First the good news, well goodish. City and Arsenal cancelled each other out. That's about all. Hub cap thieves are set for a quick run on top, but City must still be favourites. Finally, yesterday shows that anything can still happen to any team. As for us, simply an awful performance full stop. Torres and Lamps together was a mistake, Torres is simply not going to come good and Lamps is simply past his use by date. Sad for both but true. Jose set up as if Palace would park their bus, but instead they went for it, and gave as good an example of team work as Iv'e seen, proper professional display. There is definitely some kind of "low team syndrome" alive at Chelsea, we just can't play well against any of them. It's not just effort, we just fold and lose all sense of teamwork. Time for a Team psychiatric session. Always next week, and who would try and predict what the football gods have in store for the top 4 !!!
Palace out played you, not just with effort and passion but with skill. Daft as it sounds they looked the more confident team (and the pressure was the same for both for different reasons).
Didn't go. But apparently we were well outplayed. Why was Luiz hooked at half-time? Did him and Matic get bossed in CM.
Luiz was apparently injured but he was also anonymous. Stranger things have happened already this season but for us to win it now would need 2 teams to collapse and that won't happen. I hope Jose uses the remainder of the league season to plan for next season. I'd love to see him give Schurrle a go up top, move Hazard central and stick Salah out wide. Use Cole and Kalas to give the back 4 some rest for the CL assuming we have a decent show in Paris this week.
For me the league was done at Villa. Not just because of the defeat but the manner of it. We saw a side that couldn't cope under pressure. Not like Chelsea teams of old. Once Luiz went off Jedinak had a field day and Matić couldn't even hit 2 yard passes accurately. Hugely disappointing day all round but we were never going to win the title anyway. We simply don't know how to score away from home from open play against lesser opposition. ZERO goals from open play v WBA, Villa and Palace. Negative formation in all three. Hopefully Tottenham win today and that should help City pip Liverpool to the title.
I imagine Jose thought he could keep his powder dry for PSG and played Lamps and Nando together, expecting no contest at Selhurst Park! You're never too old to learn!
Agree completely with this, Schurrle is direct and quite accurate and pretty quick as well, Hazard just behind instead of having to cut in from the wing makes a lot of sense. The back 4 have been ridiculously overplayed, and Coles treatment disgraceful. JT in particular is looking well knackered. Off story a bit, good as he has been JT is only going to last 1 more season and Lamps is a goner for mine. Replacements need to be slotted in sooner rather than later.
You could see Hazard getting extremely frustrated, continually looking to make the final pass but Torres and Lampard not making the right movement. I really wish we had a right back who can cross a ball, the amount of ball Ivanovic receives and wastes because he can't cross is unbelievable. Then watching our players go for it at 1-0 down, why not at 0-0, get the lead and then play conservatively.
