Another frustrating reversal though our current situation is down to the double whammy we experienced against the Cherries and the Hornets whereas with the Mancs we always seem to lack self belief in those games. As it stands the FA cup looks to be our best bet as the top 4 is starting to fade into the distance -we’ll need a rocket up us to stay in contention.
Awful performance. Never seen us play with such fear. Could barely put 3 passes together as so worried about the press from City, but had no realistic option of by passing their midfield with just Hazard up top. Kante being out didn't help of course. Pray for him being back for the massive 2 cup games coming up, Top 4 is a big worry. Good news though is our run in is decent, with 5 of 8 games at home and the two top 6 games we have left both at home as well. City are worryingly good and could dominate for the next few years at this rate. The team is young, they have money to burn and the best coach around. Depressing.
They should but I do wonder if Jose's style is a bit dated now and they have a less focused transfer strategy IMO. I think Liverpool may finish above them this year and may rival City for the title next year.
Rivalry aside, Liverpool are a very, very good team and with a couple of additions in the right places will be a lot closer to the title next season. We should've taken their approach yesterday and really gone at City, so far it's the only approach that has worked and it's astonishing that nobody else has tried it, especially with the attacking talent that we have.
Yes, it looks like Jose's style stopped working in 2015 in the Prem league. If he leaves, then with their funds, United can definitely challenge City. I'm sure we can challenge too, if we manage our playing staff better.
Turned it off after they scored,would rather us played 3 5 2 and lost 5-0.Wonder if we could get Salah and KDB back.
Redknapp said the same thing yesterday. That with comparable forward players we should have used a similar template. Liverpool were probably the better side until the Mane sending off at the Etihad as well. I guess that's the difference between a cautious manager who doesn't trust his players and an adventurous one who does. I can understand being cautious over the initial 20-30 minutes and try and frustrate City but we never got at them enough to even knock them off any stride. It was embarrassing how easy it was for City to both keep, and get the ball back. Then to be 1-0 down from the 46th minute but not make any attacking subs until the 75th is ridiculous. It was hardly like we looked like getting back into the game at any point either. If someone who knew nothing about football (like Stan) watched that game, they'd think it was top v bottom. Not top v last year's champions.
Just watched the replay quietly, calmly and closely. Expected this to be a defining game and boy was it ever. We were horrible to watch. Our set up was wrong. Our attackers were neutralised before we kicked off and we were never able to play to our strengths. An awful selection from Conte who I am desperately trying to find reasons to defend. He was without our only class midfielder, so that at least was not his fault. But 2 fit strikers sat on the bench after a season of whingeing he had none. Hazard and Willian, 2 of the few players we have approaching world class, looked like pub players.They received exactly zero service from what was the worst Chelsea midfield I have seen for 10 years. Drinkwater is so ordinary any of our under 18 midfielders could play him off the pitch. Pedro looked past it, he makes too many bad decisions and a once great player is exposed at this level, as is Fabregas. Fabregas was simply awful too and it seems he is no use to us except against lower teams with no speed. Slow, ponderous, and just dreadful today. Moses had no conviction and doesn't trust himself against top competition. Don't want to turn this into a slag fest, it's a collective problem, not an individual one. All in all, a bit of a disaster, and hopefully a warning to RA about how far the team has fallen under his now failing fire and hire methods. All the small downgrades in player quality over the last couple of years, were obvious in the collective drop in class of the Team as a whole when measured against todays best. The Lampards, Drogbas, Ballacks ,Terrys', Gudjohnsons, Essiens and Costas have not been replaced with players of the same class. Depressing, and only a big overhaul in attitude and intent will reverse the trend.
The team is low on confidence. We won the league last season. Fifth this season and in sixth round of the cup, despite the obvious turmoil. A bit of perspective, CP. However, I agree we are playing ****!!
Come the end of the day we only lost 1-0.If we had been thrashed it may have destroyed confidence,not good with the games we have coming up.(Italian strategy maybe...).COYB'S
In many ways City play like Barca and generally enjoy high possession. I can only imagine Conte thought he could get something using the same tactics he did against Barca and probably thought without any defensive errors this could happen. I now think we will have to go there with either Morata or Giroud up front and not let them enjoy so much possession as City.
Two weeks ago we were third. We have lost 4 in a row, lost to Watford, lost to Arsenal ,Man U and Man City. Our form has dipped terribly, including our young defender, and we are are threadbare for midfielders. Courtois desperately wants out, Hazard looks more and more likely to go too, and Willian is already talking to Man Utd. My perspective is that unless RA starts to plan for next season and beyond, and properly plan, not just get in more dross, we will be lucky to be in 5th this time next year. All could be so different if we had bought the 3 key players Conte wanted and was apparently promised by RA. I hope and expect we will give Barca a big shake up, but if we play Hazard up front and let Drinkwater anywhere near the pitch, we will be asking to be beaten. Jose , Pep and Klopp have already put in their list for next season, Wenger will be history , and Spurs keep improving. Time for our lot to wake up and shake up. My point is not to throw in the towel, just to acknowledge the size of the problem and start to fix it.
TBH i don't understand why he only uses Hazard as the force numb 9,why not Pedro?....Or why don't they swap round when playing?...Its all getting beyond me
If we'd have played how we did against Barca I'd have fancied us for something. Definitely wasn't the same tactics, we were walking for half the game even at 1-0 down! I just don't really believe that a manager asks for that performance, I get sitting behind the ball cause they're better than us but to not even run around? Thats what I didn't understand. If we put that little effort in against Barca they'll absolutely rinse us, false 9 or not.
Presumably he uses Hazard up top as Pedro will do more of the leg work in midfield. Personally if we stuck say hazard and Giroud close together in a more traditional 9 and 10 role, you'd have had a real chance of by-passing city's midfield when we got the ball back and giving them a lot more to think about. We made it far too easy for City. Unfortunately I expect the same will be tried against Barca and the outcome will inevitably be the same.
Good analysis there CP - problem is that until RA and his yes men take off their rose-tinted glasses we’ll be lucky to scrape europa league let alone CL We desperately need a director of football (qualified that is and just another mate) and get a leader on that field to fire up the team because at times this season they look like they’re just going through the motions; like you said Roman needs to seriously restructure now or he can stay on present course and start planning for the Championship in a couple of years.
Roman isn not restructuring, he is doing things his way surrounded by his cronies. And it has been a very successful rollercoaster ride – even if he never wins another game
