Are we really saying a correct LB not been played is why we couldnt score??? **** me. We could have had Roberto Carlos one side and Carlos Alberto the other and we wouldnt have scored a ****ing goal.
I'd like to see us try the 4-2-3-1 that we used against Spurs before the sending off in the next home game. That seemed to allow us to get men into the box more quickly.
Not at all, it's just one of several things that contributed to our inability to get 3 points at home against a team in and around us at the bottom of the table.
We didn't score because after we cross the halfway line there is a complete lack of creativity & movement. We've been playing too deep & inviting teams onto us, as a result there's a too big a gap between the midfield & forwards. We need to become more adventurous & commit forward. The best way to do this is to play your most creative players in their natural positions. I'd have a serious go at Chelsea. If we sit back like we have been doing they'll hammer us. 442 Mac / Ros. Daws. Chester. Robbo / Elmo Liver. Hudd. Brady / Hernandez & Jelly. Get in their faces from the off, let 'em know we're there & give 'em something to think about.
Haven't read the full thread, what did Bruce say about Jelavic? Was it just tiredness or what? The annoying thing for me is that it was so obvious before the game that we'd struggle to score playing such a defensive team, but we were always going to just for the sake of loyalty.
He said Hernandez hasn't played for awhile and deserved to have a go, Aluko scored and deserved a start, and Jelavic doesn't drop off to help the defence as much as the other two. Bruce was thrilled with the results as the clean sheet was his main focus, 3 points was a secondary bonus.
Meanwhile, back in the real world (as opposed to the world according to Mr Hat) he said that Jelavic has been ill for most of the week and wouldn't have been able to play from the start.
It's because our midfield players are standing in a line or withdrawn to pick up the sideways and backwards passes.
Besides Rosie on the left cutting back onto his right foot there was Elmo on the right not crossing from deep (OK there may not have been a lot up front!) but trying to beat his man and consistently failing.
Although I like the players you chose I do think that Mourinho will see that Robertson is a defensive weakness and exploit it.
I think Chelsea losing today was the worst possible result for us. No way will they lose two on the trot.
Today was like a Sunday League pub manager picking from the remnants of a Xmas piss up. Trying to rationalise these selections is pointless. Oh, and Chelsea will rip us a new one.
Of course it would have made a huge difference. Play Robertson at LB and you have someone who can drive forward from the back and cross/shoot with his natural foot rather than cut inside far out like Rosie did all game. That would allow Rosie to play RB (where he is far better than Elmo) which would in turn push Elmo forward and give him the ability to take the ball further before crossing as he wouldn't have to think about tracking back as much. So yeah playing the correct LB would have made a difference and might have let us score a ****ing goal.
Being sat on the front row right in front of Elmo in the 2nd half, I'll stick up for him here. He was getting extremely frustrated that NO ONE was helping him on the right side. As much effort as Meyler put in there yesterday, he's not a right midfielder - his best move was towards the end of the first half when... he ran down the middle!
Elmo and Meyler seemed too close together. Brady and Robertson seemed to play better together on the other wing when they came on. Maybe Elmo was trying to get down to the bye line to cross because he expected more players to get in the box by then but he wasn't beating his man so his only option - other than one twos or a pass back or to the side - was to cross from deep with only Hernandez up front. Maybe we should have concentrated more on the left side - which I think we did later.
