Closed Hull City 0-2 Chelsea

[Barbara 15,149]

That is why I only complained about pivot... Which bothered you.

So I wonder..What moaning about pivot in the certain game has to do with the fact that it has been said thousand times before?

So has been that Torres is shit, and people are saying it tirelessly again and again.

Or that Hazard is great, such a amazing player, we all know it, but you read about it in every match thread. etc..

People's opinion about something depends on result or what one looks at the moment. And than he praises or blames whoever he holds responsible, regardless of how many time it has been said before.

I'm not naive to believe exciting and inspiring football will happen overnight. But I also don't think that high pressing game or brilliant defence are enough to move us in that direction. It will take more, much more, and I'm looking to see the rest.

I'm not thinking that pivot is the only improvement needed but having one playmaker would have help us a lot in this game or the others. During this transition.

Never mind, I want this club to match quality of football with spendings .It could only help in increasing fanbase, sale of kits, revenue etc.

In the short run three points are the most important. But in the long run style of football is important for this club's legacy, stature, even ability to become self sustainable .

@ The only place to be

Neutrals are potential fans or other football fans who don't support you but respect you nevertheless. I'm not neutral, but that doesn't mean their opinion doesn't matter.

In all honesty? I have no idea what you're talking about...

My comments were made based on a general reaction I've seen from people here and on Twitter talking about many problems we had in the first half. I think the biggest problem we had was a playing away against a very solid and organized team that used our own poison (high pressing) against us. So instead of tiring ourselves, we tired them and took advantage of their lower energy in the second. I have no idea you complained about the pivot (maybe I even read your post, but I don't remember) and I don't think it bothered me if I don't even remember it.

Then in my post (not the part you quoted) I said I wouldn't talk about the pivot because it continues to be our problem and explaining why would be repetitive... do you mean that? Because I didn't explain what didn't work in the pivot because we've gone through that a thousand times.

I'm at loss here and have no idea what you're talking about. Sorry.

[manpe 10,861]

I can't believe the reactions here when the match was 0-0. The team was okay, and the win was a matter of time. Same about the Brazilian commentators bitching about the "lack of creativity". For me its cleat that its not the same as the first matches of the season, when the team was boring, lacked urgency, and the goal always looked like an impossible task.

People were bitching? I was still confident when 2nd half began, I know we're a 2nd half team anyway. Good post.

[The Mak 4,459]

Just a word on Luiz, he was great defensively but my god, he was terrible with his passing. Especially in the first half. It just goes to show what we're crying out for. Even someone like Cabaye would improve us greatly (who could be available for as little as £10m in the summer apparently).

[Mário César 997]

Highlights?

[Special Juan 27,439]

Highlights?

No I'm bald thanks.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

[lionsden 4,689]

The quality of our build up and overall play offensively was poor again for the upteenth time this season and the terrible midfield combination of luiz and Ramires, who both struggled to pass the ball well and kept giving possession away and Torres who was predictably loose in possession and isolated upfront was largely responsible for that. The defence didn't have much to do but dealt with the little threat Hull posed. Hazard and Willian were the only shinning light in an attacking sense for me and that along with the defence and another clean sheet were the positives to take out of the game.

What I'm still waiting to see is the evolution of a clear philosophy and pattern to our style of play on the pitch which is non existent at the moment and I don't see how that can happen when a technically limited player like Ramires is the first name on the team sheet in central midfield. That's fine if our ambition is limited to producing west brom and Norwich city level of football.

I will cut Jose and the team some slack because we are top of the league and keeping clean sheet but our build up play and attacking sequence is still so far off the level of a "top team" without any evidence of progress however small.

[skeeo 37]

I thought Luiz was average, he was spraying wayward passes everywhere.

[lionsden 4,689]

I thought Luiz was average, he was spraying wayward passes everywhere.

Imagine Bayern sticking Boateng in midfield. it won't ever come to that.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Lahm?

[lionsden 4,689]

That is why I only complained about pivot... Which bothered you.

So I wonder..What moaning about pivot in the certain game has to do with the fact that it has been said thousand times before?

So has been that Torres is shit, and people are saying it tirelessly again and again.

Or that Hazard is great, such a amazing player, we all know it, but you read about it in every match thread. etc..

People's opinion about something depends on result or what one looks at the moment. And than he praises or blames whoever he holds responsible, regardless of how many time it has been said before.

I'm not naive to believe exciting and inspiring football will happen overnight. But I also don't think that high pressing game or brilliant defence are enough to move us in that direction. It will take more, much more, and I'm looking to see the rest.

I'm not thinking that pivot is the only improvement needed but having one playmaker would have help us a lot in this game or the others. During this transition.

Never mind, I want this club to match quality of football with spendings .It could only help in increasing fanbase, sale of kits, revenue etc.

In the short run three points are the most important. But in the long run style of football is important for this club's legacy, stature, even ability to become self sustainable .

@ The only place to be

Neutrals are potential fans or other football fans who don't support you but respect you nevertheless. I'm not neutral, but that doesn't mean their opinion doesn't matter.

It's no coincidence that we have been battered to submission in midfield by teams with technical superiority in that position for the past 4 seasons dating back to Ancelotti's 2nd season where the sale of ballack, deco and essien's injury/decline signalled a downward spiral. all the technical teams we have faced since the double winning season have played us off the park domestically and in Europe.

For me, I'm not convinced our current midfield options can produce quality attacking football to the level of top European teams even if we show full commitment towards the philosophy. the one common denominator amongst teams that play such style of football is the balance and quality in central midfield.

Barca have Xavi and Busquets, Bayern-Bastian, Martinez and Alcantara, City-Yaya, fernandinho

Dortmund- Gundogan, sahin and so on.all technical players with the ability to retain possession and control the tempo of play and excellent distribution. none of our midfielders can do this to any satisfactory level and until we fix this issue . . . . . . .

[lionsden 4,689]

Lahm?

Lahm is one the most versatile players of all time and Pep played him in midfield in one game where they were short of options due to injuries to their midfielders which also coincided with the sale of Gustavo to wolfsburg. Luiz is no where near as versatile or as technically and tactically gifted as lahm. Atleast pep had a genuine excuse for playing a defender in midfield. what was jose's when we had a fully fit mikel (coming off the back of a solid game against derby) and Essien at his disposal.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Lahm is one the most versatile players of all time and Pep played him in midfield in one game where they were short of options due to injuries to their midfielders which also coincided with the sale of Gustavo to wolfsburg. Luiz is no where near as versatile or as technically and tactically gifted as lahm. Atleast pep had a genuine excuse for playing a defender in midfield. what was jose's when we had a fully fit mikel (coming off the back of a solid game against derby) and Essien at his disposal.

Mikel didn't train on thursday and friday. He just flew back from nigeria (8hrs journey) from the african player of the year awards.

That's the only reason luiz played

[Korea 734]

Lahm is one the most versatile players of all time and Pep played him in midfield in one game where they were short of options due to injuries to their midfielders which also coincided with the sale of Gustavo to wolfsburg. Luiz is no where near as versatile or as technically and tactically gifted as lahm. Atleast pep had a genuine excuse for playing a defender in midfield. what was jose's when we had a fully fit mikel (coming off the back of a solid game against derby) and Essien at his disposal.

Lahm starts there...

And rafinha plays rb......

[Starman60 1,343]

I'm amazed to read some negative comments on here after our superb win over Hull today. Okay, our first half performance was lukewarm, but we were like the bullfighter, just probing for their weakness and I was 100% sure we would score in the second half. Remember Hull are not the pushover they used to be some seasons ago and what we did to them today was a very efficient, professional and workmanlike performance and I for one was very happy with the 0-2 scoreline. We are starting to slip into gear now and if we maintain the level of performance we have provided in our last couple of games I'd say the future looks bright.very bright.

I think we can beat anyone at the moment........Well done Jose They are starting to put in the type of performance you demand

[lionsden 4,689]

Mikel didn't train on thursday and friday. He just flew back from nigeria (8hrs journey) from the african player of the year awards.

That's the only reason luiz played

Still. . . . Essien is still a better midfielder and midfield option.

[lionsden 4,689]

I'm amazed to read some negative comments on here after our superb win over Hull today. Okay, our first half performance was lukewarm, but we were like the bullfighter, just probing for their weakness and I was 100% sure we would score in the second half. Remember Hull are not the pushover they used to be some seasons ago and what we did to them today was a very efficient, professional and workmanlike performance and I for one was very happy with the 0-2 scoreline. We are starting to slip into gear now and if we maintain the level of performance we have provided in our last couple of games I'd say the future looks bright.very bright.

I think we can beat anyone at the moment........Well done Jose They are starting to put in the type of performance you demand

That's because some people are not only fixated on results but also analyse performance. I'm not seeing anything at the moment apart from high pressing off the ball, which isn't sufficient to garner praise, to suggests we are progressing and moving in the right direction.

[Jase 43,479]

Very sloppy in the first half but did well in the second half to get the goals without really having to click into first gear. Superb goal from Hazard to break the deadlock and once again, our defence have looked solid. Perhaps it's due to Hull's weak attacking issues but we hardly gave them a sniff apart from our charitable mood in giving the ball to them. It's now 5 clean sheets in the last 6 games. We kept 5 in 14 games before that. So, that's an improvement.