Re: ***Official City v chelsea FA Youth Cup final thread***
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 4:16 pm
It's all a learning curve , if they all play without fear in the 2nd leg who knows ? ;-)
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Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Blue Since 76 wrote:Wonderwall wrote:twosips wrote:Definitely the biggest crowd most would have played in front of. I actually felt the crowd carried over the angsty atmosphere that lingers about during the first team games for the first half and that can't have been good for them. They looked well uncertain at times. Definitely relaxed in the second half when (perhaps coincidentally) the crowd relaxed. All part of the learning experience though...
I thought Wilcox set us up very defensive to begin with, poor Buckley was having to chase down 3 defenders and the GK playing keep ball triangles. Whilst the rest of the team kept their shape from the half way line. When you look at the difference with Chelsea, they closed everything down and defended from the front, their front 3 closed down as a unit, which is something we didn't do until midway through the 2nd half, This was definitely a bad tactical move on Wilcox's part. We invited the pressure on ourselves and the nerves were there to be seen with the poor distribution when a 8'10" Snoop Dog lookalike is bearing down on you!
Your second paragraph is what I was referring to when I mentioned desire last night, which was perhaps the wrong term. I also mentioned the Barca obsession as I wondered if it had as much to do with team tactics as the individuals. When we suddenly started running at them from about the 70 minute, I'd text my dad and said we'd been paying rope a dope before that as we were all over them and they couldn't cope.
Chelsea were bigger than us and in most cases technically as good which means we had to work much harder, just as the likes of Burnley did to our first team. I just don't think we did that in a positive way i.e. running at people and committing them until late on and Wilcox has to take the blame for that. Workrate has to be the starting point for any team at any level and it's only with that that quality can come to the fore. The Barca of old definitely had that, but we don't seem to want to work as hard without the ball.
I just don't think I agree with the idea that Wilcox set the team up defensively.If it looked like that it's simply because Chelsea grabbed hold of the game and pushed us onto the back foot and we couldn't find a way out. Maybe we didn't press them quite as hard and high as they pressed us but no way does that team have a defensive mentality, you only have to look at the players to see that.
Unfortunately that where the pressem and kick it long brigade come in as they think it's that simple.Just launch the ball long and all will be well. For a while we were struggling to hang on and all the players bar Buckley were getting back to help out and then of course there isn't anyone forward to find with a pass/clearance when we get the chance.I think we tried to close them quickly but Chelsea were too good for a while and were winning almost all the tackles and 2nd balls.Plenty of effort but it just wasn't happening.
On the few occasions we got forward we looked ok and the goal from Buckley via Barker was a gem.The 2nd half was more even even though I don't think we changed very much and as it wore on we started to take over which may well have been down to Chelsea tiring a bit.That's when we more than deserved a goal but it just didn't happen.
Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Blue Since 76 wrote:Wonderwall wrote:twosips wrote:Definitely the biggest crowd most would have played in front of. I actually felt the crowd carried over the angsty atmosphere that lingers about during the first team games for the first half and that can't have been good for them. They looked well uncertain at times. Definitely relaxed in the second half when (perhaps coincidentally) the crowd relaxed. All part of the learning experience though...
I thought Wilcox set us up very defensive to begin with, poor Buckley was having to chase down 3 defenders and the GK playing keep ball triangles. Whilst the rest of the team kept their shape from the half way line. When you look at the difference with Chelsea, they closed everything down and defended from the front, their front 3 closed down as a unit, which is something we didn't do until midway through the 2nd half, This was definitely a bad tactical move on Wilcox's part. We invited the pressure on ourselves and the nerves were there to be seen with the poor distribution when a 8'10" Snoop Dog lookalike is bearing down on you!
Your second paragraph is what I was referring to when I mentioned desire last night, which was perhaps the wrong term. I also mentioned the Barca obsession as I wondered if it had as much to do with team tactics as the individuals. When we suddenly started running at them from about the 70 minute, I'd text my dad and said we'd been paying rope a dope before that as we were all over them and they couldn't cope.
Chelsea were bigger than us and in most cases technically as good which means we had to work much harder, just as the likes of Burnley did to our first team. I just don't think we did that in a positive way i.e. running at people and committing them until late on and Wilcox has to take the blame for that. Workrate has to be the starting point for any team at any level and it's only with that that quality can come to the fore. The Barca of old definitely had that, but we don't seem to want to work as hard without the ball.
I just don't think I agree with the idea that Wilcox set the team up defensively.If it looked like that it's simply because Chelsea grabbed hold of the game and pushed us onto the back foot and we couldn't find a way out. Maybe we didn't press them quite as hard and high as they pressed us but no way does that team have a defensive mentality, you only have to look at the players to see that.
Unfortunately that where the pressem and kick it long brigade come in as they think it's that simple.Just launch the ball long and all will be well. For a while we were struggling to hang on and all the players bar Buckley were getting back to help out and then of course there isn't anyone forward to find with a pass/clearance when we get the chance.I think we tried to close them quickly but Chelsea were too good for a while and were winning almost all the tackles and 2nd balls.Plenty of effort but it just wasn't happening.
On the few occasions we got forward we looked ok and the goal from Buckley via Barker was a gem.The 2nd half was more even even though I don't think we changed very much and as it wore on we started to take over which may well have been down to Chelsea tiring a bit.That's when we more than deserved a goal but it just didn't happen.
Hazy2 wrote:None of us know if any will make it, what we see is a brand of football. Fair play, my worry, if football was about skill Ajax would have 20 champions league winners cups. The outcome always becomes the memory.
twosips wrote:BIG NEWS!
Iheanacho is starting!
CITY U18S TO FACE CHELSEA: Haug, Maffeo, Adarabioyo (c), Humphreys, Angelino, Bryan, Wood, Nemane, Celina, Iheanacho, Barker. #mcfc
Ted Hughes wrote:twosips wrote:BIG NEWS!
Iheanacho is starting!
CITY U18S TO FACE CHELSEA: Haug, Maffeo, Adarabioyo (c), Humphreys, Angelino, Bryan, Wood, Nemane, Celina, Iheanacho, Barker. #mcfc
Oo!
Marcus Wood in midfield too. Not as good a footballer as Garcia of course but tougher.
Let's hope Itchy is actually at least somewhere near, match fit. If he is, then Chelsea have a problem.
iwasthere2012 wrote:Ted Hughes wrote:twosips wrote:BIG NEWS!
Iheanacho is starting!
CITY U18S TO FACE CHELSEA: Haug, Maffeo, Adarabioyo (c), Humphreys, Angelino, Bryan, Wood, Nemane, Celina, Iheanacho, Barker. #mcfc
Oo!
Marcus Wood in midfield too. Not as good a footballer as Garcia of course but tougher.
Let's hope Itchy is actually at least somewhere near, match fit. If he is, then Chelsea have a problem.
I really hope he does well. I hope he fits into the team.
DoomMerchant wrote:Is this being streamed or on the radio somewhere?
Cheers