closed Newcastle 1-2 Chelsea

[mccg 1,528]

Mmm probly Kante's best position is jorginho position but his passing isn't good enough, down the line he may play further back and Jorgi swap? Sarri will get it right with all the midfield talent we got now  4 sure!

3 hours ago, Pizy said:

Seeing several people moan a little about Kante in an advanced position. Thought he was great today. He surprises me more and more with his ability on the ball. Good interplay with his teammates, good first touch, makes nice surging runs into space, and he keeps the ball moving quickly.

He's not just a pure destroyer like most people think. 

[Magic Lamps 11,655]

3 hours ago, xPetrCechx said:

Our ball retention was class throughout. They could not get sniff when Rüdiger marshalled Rondon like a boss for every long ball they hit out

[mccg 1,528]

1 hour ago, OneMoSalah said:

I think he could be a much more technically proficient version of Ramires. I know maybe not the greatest compliment to the guy as hes world class but I still remember how Ramires excelled in a 3 man MF under AVB (although the team struggled severely) and got a lot of goals in that season. Heres hoping Kante keeps it up, I was very impressed with him today, hes getting more and more tuned to that role hes in. 

Come back when he can do this shit ...i say 

[Superblue 6,370]

Pleased with the result and the general dominance in our play.

If I could be picky it would be the lack of width at times we seemed to have. I'm a critic of Morata, but he had no space to run in behind today and as a result was fully reliant on his team-mates to create the chances for him which didn't happen. Stretching Newcastle wide should have resulted in more space through the middle and chances to cross the ball in where we all know Morata (and later Giroud) are very strong in the air. We all know how hard it is for a team to continuously play through the middle and break a team down and is why we were always so successful against Barcelona.

I think that will come though in time. It will require the players to move the ball a bit quicker today as at times the play was slowed down too much which ultimately benefited Newcastle.

The other observation i had was how deep at times Hazard was coming to receive the ball. He no longer needs to do this, we now have the players in midfield (1) to dominate possession and (2) to find him in areas higher up the pitch. Again, we're talking 3 games into the season and his first start so I expect there will be some adaptation but I would expect over the next few weeks the team to find a way to get more out of Hazard getting on the ball in areas much higher up the pitch. In games like today, which we're likely to face more often as we become more dominant on the ball, having Hazard operating 10 yards higher should help more in breaking these teams down.

[samzilla 517]

>80% possession!  I would not have guessed that before the start of the match.

Funny thing I only noticed upon watching highlights is that Yedlin also gave away the foul that lead to our 2nd goal.

[Unionjack 7,531]

11 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Yedlin -justice done with his og. Red card assault for their goal.

Have that fatty...

 

[Yeboii 1,844]

6 hours ago, Unionjack said:

 

Wish Barkley would have poked it in. A goal for him would have done him good.

[Unionjack 7,531]

13 hours ago, Superblue_1986 said:

he other observation i had was how deep at times Hazard was coming to receive the ball. He no longer needs to do this, we now have the players in midfield (1) to dominate possession and (2) to find him in areas higher up the pitch. Again, we're talking 3 games into the season and his first start so I expect there will be some adaptation but I would expect over the next few weeks the team to find a way to get more out of Hazard getting on the ball in areas much higher up the pitch. In games like today, which we're likely to face more often as we become more dominant on the ball, having Hazard operating 10 yards higher should help more in breaking these teams down.

I said basically the same thing on Edens thread.

With our posession,attacking,passing based game now we dont have to rely on him having to dribble his way into the box or his cutting into an already busy center of the field.

Hes got to learn just like the rest of the lads

[Unionjack 7,531]

Chelsea v Newcastle: Staggering passing stats that suggest Blues could challenge Manchester City

DEATH by passing.

It’s a concept that has dominated Premier League tactical discussion since Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City revolution reshaped the landscape of the English game.

But now a new pass master has arisen as Maurizio Sarri’s patented ‘Sarri-ball’ strategy begins to reap benefits at Chelsea, who overnight nabbed a 2-1 victory over Newcastle to continue their perfect start to the season.

Ultimately, it wasn’t the most comfortable of wins, but a jaw dropping stat line has emerged to reveal the sheer supremacy the Blues enjoyed throughout the clash and underline a trend that looks set to characterise their season.

Across 90 minutes at St James Park, Sarri’s men boasted a mammoth 82 per cent of possession, and completed 838 of their 913 passes.

In Premier League history, only once has a team ever managed more successful passes in a single match – a statistical record that has been monopolised by Guardiola and City in recent times.

Ironically, the top mark in that category was set by City against Chelsea, as the Premier League champions racked up a staggering 976 passes in a 1-0 win over Antonio Conte’s side in March.

While City also occupy spots three and four in that category, it appears those records could soon be under fire as Sarri’s lauded philosophy ventures Chelsea into rarefied air.

At the heart of their impressive ball-use exploits is metronomic midfielder – and new signing – Jorginho. The Italian international was the chief exponent of the strategy as Sarri’s Napoli wreaked havoc on the Serie A last season and, perhaps unsurprisingly, was one of City’s top transfer targets before he headed to Stamford Bridge.

Against Newcastle, the burgeoning 26-year-old completed a whopping 158 passes. Rafa Benitez’s team managed just 131 across their entire team

His enormous tally is the third most ever by a single player in a Premier League match, unsurprisingly coming in behind a pair of City midfielders – Ilkay Gundogan hit 167 in that passing exhibition against the Blues, while Fernandinho amassed 164 against Everton last season.

Jorginho has settled into life in London almost instantly, and according to teammate Marcos Alonso he’s even helping the rest of the squad adapt to their new game style.

“He is used to playing this way, and he is going to be a great help for everybody,” Alonso told Chelsea’s club website.

“He is giving us tips to get used to this way of playing.

“He moves very well on the pitch, he plays with confidence, and since day one he has looked good.”

Under Conte, Chelsea averaged 559 passes per match last season, while in their first three outings in the Premier League with Sarri at the helm, that figure has increased massively to 763.

To put that in perspective, Guardiola’s champions racked up 743 passes per match across the entirety of their triumphant campaign.

So far the Blues have taken on Huddersfield, Arsenal and Newcastle, so those stats aren’t completely comparable – but it’s been a stunningly dominant start for the new-look Blues.

However, according to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, the figures at St James’ Park may say more about the tactics of Toon boss Benitez.

“It’s been hard to watch,” Redknapp said at half time.

“It’s not football. It’s working, yeah, but it’s not football.

“He’s the only manager in the Premier League who can get away with this, he’s made a living out of playing this way.

“It’s hard to watch, it’s hard to sell to your own team.”

In fact, Sarri even admitted his shock at his opposite number’s defensive approach to the clash.

“I was surprised,” he said.

“I have never seen in Italy Benitez with five defenders. So at the beginning I was really surprised.”

Against top four rivals Arsenal, Sarri’s Chelsea managed 720 passes, in a suggestion that those inflated numbers are still a reflection a broader trend.

“I have no doubts that Sarri is one of the best managers out there,” Guardiola gushed as the Italian was formally appointed at Stamford Bridge.

“He achieved something incredible with Napoli.

“His style of football is as good as a drink in the sun.”

The pair will go head to head in the Premier League for the first time on December 9, and if Sarri’s rampant Blues continue their passing dominance, it shapes as an intriguing tactical clash between a pair of pass masters.

Only time will tell whether Guardiola is so complimentary afterwards.

 

[Jase 43,479]

After more than 24 hours of calming down (), thought it was a good, deserved win. Can't say I was surprised by Newcastle's defensive approach but it was a quite contrast to the last time we went there. They got at us back in May and battered us and this time, it was the other way round. Didn't create as many chances but it was refreshing to see we maintained the intensity and pressure to pin them back - even if they were only interested in the point - without giving them any real encouragement. Speaking of chances, we'll definitely be facing more teams like Newcastle this season (honestly, f*** the back five!) and we gotta learn how to break these teams down better. It would also make our lives easier if we take the chances when we do get them. Pedro, Morata, Hazard, Azpi all squandered good opportunities to score! The only slight downside for me is the game management after taking the lead twice. Opposing team responding after conceding is nothing new but I don't think we necessarily managed the game well after 1-0 and 2-1. We allowed Newcastle to come at us all of a sudden and with the crowd behind them, we were suddenly under unnecessary pressure after having done well to keep them in check for so long. It wasn't as bad as against Arsenal after going 2-0 up but it does seem like it's something that needs to be worked, mentally and tactically.

On a side, the referee was a farce. Countless of Newcastle players fouled Hazard but took him till late in the second half to start booking them while Kovacic got booked for his foul (or one of his few rare fouls) and he looked clueless as well with those late controversial moments. And Alan Shearer was a joke! Criticized Benitez for parking the bus at SJP against Man City last season but praised their effort this time, even Newcastle practically did the same thing, and he even found excuses for how the two goals they conceded came about.  

[Vybzkartel 284]

On 8/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, Pizy said:

Seeing several people moan a little about Kante in an advanced position. Thought he was great today. He surprises me more and more with his ability on the ball. Good interplay with his teammates, good first touch, makes nice surging runs into space, and he keeps the ball moving quickly.

He's not just a pure destroyer like most people think. 

He also helps break play up the field. Helping us win the ball back in more advanced areas. 

[Vybzkartel 284]

11 hours ago, Yeboii said:

Wish Barkley would have poked it in. A goal for him would have done him good.

Nah there was risk of him being called offside. Its good he didn't touch it. 

[Tomo 21,733]

23 minutes ago, Jason said:

After more than 24 hours of calming down (), thought it was a good, deserved win. Can't say I was surprised by Newcastle's defensive approach but it was a quite contrast to the last time we went there. They got at us back in May and battered us and this time, it was the other way round. Didn't create as many chances but it was refreshing to see we maintained the intensity and pressure to pin them back - even if they were only interested in the point - without giving them any real encouragement. Speaking of chances, we'll definitely be facing more teams like Newcastle this season (honestly, f*** the back five!) and we gotta learn how to break these teams down better. It would also make our lives easier if we take the chances when we do get them. Pedro, Morata, Hazard, Azpi all squandered good opportunities to score! The only slight downside for me is the game management after taking the lead twice. Opposing team responding after conceding is nothing new but I don't think we necessarily managed the game well after 1-0 and 2-1. We allowed Newcastle to come at us all of a sudden and with the crowd behind them, we were suddenly under unnecessary pressure after having done well to keep them in check for so long. It wasn't as bad as against Arsenal after going 2-0 up but it does seem like it's something that needs to be worked, mentally and tactically.

On a side, the referee was a farce. Countless of Newcastle players fouled Hazard but took him till late in the second half to start booking them while Kovacic got booked for his foul (or one of his few rare fouls) and he looked clueless as well with those late controversial moments. And Alan Shearer was a joke! Criticized Benitez for parking the bus at SJP against Man City last season but praised their effort this time, even Newcastle practically did the same thing, and he even found excuses for how the two goals they conceded came about.  

You just know Warnocks going to try and smash our players up and out of The Bridge in a few weeks, he did it with City last season and Sane was remarkably lucky not to break his leg. However Rafa's approach is a massive seal of approval to the job Sarri is doing, ive only ever seen such extreme defense tactics by San Marino against England. 

[the wes 7,212]

Passes completed in the first 30 minutes at St. James' Park:

• Jorginho: 61
• Kovačić: 46
• Newcastle: 44