Closed Chelsea 2-3 Man City

[JDY 1,290]

was it a sending off? i just got back from the game, personally from where i was sitting looked like a meaty tackle but i thought he got the ball?

I recorded the game and have watched it back about 10 times. Kolarov plays the ball onto his foot and Ivanovic follows through catching him. Rules for a red, "A challenge that far exceeded the necessary use of force and was in danger of injuring the opponent". I think it was harsh.

And I've watched Savic' block on Torres and it is as clear a yellow you'll see. Only about 20 seconds before the Ivan red.

[whats-the-mata 10]

I recorded the game and have watched it back about 10 times. Kolarov plays the ball onto his foot and Ivanovic follows through catching him. Rules for a red, "A challenge that far exceeded the necessary use of force and was in danger of injuring the opponent". I think it was harsh.

And I've watched Savic' block on Torres and it is as clear a yellow you'll see. Only about 20 seconds before the Ivan red.

Savic was an absolutely liability for them, would have been a totally different result if he had been sent off instead of Ivanovic. People slating the team need to realise it was against man city the reigning champions of the EPL and we were winning until that decision, theres no shame in losing like that.

On the ivanovic tackle it was literally right in front of me, I thought he got the ball as it clearly moved after the tackle was made, but to be honest with you its nothing new that chelsea are on the receiving end of 'harsh' decisions..

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Juan Mata

It's a pity, we couldn't win the #ComunnityShield... Thank you all for coming to Villa Park! Great support as always! #CFC

[JDY 1,290]

Savic was an absolutely liability for them, would have been a totally different result if he had been sent off instead of Ivanovic. People slating the team need to realise it was against man city the reigning champions of the EPL and we were winning until that decision, theres no shame in losing like that.

On the ivanovic tackle it was literally right in front of me, I thought he got the ball as it clearly moved after the tackle was made, but to be honest with you its nothing new that chelsea are on the receiving end of 'harsh' decisions..

Indeed. City did well to sub him off, any other mistimed tackle and he would've been off.

I can see why the ref gave the red, but for me it was harsh. If you remember Kompany's red card vs United last season, it was basically that but from a side angle. And even after that the referee booked Lampard when he slid in, but he clearly got the ball.

[The Rising Sun 709]

My views:

Not a bad performance, not a good performamce either.... but there was no consistency.... our play was either really good at times, and then extremely poor at times.

Ivanovic's tackle was idiotic, and he only had to make it cuz he was out of position and was well beaten by kolarov on the wing. Some people on here are saying that it only happened because Savic wasnt sent off..... NO ... it only happened because he was out of position, got beaten and made a desperate dive,,,,he did not know there was someone in behind him.

Mikel was NOT good today, and in general, he doesnt have great attributes for a DM. He has talent, and therefore has a few really good games every season, and thats what some people keep referring to, but on a macro level, he makes too many errors, is not commanding, not fast either and is not the sort of personality that would command the role of DM..... he is too soft and too comfortable at chelsea. And too slow.

Other players also dont perform at times, and are slated maybe a little less, Mikel is slated more often as he is tiring to watch, atleast for me.... everytime he gets the ball , i dont expect anything special from him, and he has delivered on that front. Last season we all saw Romeu... And OMG.... i suddenly realised thats exactly what we need.... I dont care if he is dispossesed a few times( Romeu), but his contribution to the game is far greater when compared to sideways and back passes after wasting time....

Torres looked good and will do well this season.

Ramires was best today when he drifted into the middle, and the goal also came from there. He isnt a RW and it eats me from inside why a manager who i want to see succeed always plays him there.... I was frustrated by Sturridge last season for his selfishness on the right, but he deserves the RW more than ramires.

Romeu.... he is a mystery. Why is he not playing?

Lastly, as a club we need to ask ourselves.... Are we playing Lampard in the Double pivot as a semi DM simply because he is Lampard and a club legend? Why not play him as an AM and have him play lesser games or be a super sub at times? Instead play Romeu or Ramires in that position.... it will definitely strengthen that area.

Our defending was bad. There is no other way to say it.... the 2 goals from outside the box should NOT have been allowed to happen, and the Nasri goal too caught the entire defense standing around asking eachother how did he score that so easily and without any challenge whatsoever?

So ... to sum up.... Atleast now RDM knows what he should concentrate on for the next 7 days... and then make the necessary alterations and tactical changes....

Now its up to him.

Ps,,,, not a mikel hater.... but i really had a laugh during the game when once mikel passed the ball to ramires on the right and made a run on the right wing.... ahead of ramires...leaving no one in the middle.

[bluezola 7]

Same old problems in central midfield with no sign of any solution soon and still don't see what our pattern of play is.

Just wonder what the Chelsea Management are hoping they find out. Perhaps they truly believe that Mikel and Lampard are the real deal as a midfield pair. No creativity and both too slow.

Well! from what I've seen in pre season the pair just don't work, but then again I wonder why our management continue to fork out the same old story about it just being relevant for fitness, when both players have virtually occupied those 2 CM positions in every pre season game, having had a free summer. Why didn't we try another 2 in those positions. Begs to ask the question whether management believe they are the best 2 players in those positions at the club. If that's the case we have a real problem. Note we have only won 1 game in pre season and that really says a great deal about the player fitness, player stamina, team tactics, team performance and understanding. Guess management may feel that they have got 2 out of 5.

There have been very few encouraging performances as we seem unable to utilize the creative talent we have. Getting our most creative players on the ball as quickly as possible should be our No.1 goal but we seem to take forever. It took us 25 minutes to create anything in today's game which is just about on par with what we have been doing in recent games and even last season.

Wigan won't be easy next week as Martinez is a clever manager, who will surely have noted that Mikel and Lampard aren't the quickest and can be caught in possession when put under pressure. I call this the Bosingwa effect which every team exploited last season. The player(s) that can be got at through poor play or in possession.

Haven't seen anything yet in our pattern of play that has me excited about our season.

[wltgo 0]

i thought torres played well, lots of endeavour, well taken goal, plenty of desire and a turn of foot.

mata too lightweight against city's power.

and as for the plum liquidator slating city's support are you a johnny come lately, they got in excess of 30000 most weeks in the second division, and averaged 45k pre takeover, hardly glory hunters, for the record we took 994 to the etihad last season, and we were outsung and outnumbered today with swathes of empties in our end.

keep it real

[Melanicus 5,208]

[The Rising Sun 709]

Not aimed at anyone in specific, but there are three things:

• Being Positive
  
• Putting a positive spin on everything
  
• the end of the world negativity
  

Now there are people on here who are positive and the other extreme of negative, but sometimes, the "being positive" category of people try and put a positive spin on everything and attack anyone who says something that is not positive towards a player or team or formation etc.

While in some cases, it might be warranted, but in most, it becomes personal and really escalates from there on. We as a forum fight too often over the smallest of things!

We as a community should figure out a way to keep threads and posts free of pages full of personal attacks, as it takes away from the quality and diversity we have on here....

The only reason TC would not win the Best Forum on the Internet would be because of this stuff!

In the end, we can only give our views, its RDM that will either be here next season or not.... We wont go anywhere.

[tawee75 39]

I must be honest, playing Mikel in the defensive midfield will be the downfall of RDM this season. Mikel was fantastic when RDM tok over last season because most the game plan was more of soaking pressure and counter attack. If we intend to play attacking game this time, then Mikel has nothing to offer. He cannot hold on to the ball and control the tempo of the game, he does not move the ball quickly to the attacking mids, and he does looses the ball quickly when pressed. He does not provide power in the midfield. in football, if your defensive mid is weak, your team becomes ineffective both in attack and defense.

[Ramzi 233]

I think the red card was justified, he came in from behind, and lunged with both feet a big no no

[royg 96]

This might be a glorified pre-season game but still a trophy to win and it is sad for me not to win it. We could had won it if not for that Red card. Nevertheless it was still a good showing for 10 vs 12 game and definitely there are some positives we could generate from the game.

1. Torres looks hungrier! His pace, positioning and activity looks promising and he could build on this great performance.

2. We got a gem in Bertrand, quick and decisive on his movements

3. If we play the ball quickly the chances of success is much higher

There are also things to be adressed:

1. I'm not sure if Mikel is not match fit or he is just poor most of the time. Definitely he is on his best when we park the bus and when he knows that defenders are closely behind him and will easily closed down opponents that will pass him. Just my opinion that the big difference between Mikel and Romeu is that Romeu see's the play faster and he is quick to react rather than Mikel who needs to dribble a little first before visualizing the play.

2. Also contributes to Mikel's poor showing are players not being available to pass to. Maybe Lampard, Hazard, Ramires or Mata but I dont see players linking him up or asking for the ball. Everyone was passive and just go with the flow. Maybe attributed to culture or none existence of system.

3. Mata-Hazard link-up definitely needs to gel more but this will improve in time (Imagining 2 of them with Oscar surely be devastating)

4. Hazard should also have a better understanding with Ashley Cole if he will play dominantly on the left. There are some glimpse of good link-up and eventually this will also improve.

5. I am not sold on Ramires as RW, he might be better as a CM in 4-3-3 but he is a little bit lost in 4-2-3-1. I'm sure some will insist that we need him with his pace, stamina and defensive skills but his contribution on attack build-up is minimal. I always feel his passing ability is underrated but definitely he will not be as creative as proper RW or an AM. If we could solve and be stable in the double Pivot department maybe we wont need his defensive covering.

6. I agree with one poster here that Cech should make the play from the back and not go for the long balls, we dont have Drogba anymore.

7. Luiz needs to calm down and mature some more on his tackles, he definitely needs to improve on his decision making. I had the impression that he improved greatly on this aspect (specially on the later part of the season) but he surely is coming back to his old self.

8. Lampard and Terry should assert their leadership and control the game, its like watching CFC vs QPR again with all those aggressive tackles.

9. We need a Rightback ASAP!

Overall it was good and respectable game. KTBFFH!

[Kojo 4,676]

My views:

Not a bad performance, not a good performamce either.... but there was no consistency.... our play was either really good at times, and then extremely poor at times.

Ivanovic's tackle was idiotic, and he only had to make it cuz he was out of position and was well beaten by kolarov on the wing. Some people on here are saying that it only happened because Savic wasnt sent off..... NO ... it only happened because he was out of position, got beaten and made a desperate dive,,,,he did not know there was someone in behind him.

Mikel was NOT good today, and in general, he doesnt have great attributes for a DM. He has talent, and therefore has a few really good games every season, and thats what some people keep referring to, but on a macro level, he makes too many errors, is not commanding, not fast either and is not the sort of personality that would command the role of DM..... he is too soft and too comfortable at chelsea. And too slow.

Other players also dont perform at times, and are slated maybe a little less, Mikel is slated more often as he is tiring to watch, atleast for me.... everytime he gets the ball , i dont expect anything special from him, and he has delivered on that front. Last season we all saw Romeu... And OMG.... i suddenly realised thats exactly what we need.... I dont care if he is dispossesed a few times( Romeu), but his contribution to the game is far greater when compared to sideways and back passes after wasting time....

Torres looked good and will do well this season.

Ramires was best today when he drifted into the middle, and the goal also came from there. He isnt a RW and it eats me from inside why a manager who i want to see succeed always plays him there.... I was frustrated by Sturridge last season for his selfishness on the right, but he deserves the RW more than ramires.

Romeu.... he is a mystery. Why is he not playing?

Lastly, as a club we need to ask ourselves.... Are we playing Lampard in the Double pivot as a semi DM simply because he is Lampard and a club legend? Why not play him as an AM and have him play lesser games or be a super sub at times? Instead play Romeu or Ramires in that position.... it will definitely strengthen that area.

Our defending was bad. There is no other way to say it.... the 2 goals from outside the box should NOT have been allowed to happen, and the Nasri goal too caught the entire defense standing around asking eachother how did he score that so easily and without any challenge whatsoever?

So ... to sum up.... Atleast now RDM knows what he should concentrate on for the next 7 days... and then make the necessary alterations and tactical changes....

Now its up to him.

Ps,,,, not a mikel hater.... but i really had a laugh during the game when once mikel passed the ball to ramires on the right and made a run on the right wing.... ahead of ramires...leaving no one in the middle.

About Lampard, fully agree, Lampard will not play a double pivot for the rest of his life. He's attacking orientated, he should be an option for our CAMS, obviously if we put him on the right or left then he will be rotating.

All we did last season was hold out, and did everything we could. And then people thought Lampard is our new future DM. Lampard will not track back for the rest of his life, his instincts are to get forward and score.

[Kezza 1,965]

Just pissed fuck face Nasri scored

[Kojo 4,676]

Just pissed fuck face Nasri scored

Honeslty, it couldn't of been a worse score sheet, all the 3 cunts i would put down first not to score scored.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Can't believe Tevez scored against us again, fucking hell, that's why i badly wanted him to leave the Premier League.

[Peace. 4,352]

I just want to speak about the refereeing. Yes, on most of the 50-50 challenges, the referee was whistling in favor of Manchester City. Yes, he should have whistled a foul against Savic some seconds before Ivanovic get sent out. It is undeniable that the outcome of the match has been influenced by this red card.

Although, we should quit the moaning like if we were cry babies. At times it's getting embarrassing. Sometimes it goes one way, some other times it goes the other way. We must not to look the other way : while the referee had his share in our defeat, the ones we should blame is us and nobody else. Yes, the game should have been stopped before Ivanovic lost his mind. But what on earth was he thinking to when doing this tackle ?! The referee might have get it wrong 30 second beforehand, even though this doesn't justify by any means what Ivanovic done ! It was a deserved red card every day of the week.

Had his mind stayed sane for those few seconds, I am pretty sure we could have won the game. The serbian takes a big share of the blame. Then comes our defenders and especially our captain. He was at fault on the two first goals : on the first one he made a bad clearance ; on the second one he stood there looking Tevez run past him. Our wonderful midfield two has also to take his share of the blame. It didn't function. Lampard was of none help in the defensive duties and Mikel was frail and kept losing the ball. When you have an almost non-existent midfield in front of your back 4, you can have the best defenders in the world, they would still have a very bad day. There is also the tactic set by Roberto Di Matteo. Had he decided to put in another defender to balance the team, we would have been more solid in defense. Don't get me wrong, I am not slating him because he chose to keep playing an forward-minded game, not at all ! I am just stating a fact.

So, before crying over the refereeing, we should first look at what wasn't good in our side, and draw the right conclusions from it.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

Branna was sent off and it was the right decision imo. I think we need a PROPER right back. Not a center back converted to a right back. Not just because Branna was sent off, just as you seen he was beaten to the ball by Kolarov of all people, hes literally one of the slowest full backs ever. Plus going forward hes too indecisive, he looks like he wants to cross it in, decides not too passes it backwards.