City v Chelsea post match

[BillyShears]

Just out of interest, what do you put the terrible conversion rate of chances down to. Do you reckon it is just bad luck or is there more to it?

No idea because it's not just one player missing chances. It's all of them. Personally I think there's an element of this all that is mental. There's too much anxiety in the play in all parts of the pitch but especially in the penalty boxes. Kun and KDB are killers. The chances they've missed this season and the stupid decisions they've made don't bare thinking about. Even on Saturday we miss two tap in goals because KDB and Kun don't square the ball but instead go for glory.

 

[Tom_mcfc]

For who - the opposition?

Every opponent Chelsea have faced since the settled team and formations haven't found it easy? How can you have a settled team if it is changed every single game. Our defence is bad enough without having new partnerships every week.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

I'll just reiterate. Our problem at home against all the teams we've dropped points against is our profligacy in front of goal. You admit yourself that it's probably our biggest problem right now.

So why then is every thread about the Chelsea game chatting about pressing, and defending, and dropping the defensive line deeper. It's almost as if some people have already forgotten who the manager is and what his beliefs are.

KDB buries his open goal we win. Aguero takes one of his countless clear chances we win. The ref gives one of the two nailed on pens, we win. This is all about goal scoring and how when we don't get the goals, mentally we become brittle, and inevitably we conced when pressure is brought to bare. The best way to cut that out isn't by defending deeper or by "playing to the strengths" of our worst players, it's by working on our finishing and composure in training.

I don't have an issue with Pep or his systems and I don't want him to ditch his philosophies, if anything I want his team to represent his philosophies more clearly. I just don't think the players are carrying out his plans as well as they were a couple months ago. I think talking about the press is totally legitimate, surely the press is an absolutely central part of pep's philosophy?

 

[flb]

For an hour on Saturday not only was that a classic Pep team, but the game itself was probably the highest level PL match i've seen in years.

Pep isn't going to change. He isn't going to compromise the way his teams set up. Every aspect will remain consistent. Build from the back. High defensive line. High risk high possession high pressing football. We pressed Chelsea into so many mistakes at the weekend. They're lucky that it score wasn't 3 or 4 nil by the time we conceded. That's kinda the point which seems to be TOTALLY lost on you and a few others. It isn't the defending that is costing us, it's the attack. A Pep defence will always be vulnerable to certain counter attacks. This is being amplified by the quality of players he has. But even with that in mind, we take 50% of the clear cut chances we've made against Chelsea, Boro, Everton, Southampton, and we bury all those teams and take maximum points.

Every team rues missed chances mate, the games also about defending when the strikers are having an off day.

Peace.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

No idea because it's not just one player missing chances. It's all of them. Personally I think there's an element of this all that is mental. There's too much anxiety in the play in all parts of the pitch but especially in the penalty boxes. Kun and KDB are killers. The chances they've missed this season and the stupid decisions they've made don't bare thinking about. Even on Saturday we miss two tap in goals because KDB and Kun don't square the ball but instead go for glory.

I agree, I think there was a freedom about the way we were playing prior to the Celtic and Spurs games that we don't see quite as regularly at the moment. I did mention confidence in one of my earlier posts, I think it is a factor. Don't get me wrong we still play some great stuff at times but there are lots of times when I see players take extra touches and think, "you weren't doing that earlier in the season". I don't think it can be overstated how much confidence/anxiety affect most things that happen on a football pitch.

 

[BillyShears]

I don't have an issue with Pep or his systems and I don't want him to ditch his philosophies, if anything I want his team to represent his philosophies more clearly. I just don't think the players are carrying out his plans as well as they were a couple months ago. I think talking about the press is totally legitimate, surely the press is an absolutely central part of pep's philosophy?

I don't think it's legitimate to be talking about our press after Saturday's performance, no. I also don't think that just because a player or two cannot execute what Pep wants three months into his first season in charge we should start throwing the baby out with the bath water and demanding that he change. I guess that's what I'm responding to, but maybe people aren't suggesting he changes and i'm just misreading what they're saying!

Either way the important thing is that we all acknowledge that it was unrealistic to expect that Pep would come in, snap fingers, and we'd become an all conquering machine. There was always going to be teething problems and difficult patches. I trust him more than any other manager we've ever had to get things right - and to get them right relatively quickly.

 

[BillyShears]

Every opponent Chelsea have faced since the settled team and formations haven't found it easy? How can you have a settled team if it is changed every single game. Our defence is bad enough without having new partnerships every week.

Very easy to say these thing with hindsight. It's worth baring in mind that Chelsea's collapse last season was put down to Mourinho only having 1 tactic and 1 team selection that he liked and that worked for him. As soon as that stopped working the wheels came off big time. Of course right now Chelsea are on a great run so everyone will point to the settled side. But for me it's not that simple.

I do agree that we need a settled CB pairing. That's the one thing I disagree with Pep on. With the way in which we have to rotate full backs due to age, Otamendi and Stones should be playing every single game to develop an understanding with each other.

 

[BillyShears]

Every team rues missed chances mate, the games also about defending when the strikers are having an off day.

Peace.

The game is about defending and attacking and different managers have different perspectives. Pep's is that the onus is on the attack - this way you create loads of chances and in theory score loads goals. What's happened to us since Everton is bizarre. WE've created a shit ton of chances and missed most of them. That isn't normal and isn't just the strikers having an "off day". It's something deeper that needs to be addressed by working on their composure and decision making. Not by asking the defenders to drop 20 yards deeper, the midfield to do the same, and to then end up creating LESS chances.

 

[flb]

The game is about defending and attacking and different managers have different perspectives. Pep's is that the onus is on the attack - this way you create loads of chances and in theory score loads goals. What's happened to us since Everton is bizarre. WE've created a shit ton of chances and missed most of them. That isn't normal and isn't just the strikers having an "off day". It's something deeper that needs to be addressed by working on their composure and decision making. Not by asking the defenders to drop 20 yards deeper, the midfield to do the same, and to then end up creating LESS chances.

Totally agree about the chances we are missing, bizarre indeed, Sterling seems to have gone back to last season with his finishing, Kev is more of a provider under Pep these days, Aguero is a worry at the moment- hes just picked up a 4 match ban according to sky, his head doesn't seem right, does he feel the new system is a detriment to his goal scoring?

Very excited about GJ coming in though, I see him propelling us to new heights, love to see a front three of GJ, SA and RS-delicious!

Me and you are never going to agree about defending mate, you know how i stood on Pellegrini and we have been like cat and dog about it in the past!

When the latest POD out for the Chelsea game?

 

[BillyShears]

Totally agree about the chances we are missing, bizarre indeed, Sterling seems to have gone back to last season with his finishing, Kev is more of a provider under Pep these days, Aguero is a worry at the moment- hes just picked up a 4 match ban according to sky, his head doesn't seem right, does he feel the new system is a detriment to his goal scoring?

Very excited about GJ coming in though, I see him propelling us to new heights, love to see a front three of GJ, SA and RS-delicious!

Me and you are never going to agree about defending mate, you know how i stood on Pellegrini and we have been like cat and dog about it in the past!

When the latest POD out for the Chelsea game?

Fuck knows what's up with Kun at the moment but his head definitely isn't right. Chelsea pod out in a couple of hours. It's a long one though!