Match Day Thread vs Chelsea (A)

I think the owners need to dig deep not because he's spunked all the money away, but because we're still behind the top4 in quality and its likely they'll spend big this summer too.
Its going to take more to reach the level we want to.

Good to see Sinclair used today. Get Balo, Lambert and Borini out. Use Origi, Studge, Sinclair and a new star striker next year.

 

What a game?.

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You are behind the top 4 in quality BECAUSE Brendan has spunked all the money away

 

True but its only going to take more money to make up that gap. Not giving Rodgers the say (or final say) in who we buy would be the better message. But that still requires the owners to dig deep and help BR out, cause god knows he needs it in the transfers.

 

Unfortunately it's not that they struggle, they just decide to only score 1 and leave it at that.

 

They are defensive minded when it comes to top teams and hardly not winning after scoring the
first goal.

 

Been busy today and didn't get to see the game, how did we perform?

 

Agreed but they have to get rid of Rodgers. Nothing personal as he is a pleasant enough chap. But when you do not succeed and do not achieve your objective in a high profile and important post you have to go.

Ed, Nick and Nigel immediately resigned. I can understand that for financial reasons Rodgers would not resign but I think the owners should take it off his hands and say " Thank you Brendan you did the best you can. We should give another man a go". He had 3 years and no one realistically expect him to do better with his future recruitment of new players and future performances of his team.

 

Defence and midfield were non-existent as per usual, but our attack looked far more fluid. However, that all changed when Matic came on and we lost momentum so not sure if you can read too much into it - but it was still encouraging.

Coutinho is special and we have to keep him. Lallana had a positive 25 mins in the 2nd half, and Sterling seemed to regain confidence and was attacking well.

Lambert is just a waste of space - starting him is just senseless.

And Can is wasted in the full back position. Always looking to join the midfield and drive the team forward.

Rodgers's post match comments were embarrassing though - implied he took Gerrard off so he could get a standing ovation. Taking off Gerrard for Lucas at 1-1 when we needed a goal? Then to imply that we struggled this season because we lost Suarez, Sturridge AND Flanagan???

Genuinely think Rodgers has lost the plot.

 

The reason I would get rid of Rodgers is because after 3 years, our team looks so disjointed, players out of position, no philosophy, style or system. And he's spent a lot of money.

 

I was baffled too. To think of it I shouldn't have been surprised. As many have said here, the man has lost the plot. He has given up weeks ago even when there was a ****ing good chance of getting CL and when the mancs were stumbling. Had we performed aginst WBA and/or Hull we'd be there with 2 matches left against opponents with nothing to play for (like today). whereas the mancs had 2 meaningful hard matches. I honestly think that like season we ****ed it up rather than the mancs took it away...

 

Balotelli plays and we win.

 

Bit daft saying that, even my fifteen month old knows that much #statingthebleedingobvious

 

We played well. No doubt helped by fact Chelsea weren't at it 100% but our passing was sharper, and moment up top was good (bar Lambert). Lallana played well and sterling looked somewhat like his best again (apart from wen it came to shooting). Yet again lack of goal scorer cost us with best chances falling to midfielders.

Gerrard played well and Johnson was actually a threat going forward.

Team put in a good effort, played like they cared which is an improvement on last month or so.

 

My ratings:

Migs: 7 One flap aside, he tries to be commanding nowadays, and what a difference from the dick of six months ago.

Can: 5 Painful first half, tormented by hazard and Willian and offered no cover by Sterling. Better second half, but why wasn't he in midfield, with Moreno at lb? Senseless.

Skrtel: 8 Despite what the great Neville said, he, and not Ford, was our MoTM. Comfortably our best defender anyway.

Lovren: 5 Continues his meteoric rise from awful to mediocre. That said, who'd have thought he'd make the starting line up against Chelsea six months ago?

Johnson: 6 Best fullback today from either side. Faster going forward than getting back, but doesn't the old fart still read the game better than most?

Gerrard; 6 Is it true we're after Pirlo? Why, when, if we want to play that way, he can still do all that? Spent most of the second half before being subbed as a dm though.

Hendo: 6 Irrelevant and wasteful in the first half (apart from one superb ball to Lambert), but his usual dynamic self in the second. Doesn't always have the composure and quality in the final ball though, does he?

Coutinho: 7 Great first half, not as consistent in the second and spent the last twenty minutes being constantly dispossessed.

Sterling: 7 Always had the beating of his man, frequetnly underhit/overhit/misplaced the final ball. He and Ford came through a fearful kicking in the first twenty minutes though.

Lallana: 6 The proverbial curate's egg: skilful close control - no vision or impact where it counts though.

Lambert: 5 made some fantastic runs into space - usually where the ball had been three seconds earlier. Made Hendo's pass of the game look totally overhit and over-paced, and it wasn't. If only we could put his brain into Ballotelli. Like the old days of Morientes and Cisse.

Subs: Ibe; 7 Strong, but not as tricky as before his injury. he'll enjoy the summer off.

Lucas: 6 Not long on, but did make several interceptions in his cameo at dm - more than Gerrard did playing out of position anyway.

Sinclair: 5 Good to see him - did absolutely nothing though. Not a criticism, we'll just have to see how he goes though.

Team: 6 Chelsea got the deckchairs out after a thuggish start and getting a goal lead. Hazard made balotelli look keen. Against that background, and considering the stakes, Chelsea were there for the taking. We barely threatened their goal though, did we? Nowhere near as positive as some are saying.

Bron: 4-4-2 (no problem with that per se) but leave the lb on the bench, play the rb at lb and a midfielder at rb? What? We simply can't turn possession into chances though. What a change from last season when we made multiple chances with lightening counter-attacks. Ah, but last season we had Flanagan, didn't we?/.... One more season, Brendan, one more.

 

Very very harsh in places

Sorry but Lovern was not a 5. That's plain ridiculous. The guy has had a bad year but he's done ok recently and today he did nothing wrong

How on earth by contrast can sterling be ripped one in the text then be given a 7????

 

Missed several interceptions in the first half and his man at set-pieces. Better in the second half, perhaps because Chelsea barely attacked then. Sterling is fantastic at beating players, dangerous and withstood fearful punishment. All good. Final ball/choice/effort drags down the score though.

 

To a 7... if he fired in a goal were you having that as a 9????

Lallana got a 6 and was just as weak delivering anything real.

 

An 8, probably. Sterling, frustrating as he is, is our only really threatening player who can create something out of nothing. Yes, Ford is special, but as we saw at Hull, he can do nothing if others don't give him the ball. All opposition teams know they can't leave sterling alone, no matter what form he's in. IF he was a reasonably competent finisher he'd be world class, imho. As it is, he's still special, but not as good as he thinks he is. If he was, he'd be a regular 8 or 9.

 

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Chelsea fans

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