Closed Spurs 2-4 Chelsea

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Mikel had an usual game, he was reliable as always. I hope that people still thinking he never goes forward or plays creative saw how he perfectly fits into that centre midfield role. When he passed the ball, he didn't move to drop behind the ball everytime, he also asked ahead of the ball to create triangles. I didn't manage to find a clear screen shot of it though.

Cahill's goal comes from a corner that has been won shortly after a creative pass from Mikel to Mata by the way.

I actually though Mikel's second half was below his usual high standard. In the first half, our defensive play was excellent. In particular I loved the way we kept forcing Dempsy back, turning their fast breaks into nothing, but in the second half, we gave Spurs way too many opportunities to score. This was a severely weakened Spurs side and they had 26 attempts at goal including a lot of very good opportunities. I am not blaming this all on Mikel by any stretch of the imagination, but our defensive problems went beyond just set-pieces and one 10 minute period. There were a few plays late in the game where Spurs players seemed to just cut through us and get the ball into dangerous areas easily. There was one just awful play by our double pivot when we were up 3-2 and Lennon just carried the ball past Ramires and Mikel into a dangerous position. Thought Ramires had one of the best halves I've seen from him this season in the first half but was very poor in the second half.

[SeB 1,281]

Call me old-fashioned but I never liked zonal marking. It often fails and it's always nobody's fault when it does. It is simple for me, get a player marking every opponent with your best defenders marking their best headers. If someone scores then it's his marker's fault.

It depends, to be fair that's the best way to use the space and make sure wherever the ball falls, there will be a player to clear it. When the opponent has several good heading players (heading play but good movements as well), that's better to use man marking.

Anyway you'll never see exclusive zonal or man marking, that's often a combined marking (with one or two man-marking, vs Spurs it was Luiz on Dempsey).

There's no better system, when the opponent is weak in the air you better have to use zonal marking, when they're efficient you've to use man marking.

You've to adapt to the players at your disposal, the conclusion depends of the results you have. That's better to concede 5 goals a season due to zonal marking (opponents outnumbering a zone) against teams which strength is set pieces than conceding 15 goals a season due to individuals failing to win challenges. If that's the opposite (way more goals conceded with zonal marking), then you probably have to switch back.

Off topic but I'm trying to implement it with kids considering set pieces are awfully taken by the opponent (my team's included lol)

[SeB 1,281]

I actually though Mikel's second half was below his usual high standard. In the first half, our defensive play was excellent. In particular I loved the way we kept forcing Dempsy back, turning their fast breaks into nothing, but in the second half, we gave Spurs way too many opportunities to score. This was a severely weakened Spurs side and they had 26 attempts at goal including a lot of very good opportunities. I am not blaming this all on Mikel by any stretch of the imagination, but our defensive problems went beyond just set-pieces and one 10 minute period. There were a few plays late in the game where Spurs players seemed to just cut through us and get the ball into dangerous areas easily. There was one just awful play by our double pivot when we were up 3-2 and Lennon just carried the ball past Ramires and Mikel into a dangerous position. Thought Ramires had one of the best halves I've seen from him this season in the first half but was very poor in the second half.

The 3 line stopped to press at the start of the second half, maybe they were tired or that was an instruction to rest before pushing for goals I don't know... But that's not the first time this season, we've three players under 23 who have to press hard whereas they have never really been used to.

Ramires showed similar stuff when he was played alongside Romeu last season with the two midfield flanking Romeu were closer to him than they were when Mikel played. More composed on the ball. But otherwise he's not yet able to stay back and be well positioned to block the passing angles. He keeps the will to be ready to break, ready to come out on the opponent to intercept at the death a pass just before it reaches the opponent.

Considering how baddly we defended set pieces, that wasn't that usefull to cut Lennon or Walker when they crossed the field and to concede stupid free kicks. Eventually they did put some dangerous deliveries on the box but that was well handled overrally

But the issue is wider, the situation you're talking about tends to repeat througout the season if we cannot sign proper rotation players in midfield and forward preventing the players to press for the whole game (and not being forced to let past 15 or 20 minutes every game)

[Emmanuelpee 12]

There is a Hazard coming out of Eden,so that no Mata what the opponent do,there will always be Oscar to scare them when holy Moses leads Blues to victorious outings

[SeB 1,281]

I forgot that caption: look at Oscar's movements there (imagine the arrow lol), he walks backwards and fixes Walker, he actually roots him ; what opens the interval between him and Gallas

But that could have been prevented to be fair, Walker's tactical understanding is worse than a schoolboy playing in recration ground. He should have come closer to Gallas.

The replay is funny, Walker jogs then walks and when Hazard passes he starts jogging again and raises his hand to call an offside. What a twat

[ulsterchelsea 3,213]

Brilliant result, made my week . Wee Mata was superb as always but mikel was a rock on Saturday and played great. Some concerns about the way we fall asleep at times but hard to complain when we keep winning. Keep it up boys

[CHOULO19 24,332]

we've three players under 23 who have to press hard whereas they have never really been used to

Yes but their pressing game is getting better by the match. On Saturday it was the best we pressed all season. Mata, Oscar and Hazard pressed the back 4 for the whole 90 mins and were successful at creating 'traps' with Mikel and Rambo to retrieve the ball. RDM managed to implement what AVB wanted to do better and faster than him.

[SeB 1,281]

Yes but their pressing game is getting better by the match. On Saturday it was the best we pressed all season. Mata, Oscar and Hazard pressed the back 4 for the whole 90 mins and were successful at creating 'traps' with Mikel and Rambo to retrieve the ball. RDM managed to implement what AVB wanted to do better and faster than him.

Yeah, you're rght that's really improving fast. But my point was that the players are forced to hold off for periods of games despite the pressing shape instructions

[Styles 9,790]

Am i a weirdo that i watch most of our games twice this season? gonna watch this one again now lol

It's great. You notice things you might have missed the first time. You get a much better sense of tactics, players performance etc.

[ChelseaChelsea68 53]

Brilliant result, made my weekend.

Once Three Point Lane

Always Three Point Lane

Double Double Double

John Terry's done the Double

And the Shite from the Lane

won Fuck All again

cause John Terry's done the Double

Double Double Double

John Terry's done the Double

And the Shite from the Lane

are in Europa again

cause John Terry's done the Double

:blue scalf: :blue scalf: :blue scalf: SPUDS KNOW YOUR PLACE

[Jase 43,479]

RDM managed to implement what AVB wanted to do better and faster than him.

That's because he had the better players and ones that are more suited to pressing than the team AVB managed last season.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

That's because he had the better players and ones that are more suited to pressing than the team AVB managed last season.

I don't think it is the players. I think RDM has convinced players to play his way. Even with Lamps who is now getting less time than under AVB. RDM is still implementing AVB's 'project' but he is doing so quietly.

[Razor 3]

By far the single most enjoyable game this season (granted it's only really the start of the season). To go to Shite Hart Lane after all of the bad PR that has been surrounding our club for the past couple of weeks / months in particular (I wont go into details as all of you will know what I'm referring to), as well as having AVB running his mouth and the pressure that would have been on our boys to come out of that fixture with a good result, and smash them 4-2 was just unbelievable.

The build up play from this season compared to what it was like last season relying heavily on the counter rather than working the ball around nice and quickly as we do now is night and day. So many exciting things that have already happened so far with this new style of ours, what with Hazard, Oscar and Mata feeding Torres, and to think that's coming (for most of the players) back from an international break, as well as the fact that they've only played together for 10 or so games. Looking at how the team are gelling at this early stage of the season and how many more games they have to further improve the chemistry things could really go our way this season (not that we didn't have an amazing end to what was an abysmal first 2/3 of the season last year). I can really see us winning a lot of things, and if we keep playing how we did and shite hart lane and how we have done against various other teams so far, it wouldn't be smart to rule us out of the Champions League final (as some pundits are already suggesting).

All in all, a great weekend and on a larger scale, a great era to be blue! Bring on Shaktar and United!

[Milan 17,836]

Petr Cech on facing AVB -

"The presence of Andre surely made the atmosphere more spicy.

"Before and after the match he said hello to us, he shook hands with everyone and we exchanged a few words. It was nice to see him again."

A professional really.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I don't think it is the players. I think RDM has convinced players to play his way. Even with Lamps who is now getting less time than under AVB. RDM is still implementing AVB's 'project' but he is doing so quietly.

We actually dont know if Lampard is OK with it. It is all flowers until bad results come...

I am totally aproving RDM job right now. However, we will more of him once we get on a losing streak, he has to use his back-up plans and contain unhappy squad players. LETS WAIT.

We did not know AVB would turn out the way it did...

[Jase 43,479]

I forgot that caption: look at Oscar's movements there (imagine the arrow lol), he walks backwards and fixes Walker, he actually roots him ; what opens the interval between him and Gallas

But that could have been prevented to be fair, Walker's tactical understanding is worse than a schoolboy playing in recration ground. He should have come closer to Gallas.

The replay is funny, Walker jogs then walks and when Hazard passes he starts jogging again and raises his hand to call an offside. What a twat

Bosingwa-esque defending. If you look at one of the angles in the repeat of Mata's second goal, you can see that Walker had a look at where Mata was but didn't even bother to track him. Tottenham's greatest ever right back? HA!

[Jase 43,479]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/kickingandscreaming/id/124?cc=4716

An article written by an Arsenal fan on Mata and this game. Wonderful piece!

[Jase 43,479]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M_eOaOSQoQ&feature=plcp