Your team v Chelsea (FA Cup Final)

[teesred]

Ok then, well, as per the discussion on the other thread, let's see how our midfield fares with Millie Hendo Thiago then

I'd go with that like you said to try and stop Kovacic.
I'll be worried if Keita starts this game.

[Steveo]

No Fab and we will have to ride our luck big time.

[Insidious]

I'd go with that like you said to try and stop Kovacic.
I'll be worried if Keita starts this game.

Keita actually had a decent enough game last night overall, getting through some work rather quietly without bells and whistles. If I could complain about him it would be missing the sitter and not doing enough prior to Henderson's arrival, which settled things down a lot - Naby needed to be on his game for longer spells than he was.

That said, to find positives -

Blocks a shot.
68 touches.
Successful dribbles - 6/8 (75%)
Accurate long balls - 3/5 (60%)
Dispossessed - 0 times
Tackles won - 3/3 (100%)
Interceptions - 2
Recoveries - 6
Dribbled past - just once
Ground duels won - 9/12 (75%)

He wasn't absolutely brilliant, but he didn't have a stinker either. Hopefully if he is selected with Thiago and Henderson at the weekend he can find more consistency (and concentration!) over the 90 minutes - had a very good attempt from outside the box with a volley and with more focus he has a goal rather than the fluffed effort.

Margins. Margins will be key in a Cup Final. Hopefully our recent experience in Europe and a recent title shows through. Chelsea's midfield has been more cohesive than ours in recent clashes so I can foresee us attempting to utilise diagonal balls from Trent to Diaz and from Van Dijk to Salah to pass over their midfield at times.

[Steveo]

A fair assessment in truth but have to caveat it as it was only Villa.


The stats need clarification. He lost the ball numerous times. Is this not dispossessed? Not sure how they measure it but he coughed up the ball far too much. Do that v Real and we get heavily punished,


Edit: when I say is this not dispossessed. - I should say, why does this not feature in dispossessed? Often when losing the ball it is due to opposition press and positioning? I guess it just shows how stats can be put in front of you to make a point.

I suppose dispossessed is not the same as losing the ball. So you might not be dispossessed (strict definition) once but lose the ball 10 times. If we don’t mention losing the ball it looks decent.


I realise I am droning on a bit here…still half asleep.

[Insidious]

Certainly those who make the stats should include what you're after Steveo and if I saw a "lost the ball" stat available I'd include it for balance.

Speaking of balance (should be no surprise) he won 0/3 headed duels - to be expected, as he is a Smurf.

[Steveo]

Haha yes - he is a little’un.

I like that he battled, but you do think he should know his own size. Getting into one with Mings…? WTF that’s taking it to the extreme

Keita is a real shame imo. He has the ability but does he have the mentality?

[Insidious]

It's a fair question. For me it's all about the first-choice midfield three being as good as possible and then those that follow being good "enough" - Keita offers something different, is capable of good releases, one-twos and through balls, likes to progress it forward rather than "Crab" pass - plus isn't one of the nailed-on starters.

Would love him to find another level of course and become the box-to-box Kante X Gerrard hybrid we picture in our minds, but I'm not in a rush to get rid and we seem to have possibly "solved" (as far as we can) things with him injury-wise. The rotation of Keita and Thiago has been really well done this season.

It's sort of the same with Jones really - people question if he is "good enough" but he is 5th/6th/7th choice depending on how we look at it and thus I am content - if he was part of the mainstay midfield 3 it's a problem as he has to be better than he is (has time!) but as it is, not to worry.

Tchouameni arriving would push one or two further down the pecking order, which strengthens us even more, so hopefully that happens.

[Steveo]

Yep he would be a stellar signing.

[Nineteenx]

No Fab and we will have to ride our luck big time.

Sounds like the 2019-2020 talk all over again, we went on a run of P15 W15 in his absence

It's well known I think he's wildly overrated and became so really because of the Hendo took the armband after Stevie patheticness, there are games I think he's our best option to play at No6, most games I don't think he is, because he's not especially active in having to use his best skills, teams don't try and attack us in the area he operates a lot of the time and in most games, we're the side who is dominant with the ball so a No6 who is much better with the ball than Fab, IE Hendo, is the much better option

I see it as a matter of balance Hendo plays we're better with the ball, he makes the play better than any of our players, not spectacularly hitting hollywood balls, but moving it around involving all our players in helping make the play, no surprise Trent was much better and more involved in that respect last night and Virgil was back to hitting his long diagonals. We play in a 3, higher and not as narrow too

I think that's the trade off, by playing in a definite 3 higher and wider, we can get on top of and stay on top of their midfield more, press and counter press them better than if we're narrower in midfield and have the definite 1-2 in midfield of Fab sitting as the 1 and the 2 ahead of him being easily outnumbered allowing them to try and play either side of Fab

I will always prefer Hendo, the best I've seen us play over a run of games at any time since Jurgen arrived was with Hendo at No6 in 19-20 and for me it was the best for the reasons I have stated

In the 3 meetings this season so far they have bossed our midfield at times, Fab's started all 3, Fab incredibly stayed on the pitch when our midfield were bossing it and we were dominating possession and they were down to 10 men, which was absolutely pointless, a waste of a player.

Jurgen loves Fab and definitely has a blind spot, favouritism towards him, you're dominating the ball and trying to keep the opposition penned in and bring all your players who might create a goal for you into play and you need a goal, to me at least, it's a no brainer to play your player at No6 who allows you to to do all those things better and who might just be the player to create the goal for you himself - Against Tottenham, needed a goal, took Hendo off every single time we are in that situation the FIRST move should be, Fab off, Hendo to No6

[Nineteenx]

1m onwards for Bobby's goal is a huge part of the difference,