Let’s play to our strength, shall we? We have no genuine pacy quality wingers. Without them, 4-3-3 is a bit toothless. We have a Malouda and Kalou who are unreliable. We have a Joe Cole who is on and off with his form and fitness. And the one supposed to receive their supply is Anelka who does not use his head, literally speaking. With a financially tight transfer window approaching, it makes sense to realise that our slow but world class midfield is our real strength and the tactics should surround in getting the best out of our midfield.
When we are at home our opponents close up at the back, with lots of men behind the ball. It is different when we play away. The home sides play a more open game. We lack an organiser who can get hold of the ball, get forward and energise our front line. I just have players who work on the ball. Deco, Ballack and Lampard can all shoot but I don’t have a player who can dribble. There is no point in me weeping or moaning or seeking blame. I have to find a solution – and that is what I will do.
If he really said this, verbatim, I think he made a mistake. One is he undermines Deco, Ballack and Lampard publicly that they can’t dribble. That may be partly right but there is no need to make this so public. I’m sure he won’t like if Lampard comes out and says ‘we don’t have a manager with a tactical nous’. Deco was supposed to be the player that would make a difference to this side, right? Is this Scolari’s way of putting pressure on Deco and Ballack? Is this his way of provoking them to come up with a roaring performace? And while talking about dribbling players at Chelsea, how can he miss Joe Cole?
But he’s right. But he can’t deny that he has a great team at his disposal which ended only 2 points below the champions and were 2 seconds away from winning the champions league last season. All through the turmoil of the last season, no home game was lost! There was no Deco or Bosingwa then. Drogba was on and off. We got 43 points out of our home games last season with 12 wins and 7 draws.
This season, out of 9 matches, we have got 13 points. To match last season’s home points tally, we got to take 30 points in the remaining 10 matches. My math tells me that we need 10 wins out of 10. Scolari can say all that he wants but there’s no denying that we have gone a step back in his short stint so far. Mr. Scolari, I don’t expect you to emulate Jose Mourinho. Please at least emulate Avram Grant. That’s it.
Yes, to admit that Joe Cole is our best dribbler is like saying we have no dribblers. That’s the truth. But we have so many other strengths! We have a great goalkeeper, the best back four in the premier league, five unbelievable midfielders and one Anelka that Scolari himself rates very highly. With all these pluses, there is a minus that we don’t have great dribblers. Being a legendary coach that he is, why can’t Scolari devise a strategy to play and win, that maximises the strengths and minimises the weaknesses. Isn’t that managing all about?
With this set of goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, strikers – if we also get world class dribblers as wingers, probably even I won’t do badly with this Chelsea team. We need a Scolari in place of a lowly BC because we have a set team to work with, who were double runners up last time, who need to be made champions this time around. Again, we were runners up in premier league and champions league last season. To that squad, we trimmed the fat and added Deco and Bosingwa. Now, what should be the normal expectation?
Mostly to go one up better than last season or at worst not to drop below from last season’s standings. So that means, at worst, we need to be runners up in premier league and champions league. It just takes one bad home league run in April (just like November), to put us out of the title race. In champions league, we are light years before talking about reaching the final.
It is quite apparent that Scolari is tactically weak. He has one way of working and playing and expects everything else to fall in place to make it possible for him to work in his own way. I can come from somewhere, take up Chelsea job and say I want to play 4-3-3, you give me players that can fit into my system. Or I can say, this is the team I have, let me see which system works best for them to keep the momentum. Or I can even try my stuff and once I’m convinced that my system does not work, I can go back to the system that did work. Or alternatively, there is this Avram Grant way. Don’t change anything. Look at what worked and then use same team selection, same line-up, same formation, same style, same everything.
Scolari needs to drop his 4-1-4-1 for once. We don’t have pace. Our build-up is rather slow. And we don’t use the width of the pitch well enough. Once we gain momentum in one side of the pitch, we hardly change sides. Given the set of players and their abilities, 4-1-4-1 means we don’t everyone to their best. To have two wide midfielders has been a waste. With our wingbacks already in attack, a dribbling player in the centre prone to lose some possession, will we be protected enough at the back when a quick counter attack happens? Most teams set us up at Stamford Bridge, waiting only for a counter attack. To have a dribbling player in the middle might also playing into the opposition’s hands.
We should play 4-1-3-2. Kalou as a striker is much better bet than as a winger. His natural position is that of a striker, he creates quite a lot as a striker, he can use his head (once again, only literally speaking). 4-1-3-2 also can eliminate the need for having to play Malouda. Plus, it makes it possible to play Franco di Santo. With 4-1-3-2, our attacks are primarily through the centre, holding the ball, winning free kicks outside the D, with some surprise unleashing in the flanks. When you’re playing through the centre, you may not need dribbling abilities. You need intelligent positioning and tactical understanding, which our midfielders have in abundance. This way, Scolari won’t lose ‘players in the middle’. Our defence has not been the real problem as such though the goals we’ve let in have a pattern. If he has the risk apetite, he can also play 3-5-2 just like the way we played when Essien was the right back.
Some amount of innovation from Scolari might also help. He wants playmakers ‘who can who can get hold of the ball, get forward and energise our front line’. How about playing Joe Cole in the middle, just behind the striker? How about trying out some of our talented youngsters? By venting his frustration with the press, he is only creating a divide between himself and the management. He should rather spend his time in getting the best out of what he has. Most managers could kill to manage this Chelsea team.
These are tough times in the financial world. I’m not sure how much Roman lost in the latest Madoff scam that vanished $50 bn. Scolari cannot count on too much money or support in the transfer window. He might have to sell players to buy new ones, he might have to offload expensive players to release the wage budget. He might have to do a lot more on and off the pitch, apart from his mis-interpretable (?) interviews. Like he admitted, he needs to find the solution. At least, by saying this, he concedes that there is a problem, which is what we’ve been saying for weeks and months. While experimenting his solution, he can’t afford to lose points too. Sounds difficult but there’s a reason why he gets 6 million pounds a year.
Scolari needs to watch out, really. Do you know that Micheal Laudrup visited Chelsea FC yesterday. He wasn’t there for his job interview. His team Spartak Moscow was allowed by Chelsea FC to use the training facilities at Cobham, ahead of their UEFA Cup tie against Tottenham tomorrow night. Laudrup was one of the shortlisted candidates for the Chelsea job when the vacancy arose at Chelsea after JM and Grant. Is something brewing behind the screens? No, I don’t think so because The Sun don’t say so!
56 Responses - Add your comment!
scolari is no jose mourinho bc ok
remember each coach has a style
scolari really needs a dribbler
wen he was at brazil he had all this dribblers around there
and at portugal a certain ronaldo and simao
over here at chelsea no such player
he asked for only two players
deco and robinho we culdnt get him both
so we cant really blame scolari
joe cole a dribbler??????????then wat do u call messi and robinho ?midfield generals????????
he was once a great entertaining footballer
ohh that goal against united
but at present he is crap
hmm…yea i agree…chelsea need a dribbler…particularly a playmaker who can dribble well …the problem nw is funds..:(
good article BC….. but can u elucidate why we need a dribbler when we can pass the ball in a right royal manner? we used to have a dribbler and a great crosser in Robben but now also he is injured……can we get Drenthe or train someone from the youth team or get scott sinclair a regular run of games….
these are some solutions but the problem lies elsewhere…… i feel we are beating round the bush to find the problem….. the killer instinct has disappeared since we are not used to passing the ball on the ground. arsenal or barcelona took ages to get their style on…but we had to do it in a short span of time. credit to Phil for the change but please wait for the fruits to ripen. The only visible defect in Phil is his insistance to pass the ball even in the extra time of play. during JM and AG time we generally bombarded the ball forward and made the opposition falter. now we are not doing same. instead LPS insists that we continue with our passing with the timer rinning short..
another defect i noticed is the tempo with which the game is played. In the games DD came on , we scored a goal in 6 min …. but couldnt sustain the momentum. if LPS can shout at the players asking them to bombard forward then we will be back to the best. did u notice Lampard reaction when we scored the goal against West Ham? he was calling the players to come to the centre to restart the game at the earliest. this empasises the fact that even he realises that we are missing the killer instincts to close out the games with a single goal.
if LPS can straighten these small issues then hopefully we can start living the dream again..
now this is interesting
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1096198/Chelsea-mutiny-Players-question-Scolari-tactics-training-Deco-favouritism.html?ITO=1490
Who Next — ??? Player preffered Grant over Scholari …
————————————————————————————————————-
Scolari Set For Chelsea Exit – Reports
Since taking his place in the Chelsea hot-seat in the summer, Luiz Felipe Scolari has impressed the media, for the most part, and has talked about the fatherly relationship he enjoys with his charges.
However, reports continue to suggest that Chelsea’s Brazilian boss is perhaps a little deluded. The Blues’ home form at Stamford Bridge has gone out the window and he continues to hint at the need for fresh blood – a playmaker and a striker – despite the board’s clear unwillingness to spend in January.
Now, hot on the heels of media claims insisting that the players preferred previous bosses Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant to Scolari, The Times reports that the current manager is losing the dressing room.
The Pensioners drew 1-1 with West Ham United at the weekend, with several players apparently furious that Michael Ballack was hooked instead of Deco at half-time. They apparently see Deco as Scolari’s golden boy.
Allegedly, senior squad members have also demanded an increase in training intensity and have bemoaned Scolari’s lack of verbal clarity.
Link
Meanwhile, The Mirror thinks Scolari could be headed back to his homeland in order to replace under-fire coach Dunga.
A Seleção’s World Cup qualifying campaign has been poor, and a source close to Brazilian FA president Ricardo Teixeira has been blabbing.
The insider is quoted as saying: “Dunga is very unpopular, both among the fans and the Brazilian Federation. It looks like a matter of time before he goes and that means Teixeira has to make the right appointment.
“He will definitely ask Felipao first. It looks as if Felipao is not enjoying himself at Chelsea, and maybe he might want to listen to what Teixeira is saying.”
————————————————————————————————————
Is this something that Scholari did not see or he doesn’t want to see . I see speed here may be a bit of dribbling and a genuine interest to learn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3axWEB6nf3Y
Quoting Jo
Why did he buy deco , the play maker .. May have topped 6 more million to get VDV or even gone for younger deigo ..
if thats the case, get Mancini!!!
Quoting cfc
if thats the case get Mancini for 2 years!!!
This is our best possible formation when we have all our players:
————————————-cech————————————
bosingwa—————-carvalho———–terry————————-cole
———————————-mikel————————————–
———————essien——deco—-lampard——————————
———————-anelka———-drogba———————————-
this is the best because we can play through the middle and feed our wing backs if we need width. We also have the covering essien if we need more defensive duties. Deco can be the playmaker while lampard sprays the passes all over the pitch and also has some shots as well. Drogba can hold the ball up for ‘plan B’ and can also assist anelka who can easily finish. This is why i believe this is the best formation.
Exactly. When I saw the text above, moving JC to the middle as an offensive-just-behind-the-strikers-midfielder was the first thing that came to my mind. Moreover, he has already tried this position several times and, however this was usually an emergency tactics because of the lack of available natural-born playmakers, he performed rather well there, using his own style of play to the benefit of the team.
I would also emphasize another idea in this article – KALOU as the striker. Yep, that is what I have been saying for a long time – he is not an alternative to Drogs or Anelka as the lone striker, but an ideal option to make a pair with any of them.
Well done, BC – I hope Scolari reads this blog
)
agree with blabliblublu tenfold!!! But only to a certain extent that Scolari should be doing better at home against the weaker teams. Like West Ham, that should be a gauranteed three points. There is no if and or buts about it. Yet at the same time, how can we ever have a plan B or even C if all our players and back up players are comprised of the same dimensions. Now we really do need someone like a Robinho who can dribble the ball and break down one or two players at a time! Look at all the other squads that any of you Scolari haters have… Messi for Barcelona, Ronaldo for United, Menez or Totti for Roma, Babel for Liverpool, the list can go on really. Anelka can provide a different type of forward in the sense that he operates best with plenty of space which in turn can work well for Drogba assuming we start them together (which should be ASAP after I have seen the impact of both on the pitch the last two games). Now Drogba is not in form as much of you are saying but he is healthy! And with Anelka in form, defenders will be forced to open up which makes room for Drogba. And if Drogba in turn is marked when we play direct balls to him, this opens up space for Anelka and that man is golden one on one with keepers.
However, we need that dribbler slash playmaker that can open up those defenses with a little bit of magic. And it can’t always be passing magic that Deco, Lampard or Cole bring to the table. It has to be something of a differing quality that can further add to our dimensions as a team and overall force. Hopefully we can get just one solid buy out of this transfer window that has qualities such as those. because as blabliblublu stated before… Scolari only asked for two players and we got one. So if the man had plans and he didn’t get the pieces he desired… he is not the only one to blame!
we must with anelka and drogba in the front line eith the player we have
i don’t understand this guys we are talking about two years now that we are luck of dribbling abd that we done sign malouda last summer and deco in this summer……they must be more carefull and take players that the coach to give his best…!!!
BC, I know you get to hear this often but WELL done mate!!!
one thing though, we have lost 14 points (not 13p) at home!!!!!!!!!!
I wonder if LFS even took time to check out the team before he signed wit chelsea? to come out and say the things he is saying right now sound crazy. To publicly clown your big guns like that, man oh man, this can get really ugly.
with everything bein said in this blog, I just wanna say; LFS its all about chelsea nothing else, so be a man and do what u get paid to do!!!
And for the players, if most of ya aint feeling the system ur playing in, so wat make sure you guys put on ur boots and go to work goddammit. Am I the only one that gets really upset when I se chelsea-players just not giving their all on the pitch. it really pisses me off. COME on you chelsea we can do it.
/stay well
uuh. the gaffer’s got goo for brain
what i feel we are experiencing, is life without robben, did we have any of these problems without him? no.
we bought malouda who just didnt perform
i agree, kalou upfront is better, he has less decisions to make, just hope his offside tally keeps improving else he’ll be just as frustrating
now to my knowledge, there are very few left wingers who can offer what we need
we need someone who is an all round attacking threat but namely, our passing and dribbling game from the left needs improvement
the new man needs speed, exceptional dribbling ability, very good long range passing and finishing skills of his own, most importantly, left footed! he should be a young talent, we want someone who is going to grow into our system and needs to be a cheaper buy.
my mouth waters at the thought of messi but that is unlikely, he would surely cost £50m plus.
perhaps we should strike a deal with arsenal, wenger is sure to have what we are searching for
that put aside, our formation should be 4-2-2-2, 4-3-1-2 could work but im worried about losing our flank control, our 4-2-2-2 can camp in the opponents have, we may not have dribbling but we are strong with very good passing so can we can hold possession, waiting for a mis-match with drogba or a space for anelka
What did he mean by a playmaker?? He did he mean a dribbler that has passing qualities like Hamsik? We have enough Dribblers Cole,Kalou and Essien. But I think he meant a winger.
God only knows what he meant.. 4 months back, he said, if he loses the EPL, it would not be because he did not buy Robinho.. Did he have a second choice player behind Robinho ?? or did he not even think about it ..
If you have been in football coaching for 20 year, you should not NEVER you will have all the players fit .. If that is the case, it will be a luxury.. So stop crying about Essien, because by the time Essien is back, may be some one else is injured..
From what I have seen, even in good times, he has not bothered to change the combination and check if the players perform.. Even Avram Grant played youngsters for Carling cup , what prevented him from doing that…
I am really begining to dislike Scolari. C’mon, Robben was gone before the ABOMINATION happened. Yes, Robinho was snatched by City very early this season. So, for him to cry about not having the dribbling wingers he wants is kinda sad and pathetic here it is December. That is a whinny excuse. The real problem is that Scolari is clueless on how to change tactics to get the best from what he has. It is only by good fortune that the other 3 of the big four have been stumbling too. This month, Scolari must prove himself a tactician.
We’re NOT playing a 4-3-3!!! It’s a 4-1-4-1, and the official website says that every week! We are not playing wingers – we are playing wide midfiedlers that play inside, and the fullbacks provide the width on the flanks!
If you are going to pretend to know football, at least know the foundations fo what you are pretending to know!
i agree with mike ayad. its clear with the dead wingers were buying and keeping, the opposite to what we should be doing, are killing out football. play mikel and any three ok frank, ballack, essien and deco infront of him. and if a switch is needed bring on scott sinclair!!! the kid has bagssss of pace and great skill! and begin the transition of kakuta and tejera into the first team! its imperative we give them a taste as arsenal is doing with wilshere so 1. we can make them stay and 2. when the time is right theyre ready to step in. this is the line up
cech
bisingwa – carvalho – terry – cole
mikel/essien
essien/ballack – lamps – deco
drogs – anelka
and against other teams where we need pace
cech
bosingwa – carvalho – terry – cole
essien – lamps – deco
sinclair
drogs – anelka
On one side , we have manager who doesn’t try all the players at his disposal. On the other side, Fergie has told 17 year old Rafael di silva would be his first choice right back.
On one side we seem to be making a big issue of Alex move, ( which I think we should allow and get some good cash in ) , when we have Ivanoic and Mancienne with us. on the other side , Fergie is promoting youngster Evans as defender..
Sun reports Scolari interest in Valencia defender, but right now our problems are some thing different..
What’s Going On ????
Hey guys read the satire in http://www.chelseablog.com . Real funny !
Quoting Brian
Brian is back at it lol!
Two (’2′ so that you understand) things:
1. I don’t need to check websites to know what formation is being played. I understand the game well enough to know the formation from the pitch. Club website once showed Joe Cole in the playing eleven while he was out injured. Are you going to believe that he played because the club wesbite said, though he was nowhere in the pitch or bench?
2. I never said we played 4-3-3. If you can read, you’ll know that I talked about 4-3-3 because that’s what Scolari wants to play or has always liked to play in his coaching career. There is also a paragraph that starts with “Scolari needs to drop his 4-1-4-1 . . . “
Okay, Brian? Are you able to read? Are you able to un..der..stand? Any difficulties, let us know. We are all here to help you.
Quoting kuhulai
Kuhulai – I referred to the points won at home and not the points lost at home. We have played 9 matches, so maximum is 27 of which we have lost 14 (as you say) and we have won 13 (as I say).
Hi guys,the board should make money available in january to sign a striker or left winger…to enable Chelsea do well in the champions league.We need that Champions League after last seasons disappiontment.We need a winger to add another dimension to our game similar to what Ronaldo does in Man U.We can sell Malouda cos I think his heart left chelsea as soon as JM AKA the special one left us…we need to sell that chap.However,LFS should have a look at Scot Sinclair and Franco Di Santo I think these players have something to offer chelsea.I think tough guy Adriano is available at least on loan……We need to support LFS cos we have supported every other coach financially at least one player will do.But sell Malouda I plead……
AFTER A DRAW HE ALWAYS SAID THAT TEAM ARE GOING TO BRIDGE FOR DRAW, BUT AT WEST HAM GAME AND ARSENAL THEY COME TO BEAT US.
OUR PROBLEM CAN NOT BE SOLVED BY A WINGER
im sorry but most clubs need that explosive kind of player, one who can beat a defender and allow games to open up, all the major clubs have them, real=robben arsenal=nasri/walcott manu=c.ron/nani barce=messi/hleb/iniesta and so on. J.cole is good but he is erratic and his acceleration is not that same. Malouda was bought to give us that kind of pace and skill and to an extent he has provided but not enough.
I can understand where scolari is coming from in that chelsea struggles without a creative outlet or bulldozer to open the games up. Look at essien when he plays for us, he is a machine but many times under grant when he played as a RB he did runs, got past his man and was able to open up the game. Bosingwa has been doing very well but he cant be the creative force for chelsea. I think chelsea will work much better when essien comes back, not as a DM where he is wasted but as the CM that we need.
our line up as of now is
bosingwa–ivanovic–terry—a.cole
—————mikel————
–j.cole-lampard–ballack–malouda
————–anelka
or some other way with deco and kalou on instead. The problem is of those players j.cole and malouda should be the ones openning up space, its not lampard and ballacks job to do that, their job is to orchestrate and control the game.
Does chelsea need a new player for the jan signing? probably but if anything i would get a new winger or start sinclair more often, the kid if fast and sometimes we will need to use him.
Chelsea never really had a “creative” player for the past 4 years and I don’t think we need one now !
I say just bull-doze past defences with high balls, corners and free-kicks like days of yore !
I say let Boswingwa,Beletti and Little Deco supplement the above’s tally with their own creative shots !
I say enough of this we gotta play creative with a team built like a prize-fighter.
If the Coach and owner want artsy-fartsy let them go get : Kaka and whiever’s their idea of a creative winger !
Cos I think it would do no good cos all the so-called lesser teams in the PL are out to grind, bash and block us and others to kingdom come !
For Chelsea, its silverware for them its, survival.
And that’s what we’re seeing : teams playing us like all of them are already in a relegation battle and their mortages at stake !
guys give scolari time it is just six months and with injuries to essien has effected the teams all managers have faith in some players judge him at the end of seson our home form will improve starting boxing day we just need to win one wall team and i have a feeling we will 9 out of next 10 home games he still we are only a point behind liverpool who will drop points on sunday and i expect chelsea to win 7 away more win dont worry looking forward
to draw tommorow
scolari interiew on chelseafc
Are we going to achieve better home form?
Yes. I have now two weeks, this week and next week, to work with the players and in that time I have time to train the second system or the third system, because before it is impossible, before I had six, seven, eight players injured.
Getting the message across
Before I played Wednesday and Saturday and international games. Now, this week, I train two times, with different styles, and I say to my players, if the game is like this, I try putting this player here and train them for it. Now 20 minutes into the training I see what’s happening. Now I have time and no injuries and a good chance for me to start to play and change the systems.
Do you have a priority? Europe? The Premier League?
I play every competition as the best competition. Look, I lose in the Carling Cup, but I listened to some people who say that Carling Cup is not important. No, it is important. I lose and I fume and my players fume because they lose this. Now, we have three competitions and we need to think about these three competitions, they are important for us, not only one competitin
.
I asked why is this normal? And the people said after the 25th, they go to the game with family, with child, it’s fantastic.
The 26th is against West Brom and the 28th Fulham. If the stadiums are full, very good, it is beautiful. It is normal here, I need to understand this.
How’s driving in England?
When I was in Japan, I drive to work, I was there seven months. Now, three months ago I start to drive here, a little, because sometimes you are thinking that you are in Brazil, but once you start to drive, no problem.
I don’t speed, I am a calm man and I don’t drive quickly, but I don’t go to London. I drive to Cobham and in Kingston and Leatherhead, I stay near, not far.
In another six months time, will we have trophies?
I wish and I try my best with the players to pick not one, but two or three trophies. If we win two competitions I think it is fantastic. This I try to do for the club and the fans.
Watch this exclusive interview with Luiz Felipe Scolari in full from 9pm tomorrow night (Friday) on Chelsea TV, Sky digital channel 421. The channel is free to air from 10am tomorrow.
so guys dont worry
Have you read the Times?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article5355715.ece
Deco the protectionist, Terry and Lamps demanding harder trainings, chaos in attack, ineffective substitutions… interesting, interesting…
31. heyjose: sorry, but what d u want more?
More players? Scolari now has 2 world-class strikers, 4 genuine playmakers, one of the best DMs in the world, at least 3 quality wingers, at least 2 speedy wingbacks, rock-solid defence, brilliant goalkeeper… what u do mean by “injuries”, Essien? Bah, if he is not able to cope with this, he is not a coach for Premier League!
More time? Look, the season is heading to the crucial phase now. Scolari had 5 months, much more than he had been used to have when coaching Brasil. Now it is precisely the time when his work is to bring the results.
Big Phil should definitely stay till the end of this season and his position should be reviewed depending on our trophy cabinet come the end of May.
If it’s empty, there’s only one man. Bring back TSO. He’ll definitely come back to England, if given the opportunity, after winning Serie A (and possibly Champions League) with Inter in Italy this season.
C’mon the Chels!
Official: C.Ronaldo in Real Madrid..:P
cech
bisingwa – carvalho – terry – cole
mikel
essien- lamps – deco
anelka- drogba- di santo
Glad to hear that Scolari is working on different formations and trying to change things around.
Sounds like everyone is back from injury except Essien.
There should not be many problems if Scolari wants to have different styles of play now.
He can create at least 3 different attacking formations to Drogba’s strength.
I can’t wait to see what kind of style we are gonna play on Monday against very strong Everton team. Carvalho could make his return in this game. I would not be surprised though if Scolari sticks with his 4-3-3.
I would like to see how this would work.
————————Cech———————-
—Bosingwa—–Carvalho—–Terry—–A.Cole–
——————–Mikel————————-
——Deco———Ballack——–Lampard——-
——————Joe Cole————————-
——————————Drogba————–
im certain good will come form scolari, we can say that a good manager will cope no matter the injuries, irrespective of quality and formation. Bear in mind, this is essentially mourinho’s chelsea. Grant only added players, scolari came in, removed most of the deadweight. I thought scolari would bring the best out of malouda but it just becomes more and more apparrent that his goal against man utd was a simple fluke and he cannot give us what he gave lyon.
deco is the golden boy, no doubts about that nor the frustration of our players. We do look shaky while defending set pieces but we can improve that with ease. I prefer Ballack over Deco becuase he brings so many more dimensions to the game. With the way things are going, perhaps we should trade alex and jack wilshere. We’d lose an unhappy player and gain someone of benefit. If that isn’t going to happen, promote our youth.
man utd has simpson starting at blackburn, da silva starting infront of neville.
When you go through our academy and see players like stoch, kakuta, sinclair, bertrand, you get frustrated, promote from within please. One of them just might be what we need
Quoting BlueChampion
Kuhulai, Indians are smart in mathematics.
no winger =no win at home :that a bullshit scolari , change your tactics or leave chelsea.
first of all alexy must leave chelsea :look at the way of his playing in the recent mathes, all of the dangers on our goal came from his place,HE WANT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT HE WANT OUT.
if this asshole look to our young players ,he will definatelly will found a good winger.
chelsea problem is speed and every fool defender(even caragher)can predict our attacking options.
another chelsea problem is DECO : forget his beautiful goals , his speed sucks and every one can get his ball very easy.
Quoting mike ayad
Hi Mike,
agree with the formation above with the following modification- Deco alternates with ballack cos his form has not been too consistent- possibly suffering from the first season blues Ballack suffered too. Belleti comes in with a loud shout when both are not doing well.
As of now, chelsea has the strongest attack and strongest defence in the league. That being said, we still have plenty of tough games coming up ahead. The frustrating thing about chelsea this season is that (correct me if im mistaken) they have never come from behind and won a game. This is the true champions mentality that we are apparently lacking at the moment. I hope we regain it as soon as possible, and bring back Stamford bridge to the fortress it once was……
Your exact quote is 4-3-3. I don’t need a website to tell me what we play either.
But last year, it said 4-3-3, and this year, it is 4-1-4-1, and last year we played wingers up the pitch, while this year they play wide midfield positions.
If anybody doesn’t understand, it would be you. Every week, you bounce back and forth between slating off Anelka or praising him. Or being happy with the squad or not being happy.
We’re in second place, Anelka is the better fit for the system, and Scolari will need TIME before he makes a true impact. We have already seen what he can do, but I’m not surprised that you may have not, since you possibly aren’t watching the same Chelsea.
Just thinking that the Champion’s League draw is coming up. A possible draw is Juventus. Ah, Roman, Kenyon; remember when y’all got rid of a certain manager because you didn’t think he was able to win anything? The possibility of Raneri’s Revenge is just as if not more horrible of a nightmare than the satire on http://www.chelseablog.com.
Brian, I beg to differ. As far as Anelka is concerned, I think most of us have not only accepted the man, but are greatful for his form. But, when Drogba is healthy and availiable, he needs to be on the pitch and can be there ALONG SIDE Anelka in a 4-4-2. Drogs adds a strength to the attack that Anelka doesn’t. Add that strength with Nick’s ability to find the space for the shot and there will be more goals. From time to time, sure I for one wouldn’t mind seeing Drogs as the lone striker. But, the best thing going is to play them BOTH.
TIME? How much TIME did it take AVRAM GRANT to keep Chelsea competitive for ALL FOUR TROPHIES? How much TIME did it take for JOSE MOURINHO to lead this team to silverware in his FIRST SEASON? How much TIME has it taken him to put distance between Inter Milan and their competition in Italy THIS SEASON? How much TIME could have been better used if Scolari would have started the West Ham match with DROGBA AND ANELKA TOGETHER rather than bring Drogs in only in the SECOND HALF? While cutting the man loose this early would be suicide, SCOLARI IS WASTING TIME AND NEEDS TO MAKE UP FOR IT!
Oh yeah, Chelsea is second in the league. Only because Liverpool, Man United, and Arsenal are dropping points and Villa is too far behind to be a major threat (for now anyway). This is a rather weak second place no matter how you want to dress it up.
The return of Essien and better use of alternative formations can put Chelsea back on top. But, Scolari must change some things and do it quickly. Everton is next and they ain’t no pushovers.
abdullah
we had an interesting game when robinho signed, his first game was against us and he scored the first goal of the game, which we went on to win 3-1.
why are we even bothering to argue about 4-1-4-1, 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 4-1-2-2-1
they are essentially the same formation, pull your wingers shallow and wide to defend and the opposite to attack
before we carry on, luis fabiano can only play as good as the midfield and the russians have built up a name for not being the fittest of players, arshavin, 27, not a choice for me
, sell ferreira get £35+mil altogether for them and go from there
if we are desperate, sell malouda, sell kalou, sell alex
Lampard has not scored since some time.. That is a concern and I feel one of the big reasons of dropping points in the last thre matches at home..
Next week will define our EPL season. We have three games next week , – Everton, West Brom and Fulham – better schedule than Liverpool or Arsenal. If we take max points , like Jose’s 05 team or ’06 team , this season is ours or else be prepared for the free fall as next month we face Man U , Liverpool and Villa away. Take 9 points next week and go ahead of Man U by 7 points. Next month is tough for Man U , because they have to play two legs of Carling cup + one game they have in hand..
About Essien, even if he back in Feb, it will take atleast a month for full fitness, Will Scolari play him every match to give him that fitness.. Only if there is another injury crisis..
As said by @44 johnarejr , Avram Grant took a chelsea side in between season , 7 in the league and took it to 2nd position. In the Carling cup, chelsea defeated teams like Liverpool and Everton on way to final. I would say , Scolari has been given too much time, as he had good 45 days to train before the season.. He should train multiple formations with multiple people .. He should not be adamant, that he would try only 4-4-2 , if he has Anelka and drogba , why can’t he play both Anelka and Franco or Salomon Kaluo .. I would be suprised , if he starts 4-4-2 even this week ..
Quoting Brian
Show me where did I say we are playing 4-3-3??? You’re having a bad day mate.
Quoting Brian
Bounce back and forth is what this Chelsea team has been doing, if you’re watching the same Chelsea. Anelka puts in a useless performance. So I’m unhappy with his game. What do I do? I slate him. Then Anelka puts in some hardwork and good efforts and plays well. What do I do? I praise him. Is it so difficult to understand this trend? Also despite his fluctuating performance and my reflection on his performance on the day, I have an overall feeling about Anelka as well. I have been quite clear in conveying that too. He is not a Chelsea type player. Allright, he knocks in the goals when he gets into one-on-one situations. If I have a champions league final tomorrow night, Drogba comes to my mind before anyone else. I can’t think of Anelka for these type of matches. Even otherwise, when Drogba is there, he should start. Drogba and Anelka should play together. If we need to use only one striker, it should be Drogba over Anelka, anyday.
Quoting Brian
If you’re following this season, you’ll know how insecure the second position is. Three more poor results in the matches this month, we could be anywhere in the top 6. You say Scolari needs TIME before he makes a true impact. The fact is, he has made a true impact already. He has changed the way Chelsea plays but at the cost of something else. At the cost of our ruthlessness and pragmatism. Johnarejr has given you a fantastic response on the TIME needed by Scolari. Check it up.
Quoting cfc
He scored last Month with a sweet header against Sunderland and he had the single assist last weelend against West Ham.
He’s still by far the best midfeilder we have and I think his form currenlty is as good as ever. 5 Goals 4 Assists and 1512 mins played (out of a possible 1530 total).
Frankie is not our problem.
alex will leave chelsea for sure
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article2053093.ece
moreover i have read in one of the newspapers’ articles that alex has a meeting with roman after christmas to discuss his transfer
Quoting GamingTheSystem
LOL . . . he’s been our solution. fantastic performances so far.
Great story on Chelseablog.
On Scolari,
We needn’t be talking about a sack. Somebody just needs to be brought in to assist him. My heart screams for Steve Clarke. He’s the only variable that has changed in the core Chelsea equation, and we see the direction the reaction is moving. I doubt things will improve much when Essien returns. See,the problemis with the Mentality of play. If Arsene Wenger had all our players we’ll be in this exact same position. It’s the fancy football thing. I
On playing 2 strikers,
I still beg to hold a contrary opinion. In the games they’ve played together-the sulkand the hulk,the sulk has just generally retreated into ‘his personal dark space’,while the Hulk was left alone wrecking the havoc. Putting Anelka on with Droghameans will be playing with 10 men and if he persists with Deco in his present formthen,we’ll have omly 9 men forusand 12 against.
Having said these, I actuallythink we’ll start doing better from Westbrom. only problem is Liverpool may also start doing better. So let’s pray for a Liverpool Arsinine draw.
Sorry abt typos. Space bar on my system is reluctant
Hey guys stop bashing Scolari, he is the most successful manager Chelsea has ever had.
The post that say the players preferred A Grant to scollari is a lie, and I can say that categorically, I know .
They preferred J Mourinho maybe because of his character, but Scolari is definetelly the manager to take Chelsea up. If you believe everything you read in the papers you must extremelly naive.
Chelsea is doing well in the EPL and it will go through in CL, so stop and enjoy the way Cheslea plays .
What about Deco? in his place he is the best in the world, the thing is he needs some rest, how many matches has he done last year? so stop bashing Scolari.
Yes stop the scolari bash but definitely let’s give him some stick because he can do better. Our home form is bad and even a blind man can see this. something must change- the way he deploys his team at home I think. Our opponents are finding us too predictable at home so we must vary things a great deal- if Big Phil cannot figure this out, then he is not good enough for us. I think and hope he will cos I genuilely like the man.
[...] Teams love coming to Stamford Bridge. We struggle to beat any team. We surrender to top teams. Players are becoming indifferent. In my books, these are good enough reasons not to show any patience towards Scolari. Rival fans [...]