Just looked like we were running on fumes for a lot of that game. Credit to Poch for extracting every bit of juice he can from that Sissoko/Winks CM pairing. It looked thinner than a Ralph Coates combover yesterday. Dele and Eriksen are tasked to do a lot defensively as a consequence, especially against a good attacking outfit like Chelsea.
Poch's had to work miracles with Dier, Dembele and Wanyama being out for so long; plus having to manage Lamela's gametime due to injury. Good to know Verts, Dier and Dembele (maybe), and Erik, who got a brief showing, will be good to go soon.
We got the win despite being threadbare in central midfield, and having Toby as a left CB. Thought we did well considering; thought Gazza, Rose, Toby, Davinson, Dele and Kane all did well. We ground out a result that gives us a narrow advantage in the return.
I
Agree with MPickard, Rose (6) was standing off his attacker...fear of being beaten I suppose . Free crosses from his side for Chelski.
Eriksen(4) has form when contracts come up for going absent . Creatively he was a blank, an earlier Sub would have been better.
A grim watch for me . maybe some solution can be found for next leg , Jan has skill to bring the ball out of defence , he coming back soon ? I hope so .
All the bookings for fair challenges on Hazard wound me up. If the little fat-arsed bitch didn't scream and cry every time he got tackled, the ref wouldn't have been so desperate to massage his shaft by reprimanding our innocent players.
Back five 7
Gaz and Toby 8
Midfield 6 inc.Dele and Eriksen
Son 5.
HK (MBE) 7+1 for goal and build up
and pass to Son in the channel.
Forced to play long and concede possession
Nearly played ourselves into trouble
with short balls out.
Winks did very well receiving the ball
at the edge of the penalty area centrally.
If Hazard was a team player
instead of merely individually stellar,
or Giroud had been on from the start
or if Harry had changed sides
we might not have won
Third win in a row over Chelsea.
You picked the wrong team Mr. Willian.
Hold on, I thought it wasn't Sissoko's role in the team to be good on the ball? If Winks escapes criticism for keeping it simple, because apparently that's his job, why does Sissoko get stick for not doing something which he isn't in the team to do? At least Sissoko tried to make something happen with runs forward and actually got stuck in defensively. Winks was chasing shadows in the middle of the park.
The difference with players like Son, Alli and Eriksen having off days like tonight, is that we know they are top class players and so you can forgive the poor performance when it happens. Son, Alli and Eriksen are regular match winners.
Winks though, he never seems to excel on anything like a consistent basis. In fact, he's bang average. Considering he's supposed to be a amazing on the ball, he never shows it. That first half moment when Winks had the ball 30 yards from goal and we had a fantastic chance to score and he did a pathetic little chip straight to Keppa just summed him up. In fact I don't think I am alone, as I heard audible groans from the crowd a few times when Winks lost possession etc Winks has actually made me pine for Dier back in CM, as Winks somehow manages to be even less adventurous on the ball than Dier is, yet way way worse off the ball and defensively. He goes missing when we are under pressure.
The more I see it the more I am absolutely convinced of the urgent need to upgrade Winks's position. By far our weakest link, by a huge distance.
The trouble with Winks is he couldn’t get stuck in, he picked up an early booking which takes contact out of it, especially with a ref that didn’t want to give us anything (thank god for var getting involved), yet was giving hazard free kicks for falling over his own shadow. Christensen would of seen red if he referred it to var. more contact on Son compared to the Salah penalty.
Just hope he doesn’t ref the return
They checked it via VAR.
Rule change re centre backs being last man.a poor decision then
Rule change re centre backs being last man.