Defending is as much of an art as Attacking. Whichever way you look at it Chelsea were outstanding. Not easy to score 3 times against Barca over 2 legs or 5 times v Napoli. Then have to play a CL Final away from home coming back from behind with just 2 minutes remaining without 4 key players
What the papers keep forgetting when they say Benitez is the man who got the most out of Torres is that he's also the man who ruined him - Benitez is the one who habitually rushed him back into the squad whenever he got injured (hamstring in 2008, ankle in 2009) plus flogged into the ground in 2010 before the knee injury that is usually blamed for his sudden inability to play like he used to.
The talk is always how Barca play the best football and are the best ever etc etc. I just don't buy it, sorry. They have one way of playing which they have perfected and their ball control and passing are truly awesome. However it seems if you beat Barca you are either lucky or boring and not playing good football. A loss for Barca is equated with a loss for 'football'. Ok banter aside Chelsea performed heroics against Barca IMO Their defence was concentrated, consistent and heroic and the breakaway goals were played to perfection. If you are playing a team like Barca they will attack you for most of the time and it is always difficult to get the ball off them but their downside is that when they come up against a team playing the way Chelsea did or Celtic for that matter, they trust to their system and just keep passing away until the chances come. No variety, no change of tactics, in other words no surprises and in the end they become boring. The Chelsea and Celtic defences were on the day up to the task and both teams took their chances when they came. There is more than one way to play football and a truly great side can adapt to different opponents and conditions and play the game that gets the result. Chelsea did that Barca did not.
Might be partly to do with it being after January that most underperforming managers getting sacked and when there's not a sacking, the current manager will have a more settled team. I remember there was one season under Mourinho where you had quite a lead on United but were winning a lot of games by a single goal and not playing great and towards the end of the season you went on a bit of a bad run and let United back in the title race.
i see Wenger has upset Ian Holloway talking about Zaha,Holloway has said he should be talking about his own players,not ours it's bad ettiqeut,(spelling?).
Yeah, but maybe not as much! As an interesting contrast, we will be cheering the opposition manager on Saturday and you'll be booing your own. Don't see that often. Be amusing to see how things work out if he's still there when you go to Anfield in April.
A Chelsea fan that I know feels the same way as you, Drogs. He said that he'd literally prefer anyone else as manager, including me!
Bloody ell PNP,what a thought. Utd struggle to a 1-0 and City have a good 0-2. WBA well beaten and Chelsea held. We win and go 5th within striking distance of Chelsea and WBA. Everton and Arsenal fail to convince as do we I think. We will do well to get a one goal win against Fulham and West Ham just might pip Chelsea. PNP,you're right not to be happy as you posted in another thread because we are still a bit weak. Bale also has a weakness or two tending to dive and get booked. I wish players wouldn't do that because how can AVB or anybody judge form if players cheat?
I said I'd welcome any manager other. I wouldn't of been happy with Redknapp or Avram but I'd have given them a chance.
You're having a dip at the mo DL,only one win in ten in normal time and the Bubbles next............not an easy match seeing as they only lost 1-0 tonight and played well.
I fancy West Ham to win narrowly. People thought I was joking after the United game when I said we wouldn't win in the league till January. That's November done and no wins. 4 Away games in December (West Ham, Sunderland, Norwich, Everton) and only 1 at home (to bogey team Villa). I think our next win will come at home to QPR. We need the chasing pack to drop points because we're so out of form at the moment. I've no doubt we will come good in January but things aren't looking good at the moment. No Spurs, Arsenal, Everton or even WBA fan should believe finishing above Chelsea is an impossibility on this form. Until Chelsea get at least one potent striker we're sitting ducks I'm afraid. 1st will be City, 2nd United but the rest is open game.
I've promised Drogs that I'll cut out the "Mad Dog & Coco" jibes on the Chelsea board. At this rate, however, I suspect the Chelsea boys will be doing all the wumming for me! I know it takes time for a new manager to settle down, but does even Mad Dog believe that RDM would have done as badly for Chelsea in their last two games? And what if it doesn't get any better than this? Dark days ahead for CFC, I feel.
You're drunk, Bayerns final ball and finishing was atrocious, Robben in particular, terrible, you should have lost loads-nil!
