Closed Schalke v Chelsea

[Barbara 15,149]

Slightly off topic but for our sake in the Premier League, need City to progress into the knockout stage of the Champions League or at least qualify for the Europa League. Last thing we need is City having only two competitions left to contend and able to focus almost everything on winning the league.

We have a 8-point lead having already played at their stadium. If they challenge us in the league is due to our incompetency not because they're resting the during the week. UCL affects only seven weeks in the knockout stages... so the sooner and the further they get screwed up the better, no questions about that imo

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

We have a 8-point lead having already played at their stadium. If they challenge us in the league is due to our incompetency not because they're resting the during the week. UCL affects only seven weeks in the knockout stages... so the sooner and the further they get screwed up the better, no questions about that imo

First of all, let's hope we get through and that we do have the problem of twice weekly matches to contend with.

I Understand what you're saying but seven game-weeks is not an insignificant number. Even if we call it six weeks, since the seventh game, the final itself, is beyond the end of the season, this would still be a factor. I say that because, from the week in which the knock-out phase starts up, there will be eleven game-weeks remaining. During that time we will face at least thirteen league fixtures. That's a third of the season to be played while City have a potential advantage, assuming they fail to qualify.

Personally I hope City do make it through and not because I think that helps us, or at least not only because it helps us. I just do want them to progress.

[chelseafc9010 224]

Let's hope they get into the Europa League, they wont survive in UCL.

Liverpool showed last season that it is a big bonus to have no Europeon football if you want to focus on the league. If they were in Europe last season they would of finished 4th at highest, it is a big difference. The good thing is we should have enough deph to cover a good UCL and BPL run.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Wrong.

If we draw our remaining two games we'll top the group regardless of the other results. If both Schalke and Sporting were to get a point from us and three from Maribor, Schalke will end up with 9 points and Sporting at 8 points whereas we'd have 10. Unless Schalke or Sporting beat us there's no way either of them could finish in first place.

FFS man I'm a historian, I don't deal with numbers

[Barbara 15,149]

First of all, let's hope we get through and that we do have the problem of twice weekly matches to contend with.

I Understand what you're saying but seven game-weeks is not an insignificant number. Even if we call it six weeks, since the seventh game, the final itself, is beyond the end of the season, this would still be a factor. I say that because, from the week in which the knock-out phase starts up, there will be eleven game-weeks remaining. During that time we will face at least thirteen league fixtures. That's a third of the season to be played while City have a potential advantage, assuming they fail to qualify.

Personally I hope City do make it through and not because I think that helps us, or at least not only because it helps us. I just do want them to progress.

the matches are far and apart for most of it.

If they regress from last season - after qualifying to knockout for the first time and once again they get out in the group stage, their morale will be down. They'll drop more points in the league because they've been dodgy and struggling a bit. When Aguero doesn't bail them out of the jail they actually have a hard time to win - especially away from home. Aguero can't stand to play physically throughout the whole league, he's likely to have a few muscular issues from now til the end.

So I don't see how we having the eventual midweek match is a problem, especially because after we receive City at Jan 31 three weeks before the first knockout UCL date, we have quite the manageable schedule, meaning we could rest some players in the league matches. The ones in bold are the matches closest to the UCL tie

February:

Villa (a)

Everton (h)

FA Cup (if qualified)

Burnley(h) (UCL R16 match before or after Hull match depending on draw)

Leicester (a)

March:

West Ham (a)

FA Cup (if qualified)

Southampton (h)

Hull (a) (UCL R16 match before or after Hull match depending on draw)

April:

Stoke (h)

QPR (a)

UCL Quarters

Man U (h) - this match will probably be moved if we qualify for FA Cup SF as they're played the same weekend

UCL Quarters

Arsenal (a)

May:

Palace (h)

UCL SF

Loserpool (h)

UCL SF

WBA (a)

Sunderland (h)

So I think the fact we may have 7 extra midweek games that City don't, doesn't give us a disadvantage because we have quite the favorable schedule, with games at home, against mid table or relegation fodder sides... We don't travel to play QPR and Arsenal away during April, so I must say I think our schedule looks great, who cares about City? WE take care of our business and we'll have an even larger lead over them...

[Shakez 755]

We have a 8-point lead having already played at their stadium. If they challenge us in the league is due to our incompetency not because they're resting the during the week. UCL affects only seven weeks in the knockout stages... so the sooner and the further they get screwed up the better, no questions about that imo

Not agreeing on this, I think most fans of english football wouldn't want City to get out so soon. Our league "quality" status is declining and an early City exit won't help. As long as we are not playing each other in the CL i want every english team to advance.

[Barbara 15,149]

Not agreeing on this, I think most fans of english football wouldn't want City to get out so soon. Our league "quality" status is declining and an early City exit won't help. As long as we are not playing each other in the CL i want every english team to advance.

I personally couldn't care less.

Having the likes of City, Arsenal and Liverpool representing English football would do that to you. they aren't big enough. Arsenal will get to R16, Liverpool too, but neither have good chances of advancing further unless they have a very favorable draw.

English football is the most exciting football in the world for me, how English teams flare in UCL doesn't reflect the league's quality imo. But to each their own...

I want all three of them screwed over and some more. I hate them all (I'm such a hater, hahahahaha).

That's why I want Saints next season on UCL, at least I'll be happy with an English team advancing - other than us, that is.

[Jase 43,479]

We have a 8-point lead having already played at their stadium. If they challenge us in the league is due to our incompetency not because they're resting the during the week. UCL affects only seven weeks in the knockout stages... so the sooner and the further they get screwed up the better, no questions about that imo

Get what you're saying but them not having midweek European advantages and able to focus on the league is an advantage and I would not like my rivals to have that advantage. Not that City will go far into the competition even if they make it to the last 16 but it will still be another tournament for them to contend with. We do have an 8-point lead over them but the more 'insurance policy' we have, the better (goodness what the lead would be like come next February anyway). Also, seven weeks in the knockout stages may seem like nothing but mentally and psychologically, it's huge IMO. Can focus on one major competition without any other distraction.

[Barbara 15,149]

Get what you're saying but them not having midweek European advantages and able to focus on the league is an advantage and I would not like my rivals to have that advantage. Not that City will go far into the competition even if they make it to the last 16 but it will still be another tournament for them to contend with. We do have an 8-point lead over them but the more 'insurance policy' we have, the better (goodness what the lead would be like come next February anyway). Also, seven weeks in the knockout stages may seem like nothing but mentally and psychologically, it's huge IMO. Can focus on one major competition without any other distraction.

Sorting that shit through is already quite the task for them... they should play once a month to get that shit sorted

They look really unstable tbf... I think leaving UCL as bottom in their group will do more damage to them than going to EL (there are no chances of them going to UCL ko imo).

[Shakez 755]

I personally couldn't care less.

Having the likes of City, Arsenal and Liverpool representing English football would do that to you. they aren't big enough. Arsenal will get to R16, Liverpool too, but neither have good chances of advancing further unless they have a very favorable draw.

English football is the most exciting football in the world for me, how English teams flare in UCL doesn't reflect the league's quality imo. But to each their own...

I want all three of them screwed over and some more. I hate them all (I'm such a hater, hahahahaha).

That's why I want Saints next season on UCL, at least I'll be happy with an English team advancing - other than us, that is.

As much as i like to see them fail in the league, if they all keep sucking in Europe what does the PL title really mean then? Look at it this way, what if our main rival can't even make it past the group stage in the UCL. It will lessen the achievement of winning the title in England. People will start to think winning the title in England isn't that hard (wich it is), top foreign players will think twice before transferring to England. City failing in the UCL is bad for everyone involved in English football.

[Barbara 15,149]

As much as i like to see them fail in the league, if they all keep sucking in Europe what does the PL title really mean then? Look at it this way, what if our main rival can't even make it past the group stage in the UCL. It will lessen the achievement of winning the title in England. People will start to think winning the title in England isn't that hard (wich it is), top foreign players will think twice before transferring to England. City failing in the UCL is bad for everyone involved in English football.

the fact that unlike all other leagues the rest of the league has some quality to make it competitive. There can't be many teams in the world that can handle squads such us RM, Bayern, Barcelona - which are some of the teams the English sides faced.

Also some teams do great domestically and horribly continentally. It's nothing new...

And to be honest, I'm not English... I really don't care about how English teams do on UCL... and if the teams I can't stand keep qualifying, then I only have reasons to want them to fail... they have been quite unlucky in the draws though... so if Liverpool can't qualify in a group with the current champion and a team that has always been tough to play against in UCL I think it's okay. If City can't qualify against the current German champions and Italy runner up I think it's okay too.

It depends more on their draw than their quality. Also we represent and honor English football quite well if you ask me... we don't need more. Only Spain still has two strong forces on UCL. Everyone else has either one or not at all...

[DoubleO 192]

José did seem to be relaxed in his press conference. Waiting for tomorrow......

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Schalke have been pretty disappointing in the Bundesliga this season but have been strong at home. They just beat Wolfsburg at home, who have been the most impressive team in Bundesliga this season bar Bayern. I think they haven't lost a single game at the Veltins-Arena in any competition, so we're in for a very difficult game.

I hope we continue to see more of the "evolution" in our play that we've seen for majority of the season, trying to impose our style of opposition on the opposition regardless of strength of opposition or venue. We've did that against Man United (excluding the last 25 mins) and Liverpool just fairly recently. Last season vs Schalke in this same fixture, we relied too much on being compact and playing on the break. At times, they passed circles around us but lost badly, partly due to their naivety.

We have to go there, play with confidence and a new dimension (i.e try to play our passing game and if possible dictate tempo and have decent ball possession/circulation) and show the people what this new Chelsea is all about. It's important this new team gets used to playing in this manner away from home because we'll need it a lot in the future against the best teams in the latter stages of the knock-out phase.

Hopefully and more importantly, we also get the win. I'm confident we will.

[Viper22 2,418]

Such a defeatist attitude. We have a quality squad and I'm willing to bet that all the teams you mentioned would definitely want to avoid Jose and this Chelsea side in the knockouts. Doesn't matter where you face them, you have to beat them to win the trophy doesn't matter when.

Arsenal are shafted because they don't have a quality squad, not because they will likely qualify 2nd.

I'll assume you're not deliberately misconstruing my comments so i'll explain myself:

We should not make our CL campaign hard for ourselves. On our day we can beat ANYONE, I truly believe that. But our chances of beating teams like Bayern/Real/Barca/PSG are not as high as they would be if we faced teams like Olympiakos, Basel and Monaco. We need to beat the best to be the best but why face harder teams when you can skip them and let them knock each other out before the later rounds? You say we have to beat them, no, we don't. We just need to beat the teams put in front of us. We could top the group and face no team better than Monaco or something and still win the CL. Unlikely I know but you should always give yourself the best chance you can, and in this case it is by topping the group.

So my comment was that we CANNOT lose as this will put us 2nd place in the table and make our lives a lot harder in the CL. If we draw 2-2 or above then we only need a point against Sporting to top the group, would take almost all of the pressure off.

[NiclasCFC 2,582]

We should have kept Torres for this game

[iceboy 992]

We should have kept Torres for this game

He scored 2 goals against them..OMG how smart you are .

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

FFS man I'm a historian

My condolences.

[iceboy 992]