OneMoSalah

Sterling out at left wing back again.. honestly what a waste, if he had that chance Pulisic had he would of scored. Can’t believe he has repeatedly played him there. Yet people wonder why we don’t score a lot of goals - because one of our best finishers nowhere near the box.

Going to be a long day, isn’t it? Just has that feeling about it. And how many more soft goals are we going to concede? Did say after the Salzburg game we need to play like that first half every week as a minimum because if we don’t, teams will take points off us…

First half was good, granted but we should be able to replicate that sort of performance level a lot more. And trying to get it closer to 90 minutes. Most weeks. Second half we just didn’t really do anything particularly great, they definitely came out playing much better - even after their goal, it seemed as if we had run out of ideas for a bit. Second half was just a generic typical Chelsea performance which we’ve seen too much of over the last 12 months, just going through the motions. That sort of level at times in the first 45 minutes should be the minimum standard for this group against a lot more teams than just Salzburg. Particularly ones who are hugely inferior. @YorkshireBlue Salzburg might of been unbeaten in 40 games at home or whatever but its hardly a major achievement for us to beat them is it? I mean some of the talk of that record or reactions from the game, you’d think they were at the level of Conte’s Juventus that beat us under Di Matteo with that amazing home record/unbeaten spell or Jose’s first team here who had that spell of unbeaten home games that went to like what nearly 90 games - 86 IIRC. It doesn’t make our win that much more impressive considering it was a game of 2 halfs, first 45 we could have been out of sight, played well but then second half we were that sort of usual Chelsea of the last 12 months that didn’t take the game by the grip of the neck, let the opposition back in, didn’t create as much, just went through the motions etc. If it finished 1-1 would it still of been brilliant then? Who knows what we will against Brighton at the weekend re consistency and level of performance? We have had a collection of individual brilliant moments under Potter that have won us games ie. Gallaghers goal v Palace, Kai’s goal tonight, Kepa having made some great saves in games. Not sure we’ve really seen a massive change or huge improvement as a team with him yet (but obviously not all on him) but if you’d read through the post/posts you’d find a lot more of what I’ve actually posted. Not just a comment you’ve made up by taking half of what I’ve said and adding your own twist to it trying to make me look like a bellend.

So on BT Sport Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle thought we played brilliantly, particularly as we played against a team who haven’t lost at home in 40 games….. Wow. I hope nobody else here thinks that. Second half we did nothing of note really. This is why United managed to sneak that equaliser and why other higher quality teams than Salzburg will sneak points off us unless we do something about it. Not enough urgency or clinical edge. Kepa again making saves but not exactly from any opposition play that has deserved to tear us apart, just basic things. Still plenty of work to do, can’t afford to start thinking that scrappy 2-1 wins against Salzburg and dropping 2 points against United in the 94th minute is acceptable. Particularly when the manager also got it wrong tactically for 35 minutes in that game. I don’t really see a huge difference in the team. And thats worrying for all this talk of what the new manager was supposed to bring. We are basically playing the same way. But the players are trying a wee bit harder than they were before.

One long ball… hows he let that boy take it down… now Kepa flying at everything. Lol

Thats Havertz scored a goal so he will inevitably do fuck all for the next 3 months now.

To be fair it comes from committing too many men up field. Not an individual error by Cucurella by any means - he’s actually been relatively solid so far but he's always going to be exposed to a degree with the shape and with his role in the back 3 because he effectively becomes the LB in possession. I mean the ball is great but its far too simple to get into that position for them. If the goalscorer doesn’t get it the man Sterling (I’m assuming its his man) has let go is likely getting it. Which this defies logic even more why GP is insistent on using Sterling as a wingback positionally.

The BT Sport pundits getting hugely excited about us playing well against a very very average team who have posed no thread. Granted we are playing well tonight but it looks like Potter is going to get us some major love from the pundits like Frank did for a short period when he came in. I mean - we should be playing well with this squad against this mob. For me, I don’t think theres been a hugely noticeable difference with Potter, his style and system compared to TT’s as of yet. I am seeing a lot of the same patterns in the first and second third when building up, some which we also seen with Conte in terms of building out in 3 v 2 situations and finding the spare man etc. As well as playing with that same double 6 in midfield…. And again - what is the point in worrying about how well your team plays you concede a goal in that fashion. Ridiculously easy.

What I also dont like or get is why GP insists on using Sterling as a wingback. Hes the sort of guy who you want in and around the box… I mean just look at his City career and the goals he gets…. put him in and around the 18 yard box and hes going to score.

Aubamayang and Havertz 2 massive chances. At least Auba’s wasnt as tame an effort but Havertz man.. wake up. Any other sort of decent contact thats 2-0. Didn’t want it enough.

Not going to lie but Koulibaly has been pretty awful for us so not so sure its as easy a fix as changing Cucurella out for him.

What a crock of shite. Tuchel won a CL with 75% of this squad. Arguably, you could say the squad is better now than it was then. I mean Sterling is an improvement, Cucurella is an improvement, Aubamayang is an improvement, fair enough losing Rudiger and even Christensen but we’ve not necessarily downgraded hugely on them. People complained TT had us playing poorly with this squad… now Potters in, nobody in the world could beat teams with this squad? Jesus. Next week it’ll be back to “this squad should be playing better”….

We shouldn’t be so reliant on one wing back though. I mean the systems heavily reliant on them stretching the pitch, creating overloads and freeing up spaces for the attackers but between Cucurella and Chilwell, who should be more than enough to offer some sort of threat on the left hand side depending who starts, they haven’t necessarily done it. Chilwell has yet to excite me fully as a Chelsea player and his lack of intent in the final third is painful to watch. He doesn’t arrive with purpose that the likes of a Andy Robertson does, or even like Cucurella at Brighton last season - which hopefully MC offers eventually. Also tonight his marking of Casemiro for that goal, I agree with Roy Keanes analysis, its a half hearted jump.

Abysmal defending. But to be expected. Kepa desperately unfortunate but also some header. Another 2 points thrown away because we should of seen that game out.

I think it was blatantly obvious before a ball was kicked to see that playing a 2 man MF (Jorginho and RLC as a pair was daft) against United’s 3 was always going to be a bad idea. Particularly when you consider the mix of athleticism and quality Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes have. Or watched United’s performances against Spurs who even switched to a 3-5-2 to line up against United’s 3 man MF. I mean its not out of the ordinary to know that 3 v 2 is always a mismatch, is it?

Inherited a squad brimmed with talented players though, that have won a CL, Super Cup, Club World Cup etc. Yes we have a few injuries but to go in to a home game against Man United who are becoming a more possession based team, playing a midfield 2 (one of them being RLC) up against Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes was amateurish. And that was on the manager. Look at the difference when Kova came on and we went 4-3-3. Madness it took him 30 odd minutes to come to that conclusion for me.

Potter getting outmanoeuvred tactically by ten Hag so far. Outnumbered in MF and the ease in which United are going through us is ridiculous. They’ve got us pinned in really, can’t get the wing backs into the game to stretch the pitch and the attackers not seeing enough of it. A big save by Kepa. Also I’ll be the first to say it, TT wouldn’t be getting outdone tactically by EtH. We need to make changes to even things up in midfield, although looks like Mounts dropping in more.

True but again, this run will do his confidence the world of good. And his kicking ability ties in with how we build up a lot better than Mendys does. Its like a nice wee redemption story for somebody who has been harshly over criticised at times when he struggled also. Defensively we need to be much better still as a team and this high pressing approach people believed GP would bring, it is also needing improved upon.

Another big performance. Defence aren’t helping him one bit though.

Neymar? No thanks. Like Ronaldo, another very stupid transfer to make.

I am sorry but if we play like we did first half when we come up against United, if they are in the sort of form they are tonight against Spurs, we will get pasted. Havertz is done here also, barring a miracle, I mean what in the fuck sort of generational talent footballer is he meant to be? He is fucking honking.

Being comfortable on the ball is an essential to being a modern day professional footballer though? Even more so as a central defender in this day and age where every Tom, Dick or Harry is a Guardiola acolyte. I mean every half decent team in Europe is proactive with the ball and able to play out to a reasonable degree. So is it really poor man management? Absolutely not. Kvaratskhelia looks like he could be a good player but again, a lot of people are basing this off of like 15 games from his time in Italy with Napoli. And thats it. Still too early to be entirely convinced that he is the real deal and I think he would be wise to remain at Napoli for another season at least and repeat what he’s doing so far. Although football doesn’t always work like that.

Wont see Zakaria. GP doesn’t want him and wants to cut the loan short. Plus its going to be 343/3412, that is obviously our best shape. Even without James.

Playing well but still the king of doing the most pointless step overs when he gets the ball when absolutely not one opposition player is near him. Like he did it when he had about 25m of space and I was sat there like wtf is the point 😂 just sums his career up really. Am expecting this patch to fade and him to leave eventually. Unless he wants to be a squad player.

I think with the way Graham Potter likes his teams to build out from the back it was always a given Kepa was going to get a fair shot at least due to his technical and distribution skills but I didn’t expect him to start as often as he has so far. But you can see he is always an option when we have the ball and he is much much more comfortable than Mendy in this regard. Wonder if anyone will claim the board have asked GP to play him like they did in previous seasons with Frank or TT 🤣?