Ratings - Chelsea (A)

[bigheadburton]

Lloris - 6 Not much to do about the goals, sloppy distribution at times, but overall solid.
Walker - 8 very good performance, more than hold his own against Hazard and Cole.
Dawson - 5 really struggled at times, but that shot to the face alone gives him a 5.
Vertonghen - 6 Decent
Assou-Ekotto - 5 yeah I don't know what has happened to him, decent going forward, but looks like he doesn't care anymore when defending. (still our best choice at left back tho)
Lennon - 5 poor touch, didn't really contribute anything today.
Parker - 6 thought he looked better than usual. some decent runs even.
Huddlestone - 6 not great, not terrible.
Holtby - 6 lost the ball in some terrible positions and still not on the same wave length as his teammates, but is always available as a passing option and gives it 110%.
Bale - 6 solid when on the ball, not allowed the chance to do much. always 2-3 blue shirts on him as soon as he got the ball.
Adebayor - 9 great goal and assist, his holdup play was exceptional. +1 for the shorts, brilliant.

AVB - 8 Liked the starting formation, good that he put on gylfi early.

 

[Raoul Duke]

If Huddlestone ever puts on a Spurs shirt again then I don't want AVB as our manager.

LOL

 

[nerdved]

If Huddlestone ever puts on a Spurs shirt again then I don't want AVB as our manager.

Harsh. Get some sleep and please, pick a user name that is more suitable for the rancid brick that you spout on here.

 

[Rossi22]

Lloris 6

Walker 7.5
Dawson 5.5
Vertonghen 6
Ekotto 5.5

Parker 5.5
Hudd 5.5

Lennon 5.5
Holtby 6
Bale 6

Ade 8

Siggy 7
Dempsey 6

 

[Armchair Expert]

Agree on BAE, he has completely lost it. Not good enough for Tottenham any more, get rid.

Also agree on Bale, he can't claim to be in the world elite if he becomes a spectator in a crunch match. Hopefully his suitors are put off his asking price now.

Sig needed to start, he changed the game when he came on. Holtby is a terrier but was not the kind of player for this game. Ah well.

Adebayor MOM. fudging sensational performance, I really wish he could show that every week.

and we expect players or managers to show loyalty because?????

he hasn't had the best season. in my eyes that doesn't mean we should disregard 7 seasons of solid service because of a bad season.

fudge all of us, Bale should go to Real. What a fickle bunch of ****s we are.

 

[billyiddo]

and we expect players or managers to show loyalty because?????

he hasn't had the best season. in my eyes that doesn't mean we should disregard 7 seasons of solid service because of a bad season.

fudge all of us, Bale should go to Real. What a fickle bunch of ****s we are.

BAE was injured first half of the season and has struggled to get regular game time up until recently - Im not surprised he is struggling to repeat his form from the past couple of seasons (which I believe was to a good enough standard) but i get the impression he isn't quite an AVB type player or maybe AVB isn't his kind of manager - who knows? but i get the impression he'll be out in the summer

 

[Hootnow]

Lloris - 6 Standard

Walker - 8 Really excellent actually, both in attack and defence. Needs to work in training on his first time crossing though. Get him on the training ground with AVB and Bale.
Dawson - 5 Wasn't at his best today but as I said in the OMT, I'll always love Dawson. I'm so glad we didn't sell him and not just because of his playing contributions. I'm genuinely happy to see his face and name on a matchday. He feels a real part of this club.
Vertonghen - 6 Decent
Assou-Ekotto 6- Good ball for the 2nd. Otherwise, just a little lax on the defending...

Lennon - 5 Barely noticed him tbh.
Parker - 5. Stay back for gods sake. You don't have the pace, energy or attacking ability to be a box to box midfielder anymore so play further back.
Huddlestone - 5 Some great balls to quicken play. Some poor decisions too.
Holtby - 6
Bale - 6 Despite being double marked quite often, still found space. Unfortunately his team-mates were unable to find him.

Adebayor - 9. Wow.

 

[chicken_badge]

Hudd made some very good passes too. Just too much pressure and fudged 2 set pieces towards the end of the game - which is why he's getting a bashing.

But it is his lack of mobility that is his weakness, if he could move on his toes more, he'd be first name on the team sheet. Fantastic passing. As said above, quick players will always leave him for dead. You have to accommodate Thud. But if you can, he will win you games by picking defense splitting passes.

Maybe, but I guess four/five matches before the end of the season isnt the time to be building a side around him.
Anyway, AVB takes preseason seriously so if Hudd is here next year I think that will be a useful time.

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

A few days ago half the people on this board were saying that Thudd was our saviour! Now no-one likes him!!!

you'll probably find it's different posters posting different opinions mate.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Maybe, but I guess four/five matches before the end of the season isnt the time to be building a side around him.
Anyway, AVB takes preseason seriously so if Hudd is here next year I think that will be a useful time.

Sadly, and I hope I am wrong, Thud is a luxury in the modern game. You need players who can close the ball down in midfield and be agile. Its not just Thuds size, its that his quickness of thought can be lacking too.

At the moment he is so aware of his weakness, when he closes people down he's expecting the worst and not always able to play his game. Which is why there is hope. Thud could play with more mobile players while he keeps his position, but its a luxury. The ideal player had Thuds passing and Sandro's ability to close down. Thud doesn't need to be Sandro though - throwing himself into tackles - he just needs to intelligently hold his ground and block out the ball rather than dive in. He also needs to anticipate. Sometimes he looks lost, not knowing where to position himself.

 

[NWND]

Lloris - 6 - did ok
Walker - 7 - managed Hazard about as well as anyone can
Dawson - 6 - bit shaky at times but was showing leadership
Vertonghen - 7 - solid and good passing forward at times
BAE - 5 - poor
Parker - 5 - just looks tired out every time you see him these days
Thudd - 5 - hasn't really happened for him since the city game and he struggled badly here. Did keep trying though
Holtby - 7 - pretty much ran the midfield by himself. Think he, Sandro, Carroll & Mouse are the future!
Lennon - 5 - quiet game
Bale - 5 - just one of those games that didn't go for him. At least we showed we aren't a 1-man team
Ade - 9 MOTM -he seriously fudges me off when we get so many brick performances this season but then away to the 3rd best team in the country against a solid tough physical defence in a massive pressure game that hero Bale crumbles in, we get a fudging monster beast performance, scored a screamer, set up Sig with a neat back heel, worked his ass off, bullied their defence and generally 'did a Bale' to pull a point out of the hat of doom!

Sig - 8 - good goal. Think there is a very good player in there that I hope to see more of next season
Dempsey - 6 - not much time

 

[NWND]

Sadly, and I hope I am wrong, Thud is a luxury in the modern game. You need players who can close the ball down in midfield and be agile. Its not just Thuds size, its that his quickness of thought can be lacking too.

At the moment he is so aware of his weakness, when he closes people down he's expecting the worst and not always able to play his game. Which is why there is hope. Thud could play with more mobile players while he keeps his position, but its a luxury. The ideal player had Thuds passing and Sandro's ability to close down. Thud doesn't need to be Sandro though - throwing himself into tackles - he just needs to intelligently hold his ground and block out the ball rather than dive in. He also needs to anticipate. Sometimes he looks lost, not knowing where to position himself.

Carrick was great with his positioning. Carrick has a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses as Thud but had two key strengths that pretty much make up for his lack of pace and mobility - speed of thought and excellent positioning

 

[Robspur12]

Sadly, and I hope I am wrong, Thud is a luxury in the modern game. You need players who can close the ball down in midfield and be agile. Its not just Thuds size, its that his quickness of thought can be lacking too.

At the moment he is so aware of his weakness, when he closes people down he's expecting the worst and not always able to play his game. Which is why there is hope. Thud could play with more mobile players while he keeps his position, but its a luxury. The ideal player had Thuds passing and Sandro's ability to close down. Thud doesn't need to be Sandro though - throwing himself into tackles - he just needs to intelligently hold his ground and block out the ball rather than dive in. He also needs to anticipate. Sometimes he looks lost, not knowing where to position himself.

I think it is unfair to judge Hudd on this game. The unholy trinity of Mata, Oscar and Hazard are difficult for any team to play against plenty of good defenders will be made to look stupid by them. IMO Chelsea are the best team in the Country at the moment in spite of what the table says

 

[SpurMeUp]

Carrick was great with his positioning. Carrick has a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses as Thud but had two key strengths that pretty much make up for his lack of pace and mobility - speed of thought and excellent positioning

Yep. He could do a lot worse than model himself on Carrick. Just shield the pass - he has a big enough frame ! - and don't get caught out by quick footed speedsters.

 

[Spur of the moment]

Lloris 6 - not to blame for either of the goals but poor distribution disrupted our momentum

Walker 6 - difficult one, plenty of positive energy and drive hampered by too many mistakes

Dawson 4 - some good moments and great to see his leadership and determination, but this was an absolute stinker by his standards

Verthongen 7 - a couple of minor blips more than offset by so many outstanding interventions plus one or two excellent forward runs which he really should try more often instead of pfaffing around with passes across the back all the time

BAE 5 - sloppy control and distribution meant he was constantly having to chase back to make amends

Parker 6 - looked off the pace on return from injury but still played his part

Lennon 4 - totally out of it, seemed less than match fit for such an intense battle

Huddlestone 5 - left his radar in the dressing room

Holtby 7 - his energy and verve made quite a difference, surprised he was taken off

Bale 5- seems to have well and truly hit the wall

Adebayor 9 - brilliant goal, excellent assist and outstanding forward link-play tonight, which begs the question, where the hell has this particular Adebayor been all season?

Subs

Sigurdsson 8 - well-taken goal and excellent support play all round

Dempsey 6 - couple of decent shots

 

[Robspur12]

I was disapointed with Vertonghen today. I do wonder if he is better suited to a holding midfield or full back role as he likes to get forward. Unfortunately that usually leaves a gaping hole behind or great chasm between him and Daws. I think we need a more disciplined centreback alongside Dawson if we are to be more solid defensively.

 

[Spursalot]

I was disapointed with Vertonghen today. I do wonder if he is better suited to a holding midfield or full back role as he likes to get forward. Unfortunately that usually leaves a gaping hole behind or great chasm between him and Daws. I think we need a more disciplined centreback alongside Dawson if we are to be more solid defensively.

Really?

I thought Dawson was clearly at fault for both goals, whereas Vertonghen put in some stunning tackles. I can only recall him getting forward once, which was relatively late on, and as we wanted to win the match i can't complain at that.

 

[Robspur12]

Really?

I thought Dawson was clearly at fault for both goals, whereas Vertonghen put in some stunning tackles.

Funny how we see thing differently. 1st goal Parker lost his man, second goal came on Vertonghen's side as he overcomitted, Dawson came across but had too much to do.

 

[Spursalot]

Funny how we see thing differently. 1st goal Parker lost his man, second goal came on Vertonghen's side as he overcomitted, Dawson came across but had too much to do.

1st goal Dawson was miles away from Cahill, didn't follow him at all which allowed Cahill free reign to flick the ball on, followed by Parker's fudge up.



2nd goal Dawson left too much of a gap between himself and Verts, Verts had to go wide as Bae was outnumbered.

 

[Southcote Spur]

Pretty much agree with Spur of the Moment!