Match Thread : Chelsea v Liverpool

[jozza800]

Thought we played fairly well. Kovacic goal is unstoppable and and daft 3 minutes before half time we're the difference.

We got into some really good positions but the final pass naver came.

Fabinho had a shocker though, he's always looked a bit dumb and dopey on the ball but he was miles off the pace.

We've had a tough run of away games (Spurs, Leicester and Chelsea) but it's not going to make a blind but if difference if City keep winning.

I'll be surprised if there are no reinforcements this month.

[redman99]

Thought we played fairly well. Kovacic goal is unstoppable and and daft 3 minutes before half time we're the difference.

We got into some really good positions but the final pass naver came.

Fabinho had a shocker though, he's always looked a bit dumb and dopey on the ball but he was miles off the pace.

We've had a tough run of away games (Spurs, Leicester and Chelsea) but it's not going to make a blind but if difference if City keep winning.

I'll be surprised if there are no reinforcements this month.

Can't see us signing anyone. We're completely skint for some reason.

[Insidious]

I got you did, the issue I have is the manner in which we surrender the leads. We lose control of the game and we can all see it coming when we concede a goal.

Our game management goes out the window and we end up putting ourselves under pressure. Some players are guilty of being extremely arrogant on the pitch with the lessor teams, attempting flicks or back heels, in our own area where a simple pass should suffice.

Teams that compete regularly, will maintain a strong -11 and a decent bench that can be depended on.

Milner, Ox, to name a few need to be sold or released. We did the same with shaquri who I actually preferred to ox. Guess being English has its advantages where you end up being kept to fill up the coefficient

We do lose control of games. We seem to lack what the likes of Bayern Munich or Real Madrid would do historically once ahead - slowing the game down, keeping possession and so on - we have one "mode" more often than not (keep high line, try to score again) and it is definitely something I would love to tweak. Real Madrid controlled us rather well in the quarter-final last season for example.

Being English does have advantages for those players. Due to the rules (whether we agree with them or not) we have a quota to fill. It's one reason I want to bring more youth in, as I feel having youth for some of your fringe spots helps a lot. If you have a 25-man squad for example I think it's perfectly acceptable that your 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th players are youngsters, ie down the pecking order - which gives you 4 of the 8 Homegrown lads required, without being of detriment to the first XI and the bench.

English lads are bloody expensive (£100m for Grealish!) so if you can bring some lads through, you can keep the best and sell the rest with the English tax which helps with the investment in the first XI. I do appreciate the point that some make about us not having the time/luxury to bring too many through/wait too long, but unless we want to be regularly chucking £60m on English lads that are truthfully worth closer to £35m in terms of quality, we have to find a balance.

[Nineteenx]

We do lose control of games.

only this fucking season WHAT was Gini's role? What did Jurgen describe it as?

LCM midfield controller

As ever all the focus on the next game, administering a bumming, getting the win and an vital first leg lead in the 2 legged cup semi final

[Insidious]

only this fucking season WHAT was Gini's role? What did Jurgen describe it as?

LCM midfield controller

Gini made an excellent contribution whilst here, no question.

However, this season we have seen more of this tactic of the two outside central midfielders pulling out wider and under-lapping or over-lapping the full-back.

That is helping our attack and is getting Trent plenty of opportunities to use his crossing from exciting positions, but it comes with making us very vulnerable on transitions.

When the ball is lost up front, teams are looking for the quick ball over our collectively out-of-position midfield - Gini might help us by all means, but I don't think that alone would solve the aforementioned issue by any stretch.

[CCTV]

Milner played really well and did a much better job at getting a foot in than Fab who missed every tackle he attempted, BUT, at 2-0 the game plan was working, we had a reasonable degree of control and the confidence and belief was draining out of Chelsea with every passing minute, a Milner of all our players, with his experience commits the most fucking ridiculous, needless and mindnumbingly fucking stupid challenge to let them back into the game

Midfield's been an issue all season because we let Gini go, continuity is very very important in midfield in a side that presses and counter presses as we do, last season with the deeper line in the last 10 games Thiago sitting with Fabinho worked quite well with whoever played with them, the prior season the Gini and Hendo combo in Fab's absence was THE BEST we have ever played Jurgen's pressing and counter pressing game and the best we have ever played for me and again it didn't matter which player we played with them

Just get me Tchouameni on the phone and get him signed, sealed and delivered by our next League game, we urgently NEED another top top player who can play at No8 and No6 as Gini could

Sounds like we have the players for one system that we've used again this season.
But don't have the player for another system that we play regularly.
I wonder how could we fix that issue ?

Maybe we could play the system we have the players for

[Steveo]

Henderson… OMG.. Horror show. Strange it hasn’t been picked up by many.

Kovacic made a monkey of our entire midfield.

The only positive - Klopp will have seen it himself, live and in real time from above for once.

I blame Thiago

[Insidious]

Henderson… OMG.. Horror show. Strange it hasn’t been picked up by many.

Think that's his second in a row where his pass success rate is something like 70%.

A defence of that might be that some are the attempted crosses that, if they come off, should get us threatening their goal.

It's still low mind. Not at his best just now.

[southernboy]

Henderson… OMG.. Horror show. Strange it hasn’t been picked up by many.

Kovacic made a monkey of our entire midfield.

The only positive - Klopp will have seen it himself, live and in real time from above for once.

I blame Thiago

I fully expect Smith-Rowe to do the same on Thursday.

[LEGS]

At times im not sure if I have logged onto the Burnley site.

The amount of teams who are going to roll us over is incredible we've only lost 2 games lol