet it goes straight back to the CB. I don't get it unless it is real fear of effing up and have egg on the face. Now unless we change this we will continue being so predictable.................

3 minutes ago, Strider6003 said:

On MOTD they said our CBs were pumping it long when Jorginho was in space in front of them.

I've noticed this a few times and not just with CBs yet WBs too when we have a man inside with space yet it goes straight back to the CB. I don't get it unless it is real fear of effing up and have egg on the face. Now unless we change this we will continue being so predictable.................

 

During the game, I count at least 3 to 4 times where Rudiger bomb the ball diagonally over the air from the backfield to the top left corner, where it goes out of bounds. Waste of possessions. 

Just now, haviet1 said:

During the game, I count at least 3 to 4 times where Rudiger bomb the ball diagonally over the air from the backfield to the top left corner, where it goes out of bounds. Waste of possessions. 

Agree.

3 hours ago, Strider6003 said:

On MOTD they said our CBs were pumping it long when Jorginho was in space in front of them.

I've noticed this a few times and not just with CBs yet WBs too when we have a man inside with space yet it goes straight back to the CB. I don't get it unless it is real fear of effing up and have egg on the face. Now unless we change this we will continue being so predictable.................

That sounds very selfish of the defence to not risk being countered in case the midfielder loses it, but if both are doing it consistently who knows it might be the tactics in place? Zouma's long balls are slightly more accurate but you really do need a great passer like Luiz to pull it off. 

Congratulations Bournemouth. You cannot say they, or rather their forwards did not try their best to not win the game for them with almost every set piece they had offering a presentable chance and combinations of King and Cook wasting glorious chances.

They did work their socks off and we could not break them down. Despite them losing 5 on the trot. Huh...

Another struggling, poor team to beat us. 

We did not even force their keeper in to a decent save, in a home game, with them missing 3 of their back 4.

Am still left wondering how Emerson managed to head that sitter straight at their keeper. What a useless player he is in every category.

I'm not going to be too hard on the team or Frank as there is still a lot of learning to do. I am frustrated that we seem to be the winning ticket for teams that are struggling and I really hope we can sort that out. Personally I just think it's a lack of  confidence rather than a lack of ability.

We do need quality additions in January to give us that boost to push on. The Spurs game will be a huge test and it is vital we get the 3 points.

What was it with this hero ball from the CBs? Hero ball might have been working in basketball(stopped being effective like 6 years ago) but thats a 5v5 game, on a much smaller terrain. In football playing hero ball is a suicide. We lost about 60 possessions because of the Rudiger's and Zouma's constant attempts to make an impossible assist. 

Edited December 15, 20196 yr by Droopy

2 hours ago, Malcolm9 said:

I'm not going to be too hard on the team or Frank as there is still a lot of learning to do. I am frustrated that we seem to be the winning ticket for teams that are struggling and I really hope we can sort that out. Personally I just think it's a lack of  confidence rather than a lack of ability.

We do need quality additions in January to give us that boost to push on. The Spurs game will be a huge test and it is vital we get the 3 points.

Well put

14 hours ago, hephzibah said:

i'm not happy with the way some of us come here and instead of just acknowledging that this squad is not good enough to win well organized teams.

If we can't win vs well organised teams is one thing, But our last three games...

West Ham - No wins in nine games until they played us

Everton - No wins in seven games until they played us

Bournemouth - Five straight losses and eight first team players out

What are we doing?

It's an issue that has come up before but we're just not physical or crafty enough, especially when faced with the  'stone wall" tactics many teams bring to Stamford Bridge. You either match your opponent's physicality kick for kick, or exploit it by winning free-kicks. penalties etc. At the moment we are doing neither. When facing a' shut out' we just go through the motions of possession football. Jorginho has learnt this and has adapted to become one of our more effective midfielders, he's tougher and snappier now than when he first arrived. The younger players have yet to learn the dark arts, Tammy for example hardly ever takes a tumble or appeals for penalties. Pulisic has yet to learn how to draw the foul in the right areas etc. Some games are an uphill battle and things like free kicks in the oppositions half give you an attacking base from which to hurt them. We need to be much much smarter on the pitch. 

I think this is the first time I am missing Hazard, if RLC had recovered this might not have been an issue as he adds a different dimension yet it what it is.

We lack good penetration when teams come to SB to block us

We put in crosses yet Tammy is too isolated and heavily marked to take advantage.

For me we need another presence who can score goals yet not sure who as Bats is not showing much potential in his short cameos. 

Yes it was a case of Eden-who? when we were on our winning streak but now his footballing brain is missed as much as his skills. It's a real shame as I think he would have loved playing with this younger squad.

Big f* you to those c* in the dark room deciding games behind the so called VAR. If the new rule is to make players play for the whistle, then they should take away the flags of linesmen from making offside calls. Flags up, players automatically stop for a second or two, and the moment is gone. You can't allow the linesman to make the offside decision, then take it away just because you could slow motion the whole incident and spin it however you want. The VAR is supposed to correct the obvious wrong, play that incident at normal speed, it's offside everytime without the need for a second look. The c* behind VAR freeze the whole thing, draw a couple of lines at random angles on the screen, and somehow make it look onside. Even if they succeeded with making it onside, it was never obvious, it's some f* fancy free the frame draw a line in the sands kind of sh1t, and showhow it's allowed to overturn the original call ( whom looked straightforward offside). F* hell, I said it once before and again, VAR is great for match fixing, not much else.

As for the team, wasn't that bad of a game, just like last game we managed to f* up every goal scoring chances. I'm going to stretch this, maybe Lampard's words about we need forward enforcement got into the heads of the frontline players, they all looked lacking that belief and shaprness in front of the goal. We ended up overcommitting and eventually getting caught by them. We got so many players around their box, yet not many are willing to make runs, and the cross is usually way too slow.The bigger problem is we have a limited team, and Lampard can't afford to rotate much after that miserable game against WestHam. The regular 11s are fatigued, yet those coming ins aren't making the impact. I fear if ( and probably will) we lose the 4th spot by the new year, we will just buy anyone for anything to salvage the season.

17 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

The obvious change is Barkley in for Mount. but Barkley seems to have disappeared without trace, apart from in nightclubs and taxis

I think the obvious change is to have kova/Kante/Jorginho in midfield and to play alonso at left back. Emerson was useless in attack unfortunately. 
 

all the young guys are now struggling except maybe Tammy. That said both Mount and Tomori still look fine to me. Mount just doesn’t have a natural position. He isn’t a wide player or a true no 10 like gudjonsen was not is he bid to box. 

still the main problem is fatigue. A wee to recover will do em good. 

20 minutes ago, ozboy said:

I think the obvious change is to have kova/Kante/Jorginho in midfield and to play alonso at left back. Emerson was useless in attack unfortunately.

Yes the stats certainly back up Alonso as the nailed on starter at left back.  He's started 5 PL games this season, and we've won all of them. Emerson's record as a starter is played 10 won 3 drawn 2 and lost 5 !!!

Alonso can score as well, it is a shame he isn't quicker. Get Tomori back in the squad as to.

Edited December 15, 20196 yr by Malcolm9

That was the worst display of passing from our CB's I've seen I have to say, those long balls were so frustrating, near half of them went out for a throwing.

I can't work out what the problem is but I can see something missing, nobody is in the middle. Mount isn't having any impact at all, he's a ghost in games like this. Bournmouth deserved 3 points, they had all the best chances in the game. Possession means f**k all, besides that Emerson sitter we did absolutely nothing. 

Alonso can score as well, it is a shame he isn't quicker. Get Tomori back in the squad as to.

If Alonso is brought back it will be two weeks before people are asking why on earth Frank is picking him. We have two full backs who are simply not good enough and we need to bear with it until a replacement is brought in. Alonso is more suited to being an attacking wing back but defensively he is a car crash that even Anthony McPartlin's career couldn't recover from.

3 hours ago, Luca Vialli said:

If we can't win vs well organised teams is one thing, But our last three games...

West Ham - No wins in nine games until they played us

Everton - No wins in seven games until they played us

Bournemouth - Five straight losses and eight first team players out

What are we doing?

We are saying the same thing. We play against poor teams and we cannot win, that means we don't have enough quality players. 

20 hours ago, Kev56 said:

Well we know /knew the problems from the start, with the ban and all, but f**k me the last few games we've been utter f**king useless. I've been saying it for ages this idea of sideways, sideways backwards and repeat football is NOT f**king working, and people keep telling me it's the modern way. Well f**k the modern way. And anyone else tells me that piece of crap Willian deserves t be playing for us aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh f**k it all. Totally pissed off.

Rant over. 

Sorry for the delay - that piece of crap Willian deserves t be playing for us aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh f**k it all.

Happy?