Closed Brighton Vs Chelsea

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I have a feeling Mata will be burned out, he has had no fucking rest at all!.

At the end of last season he wasn't so effective, he was losing it, I don't want that, we need a creative player so bad!.

Well, we have an incoming Brazilian soon if that helps..

[manpe 10,855]

Often when we play the pitch seems so much narrower to me than normal, it did last season and it does now. I don't know if it's because of the lack of width from us or because many teams play really compact against us, or both.

[Magic Lamps 11,449]

Not really surprised with the result considering who we started in the midfield. Shame Meireles doesn't play as well for club as he did in the Euros for Portugal.

??? Meireles was poor for portugal, as poor as for us.

[ZanSnake 1,211]

I ahte it that we have a new squad (well, essentially) and yet most key players haven't been here for pre-season. We are left with the same questions now as we did before Seattle, with other questions being asked and more faults coming into alignment!

[Rambo 1,729]

This team will take time to gel, don't get your panties in a bunch.

[Kezza 1,965]

So people who were gagging for 4-3-3, how'd that work out for you?

Lukaku played good for the time he was on

[Strike 6,961]

Roman should amend RDM's contract, and add a clause which releases him automatically if he plays the 4-3-3 ever again.

edit : haven't watched the whole game but as cundy mentioned, hazard is playing infield to get involved with the play giving us no real width to stretch the opponents.

[Azpinator 2,325]

Enough mentioning the 10/11 pre-season FFS, we all know what happened back then!!!!

[5354 204]

The problem with the squad is that... majority of them does not seemed to have the urgency...

culprits are like MIKEL, ESSIEN, LAMPARD <<<

The midfield not working or passing the ball quick enough.

Hazard doesnt look like he has adapted yet

[Heisenberg 1,824]

Good morning.

Didnt watch the match.What happened ? Why a strong 11 lose against Brighton ? Can someone explain me why ?

[Noctourniquet 14]

Have to be honest, Oscar has got to start in Lampard or Ess' role if hes going to be used as a CM. Lampard and Ess slowed everything good (wasn't much but yeah...) we did down today.

Lamp's goal was good but everything else he did was very average, slowed everything down along with Essien. The one Lamps picked up and played to Torres was an example, say Hazard, Mata or Ramires had the ball in that position they would of took the defender on and shot.

If Lampard is going to be the "heart" of the midfield this season we are done for. We are trying to play nice passing football but we can't when every time him or Essien gets the ball takes about 40 touches and then passes it.

If we're gonna play 4-3-3 Ramires has got to be in the midfield 3 as well rather than the front 3. I'd personally go for Mikel, Ramires and Oscar in the midfield 3 tbh, Oscar can dictate the tempo and be the deeper lying playmaker, Mikel as the holding man and Ramires being a box to box player where he can attack and defend. For the Community Shield we will have to improve but since a trophy is on offer I'm sure they will, we'll see though.

Are you talking about the same Lampard who was top scorer for us last season? Are you talking about the guy who nicked the ball off Messi to give Ramires the perfect pass which led to Drogba's goal against Barcelona in Stamford Bridge? The player who assisted Ramires for his goal at the Nou Camp? Without that goal we would've never been in the CL final. Lampard was clearly our best midfielder towards the end of last season. I'm surprised he was able to take 40 touches against Barcelona before creating two of the most vital goals we've scored all season.

[francozola 2,040]

That midfield trio of Lampard, Meireles and Essien is just fucking dreadful. Midfield in general is our weak point. Lampard, Essien, Mikel, Meireles, Ramires and Romeu are not good enough to last the whole season, especially when facing top teams and European opposition. We need a proper CM. Essien is finished and should be sold. Meireles is rubbish most of the time and Romeu is a question mark. Mikel is not good enough if we want to play attacking football - no way am I drinking the Mikel Kool-Aid just because he did well in park-the-bus scenarios last season. He's still not shown that he can be a starter in an attacking formation imo. Lampard has many qualities left but he should not be a definite starter in that position or we will get found out. Oscar may help but will he be played there? Even then we need to sign at least 1 more CM.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Lampard just seems so past it. I don't care what he did last season goals wise, the evidence is in front of you. He slows down the play soooooo much. If we play 4-3-3 only one of Mikel or Lampard should be on the pitch.

[Mr. Ziggles 110]

Are you talking about the same Lampard who was top scorer for us last season? Are you talking about the guy who nicked the ball off Messi to give Ramires the perfect pass which led to Drogba's goal against Barcelona in Stamford Bridge? The player who assisted Ramires for his goal at the Nou Camp? Without that goal we would've never been in the CL final. Lampard was clearly our best midfielder towards the end of last season. I'm surprised he was able to take 40 touches against Barcelona before creating two of the most vital goals we've scored all season.

Okay, okay. He was saying that Lampard was dreadful yesterday, something that I do personally disagree with. Then again I didn't watch it all, only parts. He was great last season but forget that for a brief moment will you?

[TrippingStep 336]

I am not surprised by this awful performance, not at all. It was to be expected (though, obviously I didn't expect that scoreline).

Indeed, if you look at the team we fielded, it was exactly the same set of players from last year. Of course, at the exception of Hazard, but he is yet to be a very good player, and still needs time to gel with the team. So all in all, one can say we had the same team as last year with an out-of-form Mata.

Therefore, if you keep this in mind, it shouldn't be a surprise in the slightest that we are still playing a boring, uncreative and sterile football... Should it be ? Last season, whenever we were in possession, we didn't seem to know what to do with the ball, as if it was a bomb. We didn't have no penetration, no creativity, and we were only making side-way passes. Unless Roman picked up our players and brought the players to Lourdes, I do not see any reason for why we would have miraculously improved in the last few weeks. Hazard, despite the great potentiel he has, isn't the Messiah nor Messi.

The bottom line is that despite the fact we purchased technically gifted players (Hazard, Marin, Oscar), our metamorphosis will take time to happen. It is an error and a desillusion to expect us to play an attractive football right now. As I said in the Milan thread, Rome wasn't built in one day. We should get used to the idea of playing the same shit as last season for some weeks/months.

On a side note, I find it worrisome that as soon as we don't park the bus, we seem to revert back to the team we were under Andrès Villas-Boas in January. Food for thought...

You can track back to the season before with Ancelotti, after two good months in the beginning with some beautiful football, the team imploded.

I remember the first match against Marseille, it was such a tidy and beautiful performance, I didn't understand the lacklustre performance the rest of the season.

[athovick 3]

in that game we try to change our style in play,,we want more control and position the ball and add some creativity in passing and movement to make a score,,but the creativity in attack we still weak on it,,because the opposite defense almost 9 man on the back,,that situation make our attack can find the target,,this situation make our dm and include defense trying to support attack that make them out of position,,and when counter attack coming with our player out of position and very weak preasure to get ball back ...and then that's what happen we are conceded 3 goal,,

IMO from what i watch from chelsea game for along time we are really good in counter attacking,, with counter attack situation waybe we just have to face 4 player on defence opposite and in defense situation we can't defense with 3 or 4 player on the back but we always need support from DM to defense with organized position that make our defense really god in the past,,, so i think we have to stick on it,,don't change our style in play,,because our player not ready for that,, added 2 or 3 creative player it can't change our style and be good in position footbal because it leave a hole in counter attacking from opponent ,,except we change our Dm and Defence with player who dare to fight and make big preasure and clever enough to get the ball alone without unorganized defense,,

[Heisenberg 1,824]

Lampard just seems so past it. I don't care what he did last season goals wise, the evidence is in front of you. He slows down the play soooooo much. If we play 4-3-3 only one of Mikel or Lampard should be on the pitch.

Please , can someone kill me ? I just want to die after reading this."Lampast blalblbalbal" , keep talking, he is our best CM, only idiots and new fans will put him directly on the bench this season, Oscar can be the greatest midfielder in the world , it will take time to replace our greatest player.Don't worry , Di Matteo is our main man , we'll play in a very beatiful way , using a 4-2-3-1 formation that seems to work, every fan and supporter that supports the club knows thah we'll be there in the big games.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Fuck attractive football. Loan out all these technical players and replace them with 190 cm tall muscle men.

Playing ugly wins things. We should play a 9-0-1 all season.