Closed Man City 3-0 Chelsea

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Only positive I take from this is that if pre-season and our opening game against Swansea did not wake the board up, this game certainly has. Even when you are champions by a clear distance in a league like this and other rivals are spending, you cannot just stay still and think the squad does not need strengthening. We need some more quality in the squad. Whole team was awful. I will exempt Hazard as he was the only one trying, linking up with players and causing a threat and Cuadrado bar the 3rd goal actually showed signs of encouragement

Costa was beyond awful. Not only did he he get handled, he went down at every opportunity and did not battle like the warrior he usually is and what annoyed me even more is that he did not even play to the whistle. He instead chose to complain when he could have easily tried to fight back for the ball on 2 occasions. As strange as it sounds, I think we would have got ripped apart even more with Terry in the team. The 2 goals we conceded were not our CB fault tbh. But, wow we really need to improve. Fabregas was beyond awful too. His passing, positioning and everything was just poor.

Worrying thing is the signs we saw creeping towards the end of last season have shown no signs of improvement. I know in a few weeks/months time we hopefully will overlook this result and talk about the dramatic change in form. Champions come back stronger and never lie down.

I agree with most of what you wrote except Fabregas, he was without doubt our best midfielder. Got stuck in all over the pitch, won tackles, passed it effectively.

We couldn't make that incisive pass today but that had nothing to do with Fab we were just not at all on the same page today.

Clearly the holes are in defense, Jose went to the Etihad didn't park the bus and it exposed our piss poor back line.

All last season we protected Terry and Cahill by playing a lower block, everyone complained about the style of play. Now that we move the line up people complain about how poor we are defending.

In truth we just don't have the personnel to play that way (at least not yet) what today showed me is how well Jose has assessed our problem areas. We need a boss CB(Stones) and hopefully Rahman is good enough to get Azpi back on the right.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

EVISCERATION.

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

Just need to sack the manager now

Damn-it. Didn't see that one coming :facepalm:

[Laylabelle 9,534]

Funny how wasnt even a shock loss.People said when City beat West Brom last week 'its only West Brom'.Doesnt matter who they played against the way they won was a bit ah,they've improved and shown today while we gone a few steps backwards..things can only get better...hopefully

[ice-boy 165]

Embarrassing. Ivanovic should not be anywhere near the first XI.

And Costa if he continues like today.

[Oscar 441]

Good interaction with the french and Spain related players... mario balotelli returns.

Costa is probably a very nice guy in real life, but an instigator on the pitch, ala David Luiz

[kingofchelseadom 41]

I posted we would draw or maybe sneak a win. To be truthful i lied. I thought more a 3-1loss.

[DazLaughlan 55]

Tell you what if Mourinho plays Ivanovic in the next match it completely confirms he's lost the plot. He is absolutely terrible and has been for some time, Azpi surely goes to the RB slot with the new lad into freshen it up.

[OneMoSalah 8,885]

We never won a game in pre-season in regular time, we've not won in the league yet and lost the community shield. Put on top the pointless medical staff issues and piss poor transfer market and you basically do have a mini crisis on your hands.

City absolutely bullied us. So many poor performers today, we should have been beaten by at least 5 or 6 but Begovic made huge saves. He was the only guy worthy of wearing the shirt today. People can say all they want that its only 2 games into the season but City looked unstoppable, it took them 30 or 40 seconds to show what they were capable of. In the first half alone Kolarov created 4 chances, our whole team created 3. Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpi, Fabregas, Matic, Hazard, Willian, Ramires, Costa... all fucking shite. People will defend Hazard or defend whoever but if you are going to defend anybody after that first half performance then you are having a laugh because they were non existent. Second half a bit better but City created 17 chances against us, 17...

Fucking sort it out.

[oxfordblues 299]

thank god for Begovic.

[zolayes 14,489]

pre season we were 7 -4 to win pl now we are 7 2 and i wouldnt put bent hub caps on us at that price

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Man City only signed 1 player in their starting XI. The difference between us and them is in the quality of football produced, not in new signings. The excuse about a lack of signings is wearing thin. That's the lesser problem.

Not really true. Keep in mind first that this is a team we were dead even with head to head last year. They left Zabaleta on the bench(who couldn't deal with Hazard) and added pace down the flanks. Navas and Sterling can pin back FB's

We need signings, we've done nothing to address our problems and are looking long in the tooth at the back.

[Stats 7,142]

I agree with most of what you wrote except Fabregas, he was without doubt our best midfielder. Got stuck in all over the pitch, won tackles, passed it effectively.

We couldn't make that incisive pass today but that had nothing to do with Fab we were just not at all on the same page today.

Clearly the holes are in defense, Jose went to the Etihad didn't park the bus and it exposed our piss poor back line.

All last season we protected Terry and Cahill by playing a lower block, everyone complained about the style of play. Now that we move the line up people complain about how poor we are defending.

In truth we just don't have the personnel to play that way (at least not yet) what today showed me is how well Jose has assessed our problem areas. We need a boss CB(Stones) and hopefully Rahman is good enough to get Azpi back on the right.

I thought this was one of Fabregas worse performances in a Chelsea shirt. He was awful. He made more better sllide tackles than he made an effective pass. But like you said, no one was really on the same page.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33954640

[Reddish-Blue 2,495]

I honestly believe teams are starting to figure out our predictable midfield

We'll be lucky to finish top 3 with the current squad

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I thought this was one of Fabregas worse performances in a Chelsea shirt. He was awful. He made more better sllide tackles than he made an effective pass. But like you said, no one was really on the same page.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33954640

Not a believer. http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/958475/LiveStatistics/England-Premier-League-2015-2016-Manchester-City-Chelsea

He got after it, more so than he ever has in a Chelsea shirt. He was far from the problem today. He passed at a clip of 86%(most under high pressure) had 2 key passes(most on the squad) and 8 of 9 accurate long balls, that is exceptional.