We were second best for most of the game.Some poor defensive concentration and several players below par. I thought Heaton, Nakamba, Elmo and Luiz were all decent and Jack did well in patches.From the away end you could see that we were defending narrowly as we often do, and Chelsea were keeping William (who was the best player on the pitch for me) and on the other flank Pulisic (I think) very wide, so they had easy wide balls as an option. We don't close these down quickly enough and both goals came from not stopping crosses. The way we defend we seem to depend on our wide midfielders / forwards to stop crosses rather than the defenders.When we tried to play wide ourselves I thought Chelsea were very tight on us and didn't allow us space to attack them.We stayed in the game, more due to Chelsea's profligacy than anything, but didn't really deserve a point. I think we need more pace in the team as an outlet when under pressure and we also have a soft underbelly so more physicality would help too.
The fact we are still in games that we are either drawing or losing is the reason Kodja doesn't come on. He is too indisciplined.
Quote from: ez on December 04, 2019, 09:48:20 PMIt was painfull seeing Tammy in a Chelsea shirt tonight when we desperately need him. We were second best but with a bit of presence up front we could have nicked something.He was always going to score against us wasn't he? What sort of reception did he get from the Villa fans who were there?
It was painfull seeing Tammy in a Chelsea shirt tonight when we desperately need him. We were second best but with a bit of presence up front we could have nicked something.
Quote from: Drummond on December 04, 2019, 10:15:50 PMTheir squad worth about four times ours.Their trophy count significantly higher. They've been in the top reaches of the league for years and won the Champions League only We've just been promoted having been in the championship and before that having circled the Premier League plughole for half a decade. They won the league as recently as 2017 and the Europa League last season. It's the reality, we're going to have bad days, and this is precisely the sort of team it's likely to happen against. I was flat watching it, as it didn't look like we'd get anything from the game. However xwe hung in there and didn't get hammered (score wise).Onwards. Chris Wilder doesn't give a shit about any of that and goes there with a more limited team than ours and battles for a well-earned point. Aren't you a Sheff lad now, Drummond? Learn from that grit in them parts. Also, as has been pointed out, Chelsea's goalscorers were both playing in the same division as us last season. I would have expected us to be more competitive last night.
Their squad worth about four times ours.Their trophy count significantly higher. They've been in the top reaches of the league for years and won the Champions League only We've just been promoted having been in the championship and before that having circled the Premier League plughole for half a decade. They won the league as recently as 2017 and the Europa League last season. It's the reality, we're going to have bad days, and this is precisely the sort of team it's likely to happen against. I was flat watching it, as it didn't look like we'd get anything from the game. However xwe hung in there and didn't get hammered (score wise).Onwards.
Newly promoted side against a well stacked outfit. We bring on Jota, they bring on Jorginho. That said, I thought we were our own worst enemy. Terrible defending for the goals. Mings and Konsa had a night off, timid all over the pitch, stood off in midfield. We don't quite have enough class yet to compete with these sides. Wesley? I'm not sure what people are expecting when there are two players on him and no Villa player around him? No-one else was any better, or worse than him. They won all the second balls and we looked tired and punchless. 2-1 flatters us. Poor performance and now only 1 point outside the bottom 3.
Agree to some extent, but I just think we would be more solid with those two in there (could even try Konsa in there and bring Engels back in). As I said, not for every game, but I would be in favour of going that way in games like tonight.It is a bit down the list of priorities come January, but a quality mobile, combative midfielder to go in there alongside Marvellous or Douglas could be a shrewd signing.