₦airaland Forum

Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Penaltyyyyyyy!

Strong line up. Now let's go disperse these actors.

mithel: Cant hear you from the top of the league

Hahaha. Brilliant!

1pt. We could have walked away with all 3.

Schurrle no track that run at allll.

Sh1t. Lampard

raumdeuter: Chelsea just won the league today.

5 point ahead of everyone and 8 ahead of every realistic rival

Broda Dayo. Carry your juju go front abeg.

Lampard getting ovation from everyone.

Goooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllll

A red card was def on.

nateevs: It's not working jare. Oscar and Schurrle in for Willian and Ramires will give similar industry in defence but better ball holding and movement in attack.

Jose reading my mind. It wasn't working.

Good. Andre and Mikel will come. Willian and Ramires will go out. Fab will move up.

It's not working jare. Oscar and Schurrle in for Willian and Ramires will give similar industry in defence but better ball holding and movement in attack.

This guy just dey share yellow card sha.

mithel: How can we.... City are kicking us into submission

That is not the reason we are misplacing obvious and simple.

We are still not moving the ball well in attack against a big team.

It's a 4-2-3-1. Willian in the hole. Ramires on the right.

AirborneLacer: Team news: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Ramires, Fabregas, Willian, Hazard, Costa.
Nihilist it's surely a 4-3-3!
Mangala starts for Citeh. One to kick the living hell outta Costa I guess

4-3-3 away to City? I doubt that.

The jokers have conceded 5 against Leicester. This time last week, they couldn't wait to face us.

Lewis wins. I had my heart in my mouth wanderng if he could create that 27 seconds gap he needed for a last pit stop. 3pt gap. Well done LH.

justwise: Yes/No, 3points gap is not a lot considering the reliability issue Mercedes cars have, only if they both going to have problem- free race from now on

A crucial situation to witness is how Nico handles this new pressure. If Lewis wins this, he will be behind.
When was the last time he was behind? Before Monaco?

justwise: It's over for Nico, retired.

Turning point in the title race.

Nico is serious trouble.

Nihilist: This is at odds with your original statement which was:

It isn't because this is the whole of what I said.

nateevs: Constantly marked out by 3 players, with little or no attacking support, reduces his overall influence on the game. If we gave teams another outlet of attack to worry about on the left, Hazard will be even more dangerous and consequently, more prolific.

Nihilist: Like I said before, I don't see how an attacking full back would necessarily improve Hazard's numbers. Because at the end of the day, Hazard is moving from the free space of the wide areas into the heavily marked central areas. so skillful at it that defenders just cant stop him.

And I say again that this is not true.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJQ9AWwnA2Q

Watch how many times Hazard works the flanks. Hazard generally takes play where he choses. When he cuts in, there is a technicality to it. Hazard's game is not based on selfishness. So when he drifts play towards the middle, it is to find a team player. It is not with the intention of doing it all on his own. This means that if a player was bombing down the left, Hazard will drift play at times to the left where the player is. It's the intelligence in his play not a 'habit' of going into the crowd as you are trying to paint it.

Watch the video and see how many times Hazard works play to the flanks because a player is there.

The idea is an attacking LB who receives from play Hazard is likely to make many return passes to Hazard who is closest and quick enough to react. This gives Hazard time and space to shoot on goal. I cannot agree that an attacking LB will not improve Hazard's numbers. If you tell me that an attacking full back is not 'all' Hazard needs to increase prolificacy, I agree. But then again, I never said that.

Nihilist: Sir Nateevs, I have to disagree with this.

Hazard loves to cut in....The very nature of his play dictates that he leaves the relatively free areas of the byline and move into central areas where the centrebacks and Defensive midfielders are waiting for him. A bombing full back is still occupied by the opposing fullbacks/wingers that Hazard already ran away from, and Hazard is still being marked by the people he ran to meet.

So I dont see how changing the fullback would necessarily improve Hazard's numbers...Infact,I would argue that a defensively solid FB like cesar is sorely needed...With Branislave bombing forward on the right, and Matic roaming and not sitting, It is very important to maintain the defensive balance

Much of what you have described will be the chracter of an unintelligent player. Hazard is the sort of player who can drag play wherever he wants to. I don't even need videos to show this. A Chelsea LB working the flanks doesn't mean opposing full backs are only occupied with presence. It also means our overlapping LB is available to receive play. And no other player aside Fab, possesses more intelligence to find a full back who has/attempts to run beyond.

The fact that he cuts in does not matter. What matters is that if the overlapping LB continues his run, Hazard knows this and with the size of the trickery, pace, speed of thought and wit in his arsenal, he can always work the ball back left and lace a key pass that leads to a final pass/cross towards goal by the LB.

The key is Hazard influencing play. Key passes, mere involvement etc all count. It could as well be a return pass by the overlapping LB to Hazard who then shoots or passes.

Hazard is not Salah who tries beat everyone in his path without sense. I don't think it is fair to accuse of deliberately working play into a crowded area when he is the most intelligent Chelsea player who 'always' drags play into space.

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Re: Balance. Ivanovic and the LB do not have to attack at the same time. If they attack in turns, balance can be ensured by intelligent positional defensive play of DMs in a 4-2-3-1 and CMs in a 4-3-3.

Plus Azpilicueta playing on the LB is not a tactic. It's just a necessity because he is solid. I do not suppose Jose will play Cesar in front of Ashley Cole in his prime.

FBS: Them boys went sleeping on an European night or they were just too comfortable. In any case, I expected to be fired up for Citeh!

DD shoulda won that game man but hey e-shaiiit happens.

No way. When you show up?

What's the use comparing Di Maria and Hazard? Di Maria is 26. He's had more years to do what he does.


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I really wish JM can stop the use of Azpilicueta on the left and play a proper left back. While Cesar is solid on the left, the tactic totally removes any sort of supporting attack on the left flank. There's no LB working the left flank with serious pace, dangerous crosses and goal threats. This means Hazard has to do it all on his own. Constantly marked out by 3 players, with little or no attacking support, reduces his overall influence on the game. If we gave teams another outlet of attack to worry about on the left, Hazard will be even more dangerous and consequently, more prolific.

When people argue about Hazard, always remember this important factor. Not even Coogar can claim Young/Nani could have been as effective if they didn't have an Evra bombing down the left at intervals.

MRbrownJAY: when he did it the 1st time, he wasnt under pressure, Ham was at least 3sec away.........when he did it that 1st time, he probably thought Ham would have overtaken him, but since he only lost 1sec he had to do it again.

This is complete garbage. Why do we keep peddling false info?

Ibime: Another ninja but Mikel. Solution from outside the club is still needed. . . . or Ramires last, last.

I agree. Unfortunately, he's one of the few solutions we have. Re: Ramires v Mikel, I don't know which I prefer more. There is one who harries the opposition, retrieves possession quickly but likely to surrender it immediately and hardly influences play. Then there's the other who is not tough on retrieving possession, is slow and lethargic in defence but hardly surrenders play and marginally influences the flow of play in DM area.

CFCfan: Mou would make such a tactical switch against the likes of Bayern, Barca, Madrid and Man City.

I don't believe he will wait until then. JM will expect his back line to be walking into those games with confidence.
That confidence, you don't get overnight.

AirborneLacer: I agree with this but dont you think something has gone wrong with Matic's defensive side of the game?

I will not say necessarily. The difference between last season and now is that Fab is in the pivot. With that set up, you cannot get solidity as you do with Matic and one of Mikel/Luiz/Ramires.