[POLL] Who should take every freekick?

[June]

A funny incident happened during Chelsea vs Manchester United before a freekick event.

Both Ballack and Drogba wanted to take a freekick, creating a bit of argument in Chelsea side.

At the end, Carvalho shoved Ballack away by force and let Drogba took the freekick (which was quite well taken).

Perhaps, Carvalho decision's was made because Ballack has got his chance in earlier freekicks.

In your opinion, who is the better freekick taker?

[Maksimov]

I don't think anyone should take all the freekicks, but I think having Ballack take most of them would be a good idea when there's a chance to try and score directly from the freekick. Drogba's pretty good at them as well, but they need to sort it out. There's no point in having the players arguing about it on the pitch. When there's no realistic chance to score directly from the freekick, someone else should take it and have Drogba and Ballack in the box because they are so strong in the air. Our crosses seem to be poor at the moment no matter who gives them, so I don't know who it should be, though.

---

Ballack commented the row about who takes the freekicks:

The former Bayern Munich midfielder also played down a row with team-mate Didier Drogba after the duo quarrelled over who would take a second-half free-kick.

"After the game it is fine," continued Ballack. "It can happen during the game.

"Everybody wants to win, he, me and everybody. It's a great victory for the team, so it's not important."

(click here for the full article)

[just]

No one single player should take free-kicks all the time. It's dependant on many factors. Distance from goal, angle to goal, position on the pitch the kick is being taken from i.e. left, right or central. etc

What should happen is this. The management should have worked on all these different scenarios on the training ground a thousand times over. And from this, certain players should have been given the responsibility to take kicks in specific situations. It's called preparation.

Unfortunately, I don't think it happens that way under Avram. It's a case of whoever fancies it, gets to take it.

[dreadis]

This was not the first time they were arguing about taking a free kick. The only bad thing about this game today...for me, even more embarrassing than RC's backpass.

I blame DD...he is too big-headed!

[coco]

JT should have intervened and chosen who took the kick.

[Maksimov]

I think it's more about passion than big headedness. Sure there could be some ego clashing as well, though.

[Ballack & Blu]

JT should have intervened and chosen who took the kick.

if you can't get word from the bench,The Captain would know the preferred Taker

[dkw]

i dont think anyone should take EVERY freekick. we should have 3 or 4 players to take them, and they should know before each game who takes them from where. looked to me like they had decided before the game who took which kind of free kick and drogbatook it upon himself to go away from the plan. drogba seriously pissed me off today. hes been playing for himself for the last 4 or 5 weeks, and has been detrimental to the team. someone needs to click hold of him and give him a wake up slap or two.

[Mr Chelsea]

i'm sure the players practice free kick on a regular basis

and they all have a prefered range and angle, todays sham must have been something they both thought they could do well off

i thought drogbas reaction was terrible

[blueday3]

Ballack has wicked curve

[just]

drogba seriously pissed me off today. hes been playing for himself for the last 4 or 5 weeks, and has been detrimental to the team. someone needs to click hold of him and give him a wake up slap or two.

dk I'm shocked at that. You're normally a reasoned sort of bloke.

I thought Drogba was superb yesterday against United. I have no doubt we would have lost that game without him.

[loz]

I agree that Drogba has been below par in recent weeks however I also agree that he was excellent yesterday. He was a total handful for the Utd defence from start to finish and he showed (again) that when he is on form (and not even necessarily at his best) he is a nightmare for defenders and a superb contributor to the team as whole rather than just as a goal getter.

Recently I have been thinking that he has been looking to play himself into the best shop window he can and he had lost sight of the fact that he was playing within a team rather than as a one man band however I think he put all that aside yesterday and put in one of those performances that we are going to miss when he leaves in the summer.

[coco]

Its now got to the point where his girly antics are embarrasing to say the least.

He obvioulsy gets treated with kid gloves within the club, take a look at how Stevie Clarke tried calming him down.

He really is way up his own arse.

Cant wait till he goes, sorry Just, but he offers less good than bad for me.

[Essien's Strike]

just shows how good Lamps is at the free kicks, he takes both corners and many FKs as well. watching joeys and kalous corners was ridiculous and showed the gap in quality.

sadly i have also come to the conclusion drogba is playign for himself.. there was a Man U freekick or some stoppage and the chelsea players were doing stuff and generally looking busy, but drogba was standing and staring at his feet.

i do believe he has lost the team spirit, and even though last season he was immense, i truly would like to see him replaced. he is carrying on with his girly agony facials and the diving again which gives chelsea FC a bad name as well.

i like the guy and i do believe he can be a great player, but his mentality doesnt fit well in an english side. Spain beckons.

[Mr Chelsea]

i thought alan hnsens little voice over of the incident was funny on motd

[Maksimov]

Have Lampard's corners really been all that good lately?

[dkw]

just, it wasnt so much the way he played yesterday that upset me, but his antics at the freekick, his falling about, whinging when the ball never got to him, pointing and shoving clarkey etc.... were 1-1 in the biggest game of the season and when the game stops he runs over to ballack wanting to argue and fight with him. what a good idea that was. he made a prat of himself and didnt do the team spirit any good.

[Y_dizzie]

Judging by Ballacks interview after the game he said it happens and laughed it of, it seems like they both wanted to win so bad.

[ethicalstrategy]

The freekick situation yesterday was a farce. Players should know who takes freekicks in what circumstances and if there is any disagreement on the pitch it is the captains responsibility to sort it out. I was a little disappointed that JT didn't do so and left it to Carvalho. I'm not going to criticise someone who wants to take the responsibility. There is nothing wrong with that. It wasn't Drogba's fault anymore than it was Ballack's. Drogba is the clubs top goalscorer. Why wouldn't he want to take it? Indeed, why shouldn't he take it?

I agree strongly with Just. Of course I do get frustrated by his rolling around and I do wish he would stop it. I disagree completely that he isn't still playing for the team. I think he always does his best and has always been a team player. He has not been anywhere near his best form for most of this season but he still does a virtually impossible job better than anyone else I can think of.

If he wants to leave in the summer then he goes with my thanks and blessing. If he decides to stay I'll be delighted.

As far as the question goes - I would probably say that Ballack would be better depending on the circumstances. A poll as to who should take every freekick is daft. No-one should take every freekick.

[Guest]

All I can say is, dispite his antics, I will be absolutely and completely shocked if at some point next season once his left the club we don't rue his departure and wish he was still here. It is probably going to take two strikers to replace the one Didier Drogba season...

[c3blu]

I think the players should know who is doing what before a game, like Jack said its preperation. There are times like saturday when Ballack took a free kick in the corner when if it had been me i'd have both him and Drogs in the box for their aireal ability.

But then again we come down to who's going to cross it and if our corners are anything to go by .

[Tim]

DD = one of the best strikers we will see at Chelsea....but one of the worst blokes.

So, so gifted and works his socks off, but he can often be childish, petulant and immature, and does himself a disservice by behaving like he does, and it gives people something else to focus on other than his undoubted talent.

I know we will miss him next season, of that I have no doubt, but I really am so fed up with his attitude and will breathe a sigh of relief when I don't have to watch him roll around like a wounded dear everytime someone touches him.

The day he made his "i've wanted to leave this club from the moment I got here' comments, was the day I gave up on DD.

[BLUENUT]

No one single player should take free-kicks all the time. It's dependant on many factors. Distance from goal, angle to goal, position on the pitch the kick is being taken from i.e. left, right or central. etc

What should happen is this. The management should have worked on all these different scenarios on the training ground a thousand times over. And from this, certain players should have been given the responsibility to take kicks in specific situations. It's called preparation.

Unfortunately, I don't think it happens that way under Avram. It's a case of whoever fancies it, gets to take it.

Exactly - we're the same with corners.

[Barn]

Two right footers both very capable of hitting the net from the left side of the goal, both playing well and both confident of scoring!!! I've got no problem with them both wanting to take the kick and when that happens the nearest team mate should make the call (rather than dragging the captain out of the penalty area to mediate), what was massively dissapointing was Drogba's bitching after it had happened. That is one bloke that could be the best striker in the world but needs to grow up.

[shammy feen]

There was a time when Lamps took all the free kicks and either....

(A) scored through a deflection.(Some of the time)

(:) Hit the wall.(Most of the time)

Most of the time Geremi didnt get a look in, although he was probably the best free kick taker at the club.

Something similar is happening now with Drogba and Ballack.

I think Ballack should be given more free kicks from distance. Drogba is better nearer the box as he can get wicked top-spin and get it up and down quickly