Chelsea (H) 06.03.17 - 8pm k/o SS1

Ravel49

j26c

SuzanneClaret

We need to be extremely disciplined, I'd want Kouyaté back in the middle for a start.

IronHerb

Same starting X1 I expect with Ayew in for Antonio. That is if AC isn't fit.

Teddy Sherringham on SSN's League Cup build up said "Antonio will be a big miss with Carroll out for a couple of weeks". ;hmm

Lukerz

GK
Byram - Fonte - Reid - Cresswell
Noble - Obiang - Kouyate
Snodgrass/Feghouli - Ayew - Lanzini

baracks_a_hammer

I agree with Byram at right back

He should play there every game now for what remains of this season. If he makes mistakes he'll learn from them and come back better.

There is no downside to doing this as all we are trying to play for now is 9th place.

TwistandShout

Randy
Byram, Fonte, Reid, Cresswell
Obiang, Noble, Kouyate
Feghouli, Lanzini
Calleri

Counter attack football.

Yeoldhammer

Getting tonked whatever team goes out. The pitch is the crem da la creme for the top teams. Wouldn't be surprised by a 4 nil battering similar to Arsenal City.

SuzanneClaret

Well yes that is a possibility, especially if we gift them a goal / penalty.

Discipline is the key and of course having players in the right positions. A RB at RB for example and a striker up-front.

TwistandShout

Yeoldhammer said:

Getting tonked whatever team goes out. The pitch is the crem da la creme for the top teams. Wouldn't be surprised by a 4 nil battering similar to Arsenal City.

I get the impression you're not too confident, YeOld? ;whistle

thornburyiron

Yeold why is the pitch an issue. Chelsea's is 103m x 67m and ours is 105m x 68m. I'm not sure they'll notice an extra metre width.

Lukerz

To be honest I reckon two extra metres is quite significant in Premier League professional football. ;hmm

thornburyiron

I'm not sure an extra 2 metres in length of a pitch is that significant to be honest, no more than 1 metre in width. Given how many players end up taking the ball over the line any extra width might help them keep it in play.

Yeoldhammer

Did Man U tonk us 4-1 here or at their place ?

I just think bigger teams love this pitch. The way City and Arsenal dismantled us, you could put it down to better players and so on. But Chelsea fit in that bracket to.
The only thing we got going is we beat them in the League Cup albeit a different Chelsea side to the one we will face next Monday.

thornburyiron

It doesn't matter where they beat us, the pitch has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Yeoldhammer

An extra Metre / 2 Metres is a big difference when you have players like Hazard who can use that to take that extra yard to work with for trickery.

Lukerz

To be fair, once they brought on their star men in the cup game for the final 20, they could've had 4 goals.

The pitch wasn't an excuse v Watford and Saints. We were just terrible.

But against the top six! With £40m players. Different story.

thornburyiron

Yeold if that was the case we should have a field day against teams who play on smaller pitches but we don't. It's the quality of player that counts not pitch size. If it was pitch size how did we manage to beat teams like Arsenal, city, Liverpool etc away last year.

brookingsirons

We must treat this as an away game they will have possession its about closing them down and hitting them on the break and good set pieces there weakness is defending corners that's our only chance imo .

We need the big man for this game that's for sure.

OutcastLondoner

thornburyiron said:

I'm not sure an extra 2 metres in length of a pitch is that significant to be honest, no more than 1 metre in width. Given how many players end up taking the ball over the line any extra width might help them keep it in play.

I think the area of the pitch is actually about 130m larger, which I think does make a difference in giving players space and also how players evaluate their positioning. When you have quality and confidence, that space becomes something to work with while it becomes something you're working against when you don't have those things and are nervous. I do think this season involves a lot of recalculation: players working out how to play that pitch regularly, fans getting used to it, manager working out what players he needs.

I like Noble but I think he's a player who might suffer from those extra meters. He's slow and now attacking players have an extra bit of space they can use to keep away from his pressing.

NEoldiron

I think some simple arithmetic is missing from some posts.
If indeed, as Thorn says, the pitch sizes are Chelsea 103m x 67m (6901sq.m) and ours 105m x 68m (7140 sq.m) then (by my reckoning ;biggrin) ours is 2 metres longer and 1metre wider and therefore 239sq.m larger.

NEoldiron

Brookings:
there our weakness is defending corners* that's our not their only chance imo . Fixed it for ya ;biggrin.
* Based on our last 2 games in the last minutes. ;weep

OutcastLondoner

That's what I meant NEold ;wink

Bazshuayi

I think most of us got used to beating the big teams last season (and prior beatings by them were sort of forgotten). Now normality is restored, if you make too many mistakes against them then you get Hammered (see what I did there). Last season we were able to overpower and score plenty of goals whatever the defence was like. On the whole, since snake left, we've done well and look a fair way away from the early season shambles we mostly were.

For me, the best I can do is keep Alonso, Hazard and Costa (my Captain) in my fantasy team and hope it jinxs them all. I cant do anything about Pedro, Fabregas or Willian though ;hmm

Expat_Hammer

Baz, I've got Cahill covered ;thumbsup

IronHerb

Alonso is mine ;lol

MrsGrey

I normally ditch or bench any players who are up against us in that particular FF GW. Sadly, owing to the parlous state of my team (3 injured, 1 suspended, 2 never selected by their managers), I am going to have to keep Costa for this one. I'll make him Captain. That'll learn 'em.

Expat_Hammer

I don't know, maybe even more of a cardinal sin, I've made a spud my captain ;weep

Bazshuayi

I feel dirty (and not in a good way) ;puzzled

Lukerz

Actually I'd go 3 at the back for this:

Randolph
Kouyate - Fonte - Reid
Byram - Noble - Obiang - Lanzini - Cresswell
Snodgrass
Carroll/Ayew

Adrian, Collins, Masuaku, Nordtveit, Fernandes, Feghouli, Ayew/Carroll

Whenever we've gone 4-2-3-1 at home against the big boys we've been rinsed.

alderz

That's true, but we're also playing much better at the moment than at any other point in the season, IMO. I would stick with 4-2-3-1.

Randolph; Byram Fonte Reid Cresswell; Obiang Noble; Feghouli Lanzini Snodgrass; Ayew

IronHerb

How does Kouyate not get in the team?