Vesper

Ramy Bensebaini has been really solid at LB he was my number one backup want

lol, look at all the Citeh players

2020-21 UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 Atalanta Real Madrid http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/champions-league-atalanta-vs-real-madrid-s2/#! https://www.totalsportek.com/stream-page-2/

2020-21 UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 Borussia Monchengladbach Manchester City http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/champions-league-borussia-mgladbach-vs-manchester-city-s1/#! https://www.totalsportek.com/page-4/

Asking ‘new’ Atletico to get up to old tricks did not work for Simeone https://theathletic.com/2401284/2021/02/24/simeones-hand-was-forced-but-relying-on-leaky-defence-did-not-work-for-atletico/ Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 first leg against Chelsea saw Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone send out his ‘new’ Rojiblanco side to play like the old El Cholo-coached teams from earlier in his decade-long reign. It did not work. At all. Most of the talk coming into the game — including from former Atletico captain Gabi to The Athletic — was of how Simeone had adapted his tactics and thinking to suit the characteristics of his current squad. Atletico’s super-solid, dogged defenders of yore, symbolised by Gabi himself, along with fellow warriors including Diego Godin and Raul Garcia, were no longer around. In their place was a post-makeover team who actively want to take the initiative and play in the opposition half, with expensive talents such as Joao Felix and Thomas Lemar aiming to create opportunities for penalty-box poacher Luis Suarez. This novel approach within a new 3-5-2 shape had Atletico flying around the time the last-16 draw was made in December, on their way to matching the historic record of 50 points at the halfway mark of the La Liga season. But since then pretty much everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for them. Simeone reacted by looking to return to his team’s previous core values — but now with players without the characteristics or personality to do so. The first big blow was Kieran Trippier’s (pretty surreal) 10-week ban for betting offences being confirmed in early January. Trippier had been playing really well at right wing-back, and had no direct replacement in the squad. Then left wing-back Yannick Carrasco, who had been in the form of his life, tested positive for COVID-19. The two players key to making the 3-5-2 work were not available. Then, Simeone’s best centre-back, Jose Maria Gimenez, got injured again. In the seven La Liga games since Trippier’s ban was confirmed, Atletico have kept no clean sheets, conceded 12 goals and dropped seven points. All the way through, Simeone kept the 3-5-2 shape, first moving midfielders Saul Niguez and converted attacker Marcos Llorente into the wing-back positions. Sime Vrsaljko, Renan Lodi, youngster Ricard Sanchez and Angel Correa were all tried out too through recent weeks — but none of it really worked. So, as the biggest game of the season so far arrived, Simeone went back to what had worked for him before. Tuesday against Chelsea was the first game since September that Atletico started with a back four, albeit with Llorente now as an orthodox right-back. On paper, it actually looked a truly attacking XI — with Felix and Correa supporting Suarez up front. In practice, it was a six-man defence whenever Chelsea had the ball — Correa was tracking left wing-back Marcos Alonso, with Lemar also falling back to cover Callum Hudson-Odoi on the other wing. There was perhaps some method in this. Simeone’s old team had conceded just twice in their last 13 home Champions League knockout games, playing the way he knows best. They had also gone back to basics last season when knocking Liverpool out of the competition. Speaking after Tuesday’s game, which was their home leg despite being played in Bucharest because of COVID-19 restrictions, Simeone himself explained that had been the plan. “We wanted to be ordered, strong at the back, and use the talent we had when we won the ball back,” he said. The way his team played suggested Atletico would have been quite happy with a 0-0, and for the away-goals rule to then be in their favour for the second leg in London on March 17. Maybe they were remembering how holding Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea to a goalless first game at their old Vicente Calderon home in the competition’s semi-finals seven years ago was followed by a 3-1 win in the decider at Stamford Bridge. For the first hour on Tuesday, the plan did not go that badly, even if there was little entertainment for those of us watching. Chelsea had most of the ball, but Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak had just one save to make — and dealt comfortably with Timo Werner’s snap shot. But Simeone was asking his players to do something they were not really prepared for, or used to doing, and it was not going to end well. With 68 minutes gone, Llorente ventured away from his post at right-back, and was then caught out as Alonso got in behind him, with Correa out of position too. None of Atletico’s other defenders dealt with the cross — Stefan Savic miskicked, Felipe fell over and then Mario Hermoso’s attempt to flick the ball clear just set Olivier Giroud up for a superb bicycle-kick finish. It was really well taken, but also avoidable, and just the type of goal that the Diego Godin-Miranda partnership of that 2014 era would never have conceded. So, relying on a team which had recently given up comically bad goals to Cadiz and Levante in La Liga to keep a clean sheet in a huge Champions League match turned out not to be the best idea. “The game did not go as we hoped,” said captain Koke on Spanish TV afterwards. “Our plan is always to defend well, no matter what formation you use,” said team-mate Oblak, wistfully. It is true Simeone’s hand was forced, to quite a big extent. Between betting bans, COVID-19 absences and injury issues, the new-look Atletico team which was sailing through the autumn has been blown completely off course. Trying to remake some of those pieces back into the old indefatigable shape was perhaps understandable, but the trial did not work. The creative players in the team — especially Felix and Lemar — were too busy doing unfamiliar tasks. Atletico’s only half-chances over the entire 90 minutes came by forcing mistakes by pressing a nervy-looking Chelsea back line. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy seemed shaky all night but was not tested by even one shot on target. Simeone appeared to accept afterwards that the timing of this game had not been good for his team, and said he hoped to have key players including Trippier and Carrasco back for the return. This would allow him to restore others, such as Llorente and Lemar, to the creative positions where they had been playing so well until recently. Maybe at Stamford Bridge we will get to see how this ‘new’ Atletico Madrid perform on the biggest European stage. But already it looks too late.

Chelsea's best player last night wasn't Giroud Wednesday February 24 2021 Matt Law's Chelsea briefing Christensen is coming good — just like Emenalo predicted By Matt Law, Football News Correspondent When Michael Emenalo departed Chelsea he described Andreas Christensen as the best possible leaving present. It was a moment of great pride to Emenalo that in his last day as a Chelsea employee, Christensen repaid his faith and years of hard work. Against Manchester United, five days after a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Roma in the Champions League, former head coach Antonio Conte drafted Christensen into the heart of his back three. The move worked and Emenalo, knowing he would formally resign from his post as technical director the next day, could not have been happier. So it is safe to assume that Emenalo would have watched Chelsea’s Champions League first-leg victory over Atletico Madrid with a smile on his face, as Christensen helped to frustrate Luis Suarez. Olivier Giroud’s spectacular winner grabbed the headlines and the replays, but Christensen was Chelsea’s best player in Bucharest — not putting a foot wrong defensively and, as usual, using the ball well in possession. Christensen prevented Suarez having much influence in last night's game CREDIT: GETTY Thiago Silva’s injury had been viewed as a serious blow for Thomas Tuchel, but the Conte defensive blueprint is working well for him so far and Christensen has slotted back into his old position with ease. The 24-year-old clearly likes having the experience of captain Cesar Azpilicueta alongside him in a back three and Chelsea are yet to concede a goal to the opposition in the games in which Christensen has started under Tuchel after he was left out of the 1-1 draw with Southampton. Tuchel will have a big dilemma on his hands when Thiago returns from injury, perhaps as soon as Sunday for the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League. And Chelsea have crucial negotiations looming over Christensen’s future, with the player’s contract due to expire in the summer of 2022. With the club in the market for a new central defender, Christensen will want to be sure that he can fight for a first-team place at Stamford Bridge before committing his long-term future to Chelsea. And he will also be aware that more good performances for Denmark at this summer’s European Championships will only enhance his reputation across Europe. Chelsea will be painfully aware of how players such as Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne have come back to haunt them after going away to mature elsewhere, but they and Tuchel will need to demonstrate the sort of faith Emenalo first showed in Christensen. It was Emenalo who signed Christensen from Brondby back in 2012 and who devised the two-year loan at Borussia Monchengladbach to get him ready for first-team football in the Premier League. Talking about Emenalo’s influence, Christensen said: “People from the outside don’t always see the whole picture. For me he did a great job. Sometimes it is easy to say things when you don’t know what’s going on. “He was the first one at Chelsea to insist that I signed here. After I joined, he always said his office door was open to me. “If he could see I was concerned about something he’d reassure me, just by saying simple things like, ‘Don’t worry, the manager can see what you’re capable of, just keep doing what you’re doing.’ Those statements helped me keep my head held up high, to keep looking forward and ready for what might happen.” Chelsea’s head coaches have had their doubts about Christensen, while injuries have also slowed his progress. It was cruel that he missed the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United with a back problem at the end of his breakout season. He played in the following season’s Europa League final victory over Arsenal, having benefited from an injury to Antonio Rudiger, and was part of a heavily rotated central defence under Frank Lampard. But it is not since those early performances in Conte’s back three, in 2017, that Chelsea fans have really seen just why Emenalo rated him as such a special talent and personality. It was during his In-house interview explaining his decision to leave Chelsea, that Emenalo singled out Christensen as a source of great pride. "Andreas, unbeknown to him, gave me a wonderful parting gift because his performance [against Manchester United] is indicative of what development is all about,” said Emenalo. “Development equals humility, hard work and timing and Andreas has done all three. "He’s shown great humility to go on loan and work very hard while he was there and gain the experience which is needed, and the timing is right for him now to step in and show what he’s learnt during those periods of development." Christensen’s timing against Atletico could not have been better, as he gave Chelsea the perfect reminder of Emenalo’s parting gift.

Chilwell would tear shit up if he was on Manure or Citeh or even back at Leicester (all 3 have LB issues), so than fuck he is not at any of those 3

fraud is too harsh, he just was not ready to lead a monster club

TIGER WOODS BADLY INJURED IN CAR CRASH ... Seen Speeding From Hotel Minutes Before Accident

a big LB is why I was obsessed with going for Theo Hernández

Chilwell is an issue atm, I so hope he doesn't go mental and demand to be sold surely he must see the bigger long term picture

lol, Tuchel has rehabilitated so many players I thought were shit for us so I have no clue what we do selling wise

no, Hermoso on purpose kicked the ball backward if he had not done it on purpose, then offside

I SO want to smash those manure cunts BADLY

Giroud only trails Håland in CL scoring Mr Europe

we need to close it out with two massive players (in terms of handling their press Jorginho is massive)

every BT sport pundit picked Chels before the game?

I stand by what I said Tuchel is streets ahead of Lampard as a tactical manager, and understands the players positionally far better too

yes but he was huge in the air all game

I switched Giroud to 2nd, I fucked up on first post

was a defensive masterclass

AC MOTM for me Giroud 2nd Alonso 3rd Rudiger 4th

what a win but damn Mount and Jorginho miss the next game

fucking foul throw! wtf

Kante has been a demon of defence since he came in, pure destruction