₦airaland Forum

Roland17:
Thank you.. its easy to say Spurs are biting from Alonso's wing, however, the back line were horrible. When Erickson has possession of the ball before crossing, did you notice 3 Chelsea players (Kante, Cahil and Matic) stood like statues without anyone challenging his cross.

thank you. That is the problem. Matic was the one in the best position to challenge that cross, but he stood there and did nothing.

Ibime:
Luiz was not following Kane.

Luiz left Kane inexplicably, causing Azpi to run across to Kane thereby vacating the space Alli ran into.

I am still baffled at what Luiz saw that made him run like headless chicken away from Kane.

that is what I thought initially, but when I watched the highlight again, I now saw that both luiz and azpi moved to keep kane and alli offside. You will notice that both of them moved at the same time. It was Moses that spoilt it due to not being a natural defender.

Ibime:
Check it again.

Luiz ran away from Kane in no sensible direction asking Azpi to mark him, without the sense to see that Alli was coming in on Azpi side.

A cross from central midfield should never lead to a goal unless defenders are sleeping.

no, luiz and azpi moved forward so that they can keep kane and alli offside and it was about to work until Moses came and kept alli onside.

Just for the records


MOURINHO: DE BRUYNE'S
MENTALITY TOO WEAK FOR
CHELSEA
By Alex Young
The Belgian is a target for Manchester City,
with the Premier League runners-up
reportedly planning a £50 million bid, but
the Portuguese was not impressed by the
player's desire
Jose Mourinho says he sold Kevin De
Bruyne because the midfielder's mentality
was not strong enough to play for Chelsea .
The Belgian, who is a target for Manchester
City and could be the subject of a £50
million bid from Manuel Pellegrini , left for
Wolfsburg in January 2014 in an £18m deal
after struggling for game time.
De Bruyne has gone on to excel in the
Bundesliga, notching a record-equalling 20
assists last season to attract the interest of
City - a potential move Mourinho insists he
would hold no regret over.
"I am happy for him, because he is a good
kid," he told reporters. "I wanted to keep
him. But he couldn't handle fighting for his
place in such a competitive squad.
"He told me it was not in his personality to
be competing for a position in the team.
He needed a team where he knows he can
play every game."
Mourinho says the increased competition
for places at Chelsea was not to De Bruyne's
liking despite City boasting similar strength
in depth with the likes of David Silva,
Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas.
He continued: "I told him, 'This is Chelsea.
You are very young, you have Eden Hazard,
you have Mata, you have Willian, you have
Schurrle, and I cannot promise you that.'
"He told me he was not happy. He was not
training very well, I was asking for more
and he was saying, 'I can't give you more.
This is just my way'.
"So yes. I accept that if this his mentality
and that if it is his choice to go, it is
better for Chelsea to make a good deal.
"We sold him, made our money and it was
fantastic because we bought him cheap and
sold him for a fantastic price. Now
Wolfsburg, if they make a fantastic deal,
that is good for them."
www.m.goal.com/s/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2015/07/23/13838692/mourinho-de-bruynes-mentality-too-weak-for-chelsea

Godstraight:
how come your "productive" players don't win anything

what do you mean by win anything?

The former Barcelona man has rediscovered
his best form after a lacklustre debut
campaign in English football, becoming a
key performer in Antonio Conte's 3-4-3
approach at Chelsea.
Pedro has four goals in his name this
season, the pick of the bunch being a 25-
yard strike against Tottenham, as Chelsea
set the pace at the top of the Premier
League under their new manager.
PLAY
The 29-year-old spoke about his experiences
in the Premier League in an in-depth
interview with the Telegraph, with
interviewer Matt Law revealing Pedro
revealed that Spurs left-back Rose took him
by surprise most in England and rates him
very highly.
When I interviewed Pedro last week I
asked him which player in the PL
surprised him. He said Danny Rose
and rates him as toughest opponent
10:34 PM - 28 Dec 2016
321 483
Matt Law
@Matt_Law_DT
On Chelsea's current 12-game winning run,
Pedro told the Telegraph : "It's not new for
me, but it's difficult in this league. It's
different here. At Barcelona, it's normal to
win most of the games and sometimes it's
too easy.
RUMOURS: Chelsea want £35m-rated
Hernandez
"But the Premier League is very competitive
and strong, and for this reason, 11 wins is a
significant achievement. The record is 14,
no? Only three wins more [before their win
against Bournemouth], but that will be
difficult. It’s a very good objective to get
this record.
"It's very different in Spain. Barca have
many opportunities all the time to win
matches, which in England is very difficult
because the challenges are greater. You can
see it week after week – the top teams lose
to a team near the bottom because
everybody is very good and the competition
is very tough.”
www.m.goal.com/s/en-sg/news/3991/premier-league/2016/12/29/30960712/pedro-names-toughest-premier-league-opponent

raumdeuter:
How many percentage of exams you take in secondary school is WAEC? How come its the only thing that determines your success or failure in secondary school? Try passing every exams from JS1 to SS3 and fail WAEC

In Sports its the final stages that count, WHo cared if Golden State beat Cleveland 200 times in the season if they cant perform in the finals, who cares if Yohan Blake beat Usain Bolts in the Jamaican trials if he cant perform at the Olympics, Who cares if Andy Murray wins all the Dubai masters and cant perform in Grand Slams

Ronaldo Lima was non existent for most of 2002, Showed up and owned the world cup till today no one can talk about 2002 in football without mentioning DeLima

Brazil struggled to qualify for world cup, they got to the tournament and won it

Big games are there for a reason. One of Zidanes biggest moments will be that CL final and world cup final goals not the goals he scored against Saudi Arabia or Compostella.

This Euro cup 2016, Portugal didnt show up nor win a single group stage game when it got to the main stages they showed up and won it

my brother, how will you pass waec when you did not pass your exams from jss1 to ss3. That is impossible. If someone fails waec, the can only re-seat the waec either the same year or the next and the person will never repeat the classes. But, you can never have the opportunity to sit for waec when you have not passed your jss1 exam.

raumdeuter:
You cannot say awards matter when its Terry and suddenly switch to awards dont matter when its Iniesta

the awards; do they make iniesta a productive player?

Debroslink:
This is becoming pathetic
https://www.reactiongifs.com/r/dis3.gif

if you think it is a lie, prove him wrong.

It is now obvious that those trying to defend iniesta on this issue of productivity have nothing concrete to present.
Going by the definition of productivity which has to do with goals and assists, it is obvious that iniesta is lacking in that aspect judging from his stats.
I cannot say that iniesta is not a great of the game, because he is great at what he does which is demanded of him.
That being said, it will be hypocritical for Barca fans and those with them to say that hazard only dribbles without end product while saying that iniesta is a legend of the game while doing exactly the same thing they accuse hazard of doing.
Looking at the goals and assists stata for hazard and iniesta, anyone can see who has been obviously unproductive despite having played the game for many years.
For the fact that what those who try to defend iniesta bring in his defence is only a goal and an assist in two matches goes to show how correct Ibime is in his position of iniesta being unproductive. For God's sake the stats are there to prove his point. To be frank, I don't like the way iniesta is being treated, but I can't help it because of the stats which proves Ibime is right and anyone who wants to be honest with himself will see that it is true.

Now, this iniesta's case will show us how flawed the goals and assists criteria for judging a great player can be. So, it will be to our own good if we these things clear.
Stats are not only goals and assists.
Football is a team sports and not like Ping-Pong.
One or two matches cannot define a player but consistency of great performance over a long period with big matches being a cementing factor. Again, final matches are played because Group and knock out matches were won. No team will be in a final without winning in the knock out stages.
I rest my case.

Nihilist:
I don't think Conte sees Batshuayi as a viable plan B just yet, if ever. Did you see Hazard vs Bournemouth? That boy is simply incredible. The move that led to Pedro's 1st goal for example was a work of art. Last season, I have no doubt in my mind that he simply refused to play for Jose.

Batshuayi can never give you that.

in the issue of hazard not playing for Jose; what I think is that, hazard was being asked by jose to play with pain and more defensively. Although, he has been doing it for the past seasons, but I think he got fed up with it in addition to realising that it will destroy his career in the long run. In the end, he did what he thought was right for his sake by taking a rest. This is what I concluded from everything i that happened and from Hazard's comments.

liveLongNprospa:
nope

why

Our Belgian star talks about his one-v- one contests on the pitch and his dribbling decisions… The numbers were there in this website’s The Data Day article after last weekend game, our look at the analysis statistics from the win at Crystal Palace. One line in it read: ‘In the attacking third, Eden Hazard completed 24 of his 28 passes, at least 10 more than anyone else. Hazard was also successful with all five of his attempted take-ons.’ It certainly was not the first time figures like that for our Belgian star were published and it surely will not be the last. There in those numbers is a snapshot of the strength of Hazard's attacking game, equally dangerous when spotting a ball to a well- position team-mate as he is when choosing that familiar sudden acceleration or sharp turn past his closest marker. Hazard’s 100 per cent success rate last weekend when deciding to dribble past his opponent is not hugely higher than he has managed across the whole of this season. His success rate in all the Premier Leagues game is 76 per cent, the second highest figure from players in the top 10 for attempted take-ons, in other words, from those who are the regular dribbles. Only Middlesbrough’s young Spaniard Adama Traore has a higher percentage at 78 per cent. Hazard is the player who has completed the most take-ons in the Premier League in 2016/17. His 71 is one more than Palace's Wilfried Zaha. With the season approaching its halfway stage and with Hazard having played his full part in Chelsea’s climb to the top of the table, the official Chelsea website decided to talk to him about his decision-making. When does he pass and when does he go at someone, and how much thought in advance does he give it? Is his high level of success at beating a man because he knows the right moment to attempt that, spotting a defender momentarily unbalanced or turning the wrong way. or simply because he is very good at it? ‘It is natural, I play with instinct,’ Hazard quickly makes clear. ‘I don’t think about I need to do this or I need to do that. Once I have the chance to do something, it is instinct it depends on - sometimes I dribble, sometimes I pass the ball. I see a guy who is in the better place to shoot, I pass the ball. And when I dribble I don’t look at the balance of the opponent. ‘It is my way to play,’ he says of his high total for take-ons. 'I like to create some problems in the other defence. I like to touch the ball, I like to try to do something and sometimes I do, sometimes not but I know I am good when I go one against one, sometimes even one against two. I have got this quality so it is my style of play.’ Although natural aptitude and instinct are primary reasons why Hazard plays the way he does, and although he moved to play in France in his teenage years, he certainly would not have been discouraged by Belgium’s youth coaching system which was overhauled at the start of the millennium, and puts great value on developing dribbling skills and encouraging one v ones. The subsequent rise of that country’s football has been clear to all. ‘In football now you can see a lot of passes,’ Hazard adds, ‘but when we were young we watched a lot of video on YouTube and we wanted to watch some clips of Ronaldinho, Robinho, players like that because they liked to dribble, and we wanted to do this. ‘Now in the young teams in Belgium, they watch the professionals and we have players like me, Dries Martens who plays for Napoli, Kevin De Bruyne, a lot of small guys with technical ability and we try to teach them this. It is like Barcelona, the professional team plays one way and all the youth teams they play the same way. So in Belgium it is the same, in the young teams in Belgium we try to do the same as the professionals so we like to have the ball to dribble, we teach them that.’ Such a style of play can come at a painful price however and yet again, Hazard is the Premier League’s most fouled player (54 times this season, with Diego Costa next with 46). ‘I think every year it is the same,’ he acknowledges, without any hint of it being a big worry to him. ‘When you’ve got the ball at your feet or you keep the ball, you have to be ready to get kicked so I don’t complain about this. I just want to be protected but it is football now and sometimes you get kicked and you get a free-kick or a penalty and it is a chance to score, so I am happy to do this.’ www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2016/12/hazard--taking-it-on.html

Blues in the house, what do we have to say now concerning the statement pep made about us needing 10 new players?

diggzdadigga:
Some people will not like this...

they can go and hug transformer for all i care.

GUARDIOLA: PEOPLE ARE RIGHT -
I ONLY WON AT BARCA BECAUSE
I HAD AMAZING PLAYERS
The Manchester City coach says he fully
agrees with those suggesting his trophy
haul in Catalonia and Bayern Munich was a
product of the talent at his disposal
Pep Guardiola says he will readily admit
that his success at Barcelona and Bayern
Munich was a product of the “amazing”
players at his disposal.
Guardiola defends style: I want to win
The Catalan won six league titles in seven
seasons as a top-level manager in La Liga
and the Bundesliga, but his Manchester City
team has fallen seven points adrift of
current Premier League leaders Chelsea this
year.
And Guardiola insists that those suggesting
his trophy haul at his two previous clubs
was largely down to the calibre of players
he had to choose from are right.
“I will not have success? I will not have
success," he told Thierry Henry in an
interview for Sky Sports . “This happens to
all of the managers - all the managers are
sacked, all the managers win or lose, all the
managers in November lose in the Premier
League. All the managers in the world make
mistakes.
PLAY
“Do you think I am special or different? Of
course not. But we were lucky, they said -
we were lucky to have players like [Henry],
like [Lionel] Messi, like Philipp Lahm, like
Xabi Alonso, like [Robert] Lewandowski, and
that’s why I had success.
“When I won in Barcelona many times, I
said many times in the press conference,
‘We win because I have amazing players’.
Huge club, amazing players. And the people
say, ‘Ah, he’s humble. He is fake humble’.
Pep admits struggle to adapt to Premier
League
“Now [they are telling me], ‘He won because
he had amazing players’. Yeah, that’s true!
I said years ago, it is normal!”

www.m.goal.com/s/en-ng/news/4071/premier-league/2016/12/17/30579222/guardiola-people-are-right-i-only-won-at-barca-because-i-had

GUARDIOLA DEFENDS HIS STYLE:
I'M NOT TRYING TO PLAY
BEAUTIFUL FOOTBALL, I'M
TRYING TO WIN!
The Manchester City coach has come under
pressure after defeats to Chelsea and
Leicester City but says he is as pragmatic
as anyone about the way he sets up his
teams
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00:33 PREMIER LEAGUE  SHARE
Getty Images
Pep Guardiola has issued a staunch defence
of his footballing philosophy on the back of
a run of form that has seen Manchester
City fall seven points behind Chelsea in the
Premier League.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich
coach’s tactical preferences have come
under scrutiny in recent weeks following
defeats to the league-leading Blues and
Leicester City.
Pep admits struggle to adapt to Premier
League
It has been suggested that an insistence on
aggressive pressing and passing the ball out
from the back, as well as the use of a
three-man defence, has been too much for
City’s players to adapt to, but Guardiola
claims he is a pragmatist and sets his team
up to win, not play beautiful football.
In an interview with Thierry Henry for Sky
Sports , Guardiola explained that he refuses
to change his methods because they have
delivered trophies, not because he sees his
preferred brand of football as superior to
that of other coaches.
“The people say ‘you have to be more
pragmatic, more clinical’. More pragmatic
than me? I’m sorry. Like numbers -
pragmatic is numbers. When we’re talking
about pragmatic we’re not talking about
‘the way’ or something to discuss about
football - it’s numbers. And numbers, I am
good," he explained.
“We’re talking about numbers. People say,
‘Pep won in Barcelona, but it was boring’
or, ‘Pep won in the teams in Bayern, but it
was boring’. I understand completely, but
understand that numbers - goals conceded,
goals [scored] make titles and… sorry guys,
it was good.”
“People say we want to play our football,
our way," Guardiola added. “That doesn’t
mean my football idea is special or
different or better than the other ones. I’m
sorry guys, I’m sorry - I’m not talking
about my football, my idea and the other
coaches and managers [makes sweeping
motion], they are nothing, I am the
special… no, I’m not talking about that.
“It’s the way I believe. Like, Tony Pulis, I
appreciate a lot - he took care of me. Tony,
you are the best. He took care of me like
never a manager has taken care of me
before, so… he plays football he believes,
and it’s perfect. I am not judging about
that.
“[Man City] contacted me to make
something I believe. It’s simple like that.
I’m not here to make fantastic football for
the beauty, I am here to win games. I’m
here to make the fans happy when we win
the games, to be there fighting for the
titles.
“But the way you win titles is in that way.
It’s what I did in the past, in the second
team of Barcelona, in four years in
Barcelona, in three years in Germany and
now here.
Alexis: New deal up to Arsenal, not me
“I am not judging the other [coaches], what
they are going to do. I respect them a lot -
I am not talking about ‘they are not good’ -
never have I said this in my life. Never.
Maybe [my style is] completely different,
but that’s the game.
“When you’re playing chess, in the last
finals of the Chess World Cup, one plays in
one way and the other [another] one. That is
what is nice and I came here to prove in
that way we can [be successful].”

www.m.goal.com/s/en-ng/news/4071/premier-league/2016/12/17/30578262/guardiola-defends-his-style-im-not-trying-to-play-beautiful

'THE BALL IS IN THE AIR MORE
THAN ON THE GROUND' - PEP
ADMITS STRUGGLE TO ADAPT TO
PREMIER LEAGUE
Stefan Coerts
The ex-Barcelona coach has acknowledged he
is finding it hard to get his current charges
playing his way due to the direct approach
of their opponents
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
admits the physical nature of the Premier
League has surprised him and he feels
Chelsea are the only other team trying to
build play from the back.
Guardiola made a name for himself at
Barcelona and Bayern Munich with his
possession-based style, which brought him a
host of trophies while cementing his
reputation as one of the world's premier
coaches.
Martial annoyed with Man United role
But the manager confessed that he has been
struggling to get City playing his way due
to the direct approach of many of their
opponents.
"I try to play in one way all my career and
here, for example with high pressing, when
they have the ball we go to pick them up, it
is not allowed, because it is not allowed.
Many times the ball is more in the air than
the grass, and I have to adapt," Guardiola
told Sky Sports.
"I was in Munich and spoke with Xabi
Alonso, and he said: 'You have to adapt, it's
the second ball, the second ball!' But really,
you have to adapt to the second ball, and
the third ball, and the fourth!
"I never before was focused on that,
because in Barcelona or in Spain, more or
less the players try to play for the culture.
"That's why they won World Cups, and they
won the Euros, won the Champions Leagues,
the Europa Leagues, all the time, all of the
years, Spanish teams are in the latter
stages, all of the teams.
"In Germany it was more physical, but not
like here. Here it is all the teams, except
maybe Chelsea because Antonio [Conte] is
playing really well and having them build
up, but the other teams are taller,
stronger, physical, and you have to adapt
and build from that."
www.m.goal.com/s/en-ng/news/4071/premier-league/2016/12/17/30577682/the-ball-is-in-the-air-more-than-on-the-ground-pep-admits

efizy123:
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Nihilist:
There is nothing like loyalty from a player to any club or vice versa.


Football is just a job to footballers nothing more. The emotional connections are for the fans.

very correct.

Chelseafan1:
Just admit you goofed, you would have made sense if, for example, Wolfsburg had defeated a team like Bayern. Not Hertha, a strong team defeated Wolfsburg, a weaker team.


Alaves defeated Barca when the league just started, that was August, this is December.

don't forget to mention that barca were without their key players.

Ibime:
Boateng is the only rubbish player who plays in a winning team and can't win anything. His rubbishness stands out!

sure.

raumdeuter:
Like the advantage Terry enjoyed to be rated higher than he is without any performance to show on the field

i said that it is just an advantage enjoyed when playing for a winning team. But, Terry was winning awards even when England were being knocked out in the quarter finals, that should tell you something about his quality.

macjireh:
alright newbie spotted.... what else has Chelsea been using? only asnal has beaten Chelsea 3-4-3... that was our first match with dat formation

no team has beaten the 3 4 3. It was introduced in the second half against arsenal.

raumdeuter:
Like what advantage did Bravo enjoy

like being rated so high than what he is.

raumdeuter:
I am impressed that fat ibime also liked this post. This means you and Idime are also questioning the validity of those FIFA and UEFA 11

But when we are talking about Terry the same Ibime would be quick to brandish the awards you are rubbishing now as evidence of being decent

i am not rubbishing the award, but pointing out the advantage that is enjoyed by a player who plays in a winning team.

Emaprince:
^^ THE second goal sha.. Bravo didn't make enough attempt.

he kind of brought out his hand to save it, but for reasons best known to him, he withdrew it.

They should give us the title already.
I told them that man city is an overhyped team and would not be too difficult to win as long as we are able to convert our chances. Imagine that the team have not even kept up to 4 clean sheets this season.

I love this Chelsea team die. Very wicked wicked on the counter attack just like Chelsea of old. Every they counter, there is trouble. I can't wait to see this team in Europe.

I wonder how nobody is talking about the silly mistakes that were being made by Azpilicueta.

The match would have gone both sides though.
Chelsea should definitely get the 15 points remaining for the year.
It is not out of place to say that bravo could have done better for the three goals. If to him still dey Barcelona, we for dey see am for uefa and fifa 11.

diggz:
Omo mehn.......the best news ever today......

My one and only Queen just gave me a little Princess......

Cc Raumdeuter
Nihilist
Ibime
Nateevs
Chelseafan1
Griffon
Emaprince
Hensben(no go give ur side chic belle oo )
Tval
FBS
Lalaboi
Lana1
Sinizia.......

Make una no vex say I no upload picture, I no want any vile human being to misyarn.....

congrats

Three points is the koko. Three points again against city will ensure that we top the table till January.


In the first half, Tottenham tried to block the passing routes to hazard. They drew our midfielders away from the centre to the flanks, making wanyama free.

Somehow in the second half, our coach adjusted to make Moses the spare player for us. We can all see the result of the adjustment.
Moses thank you o.
Pedro and his goals is what will make Willian incapable of displacing him in that position.
Bring on city.