Chelsea v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Ian.]

Zero shots on target........... How many times has this happened under Lambert.

Well it didn't happen yesterday.

Only if you choose to believe it happened.
I mean we was not great yesterday but we also was not as bad as some people make out.

[old man villa fan]

I think our biggest problem is that with only one up front, we are so predictable and easy to defend against.  What I find most annoying is pulling everybody back when the opposition has a corner or free kick.  This just invites pressure as it allows the opposition to sit their midfield on the edge of our penalty area and easily regain position from the second ball.

[ChicagoLion]

Was at the Game. Last week it was a virus, what is the excuse this week?
Weiman needs a good look at himself, did not track the runner and gave them the lead and the game. On the few occasions we progressed up the pitch with nice passing and then Weimen gets it and gives it away. He had the worst technique on the pitch.
Bringing NZOG and Bent was just another act of surrender.

They beat us at a stroll. Gutless

[Hoppo]

OMVF. That has annyoyed me for ages, never understood it.

[PeterWithesShin]

Was at the Game. Last week it was a virus, what is the excuse this week?
Weiman needs a good look at himself, did not track the runner and gave them the lead and the game. On the few occasions we progressed up the pitch with nice passing and then Weimen gets it and gives it away. He had the worst technique on the pitch.
Bringing NZOG and Bent was just another act of surrender.

They beat us at a stroll. Gutless

This deserves an award just for 2 different attempts at spelling Weimann and getting them both wrong.

[dekko]

Was at the Game. Last week it was a virus, what is the excuse this week?
Weiman needs a good look at himself, did not track the runner and gave them the lead and the game. On the few occasions we progressed up the pitch with nice passing and then Weimen gets it and gives it away. He had the worst technique on the pitch.
Bringing NZOG and Bent was just another act of surrender.

They beat us at a stroll. Gutless

Whats your reasoning behind this?

[ktvillan]

And yet, nothing's really changed since we beat Liverpool, only 2 weeks ago. Back then, it was pages and pages of delirium.

I can't agree - what has changed is that up to that point we had lead in matches (Stoke and 'The Mighty Reds YNWA') and successfully defended that lead by pressing and sitting deep whilst offering little further attacking threat.  That's fine when ahead, but since then we've done the same when 1, 2 and 3 down.  I understand we don't want to incur an absolute tonking and the subsequent damage to confidence and morale, but to practically give up and settle for damage limitation is, to me, hard to accept, especially at home.  Chelsea away is perhaps more understandable in that respect, but Arsenal's defence is far from secure, yet we barely tested them after losing the 3 goals.  And we didn't seem interested in trying.  In a similar situation, admittedly against a ropier defence, Leicester risked it at 3-1 down and reaped the rewards.  Maybe it's just me but I'd rather go down all guns blazing than with a whimper.  And in the absence of our two main CFs surely the young lad (Robinson?)  can't be any worse than Gabby in the sole striker role.

[Ads]

Since Liverpool we have played two significantly better sides, one of which will win the league. Next week we will have the side that will split them in second place and all of which spent a small African nations GDP this summer.

Against our peers and those lacking world class players, we hold our own and better. Without our best two forwards and centre half, we are just not up to it.

We didn't surrender yesterday, what an unfounded cliche. We were outplayed by a significantly better side and that will happen to a lot of clubs at Stamford Bridge.

Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard and Will-I-Am- that is more creativity than we have had collectively for the past twenty years, all played behind a bloke that scored the goals to pip Barca and Real to La Liga, while playing in a European Cup final.

[Ron Manager]

Since Liverpool we have played two significantly better sides, one of which will win the league. Next week we will have the side that will split them in second place and all of which spent a small African nations GDP this summer.

Against our peers and those lacking world class players, we hold our own and better. Without our best two forwards and centre half, we are just not up to it.

We didn't surrender yesterday, what an unfounded cliche. We were outplayed by a significantly better side and that will happen to a lot of clubs at Stamford Bridge.

Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard and Will-I-Am- that is more creativity than we have had collectively for the past twenty years, all played behind a bloke that scored the goals to pip Barca and Real to La Liga, while playing in a European Cup final.

And that is absolutely correct. Forget this match and move on to Manchester City.

[N'ZMAV]

The only worring thing from Saturdays game was how uninterested Darren Bent and Charles N'Zogbia appeared. Now, maybe that's because the game was over, or are they unhappy with still being at the club? I don't know, but they hardly busted a gut to get themselves back in the side.  As for the rest, it's nothing to worry about. We will occasionally get the odd good result against a top side, but more often than not, we're not up to it. We need to judge ourselves on the 14 or so sides that could get dragged into the shit at the bottom. Most of which we'll be fine against, Hull, Stoke etc etc. Just write the weekend off and start again in a few weeks, maybe against Everton, but definitely against QPR.

[PeterWithesShin]

Zog is always going to be hit and miss, and will be mainly miss when we are being outplayed.
Bent just seems a waste of a shirt these days. A kid from the U16 side couldn't have been any less use than Bent has been so far this season. A startlingly rapid decline from Bent and he's still only 30 and yet looks less mobile than Sheringham did at 38/39. Worth every penny of what we paid at that time, a few years on and I wouldn't want him on a free and 10K a week wages. He actually looks like he has eaten Grant Holt.

[ktvillan]

Since Liverpool we have played two significantly better sides, one of which will win the league. Next week we will have the side that will split them in second place and all of which spent a small African nations GDP this summer.

Against our peers and those lacking world class players, we hold our own and better. Without our best two forwards and centre half, we are just not up to it.

We didn't surrender yesterday, what an unfounded cliche. We were outplayed by a significantly better side and that will happen to a lot of clubs at Stamford Bridge.

Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard and Will-I-Am- that is more creativity than we have had collectively for the past twenty years, all played behind a bloke that scored the goals to pip Barca and Real to La Liga, while playing in a European Cup final.

As I said, with Chelsea it was perhaps more understandable.  Arsenal are a good side generally but were struggling to find 4 fit defenders, their defence was torn to shreds by Dortmund (yes I know we are not at their level but even so)  and were having to make do and mend in that department.  Surely we could have made more effort to exploit what was probably their main weakness on the day, rather than give them possibly one of the easiest rides they'll get this season?

[PeterWithesShin]

We'll never know but maybe we would have if we hadn't been struck by that virus.

[garyshawsknee]

He actually looks like he has eaten Grant Holt.

Very good sir.

[Mister E]

As I said, with Chelsea it was perhaps more understandable.  Arsenal are a good side generally but were struggling to find 4 fit defenders, their defence was torn to shreds by Dortmund (yes I know we are not at their level but even so)  and were having to make do and mend in that department.  Surely we could have made more effort to exploit what was probably their main weakness on the day, rather than give them possibly one of the easiest rides they'll get this season?

I think we were all over the Arse for the first 35 and should probalby have been ahead - the 6 minute madness is a little inexplicable and the second half may as well have never happened for its lack of anything noteworthy... but I guess that was a result of the virus..