Chelsea Offense Problem

[communicate 2,703]

I like AVB philosophy with his possession football and high line however Is it just me or I feel like this season Chelsea is having a really major problem in term of creating chances. We play a slow build-up game which give time for our opponent to organize its defense and most of our attack come from crosses. Not only most of them are usually terrible crosses but they are floating crosses from deep. I just simply don't see Sturridge and Torres winning many ball in the air.

I saw a couple of goals for us this season when Cole/Mata was able to penetrate into the box and made good crosses, but I don't think they can do that consistently. Mata prefers to cut inside and do a link up play and cole is simply not 27 anymore.

Without Ramires who is great at counter attack, I really have no idea where the goals will come for us other than from set pieces or defensive mistake by our opponent.

[termninja 5,290]

We had a good pre-season. Team recovered from the previos season well and put it all behind. We started well and creating chances wasn't the problem. Problem is that we dropped the highline and lowered the tempo of our game since Andre's playstyle simply couldn't succed here with the players we have. If we won that game at Old Traford where we outplayed Manu I think our season so far would've been different, but a run of bad results has put AVB under pressure and he had to change it.

Team is under pressure and short on confidence. It reminds me of last season a lot.

I'm happy as long as we keep getting 3 points and grinding that top4 finish. Hopefully we will do it and then make radical changes in the summer and prepare for the 1st real season under Andre.

[manpe 10,855]

Build up is slow because we have no focal point in attack. A player gets the ball, gets closed down, opposition reorganizes and we pass back or side-to-side in hope that the next player has space and creativity to do something. It doesn't work very often because the players around the action of play usually just try to make themselves open for a pass in order not to give away possession, but rarely does anybody try something ambitious a la run behind the line and an appropriate pass. Crosses don't work because we simply don't have good crossers in our team and with Drogba out, we don't have the players to head em in... our best chance is hitting them low and hope that somebody gets a foot in. We do attempt low crosses more often and with greater effect too, as it was earlier pointed out by CareFreeChronic.

We've just hit a creative stalemate at the moment... it will be interesting to see how we tackle that problem with the current crop of player. This is the problem we face while not having a playmaker.

[communicate 2,703]

We had a good pre-season. Team recovered from the previos season well and put it all behind. We started well and creating chances wasn't the problem. Problem is that we dropped the highline and lowered the tempo of our game since Andre's playstyle simply couldn't succed here with the players we have. If we won that game at Old Traford where we outplayed Manu I think our season so far would've been different, but a run of bad results has put AVB under pressure and he had to change it.

Team is under pressure and short on confidence. It reminds me of last season a lot.

I'm happy as long as we keep getting 3 points and grinding that top4 finish. Hopefully we will do it and then make radical changes in the summer and prepare for the 1st real season under Andre.

Interesting, so the problem lies on our team inability to play high line, however with Cahill I don't see AVB buying another cb in summer.

After our performance against MU, I was excited about this season. Torres scored and if we took our chances we could score 5 in Old Trafford.

It is just so depressing to see the way we play right now. I am just afraid our inability to score will cost us UCL spot

[Ollie 4,400]

Chelsea offensive problem is quite simple. Playing players out of their favoured positions and playing players who are hopeless.

[termninja 5,290]

Interesting, so the problem lies on our team inability to play high line, however with Cahill I don't see AVB buying another cb in summer.

After our performance against MU, I was excited about this season. Torres scored and if we took our chances we could score 5 in Old Trafford.

It is just so depressing to see the way we play right now. I am just afraid our inability to score will cost us UCL spot

It's not only the highline, but when we put our defensive line lower we usually build from the back and when we finally send the ball to midfielders they fail to do anything useful with it and they simply make the safest pass to the nearest player or backwards and it happens for most of the match. When the ball finally reaches our front 3, it's either Mata who is trying to do something, Sturridge trying to shoot and failing and Torres either faling or trying to dribble from the wing

That's one way we usually play, and the 2nd one is the doubling on the wing with fullbacks and trying to cross which usually fails as Torres is without confidence and out of position while Sturridge hasn't been good as before his injury. Now, without Ramires, we have lost drive in the midfield and speed in the counter attacks and I wasn't surprised with how dumb we looked against Real Madrid Swansea.

It's frustrating, predictable and uneffective, but we have looked stronger defensively a lot since we dropped the highline.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Our pressing is non-existing at the moment. Torres is the only one who tries to do it, but he lacks support. Collective pressing is one of the most important things in modern football and teams who can play it successfully are very effective.

[manpe 10,855]

Our pressing is non-existing at the moment. Torres is the only one who tries to do it, but he lacks support. Collective pressing is one of the most important things in modern football and teams who can play it successfully are very effective.

Exactly. When I watched El Clasico I saw how both teams pressed and was astonished by how far Chelsea is from that kind of level.

[YouNameIt 1,511]

Are you surprised? Look at our squard, our midfield most importantly. David Luiz is more creative than all of our midfield combined, so is Mata.

Yeah CHelsea is playing possession football, but there is one problem here. The players dont move, they pass the ball around but there is very little creativity. If we want to play that type of football we have to TRY to move like say Barcelona. At the moment we pass the ball around and then just try to cross it in or lose the ball.

And CEALRLY crossing is not a viable option with our current squard and playstyle. We havent got any wingers and we dont have any strong players (except for Drogba) to use that.

In short, we need like 2 midfielders, a really creative one and a left winger, also a forward.

[communicate 2,703]

Are you surprised? Look at our squard, our midfield most importantly. David Luiz is more creative than all of our midfield combined, so is Mata.

Yeah CHelsea is playing possession football, but there is one problem here. The players dont move, they pass the ball around but there is very little creativity. If we want to play that type of football we have to TRY to move like say Barcelona. At the moment we pass the ball around and then just try to cross it in or lose the ball.

And CEALRLY crossing is not a viable option with our current squard and playstyle. We havent got any wingers and we dont have any strong players (except for Drogba) to use that.

In short, we need like 2 midfielders, a really creative one and a left winger, also a forward.

I agree that we need one winger to back up mata and sturridge.

AVB will still want to play 4-3-3 and as I much as I hate Sturridge, I just don't see AVB dropping him.

Everybody mentions about a really good creative midfielder, I am just not sure where to put him in our current lineup.

Unless AVB is ready to declare Lampard as just a rotation player.

Meireles/Lampard --- Ramires

Romeu/Essien

I believe what we really need is a really good target-man. Drogba is still good player but he is 33 and I am really tired of Torres saga.

He is almost unplayable when he play in a high tempo team like Liverpool but he does not fit the way chelsea play and we will better of selling him or even trading him for carroll. We need a target-man, Liverpool need a poacher

[Beirut_Blues 306]

Why didnt we sign Tevez?

Would City have refused to sell him to us? We r no threat to citys title ambitions so perhaps our ppl should have bid for him.. Unless theres something i dont knw.

[Drogba11CFC 108]

The other problem is that people are taking offense at our existance.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

We don't have an offensive problem. As we saw earlier in the season, we could score goals for fun and fight fire with fire, but that was at the expense of defensive resilience. Now we are stronger at the back but lack firepower going forward.

It is about finding the right balance.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Why didnt we sign Tevez?

Would City have refused to sell him to us? We r no threat to citys title ambitions so perhaps our ppl should have bid for him.. Unless theres something i dont knw.

Because Tevez is a grade A FUCK

---------------Torres-----------------

Mata-------Lampard----Sturridge

--------Romeu----Essien-------

A.Cole---------------------Ivanovic

-----------Terry------Luiz------------

Problem fuckin solved

[Thor 2,117]

We don't have an offensive problem. As we saw earlier in the season, we could score goals for fun and fight fire with fire, but that was at the expense of defensive resilience. Now we are stronger at the back but lack firepower going forward.

It is about finding the right balance.

I'd consider that an offensive problem. We played the same way with Carlo defensively last season but we still looked good in offense and created nice opportunities in front of goal. This season its just a big shamble up front, and our two strikers Drogba and Torres can't score more than Terry, our CB for the whole season. That's a structure problem that needs to be sorted out by AVB because he's got it all wrong. You won't find another top 4 team in any league that has the CB scoring more than the two star strikers who two years ago were considered the two best strikers in the league.

I don't know how we are sitting 4th with Drogba having 3 goals and Torres 2. People need to quit harassing Torres for his performance this season and look at the way we're set up and the opportunities he's actually getting with our style and structure. Drogba can't even get hold of the ball and score either. Our midfield play and coaching is the problem.

[Beirut_Blues 306]

Because Tevez is a grade A FUCK

---------------Torres-----------------

Mata-------Lampard----Sturridge

--------Romeu----Essien-------

A.Cole---------------------Ivanovic

-----------Terry------Luiz------------

Problem fuckin solved

Well torres cant fukken score! He'll be gone in the summer if he doesnt deliver by then.

[Tomo 21,681]

I dont think creating chances is the problem its more taking them.

We created numerous chances against Norwich and against Sunderland if we took our chances (and so did they) there could have quite easily been a repeat of the 7-2 2 years ago, even against Fulham at christmas we were only denied by the Stockdale super show, last season we weren't even creating the chances.

[TacticalBlues 2,817]

I dont think creating chances is the problem its more taking them.

We created numerous chances against Norwich and against Sunderland if we took our chances (and so did they) there could have quite easily been a repeat of the 7-2 2 years ago, even against Fulham at christmas we were only denied by the Stockdale super show, last season we weren't even creating the chances.

It's a bit of both. Early in the season season we were lacking the clinical factor, I mean if we took our chances we should've won in Old Trafford, Stoke, Fulham Tottenham, Arsenal + many more. And we all know how one clinical striker can make a difference with RVP for Arsenal and all. However, a lot of the chances we're creating nowadays are half-chances. Our providers haven't been the wingers, but players like Torres who should be scoring rather than giving service. As the seasons progressed our chance creation has definetley decreased too. With Meireles, who lacks the ability to open a defense with a pass, Sturridge who is too selfish, Malouda, similarly selfish, the majority of our playmakers/providers are affording us with very little to go on. Anelka, who was selfless, has left, Benayoun loaned to Arsenal, Lampard injured, McEachran loaned, and Kakuta too, we have depleated our squad of the creativity we availed. In our current situation I think we do have to give some of our youths a chance. Piazon is very young yes, but I don't think it'd hurt to give him some time. I mean our creativity is so minimal, with Mata and arguably Luiz providing us with the most creative flair. Starting with 10 minutes here and their surely won't hurt. If it really doesn't work then at least we can say that we tried!