Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

Chelsea (A), 8pm, 16/09/16, Friday Night Lights


Trumo
 Share

Recommended Posts

Chelsea have been really impressive so far and Costa has been a nightmare to handle. No doubt this is going to be our toughest game of the season yet. A draw would be a good result but we can nick all 3 points if we play like we did against Leicester and somehow add some serious organisation at the back. Won't be surprised if this turns out like the Arsenal game and see a shed load of goals scored by both sides.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't see Can starting this one. He has hardly played or trained these past few weeks and, under the current regime, that usually means no start. Guess he may be back in full training this week, but even then, I can't see him being played ahead of Henderson or Wijnaldum, both of whom had probably their best games so far this season against Leicester.

 

Further injuries aside, I think he will stick with the same team that won last weekend, which means Coutinho remains on the bench. I can't see any justification for messing with the front 3 that did such an excellent job on Saturday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alth

 

I can't see Can starting this one. He has hardly played or trained these past few weeks and, under the current regime, that usually means no start. Guess he may be back in full training this week, but even then, I can't see him being played ahead of Henderson or Wijnaldum, both of whom had probably their best games so far this season against Leicester.

 

Further injuries aside, I think he will stick with the same team that won last weekend, which means Coutinho remains on the bench. I can't see any justification for messing with the front 3 that did such an excellent job on Saturday.

Although Lovren in for Lucas, of course!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With no European games or cup games midweek I would play exactly the same team that just battered the champions 4 - 1. Can hasn't played enough games to justify starting this. I wouldn't even be that angry if he left Lucas in. Anyway whoever he goes with, this is our third trip to London already this season and I haven't seen us get beat yet. Really hope that changes on Friday night.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our players would get more change out of John Terry than David Luiz. If we are the sort of team that pumps balls into the box, that plays to Terry's strengths. But we're not that team. We're more about the movement and pace, and even though Luiz is far from perfect, he's much more of an athlete and more suited to defend against our players than Terry.

 

Hopefully our attacking play is so good that it doesn't matter, as I think that when we are on, we will score against anyone. The big question is what happens at the back. Matip looks the part and we are looking more solid as we go, but it's still not quite there yet, and they have the players to capitalize on one error, and they also have one or two who can produce a goal from nothing.

 

It will be a very good game and will also be a good barometer to how our side is progressing.

Won't need to worry about Terry, he's out for ten days with an ankle injury.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Won't need to worry about Terry, he's out for ten days with an ankle injury.

Sideshow Bob it is then. He can cover the ground and is more athletic than Terry, but a good point was made above about him leaving gaps. We all saw his tears after Brazil shipped seven goals against Germany.

 

I can't help but think about Chelsea's manager though, and if there's one thing Italians know about in football, it's setting up a defence. It will be a fascinating battle, and hopefully we will come out on top.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're saying he starts against us though.

If he's out for ten days he can't be starting against us, I think it would of been reported 'Terry suffered a knock but is expected to be fit for Friday' he hobbled off the pitch I can't see him being fit myself.

 

Edit...Posted today on Chelsea's official...

 

John Terry’s injury suffered in Sunday’s game at Swansea is strained ligaments in his foot. He will be out for approximately 10 days.

 

Our captain was injured in the closing minutes of the 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium. He completed the game in pain and Antonio Conte confirmed afterwards the problem would need medical assessment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts:

 

TACTICS

433 innit. Yo

u can call it a 451, you can call it a 4123, or a 4132, but oestensibly it's 3 very attacking players playing ahead of 3 less attacking players, and that's a 433.

 

KARIUS v MIGNOLET

I would play Karius on Friday. I think our keeper is going to be busy, and I think we need a keeper to launch those counter attacks quickly and decisively. With Mignolet I can see us hesitating a couple of seconds too long whenever he gets the ball in his hands, IF he gets the ball in his hands.

 

Could be that Chelsea target set-pieces and challenging the keeper, seems a very Conte thing to do, very Italian. Mignolet stood up to some battering against Leicester at times, and Karius is a bit of an unknown in this regard.

 

BACK FOUR

I don't think there's much point in ever trying to play a 'horses for courses' game in terms of selecting a back four. In my view, you play the players with the best understanding, and in the best form. I think Clyne, Matip, Lucas, Milner deserve a run together, and that's four players who are very clever at playing through the lines without doing something risky.

 

I don't even worry too much about Costa, I think he's capable of scoring at any time, but I wouldn't go out of our way to make special plans for him. He'll try and snide Matip and Lucas, of course he will, but those two seem very level-headed and would never be intimidated by his antics. Whereas Lovren might actually fall for the bait, he has that streak in him.

 

 

MIDFIELD

I don't want Can to start, but I bet if he does start he'll 'boss' the game. Bit of a conundrum, but the midfield is based on match-fitness. Not just normal fitness, but on high-intensity pressing and getting forward, and getting back. I just don't think you can come into our midfield 'cold' and it not effect us.

Henderson is the club captain, whether you like it or not, and he has to start. Moreover, he's earned it recently.

 

We're then looking at 2 from Wijnaldum, Lallana, Can, Stewart, and perhaps even Coutinho.

 

Chelsea have a bunch of physical lads in the middle of the park, and are at Stamford Bridge and so are likely to get away with being physical at times. I sort of don't see the point in trying to match their physicality because the ref will be keen to blow the whistle as soon as it looks like we've bullied an advantage.

 

So surely the emphasis has to be on selecting players who are capable of playing high-intensity closing down, and producing quality on the ball in order to get the counter attacks flowing. So it's hard to see past Lallana as the next name on the teamsheet.

 

Personally, the final name will be critical to the game.

Wijnaldum is going to be a terrific midfielder, and he's played well this season, but his impact away from home has been limited at times. That said, this season he has as many assists as De Bruyne, and as many key passes per game as Silva or Ozil. That said, Wijnaldum has been dispossessed an average of 2.3 times per game so far.

 

Would Stewart be a more sensible option than Can to start the game? Would you trust Coutinho to do all the necessary running, at pace, and close the right people down at the right time, and not lose the ball at dangerous times?

I get the feeling we'll see Can, but I think Stewart fits the bill better. It's an away game at Chelsea, the third man in the midfield should be erring on the side of being a foot soldier rather than a creator or stylish player. The pace of the game will flatten after 60 mins, that is the time to be bringing Can off the bench.

 

 

FORWARDS

So, I wouldn't play Coutinho in midfield, but I'd play him on the left of attack, or just behind two wide forwards.

I just think that his ability to win a game from a set-piece is just too important to overlook in a game like this.

Picking him also gives us an ability to crowd midfield with four deeper players at times, if Chelsea look to be overunning us.

 

The two goal threats should be Mane and Origi.

 

Chelsea's back line don't handle pace well. At the weekend we just saw Jefferson Montero cause them all kinds of problems, they just haven't got the defenders to cope with it. Chelsea will also want to push their full backs up, but Ivanovic and Azpilacueta aren't the most agile of defenders, and they will be terrified to push up with Mane and Origi lurking in wide position to spring a counter. We then have runners from deep in Lallana, Henderson, Coutinho for the centre backs and DM's to deal with. We also have Milner and Clyne trying to burst down their flank whenever they see space to offer a supporting run.

 

I just think Sturridge is too easily distracted in 'big' games like this, he's too aware of how he looks, of how people perceive his performance, and he tries to do complicated things to try and impress the cameras. Whereas he knuckles down against lesser names, he performs the role Klopp asks him to. But this is a tricky away performance, this is an optional 3 points, this isn't a gimme. At Anfield, sure, we start Sturridge. Away, no, we play on Chelsea's weakness, which is a lack of pace, and them wanting to attack us under the Friday lights.

 

 

 

 

Chelsea don't scare me in terms of names. Willian and Hazard can have great games, but the likes of Matic, Kante, Costa, Oscar, Basshuahi (fuck off), Pedro, Moses, Fabregas, they just don't scare me and a well-managed team can go to theirs and turn them over. In order to perform well, the players have to stick to their roles and be patient. I just don't yet trust Sturridge to be told how to play, especially when he's got a point to prove against the team that never rated him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their the type of side we always struggle against, only they've got quality footballers in more or less every position.  First goal is vital here for they don't play open football that we excel against.

 

I expect Klopp will go with Firmino up top like he does in all the games against the big sides, the ones we rarely lose & people will complain about the lack of a striker.   Hopefully we've a fit centre back cause Costa will make mince meat of Lucas.

 

Would take a draw now.  8 points from the first five games isn't too bad, especially so considering the fixtures and the fact we fucked up the easy game.

 

Games like this won't make or break our season either way.  We need to be picking up 13/15 points from every five games we play against the shite in the league.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coutinho had a great game in this fixture last year so I wouldn't be surprised to see him come in and Sturridge drop to the bench. I'd be tempted to bring Can in and push Henderson forward at the expense of Wijnaldum. Lovren for Lucas, obviously. And Karius for Mignolet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If he's out for ten days he can't be starting against us, I think it would of been reported 'Terry suffered a knock but is expected to be fit for Friday' he hobbled off the pitch I can't see him being fit myself.

 

Edit...Posted today on Chelsea's official...

 

John Terry’s injury suffered in Sunday’s game at Swansea is strained ligaments in his foot. He will be out for approximately 10 days.

 

Our captain was injured in the closing minutes of the 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium. He completed the game in painand Antonio Conte confirmed afterwards the problem would need medical assessment.

Oh dear. I'm very sorry to hear that.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...