Chelsea (H) 06.03.17 - 8pm k/o SS1
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Comments
The opposition always look like they are going to score as soon as we lose it. I love Noble but he can't play the games at 'home' for me, he's not quick enough for the big spaces.
In the summer we need to spend big on some pacy players
Lanzini should have hit the target in the first half and I think we should have had a penalty when Fabio leaned into the ball, his arm was by his side and if the ball had struck him then I do not think it would be given but he clearly leaned towards the ball and deflected it away.
Randy pulled a worldly save to deny Costa,
To be honest it was a fair result, I saw effortnd I was on the edge of my seat most of the game and I cannot ask for more than that.
That was certainly not a poor performance against the best team in the league.
"Noble dithering"
Who'd've thunk it ;whistle
Stupid first goal to give away when Chelsea really weren't doing much offensively
But hazard is one of the best players in the world and Costa one of the best centre forwards and they break so quick they are so hard to stop
Noble should be dropped....he can't keep up with the game and dithers too much on the ball
Would like to see a Kouyate-Obiang pivot with Byram the likely candidate for RB
Think Ayew deserves a couple starts, he's our big money player and he could be a key member in our squad if he gets game time
Personally I thought we played relatively well. We had a fair chunk of possession (52%, BBC) and spread the play pretty decently. In general we stopped Chelsea dominating and limited them to 9 shots, 4 on target (they have averaged 14.8 / 5.5 per game this season, whoscored). However we created few clear cut chances. Chelsea stifled our game plan in the final third for the most part and unfortunately their class showed when it mattered. Their first goal was a mistake threefold; Noble should have crossed when he had the ball, Snodgrass once he received the ball should either have played his pass better or instead taken a touch forward and then crossed it himself with his right, and finally leaving Cress back on his own against a Chelsea side known for counter attacking was very naïve. For the second goal I think unfortunately Reid got wrong footed and Costa ghosted him. We continued to press and eventually got a goal after good work by Carroll and Ayew fed Lanzini to fire home. A disappointing result, but a 2-1 loss to the likely league champions isn't shameful.
Randy wasn't really at fault for either goal and was solid and dependable. One excellent save from a Costa turn and shot.
Other than the 2nd goal Reid played well, comfortable with the ball at feet. Fonte had an odd game, as generally he played very well but he made three separate singular silly mistakes which Chels almost profited from.
Again Kouyate provided a constant wide option when we had the ball, and did some good work overall. However defensively his positioning at right back is often lacking and his awareness of who is around him sometimes lets him down. I really would halt this experiment now and give Byram the role until season's end, see how he does.
Cresswell had a decent game. Passing was generally sharp and he stopped Moses from being effective offensively however this did limit his own attacking opportunities. Still managed to overlap Snod where possible but unlucky not to get more crosses away.
I thought both Obiang and Noble had good games. In a central midfield where Fabregas, Kante, Pedro and Hazard all roam they held their own pretty well. For me in the first 20 minutes Noble was the most effective player on the park. However, he takes his share of the blame for the first goal. Both players covered lots of ground and spread the play well. Obiang also made a couple of excellent tackles.
Our little gem struggled to find space with Fabregas and particularly Kante filling those gaps he loves to exploit and as result we couldn't get Lanzini on the ball as much as we would have liked. When he did get it he had some good drives and nice touches. Took his goal superbly.
Feghouli stayed wide and resultantly his relatively high press stopped Alonso pushing on too frequently. Wasn't particularly influential offensively himself first half but always provided an option. Made his best driving dribbles ironically during the 15 minutes before his substitution.
A fair chunk of our attacking play seemed to come down the left as Snodgrass and Cress combined well. Unfortunately he was defended against amply and once again being so left footed didn't cut inside very often and hadn't the pace to go outside the wing back. I still feel he would be more effective on the right side. Did put in some good corners.
Chelsea defended against Carroll masterfully. He made some good flick-ons and was a constant menace but was outnumbered up top and wasn't allowed to dictate the centre backs like he often does. Sadly Luiz in particular had a great game. On a positive note in spite of the prematch worry about his fitness he completed the full 90 and never stopped trying.
The subs all did decently after coming on but could not change the match enough to affect the final result. Byram pushed forward well but looked a little lacking in match sharpness. Fernandes had some good touches but couldn't preside over the Chelsea centre, and Ayew struggled for space but looked sharp and did well for our goal.
FlorinFactoid:
With only one vowel across the surname initials of our starting 11, the longest word I could make was 6 letters (Been getting into Countdown the last couple of weeks on 4OD). Frocks.
I'd pretty much agree with all of that.
I thought Chelsea played a really intelligent game. They'd clearly identified the flanks as the main area where we might hurt them, and set out to close them off.
I'm not so sure we denied them possession; I think they ceded it to keep things tight, confident they would get chances on the break, which they did.
It looked like a European away performance (or any Italian away performance from the 80's.)
Our next three matches will be much more of a benchmark. We are all but safe from relegation and it is now imperative that we get this season over and done with. Most teams have trouble adapting to a new stadium and we are no different to that. Next season will be better, I am sure of that and if we get the odd shrewd signing we can end up top half once more.
Yes, my wording wasn't quite right, I agree that we didn't deny them possession but that we stopped them dominating the ball and knocking in 3+ goals without reply like they have done to Leicester (twice: 3-0); Bournemouth (3-0); Everton (5-0); Man Utd (4-0); Arsenal (3-0); Burnley (3-0); just in the league this season.
We put a good account for ourselves but the better team won basically.
A frustrating night but I am not sure if Chelsea just just didn't get out of 3rd gear. A very Italian performance (meant in the best way possible).
Their counter attacking was Superb and scared the life out of me.
Next time I would like to see:
Randolph; Byram Fonte Reid Cresswell; Kouyate Obiang; Antonio Lanzini Ayew; Carroll
If we'd played at the Boleyn or on a 5 a side pitch, the outcome would probably be the same. Chelsea are man for man much better than us in all aspects. They are technically better, pacier, move better and think faster and more intelligently. The first goal was a prime example as we had 6 or 7 players including our 2 CB's in their area and Noble did not put the ball in the box but instead did his usual dithering and then a 2 yard pass. They had Hazard and Pedro in our half not far from our box but when they got the ball they were off like whippets. When Hazard passed to Pedro and sped through there was only going to be one outcome.
All of the top 6 have improved from last year and normal service has been resumed and at the moment we can't do much about it. Round about 9th to 13th is presently all we can hope for but some decent signings in the summer may help us go for 7th or 8th but I think top 6 is a long way off.
Up until now, Noble has been my preferred option at CM, but I just think that we need a bit more mobility in the middle of the park at the moment.
Unless you mean Snodgrass?
Rush green has training pitches the same size as the LS, it's a red herring.
I thought we played okay we were pressing and keeping possession quite well, the goals were avoidable again.
Noble doesn't just put an aimless cross in and tries to keep it on the floor, and that's wrong? Oh times have changed. Snodgrass gave it away far too cheapily as he did a few times last night.
My only gripes are playing one of our best midfielders at RB and no help for AC, apart from that we were fine, move on to the next and I fancy three points vs Bournemouth
coyi
I'll be honest, I've never rated Noble, apart from last season, for the simple reasons that are always mentioned, ie. lack of pace, dithering, passing (almost always sideways or backwards). He's also often reckless with his tackling around the penalty area.
Can't fault his commitment, though, but commitment alone is not enough for the PL. He's Champo quality, but sadly not more.
But why would it be an aimless cross? We had everyman and his dog in their penalty area and so Nobes opts for the 5m pass, that has been his trademark, to a player already under pressure. In the past we would have played the aimless cross to a single isolated striker in the opposition box. So it was a poor option played poorly.
I realse it was a typo. Bit like when I called Twist 'twit'. ;whome
As for the goals; I'm somewhat torn over the 1st goal- firstly it was excellently executed by CFC, real class, but from our perspective we could've handled it differently; Noble took too long on the ball but the intention to play Feghouli in behind was the right one because it was on and he would've been in a fantastic position to put in a very dangerous cross. My only gripe is that Noble should've played it quicker and Snodgrass could've controlled the ball if he wasnt set to play it in behind as he most likely would've been able to win a free kick. The 2nd was sloppy and looked like a few players going for the same ball causing the problems. Whilst Randoplh didnt do anything wrong, I still prefer Adrian in goal; perhaps its time for Adrian to get another look in?
For me, Sakho and Antonio were really needed last night because of their ability to run off the ball; too often we played to feet and it saps the momentum out of us but Its something which has happend previously this season, due to a number of factors. We needed to be more aggressive off the ball and to show a bit more self belief in our ability to execute certain things, but it is a learning experience and we showed that we have learned from the heavy defeats against elite counter attacking sides this season as we defended and pressed alot better than we have done.
P.S I think the Noble criticism is OTT, i thought he played pretty well, though I am an advocate of moving Kouyate back into CM.
And a game in the MLS had a higher attendance than Liv V Ars..
http://talksport.com/football/atlanta-united-bigger-liverpool-v-arsenal-10-largest-attendances-week-revealed-170307230502?p=5