Match Day Thread Chelsea vs Norwich

I can't see that. Our hope was to find Chelsea having an off day, but they had that last week and are playing at the top of their game today after a rocket from Tuchel all week. Our players are trying hard but they're up against a fantastic team playing at their best. They're not top of the league for nothing.

 

I'm glad this is an away game. If we did this at home I'm afraid the fans would turn big time.

 

Let’s be honest on the goals too:
- Mason Mount, superb finish rifled from range by a very good player. Maybe we could have shut down space but I’m not convinced we could have done better to defend that.

Its ugly at that point because we then have to allow the other team to counterattack as we need to try to get something, and the inevitable happens:
- Hudson-Odoi, terrible miscommunication between Kabak and Hanley, leaving the slide rule down the line, but frankly a superb, clinical finish on top of that.
- James, virtually the mirror image of the second goal, this time Giannoulis outpaced on the wide, with McClean failing to cut off the slide rule pass. Then yet another superb clinical finish.

Yes, we’ve been dominated in midfield too, but this is a Chelsea side on top form and confident, with players being ruthless. This is the wrong match to be bedwetting to be honest.

 

Am I up next?

 

I think so, Zog. At least I got two 0-0s. Might be the highlight of our season.

 

I would still rather get pumped most weeks than sell out to a Saudi billionaire or ex KGB type Russian crook that's banned from entering the UK until he can prove where his money came from.


Chelsea Man City Newcastle now are just vulgar status symbols for grotesque foreign unsavoury characters.

Completely sold their souls out to the devil , & we get criticesd for keeping the parachute money .

So out of touch with reality, even with our inexpensive low paid players by Premier league standards most of the TV money is getting used up and we have to rely on player sales to strengthen.

Sorry if we don't want to gamble on our very existence to entertain plastic fans from Global franchise clubs .

 

This ^. Our idea of pressing seems to be making sure there is a yellow shirt goal-side of a blue one. Not getting close and actually putting pressure on, not hunting the ball down and trying to win it back. I'm sorry, but this is down to DF. Sargent should be subbed and Tzolis brought on; at least we'd then have pace up front to actually threaten the Chelsea back line. We needed a proper DM and the lack of one is killing us; what has Normann contributed?

 

And your cup win , seems like ages ago .

Ironically nobody got to see the goals go in as there was no stream

 

https://streamwo.com/rQr1yyr

First goal, Hudson-Odoi runs away from a lumbering Kabak, whilst Lees-Melou jogs back, having apparently decided that one attempt at making a tackle is enough of a defensive contribution for the moment. Hanley and Gibson covering Havertz nicely, but Normann and Aarons are nowhere. Nobody tracking Chilwell(?). Really it should be Lees-Melou picking up Chilwell, freeing Normann up to move into a central area and cover another player. That's probably the key defensive mistake in this.



Hudson-Odoi gets to the box and pulls back, making room to cross. Aarons, Hanley and Gibson are positioned well enough, but Lees-Melou has jogged into a completely irrelevant area of the pitch, and Normann has let Chilwell get into a dangerous position where a slide rule pass from Hudson-Odoi puts him clean through.


Hudson-Odoi elects to cross to the back post, where Gibson easily makes the clearance. Ball comes out to Jorginho who controls with one touch. Normann, Aarons, Kabak and Lees-Melou are all now defending Hudson-Odoi, and nobody else. McLean is the only midfielder in a vaguely sensible area of the pitch, having tracked back compared to the first photo, but Chelsea have a 3v1 against him and he's easily bypassed as he makes an ineffectual attempt to tackle.


Despite making the headed clearance, Gibson charges out to make an attempt to block Mount's shot as nobody else properly reacts. Giannoulis is in no-man's land, Lees-Melou still pointlessly jogging, Normann still miles out of position. It's a good finish from here, but only Pukki and Sargent aren't in frame we really should have had someone else on the edge of the box able to impact play.

 

Rubbish. We were perfectly capable of pressing in other matches, especially versus Brighton. It’s players lacking confidence and Chelsea on top form, making it impossible to press effectively.

 

It sounds crazy but if Bruce gets the bullet we should give him a job as head coach until we get relegated then swap with Farke.
When we go up again swap over like a tag team .



Even If we don't win a single game I wouldn't fire Farke he's the greatest ever Championship manager and worst Premier

 

The key point to me is that we are still experimenting with various formations almost ten games into the season, none of which seem to work. I'm tempted to suggest we set up similar to the Bournemouth Cup game. Why did we buy Tzolis and Rashica if we had no plans to use them creatively? OK, I know, that might make us vulnerable at the back and Chelsea are a bit more demanding than Bournemouth. But playing this system doesn't exactly seem to be making us towers of strength at the back. At least give us something to cheer.

 

The dumb thing about getting panicky is that if you look at our fixtures so far, including this one, each in isolation, I can’t see us having reasonably expected more than five or six points anyway on target for 40 point safety. This is easily and expected result.

 

And also look at that in attack - we are up against a goalkeeper who is worth more than our entire squad cost.

We are then denied a clear corner.

And they score on a break after what looked like a foul the far end.

 

I don't disagree, and realistically the next 4 or 5 games are far more important to our season: Leeds (H), Brentford (A), Southampton (H), Wolves (H), Newcastle (A).

Unfortunately, we're going to go into that run with our confidence completely shot and no suggestion we can perform well at either end of the pitch. And we probably need 3 wins.

 

I think Pukki needs someone fast up with him, sorry Sargent you work hard but it's not you that is needed!

 

1. Romelu Lukaku, £325,000 a week

2. N'Golo Kante, £290,000 a week

3. Timo Werner, £272,000 a week

4. Ben Chilwell, £190,000 a week

5. Kepa Arrizabalaga, £155,000 a week

6= Cesar Azpilicueta, £150,000 a week

6= Kai Havertz, £150,000 a week

6= Mateo Kovacic, £150,000 a week

6= Christian Pulisic £150,000 a week

10. Callum Hudson-Odoi, £120,000 a week


I feel sorry for Norwich they should spend some of that parachute money


OK it's our lack of ambition

 

and a deflection bahahahaha.... why am I still awake maybe I need torture before bed!

 

Well that is actually unlucky. Especially as we were actually playing better.

 

Down to 10 hahahhahahahahha