Man City 2-0 Chelsea

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

PRE/POST-MATCH DISCUSSION, LIVE CHAT AND ANALYSIS

Wednesday 9th November 2022
Carabao Cup
Etihad Stadium

8pm Kick Off (UK Time)

 

[Laylabelle 9,535]

Not too fussed about this but it would be another loss in a row...we don't need distractions but same time one if the few chanced of a trophy.

[Blue Armour 4,446]

This team can't handle top 4 and cup competitions simultaneously, with all the injuries and loss of form.

If we had to pick a cup competition, FA Cup or CL would be it.

Not this one.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Blue Armour

[OhForAGreavsie 6,076]

12 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

This team can't handle top 4 and cup competitions simultaneously, with all the injuries and loss of form.

If we had to pick a cup competition, FA Cup or CL would be it.

Not this one.

I grew up in an era when the FA Cup was a monster, completely unrecognisable from the tournament it is now. I therefore have a huge emotional commitment to it which younger people do not. Winning that competition is always high on my agenda. However...

If we win the FA Cup we would will still be a bad team. If we win The Champions League, we would still be a bad team. If we win The League Cup, we would still be a bad team. Winning a trophy this year is not about suggesting that we are a good team. It's about camouflaging the fact that we are a bad one. From the point of view of our status in the footballing world a little camouflage can do no harm, and might even help a bit.

Also who doesn't like winning stuff. 🙂

 

Edited November 8, 2022 by OhForAGreavsie

[chelsea_4_eva 1,182]

I would rather play Auba here and Broja for Newcastle tbh. Not really fussed about the league cup, better to go out now than later in the competition.

[Tomo 21,751]

I'm at the stage where I was at the end of Lampard's reign where I'm past caring about the results in the next couple of games. 

What I want from this and Newcastle is positive tactical performances that give me some encouragement Potter could be the man longer term, if we lose both the way we lost say the Super Cup vs Liverpool I'd be reasonably content.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[lucio 5,418]

Knock these guys out and best chance for a trophy !

[Mário César 1,280]

I hope city knockout from this competition

its better to have less games to prevent injuries and focus in top4. its much more important than this 

[Seymop 90]

I am afraid to say whether or not we knock these guys out depends on them more than it does us. If they put a strong team out I fear for our chances !! The gap in class between a fullish strength City and us is massive. I just hope City aren’t too worried about the game and we actually turn up and play with some guts — and actually play off the front foot

[lucio 5,418]

Play some of the younger guys with something to prove , Carney, broja and hutchinson, go all our attack and see what happens 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[LAM09 7,056]

8 hours ago, Tomo said:

I'm at the stage where I was at the end of Lampard's reign where I'm past caring about the results in the next couple of games. 

What I want from this and Newcastle is positive tactical performances that give me some encouragement Potter could be the man longer term, if we lose both the way we lost say the Super Cup vs Liverpool I'd be reasonably content.

We need a win in one of those games. One domestic win in seven (going by what you're content with) isn't acceptable.

[bluephoenix 1,131]

Its going to be halala halala halaanddd!

[Blue Armour 4,446]

19 minutes ago, bluephoenix said:

Its going to be halala halala halaanddd!

Unless Pep decides to do a mercy killing and plays one of his second string sides.

[Milan 17,958]

No VAR at this game. Good old times!

[Special Juan 28,141]

Only good thing worth watching tonight is Matt Hancock going in the jungle.

[Reddish-Blue 2,509]

6 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

Unless Pep decides to do a mercy killing and plays one of his second string sides.

Will probably be their normal XI with the likes of Ederson, KDB and a few others getting the breather. 

With the way our injury list is, they can probably afford to play a few more kids and still be in control of the game...

[Tomo 21,751]

10 hours ago, LAM09 said:

We need a win in one of those games. One domestic win in seven (going by what you're content with) isn't acceptable.

I don't disagree perse and this maybe just me talking personal preference but I just want to see something that gives me hope this could work going into this break.

Even if we somehow turned the Arsenal game around by Broja's mini run turning into a goal then Gallagher shooting a fluke one in from 30 yards I'd still be pretty worried as those moments wouldn't take away from one of the most clueless performances I've seen from us (I can take bad, but we looked tactically amateur).

If we win 0-1 at Newcastle with no shots to 16 and one goes in on Dan Burns backside, lovely 3 points but it still leaves burning questions on what the hell Potter is trying to do.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

Just want us to turn up. Never mind the poor results, but we just seem completely void of intensity whenever an opponent gives us a tough game. Our lack of interest in the Manure and arse games was just painful to watch. It must not even be intentional. Team is getting used to new footballing ideas, everybody takes that split second longer to make a decision, resulting in us getting outfought and outthought which from the outside looks like a complete lack of effort.

While this is an historically (say wrt to the last 20 years) average Chelsea squad with all the absentees compared to what we look like with everyone fit and I am not convinced by GP yet but we will not be this terrible forever. To me, it feels like the whole club is still looking for its identity. During the Roman years we always had  a swagger about us, a resilience, a never say die attitude. Only in recent years we have shown this mental weakness. I do not think it is just because of the ownership change but it surely is a factor. Marina and other long serving board members gave us some kind of stability but for this current crop of players so much has changed in so little time.

For one, I have honestly hated our football from a pure tactical standpoint since Conte left. Our footballing identity had been defensively resolute, athletic, powerful, always combative, lightning on the counter, threating from set-pieces. We have never really been about fashionable tiki-taka nonsense or boring to death the opponent with posession. Every attempt to give us a new identity from AVB to Sarri has failed. Whenever we won anything we were pragmatic or at least playing to our best players strengths. Ofc, we struck gold with the old guard who could turn on the style but whenever we looked like playing sexy football it was bc of improvisation of brilliant individuals and not some robotic system a manager tried to teach us. Posession-based footy always makes us look lethargic independent of personnel. Sure, it might have worked for other clubs like pool and shitty who gave their visionary managers time to implement their style but they did not really have any sort of identity beforehand, did they?

If we really stick to Potter, I hope he does adapt and evolve some bit. We do not need to reinvent the wheel here but if try this new start it has to work from the ground up. The squad looks like bits and pieces, no real cohesion but we still have the academy, some excellent prospects going through the ranks. Let us hope we can gradually replace all those expensive dregs we signed in the catastrophic transfer windows with homegrown blue-blooded talent. that would be the only way i could endure the years of mediocrity ahead.