Tottenham Hotspur 2 Chelsea 0

[xceleryx]

19 minutes ago, Trini_Blue said:

Fofana for me as the striker but Haverz can feature until Mudryk and Madueke settle down more. 

Mudryk and Madueke have had a really tough start whereas Felix, Enzo and Badiashile look superb.

Not a shock when you consider Mudryk and Madueke have barely kicked a ball this season prior to arriving, while Felix, Enzo and Badiashile all arrived on the back of having played regularly at their previous clubs. 

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

Just win. I don’t care how we do it, just win. We need something positive at this club asap, otherwise it’s going to get nasty very quickly I feel.

I sense the tide is turning amongst the Chelsea fans and the patience they have with Potter and once that’s fully gone, it will be no way back and it’s just going to become a very toxic end to the season.

[FrankLampard8]

1 minute ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Just win. I don’t care how we do it, just win. We need something positive at this club asap, otherwise it’s going to get nasty very quickly I feel.

I sense the tide is turning amongst the Chelsea fans and the patience they have with Potter and once that’s fully gone, it will be no way back and it’s just going to become a very toxic end to the season.

Agreed. These next few games are an opportunity for Potter. Get a couple of results against 2 of our traditional rivals in Spurs and Leeds and get through to the next round of the Champion's League by some miracle and suddenly he's bought himself some time with everyone not least the supporters.

[CarefreeMuratcan]

1 hour ago, FrankLampard8 said:

Agreed. These next few games are an opportunity for Potter. Get a couple of results against 2 of our traditional rivals in Spurs and Leeds and get through to the next round of the Champion's League by some miracle and suddenly he's bought himself some time with everyone not least the supporters.

Only problem is we have been on this broken record of "next couple games some wins some momentum" for a while now. I've personally lost hope now, the pattern has been well and truly established. I don't see us winning either league game, but I do think we will beat Dortmund in the CL. 

[JaneB]

10 from Training: Hard at work at Cobham | News | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club (chelseafc.com)

Well that top picture says it all for me 😞

And I thought the players had been given two days off in light of their fantastic performance against Southampton.

[chara]

2 hours ago, CarefreeMuratcan said:

Only problem is we have been on this broken record of "next couple games some wins some momentum" for a while now. I've personally lost hope now, the pattern has been well and truly established. I don't see us winning either league game, but I do think we will beat Dortmund in the CL. 

When probably the sunniest poster (the terrific counter point for us cynical OGs) in terms of optimism feels this way then it shows things are going South. 

[martin1905]

42 minutes ago, JaneB said:

10 from Training: Hard at work at Cobham | News | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club (chelseafc.com)

Well that top picture says it all for me 😞

And I thought the players had been given two days off in light of their fantastic performance against Southampton.

 

Normally see lots of laughing and happy, smiling faces in the pictures the club release but they all look really miserable.

 

[JaneB]

15 minutes ago, martin1905 said:

 

Normally see lots of laughing and happy, smiling faces in the pictures the club release but they all look really miserable.

 

Unfortunately exactly my point Martin ☹️

[Mark Kelly]

14 minutes ago, martin1905 said:

 

Normally see lots of laughing and happy, smiling faces in the pictures the club release but they all look really miserable.

 

In a way I'm glad they're as miserable as we are. Serves em right , maybe if they put the ball in the net it'll cheer them up?

[kev61]

50 minutes ago, martin1905 said:

 

Normally see lots of laughing and happy, smiling faces in the pictures the club release but they all look really miserable.

 

As Henrik Ibsen said(or was it Henrik Larsson)'a picture is worth a thousand words'.

Never mind Potter's coaching skills it looks like he is boring them to death.

[Sciatika]

Wasn't that Telly Savalas? 

[JaneB]

@Mark Kelly

Ref: Stuart Attwell

VAR: Paul Tierney

 

 

[Mark Kelly]

15 minutes ago, JaneB said:

@Mark Kelly

Ref: Stuart Attwell

VAR: Paul Tierney

 

 

He's not booked anyone in the last two games so after twenty minutes we may have to count our remaining legs.

[Proud-Blue]

18 hours ago, martin1905 said:

 

Normally see lots of laughing and happy, smiling faces in the pictures the club release but they all look really miserable.

 

Then again, if they were a smiling and looking happy, would people not also be angry that they aren't taking our bad form seriously? That they don't care? I'm not sure there was a good way to make these pictures look.

 

[asvaberg]

17 hours ago, kev61 said:

As Henrik Ibsen said(or was it Henrik Larsson)'a picture is worth a thousand words'.

Never mind Potter's coaching skills it looks like he is boring them to death.

Not Ibsen. It's an American phrase. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words

Ibsen, however: "A thousand words can't make the mark a single deed will leave." (Brand)

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by asvaberg

[Mark Kelly]

42 minutes ago, Proud-Blue said:

Then again, if they were a smiling and looking happy, would people not also be angry that they aren't taking our bad form seriously? That they don't care? I'm not sure there was a good way to make these pictures look.

 

If they really wanted some "feel good" photo's they should line the first team squad up , get them to touch their toes and photograph the moment random Chelsea supporters kick each and every one of them up the arse.

It'd certainly make me feel good and it might actually wake some of them up in the bargain .

[martin1905]

Have said elsewhere but I can see us getting seriously turned over in this game, like proper battered. 

5-0

[Holymoly]

2 hours ago, martin1905 said:

Have said elsewhere but I can see us getting seriously turned over in this game, like proper battered. 

5-0

I'd like to think that Thiago Silva will keep our head above water in defense and at any other club with an attack capable of slotting home the odd goal that defense would be giving us great opportunities to win games. Unfortunately... I reckon a loss by the odd goal.

I am on tenterhooks to see who walks out on the pitch for us.

[xceleryx]

After my efforts predicting the Southampton result, I'm thinking more along the lines of a 2-0 loss to us in this one. Kane with a soft gimme courtesy of some lackadaisical defending, with a Hojbjerg effort from range sealing the deal.

[Thiago97]

I'm not as downbeat on this game as others. I think it will be a close game and we can pick up a result here.

It's easy and natural to look at the loss against Southampton and be expecting worse here, but football doesn't work like that. If it did, there would be little point in playing the games.

You only need to look at our record this season and it's clear to see the bigger the game, the more dialled in we have been. That's not to say we have been good in the bigger games, but we have been better, excluding the Arsenal home game.

My main worry is we end up playing into their hands by dominating possession, creating chances and not taking them, then getting suckered on the counter. It does have the feeling of prime Jose Chelsea against Wenger Arsenal about it. Which is why it is going to be crucial to take one of the chances I can see us creating early on.

I would like to see us back to three man defence for this game. Get the energy of Gallagher in the middle and allow Reece and Chilwell to provide the width, if we can get to half time in front. Then we can think about using Mudryk and Madueke in the second half when Spurs need to hopefully start chasing the game.

                        Kepa

      Fofana    Silva   Badiashille

James Gallagher Enzo  Chillwell

         Mount     Felix

               Havertz

[My Blood Is Blue]

14 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

I'm not as downbeat on this game as others. I think it will be a close game and we can pick up a result here.

It's easy and natural to look at the loss against Southampton and be expecting worse here, but football doesn't work like that. If it did, there would be little point in playing the games.

You only need to look at our record this season and it's clear to see the bigger the game, the more dialled in we have been. That's not to say we have been good in the bigger games, but we have been better, excluding the Arsenal home game.

My main worry is we end up playing into their hands by dominating possession, creating chances and not taking them, then getting suckered on the counter. It does have the feeling of prime Jose Chelsea against Wenger Arsenal about it. Which is why it is going to be crucial to take one of the chances I can see us creating early on.

I would like to see us back to three man defence for this game. Get the energy of Gallagher in the middle and allow Reece and Chilwell to provide the width, if we can get to half time in front. Then we can think about using Mudryk and Madueke in the second half when Spurs need to hopefully start chasing the game.

                        Kepa

      Fofana    Silva   Badiashille

James Gallagher Enzo  Chillwell

         Mount     Felix

               Havertz

I like the optimism and I do like the lineup, I think with Fofana, James and Chilwell back a move to 3 at the back does make sense.

In terms of the lack of optimism throughout the fan base, I don’t think it’s based on Southampton, I think that was just the final nail in the coffin for Potter and this fan base (unless he somehow turns around our form in dramatic fashion). The lack of optimism is based on the entirety of our time under his guidance, it’s been awful, his record is terrible and we’ve seen no signs of any kind of progress.

The only thing that’s giving me a tiny bit of hope for Sunday is that Spurs have proven this season they sometimes just don’t turn up (look at the Leicester game), so we have to hope that happens, but I don’t expect it to, not against us.

[xceleryx]

15 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

I'm not as downbeat on this game as others. I think it will be a close game and we can pick up a result here.

It's easy and natural to look at the loss against Southampton and be expecting worse here, but football doesn't work like that. If it did, there would be little point in playing the games.

You only need to look at our record this season and it's clear to see the bigger the game, the more dialled in we have been. That's not to say we have been good in the bigger games, but we have been better, excluding the Arsenal home game.

My main worry is we end up playing into their hands by dominating possession, creating chances and not taking them, then getting suckered on the counter. It does have the feeling of prime Jose Chelsea against Wenger Arsenal about it. Which is why it is going to be crucial to take one of the chances I can see us creating early on.

I would like to see us back to three man defence for this game. Get the energy of Gallagher in the middle and allow Reece and Chilwell to provide the width, if we can get to half time in front. Then we can think about using Mudryk and Madueke in the second half when Spurs need to hopefully start chasing the game.

                        Kepa

      Fofana    Silva   Badiashille

James Gallagher Enzo  Chillwell

         Mount     Felix

               Havertz

The midfield remains a problem even with a switch to a back three. There's no real way we can afford to play Gallagher and Enzo together as a pairing, there needs to be someone in there that'll actually sit to allow Enzo that room to get forward otherwise we're doing ourselves a disservice. We saw the problems it caused us vs Southampton having Enzo and Kovacic together, and Kovacic is a more rounded player than Gallagher. As much as I don't like it, we either have to partner Enzo with Loftus-Cheek for the time being or we look at maybe a three man midfield where everyone can sort of rotate a little as needed so the responsibly is shared. 

I'd also be dropping Mount completely, irrespective of how we line up. 

For me something along the lines of this if we're to play a back three;

Kepa

Fofana - Silva - Badiashile 

RJ - Gallagher - Enzo - CM*- Chilwell

Felix
D.Fofana 

* One of Loftus-Cheek or Kovacic

 

I've said this in the last few weeks but given the midfield situation right now I'd contemplate throwing Chalobah into the mix, more so now that Fofana is back. He's not unfamiliar with the position and he's going to offer a bit more defensively than anyone else we've currently got available. 

[Mark Kelly]

We'll probably find out the team and the tactics by lunchtime today to give Spurs a chance to counter thanks to whoever it is leaking information to the media every week.

[asvaberg]

                          Kepa

          FofanA - Silva - Badiashile

James                                          Chilwell

                Gallagher - Enzo

            FofanB - Auba - Felix 

[Thiago97]

13 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

The midfield remains a problem even with a switch to a back three. There's no real way we can afford to play Gallagher and Enzo together as a pairing, there needs to be someone in there that'll actually sit to allow Enzo that room to get forward otherwise we're doing ourselves a disservice. We saw the problems it caused us vs Southampton having Enzo and Kovacic together, and Kovacic is a more rounded player than Gallagher. As much as I don't like it, we either have to partner Enzo with Loftus-Cheek for the time being or we look at maybe a three man midfield where everyone can sort of rotate a little as needed so the responsibly is shared. 

I'd also be dropping Mount completely, irrespective of how we line up. 

For me something along the lines of this if we're to play a back three;

Kepa

Fofana - Silva - Badiashile 

RJ - Gallagher - Enzo - CM*- Chilwell

Felix
D.Fofana 

* One of Loftus-Cheek or Kovacic

 

I've said this in the last few weeks but given the midfield situation right now I'd contemplate throwing Chalobah into the mix, more so now that Fofana is back. He's not unfamiliar with the position and he's going to offer a bit more defensively than anyone else we've currently got available. 

Yeah I’m general agree. RLC will get game time right now due to being the best fit with  Enzo. I just feel we will dominate possession here and spurs have their own injury problems in centre midfield. For this game, my thinking was I we look for Enzo to play a Jorginho deep possession game, and allow the legs around him to be the ones to break forward. It’s certainly not ideal, but I see midfield breaks from Mount, Gallagher as being our key route to success in this game. 
Mount in form does not really deserve to be starting. He does have a habit of playing  well against spurs though, so for that reason and because he can play a hybrid 8 & 10 role and does carry out instructions well, I would start him on Sunday and see if it can produce a performance from him.