closed Man City 1-0 Chelsea

[MoroccanBlue 5,383]

2 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Yes, City are better than us and the tactics were again not right. Just as Guardiola got it wrong 3 times last season, TT got it wrong twice this season. Sure, we can't replicate their 12games winning streak with the attackers we have and we are not gonna challenge for the league as long as they have such a smooth operation in place. But despite all the handicaps we had today and our shit performance, it was a close game that could have gone either. on a good day we can still take City on, that is why in the all the cup compeitions we are still fair game.

Now is not the time to be beat down. Next months we are playing for 2 titles, City do not have to play for. The league was already gone, so shed no tears.

the club should focus now on getting a wing back in and TT on managing the minutes of the squad so they are all fresh.

Any goal or trophy we plan on achieving will always be heavily risked with Lukaku playing. 

We going to rely on own goals and set pieces to win us trophies? Is that what this club has become to now and do you believe that to be long term sustainable?

[Tomo 21,751]

1 hour ago, DDA said:

Yes. Lukalu has completely fucked our momentum up. 

Shocking signing. 

We all knew it.

We tried to be positive about it but let's face it... the guy is bang average, always has been, always will be.

Should have got Vlahovic... I'm telling you that guy would have been 100% better fit.

Fucking frustrating.

Broja might just might give us a get out of jail free card.

[MoroccanBlue 5,383]

We give shit to Pulisic but Havertz deserves criticism as well.  

Has one good game and then either is inconsistent the next or gets injured. 

[Pizy 18,938]

Lukaku is getting all the heat and he was indeed terrible overall but Ziyech and CP were shocking as well. Ziyech’s total inability to beat anyone with the ball was brutally exposed today. He’s slow as fuck. And his fabled passing that we saw at Ajax feels like a distant memory. He couldn’t complete simple passes. Pulisic is a once in 5-8 games player. He’s essentially a worse version of Willian.

I’d be perfectly happy to see us sell every forward player we currently have this summer except for Kai. Lukaku, Ziyech, Pulisic, and Werner can all go and I wouldn’t feel bad at all. Shouldn’t be difficult at all to find buyers for the latter 3. Lukaku is a massive anchor unless Inter or someone else take him on loan.

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Pulsing is a once in 5-8 games player.

This feels generous. 

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

8 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Any goal or trophy we plan on achieving will always be heavily risked with Lukaku playing. 

We going to rely on own goals and set pieces to win us trophies? Is that what this club has become to now and do you believe that to be long term sustainable?

Lukaku is a problem that I'd rather not have in most big games but at the CWC and in case we get Arsenal in the CC final he can be an asset.

Trophies are won by fine margins. I can't remember us winning a trophy ever by an own goal after 2005 tbh. What we rely on to win trophies is a stable defence. Our identity as a club is being combative, tight at the back and ferocious on the break. We are still working on that last part but other than that everything is in place. Short pataches aside we never were and never will be a side playing scinitillating football.

[Clockwork 1,794]

It says a lot about Tuchel that he would rather play Sarr, a player who couldn’t even cut it in Portugal then trying something other than his 3-4-3.

City beats a lot of teams before the match even starts.

 

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

but at the CWC and in case we get Arsenal in the CC final he can be an asset.

You said that and yet, Lukaku has not been a difference maker in cup games. Yet to win a cup competition in his career. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, Clockwork said:

It says a lot about Tuchel that he would rather play Sarr, a player who couldn’t even cut it in Portugal then trying something other than his 3-4-3.

City beats a lot of teams before the match even starts.

 

Is it really a surprise Tuchel reverted to the back 3? 

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

Just now, Jase said:

I find it weird that Havertz is not being questioned at the very least. We spent 70 million+ on him to be what exactly? To be a goalscorer? Doesn't score enough goals. To be a goal creator? Doesn't really create much either. Is he really just a 70 million+ player that shows good touches, good linkup plays etc?

Hes still only 22 years old though and thats probably going to buy him a bit more patience alongside his obvious talent and the fact he’s probably had many better games than the likes of Timo, Hakim and Pulisic since he arrived last summer. 

No doubt TT and he himself should rightfully demand more in terms of goals and assists but I still really don’t think he’s cut out in the long run to be a CF. And thats why I felt it was 100% necessary to sign a number 9 this summer because for all the play, running the channels and being involved outside the box, he doesn’t have the numbers or strikers instincts to be a top teams number 9. False 9 or not. 

 

He is wildly inconsistent which is infuriating but when he is playing as a false 9, he seems to struggle scoring goals and I think that is because he really lacks the predatory instincts in and around the box from crosses/cut backs/saves etc that all good strikers seem to have. He doesn’t seem to anticipate where the ball might go/land and just seems lacking in that part. 

[Clockwork 1,794]

3 minutes ago, Jase said:

Is it really a surprise Tuchel reverted to the back 3? 

No I tend to think most people are predictable, but starting Sarr against City is another level.

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, OneMoSalah said:

Hes still only 22 years old though and thats probably going to buy him a bit more patience alongside his obvious talent and the fact he’s probably had many better games than the likes of Timo, Hakim and Pulisic since he arrived last summer. 

No doubt TT and he himself should rightfully demand more in terms of goals and assists but I still really don’t think he’s cut out in the long run to be a CF. And thats why I felt it was 100% necessary to sign a number 9 this summer because for all the play, running the channels and being involved outside the box, he doesn’t have the numbers or strikers instincts to be a top teams number 9. False 9 or not. 

He is wildly inconsistent which is infuriating but when he is playing as a false 9, he seems to struggle scoring goals and I think that is because he really lacks the predatory instincts in and around the box from crosses/cut backs/saves etc that all good strikers seem to have. He doesn’t seem to anticipate where the ball might go/land and just seems lacking in that part. 

He can be 22 years old and still at least show what he's really good at, at least in glimpses, but so far, I have yet to see what that is. What made people call him Germany's generational talent? 

If you don't think he's cut out to be a ST in the long run, then is he cut out to be a goal creator? He hasn't looked like someone who creates plenty of chances etc. 

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

Just now, Jase said:

You said that and yet, Lukaku has not been a difference maker in cup games. Yet to win a cup competition in his career. 

He won the FA Cup with us in 2012, having played once in the earlier rounds he did receive medal.

He has a record of dominating Arsenal and the sides we face at the CWC should be his calibre as well. Pretty confident he will do fine there.

After days like today ppl will always  have a go at him for being completely useless. While it is extremely frustrating having shed out 100m for a player who offers very little in big games (a fact which 80% of the forum predicted), it is easy to forget that Lukaku can be very clinical vs mediocre defences when afforded space. A scenario which is likely gonna happen in the aformentioned scenario.

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

No I tend to think most people are predictable, but starting Sarr against City is another level.

TBF, Sarr may not be top quality but he has been OK, especially since that Brentford game last October.

It's also not as if Tuchel had much of a choice. Chalobah and Christensen are both out and I don't think Silva would work in a back 4, especially against City. So either we play Rudiger and Sarr in a back 4 or we go with the back 3 that we saw today. Maybe we could have played Azpi at CB instead of RWB and then one of CHO/Pulisic at RWB but that's about it really. 

[Clockwork 1,794]

I see people consistently shitting on every attacking player, but at point does Tuchel get blame for it?
 

I just have a hard time believing out of Havertz, Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech, Mount, CHO, etc you can get even one solid reliable contributor. 
 

 

 

 

 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, Magic Lamps said:

He won the FA Cup with us in 2012, having played once in the earlier rounds he did receive medal.

Not sure what's the FA Cup trophy requirement but didn't see it on his Wikipedia page. Either way, I meant him leading a team to win a cup competition. 

4 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

He has a record of dominating Arsenal and the sides we face at the CWC should be his calibre as well. Pretty confident he will do fine there.

We shall see...

[Pizy 18,938]

We need to somehow identify some top class wide players who can score goals. Find the next players in the Mané/Salah/prime Pedro/Robben mould. And then build around Havertz up top. 

Fuck all these frail, dainty, soft wide players with mouse mentality like we have. We need aggressive, athletic guys who put unbelievable pressure on teams. That may be the only way we can haul City in and it’s what Liverpool have done these last few years.

[Fulham Broadway 17,330]

Tuchel is right -we have played similar games against the moneybags and won.

People are quick to slag us off but City are the best team in England at the moment

[Jase 43,479]

10 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

I see people consistently shitting on every attacking player, but at point does Tuchel get blame for it?

I just have a hard time believing out of Havertz, Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech, Mount, CHO, etc you can get even one solid reliable contributor. 

What I'd say is, I like that our attacking players are versatile to play in different positions but I some times wonder whether Tuchel abuses that for whatever reason. I mean, yeah, our attacking players aren't perfect but it can't be easy for them to be consistent if Tuchel is constantly changing the front 3 setup from game to game. One game, it's two 10s and one ST. The next, it's one 10 and two STs. After that, it's two STs and three in midfield. At times, it feels like we have too many options for our own good.

[DH1988 1,348]

We have wingers that struggle to beat a man for pace other than CHO, and even that burst pace hasn't reached the heights pre-injury. 

Can't say Tuchel takes the blame today overall, our attackers are/were inept. Havertz alleviates that to a degree with his movement and interchange.

I saw today as a must not lose, and we lost.