Do we know anything?

[Cam]

I think the majority of us on here would have gone for Kuyt & Bellamy to start yesterday. And on seeing Chelsea's team I'm sure most of us would have gone for Bellamy and his pace to target the makeshift centreback pairing.

 

Rafa didn't and it worked so well. Even Mourinho said he knew weeks back that Rafa would use Kuyt & Crouch against his team, saying he would and "Rafa's not stupid".

 

So are pro managers paid millions because they actually know more than us or is it all down to luck and having a good agent?

[Sheida V]

They actually know more... we just act like we know more.

[Romario]

I agree. I was really gutted to see the line up yesterday. Just thought we'd be way to slow to break them down. I figured that if you not a natural CB

then the last thing you'd want is a pace striker running at you. Just shows ya. After 5 mins into the game I thought, ahhhh Rafa knows"

 

Brilliant planning. We took them to the cleaners.

[psl]

If Bellamy had played we'd have won 5-0, we know best

[meepins]

I think the majority of us on here would have gone for Kuyt & Bellamy to start yesterday. And on seeing Chelsea's team I'm sure most of us would have gone for Bellamy and his pace to target the makeshift centreback pairing.

 

Rafa didn't and it worked so well. Even Mourinho said he knew weeks back that Rafa would use Kuyt & Crouch against his team, saying he would and "Rafa's not stupid".

 

So are pro managers paid millions because they actually know more than us or is it all down to luck and having a good agent?

That could have worked aswell because Chelsea were pap.Did they even get a shot on target the whole match?

[Sheida V]

I actually agreed with Rafa's choice once I realized who they had playing defence.... what does that make me

[_00_deathscar]

^ A bald headed Spaniard?

[Lee W]

Agger played. All was right.

[Scally Bob]

It was obvious that Crouch would start. Even with Carvalho they would have struggled in the air and the second ball was always likely to bear fruit for us.

 

I thought Bellamy might have come on sooner but it was a good comfortable win so you have to say Rafa got it right.

[jimmylibel]

Incidentally Terry hasn't particularly been brilliant against Crouchy either. He has consistantly caused them problems - maybe not in terms of goals but certainly in our approach play.

[Swipe]

Mourinho said "we knew 15 days previous that Bellamy would not play and that Crouch and Kuyt would play"

 

So, you did nothing then Jose? Just moaned about your injuries rather than work on a system to combat the front two you "knew" we'd play?

 

His attempts to make us feel sorry for them are laughable

[Rich Gobey]

I do, you dont.

[Stevie H]

they missed makalele more than anybody. he normally mops up anything we try to play into crouch / kuyt's feet. rafa got his tactics spot on and the players carried them out perfectly, most notably gerrard and alonso.

[Magic8Ball]

ok so why were Kuyt and Crouch better than Bellamy and Kuyt yesterday ?

[Guz]

I dont think Crouch was great yesterday and Essien got to grips with him a lot more as the game progressed (too late by then mind you). Problem for chelsea was probably more the absence of Makelele who can spot danger better than anyone. Everytime one of our strikers came deep, Chelsea didn't really know what to do and everyone backed off, especially for the first goal.

[4411]

If Terry and Carvalho weren't injured Rafa would've prob played Bellamy instead of Crouch.

[Kahnee]

ok so why were Kuyt and Crouch better than Bellamy and Kuyt yesterday ?

 

Because

[fyds]

ok so why were Kuyt and Crouch better than Bellamy and Kuyt yesterday ?

Self evident - Crouch causes problems in the air, holding up the ball and providing knockdowns. Kuyt is better at playing off Crouch than Bellamy is (he provides more for Crouch) and Dirk gave them real trouble at the Bridge and was unlucky not to get a couple then.

 

You don't play two average sized players against a defence that has lost its ability to compete in the air unless you have to.

[Big E]

Crouch was poor yesterday. I understand the reasons for playing him, but I don't think it was particularly effective. Bellamy should have come on sooner, he looked threatening as soon as he touched the ball.

[Bootle Buck]

I wonder if Bellamy is actually fully fit. Maybe Rafa was hoping not to really need him yesterday. I think the 5 minutes at the end was just a way of getting Crouchy off and stretch them a little. I would have thought we would have seen Bellamy earlier but maybe Rafa chose to give him some more time.

Edited January 21, 2007 by Bootle Buck

[Scally Bob]

Crouch was poor yesterday. I understand the reasons for playing him, but I don't think it was particularly effective. Bellamy should have come on sooner, he looked threatening as soon as he touched the ball.

Don't agree with that. I thought he held the ball up well and linked the play effectively. He should have scored, yes, but I'd have taken that result before the game.

[John am Rhein]

So are pro managers paid millions because they actually know more than us or is it all down to luck and having a good agent?

 

Professional managers know more - at least the successful ones.

 

One of the things they know is that if you add something to one aspect of the team's game, it's generally at the expense of some other aspect(s) of the team's game. This is why what is apparently 'obvious' to a lot of fans, often isn't such a good idea after all and has typically been considered and rejected by a decent manager.

[Ombudsam]

I would have played Gerrard just off Fowler. What does that make me?

[John am Rhein]

I would have played Gerrard just off Fowler. What does that make me?

 

Living in the wrong century

[Hodgson for Chelsea]

I think the majority of us on here would have gone for Kuyt & Bellamy to start yesterday. And on seeing Chelsea's team I'm sure most of us would have gone for Bellamy and his pace to target the makeshift centreback pairing.

 

Rafa didn't and it worked so well. Even Mourinho said he knew weeks back that Rafa would use Kuyt & Crouch against his team, saying he would and "Rafa's not stupid".

 

So are pro managers paid millions because they actually know more than us or is it all down to luck and having a good agent?

 

I said in a thread beforehand that we should start with Kuyt and Crouch if Terry was out. It's common sense to expose such an obvious weakness in terms of height.

 

Rafa, like all the top managers is ruthless and that is what makes him a top manager. Win at all costs with no sentimentality, when he replaced Dudek I thought 'that's a bit harsh', but he was spot on.