closed Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Just now, MoroccanBlue said:

Attack was still horrid. Things only changed after Lukaku’s injury against Malmo. 

Maybe our attack is still horrid, but at least we won't have so many draws against inferior teams. 

[Pizy 17,860]

Just now, Jase said:

Not saying their injuries haven't had an impact but it's still no excuse for what we've been seeing on the pitch. And it's not as if Lukaku was dominating teams etc before they got injured either. 

That is certainly the overwhelming, primary reason our season has been destroyed though. We were the best overall team in the league with those two as our best players. Our entire playing style is dependent on the wingbacks.

Going from two flying, highly effective attacking forces like RJ and Chilly to the unwatchable Sarr, the old, fading Azpi, and Alonso who’s slower than I am is like going from a Red Bull F1 car to a fucking VW Beatle.

Combine that with woefully inconsistent attacker and here we are.

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, Pizy said:

That is certainly the overwhelming, primary reason our season has been destroyed though. We were the best overall team in the league with those two as our best players. Our entire playing style is dependent on the wingbacks.

Going from two flying, highly effective attacking forces like RJ and Chilly to the unwatchable Sarr, the old, fading Azpi, and Alonso who’s slower than I am is like going from a Red Bull F1 car to a fucking VW Beatle.

Combine that with woefully inconsistent attacker and here we are.

No, I'm not gonna take that for our season going sideways. It doesn't change the fact that, after 1 year being in charge, Tuchel has not come close to making us having a coherent attack. And by the way, James didn't get injured at the same time as Chilwell. He got injured much later and by then, our form was already going sideways and so was his form. I also said this back then, people who got carried away by our good start to the season clearly have forgotten all the previous seasons. We have started the season well many times over the last decade, only to fall away when November or December comes around. It's more than just injuries. 

[Laylabelle 9,296]

Just now, Jase said:

No, I'm not gonna take that for our season going sideways. It doesn't change the fact that, after 1 year being in charge, Tuchel has not come close to making us having a coherent attack. And by the way, James didn't get injured at the same time as Chilwell. He got injured much later and by then, our form was already going sideways and so was his form. I also said this back then, people who got carried away by our good start to the season clearly have forgotten all the previous seasons. We have started the season well many times over the last decade, only to fall away when November or December comes around. It's more than just injuries. 

I was surprised by our good start more then anything! Then suddenly we were tipped to win the league and seemed a bit ehhh. It was so early! Really we are now where I expected us to be. 

[dimmas 123]

53 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Pure luck

It was obviously a cross to luakkau that got too high

Our turgid football save by combination of absolutely lucky cross and stupid mistake from their defender. 

 

Our football has been very horrendous. Can tuchel change that?

Really doubt about that. If he can, he already did that from 6 months ago.

Our attack just been consistently shit for too long, right now just getting even worse 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by dimmas

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

This Lukaku transfer could cripple us for years to come if we don’t take a significant loss moving him on. I can’t believe the regression Pulisic is having both here and with the USMNT, it is shocking. We have Lukaku, Pulisic, and Werner that would probably be losses to move. It is depressing.

[Jase 43,479]

We had a week off and Tuchel complained about exhaustion/tiredness and how we shouldn't have expected too much because we played 120 minutes in the Abu Dhabi heat last week (LAST WEEK!). 🤣

[Magic Lamps 11,449]

I do think we can actually play well without lukaku and chilly and Rj back, we had quite a good run even against half decent teams like leicester and Juve. Even lukaku looked ok vs aston villa and arsenal when our flying wingbacks played. He will still be a liability in most matches ofc.

That being said, i dont mind playing poor attacking football as long as the defence is solid and we keep winning. I have watched 10 years of SAF having his ugly manUre teams playing an absolute abomination to the eyes and still win a ton of league titles in that time.

I think all of out attackers are very much dependent on a coherent system tho. When you look at City, players like Bernardo, Mahrez, Stelring, they played in very different systems at their prior clubs before and still looked quality. Bc they are great 1 vs 1 and can create chances on their own and from nothing. all our players rely heavily on guys making good runs around them or playing accurate passes into their stride. City play nice intricate passes until they reach the box and from then it is more improvisation and individual talent to create and score goals. Pep said it himself. his philosophy is basically built around faciltating great players do their thing. He would suck with our personnel as well.

If our board were competent enough to buy proper attackers instead of so many nearly players who are just this little bit lacking in those very important qualities, i think we would be looking at this differently.

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

12 minutes ago, Jase said:

We had a week off and Tuchel complained about exhaustion/tiredness and how we shouldn't have expected too much because we played 120 minutes in the Abu Dhabi heat last week (LAST WEEK!). 🤣

What did he say ? Think hes probably just doing the deflection trick. Either that or the lads have been on the lash celebrating. 😀

[Jase 43,479]

5 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

What did he say ? Think hes probably just doing the deflection trick. Either that or the lads have been on the lash celebrating. 😀

If he's going to give excuses, at least find a better one. 

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

10 minutes ago, Jase said:

If he's going to give excuses, at least find a better one. 

Was this after we won or before ? cant find the quote

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Was this after we won or before ? cant find the quote

After the game of course. 

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

1 minute ago, Jase said:

After the game of course. 

To my mind its food for the journos then, not at all what hes really thinking or what he says to the players.

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, Fulham Broadway said:

To my mind its food for the journos then, not at all what hes really thinking or what he says to the players.

Of course it is...

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

2 minutes ago, Jase said:

Of course it is...

Do you think otherwise ?

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

If our board were competent enough to buy proper attackers instead of so many nearly players who are just this little bit lacking in those very important qualities, i think we would be looking at this differently.

Kane was rubbish a while back, couldnt score for love or money, Rooney went almost a year without finding the net, which is why i am not giving up on Lukaku yet. 

 

[milka 3,308]

It was like years since we enjoyed a Chelsea game .

0:3 vs Leicester , 4:0 vs Juventus , 0:3 vs Spuds .

[Magic Lamps 11,449]

25 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Kane was rubbish a while back, couldnt score for love or money, Rooney went almost a year without finding the net, which is why i am not giving up on Lukaku yet. 

 

Those are two different cases tho. Rooney and Kane would still contribute to their teams overall play. Their quality as footballers and team players has been proven before. Even without scoring, there was value in playing them. Those two in particularl are/were decent playmakers besides being goalscorers.

Lukaku however has only ever been a half decent goalscorer and never really a good footballer. His problem is not scoring enough. Not even now when he has scored his lowest in half a season for almost 10 years. His contribution besides goals goes to 0 and that has always been the case. He never really developed enough as a footballer in youth and only got scouted bc his natural athletic ability.

when Rooney and Kane were in a rut, they might have stopped scoring but were still decent footballers in a rut. Lukaku right now is not in a rut. He is being his regular self in regular form. The player we are seeing now is simply the player he is. if he had scored that one shot were he was offisde he would have still maintained an ok goal record despite playing awful and just having 7 touches. Maybe next game he delivers the same performance, scores one goal and will feel vindicated. Goals or no goals he never was and never will be any better than what we are seeing right now.