Debates, Tactics - Written by BlueChampion on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 18:20 | 846 Views | 32 Comments | Add Comment
Should We Rest Key Players Ahead Of Anfield?
With the premier league title hopes getting slimmer, should we just play for the champions league? There’s no doubt that we have a better chance now to win the champions league than the premier league. It’s very important to get our priorities right now. Should we rest players for the Everton game and play a fit and fresh first choice team at Anfield? Otherwise, we can play a strong team against Everton only to realise later that Man Utd had already run away with the title. This will mean a fatigued Chelsea would play a fresh ‘nothing-else-to-play-for’ Liverpool just like the last season. If we play a weaker team, we are taking a big gamble. Everton are a very good side who can punish any of the top four on their day. But at least our first choice will be preparing nicely for the Anfield clash.
There is also another option which is play a balanced side at Goodison with an eye and lots of hope on the premier league title. This needs a shrewd tactical brain to choose such a line up will beat Everton as well as rest key players. For us to determine if a strong or a not-so-strong line up should play at Goodison Park, we should be clear of what we want and be aware of our chances in achieving that. If AG’s words are to be believed, he still thinks we are in with a chance for the premier league title. So that means he should be playing a stronger side at Goodison. But then he had said something in the lines of League Cup is not his priority and then fielded a first choice team against Barnsley and lost it.
Grant’s dilemma is that if he puts in a weak team against Everton, that would look like he has surrendered so early. I don’t remember when Chelsea, in recent years, fielded a team knowing that it is not the best one to win the match, almost ready to accept draw or defeat. The advantage that he has is that we have a massive squad of internationals and almost all of them are fit and available.
If you ask me, forget about the league title. Put all your efforts and resources in champions league. I’m generally an optimist but am also a pragmatist. I don’t see this Chelsea team winning the title from here. Sir Alex will simply not let the title slip through his fingers. They were always the favourites but our bubble was burst only last night. If we forget about the league title, I’d say we are the clear favourites against Liverpool. In the last couple of times we met them in the semi finals, they had already lost out in the title race by Christmas while we were in all competitions. There was a clear difference in the mental and physical fatigue of the players of these two teams. This time, if we prepare to concede the match against Everton and Man Utd, we would certainly beat Liverpool also considering that the second leg is at Stamford Bridge.
I feel so bad to say that we should concede premier league matches and title. But when I say concede I don’t mean surrender. I means playing second choice players like Hilario, Alex, Ivanovic, Bridge, Ferreira, Mikel, Sidwell, SWP, Malouda, Shevchenko and may be Franco Di Santo. Not a bad second choice team, is it? Some clubs would die for such a team to be their first choice line up. So when I say concede I mean ‘don’t have to put your best foot forward’.
So what’s your choice?
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32 Comments
1. AGfriend
2. Steve Clarke
the league is already lost. we might not even finish second. it’s wise to play for the champions league. the second choice team by BC is quite good. di santo just scored a hattrick for the reserves. that kid should get some chances. we should definitely rest some players - esp Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Lampard, Joe Cole, Drogba etc.
only thing i fear is the toad. against good teams like everton, toad makes a mess of tactics and looks clueless. for just this match even john terry can take care of tactics.
3. Conor Mc Darby
Rest our big players for Liverpool!!!! You no they will!! Hilario, Belletti Bridge, Alex Ben Haim Essien, Mikel Sidewell,malouda , wright phillips sheva. Do it grant or we will be beaten
4. BlueChampion
Even I feel that we should rest players but AG says that we still have a chance to win the title. If he is truly optimistic, he may not really play any second choice players against Everton. The team that he puts out against Everton will tell us what he truly thinks as his chances of league title.
5. yeahh !!
this would a good chance to try ivanovic … and also give the chance to sheva and claudio pizarro .
6. Since 66
What was wrong with playing Drogba last nite or Makelele last night or starting Joe Cole last night or even SWP - any of these players are better than Malouda. Why didn’t we play 4-4-2 last night. Wigan came to Stamford Bridge asking for a 4-4-2 to be played against them… but oh no Gravy Boy Grant mucked up again and stuck with 4-3-3 or was it 4-5-1 - who knows?
Appreciate your argument BC. But look at it this way. Chelsea’s last game was against Fenerbache. The players had two days off after that game and then prepared for Wigan last nite, ok Chelsea have to play at Everton on Thursday in what IS NOW A MUST WIN GAME. Then we have five days to prepare for Liverpool. 4 games in fourteen days and now Gravy starts to chop and change. Us mortals work harder than any player or coach in fourteen days. Trust me I am not blaming the players.
When International competition comes along most of our players play 4 games in four weeks or 3 in 7 - where is the difference?
Another thing to consider is that Chris Kirland had one of those nights and you cannot legislate for that.
Chelsea only got going when Joe Cole came on, please tell me why he doesnt start. Wigan was a BIG game and Gravy Boy Grant failed again!!!!
Did you know Di Santo scored a hat-trick for the reserves against Tottenham last night - a Chelsea team that included Paulo Ferreira, Ivanovic, Ben-Haim and Sidwell. You have got to watch Di Santo’s 2nd goal it is quality.
Wednesday night the Academy play in the 2nd leg of the FA Youth Cup Final against Man City.
The first leg ended 1-1
Watch out for Gael Kakuta, Adam Phillip and fingers crossed for the first Youth Cup trophy in 47 years.
7. Krishna
AG simply doesn’t know to use the talent available at his disposal. If you look at Fergie, he plays with a core team ( Ronaldo, Rooney, Rio ,Vidic & Vandersaar) and then rotate people around them - never remember Giggs and Scholes starting the same match . This has given match rest for most except those four . Rafa tried to rotate but then failed because they did not have goal scorers - probably next year he make revolve his team around - Pepe, Carragher, Gerrad & Torres. AG has to learn to do that.
AG strategy seems to be very predictable - either Anelka or Drobga to start, Kalou and Joe as wingers in critical matches, lamps, balack and maka in mid field and recently essien as the defender .
There are some good youngsters in the youth squad who are never given the right exp.Scott Sinclair was very good in the matches he played as a winger. He should have played in matches atleast against weaker team and probably 10 - 15 starts a year will give him confidence and exp .
Di Santos is great prospect. He has scored 6 times since his arrival in Jan. How about Ben Sahar . Would he be started next year atleast in Carling Cup or FA cup early rounds ?
8. Steve Clarke
@ krishna
rotation is a risk. a manager will rotate players only if (a) he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the players so that the tactics can be adjusted according to who start in a match (b) the manager has some self confidence that he can turn the match around with his decisions, if something goes wrong.
toad knows nothing about the strengths and weaknesses of our players. he just picks eleven players and puts them on the team sheet. also toad knows that he is just a con man and his decisions stink. only those managers that have tremendous talent and self-confidence will take risks. look at people like SAF, JM, Ramos etc. Proper managers and world class managers.
toad is not a manager, he is just a backstabbing money grabber.
9. Johnarejr
STEVE CLARKE CAN GET THE JOB DONE! REST GRANT IN KRYGSTAN!
10. CaLiFoRNiCaTioN
what about pizarro ? why can’t u guys write his name down too ?
11. TBF
@MoE
Lippi is a world class manager agreed………..but he is at the end of his coaching career and add to that he doesn’t know english and hasn’t coached outside of italy.
italian system is out of date……..even their champions inter look like a pub team when pitted against loserfools…………le’arse defeat milan at san siro………man utd defeat roma………..last time also milan went through man utd only caus of individual brilliance of kaka and due to their relative freshness as they never were in scudetto race.
italian system is outdated.
and yes let me know your thoughts on man utd’s way of playing football????????
12. bestboyvijay
hi all
why play a second string side when there are 6 days of rest after the match at everton??? lets us not give up hope in the EPL right now…
frankly speakin i still have hope on this Grant( his luck) and later if manu lose another game then loo we are back… lets hope for the best…hope lamps and Drogba play on thursday…and i feel sheva has a lot to offer…a small change in formation, tactics and “style” can help him a lot. look at the big teams …there is a great midfielder behind a great striker…
chelsea- lampard and drogba
barca- ronaldinho and eto
manu- ronaldo and rooney
liverpool-gerrard and torres
milan-kaka and “SHEVACHENKO”
these happen to form when they play for a certain amt of time i.e without rotating and change of tactics
if we can link up sheva and ballack and lampard and drogba(if he stays next season) and play the ball along the ground then we can be back to the best. hope AG realises this and the uses a 4-4-2 instead of a 4-3-3. dont rotate the squad now AG….lets us not turn into another liverpool.
13. xyz
hi hope anelka scores soon .why cant we play 4-4-2 with anelka and drogba together.they played very well agaist arsenal for 15 min.play for champions league as epl hopes are very slim.it is now manu title to lose and not chelsea title to win.they can still win 3 of 4 games and win title even if chelsea beats them.
14. xyz
hi have heard that frank raikard could be blue boss next season.i hope it happen as won cl with barca and AG is not good enough to be blues manager
15. BlueChampion
Tal Ben Haim says nothing good would come with Grant as Chelsea coach. Ouch!
16. xyz
hi have heard that frank raikaard could be blue boss next season.i hope it happen as he has won cl with barca and AG is not good enough to be blues manager
17. sacha
Even if chelsea put their team B, individually they are still better than everton..Thats why loosing to wigan or everton is just a shame…
I just very frustrated by grant, he is consistent but doesnt get the results when it really matters…
I just dont like his face anyway so id have him sacked as manager and put back as director fo football…
18. Arun CFC
Plz use Avram’s brain during everton match and rest avram during champion’s league match, then Steve Clark will manage against liverpool .
Now we only have champion’s league to win this Season .chelsea had a clear chance to win all the four trophies , because of Avram brain we lost all three trophies(Epl is finished after match against WIGAN), So plz give Avram Rest for his contribution ..Steve clark will manage left game’s..
Even if we play without our key player’s chelsea squad is better than everton(Remember in carling cup tie we played Eventon without many key player’s, still we won the match)..
PLZ give sheva a chance during Everton match,also Joe cole must play because he is only player who can change the game.
19. AGfriend
Where is israeli? lol
Tal Ben Haim just confirms what the supporters knew all along.
Read an article in BBC 606 very interesting.
20. Brian
Why give up on the league, for christ sake We are 2ND! Ahead of Arsenal & Liverpool this is not the time to give up, Also there 6 days between the games & Lampard, Drogba, Ballack, Cech have all been injured throughout the season so why shouldnt they play. Maybe J Cole should rest but thats it!
21. Tony Glover
If anyones interested in signing a petition to remove Grant then follow this link….
http://www.petitiononline.com/CFCMan/petition.html
It’s unlikely to have much effect but it does at least show there’s a contingent if us who are unhappy with whats going on and don’t think AG is the man to take us forward. Anybody who thinks this man is good enough to take us forward is a fool.
22. blabliblublu
guyyz its hiddink and not rijkaard hoo is goin to b our manager next season
also
RA is into th market again
but ths time with a £100million summer spending kitty
guess hoo all r comin
aguero,huntelaar,gomez,diego,modric,a new left wing may b silva or capel or even robinho
,a good right back may b
23. trueblue
we should overcome everton even without our best eleven,atleast we wont have a tired chelsea playing against pool at anfield this season
24. Bob Paul Williams
AG should put in multi paid millionare, shevchenko… I really think he is a legend.. And we don’t even use him!
25. Bob Paul Williams
And guys, btw I heard that Chelsea is buying Frank Ribery from Bayern Munchen for 125 MILLION EUROS! check this link.. It’s in german though, sorry :(. The link is down below.
26. Bob Paul Williams
@BC. Could you please write an article or tell me if its true that they are buying Frank Ribery?
27. Joe
Avram Grant Out
Laudrup and Zola In
28. Vovkka
Hi,
does anybody know why we are going to play against Everton on Thursday? Pretty strange 
29. Since 66
Vovkka
The Premiership and Sky TV dictated the change of the fixture date
30. karan
Oh cmon why to rest players
we did d same agnst Wigan and we hv d result infront of us
do u guys ever see Man utd resting deir Key man Ronaldo or Rooney
never
our guys are capable enough and are fit enough to play
d Liverpool game is like 4-5 days after this match
IF for instance Chelsea draw and Manu looost
then there will be chants again like grant sux ,he did not chooose the best line up for the match ,why did he give up d hope of d title so early etcccccc
so To be on a safer play a full strength side agsnst everton and ders time to recover in terms of fatigue for d Liverpool game
31. Niko
ganamoss
32. Avram Grant Jnr
please Mr.Grant add Di Santo in to your first team next season,atleast he can play FA CUP AND CARLING CUP.THANKS FOR LISTENING.
Yes we should REST som people at everton.
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