Chelsea v Aston Villa Match Thread

[john2710]

Martinez has got to be better for the goal. Malen & Buendia are not starters in games like this. We're still in it. This game is more important than Arsenal. Watkins & Sancho on.

[PeterWithesShin]

We're good enough to win this, needs changes in line up and attitude though. If we are to lose at least go down fighting rather than another 45 mins of that shite.

[Villa Lew]

Going forward as bad as I've seen us all season, but defensively we've done well, apart from the goal obviously, and kept them down to a few chances.

[Steve67]

Malen, Buendia off for Onana and Watkins please.  We need a bit more physicality and to occupy their centre backs.  Their goal, Martinez needs to play the game and get pushed all over the place, so they disallow the goal. 

[tomd2103]

I think Buendia is a off the bench player . He can be rubbish when he starts but when he comes on can be magnificent .    dont think McGinn has been too good neither in fact to be fair not many have.

They just look so much quicker, stringer and more athletic than us.  They've been first to pretty much everything and our attacking players can't get away on the odd occasion we have had a chance to break. 

[john2710]

I've noticed that teams seem to be targeting Martinez from corners recently. 

He gets pinned by two attackers but if he pushes them away, Atwell would give a penalty. Not sure what the answer is.

Defenders should be dealing with them, not Martinez.

[Rudy65]

Playing like a team who dont think they belong in the title race or even top 4 conversation.

We’ve never been in the title race. Not a chance. It’s media bollocks

This. We've achieved miracles in the last three months but we're not in a title race, to be in the top 4 after the palace game will be excellent.

We've been poor so far, we won't be that shite in the second half

Top 4 end of the season
City
Arsenal
Chelsea
Liverpool

Us and MU fighting for 5th atm. Hopefully likes of Newcastle too far behind but a long way to go

[ChicagoLion]

I've noticed that teams seem to be targeting Martinez from corners recently. 

He gets pinned by two attackers but if he pushes them away, Atwell would give a penalty. Not sure what the answer is.

Mings

[Steve67]

I don't want us to wait until we are 2-0 down before we make the changes.  Although, to be fair, we can afford to lose this.

[jwarry]

He has to make a triple change at HT. Cash is going to get a red, Buendia has decided to unsuccessfully channel prime Zidane in extremely dangerous areas and this isn't the match for Malen.

Garcia, Onana and Watkins all on at HT for me.

I don’t get this, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Unai is that he can tweak things and players who were playing crap suddenly seem like world beaters

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t want us limply giving away this incredible run we’ve been on. Go down fighting. We can all live with that. But that was shit.

[PeterWithesShin]

No changes.

[john e]

1-2 win incoming

[enigma]

We never seem to do well at Christmas.

[Villan82]

We never seem to do well at Christmas.

Yeah, this goes back a long way with one or two exceptions