Ratings vs Chelsea

cliff jones said:

Poor reffin by Atkinson, they just kept fouling, no cards
Completely agree with this!

Luiz pushed/pulled Kane to the floor three times without even attempting to play the ball, and intentionally used his arm to control the ball and get out of a tricky situation. All of this amounted to one free-kick and no cards.

Alonso eventually got booked for kicking the ball away, but had already gotten away with three late tackles and kicking the ball away on an earlier free-kick. Really should have been booked, so arguably lucky to be on the pitch (although possibly would have been more sensible had he already been on a yellow).

Willian was also a very lucky boy. I do wonder whether he was subbed off at least partially because Conte saw him lose his head and didn't want to take a risk.

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Ionman34 said:

This. We were 2-2 when Son was subbed, blaming the defeat on playing him at LWB is ridiculous, particularly as we were dominating the game.
They took their chances, we didn't, it's as simple as that. When you have two of the best teams in the country playing each other, the margins are as fine as that.

It's been a while since I've felt this deflated after a match, much like everyone else here, but grow a pair for fucks sake. We lost a finely balanced, hard fought exciting match. Whining about blame makes some of you lot sound like spoilt tarts.

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Anurag Jo said:

Doesn't matter who the man of the match.Result aside i am really proud of the boys today.Great performance,never stopped going . This team has character and lot of bottle.Watch out for next season.We'll certainly win something.

Today was just a freak day.Chelsea were appalling for the most part of the game but won because of wonder goals.

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Ionman34 said:

This. We were 2-2 when Son was subbed, blaming the defeat on playing him at LWB is ridiculous, particularly as we were dominating the game.
They took their chances, we didn't, it's as simple as that. When you have two of the best teams in the country playing each other, the margins are as fine as that.

It's been a while since I've felt this deflated after a match, much like everyone else here, but grow a pair for fucks sake. We lost a finely balanced, hard fought exciting match. Whining about blame makes some of you lot sound like spoilt tarts.

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Ionman34 said:

This. We were 2-2 when Son was subbed, blaming the defeat on playing him at LWB is ridiculous, particularly as we were dominating the game.
They took their chances, we didn't, it's as simple as that. When you have two of the best teams in the country playing each other, the margins are as fine as that.

It's been a while since I've felt this deflated after a match, much like everyone else here, but grow a pair for fucks sake. We lost a finely balanced, hard fought exciting match. Whining about blame makes some of you lot sound like spoilt tarts.

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guiltyparty said:

Think this spectacularly misses the point. We should have been well in front as we'd dominated the game. We weren't, then they had better players to bring on than us (which we knew so needed to get up early). Bang.

Obviously Son isn't solely to blame but to suggest that had no impact is nonsense. And when the change is to switch Trippier to left back, it's hardly improving our lot either.

Poch lost the mind games. We had a good go but again we lose when the pressures on. I'm past explaining that away, but have fun doing so. Call everyone tarts if you need to

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guiltyparty said:

Think this spectacularly misses the point. We should have been well in front as we'd dominated the game. We weren't, then they had better players to bring on than us (which we knew so needed to get up early). Bang.

Obviously Son isn't solely to blame but to suggest that had no impact is nonsense. And when the change is to switch Trippier to left back, it's hardly improving our lot either.

Poch lost the mind games. We had a good go but again we lose when the pressures on. I'm past explaining that away, but have fun doing so. Call everyone tarts if you need to

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Bus-Conductor said:

MISFORTUNE FAVOURS THE STUPID

OK, last week was all about the power of Poch, and whatever we are now, we are because of him. But as with the good, that is also true of the bad. Today Poch has to take a fair chunk of responsibility for us losing that game. I walked in on the game a minute and half into it, not knowing the teams etc, and the first thing that hit me like tactical stun grenade was seeing Son at LWB. It was tactically poor in various ways. The first, obviously being that Son is not a defender, is not used to the dynamics and disciplines of that role, and maybe against a bus Parker at WHL Poch might have gotten away with it, maybe, in a game like this, against a team like Chelsea, it was very naive to assume it would not cause us problems. The second most obvious problem is that in trying so desperately to squeeze all our best attacking players onto the pitch from the start, it left us with a very weak bench, with no-one capable of really impacting the game in an offensive way from the bench should we need it. It also meant that should the tactical gamble go wrong, it could only really be rectified by taking one of the attacking players out of the game for good, or taking someone out of a pivotal role or changing to a shape which might not have been tactically as effective against the 343 of Chelsea. It was a pretty schoolboy mistake, and it cost us at least one goal. It wasn't Poch's last mistake, IMO, but will get to them later.

Chelsea came out lively and caught us on the hop a little. The first goal was clusterfuck that started with Dier being caught a bit flat footed, forgetting that he's not a CM, getting spun too easily, followed by Alderweireld possibly unnecessarily giving away a free kick and then to complete the trifecta, Lloris makes a bit of a pigs ear of the free kick. That 5th minute goal was the only time Chelsea scored a goal that wasn't completely against the run of play.

We then proceeded to take the game by the bollocks, and having deservedly got ourselves back it with a great ball from Eriksen, flicked in adroitly by Kane, and with the game seemingly completely under our control, Poch's tactical faux pas came back to bit us on the arse big style with Son making a horribly mistimed slow motion slide tackle from about 20 yards away from Moses who, like any player in his position, RSVP'd Son's invitation "yes please". Willian dispatched the penalty.

Once again, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves down and went about dominating the football. Our second equaliser was as good a goal as you will see. Eriksen, picking the ball up just infield on the right, seems to see the into future, and plays a ball that defied belief, whipping a low pass through the air that simultaneously curled away from the reach of Luiz but arced into the run of Alli, who for his own part had done what he does best, which is read Eriksen's brain and share that glimpse of the future, making the move and finishing deftly but emphatically. It was a sublime piece of football that deserved to win a game, not be a footnote.

We continued to dominate, but then Poch decided to make another one of his "curious" subs. For me, by this stage, we were so on top, and still trying to win the game, the defensive left side issue was a horse that had bolted long ago, and was less of an issue. Maybe bringing Walker on was a reactive measure to the introduction of Hazard, but I don't really get that either, Walker in recent years has proven just as likely to be mesmerised by Hazards twinkle toes as Trippier might be, I'd have happily let Trippier stay there and with 3CB's hope we could cope. There was no real issue down the left any more as we were so dominate and Chelsea so unambitious, but if that was Poch's motive, just bring Davies on. If that sub was designed to quell Hazard, it failed miserably as Walker - or whoever else should have - left Hazard all on his own from one of Chelsea's few corners. I'm really disappointed that someone like Alderweireld didn't organise us better at that corner - and this has to be something Poch looks at in the future, we can't be leaving a row of Chelsea players on the edge of the box from a corner, someone has to be barking orders and making sure bases are covered. From there Hazard gets the breaks that we didn't get throughout this game. Where Chelsea had blocked all day, we didn't, Hazard's shot goes through the legs of Alli, Dier seems to choose to let it go buy him and Lloris sees it too late.

And then Poch influences the fourth goal with another substitution. Matic scores from a big Wanyama shaped hole where Wanyama had previously been. Eriksen was the best player on that pitch today, but Poch's sub had the immediate, devastating effect of replacing a teak peg with a piece of balsa wood, and where Wanyama would have put his nuts in front of train if it would benefit his team, Eriksen just didn't quite offer up the same resistance. Football can be a cruel mistress, and that a player like Matic, who never scores, doesn't even have the ambition to want to score, hits a shot like that was football at it's very cruelest. It was a jagged dagger through the heart of what had been a fine performance.

It was a performance that, just prior to their third goal, had me thinking to myself, damn, we are a fucking good team now.

Dembele did get caught dawdling on the ball a couple of times, there were a couple of occasions when I wanted him to move the ball quicker, but apart from that he and Wanyama were like tooled up gladiators slapping weedy christians armed with feather dusters around the coliseum. Matic and Kante were like a pair of turtles in windsock. They just couldn't live with our two Brutus's. It's Dembele, Wanyama and Eriksen I feel most sorry for. These three were absolutely outstanding today.

We cannot ignore Poch's influence on this performance or result. It was because of him that we outplayed, by some distance, this Chelsea side. But it was also partly because of him that we didn't get the right result. He made a very fundamental selection error from the start. Then, in a state of superiority he made changes that at best were moot, at worst, made us less superior.

What annoys me is that, for all our own self inflicted pain, this Chelsea side still didn't deserve to win this game, they didn't play it cute, soak us up, stop us playing, disturb our rhythm, nullify us or prevent us getting into dangerous areas and then cleverly hit us repeatedly on the break in a threatening way. They did that a coupe of times in the first 5 minutes, but from then on it was just moments of fortune really. Son gives away stupid penalty. Hazard fires one hopefully from the edge of the box that whizzes through a crown and finds it's way in. Matic cracks a howitzer from 30 yards off the crossbar. None of their goals, really involved any football, or clever tactical planning. This wasn't a tactical masterclass, such as the League cup final under Mourinho, this was a couple of mistakes by Poch, a couple of individual moments of brilliance not so much fortune favouring the brave, as misfortune punishing the stupid.

Individual

Lloris - Lucky not to get penalised for handling outside the box, was partially at fault for the first. After that I guess he didn't have much chance with the goals but didn't do anything great either.

Trippier - Was growing more and more involved and then got switched to the left.

Dier - Got caught napping for the first, and seems to make a decision to get out of the way of Hazard's shot. Also gave the ball away with a careless pas in the build up to the third goal I think. Apart from that he was OK.

Alderweireld - Decent enough but I think he didn't have to give away the free kick for the first.

Vertonghen - Good game for the most part

Son - Horrible first half, and whilst his challenge for the penalty was really poor, you really can't blame him too much as he just shouldn't be playing as a LWB. Was contributing second half and by then I would have eft him on.

Wanyama/Dembele - These two were outstanding today, bullied their midfield completely out of the game. And we mention Dembele's passing efficiency a lot, well Wanyama made 60 passes at 93.3% today (Dembele 53 @92.5).

Eriksen - This little fella is our maestro. That pass for the second goal is ensconced in my memory forever, a thing of utter beauty. Apart form that he was, as ever, our creative metronome, more touches than anyone on the pitch, constantly at the hub of everything good we do, and even winning aerial duels and shit. MOTM.

Alli - This was one of those slightly frustrating games. There was the obligatory moment of productive brilliance, and a fleeting few other moments of quality, but there were too many occasions where a bit more composure were needed, where he needed to stay on his feet and get the ball under control instead of flipping it away or allowing Chelsea players to fluster him or bundle him off it.

Kane - Worked hard, great finish for the goal.

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Ionman34 said:

One of the most accurate appraisals I've ever seen you post BC.

I'd be interested in your appraisal of the ref, who I thought was very poor when it came to decisions in or around their box.

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Bus-Conductor said:

MISFORTUNE FAVOURS THE STUPID

OK, last week was all about the power of Poch, and whatever we are now, we are because of him. But as with the good, that is also true of the bad. Today Poch has to take a fair chunk of responsibility for us losing that game. I walked in on the game a minute and half into it, not knowing the teams etc, and the first thing that hit me like tactical stun grenade was seeing Son at LWB. It was tactically poor in various ways. The first, obviously being that Son is not a defender, is not used to the dynamics and disciplines of that role, and maybe against a bus Parker at WHL Poch might have gotten away with it, maybe, in a game like this, against a team like Chelsea, it was very naive to assume it would not cause us problems. The second most obvious problem is that in trying so desperately to squeeze all our best attacking players onto the pitch from the start, it left us with a very weak bench, with no-one capable of really impacting the game in an offensive way from the bench should we need it. It also meant that should the tactical gamble go wrong, it could only really be rectified by taking one of the attacking players out of the game for good, or taking someone out of a pivotal role or changing to a shape which might not have been tactically as effective against the 343 of Chelsea. It was a pretty schoolboy mistake, and it cost us at least one goal. It wasn't Poch's last mistake, IMO, but will get to them later.

Chelsea came out lively and caught us on the hop a little. The first goal was clusterfuck that started with Dier being caught a bit flat footed, forgetting that he's not a CM, getting spun too easily, followed by Alderweireld possibly unnecessarily giving away a free kick and then to complete the trifecta, Lloris makes a bit of a pigs ear of the free kick. That 5th minute goal was the only time Chelsea scored a goal that wasn't completely against the run of play.

We then proceeded to take the game by the bollocks, and having deservedly got ourselves back it with a great ball from Eriksen, flicked in adroitly by Kane, and with the game seemingly completely under our control, Poch's tactical faux pas came back to bit us on the arse big style with Son making a horribly mistimed slow motion slide tackle from about 20 yards away from Moses who, like any player in his position, RSVP'd Son's invitation "yes please". Willian dispatched the penalty.

Once again, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves down and went about dominating the football. Our second equaliser was as good a goal as you will see. Eriksen, picking the ball up just infield on the right, seems to see the into future, and plays a ball that defied belief, whipping a low pass through the air that simultaneously curled away from the reach of Luiz but arced into the run of Alli, who for his own part had done what he does best, which is read Eriksen's brain and share that glimpse of the future, making the move and finishing deftly but emphatically. It was a sublime piece of football that deserved to win a game, not be a footnote.

We continued to dominate, but then Poch decided to make another one of his "curious" subs. For me, by this stage, we were so on top, and still trying to win the game, the defensive left side issue was a horse that had bolted long ago, and was less of an issue. Maybe bringing Walker on was a reactive measure to the introduction of Hazard, but I don't really get that either, Walker in recent years has proven just as likely to be mesmerised by Hazards twinkle toes as Trippier might be, I'd have happily let Trippier stay there and with 3CB's hope we could cope. There was no real issue down the left any more as we were so dominate and Chelsea so unambitious, but if that was Poch's motive, just bring Davies on. If that sub was designed to quell Hazard, it failed miserably as Walker - or whoever else should have - left Hazard all on his own from one of Chelsea's few corners. I'm really disappointed that someone like Alderweireld didn't organise us better at that corner - and this has to be something Poch looks at in the future, we can't be leaving a row of Chelsea players on the edge of the box from a corner, someone has to be barking orders and making sure bases are covered. From there Hazard gets the breaks that we didn't get throughout this game. Where Chelsea had blocked all day, we didn't, Hazard's shot goes through the legs of Alli, Dier seems to choose to let it go buy him and Lloris sees it too late.

And then Poch influences the fourth goal with another substitution. Matic scores from a big Wanyama shaped hole where Wanyama had previously been. Eriksen was the best player on that pitch today, but Poch's sub had the immediate, devastating effect of replacing a teak peg with a piece of balsa wood, and where Wanyama would have put his nuts in front of train if it would benefit his team, Eriksen just didn't quite offer up the same resistance. Football can be a cruel mistress, and that a player like Matic, who never scores, doesn't even have the ambition to want to score, hits a shot like that was football at it's very cruelest. It was a jagged dagger through the heart of what had been a fine performance.

It was a performance that, just prior to their third goal, had me thinking to myself, damn, we are a fucking good team now.

Dembele did get caught dawdling on the ball a couple of times, there were a couple of occasions when I wanted him to move the ball quicker, but apart from that he and Wanyama were like tooled up gladiators slapping weedy christians armed with feather dusters around the coliseum. Matic and Kante were like a pair of turtles in windsock. They just couldn't live with our two Brutus's. It's Dembele, Wanyama and Eriksen I feel most sorry for. These three were absolutely outstanding today.

We cannot ignore Poch's influence on this performance or result. It was because of him that we outplayed, by some distance, this Chelsea side. But it was also partly because of him that we didn't get the right result. He made a very fundamental selection error from the start. Then, in a state of superiority he made changes that at best were moot, at worst, made us less superior.

What annoys me is that, for all our own self inflicted pain, this Chelsea side still didn't deserve to win this game, they didn't play it cute, soak us up, stop us playing, disturb our rhythm, nullify us or prevent us getting into dangerous areas and then cleverly hit us repeatedly on the break in a threatening way. They did that a coupe of times in the first 5 minutes, but from then on it was just moments of fortune really. Son gives away stupid penalty. Hazard fires one hopefully from the edge of the box that whizzes through a crown and finds it's way in. Matic cracks a howitzer from 30 yards off the crossbar. None of their goals, really involved any football, or clever tactical planning. This wasn't a tactical masterclass, such as the League cup final under Mourinho, this was a couple of mistakes by Poch, a couple of individual moments of brilliance not so much fortune favouring the brave, as misfortune punishing the stupid.

Individual

Lloris - Lucky not to get penalised for handling outside the box, was partially at fault for the first. After that I guess he didn't have much chance with the goals but didn't do anything great either.

Trippier - Was growing more and more involved and then got switched to the left.

Dier - Got caught napping for the first, and seems to make a decision to get out of the way of Hazard's shot. Also gave the ball away with a careless pas in the build up to the third goal I think. Apart from that he was OK.

Alderweireld - Decent enough but I think he didn't have to give away the free kick for the first.

Vertonghen - Good game for the most part

Son - Horrible first half, and whilst his challenge for the penalty was really poor, you really can't blame him too much as he just shouldn't be playing as a LWB. Was contributing second half and by then I would have eft him on.

Wanyama/Dembele - These two were outstanding today, bullied their midfield completely out of the game. And we mention Dembele's passing efficiency a lot, well Wanyama made 60 passes at 93.3% today (Dembele 53 @92.5).

Eriksen - This little fella is our maestro. That pass for the second goal is ensconced in my memory forever, a thing of utter beauty. Apart form that he was, as ever, our creative metronome, more touches than anyone on the pitch, constantly at the hub of everything good we do, and even winning aerial duels and shit. MOTM.

Alli - This was one of those slightly frustrating games. There was the obligatory moment of productive brilliance, and a fleeting few other moments of quality, but there were too many occasions where a bit more composure were needed, where he needed to stay on his feet and get the ball under control instead of flipping it away or allowing Chelsea players to fluster him or bundle him off it.

Kane - Worked hard, great finish for the goal.

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guiltyparty said:

How do you agree with that and then call people out for saying the same thing? Did you miss the bit where BC says Son at LWB effectively cost us the game? That bit you said was bullshit when others said it? So so "accurate"

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bat-chain said:

Proud of them all. Hugely difficult week.

While we can debate Pochettino doing one thing or not doing another. I simply don't agree with picking apart this performance. Honestly I think in think in the circumstances it was incredible.

Just consider that yesterday while Chelsea were relaxing and putting the final bits on their tactical plan our whole club was likely doing something very different in a totally different atmosphere.

Not to make excuses just the reality of what the club has gone through.

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