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Manager Mauricio Pochettino

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If Poch's hand was forced by Davies' injury... then he had to play someone at LWB... yes, Jan could have played there instead of Son, but imagine the furore had Wimmer got a start at CB, and the result stayed as it was... we'd all be blaming Poch for playing a distinctly inferior Wimmer in a position where Jan & Toby 'have got this'...

I think Poch's biggest problem was trying to play ALL the players in form at the moment... unfortunately, 12 doesn't go into 11... something had to give!
 
pretty depressing all-in-all and can only just talk about it now. Think we were all worried when we saw Son in the left wing-back position. I can only assume Poch was planning on pressing high and wanted crosses flying in from both sides although I thought to myself at the time Davies was capable of that. I didn't see anything about picking up a knock but if that's true then it makes sense as there wasn't really anyone else available to play the pressing role. I think the weekend shows that whilst we have a decent first team we need a little more on the bench, that's what these rich clubs seem to have over us as I thought for the large part we were the better team but often found myself looking at the bench thinking who can make the difference. When I saw the N'K coming on I was worried as I couldn't what he would do.

Would have loved a trophy but with United winning, they must be focusing on top four which is understandable as money is needed now more than ever. So until we get a bit more surplus cash we're going to encounter this as we're not going to have a bench full of players on huge salaries waiting to come on.

Injuries have once again been our undoing. If Rose was fit I feel certain we would have booked our place in the final.

Onwards and upwards...
 
Riviera said:
I do think Conte understand if he start Hazard and Costa, fight directly with us right from the start, they can't cope with our intensity, as the game goes, Chelsea players get tired, they don't have better one to change the game.

But the two unnecessary mistakes changed the game, we are chasing the game more the 60mins , leveling twice already show how strong this young team is (both mentally and physically)

I have no problem on using Son to nullify Moses, he is the best we got. However, I am more concern on the role of Jannsen and Sissoko in the team, it is just too sad that half of our sub-bench will be sold this summer or not up to the standard Poch want. (Wimmer, Jannsen, Sissoko)
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Yeah, they were very lucky to get an early goal as Conte had essentially prepared to be losing and bring Costa and Hazard on to finish strongly.
 
Sorry but Poch was forced into playing Son there with both left backs injured.

Whatever he did he had to play someone out of position. We have played our best football with 3 at the back and that's what Chelsea were playing so you have to stick with that imo.

Whatever he did he would have been slated.

We didn't lose because Son played LWB. Yes the penalty was infuriating but it was a DIVE and son had the pace at least to keep up with their counter attack. Something Jan or Davies wouldn't have done.

None of the othe 3 goals had anything to do with Son.

Poch picked a side that dominated and scored 2 quality goals. It winds me up that with every loss people have to pick the managers decisions to pieces as if they would have picked a winning side.

To do anything other than play Son LWB would have involved making multiple changes to solve one problem. The reactions on here you'd think he played Son there for the fuck of it and left a fully fit Rose and Davies out.
 
Guido said:
Who else and what formation Joe?
I don't get the subs thing, we were the better side, their pen was right at the end of the first half and completely against the run of play, so why would you want to make changes? We then were fantastic from the beginning of the 2nd half, deservedly scored an equaliser and looking good to score another, we were all over them, why would you make a change when you are the best team and looking like the only team that's going to win?
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Oh come on mate. Didn't you see all the match winning options we had on the bench!?

Don't let the tiny fact that we were DOMINATING fool you.

Everyone knows after a loss the only explanation is the manager didn't make the right subs.

(In case I didn't lay it on thick enough the above is sarcasm and I agree with you whole heartedly :thumbup:)
 
Totti said:
Vertonghen and Wimmer have both played left back this season - I guess Pochettino didn't want to break up a winning central defensive partnership and didn't trust Wimmer out there. It's strange he decided to go with Son though, I imagine he was expecting Vertonghen to come across when Son attacked and Demebele to help out.

Didn't help that Son's 6 goals got us this far and he was pretty much undroppable due to the injuries. It's just one of those things. I doubt it'll ever happen again.
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Wimmer hasn't been playing well in his last couple of games, but Poch might have isolated him too much. If he doesn't get game time (atleast against Millwall or sub him on for a few minutes against Bournemouth/Watford) our options if players get injured, are limited.

Verts / Wimmer / Toby / Trippier - This is solid, which could've also seen Dier getting a break. You don't play high with these four, and even if you would want to in Wembley, you can still push up Trippier and revert to a back three with Verts, Wimmer and Toby.
 
Mockers said:
Sorry but Poch was forced into playing Son there with both left backs injured.

Whatever he did he had to play someone out of position. We have played our best football with 3 at the back and that's what Chelsea were playing so you have to stick with that imo.

Whatever he did he would have been slated.

We didn't lose because Son played LWB. Yes the penalty was infuriating but it was a DIVE and son had the pace at least to keep up with their counter attack. Something Jan or Davies wouldn't have done.

None of the othe 3 goals had anything to do with Son.

Poch picked a side that dominated and scored 2 quality goals. It winds me up that with every loss people have to pick the managers decisions to pieces as if they would have picked a winning side.

To do anything other than play Son LWB would have involved making multiple changes to solve one problem. The reactions on here you'd think he played Son there for the fuck of it and left a fully fit Rose and Davies out.
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Put the other goals aside, they don't matter with the decision. We conceded from a penalty, because Son tracked back (which he usually doesn't do) as he started as a LWB (which he never did before) shortly before the break.

I really hoped to get into the break with 1-1, but that decision fucked the tactics for the second half. We couldn't sub off Son as we had to get back on the front foot. I think Son would have been subbed off or pushed up the pitch if we have that 1-1 and go back to a more solid 4-2-3-1 (Verts - Toby - Dier - Trippier).

High pressing is good, but dangerous if you over do it. If you want to win games, play nice football and score plenty of goals, it's good. But for titles, Poch has to accept that no team on this world is able to play high pressing for every minute in the game. If the game is getting out of hand, you need to stay calm and tell the team to stay deeper and not press every pass of the opposition.

Juventus comfortably won at home against Barca and knew what they had to do in the away leg. Analyse their attacking movements over the week and nullify them at the Camp Nou.

Real on the other side might have thrown away their league title yesterday. To press at the 92th minute with 10 men... crazy decision. I just never want us to lose a vital game in that way.

We should look for an experienced midfielder in the summer, somebody who can dictate a game. Somebody like Motta would be nice. Not as a regular starter, but in big games to give us a bit more of a balance adn restrain ourselves from pressing the opposition to death.
 
Joe Clash said:
Well we got something wrong. We conceded 4 in a game we 'dominated'. It's ok to admit it.
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Yep of course it is ok.

There's no arguing mistakes were made but it isn't always the managers mistakes.

Players are responsible for their performance once they cross the line too.

Granted Poch probably shouldn't have picked Toby or Lloris because they both cost us a goal. But the "Stubborn cunt" will keep picking them:disdain: .
 
Eskimo said:
Yet didn't make a decision as idiotic as the one we saw at the weekend.
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can I disagree with both?

The formation came very, very close to working. We came back from a goal down, twice, against a team with a very good defensive record this season. The goals we scored were good. Son at LWB didn't make Lloris position poorly for the free kick, or the appalling marking for the 3rd, or the worldie for the 4th. It didn't mean we didn't score from 11 (?) corners. At 2-2 it did mean that we bossed the game for for a good 15 mins and Chavs couldn't get out of their half.

We came up against a team who haven't played in Europe, who can bring Hazard or Willian off the bench, with a much bigger and better squad. A team we beat at home with Rose with 3 at the back, lost narrowly away with no Rose and 4. Very, very fine margins.

It's taken 3 short seasons to move from the car crashes of losing 6-0 5-0 4-0 with a bunch of bloody misfits with no experience of the PL to having arguably the best 1st XI in the PL. It's nothing short of a miracle. We cant expect to have the best squad too. That might happen in the next year or so.

Yes we could have put Jan at LB. But the way we went meant the least disruption to our well-oiled machine. And it very nearly worked.

(and can we put this Sherwood nonsense to bed? He took over the car crash, and did pretty well from then on. Check out the results - I saw 2 bad ones at CFC and LFC, most of the rest was very decent. He was a good youth coach - COACH - with no managerial experience. Don't rewrite history just because he's a tit).
 
Mockers said:
Yep of course it is ok.

There's no arguing mistakes were made but it isn't always the managers mistakes.

Players are responsible for their performance once they cross the line too.

Granted Poch probably shouldn't have picked Toby or Lloris because they both cost us a goal. But the "Stubborn cunt" will keep picking them:disdain: .
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If you forget Son's defensive work, playing him at LWB negated his attacking strengths. It was an odd decision that didn't come off. I'm not digging out Poch here - I love the man.

Perhaps I should have used the term 'single minded' because he is and it's no bad thing.
 
Joe Clash said:
If you forget Son's defensive work, playing him at LWB negated his attacking strengths. It was an odd decision that didn't come off. I'm not digging out Poch here - I love the man.

Perhaps I should have used the term 'single minded' because he is and it's no bad thing.
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I hate to admit it, but I am starting having sympathy with the melts on here.
You raise a slight criticism of Poch and people lose their shit and won't hear it because he is infallible.
Likewise with the Son fan-boys. He can do no wrong, even in goal he would be a superstar.
 
Spursinho said:
I hate to admit it, but I am starting having sympathy with the melts on here.
You raise a slight criticism of Poch and people lose their shit and won't hear it because he is infallible.
Likewise with the Son fan-boys. He can do no wrong, even in goal he would be a superstar.
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Aren't the "melts" the ones who dig out the manager and players after games. I think it's the "happy clappers" you are referring to.

Please get your termanology right if future!
:tobyarm:
 
Boltonspur said:
Assuming Davies is not fit on Wednesday, & Rose is still unavailable...would you play Son at LWB again? Same goes for next weekend.
Honestly, I don't want to see Son anywhere near our defence in future unless he's tracking back & assisting the left back.
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I think there are three or four options I would play there before choosing Son. It was a mental decision to be honest.

I try to remind myself though that Poch is a young manager, he will make mistakes. But he is an excellent excellent manager and I don't think he will make that mistake again.
 
Joe Clash said:
If you forget Son's defensive work, playing him at LWB negated his attacking strengths. It was an odd decision that didn't come off. I'm not digging out Poch here - I love the man.

Perhaps I should have used the term 'single minded' because he is and it's no bad thing.
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Fair enough. We'll have to disagree as I don't think it was that odd under the circumstances.

It was only odd until you realise Davies wasn't fit. Someone had to play there or we had to change formation AND play someone out of position at LB.

The penalty has made it look a far worse decision that it was.

Personally I think Poch did everything right all things considered. They scored a free kick a penalty and a freak goal. Luck was massively on their side.

We dominated and scored 2 quality goals.

Actually the one thing I didn't agree with was bringing Walker on and putting Trippier Left who was far more likely to deliver a quality cross. But that in itself highlights the problem we had with no Left sided player available.
 
Clearly the Son decision isn't something most of us agree with but we need to improve our ruthlessness.
David Luiz went down a few times clearly to break-up play. It's the refs job to stop the game if he thinks there's an issue. We all knew what he was doing – play on, he will soon stop this when his team loose a few goals to his antics. Was a bit naive to kick the ball out as we lost our rhythm.

We had stacks of corners yesterday but caused very from them. They are a good thing to win but we need to make more use of them.

We have a young team and a young coach, all of which are learning, I expect Poch will take a few things away with him from the game. Levy will no doubt see we need another couple of decent players as our bench (regardless of injuries) was weak. If he wants CL year in year out, he'll need to buy a couple of more players Poch wants.

The score was flattering and no Chelsea fan can say otherwise, we dominated most of the game and they were lucky that all their shots 'clicked', another day they wouldn't and they would have been well beat. So whilst disappointed I feel we played well in the most part and am still positive for the rest of the season. Wednesday will be a big test. The player need to come out fighting...
 
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