Chelsea (A) - Thu 5th Jan, 20:00 | Pre-Match Thread

[Tolmie scores]

We weren't undone by a wonder goal,we were undone by playing poorly, and not being able to put the game to bed after going 1 0 up at home to a poor Everton side

Agree Marios...and the fact a forward can slip in your own box and still not get challenged before being able to get his head up and pick his spot ..unchallenged from 15 yards...every prem forward has the technique to find the postage stamp from 15 yards ...when unchallenged, a bet he hasn't scored an easier one. Usually he would have lost possession, been crowded out by prem defenders who 'wanted it'..Lazy we were and complacent

 

[M16 citeh]

We just need to defend properly. It's far too easy for the opposition to score. It's coming from a lack of communication and poor defending. No one seems to be spotting the danger and picking up a man. We dominated Liverpool in the league cup yet they scored from incredibly easy football. A simple pass and not picking up the movement. The Everton goal came from giving it away in their half, Gray then gets it and run the length of our half, stops, turns, slips and still scores. We had plenty of cover yet no one was communicating. Akanji should have been covering Gray and blocking the ball, but falls for the overlapping run. Stones and Rodri had gone into the box to cover that space and could have covered a ball into the middle. Lewis followed his man thinking Akanji had Gray covered. If someone was shouting it would help. Stones probably should be calling to Akanji to take the man, as he could see the runner and come across to block. Chopping and changing defence doesn't help, but we're making too many errors in general and then defending in such an amateur manner. Look how bad it is on the screenshots, no way should they score here. Chelsea can't score for shit so we'll know if it's still an issue if they do!

Thanks for the detailed response. Sometimes it is the simple things I'm trying to get into peps head and ignoring the basics...

 

[Deleted member 77198]

...and if he doesn't stanch it into the top corner we win 1-0 ugly. Champions performance etc.

Everything would have been different had that Gray shot went over the bar. If they didn’t score then, they might have scored off their next attack for all we know.

 

[MadchesterCity]

One thing that’s struck me is I (perhaps we) don’t know our best 11, left back is still a real problem area for us

The formation I posted looks more like this with the ball, with Bernardo and Cancelo interlinking with the forwards and Rodri and De Bruyne

Ederson
Walker Stones Laporte
Bernardo Rodri Cancelo
Alvarez De Bruyne Foden
Haaland

One of the hardest things about selecting the best City 11 is making the most of De Bruyne and Haaland. Ideally I would have two KDB so I could play him in multiple positions.

Defending I suppose the shape in theory would be best like this

Ederson
Walker Stones Laporte Cancelo
De Bruyne Rodri Bernardo
Alvarez Foden
Haaland

The problem we have is that we are often so dominant that if we lose possession that the team ends up looking more like this with loads of room in behind and poor defensive shape

|——-|
——

—-——Ederson———-



Stones Laporte
Walker
————(half way)———————

Rodri
Cancelo
Bernardo
De Bruyne Haaland Alvarez Foden
|——-|

Not sure if this makes sense

 

[Tangled up in blue.]

Chelsea can't score for shit, until they play us of course

Obviously

 

[Tangled up in blue.]

I think the defence will be our downfall this season

 

[citymad]

Agree Marios...and the fact a forward can slip in your own box and still not get challenged before being able to get his head up and pick his spot ..unchallenged from 15 yards...every prem forward has the technique to find the postage stamp from 15 yards ...when unchallenged, a bet he hasn't scored an easier one. Usually he would have lost possession, been crowded out by prem defenders who 'wanted it'..Lazy we were and complacent

Perhaps its simply that we're out of practice on how to defend properly when under pressure. Teams like Everton and Brentford play on the counter attack so are used to defending doggedly week in week out. We never have too and get complacent at times hence the 15 yards that Gray got to pick his spot. How many times have we said that was brilliant defensive display by City?

 

[supercity88]

Thanks for the detailed response. Sometimes it is the simple things I'm trying to get into peps head and ignoring the basics...

Pep's undoubtedly complex and hard to understand at times, but our defending is fucking abysmal at the moment. Try to work out what the City player is trying to do, who he is picking up. There's a combination of no pressure on the ball and failing to pick up a man. At our best, we press with such intensity that the opposition don't have time to either see a pass that's on or make it successfully. You can see in the screenshots against Liverpool that, for their first goal we've plenty of players who look to be defending but they're not pressing the ball or picking up a runner and it's a piece of piss for them to then slot the ball through before finding Carvalho completely unmarked in our box for a tap in. For the second Haaland presses, but then each subsequent press is too slow and it gives enough time for Liverpool to play out. Rodri then gets tight but is far too easily turned and Nunez is played in and wins the footrace. Ake for some reason doesn't stick to Salah to prevent the pass across either.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Peps saving that team for the last game of the season:)

When we're 2-1 down with four minutes to go. Or 2-0 down with fourteen to go. We like to tease the rags and dippers like that, you know. It's our sadistic side…

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Ake for some reason doesn't stick to Salah to prevent the pass across either.

Yes, initially I thought that was poor from Aké, too. But I think he just didn't trust Laporte to recover at all. I think if I had a choice and time, I'd let Nunez try it from that angle, rather than letting Salah try it when he's square on goal. But these are split second decisions, and it's easy to say from an armchair.
Re both Rodri and Cancelo. I don't trust either of them not to get turned. They're not Kyle Walker, that they can be skinned and then recover. They'd be well advised to stand a couple of yards, or even three, off their player, if he's clearly got the ball under control. And just let them know that they're there, so as to inhibit what they do with the ball.
Although I'm still convinced that that fucking goal at Anfield was controlled by Salah with the top of his arm, knocking it down onto his foot… grrrr! You can watch it fifty times (I have) and that's what it looks like.
Incidentally, that final photo, Liv 11, is really instructive. Four City players around the Liverpool player with the ball. Real schoolyard break time stuff! Meanwhile, in the foreground, there's a Liverpool player who's just free as a bird. Cole Palmer, I think it is, is not getting near him if the ball comes over to him. He's got acres of space to advance in. Then Aké's got the rock-and-hard-place decision as to whether to go to him to get the challenge in, thus leaving Salah free.