closed Everton 0-0 Chelsea

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

What I am about to say you can easily find on Man United and Liverpool forums these days, and by this I mean all sorts of delusional stuff like "If we would have..." and bullshit like that. I do not like it, BUT... there are four matches this season after which I felt worse than after a defeat against a big rival.

2-3 v Burnley, 1-2 v Palace, 0-1 v West Ham and 0-0 v Everton.

It's 11 points dropped here by plain and pure stupidity against shite sides in matches that we have totally controlled but conceded fucking stupid goals and looked like shite in front of goal.

I mean there is no shame in losing after your opponents have a good game, but fuck me look at Everton, Courtois could have read a book today in goal and still would have left Goodison with a clean sheet, West Ham have had one single chance and scored, Palace the same. Whereas Chelsea had all the ball but looked horrendous in the final third.

Chelsea need to start matches on the front foot against these type of teams and score early, too many times we get dragged into their lethargic style of play and when we wake up it's too late. Conte must practice playing against double deckers and for once ditch the three at the back late in the game when we chase the win.

And frankly the lack of quality wide players has ruined this season. Moses and Alonso - I'd say they would probably be the best set of back-up full-backs in the league should they sit on the bench. But as regulars - not Chelsea quality.

[Fulham Broadway 17,320]

34 minutes ago, Eidur the Spider said:

THIS.

But who could we get realistically?

Someone decent enough but is okay with being second string to Morata. Can't think of many tbh.

We've 200+ scouts globally spotting players allegedly - there must be several in the frame. As far as playing second string other teams seem grown up about it, and am sure it could be organised.

With my limited knowledge - I'd settle for Aubemeyang...

[Jase 43,479]

10 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

We've 200+ scouts globally spotting players allegedly - there must be several in the frame. As far as playing second string other teams seem grown up about it, and am sure it could be organised.

With my limited knowledge - I'd settle for Aubemeyang...

Aubameyang, apparently, signed a contract till 2021 last week. Think Dortmund will let him go but I highly doubt he will come cheap.

[Fulham Broadway 17,320]

4 minutes ago, Jason said:

Aubameyang, apparently, signed a contract till 2021 last week. Think Dortmund will let him go but I highly doubt he will come cheap.

If Man City wanted him he'd be arriving at the Etihad training ground on New Years Day

[Milan 17,959]

Another week when Man United and us lose points. It is as if we cannot get any closer, let alone past them.

[Special Juan 28,141]

Fucking infuriating once again that United choke on the same day we did.

[Laylabelle 9,535]

Just going in circles. We drop.. They drop.. They drop.. We drop so means sod all

[ccheongf 211]

3 to 5 position on table for this season . Once Hazard cant create ,the game is over. Maybe building for next season with 5 to 6 players out . Alonso , Fabergasc , William , Cahill, Pedro.They are great players but passed their time. To be a champion , goals should be from ,wingers, midfielders, strikers, even full back like John Terry. When Lampard was  around, sure to get 10 to 15 goals per season. Now nothing from midfielders.

[DDA 9,941]

10 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

If Man City wanted him he'd be arriving at the Etihad training ground on New Years Day

It feels like a lifetime ago since we were operating like that. I miss that superiority we had in the transfer market. Somehow we have ended up a feeder club for the top teams in England.

[Tomo 21,751]

30 minutes ago, DDA said:

It feels like a lifetime ago since we were operating like that. I miss that superiority we had in the transfer market. Somehow we have ended up a feeder club for the top teams in England.

I would hardly call us United's feeder club, if anything it's the other way round. You know it's Matic and Mata that's gone there not Hazard and Kante right?

[Special Juan 28,141]

16 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

If Man City wanted him he'd be arriving at the Etihad training ground on New Years Day

Hard to disagree with this, but it's exactly how it is now.

[DDA 9,941]

5 hours ago, Tomo said:

I would hardly call us United's feeder club, if anything it's the other way round. You know it's Matic and Mata that's gone there not Hazard and Kante right?

It isn't just United who are prospering from our scouting. 

[Special Juan 28,141]

We played pretty well, dominated the ball but the most annoying thing right now is we lack a nasty edge, a fucking big bully and we are just a little soft.

6 points from the next two is coming.

[cosmicway 1,333]

3 hours ago, Special Juan said:

We played pretty well, dominated the ball but the most annoying thing right now is we lack a nasty edge, a fucking big bully and we are just a little soft.

6 points from the next two is coming.

Forget they are 16 points ahead, our real benchmark, for England at least, is them.
City have scored 60, we have scored 32. Utd have scored 41. In fact we are the weakest in attack among the leading six.

[Laylabelle 9,535]

35 minutes ago, cosmicway said:

Forget they are 16 points ahead, our real benchmark, for England at least, is them.
City have scored 60, we have scored 32. Utd have scored 41. In fact we are the weakest in attack among the leading six.

Did think our goal difference was pretty crap... City 48..Us 18 but when see it like that and the amount of goals we've scored that's so poor. 60 to 32...wow..

[Jase 43,479]

4 hours ago, cosmicway said:

Forget they are 16 points ahead, our real benchmark, for England at least, is them.
City have scored 60, we have scored 32. Utd have scored 41. In fact we are the weakest in attack among the leading six.

 

3 hours ago, Laylabelle said:

Did think our goal difference was pretty crap... City 48..Us 18 but when see it like that and the amount of goals we've scored that's so poor. 60 to 32...wow..

Thankfully, we can defend. Joint-second best defence in the league. Otherwise, we would be in a worse position right now.

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

4 hours ago, Jason said:

 

Thankfully, we can defend. Joint-second best defence in the league. Otherwise, we would be in a worse position right now.

Well it would be pretty ridiculous if we were poor defensively considering how pragmatic we play and how many defensive players we have in our starting lineup.

[Rapkun 668]

Lack of goals/chances is mainly due to the system in which Conte has us playing. There's too much pressure on the attackers and we're lacking input from the other positions such as Midfield and Wingback. Maybe even CBs. We don't score from corners anymore. The main source of goals are Hazard and Morata and that's about it. In order for that to work they need to turn into goal scoring machines which is unrealistic. Or we need better players. Tolisso-Sandro in the summer would have been so good.

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

On 23-12-2017 at 7:24 PM, Beigl said:

On 23-12-2017 at 3:56 PM, Belgiannutt said:

We just lack quality on the ball. Pedro, Wilian just aren't good enough. Bakayoko shouldn't be playing against teams that sit deep against us. Not sure why Fabregas didn't start this game ? 
Alonso did he actually do anything today ? Zappacosta... that attempt at a cross pretty much sums him up.

Hazard didn't do much either tbh.

Disagree with that.  Didn't really matter what he did though.  For over 60 minutes he was our only creative player on the pitch while also being the only real goal threat. That's like being the quarterback while having to catch your own freaking passes.

I don't understand why, if you only have 2 creative players, you'd only start 1 of them against a team that was always gonna park the bus.

I'm not in the Conte out group but he's really making some odd decisions this season.

 

[Jase 43,479]

9 hours ago, Belgiannutt said:

Well it would be pretty ridiculous if we were poor defensively considering how pragmatic we play and how many defensive players we have in our starting lineup.

That's a very Brendan Rodgers-esque comment there.

We may be pragmatic, we may play with lots of defensive players but they mean nothing if we don't have players capable of defending. A number of other teams have tried to be pragmatic but have failed with it - e.g. Liverpool, Arsenal.