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Team vs Chelsea

Flobadob

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2014
3,617
12,315
Lloris
Aurier Toby Sanchez Vertonghen Rose
Dele Winks Eriksen
Kane Son

Maybe not the best line up for Chelsea (I’d go with a back 4 and Sissoko next to Winks as normal) but a line up I’d really like to see
 

Paolo10

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2004
6,179
7,621
Lol@the amount of squads here Trippier has been completely dropped from for a fucking Semi-Final.
 

Thewobbler

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2016
3,814
5,701
Chelsea aren't great at the moment. Full strength team to build up a good lead.
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
You have got to be kidding.
Absolutely not. It's an unnecessary competition with a worthless trophy and an inconsequential opponent. Why on earth they have a two-legged semi is beyond me. Nobody remembers the caribou winners. No stars go "oh, I want to play for the winners of the caribou cup 2019". We do not have the squad to go on and compete and compete and compete, and there is a very hard and long winter/spring season coming up starting with CL.
 

chelmyid

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2010
435
1,568
Absolutely not. It's an unnecessary competition with a worthless trophy and an inconsequential opponent. Why on earth they have a two-legged semi is beyond me. Nobody remembers the caribou winners. No stars go "oh, I want to play for the winners of the caribou cup 2019". We do not have the squad to go on and compete and compete and compete, and there is a very hard and long winter/spring season coming up starting with CL.

Breeds Mentality, experience - knowing how to manage big occasions, feel good factor, shows more progression, self belief, bragging rights,

It can only be a positive despite your vision of the significance of the competition.

Let’s be honest - currently champ league is above us, prem is still tough and go so that’s leaves 2 trophies. I’d take both.
 

archiewasking

Waiting for silverware..........
Jul 5, 2004
7,848
11,668
Absolutely not. It's an unnecessary competition with a worthless trophy and an inconsequential opponent. Why on earth they have a two-legged semi is beyond me. Nobody remembers the caribou winners. No stars go "oh, I want to play for the winners of the caribou cup 2019". We do not have the squad to go on and compete and compete and compete, and there is a very hard and long winter/spring season coming up starting with CL.[/QUOTE

While I get where you're coming from, it's worth bearing in mind that there are only 4 trophies up for grabs each season. With the financial clout of the elite European clubs, winning the CL is highly unlikely. Of the remaining 3, the competition in the Premier League is with other clubs who are hugely financially doped. MoPo said himself after the Tranmere match that we have to compete in a different way. I hope,as I'm sure you do, we can overturn the odds and win it. But it's a tough ask. The FA cup is a great trophy. However, we are still some way from the final. So if we want to convince both our big players and others considering joining us, a trophy,any trophy, is a step in the right direction. And I have great memories of the 1973 final. Crying at Wembley in 82 after losing to Liverpool in extra time. The wins against Leicester and more recently against Chelsea. Our history. Our club. Things my dad and I shared and things I can share with my kids.

And Mourinho and many other top managers know the importance of getting the first win. And how that achievement lifts players on to greater heights.
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
Breeds Mentality, experience - knowing how to manage big occasions, feel good factor, shows more progression, self belief, bragging rights,

It can only be a positive despite your vision of the significance of the competition.

Let’s be honest - currently champ league is above us, prem is still tough and go so that’s leaves 2 trophies. I’d take both.
You live in a world of hypotheticals, I live in a reality. Reality is, caribou breeds nothing but tired legs and injuries.

I believe a strong PL campaign, a strong CL campaign and securing CL next season to be more beneficial bot financially and to the spirit and winning mentality than one small, domestic trophy. The FA is of course prestigious enough that it's worth fighting for.
 

ralvy

AVB my love
Jun 26, 2012
2,505
4,603
100% second fiddle team. I don't care about the cup, I don't care about the opposition, and I don't care about risking it on late winter nights. Should not play anybody that is part of an imagined best 11 line-up.

If a 100% second fiddle team was ever in Pochetino's plans, then he would have played that way against Tranmere, don't you think? I'm afraid you're living in fantasy land if you even consider the possibility that we won't be going at least 90% full strength against Chelsea in the semis of a cup.
 

Mr Pink

SC Supporter
Aug 25, 2010
54,770
99,331
And we went bloody strong against Arsenal... With only Kane on the bench in terms of our big guns.

Why would Poch field a weaker side having progressed to the semi.

I expect us to field a very strong team. Usual front four... Sissoko definitely will start, probably Winks. Rotation of full backs is standard Poch.

Guessing who partners Alderweireld is the only real guessing game. Probably Sanchez but Poch may decide to bring Vertonghen back in with a view to getting him even more match fit for United.
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
You live in a world of hypotheticals, I live in a reality. Reality is, caribou breeds nothing but tired legs and injuries.


I believe a strong PL campaign, a strong CL campaign and securing CL next season to be more beneficial bot financially and to the spirit and winning mentality than one small, domestic trophy. The FA is of course prestigious enough that it's worth fighting for.
It doesn’t matter that it’s the league cup. The players need to get the monkey off their back. They know that rival fans and the media call them legends and that they can’t get over the line. Until the first trophy, it won’t change.

This team needs to feel some success. And if we beat West Ham, Arsenal, Chelsea, and City to do it - no one can devalue the achievement.
 

LexingtonSpurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2013
13,456
39,042
I think this is an important match - beating a top opponent and setting the stage to advance to a Cup final. Its easy to dismiss the Cup as not important - but winning important matches consistently is another step in our evolution.

I think this will be a big test for Poch. If you go back to the first match against Chelsea, we completely disrupted their style of play - specifically taking Jorginho out of the equation with Dele. I would expect Sarri to react to those tactics with something else for this match, and it will be up to Poch to make the adjustment.

I expect Gazzaniga to start, but won't be surprised if Poch turns to Lloris.

Toby is starting. Rose is starting.

Dele, Eriksen, Son, and Kane are starting.

Sissoko is starting.

3 spots for:

Trippier/Aurier - lean Trippier

Sanchez/Foyth - lean Sanchez

Winks/Dier - lean Winks

Bench: Lloris/Gazzaniga, Aurier, Davies, Foyth, Dier, Lamela, Lucas

Outside chance that Poch does do something different here - in terms of formation, but I think he starts with some variation of the 4231. I could also see Llorente on the bench off his recent hat-trick if Lamela or Dier are not fit.
 

JCRD

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2018
19,153
30,013
I dont think these semi finals should be a two legged affair. Perhaps neutral one legged affair thats fine.
 

Giovanni

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
2,587
3,614
We just need a lead going into the second leg. We can then go to the bridge with a 352 and just try manage it.
 

Jemster

Well-Known Member
Jun 5, 2018
170
470
-------------------Gazza-----------------

Trippier----Toby-----Jan------Rose

---------------Sissoko---Winks-------

---Son-----------Eriksen------Alli---

------------------Kane-----------------
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
You live in a world of hypotheticals, I live in a reality. Reality is, caribou breeds nothing but tired legs and injuries.


I believe a strong PL campaign, a strong CL campaign and securing CL next season to be more beneficial bot financially and to the spirit and winning mentality than one small, domestic trophy. The FA is of course prestigious enough that it's worth fighting for.

No, you don't live in reality, the reality is that we need to win a trophy and we're 2 games away from the final, throwing this match would be absolutely stupid and sends out the wrong message.
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
It's no good saying it's an unnecessary competition now we are in a 2 legged Semi final. The time for that was our first game of the tournament when we could have booted 5 penalties over the bar.
 

0-Tibsy-0

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2012
11,201
43,790
I don't think Winks and Sissoko are defensively clever/disciplined enough as a partnership against the better teams.

Though injuries probably dictate that is what we will have to start with.
 

isaac94

Well-Known Member
Jan 5, 2017
2,921
9,733
How can anyone not care about winning this, we haven't won anything in 10 years ffs, we aren't superior enough to pick and choose our trophies.
 
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