₦airaland Forum

omar22:
He turned down Torres because he wanted David Villa, he turned down Ribery because he had Robben…

Rubbish. . .

He turned down Ribery in 2007 (after Robben had left to Madrid). . . he was given a choice between Ribery and Malouda and he chose Malouda (obviously cos Malouda is more defensively minded)

He turned down Torres because according to him, Torres is not quick enough.


These are just two players. . . fact is that Jose could have had anyone he wanted.

debosky:
He doesn't fulfill the same role - is Lampard a DM for Chelski??  

Stop chatting rubbish. . . . is Keita a DM for Barca or is it Busquets/Toure. . . .you must watch footie with your eyes closed. . . Keita is the runner in Barca midfield.

nateevs:
Yes Spain are creative and they were unable to break USA down after they (USA) went a goal up. But you missing the point. The point is not that creativity cannot be stifled, the point is creativity always prevails. You cannot focus all your arguments on a single event and milk it to the last just so you can prove a point.

So what happened to the same USA when they met Brazil? They used same tactics. Went two up and tried to sit back. . but Brazil's creativity pushed them off the park.
Spain dominated the Euros because of creativity and they are going to do the same at the world because of creativity. It may be late but creativity always wins.

Sorry, Brazil is not a possession team. . . . Brazil is a team that plays on transitions (whenever the play breaks down, they launch counterattacks). . . .thats why they have Melo, Gilberto Silva and Ramires in midfield. . . . wrong analogy!

nateevs:
I have faith in Ancellotti and I have faith in the players. However I only have faith in their (the players) maximum output which I think is good enough to roll past Blackburn and Arsenal. . .   But I want more. I want us to dominate Europe playing crisp, fast flowing, aggressive (when needed), eye catching football that makes viewers catch their breath and we just can't do it with this old and unintuitive crop of players. It's a simple logic. .

Chelsea is the most consistent team in Europe over the last 6 years. . . . the fact we havent won the CL is a matter of badluck (JT's penalty for example, Ovrebo for example). . . . if any team is to be named as the most consistent in dominating Europe over the last few years, Chelsea is the one. . . .

nateevs:
Yes there is a structural weakness except you are misplacing your priorities. The structure is not the formation. You cannot achieve from Lampard and Ballack at 32 and 34 respectively what you would have achieved when they were 28,

Listen mate, unless you are in need of glasses, Lampards remains one of the fittest, if not the fittest player in the prem. Lamps will EASILY do a Zanetti and play till 35 at his level of workrate. . . .so quit talking rubbish alright?

nateevs:
No you have not. . and I kept telling you over and over that at least we are playing a 4-3-3 now. You then went ahead to say it was an advancing full back problem. You have moved the problem from one place to another time after time. ,

For the LAST TIME, the structure of Ancelottis play can be summed up like this:

(1.) Attacking onus is on fullbacks.
(2.) LCM and RCM have the tactical responsibility to track the opposing fullback
(3.) Defence plays a highline, and often relies on offside

The weaknesses as far as Chelsea are concerned:

(a.) With reference to (1.), opposing wingers can often drop into spaces behind fullbacks.
(b.) With reference to (2.), Our LCM and RCM (Lamps and Ballack) are often engaged tactically, hence they dont have the freedom to dominate the central midfield unless the opposing teams fullback doesnt come forward.
(c.) With reference to (3.), slow defenders like John Terry and slow DMs like Mikel are not suited to play a highline of defence.


I have not contradicted myself. There is not one structural weakness in isolation, there are several. I am not changing my mouth, I keep pointing out the same problems since DECEMBER!!!

nateevs:
Thirdly. You have made us believe this far that Inter had no holes behind because they were half-pressing; yet you are telling us here that Lamps and Ballack were chasing full backs was why they didn't dominate. How can they be chasing full backs when the full backs were in their own half. ? What a load of dust. You see what I mean by trying to blame the manager at any cost. You guys think you are analytical but this nothing but crap!

Mugu, pressing is something you do without the ball. Maicon can come forward through building an attack when his team is in possession of the ball.

nateevs:
There's nothing like a "traditional 4-3-3" in defence. The fact that we are playing a 4-3-3 doesn't mean we should keep the same shape when we are defending. Can they be chasing full backs when we are going forwards? What sh.it is this? ,

The problem with the nonsense you have typed up here is that against a big team, you will INEVITABLY have to defend 50% of the time.

nateevs:
Why are you suddenly making it seem like this is a new problem. Have you forgotten the boring boring Chelsea? Was that because we were dominating? At least lampard and Ballack were not chasing full backs during JM's era. Neither were they during Avram Grant; yet a Chelsea fan was falling asleep on camera at the game against Wigan. How dominating we were! ,

The fact remains (and you can pull up any match stats), that we are playing 60-70% possession under Ancelotti and Scolari against most teams.

nateevs:
During Hiddink, we spent 170mins of a two legged tie in our own half against Barcelona; were Lamaprd and Ballack chasing full backs then? Why didn't they take the game by the scruff of the neck and dominate like Ineista and Xavi did. .? It's because they can't. They never did and they never will. ,

I dont care who you are. . . when you play Barca, you spend most time on the backfoot. . . perhaps you prefer going out to Barca ala Bayern Munich style. . . or Manchester United style?  


As long as we cannot have Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, I am willing to posit that our previous style of midfield play (before Ancelotti) is preferrable to any of the ninny styles of play out on the market now[b]. Arsenal is the second best possession team in the world. After Barcelona, no one dominates midfield like Arsenal. [/b] Since we cant be Barcelona, I posit that our previously dynamic style of play is more successful than Arsenals.


The FACT is that by any fair football measurement, we trumped Barca even with the footie we played and were only denied by egregious refereeing.

Lamps and such also trumped Barca in 2005. So what are you saying really?


BTW, how is your friend Diego doing at Juventus?

nateevs:
2. Keita is a better all round footballer than Lampard. End of! You must know the football philosophy of Pep. Technique is key. . . and Techinique, Kieta has shed loads. You don't have to have world footballers of the year and 20-goals a season dudes in your team to play good football.

You are a grade one idiot. I dont even have to say anymore.

I hope you are aware that Barcelona wanted Lampard few years back.


I have challenged you to pull up the video of any midfielder in Europe (with the possible exception of Xavi) who has the quantity and quality of assists like Lampard. Lets take 2008/2009 alone sef. You are here chatting rubbish.

When I talk about IMAGE at Man Utd, Im talking about style of play, not David Beckham.

@ all,

Since Jose is no longer at Chelsea (under mean RA), can y'all name how many players under-25 that he has bought and is developing at Inter?

Please dont mention Mcdonald Mariga.

Is it 30 year old Milito and 28 year old Motta that are gonna carry Inters hopes in 3 to 4 years, after JM is long gone. . . .or will they have to start rebuilding again like Chelsea is doing now.

Lemme show you some of the young players JM sacrificed to Genoa just to buy Motta:

Robert Acquafresca - solid Italian U-21 striker with a good reputation as a hot propspect.
Leonardo Bonucci - after less than a season, he has already played for Italian National team. 22 years old.
Francesco Bolzoni - Italian U-21 International

It is pertinent to note that Akola refused to answer my question about Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson.

Again, as I have said, Jose only cares about himself. Phuck the future, cos he wont be here in the future.

omar22:
“He is only here for his own self-promotion” well he could get sacked tomorrow so he has to think about himself…

Ditto!



No one can make excuses for JM. When at Chelsea, Jose asked for sole control of transfer targets. With the exception of Boulahrouz and Sheva, he is responsible for Chelseas signings.

He was given a clean slate and unlimited funds to build the club in his image. Every flair player that is somebody now was available to Jose.

He turned down Ribery, turned down Torres. If he wanted he could have bought ANY flair player that we know today. Instead he went for Drogba-style football, buying mature gra-gra players who have to be replaced now due to old age. Meanwhile Torres is still in his youth, as is Ribery.

He was given all he needed to build the club in his style. . . . and his style wasnt pleasant to RA who gave him unlimited funds to do so. . . . thats why was sacked!

Akolawole:
At least JM is gone with his many evils, where is our team heading to? What is our longtime goal? I am 100% sure,you know NOT.

Thats what I keep asking. . . where is the club headed to?. . . the man who was given a clean slate and hundreds of million to spend left little to show for it in terms of players or club culture/style of play. . . and since then, we have little money to invest. . .so we start rebuilding again, and this time we have to do it properly, not rush rush like JM did it.

Akolawole:
Dont behave like a frustrated man. I was flicking tru Nairaland post yesterday and i saw the following where i was througly yabbed after our exit in 2005.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-3970.96.html

# Any footie analyst that uses SAF and AW as a yardstick is useless. Let either of them go to Madrid and i can bet it that within 365 days they will be disgraced out. Like we've discuss here few months ago, what do RA want? Thats the key. That will be the key factor in our development. Do the man want long time or Instant success? If its the later JM will always be a cult figure at the bridge for life. Sometimes, winning trophies needs luck. Its very possible that Chelsea may never win the champions league even with the best coach in the land. I will like to see how RA will treat Carlo in 2 years(If he last that? )

None of us own chelsea and we dont know what the Russian want. Did you?

All this one na story. . . what kind of long time can you have with a manager like Jose who spends recklessly?

JM does not behave like a manager who is in it for the long haul, so why should RA give him such goodwill?

RA knows this man is only in it to promote his name.

It is on record that AW won a trophy with Arsenal instantly. . . and he only needed to spend very little money to do it.

Wenger showed pragmatism and good money management from his early days whilst winning trophies, and that is why Arsenal gave him a long time to build the fancy project he is building now.

Jose did not show any such pragmatism. From day one, Jose style of management was scorched earth policy. Burn the club's finances and leave the ashes behind.

Akolawole:
1) If £50m worth DESERVED to be on the bench

Then why did he buy them?

Akolawole:
2) Just like yesterday and its very very much OBVIOUS that we've been playing fascinating footie since JM left.

Ancelotti is no comparison with his fancy style of play unsuitd to the current squad. GH would win league easily given a full season.

I dont doubt JM's ability to win. . . I just dont want this kind of wasteful manager in my club who has no purpose for the club except promoting his own name.

SAF builds Manure in an image we all recognise.

AW is building a brand of football we all recognise.

Johann Cruyff built a brand of Barcelona we all recognise.

Rinus Michels built a brand of Ajax we all recognise.

What brand did Jose build for Chelsea? Can you see any direction in his management except winning trophies at all cost?

Where is the team Jose built? Where are the young players he bought? Where are the ones he sold cos he had no patience to develop? (Glen Johnson, Lassana Diarra etc)?

Is this the same JM that spends £25m on a 30 year old Diego Milito? Yes Diego is shining now, but what about in 3 years time? Of course JM doesnt care because he wont be there in 3 years time. He is only here for his own self-promotion.

Can AW and SAF do something like that to a club?

Akolawole:
3) Explanation?.

Untouchables like John Terry and Drogba who think they run the club and behave however innit?

Akolawole:
4) High maintenance

No club can continue leaking £50m+ every year. . . whether at Inter or Chelsea, Jose's model is high financial loss in return for trophy.

Why not run things like SAF and AW, and run a self-sustaining club?

Akolawole:
5) Does JM ask them to stand-up to discuss contract? They got to sit down. Init?

The point being, Jose does not even sit in on contract negotiations unlike AW and SAF. . . at Arsenal, AW is responsible for holding contract talks directly. . . all Jose knows is to warn RA that he MUST give Lamps and Terry new contract. . . whatever they are asking for.

Akolawole:
6) Where on earth do you get this kind rumour? He was not on £150k a week when JM was here? Was this contract influenced from JM's armchair in Milan? Jesus christ is lord

Lampard contract talks were open for 2 years. . . it was in 2006 when Lampard first started asking for £150,000 with Jose shouting that they must pay him or else. . .  


You failed to address:

Wages will increase 100% within a couple of years.

He will ask for a new improved contract after just one season. . . otherwise he is leaving to Madrid.

Your players will also start asking for humoungous contracts. . . no doubt following JM's example.

He wont stay more than 3 - 5 years.



Is this a club builder?

Is this a man you entrust with a new project?


Yes, he won trophies. . . . but he didn't build any project!!!

If only we can rewind to 2004, and entrust this project to a club builder, I wonder what kind of youngsters we will parading now, what style of footie we would be playing, and how sustainable our club would be.

As it stands, we are having to replace our whole team which means spending another £200m or so all over again. How long can we continue this model? Where is the sustainability?

nateevs:
The keyword here was "once USA scored the first goal" Before then nko? You cannot use parts of events that suit you to back yourself up.

Are Spain not creative. . . yes or no?

How come with all their creativity, they were unable to break them down?

nateevs:
They will do it with Park, Fletcher and Carrick who are not world-renowned man markers. Yes they will. but what does that tell you about those they are marking.
I doubt Park can mark out Ronaldo or Robben. And yes I will be back here to say the same thing because that's what it is.

You knew all this, and you were willing to put £200 on the line?. . . . what made you take such risk?. . . faith in the players or faith in Ancelotti?

Since you lack faith in the players, then WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR FAITH??

Or are you just now seeing structural weaknesses I've been telling you about since December?

nateevs:
Don't try to make us feel like you are running a commentary of a match we can't watch. We all saw it was a 4-3-3.
Now you are trying to run for cover because you put your neck on the line saying we never go wrong in a 4-3-3.
Well I have news. It was a 4-3-3 and we went wrong.

Against Arsenal you were refuting profusely that it was a  4-3-3. . because it worked. Now you disclaim because it didn't work. Stay somewhere bro.

Nope, I have long refuted that we are playing a traditional 4-3-3. . . wasnt it during the Arsenal match that I asked you why is Malouda not tracking Sagna?. . . . it was then I realised that this is a pseudo-diamond masquerading as a 4-3-3. . .

Whilst I am happy that at least some width has returned in one form or the other, the defensive deficiencies I have been hammering about the diamond (and have continued to hammer after the Arsenal game) about Mikel, Terry and Carvalho being exposed to counterattack remain.


There is no doubt, this is not a 4-3-3 as we know it. Hence I have continued to predict doom for this team. If we were playing a 4-3-3 as I know it (as GH, AG and JM played it), then I would definitely back Chelsea to win the league!

In the 4-3-3 that Chelsea have traditionally played, we would have Anelka tracking the left-back and Malouda tracking the right-back. . . with Lampard free to break from midfield.

In this scenario, we have Lampard tracking the leftback and Ballack tracking the right-back.

nateevs:
Lampard and Ballack are not over-worked because of the formation

Rubbish. . . the reason they are not dominating the centre is that they spend too long chasing fullbacks.

Did Cambiasso contribute anything offensively yesterday? How about Motta?

No - the reason is Cambiasso was detailed to track Zhirkov, whilst Motta was detailed to track Ivanovic (on the occasion he went forward)

So why do you expect Lamps and Ballack to do any different knowing they are fulfilling the same tactical function as Cambiasso and Motta were doing?

nateevs:
The reason why we fly against Sunderland is because Henderson and Reid et al will be scared of Lampard. Not because he is extra spectacular.

Stop talking about spiritual things. . . the reason we dominate Sunderland is cos we're better and more skilful. . . when you face a big team, the managers tactics are supposed to make the difference because you are facing equally skilful players.


I am waiting for you to tell me 3 things:

How come Lampard was a central part of the Scolari team that dominated possession exclusively (even against Arsenal)?

Is Seydou Keita a better passer than Lampard? How come he fulfills the same role as Lampard for Barca, yet Barca continue to play uber-possession football.

Which Man Utd midfielder does these fancy ninny things? Or is Man Utd not a winning team?

Henry Okah - Ministry of Niger Delta

[quote author=tayo_ast link=topic=362607.msg5714582#msg5714582 date=1268855927]Sm dt finds it difficult 2 complete a simple pass.

we know u like Drog, but eh!![/quote]If not for people like me, you cant diss DD on this thread without people sending you hate mail.

I've been dissing DD on here since it was uncool to diss DD. . . back when his idol worshippers simply failed to see his obvious deficiencies.

When I first told FBS that DD has a bad first touch and poor passing (the worst Ive ever seen in the Prem), FBS nearly ripped my head off. . . . now it is common knowledge that DD has poor technique. . . but it was sacrilege to say such things on Chelsea thread 2 years ago.


But I always speak the truth. . . . on the rare occassion DD finds himself on the right wing, he always delivers a near-perfect cross. . . watch out for it next time Chelsea play!

When JM comes to your team, you are guaranteed to win the league.


You are also guaranteed that:

Wages will increase 100% within a couple of years.

£50m worth of players will be bought and put on the bench.

He will ask for a new improved contract after just one season. . . otherwise he is leaving to Madrid.

Your players will also start asking for humoungous contracts. . . no doubt following JM's example.

You will play boring football.

He wont stay more than 3 - 5 years.

He will leave an unhealthy and unbalanced team where some players think they run the club.



Basically, if you want JM at your club, be prepared to lose £30m - £50m per season. . . cos he's high maintenance!



Yes, a good manager, but I would never want him at my club.

When I hear Wenger saying hes gonna sit down with a player to discuss his contract, I see a good manager who cares about his club. When I see JM telling Roman Abramovic that he must give new £150,000 contract to John Terry and Lampard, I see a man who doesnt care about the club.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=362607.msg5714508#msg5714508 date=1268855167]I can name 10 better crossers of the ball in this league than DD.
DD ko, Va-Va ni.[/quote]Name em. . . you prolly havent seen DD crossing the ball from the wing cos he rarely does it. . . .


BTW, holla at this thread:


https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-411379.0.html

streetwize:
inundate u with variant concepts/
giv orders to my alien subjects/ of my plans to invade the world with aerial objects/

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

streetwize:
Yo, . . u cant phathom the rhyme/
my bars are intricately interwoven by quantum design/
till your left in hypotensional state/
slice u up till your body fits in 2 dimensional space/

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

streetwize:
I flow faster than your thoughts can go
So what u think u hear now. . I already said it eons ago/
with the wisdom of a sophos sage/
spitting faster than the speed of light, nigga so my words dont age/


what battle?/ don't u covet your life?/
thats as silly as bathing outside in the winter with a bucket of Ice/
or leaving a virgin with a forest of guys/
or tightroping unclothed on cotton above a torrent of spikes/

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

tHIS IS NUTS!!!!

hahahaha. . . . I couldnt get all these lyrics cos of the delivery. . . but now Im reading em, I gotta say that CANIBUS needs to retire.

Where's Sauron at?

This is mad!!!

^^^Nah. . . you lot are getting it wrong. . . DD can drop a cross pinpoint on his teammates head. . . he doesnt even need much backlift to cross the ball. . . . I have no doubt that DD is the best crosser in the Prem, if not close to it. . . just watch when he pulls out to the right wing. . . it is this same technique that allows him to place a freekick in the top corner.

otawa:
You surely dreaming. One cabal is replacing another cabal.

The cabal that brought GoodLuck as acting President already took $3billion from national crude oil savings.

You guys better wake up to reality.

You are correct. . . but at least the head of this cabal is alive and well, not on life support.

ritchboy:
^^ Drogba is a waste-pipe. . . A striker that has only one distinct quality(strength) should never be called world-class!

C'mon man, dont be harsh on Drogs. . . he is one of the best crossers in the Prem. . . it astounds me how a player can be such a good crosser, but a poor passer.

This is about to get interesting!

The title of this thread is misleading to say the least.

Another much ado about nothing.

tkb417:
for real?
just hearing it officially from the CBN chaps

This was announced 2 months ago when Sanusi was revealing his "4 pillars of banking reforms".

Drog is an important player for Chelsea no doubt. . . but becomes less important when we insist on possession football.

Anelka copped 20 goals by January 2009, whence he was deployed to the right-wing by Guus Hiddink.

I dare say he would have copped 30 goals if he played the whole season as a striker.


@ Nateevs, you have failed to address any of my challenges. I will assume that you have no rebuttal.

nateevs:
You are talking about two different set-up. . Inter had to win at Milan hence the holes in their back line.

There were no holes in Inter back line in the first leg. While they vacated their wings to us, they defended deep on the edge of their box. . . for all our possession, we never troubled Cesar or penetrated the minimal space behind Lucio and Samuel.

Contrast with Chelsea who vacate both the fullback positions and play a high line of defence that leaves em vulnerable.

nateevs:
And how do you propose to hold the ball long enough without being skilful.
Maybe you should tell us a team that holds the ball for long and happen not to be skilful.
For how long do you think Drogba can hold the ball without losing possession. .? How about Anelka?

Anelka can definitely play possession football as he has proved time and time again. . . Anelka doesnt need to be dropped (as some have proferred), he needs to be put back in the main striking role, where he makes everything tick, unlike DD who fails to return 75% of the passes you play into him.

nateevs:
Why don't you throw Lampard and Drogba into the arsenal team and see how that improves your possession.

Lampard will score 30 goals at Arsenal. . . . we know Chelsea players can pass the ball cos we have seen it umpteen times under Scolari and Ancelotti. . . Lampard was our best midfielder under Scolaris "overpassing" regime last season, and can play in a side that dominates possession easily. . . Lampard is a better passer than Seydou Keita, yet Barca play possession football with Seydou Keita. . . .

Lampard will do nothing different to what Diaby is doing presently which is providing the legs in midfield to run beyond and backward. . . . whether you like it or not, Lamps is a World-renowned performer, and a "money in the bank" player who returns you 20 goals and 15 assists per season without fail. . . money cant buy that. . . he is not a possession hogger, but he will outassist any passer you know in World football today because he has the intelligence to release his forwards instantly. Feel free to review videos of his assists from last season, then pull up a video on any midfielder in the world who made the same quality and quantity of assists. I challenge you on that.

If you wanna play possession footie, get a Xabi Alonso and stick him behind Lamps. You will see possession footie alright.

I posit that possession footie is not our problem. Infact the reverse is the case. It is only since we started playing with a formation/set-up for possession footie under Scolari and Ancelotti that we have had problems.

You can check Chelsea stats for any game this season. Chelsea usually control 70% of the possession against midtable and small teams, and 50-60% against big teams (with the exception of Arsenal). This is normal for any team in the world.

Meanwhile, Im still looking for the Man Utd player that does all these fancy things you are talking about. Certainly not Fletcher or Carrick. Scholes maybe, but he rarely plays in big games. Man Utd win games by solid counterattacking football.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Javalove, you wrong for this man.

Bloody stalker! 

Listen, I am ready to write a diss song for you. . . . you could become famous from this!

nateevs:
Let's just say what you are saying is correct for once. You are however talking about only one side of the game.
If Carllotti employed half pressing like you suggest, we would still have needed a goal at least to go through.

We threw the match away in the first leg. I posit that we are more likely to score on the counterattack than by all-out attack.

nateevs:
We did not look like scoring half a goal. Is that because were not half pressing. No creativity, no flair, no inventiveness and I will like you to point out to me where Cesar had an against-all-odds save to make. Is that all because of not employing half-pressing. ? No it is not. I have told you time and time again. You don't lose games by not conceding, you do so by scoring. We did not lose the game yesterday because we kept a high line of defence, we lost because we could not even find the anything close to a shot on goal.

Yes it is. . . . the tie was already set-up from the first leg. . . . it was easy for JM to stymie our midfield. . . .this is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket. . . .

I refer you to USA 2: 0 Spain in the Confederations cup if you wanna know how this thing usually plays. . . . once USA scored the first goal, they camped in their half and just picked Spain off on the counterattack. . . .you cant accuse Spain of lacking creativity, they were just stymied by the perfect set-up.

It is suicidal for any manager to go gung-ho in the Champions League, especially in the first leg.

To show you how unpragmatic Ancelotti is, I refer you to UCL 2004 quarter final against Deportivo. . . . he had a 3-0 lead from the first leg. . . but instead of picking Deportivo off on the counter-attack in the 2nd leg, he went and played the exact same style of footie. . . . the rest they say is history. . . Depor won 4-0 to advance.


I am expecting the same scenario as happened against Inter to play out against Manure at Old Trafford. . . .we will be stifled by Park, Fletcher and Carrick. . . then they will pick open our highline of defence easy as pie. . . . . . . . I dont want you coming here to tell us stories about the players not being able to pass the ball. . . . just ready my £200 to make good on our bet!  

nateevs:
All that unadaptable thingy you are yarning is reh reh reh.
I will never agree with you until you tell me one thing Carlotti employs offensively that is wrong or bad.
You blamed the diamond, he ditched that and went for the beloved 4-3-3. Same results.

Lampards tactical role is exactly the same as the LCM in a diamond, whilst Ballacks is the same as an RCM in a diamond.

This is Christmas-tree formation (not a 4-5-1). . . . You would have noticed Lamps tracking Maicon and Ballack tracking Zanetti. . . . . Malouda and Anelka were not detailed to the fullbacks.


                                   Drogba

                         Malouda         Anelka

         <-------Lampard                  Ballack---------->

                                     Mikel


This is our formation. . . . it is a diamond. . . . Anelka and Malouda now form a two-pronged tip of the diamond, sometimes drifting wide, but having no tactical mandate to track the fullback.

It is pertinent to note that once Ballack came off yesterday, Zanetti was released from the left-back position. . . . Joe Cole could not deal with him. . . . why so, if we are playing a genuine 4-5-1/4-3-3?

Lampard and Ballack are overworked in the current set-up. . . . you cannot expect them to serve as workhorses and also prompt the attacks.

Against Arsenal, you said yourself that Malouda and Anelka are not detailed to track Clichy and Sagna.

So how in any sense can you call this a genuine 4-5-1/4-3-3?

I have told you this Christmas tree/pseudo-diamond only works against the likes of Sunderland.

@ Borat,

Why have you stopped posting the H2H league table?

Is it because MEND FC is dominating the league?

No lose hope o!

nateevs:
This is the heights of the "blame the manager culture" we have inherited at Chelsea.

bla bla bla. . . . CA was appointed in July.

Throughout my time at Chelsea, I am used to managers who play a half-pressing game.

Ranieri, JM, AG and GH all played half-pressing game.

Half-pressing means allowing the opponents to have the ball in their half, and only pressing them when they enter your half. This allows your defence to sit deep and allows you to compact the space through which opponents can play.

Two managers in particular have played the opposite[b] full [/b] pressing game. . . Ancelotti and Scolari.

Its little wonder that with such a highline of defence, Chelsea look liable to concede in every single game we play.

The only two big teams that successfully play this system are Arsenal and Barca. (And we cant call Arsenal successful sef). . . but most importantly, they employ quick defenders and DMs to make the system work. . . .


To play this system, you need quick defenders due to the highline of the defence. . . .The deployment of the high line enables the ball to be circulated continuously to build up pressure. The permeations of this however is that it means the centre backs must be adept at passing the ball and reading the game, while being highly mobile so as to keep the game flowing and be ready for a swift counter attack.


^^^ So tell me which manager (unless he's an idiot) will deploy a slow player like John Terry in such a system?


If people like Nateevs wanna complain about the players, then they should first understand the limitations of the manager, and his wrong deployment of the players at his disposal. If we are to blame the players instead of Scolari Ancelotti, then we have to ask what was Ancelotti doing between July and the end of the transfer window.

He had enough time to buy the players he needed. He even had opportunity to sell John Terry to Citeh and purchase the quick defender that would make his system work. He had the opportunity to replace Mikel and buy a faster DM that would also stop counterattacks. He could have replaced Ballack with Sneijder or Van Der Vaart for £13m and £7m respectively. Then he would have no excuses for his failure. . . .

The fact remains that we have a manager who is unadaptable, and doesnt know how to use his players effectively. All we ask for is a manager who is pragmatic.


The buck stops with the manager.

nateevs:
Every manager that sits on that chair doesn't even have the time to do anything.
He must hit it from the start . . No time to experiment. Not even time to get used to the league.
No time to get used to his players. Not time for anything . . Trophies, trophies!

Managers BUY time. They are not given time.

The only reason Wenger has been given 5 years (since 2004) to perfect his experiment is because he bought a lot of goodwill in his first few years at the club where he played solid counterattacking football with the likes of Petit, Gilberto Silva, Vieira and such.

Ancelotti has already had one summer to perfect his strategy. He gets another transfer window and thats it. If he's not flying by December, he needs to be shown the door.

nateevs:
Change the mentality, change the transfer policy. ditch this style and switch.

You are right. . . the manager needs to ditch THIS style. . . . THIS Scolari style that makes us so vulnerable.

debosky:
battling the peerless Barca to a standstill in the semis less than a year ago has turned into a pitiful capitulation to an above average (at best) Inter side.

All thanks to THIS Scolari style!!!

Seun:
If we cannot amicably stay together, what gives you the impression that we can amicably divide?

Its better to be a lion for a day than a lamb that lives forever.

Dr Kitaun:
plus lets judge d 2 of dem at d end of da careetrs !

hahaha. . . Eto is 29, DD is 32. . . what are you waiting for? . . . what Eto did by the age of 25, DD will not match even if he wins 3 trophies per season and scores 30 goals per season from now till the end of his career.

ritchboy:
Ibime
oh, so Sneijder was bound to dominate the game based on the tactics deployed by both teams? Do you think if Lampard was in Sneijder's shoes tonite, he would have done half of what Sneijder did? Not in this lifetime! Apart from his sublime passing and pin point deliveries, his exquisite touches under pressure and in tight areas demonstrated his majestic technique no English footballer comes close to having, let alone Lampard.
Even in the first leg when Chelsea "controlled" the game, Lampard was still abjectly incapable of dictating the game to any degree even remotely emulating what we've seen from Wesley.
And you say you would take Lampard over Sneijder based on stats. . . The last time i checked, Iniesta has scored just one goal all season. Maybe Ibime would take Lampard over Iniesta as well.
I used to think you were a half-decent analyst, but your opinion of Lampard puts you on the same level as Dyabman and Binghinya

Given the amount of space Sneijder had today, I dare say Lamps would have provided an assist and more. . . he would have scored. . . .Mikel wouldnt be able to track him. . . .  I have seen Lamps put many through passes when the opponents are on the halfway line. . . . . . .

What Sneijder did today is nothing I havent seen many times. . . he made umpteen such passes last season.

[flash=425,344]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMaDBlgp2zY&hl=en_GB&fs=1&[/flash]



Its easy to make through passes against a team that defends on the halfway line.


How come Sneijder has been unable to replicate these passes over the last 2 months where Inter have played umpteen 0-0 draws?


Im not saying Lamps is a better passer than Sneijder. Sneijder is better at continuity possession. . .heck, Denilson is better at continuity possession. . . . the fact is, Sneijder does not play so many through balls if Chelsea does not defend on the halfway line.

debosky:
What was his pedigree? He is a power player above anything else - same for most of the Chelski players.

Can you name a power player who can pass the ball then. . . or is passing simply a function of small size?

Jus cos someone works hard for the team doesnt mean he cant pass. . . . unless youre trying to tell me that good passing is the preserve of midgets.

A good example of this is Paul Scholes. No one noticed his brilliant passing in the high energy days of his youth when he was playing box to box. Now because he has slowed down, you can appreciate that Scholes is one of the best pass masters in the game.

The lesson here is that because power players sacrifice finesse for hard work, you should never assume they cant pass the ball.

debosky:
Wrong - Basturk and Berbatov were at the forefront of the passing - Ballack provided the power play,

Berbatov was largely an impact substitute in that season. . .Brdaric was the main striker. . . . . the triangular axis of passing was between Ballack, Basturk and Ze Roberto. . . with Ramelow at DM mostly. . . Ballack was the LCM whilst Basturk was the RCM. . . most of the good stuff came in triangular passing movements between Ballack and Ze Roberto. . . if in doubt, ask Dayo.

debosky:
So it's the space that made Ivanovic lose his man?,

Eto had acres of space to run into. . . thats the point. . . even if Ivanovic lost his man, he did so near the halfway line. . . meaning any pass can be underhit or overhit by a few yards, and Eto would still have space to latch onto it. . . compare with Maicon losing his man on the edge of his box. . . . theres little margin for error with any pass.

debosky:
While Inter defended deeper, you had no one play through balls, even through the middle.

Thats the main point. . . . Barca are the best passers in the world without doubt, but were unable to put a single through pass against a deep lying Chelsea last season. . . . if Barca cant do it, then needless to say, that proves my point. . . any through pass by Chelsea midfielders with Inter so deep is going straight to the goalkeeper. . . our only chance to break down such a deep-lying defence is to get the ball wide and put the crosses in. . . as an Arsenal fan, you should know that.

Why do people assume that because someone is physical, he cant pass a ball?

Do you lot know Ballacks pedigree in Germany?

Klaus Topmollers Leverkusen were the best passing side I have seen in the Champions League with the possible exception of Barca, Villareal and Arsenal. . . . and Ballack was at the forefront of that.

Dayo, can I get a witness?

Chelsea defended on the halfway line hoping for offsides. So much space inbehind, even a blind man could have picked the passes Sneijder did today. All he had to do was ping the ball into space.

Contrast with Inters defence sitting on the 18 yard box. What space was there to pass into?

Did Chelsea not control the midfield in the first leg? Was that not a function of the way Inter was set-up? Where was Sneijder in the first leg?

Similarly, Sneijder controlled the midfield today because of the way the tie was set up.

Its simply a funtion of formations.

99 points for MEND FC this week. . . 95 after points penalty. . . who wan try?

Sneijder dominating the game was simply a function of how the tie was balanced. . . . Sneijder had all the space he needed. . . . I didnt see y'all bleating about Sneijder in the first leg where we controlled the midfield. . . . I use the word controlled to indicate that we had possession in midfield because of the system Inter played.

I dont know how a fool can take one match in isolation to judge a midfielders ability. Admittedly, Lampard has been off form since his virus, but whilst Lampard had the tactical responsibility of tracking Maicon, Sneijder was given space to do whatever he needed with Mikel not being sharp enough to close him down.

There was so much space behind our fullbacks where Sneijder kept dropping easy passes. Even when he received the ball, Mikel was slow to put him under pressure straight away. When Lamps or Ballack receive the ball, was there any space behind the Inter fullbacks to ping passes? Inter were defending on their 18 yard box whilst Chelsea were defending close to the halfway line and relying on offsides. It doesnt take a genius to know that any midfielder with such space to pass into will shine.

Whilst I dont doubt Sneijders passing ability, I would take a midfielder who has copped me 16 goals and 12 assists over one who has copped 6 goals and a handful of assists.

The game was set-up for Sneijder to shine. . . its that simple.