7 hours ago, Andy North said:

The transfer negotiations.

This is what I feel people are overlooking.  If we get a keeper it is Mendy and is he going to be automatic first choice?  Right now we know that Caballero is #2, and we know that Kepa is suffering mentally.  Therefore, I think Frank is having to gee up Kepa with a stance of "you're our number one keeper, lad!"  Last thing Kepa needs is more doubt hanging over him

All I can add is: imagine if Kai and Timo were out only additions...

The back 4 won us that game. 
Reece, Zouma, and Andreas in particular were faultless. 

Kepa is toast. Not good enough. Targeted. By opponents. Not trusted by his team mates. He’s a liability. 

We need to take care of the ball better. That will make it easier for everyone. 

Reading through the live match comments i'm surprised about the criticism of the defense, Alonso had a tough time with Lamptey but the other 3 were excellent, they only got in behind us once although admittedly that was a huge chance that Dunk squandered. Even though BHA were playing decent football and had a lot of possession i wasn't too worried apart from when they were gearing up for long shots for obvious reasons.

Hopefully this is a sign the new coach has made a difference. 

3 hours ago, mad_mac said:

This is what I feel people are overlooking.  If we get a keeper it is Mendy and is he going to be automatic first choice?  Right now we know that Caballero is #2, and we know that Kepa is suffering mentally.  Therefore, I think Frank is having to gee up Kepa with a stance of "you're our number one keeper, lad!"  Last thing Kepa needs is more doubt hanging over him

So you are saying that Frank is trying to put some fire into kepas belly to try and up the keepers game since he cost chelsea so much money > a type of DDG situation when he first started playing for the mancs as he was pretty sh*te but purple nose stuck with him .

i just see kepa as not upto the job ,but saying that iam not paid to overlook the situation at CFC 

14 hours ago, fitz said:

When Havertz was announced I was concerned for CHO but on last nights evidence they're not that far apart in terms of ability. I think in terms of competition between those two players for a starting spot it could be very positive for the Team if Frank plays it right. 

I am really, really worried about the Havertz hype and how that might affect him. He's a player who improves the squad at the moment but still has a long way to go. The expectation that he will immediately be as good as his fee is misplaced. We bought him because he might be that good one day. I worry he might be written off by some before he has a chance.

12 hours ago, Andy North said:

Havertz had a poor game and could have come off earlier. I was a bit worried that his body language looked a bit like Ozil but lets put it down to a lack of fitness. 

Body language is a trap with Havertz. He plays that way regardless of whether he scores a hattrick or he has a stinker. 

1 hour ago, Spiller86 said:

I am really, really worried about the Havertz hype and how that might affect him. He's a player who improves the squad at the moment but still has a long way to go. The expectation that he will immediately be as good as his fee is misplaced. We bought him because he might be that good one day. I worry he might be written off by some before he has a chance.

Body language is a trap with Havertz. He plays that way regardless of whether he scores a hattrick or he has a stinker. 

I am not worried about the hype affects him because the idea of him as Germany's next great hope has rested on his shoulders since the age of 15.

I am worried about how the hype affects his relationship with the club and its fans. Amongst the cesspit that is social media, we saw early last year how fans wrote off a far more developed player in Pulisic (and potentially Hudson-Odoi this year etc.)

11 hours ago, Ready Player One said:

The back 4 won us that game. 
Reece, Zouma, and Andreas in particular were faultless. 

Kepa is toast. Not good enough. Targeted. By opponents. Not trusted by his team mates. He’s a liability. 

We need to take care of the ball better. That will make it easier for everyone. 

I watched the game again last night and in the second half James thumped a 50 yard very firm back pass to Kepa I shuddered for the moment. I think he may have done it to give Kepa some confidence but overall I think you are right about the defense.

They played well but Kepa made yet another mistake. Frank cannot allow this to continue but has to show faith in him until Mendy is signed. 

 

1 hour ago, Andy North said:

I watched the game again last night and in the second half James thumped a 50 yard very firm back pass to Kepa I shuddered for the moment. I think he may have done it to give Kepa some confidence but overall I think you are right about the defense.

They played well but Kepa made yet another mistake. Frank cannot allow this to continue but has to show faith in him until Mendy is signed. 

 

Why does Frank have to show faith in kepa untill mendy or another keeper is brought in to replace him ? What am i missing ? 
 

we have a suitable 2nd keeper who is able to pick up the slack untill a new keeper is brought in .

why risk loss of premeirship points by playing a keeper that will be replaced asap 

4 hours ago, ddrblue said:

Why does Frank have to show faith in kepa untill mendy or another keeper is brought in to replace him ? What am i missing ? 
 

we have a suitable 2nd keeper who is able to pick up the slack untill a new keeper is brought in .

why risk loss of premeirship points by playing a keeper that will be replaced asap 

Because if Willy gets injured we have a jibbering wreck in goal.

2 hours ago, Andy North said:

Because if Willy gets injured we have a jibbering wreck in goal.

I have not kept my eye on the reserves since chelsea TV stopped  been on the skytv platform ,but did we not have a young polish keeper who was looking worth his salt ? and if said pole has moved on surely there is another keeper at cobham who can step up ? Or do CFC use a rush back goal keeper system .

 

if kepa had not cost the club 70+million i Get the fealing that they are bending  over backwards to molly coddle kepa .

For sure i wish kepa would wake up and smell the coffee and sort his issues out at cobham and not at Stamford bridge or wherever CFC play .

just think we play lpool this weekend and lose 0-1 or draw 1-1 and the goal lpool Get is via a kepa howler > the  we goto last game of the season and CFC need one point to claim a top four finish > and god forbid CFC lose that game .

we talk about kepas mindset if he is dropped ,well lets turn this on its head and Ask what is willys mindset when a wreck and CAR crash as in kepa is getting game time before him 

 

20 hours ago, ddrblue said:

So you are saying that Frank is trying to put some fire into kepas belly to try and up the keepers game since he cost chelsea so much money > a type of DDG situation when he first started playing for the mancs as he was pretty sh*te but purple nose stuck with him .

i just see kepa as not upto the job ,but saying that iam not paid to overlook the situation at CFC 

yes, I believe that is the case.  Also Frank knows if we are or are not getting a top keeper.  Even Mendy is being touted as a number 2.  With that said, I think Frank knows the situation and that we are building a better team out in front of Kepa, so we've got another year of him and Frank's trying to put some fire in his belly.  Also DDG is a good simile as didn't Kepa bounce him as Spain's #1?

8 minutes ago, mad_mac said:

yes, I believe that is the case.  Also Frank knows if we are or are not getting a top keeper.  Even Mendy is being touted as a number 2.  With that said, I think Frank knows the situation and that we are building a better team out in front of Kepa, so we've got another year of him and Frank's trying to put some fire in his belly.  Also DDG is a good simile as didn't Kepa bounce him as Spain's #1?

Kepa Bounced DDG out of the Spain number one slot due to DDG dropping (b)ollocks all the time for the mancs ,but iam not aware of Kepa as bad for Spain as he does for CFC > hence i know there is a goalkeeper inside him .

i keep on going back to how kepa acted in that final at Wembley when he was asked to come off , and now Kepa is not playing very well it type of adds more fuel to my fire in my wanting Kepa out of the first choice stopper . 
 

Frank belives in what he is doing so i will have to hold my type should Kepa drop another knacker .

 

gary sprake > Kepa 

18 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

I am not worried about the hype affects him because the idea of him as Germany's next great hope has rested on his shoulders since the age of 15.

I am worried about how the hype affects his relationship with the club and its fans. Amongst the cesspit that is social media, we saw early last year how fans wrote off a far more developed player in Pulisic (and potentially Hudson-Odoi this year etc.)

I think that distinction makes sense. I think he plays how he plays. But the fans will expect him to play like a record signing. They'll want big numbers and big performances when the truth is this is a huge step up for him and he is still developing. This is the risk of paying huge money for potential. 

Now I was against Pulisic's signing for the same reason. 60m for a raw talent seemed absurd. But he finished the season well.  I'm hoping Kai can do the same.

15 hours ago, ddrblue said:

I have not kept my eye on the reserves since chelsea TV stopped  been on the skytv platform ,but did we not have a young polish keeper who was looking worth his salt ? and if said pole has moved on surely there is another keeper at cobham who can step up ? Or do CFC use a rush back goal keeper system .

 

if kepa had not cost the club 70+million i Get the fealing that they are bending  over backwards to molly coddle kepa .

For sure i wish kepa would wake up and smell the coffee and sort his issues out at cobham and not at Stamford bridge or wherever CFC play .

just think we play lpool this weekend and lose 0-1 or draw 1-1 and the goal lpool Get is via a kepa howler > the  we goto last game of the season and CFC need one point to claim a top four finish > and god forbid CFC lose that game .

we talk about kepas mindset if he is dropped ,well lets turn this on its head and Ask what is willys mindset when a wreck and CAR crash as in kepa is getting game time before him 

 

I think Frank and maybe others have decided to give Kepa a chance while they negotiate a new keeper. Looking at the quantity and quality of new signings so far, a new keeper obviously hasn't been their main focus up to this point. It is hard for any organisation to admit they have made a huge mistake so looking at the attack and hoping the keeper recovers seems a reasonable assumption at the moment. Franks tactics last season were very much based on attack so I think that is where his focus has been in the market up to now. He's obviously aware of the stick Kepa's quite rightly been getting but I suspect somebody on the board is saying "we just spent £70m on this guy, give him another chance". I honestly think his price has got him back in the team. 

Top keepers are very hard to come by and yes I know just about anybody is an improvement but if the board are to spend on a keeper again they will want to make sure they don't make another gargantuan balls up. I'm pretty sure Rennes know this and are trying to squeeze the very last penny out of the Mendy deal. The price would have gone up when Kepa let the equalizer in.

These are not sporting issues and the team are suffering because of this but its early in the season and we beat Brighton. There's no need to panic at this point and I'm sure the club will sign a new keep before the window closes.

3 hours ago, Andy North said:

I think Frank and maybe others have decided to give Kepa a chance while they negotiate a new keeper. Looking at the quantity and quality of new signings so far, a new keeper obviously hasn't been their main focus up to this point. It is hard for any organisation to admit they have made a huge mistake so looking at the attack and hoping the keeper recovers seems a reasonable assumption at the moment. Franks tactics last season were very much based on attack so I think that is where his focus has been in the market up to now. He's obviously aware of the stick Kepa's quite rightly been getting but I suspect somebody on the board is saying "we just spent £70m on this guy, give him another chance". I honestly think his price has got him back in the team. 

Top keepers are very hard to come by and yes I know just about anybody is an improvement but if the board are to spend on a keeper again they will want to make sure they don't make another gargantuan balls up. I'm pretty sure Rennes know this and are trying to squeeze the very last penny out of the Mendy deal. The price would have gone up when Kepa let the equalizer in.

These are not sporting issues and the team are suffering because of this but its early in the season and we beat Brighton. There's no need to panic at this point and I'm sure the club will sign a new keep before the window closes.

What you clearly explained type of sits within what i was thinking since kepa cost so much money > if he was a TEN BOB purchase player he would have been CUT Free last season i think . Frank wants to watch his back here ,Kepa is not a player that Frank signed and it seems that Kepa is playing due to thumb screws on Frank from above ,but should CFC not Get a new keeper and chelsea are on end of too many defeats its Frank that will Get sacked .

On 14/09/2020 at 18:00, Gol15 said:

We are going to overcome Arsenal this season probably.

About 300 United points can be attributed to Fergie time, and I'm being conservative.

A few thoughts:

• Brighton's structure and organisation made things really difficult. It's difficult to put much stock in formations in modern football, as roles are so fluid, but 3-5-2 is a formation that conveys a numerical advantage against lone-striker systems like 4-2-3-1, especially when Brighton were great at holding possession.
  • The bank of 5 in midfield is excellent at congesting and denying space to turn in midfield
  • Chelsea were unable to hold possession in the midfield so that appeared to make James and Alonso much more hesitant to move forward, which in turn actually makes the congestion worse
  • The two quick strikers up-front isolated Kepa and the CBs, and stopped them forming triangles; you would often see them set up like this as we began our possession:

-------------Christensen-------Kepa--------Zouma
------------------Troussaud--------Maunday

 

===========HERE BE DRAGONS==============

 

James--------------------------------------------------Alonso

March-----------------------------------------------------Lamptey

• They also were really organised off the ball and executed their plan really well:
  • March and Lamptey sought to pressure the FBs and try and nick one from them, setting up a 3 vs 2 on the counter.
  • Lallana was a non-factor in attack but Alzate and especially Yves Bissouma had a great game mopping up stray passes. 
  • This provided an easy outlet to go long, but Werner had to contend with 3 CBs who easily mopped up any long balls, Havertz and RLC dropped deeper and Mount is no good aerially so no one actually attacked the spaces vacated by the fullbacks.
• Brighton basically tempted Chelsea to play long-ball knowing full well they had a plan to negate it.

I'm not sure why, but Jorginho and Kante didn't drop deep to help the CBs play out from the back. Brighton's formation gave them a numerical advantage but Chelsea didn't compensate by moving with the ball (and barely off it), and Lamptey and Solly are quick enough that the back-3 became a back-5 quick enough to snuff out any threat in the channels.  I wonder if that was because Lampard was happy about Chelsea's structure as apart from Tariq Lamptey, Brighton didn't really create many opportunities and were unable to break down a backline playing with solidity we hadn't seen in months.

Really, the way to open such a game is to have a Pulisic, a Ziyech or Kovacic who is able to ride challenges and negate the numerical advantage in midfield. Brighton counted on us trying to pass and move our way out of their vicegrip and it worked to an extent, but if you have a player that is able to get their players to break structure and chase shadows that's where chances happen.

And yet despite Brighton being ideally set up to have us fail, we scored 3 goals. I'm pretty happy with the result, and there might be a great foundation to build on in terms of performance.

 

 

Edited September 18, 20205 yr by SydneyChelsea

3 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

A few thoughts:

• Brighton's structure and organisation made things really difficult. It's difficult to put much stock in formations in modern football, as roles are so fluid, but 3-5-2 is a formation that conveys a numerical advantage against lone-striker systems like 4-2-3-1, especially when Brighton were great at holding possession.
  • The bank of 5 in midfield is excellent at congesting and denying space to turn in midfield
  • Chelsea were unable to hold possession in the midfield so that appeared to make James and Alonso much more hesitant to move forward, which in turn actually makes the congestion worse
  • The two quick strikers up-front isolated Kepa and the CBs, and stopped them forming triangles; you would often see them set up like this as we began our possession:

-------------Christensen-------Kepa--------Zouma
------------------Troussaud--------Maunday

 

===========HERE BE DRAGONS==============

 

James--------------------------------------------------Alonso

March-----------------------------------------------------Lamptey

• They also were really organised off the ball and executed their plan really well:
  • March and Lamptey sought to pressure the FBs and try and nick one from them, setting up a 3 vs 2 on the counter.
  • Lallana was a non-factor in attack but Alzate and especially Yves Bissouma had a great game mopping up stray passes. 
  • This provided an easy outlet to go long, but Werner had to contend with 3 CBs who easily mopped up any long balls, Havertz and RLC dropped deeper and Mount is no good aerially so no one actually attacked the spaces vacated by the fullbacks.
• Brighton basically tempted Chelsea to play long-ball knowing full well they had a plan to negate it.

I'm not sure why, but Jorginho and Kante didn't drop deep to help the CBs play out from the back. Brighton's formation gave them a numerical advantage but Chelsea didn't compensate by moving with the ball (and barely off it), and Lamptey and Solly are quick enough that the back-3 became a back-5 quick enough to snuff out any threat in the channels.  I wonder if that was because Lampard was happy about Chelsea's structure as apart from Tariq Lamptey, Brighton didn't really create many opportunities and were unable to break down a backline playing with solidity we hadn't seen in months.

Really, the way to open such a game is to have a Pulisic, a Ziyech or Kovacic who is able to ride challenges and negate the numerical advantage in midfield. Brighton counted on us trying to pass and move our way out of their vicegrip and it worked to an extent, but if you have a player that is able to get their players to break structure and chase shadows that's where chances happen.

And yet despite Brighton being ideally set up to have us fail, we scored 3 goals. I'm pretty happy with the result, and there might be a great foundation to build on in terms of performance.

 

 

I sort of agree with your synopsis. I thought Frank played Kante deeper than he had before and it worked. Later in the game Kante did forage further forward but he really did what he does best by breaking up Brighton's passing. Last seasons goals conceded figures have to be improved upon and I'm all for Kante sitting back. We don't need him in attack now with so many other options.

It wasn't pretty but we got the result because of our quality. I'm looking forward to us winning games because of our new attacking options. 

 

7 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

I'm not sure why, but Jorginho and Kante didn't drop deep to help the CBs play out from the back.

Pretty concerning really considering this is basically Jorginho's USP.