Chelsea Thread 16/17

[cadds92]

The defensive Chelsea scored more goals than any team in the League this season !

More efficient than "defensive", albeit I am not convinced I would enjoy watching City play three/ five at the back with two defensive midfielders in Matic and Kante in front of them. I want to see a little more beauty on the ball than that.

The Stoke game summed up their season with the Cahill goal. Efficient.

If we had Chelsea's efficiency this season we would be up there challenging as there have been far too many games this season which we have come out of and thought what if had we finished our chances.

You can go back to our game against Chelsea at home where we probably should have been at least 2 up, had at least one penalty and had Luiz sent off before they scored and we collapsed.

 

[Vialli98]

More efficient than "defensive", albeit I am not convinced I would enjoy watching City play three/ five at the back with two defensive midfielders in Matic and Kante in front of them. I want to see a little more beauty on the ball than that.

The Stoke game summed up their season with the Cahill goal. Efficient.

If we had Chelsea's efficiency this season we would be up there challenging as there have been far too many games this season which we have come out of and thought what if had we finished our chances.

You can go back to our game against Chelsea at home where we probably should have been at least 2 up, had at least one penalty and had Luiz sent off before they scored and we collapsed.

It's a bit unfair to reduce the team to just 'efficient', even though that in itself isn't a bad trait to have.

Yes Chelsea sacrifice some creativity for a bit more solidly but there's a whole lot in between free flowing total football and rigid efficient footbal. It' isn't just one or the other.

Chelsea play a brand of football that does a good job balancing fluid creativity up front with solidity in midfield. This idea that anything other than free flowing Barcelona style football is just rigid or boring or efficient is doing a huge disservice to many teams.

The Stoke game most certainly does not sum our season just as the Stoke game does not sum up your season. Stoke made the game scrappy and most of the game was stop start. Frustrating game. We were also missing our 2 creative players (Hazard injured, Cesc came on at the end).

There's plenty of games where I've watched City be slow and labored and struggle to a narrow win or drop points in dull games with very little spark. Not a slight on City. Some games just turn out that way.

 

[cadds92]

It's a bit unfair to reduce the team to just 'efficient', even though that in itself isn't a bad trait to have.

Yes Chelsea sacrifice some creativity for a bit more solidly but there's a whole lot in between free flowing total football and rigid efficient footbal. It' isn't just one or the other.

Chelsea play a brand of football that does a good job balancing fluid creativity up front with solidity in midfield. This idea that anything other than free flowing Barcelona style football is just rigid or boring or efficient is doing a huge disservice to many teams.

The Stoke game most certainly does not sum our season just as the Stoke game does not sum up your season. Stoke made the game scrappy and most of the game was stop start. Frustrating game. We were also missing our 2 creative players (Hazard injured, Cesc came on at the end).

There's plenty of games where I've watched City be slow and labored and struggle to a narrow win or drop points in dull games with very little spark. Not a slight on City. Some games just turn out that way.

Sorry I didn't elaborate, mate.

I agree with you, Chelsea have been entertaining this season and seem to have the perfect balance for a Premier League team at the moment. I was mainly pointing out that the efficiency has most definitely been their most noticable asset over everything else but like you said it isn't a bad trait to have.

I also think Chelsea having very few - if at all - long term injuries, along with being able to play the same team week in week out and mostly without midweek games has massively benefited Chelsea this year.

It's getting interesting that Leicester did the same last year and Liverpool very nearly three seasons ago.

 

[Southern]

Can't wait for next season. Chelsea will have the same problems that all teams playing midweek in Europe have.

Wonder if we'll hear moaning and excuses from Conte then

 

[inchy14]

More efficient than "defensive", albeit I am not convinced I would enjoy watching City play three/ five at the back with two defensive midfielders in Matic and Kante in front of them. I want to see a little more beauty on the ball than that.

The Stoke game summed up their season with the Cahill goal. Efficient.

If we had Chelsea's efficiency this season we would be up there challenging as there have been far too many games this season which we have come out of and thought what if had we finished our chances.

You can go back to our game against Chelsea at home where we probably should have been at least 2 up, had at least one penalty and had Luiz sent off before they scored and we collapsed.

If we'd been treated by referees the same way Chelsea have we'd be up there challenging. If the 3 games v Chelsea, Spurs and the Dippers had had the correct decisions awarded we'd be neck and neck. If Silva got the same protection Hazard did, if Sterling was given the free kicks or Penalties he's deserved that they've been awarded, If Hull had got the penalty at Stamford bridge at 1-1, etc, etc, etc.....

That's not taking into account our piss poor conversation rate, just officials doing their bastard job the table would have a much better luck to it.

 

[Vienna_70]

More efficient than "defensive", albeit I am not convinced I would enjoy watching City play three/ five at the back with two defensive midfielders in Matic and Kante in front of them. I want to see a little more beauty on the ball than that.

The Stoke game summed up their season with the Cahill goal. Efficient.

If we had Chelsea's efficiency this season we would be up there challenging as there have been far too many games this season which we have come out of and thought what if had we finished our chances.

You can go back to our game against Chelsea at home where we probably should have been at least 2 up, had at least one penalty and had Luiz sent off before they scored and we collapsed.

You're not blaming us for that are you?

 

[Vialli98]

Sorry I didn't elaborate, mate.

I agree with you, Chelsea have been entertaining this season and seem to have the perfect balance for a Premier League team at the moment. I was mainly pointing out that the efficiency has most definitely been their most noticable asset over everything else but like you said it isn't a bad trait to have.

I also think Chelsea having very few - if at all - long term injuries, along with being able to play the same team week in week out and mostly without midweek games has massively benefited Chelsea this year.

It's getting interesting that Leicester did the same last year and Liverpool very nearly three seasons ago.

I don't think the balance is perfect, but yes, I think out of the top 6 teams, we are the most balanced team at the moment.

Chelsea have always had a very good injury record- Pick out any season in the last decade and you'll find us near the bottom of the injuries table every season.

I think we're different than Leicester and Liverpool, because not being in Europe is an anomaly for us. We won the title 2 seasons ago while being in Europe and every other title we've won we've been in Europe. It may have helped Conte settle in easier without Europe, but I don't think it's fair or even true to insinuate that we are where we are mainly because we aren't in Europe.

 

[Vialli98]

Can't wait for next season. Chelsea will have the same problems that all teams playing midweek in Europe have.

Wonder if we'll hear moaning and excuses from Conte then

We won the title pretty comfortably 2 seasons ago with Europe. With the exception of Leicester, every title that has been won in the last 17 years has been won by a team in Europe. Chelsea have done it 4 times. So I don't think we can put Chelsea's likely title this season down to just not being in Europe. That's a lazy excuse IMO. We're a very good team. We tend to challenge for the title most seasons, whilst being in Europe every season.

And if by this time next season, Chelsea aren't 10 points clear at the top, I'm sure we'll hear people say it's because we're in Europe, which would also be a really lazy way to look at it.

 

[dave_blue12]

I don't think the balance is perfect, but yes, I think out of the top 6 teams, we are the most balanced team at the moment.

Chelsea have always had a very good injury record- Pick out any season in the last decade and you'll find us near the bottom of the injuries table every season.

I think we're different than Leicester and Liverpool, because not being in Europe is an anomaly for us. We won the title 2 seasons ago while being in Europe and every other title we've won we've been in Europe. It may have helped Conte settle in easier without Europe, but I don't think it's fair or even true to insinuate that we are where we are mainly because we aren't in Europe.

I think not being in Europe is a massive factor for Chelsea this season. It has given Conte the opportunity to coach his players, instilling his ideas and prepare for just one game per week.

For a new coach that is a big advantage

 

[Vialli98]

I think not being in Europe is a massive factor for Chelsea this season. It has given Conte the opportunity to coach his players, instilling his ideas and prepare for just one game per week.

For a new coach that is a big advantage

I don't deny that it's been a positive for us, but don't think it's the clicnhing factor. As I said, it was probably nice for Conte to have the spare weeks to settle in properly, but I think it's lazy analysis to bog the whole season down to 'Chelsea are not in Europe'.

I can understand why the other top 6 teams would believe it though, because it implies it has more to do with luck and things outside of City's, Spurs' and United's control.