He's gotten more and more negative with his tactics as the season has gone on. If he lasts until may he'll be playing a keeper nine defenders and Hazard.
Chelsea 2017/18 thread - FA Cup Champs, League chumps
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How could you possibly maintain your POV given the source you had to look at? There’s 30+ pundits on there and everyone else except those 3 had City/United.
Fabregas hasn’t played well for Chelsea as a 10. Assuming the squad is fully healthy, I’d want a 4-3-3. Same back 4. Luiz back as DM with Kante and Fabregas/Barkley/Willian/Drinkwater next to them.
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You are correct in saying the two Manchester clubs were very much fancied and I agree (although both in transition United much more work to do than City imo who just reached sf of champions league) my point was Chelsea were not as un-fancied as you’re portraying. The year before they won the league then the Jose second season crumble but Conte took over and they had a ready made title winning team in (Courtois Hazard Matic Willian Costa Cahill Aza Fabergas). We Can’t argue with that plus no Europe and he went out domestic cups early if I remember led many pundits to mention this throughout the season.
At absolute best we were given a similar chance to what Atletico get in La Liga, near enough all the hype was on a Pep vs Jose battle.
On paper we had a title winning team but on paper LVG inherited one aswell. It was tactical work and tweaks by Conte that got us there. He inherited probably our worst back 4 since the mid 90's in Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpi. Two were badly past it and another needs a solid base around him to perform, anytime we weren't playing a super deep line that defense got exposed, big problem for a manager who likes his full backs/wing backs to push on. Then there was the midfield, we literally had 1 great CM at the time in Kante. Cesc needs favorable conditions to produce his best and Matic was wretched (regardless of whatever resurgence he may or may not have had at United he was crap at that point).
If Conte insisted on sticking to our last title winning formula it would have ended in tears (see the Liverpool and Arsenal games before the change for reference) , he found a new formation which got the best out of the best players and covered the weaknesses of others.
Chelsea were fancied though, go check out the Would you take 3rd right now? thread
Chelsea are most likely dropping out of the top 4 imo. They don't have a good fixture list after the game tomorrow.
Leicester H
Brighton - A
Bournemouth - H
Watford - A
West Brom - H
They have 4 points from these 4 games, losing 2 games by margin of 3 goals and just scoring 4 goals in 4 games so far, conceding 7. I'd be disappointed if my team didn't get atleast 13 points in these games. Their next 2 games are away in Manchester and they'd be lucky if they get anything out those two games and are also playing PSG. They have Palace at home, Burnley away from home and then have Spurs at home. That's a disgusting fixture list and you have to throw in the QF of the FA cup somewhere inside that. I'd be surprised if Conte is their manager come at the end of the season and even more surprised if they are playing the Champions league next season.
Leicester H
Brighton - A
Bournemouth - H
Watford - A
West Brom - H
They have 4 points from these 4 games, losing 2 games by margin of 3 goals and just scoring 4 goals in 4 games so far, conceding 7. I'd be disappointed if my team didn't get atleast 13 points in these games. Their next 2 games are away in Manchester and they'd be lucky if they get anything out those two games and are also playing PSG. They have Palace at home, Burnley away from home and then have Spurs at home. That's a disgusting fixture list and you have to throw in the QF of the FA cup somewhere inside that. I'd be surprised if Conte is their manager come at the end of the season and even more surprised if they are playing the Champions league next season.
I think he's always been very negative. Not necessarily a criticism but he always erred on the side of caution than the other way around. The problem with doing that is you need world class attacking players at your disposal and they only really have Hazard. The rest are ok to average at best.
Last season he most certainly didn't. Arsenal twice and United at Old Trafford repeatedly kept finding space in behind us on the counter.
Doesn't really invalidate the idea that he was a cautious manager. Mind you, this is not really a criticism of him. You could say the same thing about Jose. Loads of Chelsea fans wanted Fabregas to play a lot more last season as the side lacked some creativity through the middle. The setup Chelsea go with required very good attacking players but Chelsea haven't really backed Conte with those sort of attacking players. Hazard can't be asked to do everything on this own.
I'd also say the Chelsea squad kinda overperformed last season (where eversyone seemed to be at the very top of their games which rarely happens). Their current level is closer to their actual level. Conte set the bar too high last season and is now being judged on that which is unfair given the transfers and extra games this season.
You had a squad that had Costa Hazard Cahill Aza Matic Fabregas Willian and Courtois ffs United had Rooney Carrick Evra Rio Vidic Fletcher Nani RVP to move on due to age when SA Ferguson retired LVGs best players when taking over were Valencia Herrera and DDG go and compare if you like.
You say you had your worst defensive line since the mid 90s but the 3 of Aza Cahil and Courtois would probably walk into any of Liverpool City United and Arsenal’s defences only DDG and it’s close would keep Courtois out Terry and Ivanovic I fully agree their wheels had come off.
He really is looking for the sack isn't he ?
Conte: .... I think I'm a bit of a disaster to convince the club to buy players. I think in this aspect I can improve a lot.
He is insinuating that the club didn't spend on the players he wanted by sayng that he wasn't able to convince them. surely you keep that to yourself, he's spoken about not spending enough multiple times this season.
It's like wanting to break up with your girlfriend by pushing her to do so. highlighting some of her worst trait by saying that it's your fault she has them.
Conte: .... I think I'm a bit of a disaster to convince the club to buy players. I think in this aspect I can improve a lot.
He is insinuating that the club didn't spend on the players he wanted by sayng that he wasn't able to convince them. surely you keep that to yourself, he's spoken about not spending enough multiple times this season.
It's like wanting to break up with your girlfriend by pushing her to do so. highlighting some of her worst trait by saying that it's your fault she has them.
Pep should expect call from Conte any moment then...
Great to see the team bounce back and win comprehensively while keeping a clean sheet. Hazard to the top once again. Credit to the match going fans for backing Conte to the hilt.
It's utterly ridiculous that the press and many of the so-called fans of Chelsea FC are calling for Conte's head when the club is just 3 points off Man Utd where Mourinho has been rewarded with a new contract.
Now the gutter press has always had an agenda but when it comes to the "fans" calling for Conte's sacking after a title winning season, this really makes my blood boil. Instead of directing that anger towards the real culprits which is Roman and the Board.
It's utterly ridiculous that the press and many of the so-called fans of Chelsea FC are calling for Conte's head when the club is just 3 points off Man Utd where Mourinho has been rewarded with a new contract.
Now the gutter press has always had an agenda but when it comes to the "fans" calling for Conte's sacking after a title winning season, this really makes my blood boil. Instead of directing that anger towards the real culprits which is Roman and the Board.
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Do you think Conte will be sacked if Barca beat Chelsea by a considerable margin tonight?
Or do you think Conte will be sacked if Chelsea lose the tie over 2 legs?
Or do you think Conte will be sacked if Chelsea lose the tie over 2 legs?
None. Main man Giroud hattrick incoming.
Conte is a good tactician. I wouldn't rule out him beating Barcelona over 2 legs.
The players seem to like him and are still fighting for him but something definitely seems off this season with him and Chelsea
I expect Chelsea to lose the tie over 2 legs comfortably, I don't think they will handle Barca well at all and 100% he won't be there next season unless he pulls off a miracle with his run in the league and CL
I expect Chelsea to lose the tie over 2 legs comfortably, I don't think they will handle Barca well at all and 100% he won't be there next season unless he pulls off a miracle with his run in the league and CL
Not the best lineup from Conte
No striker.
Odd tactics.
No one to lump it towards.
Odd tactics.
No one to lump it towards.
I don’t agree with it, but I understand. Moses, Alonso, Fabregas in a 2 man midfield. Not good.
It’s been brilliant for them so far and Conte deserves full credit for it.
Pedro-Hazard-Willian being sat narrow on top of Busquets has meant that when Barca's cb or Sergio himself have possession, they're lost because Willian and Pedro are blocking the passing lanes either side while Hazard hovers and keeps in line. All 3 back off from over pressing and tend to be holding that position too. Alba and Roberto have spent more time tracking back to become passing options as a result rather than pushing Alonso and Moses back too.
It has undoubtedly stifled and disconnected Barca somewhat. Real exercise in containment and playing percentages to give his team the best chances at winning his game - which has nearly come to fruition because they could be 2 up very easily without having a clear cut chance in the game.
I knew it would happen this time round!I used rub on the fact that Messi never scored against Chelsea on my United/Arsenal supporting mates.
I'm absolutely gutted that we conceded that goal. I was so happy that Willian started. He works tirelessly and his dribbling and speed take the pressure off when you're defending.
If that was United and not Chelsea, Mourinho would be getting criticised for being the anti-christ of football with death of football tactics.
27% possession at home is terrible and I have not seen one thing on social media criticising Chelsea. United would be getting all sorts of abuse thrown at them.
27% possession at home is terrible and I have not seen one thing on social media criticising Chelsea. United would be getting all sorts of abuse thrown at them.
You have a point to be honest.
I agree. It's weird to praise their performance when the majority of the game was played in their half. It sounds condescending to Chelsea to be honest, it's as though they are some mid table team being praised for punching above its weight and keeping the elite team at bay. Unless you have a massive individual quality disadvantage and you have no chance of competing for the ball and territory, it simply is never a good performance to spend that much of the game without the ball camped in front of your goalkeeper. You don't give yourself enough chances to score and you're always one mistake away from conceding.
As for the reporting, I suppose we are still treated like a bigger team than Chelsea which is a good thing. We are expected to play more pro active maybe due to a combination of our status and investment, who knows. So we are treated more harshly and are set higher standards. The other side of it is Mourinho obviously, no elite manager in the world working today except maybe Rafa Benitez has the stigma of defensive football like Mourinho does. Conte is still relatively new so he still gets the benefit of the doubt when his team look so incapable of playing like they did tonight or earlier in the season to City.
Chelsea’s not getting criticized because most people felt like Barcelona were lucky to get the draw. But we’ll overlook that bc boo hoo everyone hates United. Barcelona didn’t look threatening at all and we had much better chances. Possession % 
No manager thinks it's a good idea to have the majority of the game played that close to their goal. It is why you never see teams playing deep when they enjoy a higher individual quality advantage, it simply is a strategy that only makes sense if you are not good enough as you think it is the lesser of two evils. Barcelona did not look threatening but the fact is when you play that deep, you are always one bad pass away or one piece of skill from conceding i.e: you are much more vulnerable to random events than you would want to be if you could. Conte is not getting criticized because he rightly or wrongly convinced the British media that Chelsea are not an elite club due to their lack of investment and market inferiority to the likes of us and City so they are not judging him by the same standard they judge the other elite. He also still has credit from last year's PL win which always gives some extended credit. But to suggest that was a good performance from Chelsea is only valid if we consider them to be some inferior team punching above its weight like you were in 2012 under Di Matteo.Chelsea’s not getting criticized because most people felt like Barcelona were lucky to get the draw. But we’ll overlook that bc boo hoo everyone hates United. Barcelona didn’t look threatening at all and we had much better chances. Possession %
It's a fair point though, if it was United Mourinho would be criticized for lack of possession and 11 players behind the ball.Chelsea’s not getting criticized because most people felt like Barcelona were lucky to get the draw. But we’ll overlook that bc boo hoo everyone hates United. Barcelona didn’t look threatening at all and we had much better chances. Possession %
I generally share your Footballing view but, really Barca were not creating anything for most of the match even with all of the possession. Messi and Suarez were all over because they could not get touches in the box. And while it seemed pretty ridiculous that all Chelsea had were long shots from Willan the were creating the better chances.
Cheers mate. I really agree that Barcelona were dire which is even more of a reason why I am being harsh on Chelsea. But how many times did we see Messi or Ronaldo do that when they have zero chances? When the ball is that close to your goalkeeper for that long and someone of the quality of Messi, Suarez and Iniesta are there, you're really too close to conceding for the comfort of any manager as all they need is a moment, a slip, a bad pass, a foul that leads to a pen, etc ... I understand feeling that it's better than going at them if you think you're too inferior technically and in possession that they will ultimately break free but I rated Chelsea really highly in that regard or maybe I didn't rate Barcelona that much better than them at least.
I don't see much criticism for Chelsea after barely having the ball for an hour and a half. This time last season half of Redcafe were expressing their wishes that we swap Mourinho for Conte, and look what one season does. Conte fighting for his job, lower in the league than United, in a more fragile CL position than United.
Why isn't he being slated by the Mourinho-hater on here tonight for 27 percent possession? Funny that.
Why isn't he being slated by the Mourinho-hater on here tonight for 27 percent possession? Funny that.
Our too strikers weren't fully fit; one is recovering from a back injury, and one joined unfit. It makes no sense to go toe to toe with Barca possession-wise given the context. Also Barca is always going to have more possession anyway, and even more so when you're without target man. We played very well in my opinion, and have been somewhat unlucky.
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You're only 3 points ahead of us and we have to play you next. If we are in a more fragile CL position it's only because we're playing Barcelona. This whole notion that United is doing better than Chelsea is based on a whole lotta of nothing.
I just think the team you had out was not so inferior to Barcelona that it had no chance to pass a bit more and enjoy more time on the ball in their half or at least further away from your half. Kanté, Fàbregas, Pedro, Willian, Hazard, Azpilicueta and Alonso are brilliant players in my book. It's not Messi or Iniesta but the gap is not so big that you were reduced to playing on the edge of your box being at all times one bad pass away from conceding and always having your forwards isolated once they broke. I don't understand this Barcelona will always have more possession, maybe back in 2011 at their peak but since then, it is by no means a team that monopolize possession as you claim, certainly not to the extent of 75/25 as it was today. The only way you played well in my opinion is the individuals. Willian and Hazard again proving what brilliant performers they are. With that little support and that much space to run and make up every time they had the ball, the amount of danger they created is outstanding but as a team, I thought you dropped too deep and were too limited on the ball that you left yourselves too much to do.
Really? Let's have a look at the trajectory shall we, Conte has guided Chelsea to quite a wobble this season having won the league last season. They've performed poorly in the transfer market, the manager has openly criticised his own employers, it's been a little bit cringeworthy in my opinion. Manchester United have risen from 6th, risen from the Europa League and are competing very well in all their remaining competitions. You could say one club has significantly improved whilst one has declined.
Quite true, though many won't admit it. Sadly enough, I can't see you guys losing at OT after the momentum you have built up, a draw looks the likely scenario. Hope I am wrong though and we do beat you.
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True that.
Didn't see the match, but did Conte set-up park the bus tactics?
Statistics seem to indicate that.
Good result for Chelsea though.
Chelsea were poor in that game; other than Willian being the best player on the pitch by a mile. In fact, when you actually look at the chances in the game, Barcelona had by far the best chance which was an easy finish for Messi. That being said, Barcelona were also poor, toothless in possession and were actually better without the ball.
I've seen Chelsea dominate Guardiola's Barcelona only for the ref to hand the game to Barca. This performance was an away performance, Chelsea can and have done better to better versions of Barcelona.
I've seen Chelsea dominate Guardiola's Barcelona only for the ref to hand the game to Barca. This performance was an away performance, Chelsea can and have done better to better versions of Barcelona.
In fairness, other than Madrid and city, most teams were better in that period than they are now. Underrated period of football IMO.