Awful is harsh when he kept a clean sheet and didn't allow a team that was superior in the air to beat us at set plays.
I meant the 2-2 league game, came out of his box to try to get the ball but retreated back and Leicester still had time to score when they eventually crossed it in. He's always got an error lurking in him as we also saw when he played for Argentina in the world cup.
Kepa is bobbins, but I don't think xG is a useful stat for rating keepers at all. The 0.04 and 0.02 for Alexander-Arnold's and Keita's goals for example take into account all the times shots from that distance end up in the stands or blocked etc, whereas those two were stuck in the top corner.
Ah ok. Yes, he was poor there but frankly I don't think he was any worse than Kepa - the issue fundamentally is that the defense has to play differently because right now every other shot on target results in a goal more or less.I meant the 2-2 league game, came out of his box to try to get the ball but retreated back and Leicester still had time to score when they eventually crossed it in. He's always got an error lurking in him as we also saw when he played for Argentina in the world cup.
Mind you I always remember the season you got Kepa you were seriously considering Jack Butland so it could be worse.
Handanovic if you could get him for a season or two would be a smart pick up I think.
Yeah I agree, I'd be reluctant to draw any firm conclusions from the xG of a single match, but today was just another data point damning Kepa. He clearly has no idea how to defend free kicks and he's now apparently extended this futility to shots from 25+ yards. I'd not use xG in isolation as the end all be all for a keeper, but given the extent to which he fails the eye test consistently the figures are getting awfully untenable.
We used to have the same thing with Mignolet. It felt like all you had to do was have a shot on target and you’d score.
Big thing that you seem to conveniently forget is that this season chelsea lost Hazard.
They lost their best player and Kante has declined/been injured.
Conceded 54 league goals, only 7 teams have conceded more.
He should have dived for that FK..except that, agree - nobody is saving any other goals.
I certainly can't blame Kepa for the he goals last night (maybe the last one, gets a full hand on it but still goes in).
Abraham stepped in and scored around the same amount of league goals as Hazard got last season and Chelsea haven't done too badly in the assists this season either but they were shared around.
Yeah, he looks like a school boy, completely devoid of any confidence. Must be one of the top priority position for Chelsea to address next season.
The money you spent on Kepa and you’re bemoaning not having a decent keeper. Christ.
You think because the club spent huge on a player, fans can't think he is shit?
Certain clubs just don’t get called out for this shit
I’m more railing against the media who generally give certain clubs an easier ride. Kepa is genuinely abysmal and yet the weight of criticism on De Gea is a lot greater. The difference is maybe that De Gea is making obvious errors, whereas Kepa just refuses to save any ball. £70m and a seven year contract should be garnering a lot more negative coverage than it does. As should you conceding 54 league goals. And yet all I see in terms of coverage of Chelsea is how good a job Lampard is doing. You’re going into the final game with a very real chance of missing the top four, having been there pretty much all season, because you have a coaching team incapable of organising a back line.
I think they were naive. You had a fully concentrated and motivated Chelsea versus a Liverpool team that has phoned it in since becoming champions and yet Liverpool had them at arm’s length the whole game.
That's not what you did, at all. You criticised a fan for moaning about a player.
Very good post. I agree with pretty much all of it.
I don't think anybody is claiming we have a title winning defence. There's a reason Lampard has rotated the back line so much. They're all at a similar level, average to decent. They're not faultless and they're certainly not without their critics. Do you think Christensen, Rudiger, Zouma etc haven't been criticised and mercilessly mocked by Chelsea fans?
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One could argue that. On the other hand, this is the best Liverpool side for 3 decades who rarely draw a game at home, against a Chelsea team with the young manager and a transfer ban seeing a lot of youth being brought through. Given that context, it takes for a brave manager to play on the front foot against them and manage to be level or thereabouts in terms of possession and shots. Now, I don't know where Frank will end up - being the past it level Arsene Wenger (nice football but no success) or a genuinely high quality attacking manager. But I do think his set up is extremely pleasing on the eye and pretty progressive/expansive. Up to him to show that he can coach a complete team and genuinely challenge for honours.
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Hilario was worse/funnier given the circumstances
Was about to post this, Go lamps go, should have punched him too.
It looks true, Lampard says something about sitting down.
Some are saying Lampard was having a word with 4th official about the 'foul' that led to TAA's goal, then someone from Liverpool's bench told him to sit down. I don't know what's true and what isn't, but I found the exchange utterly hilarious
I don't think draw was impossible result to get. Let us not forget Burnley just a week and a half ago drew them at anfield, Arsenal freaking arsenal beat them. Yes this Liverpool side has been amazing but since the restart they have been playing an indifferent football and had Chelsea been a bit smarter they could have salvaged a point. Also, not starting Pulisic was a strange decision. If I were a Chelsea fan I would have been pissed with that decision alone.
Hilario never really had a bad game for us. He was never incredible but not bad.Hilario was worse/funnier given the circumstances
They were 3-0 down at half time while playing a back 5 that were called cowardly by fans on here when Ole did it.
That was a load of rubbish.
How can 5 at the back have an issue of width? Short answer: no, the exact opposite. It's also the formation Mourinho used to good effect to nullify 4-3-3 formations of City/Liverpool.
