₦airaland Forum

coogar:
barely, 2.5 yrs ago, ibime was kissing the feet of fernando torres as the best striker in the world.
how did torres became so shyte that ibime now feels he's the wackest striker ever.

it only tells you one thing. ibime/dayokanu/bluediva are media whores.
they only go with reigning strikers(and the moment that striker is out of form - they change gears like the british weather)

5 years ago, Ronaldinho was the best player.

6 years ago, Mikel was competing with Messi for best player at U-20 WC.

2 years ago, Diego Milito pushed Samuel Eto to the right wing. Now Samuel Eto earns his club £30m whilst Milito is a financial liability to his club.

3 years ago, Ravel Morrison was better than Jack Wilshere 

7 years ago, Anderson was the successor to Ronaldinho

4 years ago, some reckoned Macauley Chrisanthus shoulda beat Toni Kroos to U-17 golden ball.

I hope you catch my drift, especially the last two lines.

Is your brain in a  time-warp? 

Napoli was the worst draw. They are properly set up for Chelsea, kinda like Benitez Liverpool teams that used ta give JM grief.

Good thing we didnt finish 2nd though, if not na Barca we for dey face. Sorry Leverkusen.

dayokanu:
He is definitely PMSing and cant even celebrate the victory, Does he really wish the team well?

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/12/13/article-2073746-0F2ABBB200000578-80_468x286.jpg

You score 5 goals in a calendar year and you still get mind to vex because dem bench you?

coogar:
like i said on the other thread. the people who take what dailymail write as the gospel truth are tools who drive white vans and sleep with pr[i]o[/i]stitut[i]e[/i]s.

Ha! You just mad cos DM reported that Chelsea is sell the £175k a week liability called Torres for £20m.

Tommy Smyth of ESPN agrees with you though. According to Tommy, the story is rubbish. . . . cos the price shoulda been £5m! 

I think Tommy's wrong though. Chelsea might have to let him go for free plus subsidise wages at his new club. 

Andres Villas Boas apologises for his Kevin Keeganness!


The rebirth of the Blues: Chelsea back on track after AVB admits he was wrong to change style

It was after watching his side suffer their fourth Barclays Premier League defeat of the season that Andre Villas-Boas conceded he might have got it wrong; that his desire to see Chelsea play a more aggressive, expansive style was probably asking too much of his players.

Week after week they were getting caught out, a team suddenly vulnerable in a way that we would not normally associate with a defence boasting the quality of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech.

After losing 2-1 to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's young manager called a meeting at the club's Cobham training ground. And it was during that meeting, Sportsmail understands, that he told his players he had made a mistake; that it was time to revert to a more familiar system and one that has now seen them win three successive Premier League encounters and qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.

Villas-Boas's harshest critics will see that admission as a weakness - a sign of his immaturity and his inexperience in gambling so much in the first place. Some of those dissenting voices remain at the club.

But others, and there are senior players who stand among them, see it as a pragmatic move that deserves respect. Not only was he big enough to admit an error of judgment, but also he decided to make the necessary changes now bringing success.


At Stamford Bridge on Monday night those same players were acknowledging as much. They had just become the first team to beat Manchester City in the league this season and they had reduced the gap on the leaders to seven points when a defeat would have left them staring at a 13-point deficit that even Villas-Boas feared might be insurmountable.

The decision to defend deeper, switch to their more familiar 4-3-3 formation and shake things up in midfield did not pay off immediately, however.

A defeat against Bayer Leverkusen would come first, albeit in the absence of the injured Cole on a night when David Luiz was suffering with illness.

But the game against Wolves would be the first clear indication of what Villas-Boas had in mind, a midfield trio of Oriol Romeu, Ramires and Raul Meireles behind a front three of Didier Drogba, Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge, a line-up he used again against Valencia and then against City on Monday night.

Against City they were initially defending higher up the field, and were punished as a result. Mario Balotelli scored after little more than 90 seconds and a penalty should have followed when Jose Bosingwa brought down David Silva.


But that was seen as Chelsea's eagerness to take the game to City, with their confidence restored by their previous two results, rather than a sudden return to a more ambitious approach that had proved so costly earlier in the season.

They responded by dropping significantly deeper, with no more than 15 yards between the back four and a midfield five. It wasn't pretty but it was not nearly as easy to penetrate either, Chelsea absorbing the pressure and hitting City on the break in a manner Jose Mourinho perfected in the Champions League at Inter Milan.

'It is the manager who decides,' said Mata after the 2-1 win over City. 'We just try to do whatever he wants us to do, depending on the opposition. We will press in some games and sit deeper in others, depending on whether the other team has the ball a lot. But this has given us confidence. Now that we are in a run of results where things are more positive, everything is easier. But we have shown that we are together with the manager, like a family.'


There is no doubt that Villas-Boas has got Chelsea back on track. Romeu has been a revelation in that libero role while Ramires and Meireles have the youth and athleticism to do the hard running alongside him.

If Lampard really is determined to see out the remaining 18 months of his contract, as he indicated after Monday's victory, he may have to get used to beginning each game as a spectator.

Up front too, there is a freshness about Chelsea. Mata has been superb, Sturridge is now impressing and with Drogba enjoying another good spell of they can at least afford to ignore Fernando Torres.

All together now: The Chelsea squad celebrate at the final whistle
The key now is building on this run of results, keeping up the momentum, easing the pressure on the manager and restoring a bit of calm at the club.

The atmosphere has been strained, and not just because the new manager seems intent on fighting so many public wars. The story about goal celebrations, while now the subject of claim and counter-claim, was a strange one, as was the appearance of Bruce Buck, the club chairman, at the last pre-match press conference. Buck usually attends post-match conferences at Stamford Bridge but his presence at Cobham pointed to a club in crisis mode.

Understandably, Roman Abramovich is desperate to see Villas-Boas succeed. Especially after sacking Carlo Ancelotti to bring him in. But the manager may still need to get the players on side and that will only happen if this run continues.

There will still be those who remain unconvinced, and one only has to look at that photograph of Torres - and listen to Lampard - to realise that issues remain.

But the newer, younger players might start buying into Villas-Boas if more success follows. The unity they showed in the huddle shortly after the final whistle on Monday suggested they are moving in the right direction. As did the togetherness displayed in the tunnel exchange between the two sets of players. Sparked, it is believed, by Ashley Cole when he declared, 'Have some of that you *****', it eventually descended into a trade of insults in a variety of languages but there is no doubt Chelsea's players stood as one against their opponents.

The Chelsea players' reactions illustrated a new unity, born out of an important call by the manager after that defeat by Liverpool.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2073805/Chelsea-track-Andre-Villas-Boas-admits-wrong-change-style.html#ixzz1gUtjgeuN

nateevs:
Hahaha. Sebi na you.
You thin I am spinning eh?
Go fetch the posts. You cannot claim to call for pragmatism more than anyone.

When I talked about philosophy, I explained how I "understood" what AVB was trying to do. . . I clearly stated that I did not "accept"
I even quoted my posts from pre-season of how expressed my fears of the "defensive high line".

I was not vile, dis-respectful and dismissive of the young manager as you were. Infact, more times than not for you, it was mockery.
Not you show up to claim glory.  As always!

I dont show up to claim glory. Simply to recognise the fact that AVB has recognised after 3 months what I've always known as a Chelsea fan - that half-pressing game and counterattack is the way to go especially in big games. Why wont I call him names when he throws point away on silly "philosophy". You on the other hand refused to accept that system has changed, telling me that "Valencia were better ball keepers". Yet you'll be the first one to celebrate like you weren't abusing those of us who called for AVB to scrap his silly philosophy and return to what works for this set of players.

nateevs:
Is AVB still useless? He probably still does not know what he is doing.

nateevs:
Wait till Ibime shows up!

A victory for pragmatism over philosophy.

We have now seen the philosophy concede 5 goals against Arsenal at the Bridge whilst the pragmatic system trumps the Citeh machine.

Only Nateevs could try and spin this situation any other way.

debosky:
He has read my posts off NL - adapt your strategy to work best with what you've got. Lose the philosophical hang ups and be pragmatic.

Y'all should get me to back AVB cos everytime I do he does well.

Well done bros. Nateevs wants to take credit for the advice that we (tap me in ) have been giving AVB on the shape of his team all season. 

I wonder why he didn't start his sermon about "philosophy" again.


Anyway, how una see Meireles game today. Combative, neat in possession and always showing for the ball, unlike Ramires.

More on Alex and Anelka. . . .



http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3985281/SunSport-reveals-the-amazing-traning-ground-bust-up-that-left-Nicolas-Anelka-and-Alex-on-the-Chelsea-scrapheap.html


[color=Black]SUNSPORT can today reveal the astonishing training-ground confrontation between Andre Villas-Boas and his players that left Nicolas Anelka and Alex humiliated,  and dumped.

The football world was stunned when Chelsea officially confirmed two of their most senior players would be made available in the January transfer window.

But what the club did not reveal was the chain of events that led to the shock announcement.

The meltdown moment came after Chelsea had been beaten by Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and twice by Liverpool — in the Premier League and then last week's Carling Cup quarter-final.

Pressure was mounting on 34-year-old boss Villas-Boas, with critics challenging his high-line defensive tactics and whether such a young manager had the strength or experience to deal with Chelsea's high-profile but ageing stars.

As the tensions mounted, Villas-Boas called a head-to-head meeting with Chelsea's 'Fab Four' — John Terry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech.

He told them it was their jobs as senior players to get the team pulling in the right direction and he expected them to relay that to their team-mates.

But the conversation started to turn heated and was only calmed when Villas-Boas suggested they reconvened for lunch together the following day.

However, that never materialised and the issues remained unresolved until Villas-Boas confronted all the players during a practice session at the club's Cobham training ground.

The players were stunned when their new manager started criticising them one by one in front of each other, pulling no punches and leaving them in little doubt about what he thought of their performances.

An insider revealed: "It was unbelievable. The manager would look at a player, tear him to shreds, then move on to the next one.

"For example, he turned to Didier Drogba and told him, 'You're a fraction of the player you were last season'.

"Then he turned to the next player and laid into him.

"Everyone was stunned, they'd never seen him like this and had never been treated like this before."

But AVB saved his bombshell moment for 32-year-old striker Anelka, and 29-year-old central defender Alex.

Frenchman Anelka, who picked up the Double with former boss Carlo Ancelotti, has barely featured under Villas-Boas — starting just three Premier League games.

Similarly, Brazil star Alex has barely played either, despite also winning the Double alongside Anelka.

Anelka was first to feel the icy blast, with AVB turning to him and saying: "I don't want to see you anywhere near the first team again."

Our insider continued: "The manager told Anelka he wasn't welcome anywhere.

"He was banned from training with the first team, banned from using the training facilities if the first-team squad were using them — and told he would be training with the reserves from now on.

"Then AVB turned to Alex and said 'And the same applies to you'."

The exchange left the entire squad gobsmacked, with many players thinking: "If he can do that to Anelka and Alex, he can do it to any of us."

Our source added: "This is a very tight-knit squad that has been through thick and thin together over the years. To see two buddies treated like that hurt."

Villas-Boas certainly has not avoided controversial decisions since, most recently axing midfield legend Frank Lampard from the team that won Tuesday's critical Champions League showdown against Valencia.

The insider added: "It was a real 'I'm in command' moment. The players were left in no doubt who's in charge and just what the manager is capable of doing.

"If anyone feared AVB wouldn't be strong enough to confront the players, or take them on face to face, that moment erased any doubt."

Anelka and Alex have since put in transfer requests which have been granted. Both will leave in January but they may not be alone.

Florent Malouda and Jose Bosingwa are also being tipped to quit the West London club this winter as AVB tries to put his own stamp on the club.

Frontman Anelka at least looks like he will land on his feet, with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua confident of completing a swoop.

They have offered Anelka a three-year contract, which includes a salary in excess of £6million.

West Ham are also said to be interested but Shanghai spokesman Ma Yue said: "It will be a three-year contract and will involve both football and commercial co-operation."

Chairman Zhu Jun added: "We started to talk about every detail from the first minute of the negotiations. It's comprehensive and complicated, involving the player's image."
[/color]

nateevs:
We are still not sure about what transpired between AVB, Alex and Anelka. I find it hard to believe AVB told them to leave before they handed in the TRs.

Alex never been the type to cause a fuss. AVB trying to stamp his mark too quickly.



Striker Nicolas Anelka and central defender Alex, who have been training with the reserves after being frozen out of Villas-Boas’s plans, were among those kept apart from the first-team players.
. . . . . .

The decision was not universally popular among some bemused players and staff.
Villas-Boas was asked to change his mind by at least one colleague, but refused to back down.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/289445/AVB-puts-Chelsea-on-lockdown




This was out in October

http://www.footylatest.com/chelsea-set-to-bring-in-uruguayan-defender-to-replace-alex/24417

Gab Marcotti on PressPass asking why Alex was made persona non grata at the club. According to him, its bad enough playing a half-fit Bosingwa at RB, but we are one injury away from playing the dreadful Ferreira or drafting Romeu into CB.

Goodluck Nic!

You deserve your massive final payday!

nateevs:
However Ramires stays on and on! And it works!

Does it work? Results so far say it doesnt.

nateevs:
Hehehehe. Your opinion matters eh?
According to you, Carllotti should have been fired. Carllotti will never win anything with Chelsea. You even bet £100 Chelsea will finish outside the first 2 and another £100 that Chelsea will not win the league that season. I stood up and took that bet with you. We went on to win the league and FA Cup. . . . Your phucking broke ars3 never paid up. . . Instead you denied you ever said so. . . Now you are claiming points in 2011?

Get off ma nuts ninja. Na £200 go make your day? I never paid you cos I never took it serious just like when I let Debo off £100 I bet him for Chelsea-Arsenal game. If you are really desperate for cash, lemme know and stop all this megedefegede. You sound like Bash Ali disturbing Orubebe.

nateevs:
Never use comparison with Chelsea teams past because we never played a high line nor did we press the opposition. Instead we played deep in defence and relied on the defence and Cech. Ballack and Lamps will never play together in any AVB setup.

Yet Ballack and Lamps won the title.

Stop Press!  

What do we pay AVB for? To impose philosophy or win titles?

There are three ways to solve a simultaneous equation you know?

If AVB only knows one way and that way is failing, he should go back to school. Lucky for him, he has changed his philosophy over the last few weeks or he woulda been on the dole by now.

nateevs:
Why is Ramires the only midfielder guaranteed to have a starting shirt?
Why is Lampard the Chelsea midfielder who is most likely to come off when things are not working?
Why have we never played in the PL without Ramires despite the fact that Lamps and Meireles cover more ground and are renowned for their "industry"?

Who cares about AVB opinion? AVB has not earned enough kudos as Chelsea manager for me to respect his opinion as law. I have my own opinions.

By AVBs opinion, Bosingwa was better than Ivanovic whilst Malouda is better than Anelka.

Im sure you remember when Avram Grant decided not to include Ivanovic in UCL squad in 2008 yet we had no right-back. Was he right?

Was JM right in 06/07 when he decided Robben and Duff didnt fit into his new diamond system designed to accomodate Ballack and Shevchenko?

I have said before that AVB only likes pacy players in central midfield in the mould of Freddy Guarin, thats why he was trying to ask Lampard to play DM in pre-season.

Doesn't mean I have to respect his philosophy. His philosophy hasnt worked so far, thats why he's reverting to older Chelsea philosophy. If Lamps is the problem with regard to pressing, he should go back to his old policy against City, lets see whether they wont hammer us.

Im not concerned with AVB opinion. . . and even if thats his gripe, if slowcoach Xavi and milkfloat Busquets can participate in Barca pressing game, theres no reason why physically superior players like Lamps and Meireles cannot press high. Even Mikel should have hope if Busquets can press up high! 

Like I said before, central midfield cannot press high until forward three press. . . otherwise its suicide! And that's whats been happening so far.

dayokanu:
For Nanis goal, commentary that followed

Juan Mata has to take a good look at himself, That was a pathetic attempt

mata has got to do more, got to do better

That was the commentators view during the game but he cant do no wrong

nateevs:
And just in case I never put it straight before, Mata is an absolute lazy dud at covering. I will never defend him for things he does not do.

Shut your forked tongue! Is this not what you said about Lampard after Nani's goal?

nateevs:
{Lampard} just watched Nani run past the midfield to score as he kept jogging. Meireles was showing Nani to his right leg. . .

Anyone who has watched Nani for a minute knows he can pull that sort of magic out. Do not show him his right leg. Mikel will never do that. And all because Lamps didn't close up.

Third goal . . I can't even begin.

Lampard out!

You blamed Lampard (who was nowhere near Nani), Meireles and all sort, now you are coming here to yarn megedefegede!

Obviously your problem with Lamps is psychological! If the problem in 2008 was that he cant pass, the problem in 2011 is that he can pass, but he can't press high. You will always find excuse innit?

This is the 4th time I am pointing out your double-speak today.

Final warning! 

debosky:
*** RINGS BELL FOR A BREAK ***

Two things:

Lamps making fewer tackles does not mean his pressing game is more effective in stopping the opposition than tackling Ramires.

Ramires making more tackles does not mean he is more effective than stopping the opposition than pressing Lamps.

Ramires appears to be a more effective player defensively than Lamps because AVB plays him regularly, unless we are actually comparing apples and oranges as they do not play the same role.

*** RESUME FIGHTING ***

Nateevs does not understand the theory of mutual exclusivity.

Dude is trying to use Ramires tackling stats to tell us that a midfield of Meireles, Lampard and Romeu would be "very lazy".

Have a look around the Prem and tell me whether these three are not comparable in industry to other midfields.

Infact, Meireles is noted for his industry at Liverpool.

A midfield of Lampard, Ballack and Mikel won the prem. By Ramires standard, Ballack and Mikel might have the intensity of a snail if we only judge hardwork by pace.

What else can you expect from Nateevs?

The same guy that tell you that Lampard and Meireles make more passes because:

nateevs:
You will naturally make 20% more passes than your team mates because you can pass the ball.

is the same one that would tell us that Chelsea (with average 63% possession, the highest ball hoggers in the Prem this season) only kept 30% against Valencia cos "Valencia are better ball keepers" - "not because Chelsea chose to abandon high-line and play counterattack."

Then three days later, turn around and tell you this:

nateevs:
What do you mean dead? Hehehe. Dead for where. He may not employ a high line over the next 2 games - City and Spurs - it will be back for the smaller teams because the team has to get used to it.

Nateevs, Nateevs, Nateevs!


Last warning! 

Can your thesis above then explain why Yaya Toure made 2 tackles against Wolves?

Please explain why Moussa Dembele made 13 tackles and Etuhu only 3.

Please explain why Makalele used to make 2 tackles.

Your double-sided mouth keep yapping on about Lamps not pressing Jones when Jones beat Lampard with a quick one-two. Infact its cos Lamps pushed up to press Jones that Jones played quick one-two. If Lamps had waited to press him in Chelsea half, such situation would never happen.

Are you telling me Ramires has not been beat on countless occasions by one-two? POP QUIZ: How many times did Jordi Alba beat Ramires and Ivanovic with one-two? 

Incase you didnt know the point of a one-two is to use the opposition players direction of momentum against him. No player coming to press you can change direction and turn around 180 degrees and catch you if you play a quick one-two. I dont care if the player is Usain Bolt. Its law of physics.

Please explain to us how Lampard should have "stuck foot" into Jones when Jones was 5 yards ahead of him by the time he received the one-two? Why did you not call Ashley Cole's name? Was Ashley Cole not closest to Jones when he received the one-two back? By the time Jones reaches the box, Ashley is 20 yards behind him. This should tell you that Jones is a blistering accelerator. No single game goes by where Jones does not accelerate away from 3 or 4 players.

Also tell us who shekpe keeper was pressing whilst Lampard steps up to press opposition right-back? I can see shekpe keeper with hands on hips in the video. 


You've been yarning this issue start of the season, yet your double-sided mouth did not see fit to apply the same rule to Mata on the second goal when Nani breezed past him. Is it one rule for one and another rule for others?


Here's the video: tell us what happened.


http://www.akilli.tv/video/569340/manchester-united-chelsea-3-1.aspx

nateevs:
You must be able to decipher what most of their runs is aimed at.

This is rubbish. If all your runs are aimed at getting on the end of things, tell me why you should be making 20% more passes than your teammates. If you make loads of runs to create triangles, only then can you match the no of passes Lamps and Meireles make per game.

nateevs:
That's why I put the caveat in front - AVB's new style. The high defensive line requires intense pressing in midfield. The required intensity of pressing, you will never get from a 33-year old Lampard and Meireles in midfield. You must be able to decipher what most of their runs is aimed at. A large percentage of Lampard's run is aimed at getting into the box for that last minute attempt on goal. 90% of Ramires' run is aimed at intense pressing in midfield to alleviate pressure off the high defensive line. That's why Ramires starts.

Another case of putting the cart before the horse. First of all, lets clarify that "AVB's new style" (abi na philosophy?  ) is dead for now - at least till he can replace JT who would never fit in to high-line. But. . . . if you must copy the Barcelona style, do it right.

The "six seconds" pressing at Barca is completely dependent on the front three starting proceedings. If the front three (Mata, Sturridge, DD/Shekpe keeper) dont press, it is absolutely suicidal for the midfield three to step up and start pressing on edge of opposition box. Once the front three dont press, the whole system falls apart. . . . to be fair, Mata and Sturridge used to press at times, but I always see DD and shekpe keeper strolling whilst the centre-back brings the ball out, and when that happens, everyone has to fall back 10 yards. Which makes me wonder what drove you to the conclusion that FT keeps the shape when he's the laziest of them all.

nateevs:
In the game against Newcastle,
Ramires had 9 tackles - won 7 lost 2. And he had 1 interception.
Lampard had 2 tackles - won 1 lost 1. And he had 0 interceptions.


Game against Wolves.
Ramires had 7 tackles. Won 6 lost 1. And he had 3 interceptions.
Lampard had 2 tackles. Won 1 lost 1. And he had 0 interceptions.


Game against Liverpool.
Ramires had 7 tackles. Won 6 lost 1. And had 2 interceptions.
Lampard had 4 tackles. Won 3 lost 1. And had 3 interceptions.


You want me to go on? You can suck on Lampard all you want. .  These are the things AVB sees and you come down here to tell us how much ground he's covered. 3 interceptions and only 4 won tackles over 3 games for a team set-up that heavily depends on pressing is lazy.

Only Nateevs would compare game against Wolves (where Lamps was benched)  

Your problem is that you assume that hardwork means tackling. None of anything you have shown us here show us anything about pressing. The more you press, the less you should tackle. Tackling is a last ditch option. The midfield and DM and defenders should never be more than 10 yards from each other hence no need to tackle except it is last ditch or to stop a counterattack.

Possession changes hand 300 times in a match. A team may aggregate 30 successful tackles in a match, which tells you that tackling is by no means a measure of winning back possession.

Ramires made a brilliant slide tackle against Valencia when he found himself wrong side of one guy. Whether he tackled him or not though, the dude was gonna run into Oriol Romeu sooner or later. If Ramires had simply shepherded the guy into Oriol Romeu's path, that would have sufficed. Infact thats how Makelele made his name.

A midfielders job is to press the opposition in sequence until they eventually misplace a pass or make a mistake and surrender possession. Tackling is no measure of pressing.

How many tackles did Ballack make in his Chelsea career? Please go and check Guardian chalkboards and tell me how many tackles the so-called greatest DM of all time, Claude Makelele used to make for Chelsea (2 per game). Yaya Toure made 4 tackles against Newcastle and 2 against Wolves also. Is he doing something wrong?

Thats the same reason why Essien made 5-7 tackles per game and Ballack, Makelele and Lamps make 2 tackles. It means nothing except the players pace. Makelele, Ballack, Meireles and Lamps would press players in sequence till they make a mistake whilst Essien/Ramires will run back with full speed and clap a player on the ankles.  

Finally, from a Statistical point of view, information on tackling or interception is not robust enough to make a judgement on who works harder. When you are comparing 2 against 4. . . or 0 against 2. . . or 4 against 7, it tells you that this particular variable is not robust. It is a data set of little importance.

Guess what? Against Arsenal, Moussa Dembele made 13 tackles and Brian Ruiz made 9 tackles whilst Dixon Etuhu made 3 tackles. Chew on that! If its your style of play to fly in at full speed, you will make more tackles. What I know is that 2 - 5 tackles is perfectly normal for a central midfielder.

I remember 3 years ago, when Debosky tried to use tackling and interception statistics to convince me that Denilson is a better DM than Alex Song. According to Debosky, Denilson made 6 tackles and 3 interceptions per game whilst Alex Song makes 3 tackles and 1 interception!

nateevs:
The reason he gets into the Chelsea team 'at this point in time' is because AVB's new style requires intense work rate that Lampard and the average Meireles cannot bring. Unfortunately there's no one else. Play without Ramires and you have a very lazy midfield. That's why he plays.

Why cant you make 3 posts without putting ya foot in ya mouth? If 2 of the top 5 running midfielders in the Prem are lazy, the rest of the prem must be extra lazy. What you meant to say is that Ramires is the one with the most pace. . . although Meireles is no slouch.

dayokanu:
Age 20
Ozil 4 goals 15 assists
Muller 19 goals 10 assist

Age 21
Ozil 9 goals 14 assist
Muller  18 goals 16 assists

Last season
Young 9 goals 14 assists
Ozil 8 goals 25 assists
Muller 18 goals 16 assist


So where do we start the comparison?

Death!

coogar:
we are comparing a striker to a winger now?

muller is a striker.

Since when did Muller become a striker? Last time I checked, Bayern line up like this:


Schweini Kroos


Robben Muller Ribery


Gomez



whilst Germany line up like this


Schweini Kroos


Muller Ozil Podolski


Gomez


whilst Villa line up this:


Petrov Midfielder


Albrighton Young Downing


Bent


And Manure line up with Young as left-winger.


In what way do their position on the pitch vary?


Sauron. . . . . . . . . . shut your gob!!!

I havent criticised Ramires recently cos I noticed him taking more responsibility to receive the ball in the game against Liverpool. Ramires made 59 passes in that match, the first time he has made over 40 passes per game. Mind you Lampard made 72 passes in the same match in only 70 minute whilst Ramires played the full 90.

Some may say its Ramires instruction to run off the ball, but what about when you are playing lower teams and you have 70% possession. You are camped in their half and there's no space to run into? Thats the time I always ask Ramires "O boy where are you running to?".

Perhaps this effect would be mitigated if Chelsea continue with the current trend of counter-attack, but whilst Chelsea was playing with 65% average possession (we had the best possession stats in the Premierleague), Ramires was useless.

Check the game against Newcastle, Ramires made only 29 passes in 90 minutes whilst Meireles made 23 passes in[b] 29 minutes[/b].

You cant claim to be playing midfield for a top club and make 29 passes per game. Danny Guthrie made 68 passes in the same match.

I dont need Ramires to be a possession hog, but I expect the ninja to step to the plate when the ball is being passed around in midfield and the opposition is camped in their half and stop making runs where there is no space.

Im sure Coogar will not be posting on Chelsea thread for the next few days. He should go and focus on matters closer to home on the Manure thread. Ninja always worrying about the neighbours when his own house is burning.

nateevs:
Hehehehe.

I love how Ibime loves to twist issues. We did not sit back and catch their high line.
We were forced to sit because they had better ball holders than us. Open eye man!

AVB will never sit back and catch people on the break. Something he even confirmed in the interview yesterday.
He said we would play with the same mentality, possession football, we won't play the long ball and 'we won't play counter attacking football'.
Go listen to the interview and stop clutching at straws.

Valencia forced us to defend deep. We pressed and capitalised on their mistakes.


Sorry, the setup you have been advocating for eons is not coming any soon.

Really, they had better ball holders than us, thats why they copped 70% posession? Are they Barca in disguise?

Did they have better ball holders at the Mestalla when we almost matched them possession-wise in their home-ground?

If AVB said that, then kudos to him for deceiving Unai Emery. Maybe it was his tactics. 

Nah man, the set-up was right, the instructions were clear - only press Valencia when they enter your half. Its called half-pressing game - the game which made Chelsea famous.

Infact like I told you, Chelsea have been half-pressing since the first half of Liverpool match.

Who are these ones here celebrating?

Are they celebrating the tactical set-up we have been advocating for eons?  

I thought Nateevs would slit his wrist to discover that Chelsea can win comfortably with only 30% possession.

We basically did to Valencia what teams have been doing to us for the last 3 seasons - sit back and catch their highline.

Same thing JM did to us when Inter came here.

Maybe if Lampard was playing for Valencia, Nateevs would claim they lost cos although they had more possession, Lamps couldnt penetrate tight defence with our 70% posession.  

You don't worry about Lamps mate. Lamps fit into this half-pressing game which is the system which made him successful.

Maybe now you would tell us we won cos he was replaced by the Meireles you hate so much. Afterall Meireles is "Lampard-Ramires" type player according to you no?

The only ninja you need to worry about is shekpe keeper who would never fit in whether we play high-line, half-pressing, counter-attack or bottle-attack.

Maybe coogar would claim we should drop Meireles next so Mata can play in the hole and supply Torres. . . .Lampards been dropped, yet Mata did not get that spot. . . . perhaps the person holding Mata back is AVB!

Meanwhile, thank God AVb has seen what we have been saying for eons. I wont give him creds just yet cos he shoulda done this sooner. Everybody knows the strength of Chelsea is the half-pressing game where opponents run into the blue wall and get picked off on the counterattack. Its a shame that no manager since JM and Avram Grant plays to our strength on a consistent basis, except Guus Hiddink. Dont worry, If AVB keep it up, Ill give him creds.  

85 points this week. . . . .two wins in a row. . . . the Ipukulu juggernauts are just starting to rev their engines. . . . lalaboiy due a nice spanking next week. . . . . holla at ya boi!!!

Rooney hasn't been the same player since his pops got arrested for match-fixing. One cannot underestimate the mental side of the game. Rooney is human like all of us and the negro has looked a shadow of himself since his pops was faced with the real prospect of prison-time - combine that with SAF's decision to redeploy a striker in the goalscoring form of his life to midfield at the time, there are enough mitigating circumstances why Rooney has been a shadow of himself over the last 2 months.

coogar:
so it's no longer about the creativity - it's not about being fit like butcher's dogs?
ibime, if y'all are looking for fit players, y'all can easily buy elokobi, diame, tiote, etc. i am those ones cover 20km per game.

Its not about creativity yet you keep parroting inane assertions like Lamps is too old to run the midfield.

Creativity is a subjective issue. Lamps has always been a genuine central midfielder and unlike the lazy assumptions, he doesnt wait in the opposition half whilst his teammates do work. He is no different to Ramires, Fletcher, Cabaye or any genuine central midfielder. The only difference is he scores goals. I do not expect him to dribble like Mata, Goetze or any of the "in the hole" players cos he is not in the hole. The only time he goes forward is to look for goals, not like those AM's (eg VDV) who chill in opposition half and must carry creative burden. Regardless of this, he still creates his own volume of assists in his own way (not by dribbling, but thanks to his fitness and sheer volume of passes)

And Just cos a nigga run fast doesnt mean he's doing the most work. How come Ramires or Diame is not top for ground covered this season?

It may interest you to know that the midfielders covering most ground per minute this season are Bradley Johnson, Marouane Fellaini, Lamps and Meireles, none of whom are fast niggas.

coogar:
the fact remains lampard is no longer what he used to be. at best, lampard should be coming on inspired from the bench.
read the game(cos he's quite intelligent) and add meaningful contribution to the team. the energy expended in the last 10-20 mins should be good enough to coast chelsea to victory.

You're simply parotting the hee-haw crowd who make inane statements like DD, JT and Lamps are old. DD and JT may be getting on, but Lamps muscles are still outperforming negros 10 times his junior. Instead of AVB to focus on true oldies, he will give DD chances ahead of Sturridge, Lukaku and Anelka, give JT shirt all the time despite wanting to play high-line, yet focus on Frank cos Frank is not a political beast like JT and DD. Infact Franks response to getting dropped was to put in extra 2 hours in training everyday. Thats one of the reasons Im querying AVB over Anelka and Alex issue - cos I dont agree with this niggas decision making a lot of the time!

AVB wanted Frank to play DM from start of the season cos he only likes fast niggas in the midfield. The DM can be slow (Joao Moutinho), but the two either side of him must be fast. AVB is not interested in 4-2-3-1. He has always played 4-3-3, but he prefers pace in the midfield. AVB would love 3 Yaya Toures in midfield if possible, then give the front 3 freedom to do what they want. This is his problem with Lamps, not cos Lamps is old. AVB wants quick transition, Ramires type niggas that can run quickly in the midfield in the mould of Freddy Guarin.

Like I've said before Lamps is fit as a fiddle. The only nigga I see competing with him for fitness is Meireles and thats cos Meireles impressed me by covering 13km in Blackburn game.


Lampard has also covered 107,596 metres of ground for Chelsea so far this season, averaging an impressive 115.82 metres per minute. Only Ashley Cole has covered more ground, but the full back has played more games so his metres per minute ranking of 114.77 metres remains below Lampard’s.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/mirror-football-blog/Chelsea-s-Frank-Lampard-still-performing-at-the-top-level-according-to-the-EA-Sports-statistics-article832183.html


Other niggas need to start contributing their quota both defensively and attcking wise and stop critiquing one of the few niggas still pulling his weight. If Bosingwa cant defend, blame Frank, Mikel cant defend, blame Frank. Torres cant score, blame Frank. High-line pierced open, blame Frank. Frank is old - yet Frank is the only nigga covering 12km per game constantly, contributing 19 goals in the year. Niggas need to get their priorities right! 

Just heard on radio that Steve Clark advised Liverpool to "simply let Mikel have the ball"

coogar:
well. . . . . .lampard is protected by the mafia/media. . . . .anelka isn't!

Lampard is lumped in with the "Chelsea mafia". He is one of the only older guys still close to his peak but unfairly lumped in the "old cargo" with DD and JT and under pressure from a manager with different ideas.

Lamps performance this calendar year stands at 19 goals (3 pens) and 10 assists and still covering the same amount of ground per game (12km)

The only reason you're making arguments against him is cos you wanna see 4-2-3-1, and even still, Lamps will easily slot into the 2. Trust me, there's no competition from any of Chelsea central midfielders right now except for media lambasting Chelsea old players. Simples!

coogar:
that anelka opined he is no longer a part of chelsea's future is his problem. villas-boas never mentioned that in any of his comments.
it was anelka's perception.

A valid perception if you are left out of several squads whilst duds like Malouda get thrown on to predictably negative effect every time.

nateevs:
So AVB wrote the transfer requests for them and handed them over to the board?
AVB must be the reason Drogba also rejected the Chelsea offer and said through his agent "We will go for whoever offers the most money"

This AVB sha?

If you've been following events, you would see it was AVB who deemed them surplus to requirements. Its been known since summer that AVB wanted to replace Alex. Also for the last 2 months, AVB has been playing Malouda (to negative effect) on an almost weekly basis whilst Anelka does not make squad. My question is why AVB chose them for replacement and not Ferreira, Malouda, Kalou and Bosingwa.

I thought you replace the absolute weakest first before looking at those who can actually make a positive contribution.

Statement from Anelka on twitter:

"The club, which is going through a difficult time, has decided to play with the players of Chelsea's future and, because I am a big professional, I accept this decision"

Nateevs, did you go to school at all? How else can you interpret this statement?

It is absolutely criminal that in a struggling team, complete duds like Malouda get chances whilst game-changers like Anelka are sidelined.

AVB should start his replacement with Ferreira, Malouda, Bosingwa, Kalou and Mikel. As far as I am concerned, Alex and Anelka are either genuine first teamers or valuable squad players. They can be replaced (as every older player must), but they are not first in line.

According to Anelka "he respects the fact that Chelsea are trying to use players who represent the future".

Anelka and Alex told they have no future at SB and have had transfer requests accepted.

Which begs the question: Of all the older players, are Anelka and Alex the priority for Chelsea to move on?

These are two of the older ones who are actually still very useful for Chelsea.

Howz about Malouda, Ferreira, Kalou, Bosingwa?

AVB no see road to sideline these players before looking at Anelka and Alex?

Should Luiz or Terry get injured, would AVB not need Alex. . . . or would moving Ivanovic to CB and playing Bowingwa RB be preferrable?

As it stands, Anelka should be collecting 1st team shirt regardless, but if Studge gets injured tomorrow, does AVB prefer turning to Malouda and Kalou than Anelka?

As it stands, I think AVB is hustling backward!