Chelsea pre-match thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ric
  • Start date Start date

Chelsea (a) prediction

  • Win

    Votes: 120 31.4%

  • Lose

    Votes: 150 39.3%

  • Draw

    Votes: 112 29.3%
  • Total voters
    382
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
The way I look at it:
  1. Both our keepers average - Give defence no confidence.
  2. Terrible defence - No settled formation, no cohesion and always look like conceding.
  3. Non-combative midfield - Terrible tackling, woefully slow and often can't pass for toffee.
  4. Forwards - The shining light; Aguero is a goalscorer supreme, Sane is an exciting prospect and Sterling can be a world beater if he stops bottling it.
Can we beat Chelsea? Of cause we can but I do not have very high expectations of achieving such a result.
 
Withnail said:
Would love us to win tomorrow, we have the ability/talent within the team but based on events this season it may go pear shaped.

Clichy and Otamendi are not good enough based on recent performances imo. Expecting the usual stonewall penalty not to be given by the man in black.

Would play Zabba and Vinnie tomorrow. We need leaders and fighters on the field and both have these qualities in abundance.

We owe the chavs after the game at our place.
Click to expand...
Zab doesn't have the legs anymore and would be torn a new one. Vinnie simply isn't match fit and Chavs away IMO certainly wouldn't be the game to start him after such a long lay off
 
I personally think Sterling should be dropped for this and De Bruyne should play from the wings.
 
mosssideblue said:
Unless he has deliberately kicked it in our own nets its disingenuous to blame an individual in a team game
Click to expand...
I disagree. Statistics suggests that there's a 50% chance he'll make another bad mistake, from which we can infer that it's dangerous to play him.
 
From the MUEN...............

James Robson
Given how impressed Guardiola was with Yaya Toure's appearance from the bench against Arsenal, it's fair to say he'll be back in the starting XI against Chelsea.
The question then is whether Fernandinho drops out, or plays at right back - as he has on several occasions since the turn of the year.
In my mind that would be harsh on Jesus Navas, who was superb against Arsenal and my man-of-the-match.
Guardiola was also impressed - enthusing about the winger's display.
Eden Hazard will be another major test, but Navas has earned the right to keep his place after that showing at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling, on the other hand, might not after getting the hook at half time.
Guardiola could play Kevin de Bruyne in a wider role and use Fernandinho and Toure together in midfield.
 
paulchapo said:
Again we will have to agree to disagree here. Wasn't Kompany always held up as a perfect example of a defender who could play out from the back? Indeed he used to be a midfield player who could play a bit. A fit Kompany is better than every centre half we have at the club. We have nothing to gain not playing him but everything to gain by playing him.
Click to expand...

You would think so. But there has to be a very good reason why one of the best managers of all time isn't playing one of the best City defenders of all time.
 
Bluep*ss said:
From the MUEN...............

James Robson
Given how impressed Guardiola was with Yaya Toure's appearance from the bench against Arsenal, it's fair to say he'll be back in the starting XI against Chelsea.
The question then is whether Fernandinho drops out, or plays at right back - as he has on several occasions since the turn of the year.
In my mind that would be harsh on Jesus Navas, who was superb against Arsenal and my man-of-the-match.
Guardiola was also impressed - enthusing about the winger's display.
Eden Hazard will be another major test, but Navas has earned the right to keep his place after that showing at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling, on the other hand, might not after getting the hook at half time.
Guardiola could play Kevin de Bruyne in a wider role and use Fernandinho and Toure together in midfield.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a tit. Drop Sterling, one of our best players this season, whilst playing Navas / argues to play KDB out wide.
 
Father Paul said:
Only marginally more scary than Zabba against Hazard. One will be out of position all the time the other will be murdered for pace.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't mind Navas at RB again, what's the worst that can happen? He was actually excellent against Sanchez and offered two good crosses.
 
Don't understand the negativism on here regarding different subjects.

Chelsea-CITY:
Small chance we win the title because we are too inconsistent and the gap is simply too big. So imho we can play without too much pressure tonight and try to go for what would be an upset if we win. If we loose or draw our remaining fixtures are due to make us finish in the top 4 (and the scum outside the top 6 ...).
We are away and our awayrecord is better than the one at home. We haven't got the best defence (nor the worst), but we have a team that can outscore any opponent. Even on a small pitch being Stamford Bridge. And who knows, we might even get a refereeing decision our way (ok, maybe I'm taking it too far now ...).

VINCENT KOMPANY:
We've played so many games without him I can hardly remember when he played a few back to back for 90 minutes. He has been training with the squad long enough to start him. If he breaks down, nothing will change in a way. If he doesn't, he might be rusty and not up to the standard we know he can be. But it would still be as good as what we can put in defence right now. And who knows he might play a great game and his presence reflects in a positive way to the other teammembers. Kompany is to the squad and fans what Puyol has been for Barcelona when Pep was manager over there. Just play him if he is matchfit and his head is up to it, and let's see where it ends up.

NAVAS AT RIGHT BACK:
Clearly he was put in there vs Arsenal because he was expected to cope with Sanchez. He did wonderfully well and was even in the mood to go out and attack Zaba-like. Zab knows how to play Hazard, but I do remember Zab finds him a tough opponent. Maybe Navas would actually be a better option for this particular game. And I wouldn't be surprised if it's Hazard chasing Navas instead of the other way round.

YAYA:
I understood Pep leaving Yaya out vs Monaco and Arsenal becaue of the movement they have in midfield going by their style of play. Chelsea plays differently and this suits Yaya more.

OUR AIM:
Our aim should be finishing top 4 and play a FA-cupfinal at Wembley. Oh, and beat the filth at our place. Anything better than that is a bonus.

TEAM:
Caballero
Navas-Stones-Kompany/Kolarov-Clichy/Kolarov
KDB-Yaya-Silva
Sterling-Aguero-Sane

Chelsea 1 (we simply can't keep a blank sheet) - CITY 2 (Aguero, Yaya)
 
Bluep*ss said:
From the MUEN...............

James Robson
Given how impressed Guardiola was with Yaya Toure's appearance from the bench against Arsenal, it's fair to say he'll be back in the starting XI against Chelsea.
The question then is whether Fernandinho drops out, or plays at right back - as he has on several occasions since the turn of the year.
In my mind that would be harsh on Jesus Navas, who was superb against Arsenal and my man-of-the-match.
Guardiola was also impressed - enthusing about the winger's display.
Eden Hazard will be another major test, but Navas has earned the right to keep his place after that showing at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling, on the other hand, might not after getting the hook at half time.
Guardiola could play Kevin de Bruyne in a wider role and use Fernandinho and Toure together in midfield.
Click to expand...
bullshit-meter-0.gif
 
Bluep*ss said:
From the MUEN...............

James Robson
Given how impressed Guardiola was with Yaya Toure's appearance from the bench against Arsenal, it's fair to say he'll be back in the starting XI against Chelsea.
The question then is whether Fernandinho drops out, or plays at right back - as he has on several occasions since the turn of the year.
In my mind that would be harsh on Jesus Navas, who was superb against Arsenal and my man-of-the-match.
Guardiola was also impressed - enthusing about the winger's display.
Eden Hazard will be another major test, but Navas has earned the right to keep his place after that showing at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling, on the other hand, might not after getting the hook at half time.
Guardiola could play Kevin de Bruyne in a wider role and use Fernandinho and Toure together in midfield.
Click to expand...

If Navas starts tonight I am not watching. I have had enough of him to be honest.

Navas was lucky to not be taken off after half an hour against Arsenal. Sanchez and Arsenal targeted him and was walking on thin air in regards to a red card towards the end of the first half.
 
Gray said:
The way I look at it:
  1. Both our keepers average - Give defence no confidence.
  2. Terrible defence - No settled formation, no cohesion and always look like conceding.
  3. Non-combative midfield - Terrible tackling, woefully slow and often can't pass for toffee.
  4. Forwards - The shining light; Aguero is a goalscorer supreme, Sane is an exciting prospect and Sterling can be a world beater if he stops bottling it.
Can we beat Chelsea? Of cause we can but I do not have very high expectations of achieving such a result.
Click to expand...

I hope you don't mind my take on it:

  1. One of our keepers is world-class and on an awful run of form probably triggered by personal issues. The other has had an excellent twelve months and would get into over half the teams in the league.
  2. A defence that is worse overall than most other top teams but usually looks fine and has suffered immeasurably from recruitment issues and injuries, and has improved massively since Christmas.
  3. A midfield that has recently been hit hard by the woeful form of De Bruyne who seems to have forgotten how to make passes, but is usually very good, with David Silva one of our best players of the season.
  4. Four exciting young attacking prospects and a top goalscorer as you say, who recently has gotten back into his old ability to score from anywhere.
A draw against Chelsea would do us no good but Spurs a world of good. We need to win it and I think we can but I agree that we will probably not.
 
Marvin said:
That would be stupid for Chelsea. They have to win. If Spurs win at Swansea, and Chelsea City is a draw then the gap to Spurs would be 5 points, and it would be up in the air again. Chelsea haven't been under pressure all season, but imagine if they draw tonight and SPurs win. I doubt any Chelsea fan would settle for a point. Of course it's fine if Spurs slip up, but they can't rely on that
Click to expand...

Spurs aren't consistent enough to win every one of their remaining fixtures, they will almost certainly drop points, probably against weaker teams as they did last season. So even if the gap is down to 5 points tonight, Chelsea still have a degree of cushion. A 5 point lead isn't comfortable but equally it isn't up in the air. They do not have to win. And I think Conte respects us, he knows that the final scoreline at the Etihad was misleading and that this is a very difficult fixture for them. So playing the percentage game, a draw for them is acceptable, just as it was in 14/15. A loss though would ramp up the pressure, not so much because of the extra point dropped but because they really would appear vulnerable.

I'm not saying that Chelsea will come out and park the bus, they'll definitely have a go. Who wouldn't against our defense? But if the scores are level after 75 mins I expect the final substitutions for both teams to be defensive rather than attacking.
 
Danny_Johnson4 said:
3 at the back, and I would bet good money on that being next years preferred system
All games besides the Leicester game, where Pep simply got personnel wrong against Leicesters long ball counter, we have controlled games and possession excellently with 3 at the back
In the initial game against Chelsea where we lost 3-1, we were awesome for an hour with the system and should have had the game won,
We had a spell with Gabriel where 4 3 3 was perfect, and 3 at the back was shelved, but its time we reverted back with the injuries and woeful defensive application of late

Ideally I would go with Stones Kompany Kolarov
But Otamendi will start, god help us.
Click to expand...

Add Mother Nature, Easter bunny and tooth fairy help us. This team (bar the occasions the back line were made to look like Swiss cheese) has played better than most but still drawn. City's profligacy in front of goal is costing wins. I'd give license Sané to do as he pleases. If he can take 4 on, he should. Even if he loses the ball. It'll drag more Chelsea players towards him freeing up other players. Sterling is conservative with his approach. More of a safe player. Sigh, I'm just trying to think of any and everything that can help. If Dinho and Nando play, it'll allow KDB or/and Silva to play with a bit more freedom. Can't see Fernando playing though. I'm scratching my head as to how this game can be approached. I'm just going to be patient until game time. Pep certainly doesn't have it any easier.
 
mosssideblue said:
Oh dear - stats again :(
Click to expand...
I can put it in words if you'd prefer- I don't trust Clichy anymore and that distrust is vindicated by the fact that he's cost us more goals this season than any other City player I can remember in their whole time here combined.
 
MarsLlama said:
I wouldn't mind Navas at RB again, what's the worst that can happen? He was actually excellent against Sanchez and offered two good crosses.
Click to expand...
The difference with this game is that if Navas gets another early yellow Hazard will go all out to get him sent off, as opposed to Sanchez who pretty much gave him a free pass.
 
MarsLlama said:
I can put it in words if you'd prefer- I don't trust Clichy anymore and that distrust is vindicated by the fact that he's cost us more goals this season than any other City player I can remember in their whole time here combined.
Click to expand...
We will agree to disagree then. Far too simple to single out players and not look at the team performance.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top