Your team v Chelsea

[Insidious]

Brendan has got deep links with Chelsea. Maybe a deal was done before the Leiceser sacking.

Real Madrid would be very happy with that appointment given Brendan's European record.

How bloody surreal would it be if Chelsea appointed him and they ended up winning Big Ears. Perish the thought.

[Nineteenx]

Jurgen saying he'll have to make changes in his presser

In a slight alteration to KOP on Portugal's immortal and much loved and respected words

"Fuck for that"

2 alterations Nunez in for Jota, Milner in for Elliott, 3 max, maybe start Bobby to bring Wagbo on later as fresh legs, then maybe, just maybe, bring Elliott on at some stage and move Hendo to No6, we've never got to see Elliott at RCM with 2 senior mids who both aren't Fab

Alisson

Trent Konate Van Dijk Robertson

Henderson Fabinho Milner

Salah Wagbo Nunez

Set the line 10 yards lower, look to counter on them, this is a game that I actually think Fabinho might be useful in, because Chelsea are one of only a few teams who have a player who regularly plays in his area, so he has something and someone to focus on, nowhere to hide, a challenge for 90 minutes, He can be really good in games when that's the situation, when he has to read the game, follow the play and look where the danger might be and come from, he's a shitter when he it's right there in his space and he doesn't have to look for or anticipate it and he can just react when the ball goes to his player, he usually is better

[fiordearg]

80 big chances! we are 19th in the Premier League for coughing up big chances.

[Nineteenx]

80 big chances! we are 19th in the Premier League for coughing up big chances.

If you are playing Fab as your No6 (who most now concede had all the flaws and errors regularly I have always seen now he no longer has younger Gini and Hendo's legs alongside him) with a complete out of his depth rookie Elliott at RCM in most of your games, when Trent does need support, and most teams try and attack down our flanks, so having a sitting DM who doesn't operate across the line or contribute to any attempted press is a big fat waste of time in most games (except Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs) anyway, and add to that constantly chopping and changing formation, tactics (even after the 7-0 thrashing of the filthy) and personnel, and after fucking up your press and counter press trying to implement playing with Thiago as a designated playmaker, then think you can throw 9 or 10 players into the team that used to play the press and it will work by magic as if you never changed anything and play the same ridiculously high line when it is nowhere near a good coordinated press, THAT is exactly what you get

[fiordearg]

Trent is like a kid looking at the fluffy clouds when he's trying to figure out how to defend another ball passing him over him

[Nineteenx]

Trent is like a kid looking at the fluffy clouds when he's trying to figure out how to defend another ball passing him over him

Personally I think people need to look back to how we restricted so many teams to virtually no meaningful possession in our half of the pitch for entire games in 19-20 and how Jurgen fucked that up rather than keep digging at Trent for our press and counter press that stopped teams putting balls in so easy ,or even having much of the ball in our half to attempt to having gone to shit

And don't say fucking legs, such a fucking lame excuse (pun intended) especially when you look at how heavily we rotated last season and the myth of how many games our players played in, it is positional play mostly, game intelligence and understanding of how to press collectively effectively

If you're constantly doing loads of running in pressing and counter pressing, rather than 10-15 yard short runs like running from from cone to cone you would do in circuit training, which is rhythmic running and far less taxing, you're not doing ti fucking right

There is the odd and rare part of pressing when a player (ONE PLAYER) will follow the ball as it's passed back, blocking the line for a pass to the player who passed it when there is another player nearby the only other option the recipient of the pass has who can press them and close off that option, when it is a longer sprint, but that is very rare

The longer sprints from playing a pressing and counter pressing game, that are fatiguing are almost solely caused by players (usually Fab) letting the press being broken, again, it's not physically that demanding done correctly

[Insidious]

80 big chances! we are 19th in the Premier League for coughing up big chances.

Absolutely dreadful reading, but also always find it a source of comfort when there is such blatantly obvious room for improvement.

If we can be 8 points behind the Champion's League spots having given up such a ridiculous amount of opportunities to the opposition, then imagine where we could be if we were even 10th in the League for conceding big chances rather than 19th.

As poor as we are this season I generally subscribe to the idea of never being as far away as you think you are.

[jr81]

A game where we are away from home. Let's not expect too much from it.,unfortunatly.

[Insidious]

A game where we are away from home. Let's not expect too much from it.,unfortunatly.

In terms of genuine expectations for the remainder of the season, I am anticipating very little to be optimistic about. I think the Bournemouth game on the back of us demolishing Man United was the gut punch. Almost anything that could go wrong this season has done.

What I want is a sliver of something to aspire to. If I were to offer a prayer up to the Footballing Gods, it would be for one of those wonderful (but rare) rounds of fixtures where everything goes our way.

8 points off 5th spot with sides like Aston Villa and Brentford closing in makes for grim reading, but 8 points off 3rd somehow doesn't read just as poorly.

If we had a "miracle" round of fixtures where we win and we see Man United, Tottenham and Newcastle all lose, then you are suddenly looking at being 5 points off 3rd with 10 games to go and almost all of your "difficult" fixtures to come happening at Anfield. We would have a sliver of something to hold onto there, especially given how many games are left in which Man United, Tottenham, Newcastle, Brentford, Brighton, Fulham, Villa and Chelsea will all be playing each other.

Logically I'm under no delusion that anything remotely hopeful will actually happen, but the inner footballing romantic in me just wants that one little prying open of the door before the season is out.

Chelsea are a beatable side. The rest is not in our hands.

[ianlfc]

A game where we are away from home. Let's not expect too much from it.,unfortunatly.

At least its not a early Saturday kick off