2 hours ago, Malcolm9 said:

How the hell Alonso gets anywhere near the starting XI really baffles me. The guy was kinda ok when he popped up with a goal here and there a few seasons back, but his lack of mobility and being extremely one footed just gives the opposition an advantage from the start.

Werner was shocking, we really need to cut our losses and pack him back off to Germany. Maybe do a deal with Dortmund to get Bellingham or Haaland.

I hate these games where we just capitulate for a period of time, we always get one or two a season at least.

Some of it is our making too.. why we would start Werner and Alonso together just baffles me.. I would rather have Azpi in a back 4 then Alonso.. lukaku over Werner .. I can’t believe we got out fought and out played by a championship side..

9 hours ago, axman2526 said:

@Munkworth despite us all feeling pretty crumy about this game I am guessing you at least have the comfort it happened this weekend rather than next weekend eh?

I don't get why people are blaming the players, this is on Tuchel. He had the wrong tactical set up and decided to start with players who travelled and played internationals. It was laughable to hear him say the players were tired especially Tiago Silva who is 37 and was probably jet lagged.

We had Sarr , chalobah , Christensen, Saul and Lukaku stay back during internationals and non of them started. 

Also Loftus cheek is not a freaking DM and Alonso can play wingback but should never play in a back 4.

My worry is not the result but the physical toll this game would have taken on our players . It will be interested to see the line up Vs madrid

Edited April 3, 20224 yr by The Don Antonio

8 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Were you at the the game @CaitlinCFC ? Was TT right to have a pop at the fans?

I was at the game and I’ve been to quieter matches. Also, we tried at the beginning but with the sh*t being served we went quieter, a reaction to the players’ attitudes. 
Also, something I’ve noticed is that the fan base is resigned with the situation of the club, and there is a general lack of morale. When I talk to my match going friends they feel angry and we don’t understand why we are paying for whatever happens in Russia and Ukraine, but where is all that protest and anger that we showed when the Club joined the super league? We are not a guilty part in the invasion and should be protesting to get back our right to go to the matches. So I think that all the government propaganda against Chelsea and the sh*t you hear linking us to the invasion from parliament and news, is sinking in and demoralising a majority of the fan base. It would be interesting to know the view of other match going fans in here.

A positive slap to receive before the match against Real Madrid.

It happens to every team, the performance was disappointing and the result of course. Honestly, we didn't deserve to win or even draw there, Brentford looked much more better and hunger than us. 

We have to be mentally focused and have the right attitude to play against Real Madrid because I truly believe we can win them and pass to the next step.

Edited April 3, 20224 yr by IliyaKrostin

11 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Were you at the the game @CaitlinCFC ? Was TT right to have a pop at the fans?

I felt the it was a little flat yesterday. The atmosphere at the start wasn’t as strong as it could be and it was a flat and slow performance on the pitch that didn’t help. That said some expect top performance every game and crowd falls flat if we are poor.

4 hours ago, RMH said:

I was at the game and I’ve been to quieter matches. Also, we tried at the beginning but with the sh*t being served we went quieter, a reaction to the players’ attitudes. 
Also, something I’ve noticed is that the fan base is resigned with the situation of the club, and there is a general lack of morale. When I talk to my match going friends they feel angry and we don’t understand why we are paying for whatever happens in Russia and Ukraine, but where is all that protest and anger that we showed when the Club joined the super league? We are not a guilty part in the invasion and should be protesting to get back our right to go to the matches. So I think that all the government propaganda against Chelsea and the sh*t you hear linking us to the invasion from parliament and news, is sinking in and demoralising a majority of the fan base. It would be interesting to know the view of other match going fans in here.

Very interesting. I have been asking a similar question about why our fanbase just seem to be bending over and taking it from the government with nothing other than social media complaints.

If it were Liverpool I have said, in all seriousness, their fans would have gone berserk. Possibly so far as trashing number 10 and burning down parliament. 

1 hour ago, Richard P said:

I felt the it was a little flat yesterday. The atmosphere at the start wasn’t as strong as it could be and it was a flat and slow performance on the pitch that didn’t help. That said some expect top performance every game and crowd falls flat if we are poor.

Yeah there always seems such a difference between our home support and away support. Often our away support makes more noise, least it seems so on TV.

13 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Were you at the the game @CaitlinCFC ? Was TT right to have a pop at the fans?

Yes. It was much quieter but I didn't know he had a pop at the fans. Do you mean the Roman thing a few weeks ago.

37 minutes ago, CaitlinCFC said:

Yes. It was much quieter but I didn't know he had a pop at the fans. Do you mean the Roman thing a few weeks ago.

Ah I don't remember where I saw it now but he said something along the lines of that it was a strange game, with a strange atmosphere and that it felt like a pretty season friendly in the first half from what he was getting from the supporters. Said he and the team need far more from them on days like today, and when we play Real.

The other question is when we knew that chilly was out for a long time why did we not invest in a LB.. the Everton guy would have been good.. our transfer philosophy sometimes just defies logic!!

7 hours ago, The Don Antonio said:

I don't get why people are blaming the players, this is on Tuchel. He had the wrong tactical set up and decided to start with players who travelled and played internationals. It was laughable to hear him say the players were tired especially Tiago Silva who is 37 and was probably jet lagged.

We had Sarr , chalobah , Christensen, Saul and Lukaku stay back during internationals and non of them started. 

Also Loftus cheek is not a freaking DM and Alonso can play wingback but should never play in a back 4.

My worry is not the result but the physical toll this game would have taken on our players . It will be interested to see the line up Vs madrid

It can be both. There is no way the players get away with that without criticism. I didn't like the team Tuchel sent out, but that team should have been more than capable of putting in a performance and not allowing Brentford to score 4 goals. Brentford are a team near the bottom of the table, they would love to have the players we fielded yesterday. 

There are issues with getting this team out of sleep mode when we start games. They take forever to actually get going. The time to win a game of football starts in the first minute, not past the 45 minute mark.

2 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Very interesting. I have been asking a similar question about why our fanbase just seem to be bending over and taking it from the government with nothing other than social media complaints.

If it were Liverpool I have said, in all seriousness, their fans would have gone berserk. Possibly so far as trashing number 10 and burning down parliament. 

Yeah there always seems such a difference between our home support and away support. Often our away support makes more noise, least it seems so on TV.

Well, our fan base showed the way in the Superleague protest, and there was anger at a situation that not many of us liked and wanted to change. Now it’s like we’re ok with it, we are taking all the insult in and accepting an over the top penalty for something we are definitely not guilty of. FFS we are accepting that we will not be able to attend any matches (other than season ticket holders) because our owner is Russian, it’s just not right. Sometimes I wish we were a bit more like Liverpool, to be honest, as you say, they wouldn't let this happen and wouldn’t take the sh*t from the government.

3 hours ago, RMH said:

Well, our fan base showed the way in the Superleague protest, and there was anger at a situation that not many of us liked and wanted to change. Now it’s like we’re ok with it, we are taking all the insult in and accepting an over the top penalty for something we are definitely not guilty of. FFS we are accepting that we will not be able to attend any matches (other than season ticket holders) because our owner is Russian, it’s just not right. Sometimes I wish we were a bit more like Liverpool, to be honest, as you say, they wouldn't let this happen and wouldn’t take the sh*t from the government.

100%. There’s no uproar about the ticket stuff at all. Everyone in football knows that it’s nonsense and there’s no reason for the club to be almost half full. Ridiculous. 

17 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Very interesting. I have been asking a similar question about why our fanbase just seem to be bending over and taking it from the government with nothing other than social media complaints.

If it were Liverpool I have said, in all seriousness, their fans would have gone berserk. Possibly so far as trashing number 10 and burning down parliament. 

Yeah there always seems such a difference between our home support and away support. Often our away support makes more noise, least it seems so on TV.

Suppose the main difference here is Chelsea fans have jobs to think about.

Away support is better for every team. Its much easier to be loud when you're travelling and making a day of it up against a full stadium of opposition. One of the main reasons I mainly only go to aways.

Like a few have said, I think Tuchel got the team wrong today on paper. I like the thought of being flexible too, but we don't seem to have mastered any particular formation. When you see Liverpool they play that 4-3-3 week in week out. We seem to chop and change between a 3-4-3 / 4-3-3 with different players each week. Silva should never have started this one, Alonso should never play in a back 4, RLC isn't a lone DM, if Havertz is playing false 9 there's no need for Ziyech to play as a creator. A lot of mistakes i think. On to Madrid though, should beat them.