Whats our best team/How do we go on?

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Whatever starting 11 we play there will be dissenters & supporters. That's the nature of being fans. I enjoyed today's game - we got a point with the last kick of the match when we hadn't even woken up til about 70 minutes. We were very shabby at times though & made them lot look better than they are. The great thing is we never say die any more. And if every player in the match day squad has that attitude then I'm ok with that. We can start judging properly when Poch has the players he wants in the system he prefers. I think we got the right man to make those important calls
 
Can we just not all go back to blaming the easy Europe League midweek scapegoat?

The stats don't lie and, with Poch's system requiring our best players to cover more distance than anybody else in the league, we are now even more exposed by those fixtures!

It is statistically sound that there is an issue and, a physiological fact that such intensity isn't possible twice a week (or even more in spells like now) at the same level and standard when the squad is thin. Thin in players that effectively employ the system and work-rate that-is, not in overall numbers.
 
Remember they had 8 days rest and prep for this game.

Point taken regarding the rest of your post, but this part is whats bugging me.

Soldado, Chadli and Ade have had enough rest. So why is Townsend playing ahead of them?
Why isnt Stambouli coming in for Mason, who is clearly struggling now?

Simple things that can change these games.
 
Thin in players that effectively employ the system and work-rate that-is, not in overall numbers.

For me it raises a couple of issues about Poch's adaptability. Right now, this is the squad he has.
So is it better to play inadequate and exhausted players in his preferred set up?
Or is it better to have a back up plan, and change the set up so we can use players like Ade, Soldado, Fazio, Capoue, Kaboul, Vlad and Stambouli much more effectively?

Do people seriously think its ok only one of that lot is featuring, while we have the likes Lamela and Townsend running into brick walls every time they get the ball.

I cant sympathise with the congestion argument, when Poch has chosen to sideline some very good, experienced players, for seemingly no reason.
 
Personally, I don't have much beef with Poch on the line-up in attacking midfield, as none of our players (Chadli, Townsend, Lamela, Dembele, even Eriksen) have managed consistently stellar performances.

What I'm a bit puzzled by is the absence of Stambouli and Capoue, as options for Bentaleb and Mason. I know they have their flaws, but are these so fatal that we feel we've no choice but to run Bentaleb and Mason into the ground? Poch must have his reasons, and I do wonder what these are.

As for Paulinho, I've given up :pochbye:
 
Do you think Kaboul or Capoue will play for us again? It looks like Poch has decided they are out the door.

Which is why I wont back the argument about the squad being thin and fixture congestion pile up.

He has chosen not to use them. The are available, and capable, but if he cant adapt his system slightly so Mason has to play every single second in his first season, then questions should be asked when our midfield cant stand up to it.

Even Kaboul can fill in as a CM, and a RB....

The rotation makes no sense, because most of the players that could do with a break are being played all the time, and the likes of Soldado, Chadli, Ade, Fazio, Stambouli, who are fully rested, are not featuring.
 
So stressed about the head-fuck that is choice of starting XI vs Fiorentina. I have absolutely no idea what Poch should or will do. So fucking annoying chelski have 8 days rest - should be playing their CL match this week IMHO.

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It's hard to criticise if we don't know the reasons that certain players are out of favour though.

If they are fit, and taking a wage, I think personal issues need to be put aside for the sake of the club, and players used to help a clearly overworked core group of players.

I slated AVB for isolating players. I wont defend Poch for it, just because I like him, rate him, and think he´s going to be a top manager for us.

I think its wrong.
 
Problem with these 4 games in 10 days starting with Fiorentina at home is we've yet to put out an out and out best side. The little tinkering and putting out a 7/10 team is definitely effecting our performance. Hopefully it's been done so that our actual best 11-13 players are now capable of running out a full 180 minutes in the final 2 games of this important run
 
Problem with these 4 games in 10 days starting with Fiorentina at home is we've yet to put out an out and out best side. The little tinkering and putting out a 7/10 team is definitely effecting our performance. Hopefully it's been done so that our actual best 11-13 players are now capable of running out a full 180 minutes in the final 2 games of this important run

What would you consider to be our best team though?

For me, Id like to see Chadli and Fazio brought back in, and Stambouli and Mason to share the work load. Im not sure they need months of rest.

Bentaleb can also take the odd break, as Stam and Mason formed a fine pairing when he was away.

Other than Eriksen, for one hour yesterday, our key players havent really been rested anyway.

Jan and Walker are playing every game despite decent cover for them.
 
Biggest weakness of our squad are the central midfield positions. Especially Mason but Bentaleb aswell aren't stable defensively despite their decent offensive abilities, and that makes us vulnerable at the back. To be honest I don't understand the criticism of Dier as he didn't play worse than Fazio imo. I think it doesn't matter who plays with Vertonghen at the centre backs, the main problem of our weakness in defense is the central midfield. Especially with our offensive playing wing backs the centre backs are often left alone due to Mason drifting all over the pitch and Bentaleb not being able to do the job at defense for two, simply because he isn't an anchor in defense like Sandro or Capoue for example.
 
Biggest weakness of our squad are the central midfield positions. Especially Mason but Bentaleb aswell aren't stable defensively despite their decent offensive abilities, and that makes us vulnerable at the back. To be honest I don't understand the criticism of Dier as he didn't play worse than Fazio imo. I think it doesn't matter who plays with Vertonghen at the centre backs, the main problem of our weakness in defense is the central midfield. Especially with our offensive playing wing backs the centre backs are often left alone due to Mason drifting all over the pitch and Bentaleb not being able to do the job at defense for two, simply because he isn't an anchor in defense like Sandro or Capoue for example.

I think this is where Dembele makes a massive difference to the CM positions....but not with both Lamela and Townsend on the pitch frantically running out of positions and dragging the whole team round in circles
 
Dunno about that....and maybe not a one on one player comparison, but IMO, Jan and Fazio together is maybe twice the partnership

The Jan and Fazio partnership is so one sided. Jan spends his whole time covering for Fazio's mistakes, his positioning is god awful, he constantly allows players to run off the back of him and if you watch closesly nearly every striker who plays against us will look to pull off of Fazio.

He is good in the air but so is Dier, Eric reads the game much better and even when he is out of position he has the pace to recover. Add to that the fact that he is a much more accomplished footballer, better on the ball by far.
 
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