Chelsea v West Ham, Saturday 31st January 2026, 17:30 KO on SKY

12346

Comments

  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    I wonder how Traore's physique ( he's always been short and wide) is a result of him not having a career as a 1st choice player, so he spends hours more in the gym.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    After what he did the muscle he needs to lose most is that between his ears.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    It’s annoying every game to see that our defenders are not aware of what’s happening around them which is why opponents appear unannounced to slot home or they get their heads to the ball first because the defender has hardly left the ground.
    It’s obvious we don’t have a defensive coach.
  • LukerzLukerz
    Was Bowen injured
  • HammerdublinHammerdublin
    Lukerz said:

    Was Bowen injured

    Twisted his ankle, played over pain. Should have been taken off earlier but didn't want to go until late.
  • stevesteve
    Todibo miss miss Burnley .Man u, and the FA cup game I guess
  • FortuneseekerFortuneseeker
    Sorry thorn are you trying to tell me our defenders, Kilman excluded, need to be coached on how to defend? It should come as second nature to them.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    It should be second nature but obviously isn’t so some body should be drumming it into them. Big Sam made them practice all day long if necessary so that it became an automatic action without thinking.
    They’ve already mastered the without thinking part so just need to master the defending part.
  • EXETERHAMMEREXETERHAMMER
    We were so good first half.

    Football, and supporting West Ham is so frustrating.
  • LukerzLukerz
    We gifted them 3 goals, all 3 awful
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    We have conceded 48 goals this season of which 13 have been headers.
    Currently we are 5 points behind Forest and 6 behind Leeds but effectively 6 and 7 because of our diabolical goal difference.
    Got a feeling it may need circa 40 points to stay up this season so may need 20 points from our last 14 games.
  • LukerzLukerz
    If we beat Leeds final day, that’s 4 points to make up in the other 13 - it’s not impossible if we keep playing like we are in the majority of games
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    Leeds v Forest next Friday. I suppose a draw would be best for us but who knows.
  • LukerzLukerz
    Well whoever loses we can close in on them with a win, if they draw we close in on both, Forest & Palace tomorrow I suppose a draw is best?
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    First time Chelsea have ever won a PL game when 2-0 down at half time. Probably the first time they’ve ever played their second team in the first half and then their first team in the second half.
    At least it gave us the opportunity to play like we did in that first half but trouble with us is 2 goals are probably not going to get us a win against most PL teams until our defenders do their jobs better.
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    edited February 1
    I think Todibo sadly might get more than the regular 3 game ban, it looks bad IMO & wouldn’t be surprised to see it increased, hope I’m wrong, that game went from fab to disaster, the red card for me made it even worse especially knowing who at present we have left at CB to play…
  • LukerzLukerz
    Good news is it will force us to sign one before the deadline
  • LukerzLukerz
    I think the reality is, after sleeping on it, if we’d been told after losing to Forest at home we’d win three & narrowly lose one of our next four games - especially when you saw that we had Spurs away, Sunderland home & Chelsea away, you’d have thought it was impossible.

    Huge game next week. We simply have to win if we want any chance of staying up & not relying on a miracle. Nuno didn’t help with his sub choices yesterday but, equally, he doesn’t have much on the bench. Wilson, Traore (who he put on) & two kids in midfield, plus defenders & a keeper.
  • LukerzLukerz
    We all expected not a lot from the game, was just gutting to get into a position of 2-0 up after 55 mins & take nothing from the match
  • alderzalderz
    18 points dropped from winning positions tells you two things. We have the ability to get in front, and there’s one major thing that needs sorting out if we’re going to stay up. If we can get that defence sured up and keep playing as we are, we’ll be fine.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    If we’d only secured half of those we’d not now even be mentioning going down or 4 or 5 of those and we’d be right in the mix.
  • LukerzLukerz
    I’d also add the keeper - again yesterday I think a calmer & more assured keeper gives us a better chance of seeing it out
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    Lukerz said:

    I’d also add the keeper - again yesterday I think a calmer & more assured keeper gives us a better chance of seeing it out

    Sadly we don’t have one though…
  • EXETERHAMMEREXETERHAMMER
    Keeper, CB and another midfielder we can rely on to hold the ball/manage the game.
  • LukerzLukerz
    The more I see that first goal - why didn’t Areola just come & collect the cross, heads it in the 6 yard box.
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    Lukerz said:

    The more I see that first goal - why didn’t Areola just come & collect the cross, heads it in the 6 yard box.

    I don't think that's on tbh, the ball just reached the 6 yard box at the back post, it was too much ground for Areola to make up from his natural starting position to get there. To me, Mavropanos was much more at fault, he let his man run in behind him and have a completely uncontested header.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    Similar with the second goal. The guy at the back post who headed back across, for Kilman to head against his own bar, jumped unchallenged.
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    In fairness to Mavropanos, having looked at that first goal again, although in the build up it looked like initially he had Pedro and Todibo had Delap, as Fofana advanced unchallenged towards our box, Todibo did move towards him in case he drove into the box; this basically left Mavropanos with both Pedro and Delap to try and cover, and he was caught somewhat in no man's land.

    There was a huge gap between Todibo and Diouf that Fofana was driving towards, but Diouf was covering a man out wide and again was probably torn between continuing to cover him and trying to stop Fofana, only coming back inside when it was too late to prevent Fofana's delivery.

    Summerville was tracking Palmer, Soucek had been over on our right to stop progression there, Pablo pressed Caicedo who then passed the ball to Fofana, and Pablo was never able to get on terms with him. Maybe Fernandes could have got across sooner, to pick up Palmer maybe and free up Summerville to engage Fofana, and maybe AWB should have seen that Todibo was being dragged out of position and been taken responsibility for Pedro allowing Mavropanos to move onto Delap?

    So I still think the ball in wasn't there to be claimed by Areola, but unless Mavropanos was going to leave Delap completely unmarked, it was hard for him to be much closer to Pedro when the ball was delivered, so I was harsh apportioning too much blame to him initially.
  • alderzalderz
    buffybegood said:

    In fairness to Mavropanos, having looked at that first goal again, although in the build up it looked like initially he had Pedro and Todibo had Delap, as Fofana advanced unchallenged towards our box, Todibo did move towards him in case he drove into the box; this basically left Mavropanos with both Pedro and Delap to try and cover, and he was caught somewhat in no man's land.

    There was a huge gap between Todibo and Diouf that Fofana was driving towards, but Diouf was covering a man out wide and again was probably torn between continuing to cover him and trying to stop Fofana, only coming back inside when it was too late to prevent Fofana's delivery.

    Summerville was tracking Palmer, Soucek had been over on our right to stop progression there, Pablo pressed Caicedo who then passed the ball to Fofana, and Pablo was never able to get on terms with him. Maybe Fernandes could have got across sooner, to pick up Palmer maybe and free up Summerville to engage Fofana, and maybe AWB should have seen that Todibo was being dragged out of position and been taken responsibility for Pedro allowing Mavropanos to move onto Delap?

    So I still think the ball in wasn't there to be claimed by Areola, but unless Mavropanos was going to leave Delap completely unmarked, it was hard for him to be much closer to Pedro when the ball was delivered, so I was harsh apportioning too much blame to him initially.

    #Analysis
  • FortuneseekerFortuneseeker
    buffy's auditioning for a spot as a pundit on Sky Sports.
Sign In or Register to comment.