Sheffield United 2 Chelsea 2

[JaneB]

Please use this thread for all posts relating to our Premier League match against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane before, during and after the game.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 17:30 hours on Sunday, 7th April 2024 (Local UK time/date)

[JaneB]

Ref: Robert Jones

VAR: Paul Tierney

[asvaberg]

This has a homewin written all over it. Charity Chelsea comes on a visit to the oldest ground still in use for professional football. We should bring the Chelsea pensioners with us, free of charge.

https://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/the-chelsea-pensioners

[Mark Kelly]

They really need the points and have something to play for, home win. 

[Sciatika]

Beating Man Utd means nothing if we can't beat Sheffield (and Everton).

[Miguelito07]

1 hour ago, Sciatika said:

Beating Man Utd means nothing if we can't beat Sheffield (and Everton).

I dont think we will

[CarefreeMuratcan]

We are 14 points off Spurs with a game in hand.

Spurs have to play Newcastle away, Arsenal home, us away and Liverpool away in a row.  They still need a match at home against City to be scheduled. 

If we just put a string of wins together for once, it is doable. Please. Please. 

Edited April 5 by CarefreeMuratcan

[Miguelito07]

2 minutes ago, CarefreeMuratcan said:

We are 14 points off Spurs with a game in hand.

Spurs have to play Newcastle away, Arsenal home, us away and Liverpool away in a row. 

If we just put a string of wins together for once, it is doable. Please. Please. 

You think we can get top 5 - after that shite defending yesterday? Dont do it to yourself CM. We havent been able to string along any consistency (with wins in the league) at all this season and I dont think we are going to start now. It is clear Poch is unable to coach a defence and is sure as hell not going to start now.

[CarefreeMuratcan]

1 hour ago, Miguelito07 said:

You think we can get top 5 - after that shite defending yesterday? Dont do it to yourself CM. We havent been able to string along any consistency (with wins in the league) at all this season and I dont think we are going to start now. It is clear Poch is unable to coach a defence and is sure as hell not going to start now.

I have to believe! Until the Mathematics rule us out!

[chiswickblue]

2 hours ago, Miguelito07 said:

You think we can get top 5 - after that shite defending yesterday? Dont do it to yourself CM. We havent been able to string along any consistency (with wins in the league) at all this season and I dont think we are going to start now. It is clear Poch is unable to coach a defence and is sure as hell not going to start now.

7th place would be a dream at the moment, even though it only really means winning a game in hand and then keeping pace with our rivals. No chance we get 5th place!

[asvaberg]

I'm more optimistic than at 95mins last night 🙂 We showed spirit in extra time and even Poch took his "mask off" and expressed genuine joy. Me like.

 

Get Silva and Chilwell back in central defence, 

We do score goals now - but we need to 

a) stop making foolish mistakes out of the blue (!)

b) practice corners

c) (but not least) close our backdoor

I wholeheartedly think we can beat both Blades and Toffees now.

 

[Mark Kelly]

Just now, asvaberg said:

I'm more optimistic than at 95mins last night 🙂 We showed spirit in extra time and even Poch took his "mask off" and expressed genuine joy. Me like.

 

Get Silva and Chilwell back in central defence, 

We do score goals now - but we need to 

a) stop making foolish mistakes out of the blue (!)

b) practice corners

c) (but not least) close our backdoor

I wholeheartedly think we can beat both Blades and Toffees now.

 

I think CFCnet could beat Sheffield United in fairness. 

[chara]

25 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think CFCnet could beat Sheffield United in fairness. 

Hmm...I believe we as a group would out talk them and destroy them with wit, gentle sarcasm and puns...the last being devasting 

[boratsbrother]

Some really strange GD stats in the league this year.

6th place Utd have -1 GD. Only +2 over Fulham in 13th place.

7th place West Ham - 5. Only +6 over Everton in 16th place.

We've scored 10 more than Utd having played a game less but 4 places below them.

We've comceed only 3 fewer than Forest who are in 17th and we've played 2 games less than them.

 

[Ham]

4 hours ago, boratsbrother said:

Some really strange GD stats in the league this year.

6th place Utd have -1 GD. Only +2 over Fulham in 13th place.

7th place West Ham - 5. Only +6 over Everton in 16th place.

We've scored 10 more than Utd having played a game less but 4 places below them.

We've comceed only 3 fewer than Forest who are in 17th and we've played 2 games less than them.

 

Mental. 

[Holymoly]

Really don't want to jinx things by giving a match day prediction but I just hope that the players take to heart the feeling they will have had Thursday night.

[My Blood Is Blue]

This will be a harder match for our lot than the Man United match, and will likely throw up a very frustrating performance and result, that’s just how our season has gone.

Looking at this weekends fixtures, it’s very possible we end the weekend in 7th… I expect though, we’ll finish it 12th.

[CarefreeMuratcan]

5 hours ago, Holymoly said:

Really don't want to jinx things by giving a match day prediction but I just hope that the players take to heart the feeling they will have had Thursday night.

It feels like we have had a several of those this season though. The Spurs win, City games, Newcastle Cup, Villa Cup win, Leeds win and Leicester win. This one definitely felt different because of the circumstances so hopefully it will be a watershed moment. 

[Chelsea_Matt]

If we can’t beat 10-man Burnley at home then this has home win written all over it. We’re too weak.

[Sciatika]

15 hours ago, boratsbrother said:

Some really strange GD stats in the league this year.

6th place Utd have -1 GD. Only +2 over Fulham in 13th place.

7th place West Ham - 5. Only +6 over Everton in 16th place.

We've scored 10 more than Utd having played a game less but 4 places below them.

We've comceed only 3 fewer than Forest who are in 17th and we've played 2 games less than them.

 

if you use GD as a marker, the values roughly reflect their positions with a couple of exceptions (Man United and  West Ham, as you say). A solid defence (including GK) is a key attribute in league position. Cup games are more like basketball, especially against lower-league sides, so it matters more to outscore your opponents. Our problem is mainly that we have to score 3 or more to get a win and that is down to the defence. What we need in the summer (as suggested by @My Blood Is Blue in another thread) is an experienced CB in his late 20s or early 30s who has played in the PL. Silva is too old now. I have doubts that Fofana will ever get fit. I think Trev will be sold for PRS, and even if Badiashile and Disasi get better, it won't be fast enough. Alfie needs a loan. We need an experienced CB

Edited April 6 by Sciatika

[boratsbrother]

If like to see Caicedo benched for this game but we sinply don't have any better options to replace him, so I  guess he'll have to start.  

Start Chalobah in place of Badiashile. Start Sterling in place of Jackson, who has been poor the last two games. 

My only worry about this game is our players being emotionally drained after the other night and get off to a bad start. 

 

 

[boratsbrother]

5 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

if you use GD as a marker, the values roughly reflect their positions with a couple of exceptions (Man United and  West Ham, as you say). A solid defence (including GK) is a key attribute in league position. Cup games are more like basketball, especially against lower-league sides, so it matters more to outscore your opponents. Our problem is mainly that we have to score 3 or more to get a win and that is down to the defence. What we need in the summer (as suggested by @My Blood Is Blue in another thread) is an experienced CB in his late 20s or early 30s who has played in the PL. Silva is too old now. I have doubts that Fofana will ever get fit. I think Trev will be sold for PRS, and even if Badiashile and Disasi get better, it won't be fast enough. Alfie needs a loan. We need an experienced CB

Yes, a solid leader/shouty organiser at the back is the number one priority this summer.  Finding that players will make a very significant difference to our points total next season.

[Chelsea_Matt]

6 minutes ago, boratsbrother said:

If like to see Caicedo benched for this game but we sinply don't have any better options to replace him, so I  guess he'll have to start.  

Start Chalobah in place of Badiashile. Start Sterling in place of Jackson, who has been poor the last two games. 

My only worry about this game is our players being emotionally drained after the other night and get off to a bad start. 

 

 

Emotionally drained after a win. That’s our little snowflake players to a tee. 

[boratsbrother]

29 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

Emotionally drained after a win. That’s our little snowflake players to a tee. 

Come on! That wasn't just a win, it was once in a career kind of win by a team which is not an experienced, battle hardened set of players.

[Ham]