closed Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona

[Alabama 1,992]

2 minutes ago, Supermonkey92 said:

I'l be honest. I think we are getting knocked out. So I don't see the point in a 352 with just 2 players attacking. We are going to concede either way. Or hope for a 0-0 at home? No point.

I say, have a go at home. Play 343 but really drill into Hazard and Willian to drop back. If it's 343 no Fabregas. 

There's no pressure because we shouldn't realistically expect to go through (come on, the Bournemouth result didn' exactly fall out of the sky! Our midfield is terrible). 

I'm a cynical bastard. So I hope we put up a fight and I'll be happy. Anyway, going out with Tottenham and Liverpool still in the latter stages could really help with top 4. 

After noon, I'll be an optimistic fan. I promise 

This..  Absolutely spot on... We don't have a chance both leg.... But we shouldn't approach the game in a coward approach..... Play best line 343 and exploit their weakness... Play conservative formation and the game becomes boring long night and uninteresting... We still go out... 

[Beigl 1,387]

Ballack 

[FabHazard 655]

35 minutes ago, Supermonkey92 said:

I'l be honest. I think we are getting knocked out. So I don't see the point in a 352 with just 2 players attacking. We are going to concede either way. Or hope for a 0-0 at home? No point.

I say, have a go at home. Play 343 but really drill into Hazard and Willian to drop back. If it's 343 no Fabregas. 

There's no pressure because we shouldn't realistically expect to go through (come on, the Bournemouth result didn' exactly fall out of the sky! Our midfield is terrible). 

I'm a cynical bastard. So I hope we put up a fight and I'll be happy. Anyway, going out with Tottenham and Liverpool still in the latter stages could really help with top 4. 

After noon, I'll be an optimistic fan. I promise 

I agree 3-4-3 suits best for us...Better to go out trying a different approach...If it is 3-4-3 Fab should not play...he does not have energy....3-4-3 also allows us to play counter attacking football better...but the 2 man midfield should work very hard...

Option 1  3-4-3:

                 Courtois

    Azpi - Christensen - Rüdiger

Moses - Drinkwater - Kante- Alonso

    Pedro - Morata/Giroud - Hazard

 

Option 2   3-5-2 :

                     Courtois

        Azpi - Christensen - Rüdiger

Moses - Drinkwater - Kante - Cesc - Alonso

                 Morata/Giroud - Hazard

Option 3  False 9 :            

                 Courtois

     Azpi - Christensen - Rüdiger

Moses - Drinkwater - Kante - Alonso

       Willian - Hazard - Pedro

 

IMO Option 1 is best ...When you check comments made by conte he suggests pedro works very hard off the ball there by allowing us to make 2 man midfield into 3 man midfield

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Shame. If this happen. Conte inviting the pressure.

You kids need to take a course in critical reading.

Nowhere does Conte say he’s flirting with the idea of playing a false 9. You guys took that tag line hook, line and sinker

[Antonio8 736]

2 hours ago, Barbara said:

Fàbregas shouldn't be starting big games for us at all. He can only face pub teams in domestic cups because even by relegation fold he's been bullied, bypassed easily and his creative contributions - which isn't as often as it used to be - don't make it worthy

 

 

It's strange but i think the opposite. Cesc has the quality for big games, him and hazard are necessary imho. But he has to play in a 3 midfield. 

So i think that it will be 352 with Morata or Giroud plus hazard. 

Let's see 

[LAM09 7,043]

This..  Absolutely spot on... We don't have a chance both leg.... But we shouldn't approach the game in a coward approach..... Play best line 343 and exploit their weakness... Play conservative formation and the game becomes boring long night and uninteresting... We still go out... 

I don't get this sort of attitude at all. We certainly aren't favourites but we should be going for the win at home.

Conte has to field a front 3 tonight

[Fulham Broadway 17,306]

Just watching SSN - Suarez training on our pitch -I forgot how much I despise the goofy scouse wankstain.

Whatever happens I will take consolation from a moment of sublime ecstasy when Torres earned redemption for many in the Nou Camp, with a goal that caused mayhem in the FB household 

[Alabama 1,992]

26 minutes ago, LAM09 said:

I don't get this sort of attitude at all. We certainly aren't favourites but we should be going for the win at home.

Conte has to field a front 3 tonight

That's my personal opinion....i don't want a conservative or pragmatic approach to the game tonight.... Fielding front 3 is key to doing that....barcelona are in great form but they are very beatable... 

[LAM09 7,043]

That's my personal opinion....i don't want a conservative or pragmatic approach to the game tonight.... Fielding front 3 is key to doing that....barcelona are in great form but they are very beatable... 

I agree. Conte can save a defensive line up for the away leg

[!Hazard! 3,394]

 

Just tried this in FIFA 18, it worked like magic  Alonso turned into a real beast with that left foot on the right side of the box.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

3:5:2 will end up like city game where we had no attack to worry them and Pep thrown their fullbacks in midfield, completely overruning us. 

I can see Roberto and Alba do the same. 

But if we put front 3, Barca will have to worry counters, I think thats better. But for 3:4:3, we probably needed inform Bakayoko. I dont see Cesc or Drinkwater hold that line in middle next to Kante.

Both systems have some big flaws. People like to point we have positive record against Barca, but now we have different formation with 3 at the back, never mind different character. We are not that Chelsea anymore. 

I hope we wont just close down and pray. It would take enormous luck to win vs barca on goal difference. We have to go for a win at SB. Defensive approach certainly, but with clear plan to counter attack them and press them in second half to score for advantage.

What we have over Barca is strenght and stamina. We need to exploit that.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

5 minutes ago, BlueLyon said:

3:5:2 will end up like city game where we had no attack to worry them and Pep thrown their fullbacks in midfield, completely overruning us. 

I can see Roberto and Alba do the same. 

But if we put front 3, Barca will have to worry counters, I think thats better. But for 3:4:3, we probably needed inform Bakayoko. I dont see Cesc or Drinkwater hold that line in middle next to Kante.

Both systems have some big flaws. People like to point we have positive record against Barca, but now we have different formation with 3 at the back, never mind different character. We are not that Chelsea anymore. 

I hope we wont just close down and pray. It would take enormous luck to win vs barca on goal difference. We have to go for a win at SB. Defensive approach certainly, but with clear plan to counter attack them and press them in second half to score for advantage.

What we have over Barca is strenght and stamina. We need to exploit that.

We started that game fine, the problem was we lost Morata early and were forced to change tactics. 

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

11 minutes ago, Chelsea Legend 11 said:

We started that game fine, the problem was we lost Morata early and were forced to change tactics. 

They were dominating us completelty with Morata on the pitch. The flow of the game didn't change drastically when he got hurt

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

1 minute ago, MrExcalibur100 said:

They were dominating us completelty with Morata on the pitch. The flow of the game didn't change drastically when he got hurt

I disagree... I was there didn't feel lopsided till the substitution 

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Just now, Chelsea Legend 11 said:

I disagree... I was there didn't feel lopsided till the substitution 

I'm not sure what the disagreement is. They were controlling the game before Morata got hurt. I don't seem to remember anyone complaining that Morata's injury cost us too much. They were totally dominating us with him on the pitch.