^^^^^
that is why we need felaini who can win midfield battles for us or Moussa Dembele.. with those players hazard and mata will dominate flourishly

ritchboy:

Of course Marin, Hazard and Hulk won't win you any midfield battles because they are not midfielders. The team that wins the midfield battle dictates possession. The team that surrenders possession can only play up to a certain level("low/medium blocks" [c] AVB) before they get slaughtered by more skilled opposition. So I'm wondering how Hulk and Hazard will turn Miereles/Ramires to Busquets/Xavi(possession kings) that afford you the luxury of "never having to defend as deep as before". How will Hazard and Hulk help you play higher up the field @ Nou Camp, Allianz Arena or The Emirates?

Dude. . Football does not work "only on a set of principles".

Chelsea can line up a very decent midfield in a combination of Mikel and Lamps in a double pivot and Mata in the hole.
This is one of the best midfield 3 in the PL.

However, one of the reasons Chelsea had to defend deep against the opposition mentioned is because almost always broke down on the forward line. With Drogba, Malouda, Kalou, Ramires, there was not enough quality in ball retention. They lost the ball more often and it's only a matter of time before midfield is overrun.

With the inclusion of Marin, Hulk, Hazard and Mata in the hole we suddenly have an att mid/forward line that could cause problems.
Hazard and Marin are players that can pick up the ball and walk into the opposition half.
Opposition knows this and the plan will be to double on these players and that's where it changes.

When two players on the flanks in certain "team A" need to be doubled on, then the opposition suddenly has two midfield players with more work to do on the flanks in addition to dominating possession. Because they know this team has a forward line dangerous not just on the break but even with posssession, they become less inventive with passes. This will cause them to push back a little in preparation for defensive cover. The outcome is "Team A" also has less pressure and allowing their midfielders to get on the ball more. This is an example of how a mobile and threatening forward line can help a team win midfield battles.

A classic example of this is Bayern V Chelsea, Bayern did not win the midfield battle because they typically have a better midfield than Chelsea. They did because they had threatening forward players in Ribery and Robben.

I am not claiming that Chelsea will win all the battles in midfield but we can even it and the hence statement, Hulk, Marin, Hazard and Mata will mean Chelsea doesn't need to defend as deep. However, to you, the midfield battles are only won in midfield. This is a dynamic game and not based on only a set of principles.

nateevs:


Dude. . Football does not work "only on a set of principles".

Chelsea can line up a very decent midfield in a combination of Mikel and Lamps in a double pivot and Mata in the hole.
This is one of the best midfield 3 in the PL.

However, one of the reasons Chelsea had to defend deep against the opposition mentioned is because almost always broke down on the forward line. With Drogba, Malouda, Kalou, Ramires, there was not enough quality in ball retention. They lost the ball more often and it's only a matter of time before midfield is overrun.

With the inclusion of Marin, Hulk, Hazard and Mata in the hole we suddenly have an att mid/forward line that could cause problems.
Hazard and Marin are players that can pick up the ball and walk into the opposition half.
Opposition knows this and the plan will be to double on these players and that's where it changes.

When two players on the flanks in certain "team A" need to be doubled on, then the opposition suddenly has two midfield players with more work to do on the flanks in addition to dominating possession. Because they know this team has a forward line dangerous not just on the break but even with posssession, they become less inventive with passes. This will cause them to push back a little in preparation for defensive cover. The outcome is "Team A" also has less pressure and allowing their midfielders to get on the ball more. This is an example of how a mobile and threatening forward line can help a team win midfield battles.

All this is secondary. . . Sure, Hazard can help keep opposition honest(even Theo Walcott does this with sheer pace) and make the midfielders' job a little easier but it's still up to the midfielders to do the main job. Silva and sons can also "pick up the ball and walk into the opposition half" but Mancini still parks his Lambo at Emirates every season because his midfield is no match for Arsenal's in possession.

As long as it's still Ramires, Lampard, Miereles and co in the middle of the park don't expect to roll up to Allianz Arena and play "high blocks" because Bayern are scared of Hazard and Marin.

A classic example of this is Bayern V Chelsea, Bayern did not win the midfield battle because they typically have a better midfield than Chelsea. They did because they had threatening forward players in Ribery and Robben.

This is patently false as Schweinsteiger and Kroos are miles ahead of Lampard and Mikel in possession of the ball. Ribery and Robben are the most threatening wingers on earth but don't expect them to win midfield battle for Bayern at Nou Camp.

In your defense, you did say "as deep as" last season, which doesn't take much to beat.

nice!
i am enjoying d debate guys,pls continue.

LOL at Fernadud Torres

What can we do with Torress?

What sort of emotional trauma is he going through that is affecting his decision making faculty?

Did he lose a loved one? Or Is the willie not coming up again?

I mean wtf!!

in his defence spain did have a better shape with torres on d pitch

Maybe its the skill-less Lampard, Drogbas witchcraft, Sturridges Selfishness, and Chelseas lack of flair thats to blame for wasting 3 100%chance where he is given the ball and allowed to run at the last man

Fernando just made me shake my head.
I bet someone up there is probably thinking "Alright that's it . . we cut our losses"

I still have to continue to believe. £50m investment is not small money.

dayokanu: Maybe its the skill-less Lampard, Drogbas witchcraft, Sturridges Selfishness, and Chelseas lack of flair thats to blame for wasting 3 100%chance where he is given the ball and allowed to run at the last man

Those were difficult chances. Much easier chances were missed in the game. Buffon did an amazing job to come out and stop him because he knows Torres loves to round the keeper. The 2nd chance was even harder. Very few strikers would score that. Yeah, he could have passed to Navas instead of trying to lob the keeper but he deserves credit because he created the opening, playing a 1-2 with Xavi. Spain were much better after he came on. His movement greatly troubled Italy's backline. They could hardly cope with his movement.

Please what easier chances were missed by Spain in the game?

The failure had a run at Buffons goal at least 5 meters

And still cant score. So was Buffon supposed to run away from goal or what? wasnt buffon doing his goalkeeping job?

Torres faced the keeper and shot the ball way over the bar, Does it matter if he was the one who created the chance for himself? Someone passed to him he beat the defender and cant even shoot on target.

What was difficult about a chance where you had a clear run at the keeper and the other one face to face and blasted over the bar?

nateevs: Fernando just made me shake my head.
I bet someone up there is probably thinking "Alright that's it . . we cut our losses"

I still have to continue to believe. £50m investment is not small money.

Cant we find a way to link this to Drogba, Lampard, Sturridge, Malouda or Kalou?

medjai: Those were difficult chances. Much easier chances were missed in the game. Buffoon did an amazing job to come out and stop him because he knows Torres loves to round the keeper. The 2nd chance was even harder. Very few strikers would score that. Yeah, he could have passed to Navas instead of trying to lob the keeper but he deserves credit because he created the opening, playing a 1-2 with Xavi. Spain were much better after he came on. His movement greatly troubled Italy's backline. They could hardly cope with his movement.

exactly what i thought...but trust the charlatans to start snapping.
every striker in the world has bungled a 1-v-1 chance with the goalie.
torres wanted to round buffon...buffon being an excellent goalie with
long arms n long legs just tackled him and won the ball.

the 2nd chance was difficult. if he had passed to navas, the same
people talking here would say torres lost his confidence. he tried
to chip the goalie but he was off-target. how many times did messi
go 1-v-1 with cech last month at the bridge?

breaking news: di matteo signs 1 year contract with chelsea!

keeping d seat warm for Pep Guardiola?

At least we thank God that Torres is back to his physical best. His pace continues to look good, something he seemed to have lost in his first few months of Chelsea.

However what the game highlights is the riskiness of building your team around a player so mentally weak, especially when you are commiting your whole style of play to create the kinda opportunities he thrives on, foregoing other avenues which have worked well for us, such as having a big target man who can hold up play and set up the midfield, or crosses from the fullbacks, or knockdowns from a strong centre-forward. There was no better example of "switchback" than the passes Spain gave Torres today.

coogar:
how many times did messi
go 1-v-1 with cech last month at the bridge?

Messi has scored 82 goals for club and country this season whilst Torres has scored 8.

Whenever Torres flop, you always point to some other successful player missing chances.

Wetin concern 82 goal Messi with 8 goal Torres?

keeping d seat warm for Pep Guardiola?

@afrodoc,
i tot manure shld be more worried over the activeness of an ancestor in charge of their team. it is scientifically proven that at a certain age in life, man starts behaving and reasoning like a child.
in economics, it is called DIMINISHING RETURNS and it happens when a person has reached his peak. you will at this stage(peak) have no other choice than decline.
when a coach begins to bench his highest goals scorer(barbatov) and sharp shooter(chicharito) for divers(young and welbeck) u will know something is wrong somewhere. if nobody resigns.retires, i will not be surprise if rooney one day starts from the goal and nani plays 3 with evra as top 9.

Ibime: At least we thank God that Torres is back to his physical best. His pace continues to look good, something he seemed to have lost in his first few months of Chelsea.

However what the game highlights is the riskiness of building your team around a player so mentally weak, especially when you are commiting your whole style of play to create the kinda opportunities he thrives on, foregoing other avenues which have worked well for us, such as having a big target man who can hold up play and set up the midfield, or crosses from the fullbacks, or knockdowns from a strong centre-forward. There was no better example of "switchback" than the passes Spain gave Torres today.

Those passes that Torres got today were the best any striker can receive, A pass from midfield and he was able to make about 5-7 steps before the keeper got to him means enough time to make a decision yet he flopped and we should praise him.

What more does he want? they have given him pass where he gets one on one vs the Keeper and he misses cant even get a shot on target or draw a save from the keeper

What a wasteman

Ibime: At least we thank God that Torres is back to his physical best. His pace continues to look good, something he seemed to have lost in his first few months of Chelsea.

However what the game highlights is the riskiness of building your team around a player so mentally weak, especially when you are commiting your whole style of play to create the kinda opportunities he thrives on, foregoing other avenues which have worked well for us, such as having a big target man who can hold up play and set up the midfield, or crosses from the fullbacks, or knockdowns from a strong centre-forward. There was no better example of "switchback" than the passes Spain gave Torres today.

You and this your yeye "switchback" you keep spreading about.
You are the only Chelsea fan I know that knows about this fictitious system.

Ibime:

Messi has scored 82 goals for club and country this season whilst Torres has scored 8.

Whenever Torres flop, you always point to some other successful player missing chances.

Wetin concern 82 goal Messi with 8 goal Torres?

and i am sure messi has missed 200 chances...
if i have had xavi, iniesta, villa, cesc, di maria,
tevez, higuain, aguero, etc as team mates, i would score 100 goals.

it's a shade better than having misfits n okrika products like
lampard, sturridge, lukaku, essien, etc as team-mates. a club
like chelsea who are ready to play negative and win by the odd
goal should not be compared to barcelona.

officer ibime, you have been found out again....as a pillock!

coogar:

and i am sure messi has missed 200 chances...
if i have had xavi, iniesta, cesc Busquets villa, di maria,
tevez, higuain, aguero, etc as team mates, i would score 100 goals.

Torres has those in bold, thy actually gave him 2 sumptuous passes today and he squandered everything

Just the same way he wasted everything in South Africa and they had to bench his asss for the team to win

dayokanu:

Torres has those in bold, thy actually gave him 2 sumptuous passes today and he squandered everything

Just the same way he wasted everything in South Africa and they had to bench his asss for the team to win

The point Coogar is making is that maybe he (Torres) will score the next 2 chances which negates the ones he missed.

nateevs: The point Coogar is making is that maybe he (Torres) will score the next 2 chances which negates the ones he missed.

If a team is to depend on a striker who misses chance after chance it wont be long before they get kicked out of the tournament

Thankfully someone like Del Bosque is smart enough to know a dud when he sees one and give him the dud treatment like he did in South Africa

Y'all should get off Torres' back - a number of 'top' strikers have fluffed their lines so far at the Euros - it's way too early to start passing judgement.

dayokanu:
What more does he want? they have given him pass where he gets one on one vs the Keeper and he misses cant even get a shot on target or draw a save from the keeper

What a wasteman

The title wasteman has been eternally reserved for Arjen Robben - he wasted dozens more (and better) chances than Torres did. In fact, the urban dictionary is going to use his ugly balding mug beside the definition of wasteman.

For how long will the dud be defended?
I expected Torres to take a shot instead of running away from the goal post all in the name of rounding the goalie.

Torres will score alright, after having like 20 chances wasted.
This is the man to lead the Chelsea attack next season. . .?

Meanwhile, RDM to be confirmed as manager this week.

So RDM gets a "one-year contract" after winning the CL and the FA Cup against all odds.


I hope this puts to bed finally the argument of all these years what Roman demands from his manager.

nateevs: So RDM gets a "one-year contract" after winning the CL and the FA Cup against all odds.


I hope this puts to bed finally the argument of all these years what Roman demands from his manager.

Is it confirmed it is for one year?
Or mere speculations?

Contract terms have now been agreed - [b]and it is definitely more than a one-year deal [/b]that would look like he was simply holding the fort until Pep Guardiola made himself available.

nateevs: So RDM gets a "one-year contract" after winning the CL and the FA Cup against all odds.


I hope this puts to bed finally the argument of all these years what Roman demands from his manager.

. . . .and it proves what I (and others) have been saying for years - the CL is the holy grail for Roman and deeply influences his managerial decisions, typified by Mourinho and Ancelotti.

BlueDiva:

Is it confirmed it is for one year?
Or mere speculations?

Not official yet.

debosky:

. . . .and it proves what I (and others) have been saying for years - the CL is the holy grail for Roman and deeply influences his managerial decisions, typified by Mourinho and Ancelotti.

Scolari, Grant, AVB?
So he finally gets the "holy grail" and rewards him with "a year's contract" right?

I still don't get where it proves what you claim. Please show me.