Team for Chelsea

[Arch]

Some version of 4-5-1 away against Chelsea could be regarded as the best hope of winning the game let alone nicking a point.

[Geekins]

-------------------Fed--------------------
Gunter---------Pearce----------Gorkss-----------Harte
HRK---Guthrie----Leigertwood----Karacan----McAnuff
Pog/Roberts

I feel it's only a matter of time before Mariappa takes Pearce's place though.

Wouldn't be surprised to see this.

I would be as Roberts is suspended

[JordCot]

How fast actually is Mariappa? I'm just wondering whether it will make a difference. Because if players like Torres,Hazard & Co are still going to run away from him easily then it might be better not to disrupt the defence. Genuinely a question not slating Mapps I've never seen him play

[Arch]

-------------------Fed--------------------
Gunter---------Pearce----------Gorkss-----------Harte
HRK---Guthrie----Leigertwood----Karacan----McAnuff
Pog/Roberts

I feel it's only a matter of time before Mariappa takes Pearce's place though.

Wouldn't be surprised to see this.

I would be as Roberts is suspended

It doesn't mean Pog and Roberts, otherwise that would be 12 players. It means Pog or Roberts, and I chose to ignore the second option.

[Stuboo]

^^^ @ dropping McAnuff

Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, McCleary, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Pogrebnyak, Hunt.

I think Brian will either go for this, or switch Hunt for Le Fondre, in a 4-4-2.

[melonhead]

^^^ @ dropping McAnuff

Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, McCleary, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Pogrebnyak, Hunt.

^^^^this

i will accept ALF for hunt though if your reading this brian

[Barry the bird boggler]

Does it really matter....?

[CayeneMatt]

Can't see BM going anything other than 4-4-2, his preferred choice.

Only changes I can see are Cummings for Gunter, and McCleary for HRK. Mairappa won't appear until we start shipping goals or Gorkks/Pearce get hurt.

Talk of Jobi being dropped are nonsense, that will never happen.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing McCleary and Guthrie carry on where they left off.

[Still Hate Futcher!]

Harte was exposed defensively saturday as we thought he would be and facing up to Chelsea's attack is even more of a threat out wide.

Think that's really harsh. Harte was very good on Saturday and a lot of people are getting carried away with this notion that his lack of pace makes him a liabilty. That's not to say he won't get roasted a few times this season but no way would you consider dropping him for Shorey, at least not yet.

I'd stick with Saturday's line up though Mariappa might be worth considering due to the lack of pace in the back 4.

[winchester_royal]

Harte was exposed defensively saturday as we thought he would be and facing up to Chelsea's attack is even more of a threat out wide.

Think that's really harsh. Harte was very good on Saturday and a lot of people are getting carried away with this notion that his lack of pace makes him a liabilty. That's not to say he won't get roasted a few times this season but no way would you consider dropping him for Shorey, at least not yet.

I'd stick with Saturday's line up though Mariappa might be worth considering due to the lack of pace in the back 4.

It's not that harsh. Harte was rinsed on a pretty consistent basis by Kightly.

Worried by the thought of Hazard running at him on Wednesday.

[Ian Royal]

..................Fumblerici
...Gunter...Pearce...Gorkss...Harte
...............Ledge.....Karacan.......
McCleary..........Guthrie.........McAnuff
......................Pog

Tabb in for Jem if he isn't fit. I'd also like to see Shorey and Mariappa playing over Harte and probably Pearce, but that's just the way I'd have started the season and because Pearce is cumbersome, which isn't what's needed against the likes of Lampard, Hazard and Torres.... As Pearce and Harte played against Stoke, it's not time to drop them.

[melonhead]

It's not that harsh. Harte was rinsed on a pretty consistent basis by Kightly.

Worried by the thought of Hazard running at him on Wednesday.

im worried by half of chelseas team running at him

he was exposed once Vs stoke, and was covered well by the midfield/CBs which meant it didnt matter in any way

[Ian Royal]

It's not that harsh. Harte was rinsed on a pretty consistent basis by Kightly.

Worried by the thought of Hazard running at him on Wednesday.

im worried by half of chelseas team running at him

he was exposed once Vs stoke, and was covered well by the midfield/CBs which meant it didnt matter in any way

Definitely more than once we got in trouble down his side. And Gorkss went out to cover for him more than once as well. Might not have been beaten by pace on all those occasions, but he looked to me, to have started the season, the same way he did last year. Not very well.

[melonhead]

cant see gorks moving to cover being a negative really. its what theyre set up to do, as directed by the coaches.

[MouldyRoyal]

In Harte's defence, that's what Gorkss has always done. It's pre planned. If someone is getting in behind Harte, Gorkss steps across and Harte fills in at CB until the danger is cleared. This is why we weren't notably exploited by pacey rightwingers last season. Whilst it clearly is just compensation for Harte's lack of pace, I'd argue it hasn't put us under any undue defensive pressure as the two of them are rather practiced at this little dance.

For what it's worth, my team for Chelsea would be:

Fed
Gunter, Mapps, Gorkss, Harte
McCleary, Ledge, Jem, McAnuff
Guthrie
Pog

One of the problems we had on saturday was no one linking the midfield with attack, would like to see Guthrie pushed forward a bit more to feed the Pog easier and provide balls behind the fullbacks for the wingers.

However, I predict BMcD will just go for same team as Stoke but Garath in for Hal.

[Ian Royal]

cant see gorks moving to cover being a negative really. its what theyre set up to do, as directed by the coaches.

Well he's not going to just stand in his position and let someone rampage down the wing free as a bird. It's fine if Harte / a midfielder drops into Gorkss' position because it's a simple case of not being quick enough to chase a ball down. THe problem is when Harte gets caught out of position and for lack of pace too far up the pitch and there's no one to slot in next to Pearce, leaving a big old gap in the middle.

[RedRum]

cant see gorks moving to cover being a negative really. its what theyre set up to do, as directed by the coaches.

Well he's not going to just stand in his position and let someone rampage down the wing free as a bird. It's fine if Harte / a midfielder drops into Gorkss' position because it's a simple case of not being quick enough to chase a ball down. THe problem is when Harte gets caught out of position and for lack of pace too far up the pitch and there's no one to slot in next to Pearce, leaving a big old gap in the middle.

This happens in any football match. Full backs move up the pitch, lose the ball and yes there is a big gap. Pearce and Gunter would then move across to cover this gap - it's just a counter-attack. Against teams like Chelsea we will rarely have this problem - we will play a deep defensive line and attack on the counter.

[NR_Royal]

Remember Dyer vs Harte? This could be a lot worse...

[M Brook]

Not sure I would play GMac from the start. He was great when he came on on Saturday but he was running at players who had toiled in the heat for over an hour and must have been knackered. Much better to have him in reserve, up your sleeve, ready to come on later in the game and change the tempo. I thought HRK had a pretty solid start on Saturday and I would start with him again. At least then you've got the option of changing it around if needsbe. Chelsea will have had scouts watching Saturday's game and will have a plan to nullify GMac if he starts. Might not be so easy for them if he comes on with half an hour left when their defence could be tiring (especially as they played 24 hours after we did).

[MouldyRoyal]

Remember Dyer vs Harte? This could be a lot worse...

Except the difference there was we didn't have a CB used to playing on the left and comfortable coming wider. I'd guarantee that if we had had Gorkss alongside Harte for the PLay off final, we wouldn't have conceded those two goals from that side.

(Not saying we'd have won mind you)