How would you play?

[HughieG]

Some pundits, including ex-member of the Spice Girls Jamie Redknapp, have been having a go at Rafa for us playing the way we do.

On a day like today where Shelvey, Lascelles, Kenedy and Lejeune - arguably our four best players - aren't playing, it makes sense to me to try and defend and fight our way through a game and hope for 4-5 chances on the counter. We did it and (nearly) worked. Personally I have no problem with it when we have the players we have, and respect to them all for giving it their all.

On another day, with everyone fit and ready to play, I might have tried to bring the ruckus a bit more, especially in the last 10 minutes. It's hard though against a team like Chelsea and I'd personally rather win 1-0 than lose 4-5, so the opposite of what Richard Keys thinks.

To have a go at Rafa for trying to sneak a point against one of the best teams in the world, it's just a joke.

How would tactically approach these games this season? Does it make a difference if we're at home or away?

[ASHLEY OUT]

Some pundits, including ex-member of the Spice Girls Jamie Redknapp, have been having a go at Rafa for us playing the way we do.

On a day like today where Shelvey, Lascelles, Kenedy and Lejeune - arguably our four best players - aren't playing, it makes sense to me to try and defend and fight our way through a game and hope for 4-5 chances on the counter. We did it and (nearly) worked. Personally I have no problem with it when we have the players we have, and respect to them all for giving it their all.

On another day, with everyone fit and ready to play, I might have tried to bring the ruckus a bit more, especially in the last 10 minutes. It's hard though against a team like Chelsea and I'd personally rather win 1-0 than lose 4-5, so the opposite of what Richard Keys thinks.

To have a go at Rafa for trying to sneak a point against one of the best teams in the world, it's just a joke.

How would tactically approach these games this season? Does it make a difference if we're at home or away?

U saw near the end of the game when we attacked Chelsea they counterd us and split our defence open so easy, and had their best chances then, i think if we attacked them it would of been a big defeat then the pundits would be saying we were stupid for attacking, im sure these pundits just want to see us get hammered off the big teams so they can say how good the top 4 clubs are....

[HughieG]

I agree with you completely, AO.

[Jammy89]

Agreed AO.

And agreed Hugh, against Chelski with out best players missing we had to play like that. I'd of gone about it in the same way.

Not pretty, depressing but with the squad we've got that is what we have to do to try and get points.

[Zippity]

As I've said, Rafa is dealing the hand he has been dealt by fatso.

But, I'd like to have seen us a little less negative. Not in the way we set up because tactically I thought that was excellent and we really restricted Chelsea but in the way we behaved when we had the ball. Too many lumps up to a too-isolated Rondon and not enough support when we did have the ball.

The stats were 82% to 18% possession and at home that's pretty galling.

[Stanleymag]

Rafa needs to get his thumb out of his gob and start winning games.

We All know the owner is a ****er . Let's get over it. It's been eleven years.

Right, let's stop having Rondon up front, without a single black and white shirt within 30 yards of him.

I actually saw Joselu run back towards half way instead of running the keeper down from a back pass.

[Zippity]

Aye, we saw that, it was very deliberate, i.e. following a specific instruction.

I agree, too, that Rondon was far too isolated. I'm not expecting us to be open and expansive but it looked like we weren't even trying to attack.

[pboromag]

Agreed AO.

And agreed Hugh, against Chelski with out best players missing we had to play like that. I'd of gone about it in the same way.

Not pretty, depressing but with the squad we've got that is what we have to do to try and get points.

we have more attacking players than we do defensive

what we dont have is an attack minded manager

we have a manager affraid to loose

we have a manager that thinks these daus you can sit back and defend

other managers have worked that style out

and whilst doing this knowing your only other tctic is to hoy it up front

a bit like an injured boxer sitting on the ropes with one broken hand

eventually you will take the ko blow

[Kingstonbob1]

Let’s not forget the team we started with cost £52m and theirs was £220m. There keeper along cost £20m more than our whole team FFS! We take Rondon off and bring Joselu on they take Morata off and bring Giroud on. They should have won and they did. Just like next week no doubt, but it’ll be much more convincing. And let’s not forget he’s had to bring that defence together within a couple of days ie 2/3 wouldn’t have been playing. It wasn’t great to watch but as has been said if we’d gone gung ho they would have picked us apart.

[ghostrider]

We have the players to give any team a game. Yes, any team.

We do not have to be set up with the sole intention of not conceding and with very little emphasis on playing football. Passing and moving is something that Rafa is afraid of in case it moves a player temporarily out of position.

At home the away team should be worrying about what we can do just as much as us worrying about what they can do.
Away should be the same but with a bit more caution against the bigger teams, of which there are only a few that are capable of destruction.

You can't expect to be a moving duck on a side stall whilst being peppered and not expect to be knocked down and out.
People can defend that for as long as they want. It's their choice...but I'll hazard a guess at one thing. It won't be long before the natives get restless if Rafa carries that nonsense on, regardless of making up excuses of not having X amount of large double figured millions of pound players.


The truth is, if this team had six 20 million plus players in it and played like that, it would be because we didn't have 7 or 8.
The excuses are fine but the reality is there on the pitch with 11 players plus subs, footballers sent out to perform a specific task and it won't be long before they get sick of doing it.

Too many of those players are being deprived of expressing their talent...and believe me there's much more in many of those players.