Chelsea (H) Post Match

[DKdan]

Nah we shouldnt, you dont play one way for the whole season, get top of the league then do the complete opposite 36 games in. And lured them forward? Zero chance, they were time wasting after 60 seconds!! It's hardly like we bombed everyone forward and got done with a stunning Chelsea counter attack, they got a fluke that will happen for them once every 3 or 4 years.

But we havent played one way the whole season. Rodgers have done a great job targeting the opponents weaknesses by playing 3-5-2, 4-4-2, a diamond, 4-5-1, 4-3-3. Yesterday we should have targeted our opponents inability to create, and we didnt.

And they time wasted because the knew it frustrated us. And frustrated players rush their decisions to the detriment of their play.

They were the ones needing the 3 points, and we didnt ask them to work for it.

And the fluke was possible because we had too many players commited forward.

[meffin]

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The lads will learn from it and this experience will be priceless, especially to the younger players who will grow from being involved in a title chase right down to the last game

[Red_Polo]

They were never going to come on to us

That imo was his plan all along, it was built around nicking a goal from a set piece, a long throw or a mistake

If it didnt work he had his excuses ready made

It did work and now hes a ****ing genius

Nah we shouldnt, you dont play one way for the whole season, get top of the league then do the complete opposite 36 games in. And lured them forward? Zero chance, they were time wasting after 60 seconds!! It's hardly like we bombed everyone forward and got done with a stunning Chelsea counter attack, they got a fluke that will happen for them once every 3 or 4 years.

Both spot on.

The things we lacked to get a result out of that game were luck, quality options from the bench, or a moment of class from someone. Short of taking us back to the transfer window, there was **** all Rodgers could have done to sort any of that.

[Fredo]

Tactics weren't wrong. We just didn't deliver in the final third. Suarez was well marshalled throughout the game, sometimes two or three players surrounding him when he came to look for the ball. We weren't intricate enough in the final third and kept resorting to either crossing into the box or opting for longer balls, which doesn't work against Chelsea.

[DKdan]

wow hindsight

Me?

[Chris]

But we havent played one way the whole season. Rodgers have done a great job targeting the opponents weaknesses by playing 3-5-2, 4-4-2, a diamond, 4-5-1, 4-3-3. Yesterday we should have targeted our opponents inability to create, and we didnt.

And they time wasted because the knew it frustrated us. And frustrated players rush their decisions to the detriment of their play.

They were the ones needing the 3 points, and we didnt ask them to work for it.

And the fluke was possible because we had too many players commited forward.

I didnt mean one way in the sense of formation or whatever, just that we go after teams from kick off. You dont start changing it 36 games in.

Their inability to create was helping us just fine until one of our players unfortunately slipped over. **** happens, just happened to be at the worst possible time for us in about 2 decades! I cant remember one post from before the game saying play negative, play for a draw and now loads are at it!

[Muddled]

Gutted for Stevie. Hopefully we'll get another chance, but it will stay with him (and us) if we don't which is unfair! Can't help but think some people were celebrating a bit too soon with so many games to play. The "Make us Dream" banners at the training ground etc. can't have helped.

What impact did those banners have on Gerrard taking his eye off the ball?

[cannotmakeit]

Me?

you and everyone who said we should have played differently. Why? we just went on a 11 game winning streak and 16 games unbeaten run with those tactics, why would we change it?

[Fredo]

Chelsea's game is based on pouncing on opponent's mistakes. They always have been a reactive side under Mourinho - his main form of attack is defence. That's why he tries to instigate some form of siege mentality in his interviews, so as to provoke a reaction. He's a total cock for behaving the way he does.

[rodo]

maybe we shouldnt have sang were gonna win the league too

[Vermilion]

Don't believe different tactics would have made any difference at all, it felt like a game we couldn't win, as i've said, we've lost that extra bit of magic of late, goals seem harder to come by than a few games ago.

Henderson has been a massive massive miss imo, that drive in midfield would have seriously helped.

[RichC]

I've had to endure several Arsenal fans creaming themselves over the tactical genius of Mourinho yesterday, Arsenal fans ffs

Without the Stevie mistake it was going to be a draw at worst IMO sadly it happened and now Mourinho came and played exactly as he should have and tactically he out thought us etc...... .

He parked the bus, hoped for a set piece goal or a mistake, nothing tactically amazing about it - turn up and try and hold on - footballing genius my arse

[destinydude]

I've thought that this morning but it's obviously easy with hindsight. They had no intention of engaging in an actual game of football - would've been funny to see us go "okay then, **** you, we'll take the draw" and just pass it round at the back for 90 minutes. But obviously Rodgers was never going to do that.

If it weren't for that slip, it had 0-0. They had no sniff on our goal bar a few corners. That gift of a slip changed everything.

This is gut wrenching but these kind of things are bound to happen when you stick to your core philosophy. Barca keep losing semi finals here and there when good teams park the bus.

We have to endure those. The problem is the way we spread ourselves across the park when we should have played on the counter. We didn't have to win.

[Fredo]

Don't believe different tactics would have made any difference at all, it felt like a game we couldn't win, as i've said, we've lost that extra bit of magic of late, goals seem harder to come by than a few games ago.

Henderson has been a massive massive miss imo, that drive in midfield would have seriously helped.

We've scored 6 between City and Norwich beforehand. Not sure this is valid.

[Muddled]

Yup, and Chelsea haven't conceded a goal against the top four away from home this season.