2015-16 EPL Season

[Sixth Man]

Thanks ! Tp

i knew that but it didn`t come to mind
I didn`t use the extra help of

the Scottish version of a common curse word usually meaning 'not very good'

 

my german are getting better and better

Good news, just don't forget to wear your lederhosen...!

[Sixth Man]

Kun, Merlin and Kolarov all injured on int'l duty, but Yaya and Nasri return, along with Vinny.  We need to reestablish that good feeling from the Barcodes match against Bournemouth. 

Looking forward to seeing Klopp's debut in 3 1/2 hours!

[Rondo2287]

Painful draw for Tottenham, really should have taken all 3 points.  In the end though, still undefeated since opening day. 

[Sixth Man]

Looks like Mou may be finished at Chelsea.  Good thing he signed that lucrative contract extension before the season.  I believe he has something like 30 million left on his deal. 

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Looks like Mou may be finished at Chelsea.  Good thing he signed that lucrative contract extension before the season.  I believe he has something like 30 million left on his deal.

I know these are rumors, but what are the chances of Pep Guardiola managing Chelsea if Jose Mourinho gets axed.

Also, is Arsenal the best team in the PL right now or what? 

[Rondo2287]

Looks like Mou may be finished at Chelsea.  Good thing he signed that lucrative contract extension before the season.  I believe he has something like 30 million left on his deal.

I know these are rumors, but what are the chances of Pep Guardiola managing Chelsea if Jose Mourinho gets axed.

Also, is Arsenal the best team in the PL right now or what? 

If Son is back in the starting 11 in a few weeks I think Tottenham can give Arsenal a run for their money

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Looks like Mou may be finished at Chelsea.  Good thing he signed that lucrative contract extension before the season.  I believe he has something like 30 million left on his deal.

I know these are rumors, but what are the chances of Pep Guardiola managing Chelsea if Jose Mourinho gets axed.

Also, is Arsenal the best team in the PL right now or what? 

If Son is back in the starting 11 in a few weeks I think Tottenham can give Arsenal a run for their money

I've said at the start that the Spurs have the talent to make it to top 4. Harry Kane looks like he's back in fine form, that could be scary. Lamela seems to be playing okay now.

We'll see. It's what, 2 weeks before the North London Derby? Arsenal has been mighty the last 3 weeks, and if not for Gabriel mistiming his block on Ross Barkley's strike, we could say that Petr Cech has kept 4 clean sheets, including vs Bayern Munich and a red hot Robert Lewandowski, so he's in mighty form along with that defence. Giroud has been scoring as well since he grew that beard.


So I say bring it, Spurs.

[Sixth Man]

Looks like Mou may be finished at Chelsea.  Good thing he signed that lucrative contract extension before the season.  I believe he has something like 30 million left on his deal.

I know these are rumors, but what are the chances of Pep Guardiola managing Chelsea if Jose Mourinho gets axed.

Also, is Arsenal the best team in the PL right now or what? 

Hard for me to imagine The Pep signing onto manage Roman's three-ring circus, especially since he already turned him down several times to go on sabbatical in NYC before taking the Bayern job.  I think The Pep would prefer a position which would be somewhat less tenuous than the Chelsea job, a poisoned chalice if ever there was one. 

However, I would be thrilled if he went there, as I don't want to see him anywhere near Man City.  He's a walking Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.estorm, stirring up problems within the organization he labors for. 

Best team in the PL?  Well, who's tied for the lead on points?  There is your answer - as they say, "The table never lies." 

[Sixth Man]

Looks like Mou may be finished at Chelsea.  Good thing he signed that lucrative contract extension before the season.  I believe he has something like 30 million left on his deal.

I know these are rumors, but what are the chances of Pep Guardiola managing Chelsea if Jose Mourinho gets axed.

Also, is Arsenal the best team in the PL right now or what? 

If Son is back in the starting 11 in a few weeks I think Tottenham can give Arsenal a run for their money

I've said at the start that the Spurs have the talent to make it to top 4. Harry Kane looks like he's back in fine form, that could be scary. Lamela seems to be playing okay now.

We'll see. It's what, 2 weeks before the North London Derby? Arsenal has been mighty the last 3 weeks, and if not for Gabriel mistiming his block on Ross Barkley's strike, we could say that Petr Cech has kept 4 clean sheets, including vs Bayern Munich and a red hot Robert Lewandowski, so he's in mighty form along with that defence. Giroud has been scoring as well since he grew that beard.


So I say bring it, Spurs.

Careful what you wish for...

[ederson]

I don`t know whether the table lies or not but MC `s performance against an pretty average MU this weekend was embarrassing

[Sixth Man]

I don`t know whether the table lies or not but MC `s performance against an pretty average MU this weekend was embarrassing

Well, I'm a City fan, and I can be much harder on my own club, manager and players than even most United, etc. fans, but I was quite satisfied with the point away against a very good side.  We didn't play very well, but I thought our players competed, especially in the first half.  They were obviously quite knackered coming out after halftime, but given the ridiculous injury list we've been carrying all season, most of the City players you saw have played nearly every match this season, not to mention two games in each international break. 

I think it is worth noting that Pellegrini played a very defensive formation, which helped to create the stodgy play you saw, but which is essential to grinding out wins and draws in adverse conditions.  This has been our biggest weakness as a squad, so I was pleased that MP is finally willing to bow to reality, stop being so [dang] naive, and play for results as well as for the ideal of the "jogo bonito."

We're tied with an excellent Arsenal side at the top of the PL table and have a leg up on qualification for the group stage of the CL, so my focus is more on the bigger context of the season as a whole.  This season has to be about really truly competing for silverware, not laying down and rolling over as we did last campaign.  Credit to United, I was impressed with the work-rate and discipline displayed.  The return fixture at the Etihad should make for a more open match, I think...

[Sixth Man]

I don`t know whether the table lies or not but MC `s performance against an pretty average MU this weekend was embarrassing

You know what is embarrassing?  Chelsea's travails under a manager who is literally begging to be sacked to collect a nice big payout on the remainder of his new deal.  Three-ring circus under Mou this season...

[Yoki_IsTheName]

What in the world is going on with Chelsea?

Seriously, what is going on with Chelsea? Another defeat!?

[Who]

Four attacking problems

(1) Double pivot = two holding midfielders reducing options for deep midfielders to move the ball forward. Hurting combination play in attack. It is also slowing down attacks and allowing opponent to get more men behind the ball. This is easily fixed by moving from a double pivot to a single pivot and playing two central midfielders instead of one attacking midfielder.

(2) Lonely striker = Diego Costa is up front all by his lonesome and has nobody to combine with. This allows defenders to converge on him and either costs Chelsea possession or slows down attacks enough to make it more difficult for Chelsea to score. This is also easily fixed by playing a 2nd striker up front next to Costa or moving the wide players further up and playing a 4-3-3 allowing Costa some passing options when he receives the ball.

(3) Defensive full backs = Mourinho is very defensive in full back selections & instructions with Chelsea. Again, this is limiting attacking play. Ivanovic has been a problem all season. Playing Zouma as a full back was a disaster in attacking play. Finally, Azplicueta has been moved back to RB (best position) and Baba Rahman (best attacking full back) is finally getting an opportunity. But they still play for Mourinho who doesn't give them much freedom going forward.

(4) Lack of pace to get in behind defense = Diego Costa isn't the quickest striker to begin with and is clearly heavy-legged this season. Football is simple. In attack, you want to make the pitch big. In defense, you want to make it small. Costa's inability to stretch the pitch for Chelsea is allowing defenders to push up and shrink the pitch. Lowering the amount of room the midfielders have to work with and making Chelsea easier to defend.
 
.....

Sick of how badly Mourinho's defensive mindset & tactics are hurting the team.

Bloody boring to watch as well of late.

I want Mourinho gone.

A lot of the problems Chelsea are going through are coaching problems. Mourinho is doing a terrible job. As things get worse, he gets more and more defensive minded and the attack gets worse and worse. Giving opponents more and more opportunities to get on the ball and attack Chelsea on the other end. Giving them belief. And zapping belief from his own players. Not trusting in their talent & technique. Only in himself (Mourinho). His defensive organization.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Harry Kane still killing Arsenal. Lovely ball towards him and just completely broke free.