Chelsea (a) post match thread

[plongo]

Our problems have been obvious for a long time. Keeper and two fullbacks. Why has Pep not addressed this?

 

[FantasyIreland]

Our problems have been obvious for a long time. Keeper and two fullbacks. Why has Pep not addressed this?

3 first team full backs on incredibly lucrative contracts we couldn't previously shift.

He did attempt to address the keeper situation,but it didnt work out - shit happens.

 

[joe salford]

No way were Chelsea the superior side mate, they just did what you need to do, to win titles and that is to win by any means necessary, nothing more, nothing less. No-one will remember them for this season apart from being ruthlessly efficient when it counted.

As for City, we were fuckin brilliant overall, aside from a deflected goal and a fortunate penalty rebound going in. We beat them in every other department apart from the all important goal count, so Chelsea win. I thought Delph was immense, as was Kompany, Fernandinho and Clichy who dominated the midfield tonight. My hopes for this season was for automatic CL qualification which we can still achieve. After where we've been over the last few seasons, we'd be foolish to think that even the great Pep Guardiola could win such a strong PL in his first season even if we all hoped and prayed he would.

This summers transfer window will begin the transformation from Bob's City to Pep's, as we all know the likes of Yaya, Clichy, Zabaleta and Sagna are coming to the end of their careers, & Kompany, Silva and Fernandinho etc are entering the twilight of theirs. We totally dominated the champions elect tonight who did just what was needed to cling onto victory.

This is a part of our game that Pep will have to manage better because he's no longer in a 2 team league. I think Pep's professional pride will drive him on to want to succeed and we've still got the FA Cup semi's and CL qualification to achieve before the rebuilding job starts in earnest ready for next season. I feel strangely lifted by that performance tonight, if equally deflated by the result. As long as we get automatic qualification for the CL, I'll see it as job done for this season and if we manage to win the FA Cup too, it won't feel anything like a failed season for me, but more like us setting everything up nicely for next season.

I can see the green shoots of Pep's Master Plan coming through, and I for one believe he's the man to take us to the next level.

Top post. This all day.

 

[We're not really here]

I am not disappointed. If you look at this season dispassionately, Pep is getting a reasonable return out of a squad which is top 6 at best. When you look at the 18 available yesterday, we have only 6 players available that I think would make up a title winning squad. Of these, only one is a defender. To those 6 add Gundo and Jesus and then you are down to promoting youngsters. That shows the scale of the rebuild necessary. I saw a joint Chelsea/City team in the Daily Fail yesterday that only had 3 or 4 City players in it. Think they got that about right. I would argue that the fact we are coming close to beating the best teams in the PL is testament to pep's coaching abilities and I would defy any other coach to get more out of this squad this year without resorting to Pulis like tactics. And before anyone claims that Pellegrini did better last year 1) the standard of football this year has been light years ahead 2) the squad are a year older.

I think that the rebuild will take the next two seasons and we will be lucky to win much next season. Will it be worth it? That depends almost entirely on our success in integrating the more talented youngsters and very smart transfer activity. Pep better sign up for a further three years I think if he is going to complete this job.

Title winning first team material: Stones, Silva, De Bruyne*, Sane, Aguero, Stirling + Gundo, GJ

Will be replaced before we win another title: Caballero, Clichy, Kompany*, Fernandinho, Navas, Delph, Nolito, Kolorov, Yaya, Bravo, Fernando, Zabaleta + Sagna, Hart, Nasri, Mangala

* The Kev we know is in there. Not the one who has been pretending to be Kev for the last few months
* based solely on as yet unproven fitness

Spot on mate

 

[Andrew___K]

I am not disappointed. If you look at this season dispassionately, Pep is getting a reasonable return out of a squad which is top 6 at best. When you look at the 18 available yesterday, we have only 6 players available that I think would make up a title winning squad. Of these, only one is a defender. To those 6 add Gundo and Jesus and then you are down to promoting youngsters. That shows the scale of the rebuild necessary. I saw a joint Chelsea/City team in the Daily Fail yesterday that only had 3 or 4 City players in it. Think they got that about right. I would argue that the fact we are coming close to beating the best teams in the PL is testament to pep's coaching abilities and I would defy any other coach to get more out of this squad this year without resorting to Pulis like tactics. And before anyone claims that Pellegrini did better last year 1) the standard of football this year has been light years ahead 2) the squad are a year older.

I think that the rebuild will take the next two seasons and we will be lucky to win much next season. Will it be worth it? That depends almost entirely on our success in integrating the more talented youngsters and very smart transfer activity. Pep better sign up for a further three years I think if he is going to complete this job.

Title winning first team material: Stones, Silva, De Bruyne*, Sane, Aguero, Stirling + Gundo, GJ

Will be replaced before we win another title: Caballero, Clichy, Kompany*, Fernandinho, Navas, Delph, Nolito, Kolorov, Yaya, Bravo, Fernando, Zabaleta + Sagna, Hart, Nasri, Mangala

* The Kev we know is in there. Not the one who has been pretending to be Kev for the last few months
* based solely on as yet unproven fitness

Reasonable post. Yesterday's game left me in really good spirits for the first time in months. And I wouldn't expect too much of the next season as well. Those who think City will turn to world beaters next season are surely going to be disappointed as the new squad will need a lot of time to gel. Besides, not every problem can be addressed in the summer even with Sheik's unlimited chequebook - for example, I can't see how we can get a worldclass pressing-resistant No8 on today's market. Maybe it's only with EDS kids maturing and the club improving its image we'll have a chance to arrange a truly worldclass squad, it will take 3-5 years at least. Think we'll be contenders for the league next year, but won't get too far in the CL.
So, as one of Pep's former teachers used to say, "It's a process" :) Expect Pep to be here for a long-long time.

 

[KnaresboroughBlue]

Absolutely this. Anyone who thought that even Guardiola could come in and sort the mess we were in last season in an instant needs to give their heads a wobble!

Pep has had ONE season in the hardest & strongest league in the world, and he like all our previous managers deserves time to sort things out. We're close, very close, and I personally think that another transfer window and more time for Pep to figure out the PL and for our players to completely get their heads around what Pep wants will be what we need to get us back to our 2012 level.

Beyond that, I still firmly believe Pep is the man to take us to the next level and I don't say that lightly. Keep the faith and I'm sure we will be handsomely rewarded.

Agree 100%.

 

[city986]

Some of you drama queen's need to give your heads a wobble 9 times out of 10 we would have won the match . Would you like to watch city play the Chelsea way no thought not it's onwards and upwards for our great club now let's move on to the next game and continue to play with style

 

[ONTHERUNWITHTHAKSIN]

Really surprised we didn't get at least a draw last night

A good team effort and solid performance barring the unlucky goals we conceded.

More optimistic after last night than after Arse

Just wish the real Kevin de Bruyne would turn up.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Some of you drama queen's need to give your heads a wobble 9 times out of 10 we would have won the match . Would you like to watch city play the Chelsea way no thought not it's onwards and upwards for our great club now let's move on to the next game and continue to play with style

The concerning thing is that 9 times out of 10 in the big games, we do play like that but win something like 3 out of 10. That for me is more than unlucky. The next signings need to have more bollocks than this lot as well as talent.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Some of you drama queen's need to give your heads a wobble 9 times out of 10 we would have won the match . Would you like to watch city play the Chelsea way no thought not it's onwards and upwards for our great club now let's move on to the next game and continue to play with style

Whilst the current trend is to write top post after everything optimistic - in reality there have been a lot of 9 times out of 10.
It's no Fluke the way teams set up to play us and the way we oblige them.
Pep is still the man to lead us but he has got to adapt too.