10/18/03 EPL Round 9: Arsenal v. Chelsea [R]

[GPK]

Chelsea 6-2-0, 20 PTS, 1st Place (+1 GD)
Arsenal 6-2-0, 20 PTS, 2nd Place (-1 GD)

3:00 PM Local Time
10:00AM AM EST

Live on PPV in the US
Beamback at Stamford Bridge

Live on Big Blue (http://www.chelseafc.com/statpage.asp?id=Big_Blue_Live)

ChelseaFC.com (http://www.chelseafc.com/index.asp)

News on Soccernet (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=363&cc=5901)

TEAMtalk-Chelsea (http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/Team_News/0,1562,14,00.html)

BBC-Chelsea (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/default.stm)

Oh baby...

[nicephoras]

Does Arsenal have any suspensions stemming from their OT encounter? Or are we still waiting to hear the fallout from that fracas? It would help not to face Viera :D

[ATL Blue One]

Originally posted by nicephoras
Does Arsenal have any suspensions stemming from their OT encounter? Or are we still waiting to hear the fallout from that fracas? It would help not to face Viera :D Viera is out because of his redcard at OT. Everyone else should be available. COME ON THE BLUES!!

[BridgeMonkee]

Good time to tinker with the team :)

The team I’d like to see against the Arse. . .


Cudicini

Johnson Dessaily Terry Bridge

Makalele Lampard

Veron

Mutu Crespo Duff


I like to see Chels play an attacking formation against one of the lesser teams. I expect to see big tings from Seba in this one.

[BridgeMonkee]

Originally posted by BridgeMonkee
The team I’d like to see against the Arse. . .


Cudicini

Johnson Dessaily Terry Bridge

Makalele Lampard

Veron

Mutu Crespo Duff



We haven't won at the Arse for so long, we might as well just go for it. IF we lose with this team, we can say we tried and its early in the year and we never expected to win at Arse anyways, etc, etc.
And IF we win, well :)
Everything will be peachy keen

[mst77]

Without Vieira in the middle for them we only need two CM's to dominate the middle of the pitch. I think our back 4 + Mak should be able to hold them off and the best way to beat the Arse is to put their fullbacks under pressure so I'd go with

Carlo
Johnson, Terry, Gallas, Bridge
Gronkjaer, Lampard, Makalele, Duff
Crespo, Gudjohnsen

Subs: Mutu, Geremi, Huth, JFH, keeper

2 wingers to attack the flanks and feed the strikers, with Guddy playing a bit off of Crespo to hold the ball up and allow Crespo and the midfield to make runs past the defense. Unfortunately with Gallas' gimpy leg we will need to keep a defender on the bench in case he gets crocked again - so Veron and/or Cole won't be making the bench.

Pull Gronks off for Geremi at 60 min when we are already up 2-0. I'm just worried that it will be another of the unheralded Gooners that sinks us like Silvinho, Wiltord, and Toure have done in the past.

[nicephoras]

Whatever we do, we need wingers against the Arse. Ashley Cole's "defending" is suspect, and their wingers like Pires were never known for going back anyway. I really think that stretching them with Duff and Gronks would work very well. Hopefully if Claudio is experimenting, he can experiment that way.

I don't think Veron is going to make the bench anyway - the trainers want him at 100% fitness to face Lazio, I would think.

[CFC Forever]

Even though his performance has been sub par to this point, I am hoping Veron starts. Without Viera destroying things in the middle I think Veron could have a real chance to shine.

[starman1994]

With us playing an away game, even without the pressence of Vieira, CR will go for a 4-5-1 formation. Call it a hunch but that's what I feel that we're likely to see tomorrow.

I'd prefer 4-4-2 with two wingers tearing down both flanks as both Lauren (on the right) and Ashley Cole (on the left) are both suspect on their defensive abilities.

3-0 to us with Mutu scoring a brace if he starts and Lauren netting an own goal. I'm an optimist, so please ignore the above predictions.

[BridgeMonkee]

Originally posted by mst77
Without Vieira in the middle for them we only need two CM's to dominate the middle of the pitch.

2 wingers to attack the flanks and feed the strikers,

Yep, Mak and Lamp in the middle for sure.

Wingers?
Yeah Mutu on the right and Duff on the left, just pushing a little further forward :)
time to attack these gunners and make Wenger cry :)
We are SO due a win, and I think an all out attack, will take them by surprise

Just been reading about Chelsea great Kenny Swain in an old Chelsea programme. I never realized he won a European Cup winners medal (when it was the trophy with “big ears”).

[mst77]

than Claudio winning manager of the month and Frank winning player of the month? This is a double jinx just before our biggest match of the year.

[Clan]

Originally posted by mst77
than Claudio winning manager of the month and Frank winning player of the month? This is a double jinx just before our biggest match of the year.

Richly deserved awards though all the same.

On a far brighter note, sky are reporting that Veron is unavailable for selection :)

[Clan]

Desailly is definitely not available for selection and Gallas is rated as very doubtful.
This is not good news at all.I think that the defence will/would have been what won or lost this game for us.Our ability to contain and limit Henry will now be seriously hindered.

And so, i now think we will see a "playing not to lose" selection from Ranieri.
4-5-1 very likely at this point.

[Clan]

---------------------Cudicini-------------

Johnson----- Huth----- Melchiot-------- Bridge

Geremi----- Lampard------ Makalele-----Duff

--------------Mutu-------- Crespo--------------


Subs: Hasselbaink, Cole, Stanic, Gronkjaer, Ambrosio


BacK line looks very very dodgy....point would be a good result now.

[de_valera]

Cudicini - the clown
What a great save earlier and now what a *#*#*#*# up.

You fans must be raging !!!!

[Clan]

Um...thanks for droping by Eamonn and pointing that out.

Chelsea played quite decent really considering we were away to Arsenal.Point wouldn't have been an unfair result at all on the run of play as a whole.
Thats the second really bad howler from Cudicini that has led directly to a goal this season-i wonder if ol' Roman will now order the buying of Toldo.Totally inexcuseable error from Cudicini and no matter what way you cut it, he is largely to blame for the defeat--not totally though as we still failed to match or exceed their goal tally with ours.

Lots of positives from the game and it was really a decent game to watch.This Chelsea team is getting better and better as games progress in to the season.Only a deflected goal and a *#*#*#*# up beat us as opposed to being outclassed on the field of play.But, these things happen in each and every game and the onus was still on us to score again rather than be sorry about what happened.Arsenal have a quality side, this cannot be denied, but, on the evidence of our display against that qulaity side, so do we.

We stuck with them and held our own.The absence of any of the back line is irrelevant really as Arsenal had key players missing too.
I don't feel bitter that Arsenal won-i feel pissed off that we were good enough to come away with a result, yet, we still didn't.No matter though as it's early yet and Arsenal will lose somewhere down the line and we'll win on the same day.

[starman1994]

Johnson's handball cost us the first goal..... then Cudicini struck for Arse in the second half...... my heart just missed a beat.

Melch played brilliantly in central role..... Crespo is in full match fitness (the goal was better than Pires' goal).

Lampard was not instrumental. Duff should've finished the game. Mutu was not his best. Everyone else played well.

It's still quite an open contest, don't lose heart and faith. The next time we meet Arse, I'll still stick to my prediction that we'll win 3-0.

Cheers.

[Clan]

I didn't think that Crespo and Mutu had an especially good game together.Gudjohnson may have been the better partner for Crespo-but, they were bought to be the strike force ofthe future and a few more games together may be all they need.

The midfield looks to have settled in three players for every week selection....Duff-Lampard-Makelele, though Makelele needs a few more games in the league to adjust to the pace of it.
Geremi looks a shadow of the player that played last season for the Boro.

[Rambler]

Good to see money still dont buy success

[nicephoras]

Originally posted by Rambler
Good to see money still dont buy success

:rolleyes: yeah, serhiy rebrov came cheap and did wonders for the Spurs.

Its an unfortunate result, but when our worst result so far this year in the league is a close 2-1 loss at Highbury that we could have conceivably won, I can't feel too bad about it.
We'll get them when they come to the Bridge, that's all.