Chelsea v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Ian.]

What is the point of Joe Cole?

Maybe he's a good un in the dressing room?
I don't know but does it matter?

Anyway we don't have to hold our heads in shame. The gulf of class in this division is getting so big it's getting silly. We look good at the back still and our midfield is ok too, once Benteke is fit we might just have that bit of class to surprise a team like Chelsea.

We'll be alright this season.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

I really can't wait till Benteke comes back. Our other attacking players just aren't up to it at this level.

[PeterWithesShin]

Frankly, it's obvious that Chelsea will win the title. City are often unimpressive against the kind of teams (I hate to say it, but the likes of us) which Chelsea swat away easily.

But then Man City don't normally need to be that impressive against us to still walk away with a 4-0 or 5-0 win.

But they've already lost at home to Stoke and they were fortunate today. I just feel they're more likely to have one shocker every five or six games or so.

Citeh at home is very different to Chavski away. They scored 3 at VP once since that David White game.

[ez]

Expected to lose. Still disappointed we conceded three though and didn't create one chance all game.

[Billy Walker]

This is an outstanding Chelsea team. Azpelicuita ran the match and we didn't man mark him but the problem is who do you stopin team containing Fabregas, Hazard, Willians etc etc

It would be great if we could say this is an outstanding Chelsea team that has been built on the back of sporting integrity and a genuine long term process of gradual, carefully considered, squad building. If there was genuine skill and genius behind it all I would be the first to take my cap off. 

The fact that this team has been assembled on the back of over a billion quid's worth of financial doping this past decade makes it all very hard for me to admire - impossible, even.  This is my least favourite fixture of the season because it simply underlines how utterly ridiculous the current Premier League model is.  Just what is so difficult/wrong about bringing in a wage and salary cap for all clubs to stop the effects of financial doping?  Level the playing field, Scudamore, and make this  a genuine competition!  (Rant over.)

[olaftab]

oh well only another 4 years of lamberts shite tactics

Bollocks. Do you really think it's only about tactics?

[Tom_Mc9?]

Expected to lose. Still disappointed we conceded three though and didn't create one chance all game.

Delph had a couple of efforts, Sissokho also wasn't far off scoring. Not exactly the most clear cut of chances, but not the easiest of teams to produce against.

[SamTheMouse]

Time for spending limits and foreign player quotas, please. Otherwise, football can just fuck off.

[Goldie.7]

Expected to lose. Still disappointed we conceded three though and didn't create one chance all game.

Delph had a couple of efforts, Sissokho also wasn't far off scoring. Not exactly the most clear cut of chances, but not the easiest of teams to produce against.

He plays for the barcodes 

[ez]

oh well only another 4 years of lamberts shite tactics

Bollocks. Do you really think it's only about tactics?

I like to think the current tactic is just temporary.

[not3bad]

Meh.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Chelsea are the best team in the league and Mou has one of the best home records of any top flight manager, ever. So I don't feel that bad but I do hope these back to back losses don't impact the teams pretty fragile morale.

I am curious about Okore.

[Goldie.7]

Two 3-0 losses in a row surely next week won't be the same?

[pauliewalnuts]

No point getting too upset.

Chelsea are a very good team and will waltz past better teams than us.

It is nice to win at Anfield but it isn't fixtures like this which will tell us if we are getting better, it is games against the likes of Stoke, Leicester, Palace, the sort of games we lost home and away last season, which will tell us that.

[Ads]

Poor today with our delivery. Westwoods set pieces and the crossing from the full backs was way off. We played a lot of balls into Gabby that were really ineffectual, especially with Cahill and Terry being physical types; ideal balls for Benteke, who we are missing badly still.

There were spells where we actually played the ball through midfield.

Guzan played two of the balls straight back to them and Baker gave Costa a yard and that was that. They're very strong at home and as well they should be considering they've just spent £90 million on top of the likes of Oscar and Hazard etc.

They're still utter Tarquins and I doubt any them had a clue who that old boy was they paraded at half time.

Edit: if a Villa player had been booked, like Fabregas and then tackled somebody from behind, would they avoid a second booking?