The mancityfans.net football forum

The thought on last nights selection is that hughes rested De Jong as he was on 4 yellows and he wanted him for the Chelsea game. A little bit of a slection poser here, do we change bellers and robbie and Barry and De jong at the weekend? They were very good last night and maybe keep with morale and the winning state of mind might be bet with the other two on the bench.

Chelsea's team will look nothing like it did last night, so hughes and the boys will need to be on tip top form, AS WELL AS THE CROWD. The crowd can make a big difference on saturday.

I'm still buzzin about last night to start thinking about Saturday, don't want to spoil the 'high'

i think he's got to play the team from last night surely? Barry was good maybe he just needed a rest. And it would be unfair to let Robinho replace Bellamy after his phenomenal performance against Eboue. Its gonna be really tough this one. On such a high from last night I can only see us winning at the moment lol!

Wonderwall wrote: The crowd can make a big difference on saturday.

That's the truth.
We are not making the place a fortress as a rule (although Wenger cited the crowd as influencing last night which is good).
I wish we made more noise more of the time so that teams like Wigan and Burnley don't feel like its a home tie.
We can do it (Hamburg, any derby) but too often we are spectators and not fans. Come on Blue Boys. let's be avin you

Injuries may have a big part to play.SWP was taken off with his calf problem but he got more than one knock and had that big ice pack on it at the end. Bellers also hurt his knee it looked like and they will have to see how that settles over 2 days.

Chelski' fist 11 were rested last night so they will be fresher than our players who played last night. I think some changes will
have to be made to bring in rested players taking into account that there might be some injured players as mentioned above.

Personally, I'd swap de Jong for Barry. As clichéd I think Chelsea are one of the most physical sides in the league but unlike Bolton, Stoke etc they actually have talent to match.

So yeah I'd pick de Jong to pick up Cole, Lampard and the like. Robinho? I don't know. He can change the game but can you drop Bellers after last night? I certainly wouldn't want to tell him he's on the bench!

Obviously I'd like SWP to play but it might not be a travesty if he doesn't. I think we'll need to play through the middle as their full backs are good and their defence tall.

Exciting times.

horses for courses for me and id go with:

Given

Richards-toure-lescott-bridge

De-jong-barry

SWP-Ireland-Robinho

Adebayor

Bellamy was fantastic but he's too crocked to play 2 games in 1 week isn't he?

I would play Ned or Zab as RB - Chelsea's strengths are in their FBs providing width and pace and Micah could be badly exposed

mcfc1632 wrote:I would play Ned or Zab as RB - Chelsea's strengths are in their FBs providing width and pace and Micah could be badly exposed

Zab will get murdered. Ned or Kompo at right-back for me

This could be a pivotal game for you lot. If you win it (as you surely can with a team performance like last night), you're set fair for the top 4 placings (again) and have the chance to hold onto it. Liverpool will run you close all season, but have squad weaknesses and injuries that will hitch them up in the coming months.

Chelsea will see this match as pivotal as well, because they'll be banking on Man U beating West Ham at the weekend; everyone knows that Taggart rouses his squad like no other from Christmas onwards, so Ancelotti will want to avoid letting Man U getting to within 2-3 points of them.

Man U will probably beat us, so you can expect 90 minutes of Chelsea pressure. It'll make for a cracking match.

last night showed we needed more in midfield, Rosicky was running the show at times.

Given

Richards Kolo Lescott Bridge
Kompany NDJ
Ireland
Tevez Ade Bellers

13021J wrote:last night showed we needed more in midfield, Rosicky was running the show at times.

Given

Richards Kolo Lescott Bridge
Kompany NDJ
Ireland
Tevez Ade Bellers

no SWP?

Given

Richards-toure-lescott-bridge

De-jong-barry(Vinny)

Tevez-Ireland-Robinho

Ade

This for me.Only unsure of Barry or Vinny cos Vinny looked a collosus when he came on last night.

Wonderwall wrote:

13021J wrote:last night showed we needed more in midfield, Rosicky was running the show at times.

Given

Richards Kolo Lescott Bridge
Kompany NDJ
Ireland
Tevez Ade Bellers

no SWP?

No SWP, seems harsh but he's not gonna get much change out of Cashley and if Tevez runs his heart out for 65 mins we can unleash him.

I think we need to find the balance between our role as 'the home side' and defending properly. Regardless of where the game is played, we're coming up against the best team in the country- arguably one of the best in the world- who have quality everywhere and will punish any lapses in concentration and counter attack effectively.

I think Lescott will do well against Drogba because he's a very strong, well built defender so is a good match for him. He's good in the air too. Anelka is my biggest concern, he has devastating pace and really knows how to exploit defenders without it, as we know only too well. We need complete focus from everyone, and intelligence positionally- no unnecessary mazy runs from Touré, no bombing forward without coming back from Bridge (which in fairness he improved upon massively last night). If we're disciplined tactically and every player holds their own we have every chance.

The midfield is the crucial area and what might be our undoing. Essien is so strong, powerful and quick that he can be unplayable. Lampard finds space like no other and can create opportunities all day long if he's in form. Cole is a wonderful player to watch and very difficult to mark. Then there's Ballack, Malouda, Deco, Mikel. They have an endless list of talent to choose from in midfield. I think we should concentrate on trying to score through a) set plays and b) counter-attacks, they're the most realistic options. If we try to match them in the pass and move stakes I fear that with their superior quality, they'll murder us. So I'd go with Barry and either de Jong or Kompany. Barry has a big part to play where corners are concerned, he has far and away the best delivery in our squad. So two defensive minded midfielders and Ireland sitting in front of them, making late runs into the box and pressing their defenders.

Regardless of the fact that there's a bit of history and he scored last season, I'd be inclined to leave Robinho out for this game. He's very good at unlocking the door but does so in a patient, considered way and I don't think we can afford the time to orchestrate attacks- we need to move the ball quickly and frighten them with pace and strength. Bellamy can offer that, as can SWP so I'd opt for them in the wide areas. Despite his brilliant performance last night, I'd opt for Tevez on the bench- he and Ireland are quite similar in their approach and maybe disrupt each other. Also, as we saw at Anfield, he's very good at coming on and influencing things from the bench. He did this countless times for the filth as well. His constant harrying would be a real thorn in the side of Chelsea's tired defenders with half an hour to go, and I think in this game that's the best way to utilise him.

So, a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system with emphasis on pressing, closing down spaces and creating opportunities on the counter. Adebayor up front to play the ball off if necessary with support from Ireland, Bellamy and SWP. We'd have the luxury then of Robinho, Tevez, Santa Cruz and Weiss from the bench to mix things up.

Scary fact I found out about Chelsea today is that they could have 20 players in next years World cup ... we'll still win 2-0 mind

Colin the King wrote:I think we need to find the balance between our role as 'the home side' and defending properly. Regardless of where the game is played, we're coming up against the best team in the country- arguably one of the best in the world- who have quality everywhere and will punish any lapses in concentration and counter attack effectively.

cut

Well thought plan Colin, you sure gave it a lot of thought and I do agree with you on most of it, I think though that Tevez could be useful from the start to do that harrying you were talking about. I mean, of course if he's fresh and the defenders are tired he might be more effective in it, but if he does it all game, it will affect the start of their actions, they won't be able to use the defenders to do that and maybe we could force them to hoof the ball long some times, jumping their midfield which is, as we know, their strongest point.

Colin the King wrote:I think we need to find the balance between our role as 'the home side' and defending properly. Regardless of where the game is played, we're coming up against the best team in the country- arguably one of the best in the world- who have quality everywhere and will punish any lapses in concentration and counter attack effectively.

I think Lescott will do well against Drogba because he's a very strong, well built defender so is a good match for him. He's good in the air too. Anelka is my biggest concern, he has devastating pace and really knows how to exploit defenders without it, as we know only too well. We need complete focus from everyone, and intelligence positionally- no unnecessary mazy runs from Touré, no bombing forward without coming back from Bridge (which in fairness he improved upon massively last night). If we're disciplined tactically and every player holds their own we have every chance.

The midfield is the crucial area and what might be our undoing. Essien is so strong, powerful and quick that he can be unplayable. Lampard finds space like no other and can create opportunities all day long if he's in form. Cole is a wonderful player to watch and very difficult to mark. Then there's Ballack, Malouda, Deco, Mikel. They have an endless list of talent to choose from in midfield. I think we should concentrate on trying to score through a) set plays and b) counter-attacks, they're the most realistic options. If we try to match them in the pass and move stakes I fear that with their superior quality, they'll murder us. So I'd go with Barry and either de Jong or Kompany. Barry has a big part to play where corners are concerned, he has far and away the best delivery in our squad. So two defensive minded midfielders and Ireland sitting in front of them, making late runs into the box and pressing their defenders.

Regardless of the fact that there's a bit of history and he scored last season, I'd be inclined to leave Robinho out for this game. He's very good at unlocking the door but does so in a patient, considered way and I don't think we can afford the time to orchestrate attacks- we need to move the ball quickly and frighten them with pace and strength. Bellamy can offer that, as can SWP so I'd opt for them in the wide areas. Despite his brilliant performance last night, I'd opt for Tevez on the bench- he and Ireland are quite similar in their approach and maybe disrupt each other. Also, as we saw at Anfield, he's very good at coming on and influencing things from the bench. He did this countless times for the filth as well. His constant harrying would be a real thorn in the side of Chelsea's tired defenders with half an hour to go, and I think in this game that's the best way to utilise him.

So, a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system with emphasis on pressing, closing down spaces and creating opportunities on the counter. Adebayor up front to play the ball off if necessary with support from Ireland, Bellamy and SWP. We'd have the luxury then of Robinho, Tevez, Santa Cruz and Weiss from the bench to mix things up.

Mate, I hope this does not come across wrong but from what you are advocating is that we play it safe, leave the creative and pressing players out and basically stop them from scoring. I have no problem with this and think you are right in your current assessment however in a recent thread (possibly the Hughes one) when I asked if it was realistic for us to be wanting 3 points, your stance was that only 3 points would appease you as our home points were vital to keep up the race. Now, this isn't a slight on you or your post but to say we can play it safe, hoping to get them on the break or set pieces, seems to put your previous statement through the shredder as we all know just how good Chelsea are.

Like I say, I think you are right in your assessment and the reality remains, Chelsea are by far the best team in the league and to expect anything from this game, even a goal, would be a huge victory for the team. Let's just hope that the win against Arsenal has given us the belief that we can not only compete with the 'Top 4', but give them a damn good run for their money!