closed Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

Anyone got a video or gif of that Kepa 40 or 50 meter pass to Azpi when he came out his box? Was an absolute worldly not sure if he meant it or not but was brilliant 😂

 

Mixed performance today, Morata dug us out a hole with 2 goals and good to see Pedro get a goal but a bit of sloppiness in MF from everybody in phases. Defence wasn't great, Luiz did some good things and then some bad things. Same with Azpi and Alonso. Thought Azpi was pretty solid against Zaha when they had him drift out wide in all fairness but gave the ball away a lot.

[Stats 7,053]

Luiz made that little error for the goal but was excellent otherwise. Him and Rudiger are really important to the team. We are 2nd place and like I said few days ago, Luiz has been very solid for the season. He has just made the odd error. Rudiger, is very consistent and his pace is such a bonus. Thought Alonso was excellent today, defensively and offensively too. Morata is creeping up with the goals despite all the criticism. Just needs that confidence and support and look what you get. It is so exciting the brand of football we are playing and the goals being scored all over the pitch. Despite all the concerns about striker, centre backs etc, we find ourselves in touching distance of City, above Liverpool and still unbeaten. Can't ask for much more than that 

[Vesper 28,779]

11 hours ago, Pizy said:

Honestly, our only real weakness currently is the self inflicted defensive mistakes. An errant pass here, a poor lunge in by Luiz there. Other than that every once in a while we're super comfortable.

This game changed like a snap of the fingers with the introduction of Hazard and Kova. Our two best technical players came on and it was like the whole team knew it was over. Kovacic has to come back in as our first choice 3rd midfielder. Barkley is a good option to bring on if things aren't working or when an eye for goal from midfield is required. He's not as tight and comfortable on the ball as Kova, though.

I disagree (theres a shock!)

In Sarriball

Our best MF is

Jorginho

Kovacic

Barkley 

Kante simply doesn't offer enough, his passing was poor yet again (loose, misguided, or simply a back pass when he should have driven forward) and he is simply not comfortable going forward, and doesn't integrate well into offensive thrusts. Kovavcic does, and is also more than adequate defensively.

I can see now, if Kante doesn't adapt,  that this issue is going to end up with me a truly hated poster here. I will not change my opinion until his on the pitch play warrants it. I hope it does, I really do. Until then (and even if Kante does come good in his position) we are utter fools to ship back Kovacic without a fight. He is simply a superb MF.

I see people say he will be no big loss. Pure tosh! He has an unteachable innate feel for the game. If memory serves, some of his (Kovacic) critics (especially on social media) also are fatalists who accept that Drinkwater is stuck here for the duration of his contract.

Neither are acceptable stances in my book.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Please any of the mods can make a separate thread for this guy in the banter section or whatever? Every thread I visit on this forum is full of nonsense comming from this chap, always complaining, always bringing up all sorts of names like football transfers work like that, blink and you transfer a complete new team. Kante is not fit for this role, Luiz not good enough, Alonso not good enough, Sarri dragging the club down for not playing Hudson Odoi yada yada yada. Well maybe you should fucking start supporting the team and the new manager who trusts this players and by the way is undefeated since coming here and leave the tactics and transfer targets into his hands. Jesus Christ.... 

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

57 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I disagree (theres a shock!)

In Sarriball

Our best MF is

Jorginho

Kovacic

Barkley 

Kante simply doesn't offer enough, his passing was poor yet again (loose, misguided, or simply a back pass when he should have driven forward) and he is simply not comfortable going forward, and doesn't integrate well into offensive thrusts. Kovavcic does, and is also more than adequate defensively.

I can see now, if Kante doesn't adapt,  that this issue is going to end up with me a truly hated poster here. I will not change my opinion until his on the pitch play warrants it. I hope it does, I really do. Until then (and even if Kante does come good in his position) we are tter fools to ship back Kovacic without a fight. He is simply a superb MF.

I see people say he will be no big loss. Pure tosh! He has an unteachable innate feel for the game. If memory serves, some of his (Kovacic) critics (especially on social media) also are fatalists who accept that Drinkwater is stuck here for the duration of his contract.

Neither are acceptable stances in my book.

Kante won the ball back and intercepted it though especially in the second half which was vital to continually putting Palace under pressure and stop them getting out to counter with Zaha and Townsend in the wide positions.

I agree his passing today wasn't great at times but still think theres a point in him playing in MF to recover the ball higher up (not all he does unfair to say hes only playing for that but a big skill which is useful in a pressing team), also his energy and mobility because Jorginho is quite slow. I think we'll truly know towards the tail end of the season, think we still need to give the team a good few months yet to see what Sarri truly wants the team to do. Still so much improvement to be made without the ball and defensively, as well as offensively. Still lots of positives and despite thinking we could improve we are 2nd and unbeaten...

[Tomo 21,733]

3 hours ago, Vesper said:

indeed

and it will be over 100m if we want true WC

Piatek is coming back down to earth

Only real deal strikers who are not 30 somethings

are

Dybala, Icardi, Griezmann (will never happen), Harry Kane (obviously will never happen) Gabriel Jesus (will never happen), Ciro Immobile (on verge of being too old and Lazio will never let him go for less than £110m plus), maybe Aubameyang (will never happen and he is 30 in June)

Martial of course would be an option, but I cant see it happening, and still no official conjecture we see him as a CF 

Plenty of options out there if we scout well, for example had we had a striker problem in 2015 i doubt Firminho would have been seen as a potential solution.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Plenty of options out there if we scout well, for example had we had a striker problem in 2015 i doubt Firminho would have been seen as a potential solution.

Not going for Dzeko and Suarez instead of Torres was a huge mistake when Carlo was here. Suarez could have played as a wide forward instead of Kalou or Anelka in that team I think. Dzeko more suited to how we played also.

[Vesper 28,779]

2 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Kante won the ball back a lot though especially in the second half which was vital to continually putting Palace under pressure.

I agree his passing today wasn't great at times but still think theres a point in him playing in MF to recover the ball higher up (not all he does unfair to say hes only playing for that but a big skill which is useful in a pressing team), also his energy and mobility because Jorginho is quite slow. I think we'll truly know towards the tail end of the season, think we still need to give the team a good few months yet to see what Sarri truly wants the team to do. Still so much improvement to be made without the ball and defensively, as well as offensively, still lots of positives and despite thinking this we are 2nd and unbeaten...

I didn't see anything in terms of high up pressing that Kovacic is not more than capable of doing as well. Kante is now isolated to one side of the field, more or less.

We had multiple streams up after the game to hear what all the presenters said (not just about Kante) and all brought up the points I am making, literally every one (was a total of around 12, counting the field presenters and the in-studio ones.) I am not using an appeal to authority logical fallacy here, just pointing out that a shit tonne of other  people see this as well. Some of them also (foolishly, as Sarri will never change the system in this fashion) called for a return of Kante to DMF pure destroyer.

[Vesper 28,779]

11 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Plenty of options out there if we scout well, for example had we had a striker problem in 2015 i doubt Firminho would have been seen as a potential solution.

shit tonne of options, it is just that some are really speculative, and if Morata goes back into the tank, something REALLY has to be done, as in bring in a PROVEN scorer, of this there surely can be no debate (the debate will be who, not if)

If Morata tanks again and a poster says we don't have to make a move (NOT saying this is you at all, lol) then they are a pure troll, full stop.

 

anyway, here are links to just about every possibility, discussed in some detail (obviously there will be a lot of duplication of names in those posts)  A week before the winter window I will size up all the options are make a meta post of what we are looking at

I am not holding my breath on the board doing anything

I really think we are in close-down mode due to the political situation with Roman (which will potentially become hellish if the Democrats take back both houses of Congress in the States and go all out RUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIA!!!!!! hysteria (more than they already have) and make a move to impeach Trump. Brexit is also going to be a factor, as the UK will suck up to the US even more, and if the US is on a 'destroy Russia' kick, they will surely pressure the UK as well, even more, as a condition of a closer relationship.

 

 

 

 

[the wes 7,212]

1 hour ago, OneMoSalah said:

Anyone got a video or gif of that Kepa 40 or 50 meter pass to Azpi when he came out his box? Was an absolute worldly not sure if he meant it or not but was brilliant 😂

 

Mixed performance today, Morata dug us out a hole with 2 goals and good to see Pedro get a goal but a bit of sloppiness in MF from everybody in phases. Defence wasn't great, Luiz did some good things and then some bad things. Same with Azpi and Alonso. Thought Azpi was pretty solid against Zaha when they had him drift out wide in all fairness but gave the ball away a lot.

Luiz was caught in no man's land for Crystal Palace goal he needs to be more aware whats around him apart from that it was a good team performance 😃😃

[Jase 43,479]

14 minutes ago, the wes said:

Luiz was caught in no man's land for Crystal Palace goal he needs to be more aware whats around him apart from that it was a good team performance 😃😃

Did anyone notice how Kante seemingly did not bust his gust to try and win the ball for the Palace goal? He got pretty close to the ball but was in jogging mode!

[Stats 7,053]

1 hour ago, petre.ispirescu said:

Please any of the mods can make a separate thread for this guy in the banter section or whatever? Every thread I visit on this forum is full of nonsense comming from this chap, always complaining, always bringing up all sorts of names like football transfers work like that, blink and you transfer a complete new team. Kante is not fit for this role, Luiz not good enough, Alonso not good enough, Sarri dragging the club down for not playing Hudson Odoi yada yada yada. Well maybe you should fucking start supporting the team and the new manager who trusts this players and by the way is undefeated since coming here and leave the tactics and transfer targets into his hands. Jesus Christ.... 

She makes some very good points, but the long essays of transfer targets and who the board should buy is just a bit too much sometimes man and is mind-boggling at times. The targets suggested is almost like we like in a Football Manager/ Fifa mode when it is not that realistic but apart from that decent poster but yeah the constant transfer suggestions is really annoying sometimes.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

5 hours ago, Vesper said:

Lucas Hernandez is a left back, and good luck prising him away from Atletico Madrid for less than £70-80m or so. José Giménez is the main target for CB from AM, but he will be at the same price level (or more).

In Atletico he played 6 games this season and 4 of those as CB.

Hernandez is equaly good as Cb and Lb right now. But he is more suited for CB.

Besides he is a leftie and would suit left CB side perfectly next to right footed Rudiger. 

[BlueLyon 9,359]

3 hours ago, Jason said:

Did anyone notice how Kante seemingly did not bust his gust to try and win the ball for the Palace goal? He got pretty close to the ball but was in jogging mode!

How dare you say something like this about wee baldy man. 

As admin you should ban yourself for a day and think about what you just said. 

[Vytis33 1,144]

^^^ he ain't wrong about that Kante comment.  Either way haven't read thru the recent posts but I'm guessing Morata got MOTM?  Fair enough if so but damn did Pedro put in a shift today.  Hats off to both of them...

 

[Vesper 28,779]

3 hours ago, BlueLyon said:

In Atletico he played 6 games this season and 4 of those as CB.

Hernandez is equaly good as Cb and Lb right now. But he is more suited for CB.

Besides he is a leftie and would suit left CB side perfectly next to right footed Rudiger. 

If we did buy him, I truly hope he would sit Alonso down on the bench permanently. I still am more interested in him as left back, BUT you have deffo piqued my interest. I think atm only Alaba is better at LB in the world (I detest no defence Marcelo and even more so Jordi the twat), but I am intrigued with him playing rotational CB. I really have to question Sarri's truthfulness when he says Alonso is on verge of being left back in the world. I think he is full of shit. There is no way he is that stupid, lololol

I am all in on going after him and Pavard (who is the reverse, he is a CB who can play RB) Board will never cough up the £130m plus it will take to buy both though.

Btw, Frenkie de Jong can also play CB. I LOVE multi-dimensional players. It is probably why I am being such a cunt about Kante and his struggles to adapt to his new role. I was sure he was far too good an athlete and footballer to not just slide in and dominate. Unfortunately I was very wrong. The thing that is killing me about it the most is that even his defence has lagged off.

 

[Vesper 28,779]

8 hours ago, petre.ispirescu said:

Please any of the mods can make a separate thread for this guy in the banter section or whatever? Every thread I visit on this forum is full of nonsense comming from this chap, always complaining, always bringing up all sorts of names like football transfers work like that, blink and you transfer a complete new team. Kante is not fit for this role, Luiz not good enough, Alonso not good enough, Sarri dragging the club down for not playing Hudson Odoi yada yada yada. Well maybe you should fucking start supporting the team and the new manager who trusts this players and by the way is undefeated since coming here and leave the tactics and transfer targets into his hands. Jesus Christ.... 

I am NOT a GUY. And if you dont like what I post, DONT READ IT.

And.......Don't you EVER tell me what to do, EVER. You are nothing to me.

[Special Juan 27,424]

The performance was quite middle of the road but this was an outstanding result in all honesty. We weren't at our best, far from it, we can play much better but fuck me Pedro was absolute top quality.

Delighted for Morata because he's starting to prove me wrong, he just has to continue this.

This is also great because the media didn't expect us to be right on the coat tails of their lovable Man City at this time. We deserve to be were we are, we are doing superb, ow it's time to hand out a good hiding to Bate and Everton.