wj818

When Roman came and started buying big players with big money Chelsea got shit and still do.
When Qatar goes for PSG and start buying big players with big money PSG are called ambitious...

Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid shadow lingers on at the Bernabeu

José Mourinho, the anti-Barcelona, stands alone in modern footballThe Chelsea manager is close to seeing his team win the Premier League but of everyone involved in the Barça team in the 1990s, from Pep Guardiola to Julen Lopetegui, he is the outcast who now revels in his role as the dark lord
• Sid Lowe: Barça’s philosophy makes them coaching incubator for top clubs A Barcelona fan with a cardboard mask of José Mourinho. Photograph: Jasper Juinen/Getty ImagesJonathan Wilson

Thursday 23 April 201512.20 BST Last modified on Thursday 23 April 201512.48 BST Modern football was invented in Barcelona in the mid-90s. Of this season’s Champions League quarter-finalists, four sides are managed by players who turned out for Barça in 1996: Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Julen Lopetegui and Laurent Blanc. Within a couple of years, they had been joined by Frank de Boer and Phillip Cocu as well as the coach Louis van Gaal and his assistant Ronald Koeman. In slightly differing ways, the eight are apostles for the Barcelona way – or, more accurately, given the influence of Ajax on that style, the Barçajax way. However, there was another presence there, initially as a translator and then as a coach. In the Barçocracy of modern football, there is a fallen angel.
In the modern world, at least at elite level, José Mourinho stands alone. At the greatest coaching seminar the world has seen, when the game as we know it was shaped, but he did not draw the same lessons everybody else did. The other eight espoused the proactive, possession-based football seeded at the club by Vic Buckingham, developed by Rinus Michels and taken to new levels by Johan Cruyff.
Mourinho, however, was different. Mourinho believed in reactive football. He was the outsider, the outcast who now revels in his role as the dark lord. Saturday’s game against Manchester United was typical. Others, playing at home in a match that could effectively ensure the title, might have felt compelled to attack. Mourinho fielded Kurt Zouma, a central defender, in midfield, sitting deep and won the game with 28% possession.
Mourinho may have objected to Diego Torres’s biography of him but the passage describing his methods against the better sides was as true of Saturday’s win as it was of the victory over Liverpool that determined the destination of the title last season:
1. The game is won by the team who commits fewer errors.
2. Football favours whoever provokes more errors in the opposition.
3. Away from home, instead of trying to be superior to the opposition, it’s better to encourage their mistakes.
4. Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake.
5. Whoever renounces possession reduces the possibility of making a mistake.
6. Whoever has the ball has fear.
7. Whoever does not have it is thereby stronger.
It’s true that earlier in the season, Chelsea were more expansive. When Diego Costa, Cesc Fábregas and Nemanja Matic were fit and in form, they attacked and racked up goals. The talk was all of how, after the regular failures to break down massed defences last season, Mourinho had taken decisive action. As the squad has tired and form has waned, as the finish line has approached, though, he has reverted to type. Chelsea have been struggling for form and consistency all year and yet, in the 12 league games since the 5-3 defeat by Tottenham on New Year’s Day, they have conceded only seven goals and dropped only six points.
There was a concern earlier this season that Mourinho might be losing his touch. Against Manchester City (home and away), United (away), Southampton (away) and PSG (home and away), Chelsea took the lead, sat back and ended up conceding equalisers. It could even have happened on Saturday, Falcao hitting the post with 11 minutes remaining. However, even if Chelsea have been unusually vulnerable at times in a lead this season, Mourinho hasn’t changed – and it could be argued that Saturday was vindication.
FacebookTwitterPinterest From right to left, the then Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal, assistant coach Ronald Koeman, keepers’ trainer Frans Hoek and assistant trainer José Mourinho during a friendly in Amsterdam in 1999. Photograph: VI-Images/VI-Images via Getty ImagesAnyway, the sense is that it’s not entirely a matter of utility: Mourinho has his sides play that way because he enjoys it. Cast out from Barcelona, overlooked by them when they appointed Pep Guardiola in 2008, he is now the anti-Barcelona, determined, like Milton’s Satan that, “glory never shall his wrath or might; extort from me,” vowing “To wage by force of guile eternal war, irreconcilable to our grand Foe.” Every defensive performance, every win with limited possession, is a blow against Barça.
There’s probably no game Mourinho has enjoyed so much as Internazionale’s Champions League semi-final second leg at the Camp Nou in 2010, when his side, down to 10 men for more than an hour, had only 19% possession and lost 1-0 to win 3-2 on aggregate. Who needs the ball?
Mourinho is not a pragmatist in the way that, say, Fabio Capello is, changing approach according to his players and, where necessary, adopting reactive, defensive tactics. Rather his preferred way of playing is reactive, which is why he sold Juan Mata. He may have been Chelsea’s player of the season in each of the two previous years but he had no place in Mourinho’s conception of football.
The paradox is that if Mourinho really has allowed his philosophy to be defined in opposition to Barcelona – he is that which they are not – then he is still allowing Barcelona to dictate terms, creating a dichotomy where there could be multiplicity. It is not that there is the Barçajax school and Not-the-Barçajax school; it is that the Barçajax school is one way of playing among an almost infinite variety, as represented by Jürgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone among others.
And that, of course, is testimony to the astonishing influence of Barcelona over modern football. Mourinho cannot escape his upbringing as a coach; even as a rebel, it is Barcelona he is rebelling against

CurlyHairLikeLuiz.... that's right up to 2036 !!

Looking at it now i still can't believe that out of all the teams we've had, THIS was the one that won it. I mean we had Bosingwa, Cahill and Luiz in defence with Mikel shielding them. Kalou and Berty on wings. Seriously, how did we pull it off?

Well, I didn't say it was impossible, I said he "might not become world class". But, let's be honest, it's very unlikely. He just doesn't the technical and natural ability on the ball. But that shouldn't stop him from being a very solid defender.

Eto'o is worse than Torres

This is must read !
goodbye letter from Juan Mata

Juan Mata - Hi everyone, As you can imagine
this is a very important day in my life, and with
these lines I would like to express the
memories and emotions that come to me as I
write. This letter is written from my heart, and
first of all I would like to say that I will never
forget all the affection given to me by the
Chelsea fans From the very first day until the
last. With your support and affection I have
grown up as a player and I have had an
amazing time both on and off the pitch. I will
always feel the gratitude towards you. Always.
No words are enough to give back all the things
I have received. There has been plenty of good
moments: the FA Cup, my first trophy as a
Blue; the immense happiness of winning titles
for the first time in the club's history, such as
that magical Champions League night in Munich
and the Europa League...
On the other hand, I have experienced some
complicated situations from a personal point of
view, mainly during the last six months. Every
message I got through the social media, every
nice word you have said to me on the street,
and of course, your support in the stadium,
has made me feel incredibly proud of the
Chelsea fans; you deserve a team like the one
you've got, with so many fantastic players. I
won't forget the faith you put in me when I was
given the player of the year award the last two
seasons. I feel really proud and I will never
forget those nights. Thank you so much for the
way you have treated me, you have been
unbelievable.
I hope you understand that after going through
a complicated and, for me, new situation in the
last few months, I believe this is the best
choice in order to carry on with my football
career and to keep enjoying this sport. Before
last summer, my intention was to stay here for
a long time; as long as the club wanted me to,
and to keep winning trophies for Chelsea FC.
This is how happy I was in the club and in the
city.



However, as you all know, things changed after
the preseason. From feeling like an important
player, I started to experience some difficult
situations and I felt unable to help the team to
the extent that I wanted and was used to.
Obviously, I fully respect the circumstances.
Football is a team sport and it's not easy to
play regularly in such a good squad. In sports
you may win or lose, but the most important
thing is to give everything. I hope you know
and feel that I have always done so. In every
game, in every training session, without
exception.
I have always tried my best for the club. I
would like to emphasise the affection,
admiration and respect that I've had for my
former team mates since the first day. I want
to thank the captains for their help and
understanding at all times. They made me feel
comfortable when I arrived and they have
supported me throughout the difficult times
this season. I thank all my former team mates
for these two and a half years and I wish them
the best, personally and professionally, for the
future. Of course I have been closer to some of
them, but the most important thing is that my
years in Chelsea have left me with great
friends. Friends forever, football rivalries aside.
I also want to highlight the day-to-day job of
every member of the Chelsea staff: medical
team, kit men, staff at Cobham and Stamford
Bridge, media and marketing department,
Chelsea TV team... All of them are very
important in making this club a great one.
Thank you for your treatment and your efforts
to make the life of the players easier.
Furthermore, thanks to every manager I have
had the pleasure to work with during my time
here. They have all been a big help for my
progression as a player. I have always
respected their decisions, whatever they were;
they made me more mature and a stronger
person. You learn from everything, and certain
situations make you think about other team
mates who are coping with similar situations
more regularly.
Thank you Andre for giving me the opportunity
to join Chelsea FC. Without your support, none
of this would have happened. To Robbie and
Rafa, for their unlimited trust in me. And to
Jose, for making me a stronger player, because
in difficult moments, I have learnt to remain
positive and to keep working hard.
Lastly, I want to thank the Club, and in
particular its owner, Roman Abramovich, for
trusting me and making an important
investment when signing me. Also for their
understanding regarding my situation over the
last months. I'm very glad to have been part of
the squad that made his and our dream come
true: winning the Champions League on that
unforgettable night in Munich. Additionally, my
years in Chelsea have been profitable for the
club, which I'm very pleased about. I want to
make clear that the stage that now comes to an
end has been extremely important for me,
personally and professionally. Although many of
you, like myself, never thought this moment
would come, this is football and a new chapter
is about to begin.
I would have liked to say good bye to all of you
in the stadium, or in a press conference, but it
has not been possible. I'm sure, i will be able
to do it in the future, because is what you
deserve. Evidently, today is a day of mixed
feelings, remembering the past and looking
forward to the future and what it has to bring.
I look forward to being happy and to enjoy
what I like the most: play football. I will never
forget my time in Chelsea and the affection I
take with me, I will keep forever. I wish you
the best. A big hug to all of you.
THANK YOU so much, Juan Mata

All that is saying that if they had to go through qualifying rounds to get to the group stage and failed then that player would be able to play in the group stages or further with another team since he hasn't played in the actual tournament just qualifying rounds.

sometimes I honestly believe people don't actually know the meaning of the word transition. Just because we've been in many transitions recently it doesn't change the fact we're in another one now.
Let's start with the basics then, according dictionary.com
transition
tran·si·tion [tran-zish-uhn, -sish-]
noun
1. movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change: the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
We played one style with each of those managers and now we have a new style under Mourinho. Style and concept (Mourinho often uses the words philosophy and identity) are words close in their meaning. So I don't get why people have such a difficult time accepting we're in transition. Not only we're in Mourinho's transition from whatever you want to call Rafa's system (I call it 'Mata as the center of the universe'), di Matteo's defensive approach, AVB's attack oriented mess, others re-using José's old identity and foundation, but we also have a huge change in the profile of players we now sign. We used to sign guys on their prime or very close to that, now we're signing boys with the eventual clinical experienced signing. It doesn't matter if we keep making our transition endless or having endless transitions because we keep changing managers and because we've been changing the profile we sign in the past two years, we're still in transition. A change doesn't nullify the other.
None of the managers before Mourinho went for his system which consists firstly of a lot of pressing and then a lot of attacking. It isn't necessarily possession, although it can be because we decide when to give the opposition possession and when not (ofc it doesn't work every single time, but that's still the plan). We're solid defensively (again at least in paper) so we're comfortable playing without the ball, although we aren't counter-attack based like Real Madrid. We have more similarities with Mourinho's Inter than Mourinho's RM in that aspect imo, but at the end of the day, his current Chelsea isn't a carbon copy of any of his previous works. It has a lot of aspects from RM and some from Inter and even the solid defensive setup from his first spell, but it still differs from every team he's built before us.
We simply attack, it doesn't matter if it's a counter or if we keep possession and patiently build the attack (although I feel a certain urgency in the team and even when we do have possession we try to make it reach the shooting position faster than others possession-based teams - tiki taka or not). We have attacking players and that's the first place we made sure to load our squad because there's a plan I suppose was made prior to José's arrival (although he certainly made his changes and adjustments, I'm sure of it, but still keeping the main idea).
So the system in order of priority imo is: 1) pressing 2) attacking 3) controlling the possession (ours or the opponent's) 4) defending comfortably and solidly, without parking the bus, but also employing as many players as possible (normally 9 outfield players, releasing one). If there's one thing this team does well is pressing and that's why sometimes we don't mind the opposition having the ball. We just haunt them and they don't know if they're more damned with the ball or without it. It's relentless, tiring and it must be annoying and frustrating as hell for our opponents. We just need to sharpen all of those aspects to become the ultimate threat (I see more evolution in the pressing and in the possession controlling right now. Although we attack well, we still have issues finishing and it's not only our strikers, and our defense has had some uncomfortable and unwelcome blips).
Now how people expect those changes to happen, the players to adapt to the tactics, but also to the manager's way of working (coaching style, drills, training sessions, personality, etc) and also the fact we've been changing the profile of player we sign without it being a transition? It's one thing for Lamps, Terry and Cech to look around and see guys around 25, with considerable experience and nearly (if not already) in their prime joining the squad, playing the same system as before, just making a couple of replacements and it's another thing for them to look around and see a bunch of young players (younger than 22), with not as much experience, mixed with a few slightly more experienced and closer to prime players, and a completely different system from the one(s) they've been playing. It all requires adaptation and everything that requires adaptation in my opinion is by definition a transition. If we keep Mourinho and the new signing philosophy (don't see why we wouldn't), then next season won't be transitional anymore, it'll be time to polish, make adjustments, improve specific problems and areas, clinical signings etc. That's called continuation, improvement and polishing and differs conceptually from transition, but there's no denial we're once again transitioning.

How did the 6 goals go in?
 
Arsenal faced a rampant Manchester City at the Etihad and were forced to pick the ball 6 times out of their own net, stunning a number of fans who expected an evenly fought contest. 
At the same time Chelsea also haven't been on the best of forms. The London club has been suffering from poor decisions at the back while also lacking the cutting edge required for converting chances into goals.
The 6th one was a penalty converted by Yaya Toure, but how did the other 5 go in?
 

 
The first one was a corner that floated in towards Martin Demichelis who nods it towards the far post. For a moment, Koscielny looks very well positioned, but his eyes are fixed on the ball.
Aguero sneaks in behind him and Koscielny panics as the ball reaches the Argentinian . It can be seen in his body language. Interesting to note that Arsenal also have their fair share of defensive lapses like Chelsea. Koscielny is supposedly Arsenal's best defender, and its quite amusing to see him make a mistake Chelsea fans would usually associate David Luiz with.
 

Before moving on to the second goal, a slight insight into Arsenal's defensive organization. Arsenal are pretty much like Chelsea when it comes to defending. Throwing bodies back , holding your structure, and pressing in patterns.
With Chelsea though, the problem is that sometimes the pressing fades away, with the players acting lazy. On the other hand , when the ball is being played diagonally, Arsenal tend to press high towards that direction and leave open spaces for exploitation, hoping that the play is switched slowly to the other side. 
It seems like a really foolish mistake to make against a team that has Zabaleta. 
 

 
Yaya Toure lobs the ball onto the path of Zabaleta and the Argentinian puts it in for Negredo who puts City back in front. It really is all about the positioning , a mistake Arsenal make throughout the game and pay the price for.
 

 
The 3rd goal was a mixture of mistakes. First of all, Mertesacker, Flamini, Vermaelen and Monreal formed the backline as Sagna went over to take a throw in. He throws it towards Ozil who puts it in to the path of Flamini. Either the weight of the pass wasn't right or Flamini had a really poor touch, but Fernandinho capitalized on it and finessed it into the back of the net.
 
Flamini and Wilshere function somewhat as the pivot of the Arsenal. One attacks and the other track backs. In this case we have Flamini dropping to form the back 4. Ozil should never have gone for him, as it was just asking for trouble. His movement equated to an open space ready for exploitation. Combine this with Manchester City's high pressing in the final third and you have a recipe for disaster.
 

 
Another defensive lapse when the ball is crossed in. The defender seems to be well positioned but falls for Navas's trickery when the Spaniard cuts the ball in. Not much to say, a silly goal to give away.
At this point, we can draw comparisons. In the game against City, Arsenal looked as vulnerable, if not more, as Chelsea have been when balls have been floated or drilled into the box.
 

 
As , mentioned before about Arsenal's high pressing, we see City's 5th goal being a good example. Wilshere receives the ball and looks for options to distribute to come up. As he looks up, Nasri barges in from the back and toe pokes it towards Fernandinho who's also closing down. 
Look at how well positioned Negredo seems to be. If we compare this scenario with Chelsea, we have Oscar who presses really high on the midfielders. He looks like a sure starter for this fixture if he can do the dirty work in the middle. Nothing to say about which striker will start.
If Nasri hadn't received the ball back from Fernandinho, he wouldn't have had an assist. In today's world, the match would have ended with the player who did the dirty work labelled as 'not needed'. Food for thought.
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Come on guys, we have gone past the point where we defend to death to win trophies, we have won everything there is to win from CL, BPL to Capital One cup. What we want to do now IS WATCHING BEAUTIFUL FOOTBALL THAT GET US MORE TROPHIES. You guys want us to 1-0 our way to another CL win? Don't you feel ashamed that our team got DOMINATED? and in football term, undeservedly winning the trophy.
That is not the reason we sign all these young attacking players, that is not the reason Roman wants Jose back alone, that is not what we want. If we want to be seen as the best team in the world THEN START PLAYING BEST FOOTBALL IN THE WORLD. If Jose is one of the greatest manager in football history(which based on his record he is) then WHY CAN'T HE DO IT? WHY? WHY CAN PEP DO IT?
You can't even complain about the players anymore, it is not like we got Malouda walking around the wing or Kalouless starting on the right. We got Eden Hazard, we got Mata, we got Oscar. Top 10 players in their positions in the world.
The standard here is high, the players and whoever the manager is know it. You get pay the best wages in football at Chelsea, then why can't you perform like the best players?
THE WIN AT ALL COST TIME IS OVER. We needed that to make our claim in world football, now we have done that we need to consolidate it.

This is a lie. How do you explain the goal then? Or the time he set Ba up from a low cross or forced a good save from the 'keeper?
If we treated other players like we treated KDB and they would be the same. Especially a young player with his relative inexperience. Especially one who actually started the season well. First bad appearance in the C1C - boom, dropped to training with the reserved and didn't make an appearance for a month. Hazard, Mata, Oscar, Willian and Schurrle have all had more chances than him and more bad games than him. They've also had some good games, as they don't start once a month. Seen nothing to suggest KDB is any less talented than them.

Thanks man, really appreciate for the information

What Rmpr said, I'll just add that the debut must be for the A team, lower age groups do not matter.

Not if the player has already played in an official competitive match...

what can Mourinho possibly be trying to communicate here?

Arsenal play a different form of the 4-2-3-1 ( getting sick of saying this) . Two static center-backs with full-backs that push forward at every chance. However they're slightly inefficient.
In the middle we have two midfielders, one defensive and the other holding. Unlike other teams, where one pushes and one defends, the other midfielder (usually Arteta) opts to sit around the half-way line and play passes into the middle . He spreads play along the flanks and the central zone. Like most teams, Arsenal have a problem with width. Arteta somewhat nullify's it by spraying balls wide and encouraging the full-backs to push forward a bit more. You can talk all you want about Ozil, but Arteta provides something different, which is highly essential to Arsene Wenger's team. 

In the front three we have wide players who function as interiores again. They come in a lot more centrally than usual ones though, creating central over-loads which help the full-backs push forward as well. Downside to this is, there are barely any 2v1 situations against the opposition full-back. Considering Chelsea's wide players retreat back to defend, Arsenal will most definitely have problems down the flanks.
In the middle we have star man Mesut Ozil. Some say Arsene would never spend better 42 million on anything else again. He gives Arsenal a direct attacking threat, something they have lacked over the years in an attacking midfielder. His ability to pick out a man, and have himself easily picked out is a remarkable quality. Also has functioned as a second striker while playing in the hole behind the striker (though this is mostly an observation made when the wide players squeeze up in the middle and thwart Ozil forward)
Upfront we have the striker who can combine with the midfield while at the same time make those runs in behind the defense. A target man during set pieces.

While transitioning to defense, everyone presses high, especially Arteta. His aim is to press right at the man with the ball (if its around his zone) and cut off options for him to pass the ball forward. Thus he forces the ball side-ways or backwards, giving the Arsenal players a chance to recover back into position. Ozil too has been seen to join in on this pressing phase.
It's highly unlikely for them to play two defensive blocks of four, but it is a high possibility when they come up against Chelsea. However one can never be too sure.
The wide players have themselves well positioned to break forward. It was well noticeable against Napoli. They would carry the ball forward, or provide unnecessary distraction for the retreating defenders, often aiming to mess up the defensive line before they organize structurally.
Now finding out defensive frailties isn't quite easy. However one that could be observed is exploiting the positional freedom given to Arsenal's wide players. While pressing, they are allowed to press high, while leaving open spaces which would naturally have to be covered by another player. This could be one of the pivot players or a full-back himself. 
If Chelsea were to pass the ball quickly, make indirect movements into the final third while turning the full-backs inside out, what could be perceived as a defensive block could be entirely destroyed. This would create space for someone like Mata or De Bruyne (who are likely to start) , a clear opportunity to play a through ball that splits apart the final defensive line when a striker makes a run in behind the defenders.

While moving into defense, Arteta usually pushes up, but not too much. The wide players cut inside and form a quadrilateral in the center. The ball is played around them, while the full-backs try to push forward. Ozil meanwhile tries making runs in the final third. While he isn't doing that, he is trying to pick out either the striker or one of the wide players.
Problem Arsenal have had so far is natural width. Despite pushing full-backs forward, their problems are akin to the one's Chelsea had against Basel, Norwich, etc. 
If Chelsea are to defend deep, then there doesn't seem that they would have much problems. Though I hardly think Mourinho would do that, considering Arsenal might just play kids. A growing trend seen in the Chelsea philosophy is to have brilliant starting minutes that lead up to the first goal, and then go into reverse drive by defending deep and making it harder for the opposition to score.
At the Emirates though, Jose might have something different up his sleeve. I can't imagine the horror of being an Arsenal fan and writing a scouting report on Jose's team.

Something else that has been talked about quite a lot is why central players such as Wilshere and Ramsey ( not counting Cazorla as he has previous experience of playing as an interiore) are playing in a wide position on paper.
Arsene definitely knew that if players like Walcott and Chamberlain are out, he'll need a quick solution. The only way to do this was apply the philosophy behind interiores and push your full-backs up for width, the latter as said before, hasn't worked well yet.
Ozil's lateral movement into the final third alongside Giroud, gives the wide players even more space in the middle to move the ball around. Not only that, Ozil's movement also drags player away from static positions or their own zones of pressing. A prime example being Tettey, who was used by Norwich manager Hughton, to man mark Ozil out of the game. Though Tettey did succeed in holding Ozil off, the other players found more than enough space to cause Norwich problems.
Arsenal might be playing kids, but this would be their first real test against title challengers. There is no doubt that the Emirates, is about to be set on fire, not just entertainment wise, but also on a whole new tactical level.
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I can't seem to finish Alex Ferguson's autobiography. Every time I think I'm close, Howard Webb adds 6 more pages on at the end.

Schalke play a standard 4-2-3-1. Two solid center-backs who like getting forward as well. Think Luiz, but a little less erratic. And two wing backs on opposite sides who love charging forward and providing width.
 

In the middle we have the pivot, both of them either defend or attack. There is no vice-versa role as it happens in Chelsea for Schalke. They defend together, or attack together. It helps Schalke in a way, which we shall see later.The front three function like interiores, as they drift a lot into the center. The striker has the ability to drift, which gives theinteriores and the #10 an opportunity to move forward and function as a #9. The attacking midfielder has also been noted to play as a second striker, especially when the #9 pulls back and links up with the midfield.
 

 
Now we have their transition to defense. The wing-backs now squeeze themselves inside, as the wingers come back to ensure that the whole structure doesn’t become too narrow. Two blocks of four is what Schalke used against Bayern. Yet they suffered a heavy defeat due to not taking their chances by exploiting the flanks.
The middle three press together at the ball, and have a peculiar relationship. Each of them have hybrid profiles in a sense that they can take up each other’s position while pressing. This gives them the freedom of movement with security in mind that the other two are covering. One out of the three never presses. He stays back and provide protection to the back four, and covers holes opened up by the pressing midfielders.
 
Schalke always always always mark zonally. It’s like they are allergic to man marking. Even their pressing is zonal rather than charging right at the player.
 
If the ball is won, Schalke charge down the wings. This is a strategy used by almost every team that likes using two blocks of four during defensive transitions. The wingers or interiores are the main outlets when the ball is won back, the striker being secondary. All of them push up, including the attacking midfielder and the wing-backs in a bid to create a clear cut chance.
 

 
Now when it comes to transitioning to attack, Schalke aren’t afraid in committing men forward. The wing-backs play akin to Alaba and Lahm of Bayern. The wingers on paper show the true qualities of interiores by shifting in ward. This cramps up and causes congestion in the center of the final third.
A quick switch of play to the flanks and the opposition have problems to deal with. Schalke can be threatening by frequently applying this strategy. If the play is switched back and forth too quickly, opponents who don’t have high concentration levels, pay the price.
Considering that Schalke don’t exactly play full-backs, they are highly vulnerable on the flanks. To counter this, the pivot restrict their movements forward. They opt to stay back and defend ahead of the center-backs 75% of the time. If the ball is lost, most team’s play down the flanks to exploit that space. One of the pivot players intelligently closes them down, while the attacking midfielder joins up with the other pivot player in the center.
The wingers meanwhile retreat back as well, giving Schalke further options to recover the ball back, or hinder the attacking transition of their opponents.
This helps Schalke slowly regain its shape as they wait to counter the next time they get the ball back. One thing to be noted is that Schalke will enter the game without any fear. The plethora of players at their disposal could give Chelsea a run for their money. Chelsea will be forced into working really hard if they want to get anything out of the game. Not to forget that concentration and work-rate must be high. Schalke are going to make us run all night if they have to.
I expect Azpilicueta to start the game. He seems to be much more clinical down the flanks than Ivanovic has been this season. Moreover Torres is also likely to start. One thing the Spaniard has to do is harass the German back-line. Only then will spaces open for Chelsea’s wide players to directly penetrate. I don’t see Eto’o having the capability of doing something like that. We don’t want too much drifting towards the flanks.
There’s a slight possibility of either Essien or Mikel starting at the Veltins-Arena. Chelsea need a pure defensive midfielder to stay back during attacking transitions as this would limit the amount of damage Schalke could cause.
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Cardiff City play a standard 4-2-3-1 or a 4-1-4-1 depending on what phase of play you are looking at. They have a back-four consisting of Turner and Caulker in the center. They along with the defensive midfielder are responsible in holding the structure during transitions, unlike top teams where the responsibility lies mainly on the CM’s. The full-backs join in during attacks by providing width and come in narrow when the opposition have the ball.
In midfield we have Medel, who is arguably the most important player on the pitch for Cardiff. He is the life-line through whom every part of play goes through. Alongside him we have Gunnarsson - Cardiff’s own Frank Lampard - that makes those trademark late runs, bursts forward during attacks but also defends with discipline. We have Whittingham and Odemwingie on the flanks and both have the tendency to drift inside and support the strikers and midfielders. They also get back and cover for full-backs during the transition to defense. This helps Cardiff’s structure against team’s that dominate possession.
In the middle we have Kim who combines quite well with Gunnarsson and Mendel. He also drifts wide, on either flanks, which allows Gunnarsson to move into the proverbial #10 zone and assist the striker. On top we have Campbell, who has the ability to drift wide as well, which helps Cardiff a lot as they tend to attack more from the flanks than through the center.
Moving on to transitions. Now before delving into the matter of how Cardiff organize themselves to make sure that the opposition can’t break through their barrier, there is a moment where the ball is being carried from the opposition’s half to Cardiff’s half (noting that the ball isn’t lost in their own half, but is being played after a goal-kick or deep turnover).
During this moment, Cardiff apply a separate philosophy in an attempt to win back the ball quickly. If successful, they transition into attack. If not, they move into their defensive transition. Let’s have a look at this peculiar but effective strategy which is even used by Mourinho himself.



The philosophy of cornering and pressing in phases. These are actually separate philosophies combined into one. The strategy of cornering can also be called as a 100% sure way of forcing your opponents to the flanks to create unforeseeable congestion. Pressing as we all know, is pressurizing the opponent aggressively into giving the ball away. In phases, it means the moment where the opponent is transitioning into attack and is still vulnerable.
We imagine a scenario where a goal kick is taken. The ball is in our half, with, lets say, Luiz. He is pressurized by Campbell, the striker. He can’t play it to Terry or Cahill cause Kim, the attacking midfielder is close to him. The only clear way to retain possession is to either play it to the flanks, or to the defensive midfielder. 9 times out of 10, the ball is played to the flanks. This is usually down to the lack of confidence the defender has in playing a slightly risky pass to the CDM.
As the ball reaches the flank, we realize that the strategy of cornering is complete. The striker and attacking midfielder pressed high, causing a clearance to the flanks.
The moment the full-back touches the ball, he’s pulled into a black hole or may I say a black triangle formed by the Cardiff full-back, Cardiff winger and one of the Cardiff pivot member. The Chelsea player has only the wide man to give it to, and when you’re being pressed on really high, it gets tough to release the ball. This can happen on either flanks.
There we have the strategy of pressing in phases.
The chances of this being pulled off perfectly are low, especially when facing teams bigger than you. As it’s time limit is very short, if it is pulled out in the right manner, its results can be devastating, especially for Cardiff’s style of play, which we shall find out later.
I have highlighted the rad area for simple reason’s that it would be a much better option to play it narrow then quickly switch to the flanks. In doing so, Cardiff don’t have the time to apply their philosophy and neither do they have the time to organize themselves.
Did Mourinho use this? Yes he did. A perfect example from the Hull game can be found here, where four Chelsea players perform their duties - http://imageshack.co...rge/11/lrih.png



So let’s say Cardiff are not able to retrieve the ball during that time zone and now they transition fully into a defensive structure having two solid and narrow blocks of four. The only way to go through is either barge into the middle with clever play, or use width.
I cannot stress enough how important width will be in this game. The importance of counter-attacks are also going to be very high.
Cardiff transition to 4-4-1-1, with Campbell awaiting for the ball to be retrieved.


While transitioning into attack, Cardiff switch to a 4-3-3 or a 4-1-4-1. The main role is played by Mendel, who is responsible for holding the structure and opening up passing lanes. Mendel had a 99% pass accuracy against Newcastle, making 69 passes which was more than anyone on the field. By switching formations, they give themselves a better chance in creating goal opportunities during their final transitional phase.



This is how Cardiff line up to attack. An average high-line, held together by Mendel. We can see triangles on both the sides, which are held by Kim on the right and Gunnarsson on the left. Do remember that it happens one at a time. If Kim is the one drifting, then Gunnarsson stays center and vice versa.
Cardiff literally struggle to create chances through the center, be it through balls or individualistic play. They rely on width and crosses to score goals. One of the main reason they’re good at headers is because of this.
This is why the philosophy of pressing and countering works well for them. They can recover the ball and initiate counter-attacks from the flanks. If Chelsea are to shut down the sides of the pitch and force them narrow, I don’t see Cardiff creating anything, unless they lob in a cheeky long ball.
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no matter if you are a torres fan or not, you cannot help but to have a little admiration for the guy. always seems like a real person.
get well soon nando!

I Got The Blues
Norwich 1 x 3 Chelsea – English Premier League
I Got the Blues is a contextualized stats point of view where chances created, blocked and conceded by Chelsea players during matches are scouted. The feature rates the players’ individual contribution in each of those aspects, in addition to any important mistakes and isolated plays that could be highlighted. As an attempt to identify players’ and tactics’ weaknesses and strengths, negative and positive contributions are rate separately instead of being deduced from one another. Rates vary from 1 to 5 [positively or negatively] and are giving to players individually. Collective plays are also rated in terms of team work and team chemistry, but unlike the players who are rated for almost every touch in the match, collectively only the best [or worst] displays are rated. It’s important to stress that rates are vary according to the contribution’s importance – meaning that a failed pass that gives the opponent a counter-attack will be rated more negatively than a failed pass in an end zone that simply concedes a turnover.
In addition to the data, a brief analysis is provided collectively and individually to assess the team’s performance in general.
For this week we showcased two 'specials': transition to attack and Oscar and Mata's interchange. For the transition readers should consider it the final pass that will get the ball in the attacking half or when someone crosses the mid-line carrying the ball with the clear intent to set up the attack. Most transitions weren't rated, only showcased because normally this is just another pass in the match and rating it would be counter-productive. Only amazing passes (and terribly incomplete ones) were rated - as they are usually.
Oscar and Mata's interchange is just informative, the author doesn't aim to say who is better as a CAM or as a RW or who should play in each position. The only opinion the author shares is that they shouldn't leave the RW abandoned so often, as for times during the matches both were in the middle as they naturally gravitate there.
Players ratings: total amount of contributions (positive rate/negative rate):
§ Petr Cech: 2 (5, -2)
§ Branislav Ivanovic: 15 (50, -12)
§ David Luiz: 21 (61, -19)
§ John Terry: 17 (54, -7)
§ Ashley Cole: 7 (11, -12)
§ Ramires: 18 (47, -22)
§ Frank Lampard: 8 (27, -7)
§ Juan Mata: 10 (28, -13)
§ Oscar: 15 (46, -14)
§ André Schürrle: 15 (45, -8)
§ Demba Ba: 10 (19, -10)
§ Samuel Eto'o: 2 (8,0)
§ Eden Hazard: 1 (5,0)
§ Willian: 4 (18,0)
Team Chemistry rates:
§ Only two plays were showcased, one positive (rated 5) and one negative (rated -3).
Team Work rates:
§ Ten plays were show cased and seven out of those were positive while three were negative. Seven plays rated 5, one rated -3 and two rated -5. All negative rates came from poor defending movement, positioning and cover.
Individual highlights:
§ John Terry, despite the mistake in the goal conceded, is the most consistent player in the defense.
§ The defensive trio formed by Ivanovic, Terry and Luiz [throughout the whole match] was very effective with few mistakes.
§ For the second match in a row Oscar is the player who contributed creatively the most for the team (6).
Additional observations:
§ Declining. Ashley Cole had a negative overall contribution, not only his negative rate were bigger than positive summing up, he also had more negative contributions (4) than positive (3).
§ The sun as a twelfth player. During the first half Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy played against the sun and it seems like Mourinho had asked the team to insist on long and high ball in the box as they were exhaustively done with normally Ba as the target-man. It is a successful tactic because the England International goalkeeper found himself in trouble a few times during the match. Playing against the sun in the second half, those direct connections weren’t used by Chelsea as much.
Additional analysis:
§ Mata and Oscar Interchange. Mata played 58:05 minutes as a CAM, 20:51 as a RW and 01:18 as a LW; meanwhile Oscar played 30:11 as a CAM, 46:05 as a RW, and 04:14 as a LW.






§ Chelsea’s transition to attack. Except for counter-attacks, there were 53 transitions from defense to midfield or attack in open play. Out of those 40 were successful while 13 weren’t completed. The player that transitions Chelsea to the attacking half more often is Luiz with 17 hits and 4 misses, followed by Lampard with 8 hits and no miss.




Conclusions:
§ A secret weapon or overloaded? Luiz was the player responsible for most of Chelsea’s transitions from defense to midfield or attack. With good pass, first touch and ball control the CB provided accurate passing to make the transition to the attack and still he was rarely marked or pressed by opposition [it doesn’t happen only with Norwich, though]. No wonder so many fans want to see him as a DM.
§ Mata is the CAM, but he’s not alone. Whether this guidance comes from the manager or it’s an agreement between the players, for the most part of the match Mata worked as a CAM as showed in the charts above. Mata had 8 contributions in the attack (4 positive and 4 negative) which shows why most fans didn’t feel like he had a great match. He had four lovely passes [all 4 as a CAM], but also offered four turnovers, two of which very poor. Four positive contributions isn’t a bad number, but it was a below part display by Mata compared to his best days. Oscar on the other hand played mostly in the RW. Out of his 15 contributions in the match 8 were offensively (6 positive, 2 negative). Looking closer in those two negative contributions one of them was a way off-target shot (playing as a CAM) and a sloppy pass (as CAM) in the final seconds of the match. Looking at his 6 positive contributions, one of course is the goal (as CAM), as well as the pass for Hazard’s goal (as RW), but the other four consist in a blocked shot to the goal (as CAM), a header-pass for a counter-attack (as CAM), an assist to Schürrle inside the box (as CAM) and another for Ivanovic at the edge of the box (as RW). The Brazilian is progressing creatively even if he’s playing as a RW and while he’s still far behind Mata creatively, the partnership is very positive for Chelsea. There’s a down side to them though. As both prefer to play in the middle, for moments during the match both were positioned in the middle, leaving the RW abandoned. Against oppositions like Norwich [which didn’t sit too deeply and tried to make their own game] the lack of width isn’t too important, but in tight matches with overcrowded midfield at least one of them should hold position in the wing. Attached in the spoiler section is a table of their time in each position.
§ Oscar, MOTM. Despite his higher than usual amount of mistakes (he had 4 negative contributions out of his 15), Oscar was the best player in the pitch, actively participating in two goals, as well as providing assists to Schürrle and Ivanovic and two shots on goal. No other player contributed as much to the attack, while also recovering possession 3 times throughout the match.
§ Defensive? Just like last match against Steaua, the biggest contributions in the match came from the defense. On one hand this is positive because when the defenders are anticipating opponents and tackling to recover possession it means the team is pressing constantly, but maybe too deep in the pitch. Norwich’s pitch is even smaller than the usual in England and that makes the play more compact and even when the defense is high, it’s still quite inside the defensive half. In bigger pitches – especially in European competitions – it’s going to be interesting to see if the defenders will press deeper or if the players in the midfield – including the attackers – will press higher and give Mourinho the high pressure football philosophy he wants to have in place.
§ The pivot discussion. Chelsea fans are a very heterogenic lot, and different opinions about players, style and tactics are easily found in the middle of the Blues’ fans, but two things seem to be universal among fans: the pivot and the strikers. Today we won’t provide a closer look at the strikers, but the pivot was singled out. Ramires and Lampard had a lot of positive contributions throughout the match with overall good stats. Their pass accuracy was good – Ramires 56/62 (90%)*; Lampard 58/66 (88%)*– which means 25% of all passes by Chelsea (506)* passed through the pivot. While statistically it seems like the pivot participated enough, a closer look into the numbers and beyond them will show otherwise. Lampard didn’t participate enough in the attack, Ramires was slower than usual (and more erratic) and the transition to attack should involve them much more than it did. The double pivot helped starting Chelsea's attack 14 times which is less than half than the defense did (30) [considering only the goalkeeper and center-backs]. Who also contributed inexpressively to the transition were the FBs and their lack of action only makes the pivot issues more prominent. Cole and Ivanovic only transitioned the play three times [two of which failed]. A formation like the 4-2-3-1 Mourinho favors in Chelsea demands the full-backs and the double-pivot to start the transition more often, as the three attacking midfielders usually don’t go way back to start it. The pitiful amount of transitions made by the full-backs will only add to the team’s lack of width and relying on the defense will lead to more turnovers than necessary as the numbers show: the pivot and FB’s combined transitioned play 17 times and made only three mistakes (82% accuracy), whereas the defense conceded a turnover every three times they tried to buildup the play (66% accuracy). Whereas David Luiz is an amazing player to transition the play with great pass accuracy and vision, relying on the Brazilian helps the problem in the pivot, but definitely doesn’t fix it. Chelsea's double pivot needs to step up and start controlling the game for the team and the full-backs contribution must grow.
*passes accuracy data provided by Squawka

Spoiler Data summary


First Half00:28 – Luiz is pressed and risks a failed long pass conceding the turn over. Luiz -2 [Luiz failed transition to attack]
00:30 – Schürrle anticipates the opponent and recovers the ball, and gets a throw-in for Chelsea. Schürrle 3
01:07 – Luiz attempts a long pass from defense and fails. Luiz -2 [Luiz failed transition to attack]
01:16 – Oscar and Schürrle press the opponents in their half and lead them to a failed pass Cole intercepts. Team work 5. Oscar, Schürrle 4.
01:28 – Schürrle passes by one opponent and avoids three in the flanks, passing to Oscar, but the Brazilian is blocked. Schürrle 5.
02:02 – [Cech’s successful transition to second third]. Unrated.
01:57 – Cole successfully tackles the opponent and recovers ball possession. Cole 4.
02:34 – Schürrle presses and successfully tackles the ball recovering possession. Schürrle 5.
02:58 – [Luiz’s successful transition to second third]. Unrated.
03:05 – Lampard successful long pass to Ba. Lampard 5. [Lampard transition to attack]
03:32 – Lampard spectacular long pass to Ba, who shows amazing ball control before assisting Oscar who finishes with the class to make Chelsea 1x0. Chemistry 5. Lampard, Ba, Oscar 5. [Lampard successful transition to attack]
04:35 – Ivanovic anticipates opponent and recovers ball possession. Ivanovic 4.
04:41 – Mata can’t control the ball and concedes a turnover. Mata -4. [Lampard successful transition to attack]
05:07 – Ramires unsuccessful tackle offers space to opponent. Luiz anticipates opposition at the edge of the Chelsea's box, recovering ball possession. Ramires -4; Luiz 5. [Luiz successful transition to second third]
05:58 – Ba recovers possession from a failed pass by Norwich. Ba 2. [Lampard successful transition to attack]
06:20 – Norwich presses and Chelsea go back, back, back until the ball is passed to Cech who tries the direct connection with the attack unsuccessfully. [Cech failed transition to attack]
06:46 – Terry wins aerial duel. Terry 3.
07:15 – [Luiz transition to attack]. Unrated
07:17 – Ivanovic poor pass in the attack. Ivanovic -3.
07:24 – Ba and Mata press the opponents and recover possession through a throw in. Team work 5. Ba, Mata 4.
08:07 – Lampard carries the ball from defense do midfield, pass to Ramires who is tackled by opposition offering counter-attack. Ramires -4. [Lampard transition to attack carrying the ball]
08:14 – Cole covers Terry in counter-attack. Team work 5. Cole 5.
09:27 – Luiz failed pass. Luiz -2. [Luiz failed transition to attack]
10:47 – Opponents pressed and defense passed back to Cech who passed badly to midfield. Cech -2. [Cech failed transition to midfield]
11:38 – Lampard takes a rebound from Ramires lost aerial duel and recovers possession. Ramires -1, Lampard 3.
11:59 – Luiz successful long pass to transition to attack when the team was highly pressed. Luiz 5. [Luiz successful transition to attack]
12:30 – Terry anticipates opponent inside the box recovering possession. Terry 5.
13:01 – Mata incomplete pass in the attack. Mata -3
13:06 – Lampard anticipates opponent in the attack recovering ball possession, Ramires provides successful pass for Mata to linkup play. Lampard 4, Ramires 4.
13:11 – Mata assists Ba, but Ruddy saves Ba attempt. Mata 5. Ba 2.
17:17 – Sloppy pass from Cole puts Luiz in danger, but the Brazilian works around it and passes to Ba. Cole -1, Luiz 5. [Luiz successful transition from midfield to attack]
18:21 – Terry long pass finds Ba in the box, but opposition clears the shot. Terry 5, Ba 2. [ Terry successful transition to attack]
20:10 – Lampard failed pass in attack concedes a throw-in. Lampard -3. [Lampard successful transition to attack (before the incomplete pass)]
20:15 – Terry wins aerial duel and recovers ball possession in attack half. Terry 3.
22:03 – Cech’s save in goalkeeper’s box. Cech 5.
22:30 – Ivanovic wins aerial duel in a corner by the opposition. Ivanovic 5.
22:37 – Ivanovic transitions to midfield. Unrated [ivanovic successful transition to midfield]
23:33 – Luiz transitions from defense to attack with a precise long pass. Luiz 5. [Luiz successful transition to attack]
23:35 – Sloppy pass by Ba concedes a turnover. Ba -3.
23:40 – Ivanovic successful tackle recovers ball possession in the attack. Ivanovic 4.
23:48 – Oscar carries the ball from the right wing to the mid, taking on a couple of opponents and then assists Schürrle inside the box, but the German’s shot is off target. Oscar 4, Schürrle -2
24:27 – Terry wins aerial duel. Terry 3
25:08 – Oscar anticipates the opponent at the edge of Chelsea's box and starts counter-attack, but then risks a failed long pass. Oscar 5. Oscar -3
25:40 – Oscar and Ramires press the opponent and Ivanovic anticipates the pass. Team work 5. Oscar, Ramires, Ivanovic 5.
26:40 – Luiz carries the ball to transition from defense to mid-attack. Unrated. [Luiz successful transition from defense to mid-attack]
27:15 – Luiz carries the ball to transition from defense to mid-attack. Unrated. [Luiz successful transition from defense to mid-attack]
27:53 – Luiz hits the free-kick from midfield to the box, but Ba can’t reach. Luiz 3.
28:59 – Luiz long pass to attack. Luiz 5. [Luiz successful transition to attack]
29:08 – Luiz anticipates opponent on the run in midfield and transitions to attack. Luiz 5 [Luiz successful transition from midfield to attack]
29:16 – Oscar passes to Ivanovic at the edge of the box, but he can’t control the ball. Oscar 3, Ivanovic -3
29:32 – Luiz covers Ivanovic in the right flank. Team work 5, Luiz 3.
31:10 – Terry takes advantage of an incomplete pass, but Luiz also concedes a turnover. Terry 2, Luiz -3
32:36 – Oscar tackles the ball and recovers possession in midfield. Oscar 4.
32:51 – Ramires makes transition from defense to counter-attack. Poor finish by Ba. Ramires 3, Ba -2. [Ramires successful transition to attack]
34:00 – Terry clears the ball in the box with a header. Terry 3.
34:04 – Terry anticipates the opposition at the edge of the box. Terry 4.
35:45 – Luiz anticipates opponent and recovers ball possession preventing a counter-attack. Luiz 5
36:13 – Ramires incomplete pass. Ramires -3
36:55 – Mata incomplete pass in the attack. Mata-3
37:35 – Luiz stops attack by anticipating his opponent. Luiz 4
37:44 – Oscar wins duel and recovers possessions. Oscar 3
38:47 – [Cole failed transition to attack]. Cole -3
38:51 – Terry wins aerial duel. Terry 4
39:08 – Sloppy pass by Ramires to make transition to attack. -2. [Ramires failed transition to attack]
39:10 – Luiz successful long pass to attack. 3 [ Luiz successful transition to attack]
40:00 – Ramires blocks shot inside the box. Ramires 4.
41:28 – Terry wins due and stops attack. Terry 4.
41:44 – Terry clears cross from the box. Terry 4.
42:05 – Poor defending/marking by Lampard and Schürrle allowing a cross. Lampard -4, Schürrle -3.
43:09 – Ivanovic wins aerial due. Ivanovic 3.
43:34 – Ramires transition from midfield to attack. Ramires 3. [Ramires successful transition to attack]
44:19 – Schürrle presses the opponent after Chelsea loses possession in the attacking half and delays Norwich counter-attack and then forces the opponent to pass sloppily. Schürrle 4.
44:52 – Cole wins a tackle and recovers possession. Cole 3.
+00:40 – Terry blocks a shot. Terry 3
+00:55 – Ivanovic loses an aerial duel in the box in a corner. Ivanovic -3.
Second Half
45:39 – Terry long pass to the attack is incomplete. Terry -2. [Terry failed transition to attack]
45:50 – Lovely linkup between Schürrle and Ramires in the left, but Ba couldn’t capitalize Ramires’ cross. Schürrle 4, Ramires 5, Ba -2
46:35 – Poor pass by Schürrle. Schürrle -3
47:12 – [Luiz makes the transition from defense to attack carrying the ball] unrated
48:02 – Good linkup between Schürrle, Lampard, but Oscar is blocked when he finishes. Schürrle 4, Lampard 5, Oscar 3
49:14 – [Cech bad transition to attack]. Unrated.
49:34 – Ramires anticipates the opponent in the final third and recovers possession. Ramires 5.
49:52 – [Ramires and Luiz make smooth transition to attack]. Unrated.
52:38 – Shaky movement by defense. Chemistry -3. Ivanovic -3, Luiz -2.
53:12 – Schürrle presses and forces a bad pass from opposition, recovering possession. Schürrle 3.
53:25 – Incomplete pass by Ramires in the attack. Ramires -3.
55:56 – [Luiz good transition to attack]. Unrated.
56:10 – Successful tackle by Lampard in the attacking field recovers ball possession. Lampard 5.
56:39 – Terry wins aerial duel. Terry 3.
57:36 – Good coverage by Ivanovic as Luiz tries to anticipate but can’t. Team work 5. Ivanovic 4.
58:01 – Bad marking by Cole, Terry is a bit slow but can clear the ball. Cole -5, Terry 3.
59:00 – Luiz good defending recovers ball possession and stops counter-attack. Luiz 5.
59:15 – [Good transition to attack by Terry under pressure]. Terry 5.
60:43 – Schürrle clears a corner away. Schürrle 3.
62:20 – Ramires clears the ball from the box. Ramires 4.
62:25 – Oscar wins aerial duel and links the counter. Oscar 5.
62:43 – Brilliant pass from Mata to Cole. [isolate play]. Mata 5.
62:50 – Good assist by Mata, but Oscar’s finish is way off. Mata 5, Oscar -5.
63:22 – Cole loses aerial duel. Cole -3.
63:30 – Ba intercepts the ball in the defense half. Ba 4.
63:35 – [schürrle makes the transition to attack carrying the ball]. Unrated.
63:46 – Ba is slow to reposition himself and is caught offside, although he doesn’t pursue the ball. Ba -3
64:15 – [Luiz good transition to attack]. Unrated.
66:00 – Mata presses opponent inside their box and forces him to concede a throw-in. Mata 4.
67:05 – Terry loses aerial duel inside the box, Luiz is a tad late to avoid the second header that ends up with Norwich’s goal. Terry -5, Luiz -4.
68:18 – [schürrle transition to attack carrying the ball]. Unrated.
70:15 – Slightly slow and bad coverage of Chelsea defensively after they took a corner. Team work -3.
70:54 – [Ramires good transition to attack]. Unrated.
71:05 – Lovely assist by Mata, but Schürrle’s shot is blocked. Mata 5, Schürrle 2.
71:43 – Successful tackle by Ramires prevents counter-attack. Ramires 5.
73:25 – Good cross by Cole. Cole 3.
74:50 – Ivanovic anticipates opponent inside the box, stopping attack. Ivanovic 5.
75:15 – [schürrle transition to attack carrying the ball + combo with Hazard]. Unrated.
75:35 – Successful tackle by Ramires in the attack. Ramires 5.
75:52 – Luiz loses midfield duel allowing counter-attack. Luiz -4.
75:59 – Luiz fixes his own mess and recovers ball possession. Luiz 3.
76:00 – [Luiz good transition to attack by carrying the ball]. Unrated.
76:28 – [Luiz good transition to attack]. Unrated.
76:36 – Poor cross by Mata to no one in the box. Mata -3.
77:20 – [Luiz good transition to attack]. Unrated.
77:51 – Eto'o anticipates opponent in the attack and recovers possession. Eto'o 4.
78:03 – Good cross by Ivanovic. Ivanovic 5.
79:07 – [ivanovic bad transition to attack]. Unrated.
79:39 – Terrible positioning by Chelsea defense, leaving an opponent completely unmarked at the edge of the box. Team work -5.
80:55 – Ivanovic + Willian combo pressing and tackling recovers the ball to Chelsea. Willian 4, Ivanovic 5.
80:59 – [Lampard transition to attack]. Unrated.
81:06 – Oscar bad control of ball gives it away. Oscar -3.
81:41 – Terrible positioning by Chelsea defense, leaving an opponent completely unmarked inside the box. Team work -5.
81:47 – [Luiz bad transition to attack with a long pass]. Unrated.
82:06 – Ivanovic anticipates an opponent and recovers possession. Ivanovic 5.
82:15 – [Willian smooth transition to attack]. Unrated.
83:05 – Bad defending by Ramires allows dangerous attack. Ramires -5.
84:01 – Ivanovic clears corner with a header. Ivanovic 5.
84:03 – Hazard wins an aerial duel, Willian controls the ball twice with his head to start the counter-attack led by Oscar who assists Hazard that scores. Team work 5. Hazard, Willian, Oscar 5.
85:25 – Luiz blocks a cross. Luiz 5.
85:32 – [Oscar + Willian combo make smooth transition to attack]. Unrated.
85:41 – Willian magnificent finish to score. Isolate play. Willian 5+
87:14 – Schürrle anticipates the opponent near the corner, regains possession. Schürrle 4.
88:01 – Ramires wins a tackle in midfield. Ramires 4.
91:16 – Willian successful tackle in the midfield. Willian 4.
91:38 – Schürrle anticipates the opponent and recovers possession. Schürrle 4.
92:16 – [Terry bad transition to attack with a long pass]. Unrated.
92:40 – [Cech bad transition to attack]. Unrated.
92:47 – Eto'o wins duel in the sideline and regains possession in the attack half. Eto'o 4.
93:12 – Sloppy pass by Oscar concedes turnover. Oscar -3.
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I'm sure if Lukaku started 2 matches and made 10 substitute appearances at West Brom in half a season he also would not developed or found form. Players need to play in order to improve or find form - when they are lacking match practice they are never going to be sharp or improve.

I actually think second striker is his best position. He's played wide in the youth teams but his play style is very much of that of a second striker and not of a wide player. Even when he started on the left in the youth team he always moved central and down the middle, provided no width at all.He plays like a Jovetic.