Considering we have 2 LWBs cost more than 100M, laughable to play another player in that position. Back 3 should be reserved for those games against bigger teams, I'd be disappointed if we play 3 against Brighton. Realistically, Potter is getting better results than most expected, but it's too early to judge him until end of the season at least.

8 hours ago, forbzy said:

Agreed. He looked a little lost when he came on last night for example.

There's a huge flip side to that strategy forbzy. A young player can feel the manager doesn't believe he is good enough. When he gets on the pitch he can try too hard because he isn't sure when he will get another go. His confidence and self-belief can drop very quickly. The manager then trusts him less. And a downward spiral follows.

10 hours ago, Valpo said:

 

That's my concern.  It makes sense when you have James and Chilly available as they provide both strong attack and defense.  

 

But when you lose one you have to pick between players who offer attack but little defense (Sterling, Pulisic) or players who offer defense but little attack (Azpi)

 

I would want to try Cucurella at the right wing back role but he's too busy playing CB because we have so many CB injuries.

 

 

It is not really important back 5 or back 4. In the end of the day somebody need to defend. 

If you don't want stelrling to defend out wide, that is fine. you need to ask Jorgi to defend out wide. 

 

7 hours ago, Bob stark said:

If you don't want stelrling to defend out wide,

That's just common sense to not want that.
We have perfectly adequate wingbacks that can play there if Potter wants to go with the back five.
I may be wrong here and I will hold my hands up and be happy about it if i am. But i think we will be much better of in the long term if Potter stopped tinkering with the formation and stopped using players in wrong positions.

To become an actual top team i think you need to create a side that is extremely drilled in one system. Players get to know their role and what they need to do and then they start to build chemistry and patterns both offensively and defensively and we will be better of because of it. Thats in many ways of Tuchel took a squad that was miles off being the best in Europe and made us Champions of Europe and i think Potter will be much better of if he tries to do the same.
In addition to this I would like us to press more and higher than we have seen so far. Our squad isn't perfect in any way but if its built for anything it's built for pressing high as one solid unit in my opinion. In the league especially that's something Potter have failed at so far which led to us being dominated by Villa and Brentford and for at least one half against United at Stamford Bridge. We have become far too deep far too often and whats worse is that we have struggled to be solid and compact when deep as well and it goes without a saying that, thats a major problem.

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, Droy said:

That's just common sense to not want that.
We have perfectly adequate wingbacks that can play there if Potter wants to go with the back five.
I may be wrong here and I will hold my hands up and be happy about it if i am. But i think we will be much better of in the long term if Potter stopped tinkering with the formation and stopped using players in wrong positions.

To become an actual top team i think you need to create a side that is extremely drilled in one system. Players get to know their role and what they need to do and then they start to build chemistry and patterns both offensively and defensively and we will be better of because of it. Thats in many ways of Tuchel took a squad that was miles off being the best in Europe and made us Champions of Europe and i think Potter will be much better of if he tries to do the same.
In addition to this I would like us to press more and higher than we have seen so far. Our squad isn't perfect in any way but if its built for anything it's built for pressing high as one solid unit in my opinion. In the league especially that's something Potter have failed at so far which led to us being dominated by Villa and Brentford and for at least one half against United at Stamford Bridge. We have become far too deep far too often and whats worse is that we have struggled to be solid and compact when deep as well and it goes without a saying that, thats a major problem.

Potter's talk about flexibility makes him sound like a reactive manager, and reactive managers make me nervous. 

That's probably a bit reductive but if you want to be successful at the top level you need to develop a team who controls and imposes themselves on the game, not reacting to whatever is given to them.

4 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Potter's talk about flexibility makes him sound like a reactive manager, and reactive managers make me nervous. 

That's probably a bit reductive but if you want to be successful at the top level you need to develop a team who controls and imposes themselves on the game, not reacting to whatever is given to them.

I agree most big team does not want to change unless they play another big team. I read Nagelsman interview where he said this is one of the biggest difference between leipzig and Bayern. 

Potter so far is showing that he want us to play 343ish but he want to be very flexible. It is going be interesting to see whether it will works or not. 

8 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Potter's talk about flexibility makes him sound like a reactive manager, and reactive managers make me nervous. 

That's probably a bit reductive but if you want to be successful at the top level you need to develop a team who controls and imposes themselves on the game, not reacting to whatever is given to them.

Agreed. Clearly, it’s still early days but the chopping and changing is not going to help him at this level. At Brighton you can get away with it. You can also get away with this kind of a run with 3 wins in 25 league games which happened last year at Brighton.

 

9 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Potter's talk about flexibility makes him sound like a reactive manager, and reactive managers make me nervous. 

That's probably a bit reductive but if you want to be successful at the top level you need to develop a team who controls and imposes themselves on the game, not reacting to whatever is given to them.

Look at City. Pep has almost completely changed the way his team plays in the Prem. He is arguably the greatest manager there is. 

He has his basic principles naturally as probably Potter has as well. 

How have Chelsea changed in attack?
	Under Potter	Under Tuchel
Average possession	62%	62.2%
Passes per game	589	569
Shots per game	13.1	12.1
Goals per game	1.8	1.1
Expected goals per game	1.32	1.25

 

Interesting stats from the BBC. Even though we're scoring more goals, our expected goals, possession and shots per game are very similar to before

3 hours ago, Drogba1 said:

How have Chelsea changed in attack?
	Under Potter	Under Tuchel
Average possession	62%	62.2%
Passes per game	589	569
Shots per game	13.1	12.1
Goals per game	1.8	1.1
Expected goals per game	1.32	1.25

 

Interesting stats from the BBC. Even though we're scoring more goals, our expected goals, possession and shots per game are very similar to before

Kinda shows how I saw Tuchel this season, he was either going to win every match 1:0 or not win at all.

12 hours ago, evissy said:

Look at City. Pep has almost completely changed the way his team plays in the Prem. He is arguably the greatest manager there is. 

He has his basic principles naturally as probably Potter has as well. 

City have a system but they also have the players to make any system work. Look at Ancelotti, a hero with Real Madrid, not so much with Everton. 

Caught football focus and Pat Nevin on Potter at Chelsea.

He said it was a nightmare for opposition managers as they did not know which Chelsea they would be facing in terms of personnel or systems.

He added sometimes it does not work and he has to change it like against Man Utd.

Currently after 10 matches unbeaten and a win rate of 67%

Nevin said it reminded him of CFC under Mourinho.

Potter has to go if we don‘t reach Top 4. What‘s the point in keeping a Kepa merchant who even destroys players like Sterling and puts out formations a drunk Southgate wouldn‘t even think of. Tuchel reached all domestic cup finals and won the CL with that lot and fking Boehly sent him away for a Southgate clone.

Tuchels alleged negative football doesn’t look bad now, that’s one of the worst halves I’ve seen in a long long time

I'd say Potter needs to go at halftime!

Never seen a manager so out of their depth in my life. Moyes at United comes close I guess but even he's a superior manager to Potter.

Wingers at wingback hasn't worked once, and yet here we are still doing it every game. 

Watching Graham Potter pick players for positions:

 

Imagine bringing Sterling to the club to play at wing back 😐

I can forgive a manager trying it once as an experiment, but to consistently play him there when it's clear as day that he is not suited to the role, you have to question what Potter is even thinking. A player with 158 goals playing as a wing back, a player with no defensive qualities playing as wing back, a player that cannot run up and down the pitch playing as a wing back.........yet he keeps playing him there, over and over again.

Pulisic is in a similar position, he has never worked as a wing back, none of our wingers should be playing f**king wing back! The only reason why Tuchel played Pulisic at wing back was because we were desperate after losing Chilwell. Well, we have Chilwell back now and Cucurella was bought in for cover, there is zero reason to not be starting at least one of them at wing back in every game.

Can Potter not see that Chalobah and Cucurella are being completely overrun because the wing backs don't know how to do the job of a wing back? I don't blame either Pulisic or Sterling for this, it would be like telling a striker to do the job of a DM.

Also, what the f**k is Potter seeing in Loftus-Cheek to be picking him as a regular starter? What does he do? He's sleeping in every game he plays. Loftus-Cheek has been a handy squad player at best over the past year, somebody to fill in when players need rest or when we are switching our tactical game, like when Tuchel would play him as a wing back. If Potter thinks he can get us into the top 4 or even win anything with Loftus-Cheek as a regular starter in midfield, then he may as well resign now, because all it will prove is that he is well out of his depth.

Edited October 29, 20223 yr by Scott Harris

Said it a few days ago that Sterling/Pulisic at wingback negates them both. It also negates their ability to create for Auba. So right there you have killed the attack.

And it hurts us defensively as well, they're attackers, not defenders.

Mount is also not playing well and not being played where he should either. 

The entire shape is been awful. Potter is seriously neutering the attack while hurting our defense. 

Bottom line is any manager players wingers as wingbacks is being stubborn and choosing his system over the players he has. That never ends well. 

Highly rate Potter and I think we're gonna be good under him long term, but, he complete f**ked up the team today. Playing bang average players like RLC in this team is an embarrassment.

Boehly sacked one of the best managers in the world for a complete fraud whose only glow-up has been that he finally had an appointment at the hairdresser‘s

We will in no way challenge for the league with this unorthodox back 5. 
 

I can’t think of one player that is currently playing to their strengths bar Kovacic. Not one. 
 

 

Bearded fraud.

Just now, Sconnie Blue said:

We will in no way challenge for the league with this unorthodox back 5. 
 

I can’t think of one player that is currently playing to their strengths bar Kovacic. Not one. 
 

 

And even Kovacic will struggle because he has to do the work for sleepy Loftus-Cheek.