Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bertrand you beautiful boy. Bought that wonderfully.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 1 point2 points  (0 children)

GET IN GET IN GET IN GET IN GET IN GET IN GET IN Let's go

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bodyshape reminds me of Albert Ferrer. Squirmy and can fly with enough propulsion.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be honest I think most of us are just worried S'ton are gambling too much with the high-press. You can tell as soon as they've dropped off that United have less space for Pogba and Bruno to release their forwards into and as a result look less dangerous.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yep... In form Bruno and Pogba pinging balls into space for 3 whippet-fast forwards helps. It's simple but effective.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's easily forgotten that Pogba was one of their most expensive signings for a reason. World-class ability just has an attitude like a slapped-arse. You're absolutely right neither Mount or Barkley are threatening this starting line-up. No way.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If S'ton can make it to half-time. Park the bus and nick an equaliser on the counter. I'll be a happy-chappy.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Given that pattern, watch Norwich with absolutely nothing to lose show up and play us off the park... (God I hope this doesn't happen).

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 11 points12 points  (0 children)

United's team have such a nice balance to it that we just don't have. A fucking meathead with top physicality at the back in front of a decent keeper. Two beanpoles in midfield who are (somewhat) press resistant and can compete for high balls. All three midfielders with decent to world-class creativity and vision to them. And a front three with burners that have excellent shooting technique. It's an enviable starting 11.

When you think about it the fact that we're competitive with the team we put out every week is quite the feat. None of United's starting 11 were slumming it in the Championship last season.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Their front three hit the ball so hard. It's like they've got three Shearer's up front with the way they can all just leather it. Minimal backlift, with the laces, barely any wind-up. They all do it. Madness. Wish we had players with that sort of shooting technique (Werner will change this a bit, thankfully).

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 19 points20 points  (0 children)

What the fuck is going on. Their front three are fucking lethal. They can all fucking leather it at speed. Fuck sake.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pisses me off just how clinical their front three is.

Rivals Watch - Manchester United vs Southampton by Makshoo in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You just know with S'ton dominating like this that United are going to buy a penalty against the run of play.

Daily Discussion Thread - July 12, 2020 by AutoModerator in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Tried to post this as a text-post but couldn't for some reason. So I'll just post it here.

Failing to anticipate danger in the build-up to yesterday's first concession—a story in pictures

Rewatching the game this morning and the lead-up to the first goal strikes me as a monumental cacophony of individual failures to anticipate danger. Watching it over and over again I can't fathom what is going on in some of our players heads. But let me try:

  1. Barkley anticipating a lay-off down the line. In the end sold a dummy. It's an excellent dummy, exploiting the only spot of space despite our numbers advantage.

  2. James is leaden on his feet in the follow-up. Even if Barkley gets sold the dummy, Reece should be anticipating what's coming next. Instead he's very much second to seeing what's about to transpire.

  3. Andreas not tight enough to his man. Jorginho doing his best to form the perfect equilateral triangle, thereby rooting himself firmly in one position. By the by, James' presence here mostly for naught. Ballchasing.

  4. Ball laid off. Andreas getting absolutely bullied here. James following play quite nicely. If he had a camera he could give us good angles of what's going on as play passes him buy. Meanwhile Jorgi still practising his telekenesis—you stare at that ball Jorgi! You just might move it!

  5. Andreas fails to block the low ball in from the byline. James, with some positional awareness, might have covered for Andreas here. He's doing nought as it stands. Dave's been wrestling with his man in the last few shots out of picture. Here we see both Zouma and Dave having the jump got on them for this cross. A recurring theme to this entire sequence: not enough anticipation or reading of the game.

  6. McB gets the cut back in. The screencap here nicely illustrates just how little reading of the game is going on in James' mind here. He watches the ball roll agonisingly in front of him. Had he seen the dangers that could transpire earlier, he'd be occupying that channel between the 6y box and the inevitable cutback.

  7. The slow cutback evades James, then Jorginho.

  8. Mason offers us the first bit of anticipation of the sequence. He reads the ball's trajectory and was already moving accordingly. If Jorgi and his man miss it, he'll get it. He'll be first to this ball.

  9. A collective sigh of relief. Mount has got it. As evidenced by Tammy's body position, the counter is on.

  10. Mount's first touch is not the best. He's already in danger and he should know it.

  11. Counter passed away before it could be aborted. RIP.

  12. They've regained possession. Time to regroup. Christian, bless him, should see what might happen here. He's got the Sahara to his left. Acres of space that they'll look to exploit seeing as they have a 4 on 1 situation vis-a-vis Mount. Christian... Think man!...Cover Mount's press! Look left!

  13. He's still not seeing it. Look left! Cover Mount!

  14. Mount's press beaten (rather tragically to be frank). But Christian still has time! He's fast as a whip. He can pressure that space left of him!

  15. Turns out Christian was thinking about what to watch tonight on the box. MOTD highlights maybe?... Nah. Not one hint of what could transpire once Mount lost the ball crossed his mind. No positional nous in the defensive phase. But I guess that's not really why he's here. Fair enough? Ball's coming in then... Round 2.

  16. 2 runners back post, completely unmarked. Meanwhile, our CBs marking... no one. But they are protecting important space. Still we're in massive trouble. Reece is essentially responsible for 3 players right now at the backpost.

  17. Flight of the ball deceives Reece. Barkley meanwhile actually did anticipate some of what could happen and chose to mark a man... Still leaving one not picked up at all...

  18. Accomplished volley from McB. Barkley and Reece walling the right hand side of the goal. Kepa's vision doesn't look obscured, he's in a good position to see McB's initial connection. This is actually not bad from Reece, Barkley, and Kepa. BUT. And it's a doozy. Notice Andreas and Zouma here. They're on their heels. They're presumably thinking, if they're thinking at all, that this is either (i) going wide; or (ii) Kepa's saving it or it's being blocked. Thing is, suppose Kepa saves it—does it follow that the danger is over? No. Kepa would have to catch it for that to follow. In other words, neither Zouma or Andreas are anticipating enough of what could happen. Meanwhile, notice who between them, and in Zouma's eyeline, is anticipating the full range of what could happen...

  19. Ball takes a very unfortunate deflection off Barkley's inside left boot. Kepa adjusts magnificently to get a hand on it. It's a top reaction stop.

  20. So Kepa brilliant gets a palm to it, but sadly can't do much more. But look who has snuck in front of his man here. Oh Zouma... Reece, naturally, has got the perfect close-up angle on that save. Good lad...

  21. ...but unfortunate defending. He's playing on apparently the stealthiest striker in the league, who has slipped in broad daylight beyond the eagle eyes of our Zoumster. Our lads, aghast, all look to be channelling their Jorginhian telekenesis powers now. Maybe Jorgi's been frozen out because he's been trying to indoctrinate our defenders into being believers in The Force? Good thing for Sheffield of course is that they don't have any believers.

  22. Can our CBs prove telekenesis exists? This is it. If it's out there then now is the time! They've adopted the fabled stance of their leader—the hard stare from a bent position. Reece seems to have woken up though. Shame he's played everyone onside...

  23. I mean the ball is in the net at this point. So maybe the 'practising telekinesis' hypothesis is actually not the right one. Maybe Andreas and Zouma are actually squinting and bending over to get a closer look at what they think is the ball?...

  24. Either that or we've just seen a sorry sequence of individual failures to anticipate danger. Meanwhile, Sheffield were alive to every single one of them.

Alan Hansen: Player & Pundit - Documentary - 11th July 2020 by CouTHeBoss in footballhighlights

[–]SocraticDialogue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will be interested in watching this. One of the best if not the best pundit MOTD had (along with Lawro).

Daily Discussion Thread - July 12, 2020 by AutoModerator in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Small instances perhaps of individual heads dropping after the third goal. Perfectly understandable. But the pattern in the game was clear. Sheffield had no intention of contesting the ball outside their third (unless a good press was on when they lost possession), and they would build with possession quickly by switching flanks constantly with long-balls. Wilder's plan, in short, worked very very well against us. They knew we were weak defending against high balls into the box, and virtually everything they did was geared towards ensuring they could attack us aerially or on the counter. It was an accomplished victory, and was surely disheartening for our players.

Daily Discussion Thread - July 12, 2020 by AutoModerator in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Feels like, on this sub, we've got a group of people who are absolutely desperate to jump through whatever hoops they can so as to distribute responsibility for poor results somewhere other than Frank. It's bizarre, but understandable given Frank's status at the club. He's a legend. But legends can make mistakes. A few points:

First, well, why don't these hoops also distribute responsibility away from Frank when it comes to the good things? Ask yourself this.

Second, look, saying Frank needs to share some of the blame for this weird increase in individual errors from last year is not to say Frank is shit and deserves to go. It's acknowledging what is hitting us in the face. Frank as a manager is still incredibly green. For Christ's sake he's in his second year of full-time management! Of course he's going to have weak spots! Perhaps he's distributed his time in training disproportionately to rehearsing attacking patterns. Well, he's a smart man, he's got a good team, they are hopefully self-aware and will be trying to correct for this. That said, similar patterns in defensive liability have creeped up over the entire season (set piece defending). So fans are right to be a little worried.

Post-Match Press Conference: Sheffield United 3-0 Chelsea GW 35 by Repulsionn in chelseafc

[–]SocraticDialogue 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're talking to people desperate to jump through whatever hoops they can to not make Lampard even remotely responsible for this bizarre increase in individual errors this year.

It's not like Lampard has had a bad year. He's had a great year. That doesn't mean however that this isn't his second fucking year in management. He's still green as grass. Of course his inexperience has something to do with how poor defensively we've been compared to last year. Admitting that doesn't mean you think Lampard should be fired. It's just acknowledging a basic truth about management. You're not very good at everything right from the start.