kwsaint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 No rest for the wicked. Sell out crowd at St Marys and both teams will be up for it so hopefully it'll be a cracking atmosphere. Gonna go with 1 - 1.
nta786 Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 I'm gonna say 0-0 at half time, or 1-0 to us, but then expect Mourinho to 'tactically' outwit us and win it 2-0/2-1. He did that last season. Though then again he always knew how to play against Poch's football... Actually, screw what I've said- I trust Koeman. 3-0 to Saints. Pelle, Long and Pelle again.
SNSUN Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 5-2 to Saints. Mané, Morgan and Ward-Prowse the key players in a win that prematurely ends the John Terry love in. :-) Or...I'd take a draw.
Batman Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 They are an incredibly efficient side. Some great players who work like trojans. They have one of the best managers in the world and a side/squad worth hundreds of millions..... to get anything would be a good result. but they can be beaten, like newcastle have shown...
Turkish Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 It's difficult to see anything but a Chelsea win, superb squad and a great manager. But if everyone plays at 100% and we get a bit of luck then we have a chance.
EBS1980 Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Big test for Matt T replacing Ryan at left back
CB Saint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Heart says we will get something, head says don't be a tw4t.
Saint Charlie Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Hopefully we can at least keep a decent side on the pitch all game (Bertrand aside). Seems so many of these big games we have changes to the team so if we get beat with a strong lineup then so be it. Fonte will come back in and would expect both Wanyama and Morgan to start. One of Davis or maybe more likely JWP to be benched. Interesting also to see if Tadic starts.
fanimal Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Be even harder without two first choice full backs…may have to set up to play for a draw at home?! 7/9 return over Xmas would be brilliant.
Saint_clark Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Forster Fonte Aldeweireld Yoshida Targett Clyne Morgan Victor Tadic Long Pelle
Sheaf Saint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Morgan, Wanyama, Gardos and Fonte will all be over their suspensions. JWP is now back in the squad, and hopefully Tadic will be suitably rested now. Pretty much a full squad to choose from apart from Cork, and obviously Bertrand cannot play. We can go into this one confident of getting a result. If Newcastle can beat them then so can we.
SNSUN Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Not sure I'd drop JWP. How key have set pieces been for us in the last couple of games! Against Chelsea we need to take whatever chances we get, set pieces will be key.
EBS1980 Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Forster Fonte Aldeweireld Yoshida Targett Clyne Morgan Victor JWP Long Pelle
simo Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 I think this is our one "free" game of the season , confidence should be up , we all deem Chelsea the better team and I feel the same vibes as I did last time we beat a big team at home
PortlandSaint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Wondering if Harrison Reed will play again. Going to need somebody combative in midfield against matic and fabregas. Thinking that Reed and Wanyama may have been rested against palace to give us that fight in the middle against Chelsea, need to find a way of stopping JT scoring as well, 2 in 2 for him.
Batman Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Wondering if Harrison Reed will play again. Going to need somebody combative in midfield against matic and fabregas. Thinking that Reed and Wanyama may have been rested against palace to give us that fight in the middle against Chelsea, need to find a way of stopping JT scoring as well, 2 in 2 for him. surely morgan and vic are miles better than most in the league, let alone reed (impressive as he was)
SFCRedandWhite Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Forster Fonte Alderweireld Yoshida Clyne Schneiderlin Wanyama JWP Targett Mane Pelle SUBS: Davis Gardos McCarthy Reed Davis Tadic Long Strong line up and a good bench to change it up.
simo Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 surely morgan and vic are miles better than most in the league, let alone reed (impressive as he was) Apart from Matic' no other defensive midfielders in their class imo
VectisSaint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 They are an incredibly efficient side. Some great players who work like trojans. They have one of the best managers in the world and a side/squad worth hundreds of millions..... Agreed, Chelsea are quite good too.
Roger Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Be even harder without two first choice full backs…may have to set up to play for a draw at home?! 7/9 return over Xmas would be brilliant. Koeman said no injuries!
Bucks Saint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Big test for Matt T replacing Ryan at left back Has been v good whenever he has played this season, including against Sanchez and Cazorla at the Emirates
simo Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Has been v good whenever he has played this season, including against Sanchez and Cazorla at the Emirates Hardley noticed Bertrand not playing imo, was our best player before being subbed at Sheffield too
Saint Charlie Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 (edited) Forster Clyne Fonte Toby Maya Targett Morgan Wanyama Davis Pelle Mane Long and Tadic as impact subs. Edited 27 December, 2014 by Saint Charlie
John Boy Saint Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Rat boy Anthony Taylor referee on Sunday so expect absolutely chuff all as he is developing into an "all about me" ref.
simo Posted 26 December, 2014 Posted 26 December, 2014 Forster Clyne Fonte Toby Maya Bertrand Morgan Wanyama Davis Pelle Mane Long and Tadic as impact subs. This but switching to 3 5 2 , hard to leave Jwp and long out but needs to be done imo!
simo Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 This but switching to 3 5 2 , hard to leave Jwp and long out but needs to be done imo! And before I'm picked up on it , I know I started the Mane Thread but we need to get what we can out of him while he's in form before the Acon!
simo Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Bertrand won't be playing I did remind myself to remember that earlier
scotty Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 2-1 chelski. Late winner against the 2nd half run of play, after we went in at half time 1-0 down then equalised on 49 minutes from a JWP corner. Sorry I can't be more specific.
Saint Charlie Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Bertrand won't be playing Yeah, meant to add Targett. He will do fine.
Saint_Ash Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 first game of the half season ticket for me and the boy so can't wait! Forster Clyne Fonte Toby Maya Targett Morgan Wanyama Davis Long Pelle
Dark Munster Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 I had a dream they took an early 2-0 lead, but we stormed back to lead 3-2 at half-time. Woke up during the half-time break, so unfortunately I have no idea what happens in the second half.
GarrettIvo Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 I want to be optimistic but after watching them toy with West Ham it's tough to have hope. There's about as much a gulf between them and us as there was between us and Palace. I reckon we can compete OK, but they have enough quality EVERYWHERE to turn us over. No shame if we lose by 2 or 3.
doddisalegend Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Repeat of the man city game I reckon we will compete first half get very little from the ref couple of players forced off injured by **** tackles and then blown away in the second half 0-3. Which will see us down to 6th by the end of the day. We just don't seem able to beat the big sides.
austsaint Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Even though JWP played quite well at Palace, we need tackling strength and intercepting speed in the midfield against Chelsea, therefore I'd go without his dead ball skills and play Morgan, Vic and Steve Davis (who was surprisingly off his game at Palace). Surely Tadic will feature at some stage to try and unlock the defence and Sadio has to back up after his brilliant display yesterday.
Saint_Tony Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 There's a chance Mourinho might make a few changes, but they pretty much have a full strength squad, and in my opinion are right now one of the best sides of the premier league era. What's key is that we have belief that we can get something, we have to give it a go like we did against Man Utd. It's a short recovery time for both sides so anything could happen. Head says 2-0 Chelsea, heart says dramatic late 2-1 win for us. Is Fonte available?
Andy Durman Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Forget Clyne he won't make this one in time. Great chance for another academy player perhaps or Alderweireld will play right back
Redslo Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Pelle Long Tadic Davis Wanyama Schneidlerin Clyne Yoshida Toby Fonte Forster
doddisalegend Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Forget Clyne he won't make this one in time. Great chance for another academy player perhaps or Alderweireld will play right back Ronald said in his post match interview yesterday we had no injuries so why are people saying clyne is unavaliable?
JibMcdo Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 With Targett coming in for Bertrand I'm unsure Koeman will play him at wing back, think we may revert back to a traditional back 4 Not sure wing back is a position Targett will have ever played and it's risky to ask him to play it against Chelsea. I really do like the back 3 though and I hope we see the formation return. ----------Forster Clyne Fonte Alderweireld Targett --------Wanyama ------Morgan Davis Ward-Prowse----Tadic -----------Pelle Mane and Long available to change it.
Saint Charlie Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 With Targett coming in for Bertrand I'm unsure Koeman will play him at wing back, think we may revert back to a traditional back 4 Not sure wing back is a position Targett will have ever played and it's risky to ask him to play it against Chelsea. I really do like the back 3 though and I hope we see the formation return. ----------Forster Clyne Fonte Alderweireld Targett --------Wanyama ------Morgan Davis Ward-Prowse----Tadic -----------Pelle Mane and Long available to change it. Zero chance that after Ronald has mentioned the pace we have had with Mane and Long lately, and the fact Terry and Cahill's only weakness is to pace, that we will pick a paceless attack. IMO.
Saint Troy Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Ronald said in his post match interview yesterday we had no injuries so why are people saying clyne is unavaliable? On the youtube interview I heard it as no new suspensions from palace and not many injuries at the moment rather than no suspensions and injuries. Really feel like we will get something from this (oh well)
Golac's Iron Gonads Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Our best hope is Ivanovic giving us a penalty, and getting himself sent off in the process, in the opening 10 mimutes, and Costa limping off after 20.
SaintSteve Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Pelle Long Tadic Davis Wanyama Schneidlerin Clyne Yoshida Toby Fonte Forster Interesting if Koeman risks Tadic as a wing back.. may not have enough pace or stamina to perform the role. Prefer Mane to Long but either way its a strong line up.
shurlock Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Zero chance that after Ronald has mentioned the pace we have had with Mane and Long lately, and the fact Terry and Cahill's only weakness is to pace, that we will pick a paceless attack. IMO. Agree - think it could be a pretty fruitless day for Pelle given how dominant those two are in the air; however if he can free up Mané or Long whose pace will trouble them, we could get some joy. It's all the more important as they tend to press pretty aggressively from the front -as they did last season to great effect- and I can see us being pretty direct as a result.
shurlock Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Interesting if Koeman risks Tadic as a wing back.. may not have enough pace or stamina to perform the role. Prefer Mane to Long but either way its a strong line up. No chance- like Yoshida a lot but even with with Bertrand, thought he got quite exposed yesterday, especially in the first half. Playing Tadic on the left and expecting him to defend -which we'll be doing quite a bit- sets us up for a fall.
dubai_phil Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Don't see Mane starting, he had a full 90 against Palace, if he was down to start against Chelsea I'm sure he'd have been rotated as he has been subbed around 65 mins in most of his games. Can see us going to our older formation to start with Tadic in for Mane and Long to run the Channels. Long gives us a bit more height in the box defensively from corners which we will need early doors. Hopefully Tadic's rest & rehab is exactly what he needed - felt he (and Pelle to an extent) started the season brilliantly but then needed ritation as the intensity of the modern PL took it's toll on them. Pelle is not yet at his best but since his game off he's looked much sharper as of course did Mane. Then gives us the option later to bring Mane on more centrally and switch to Plan B and use Mane's pace against tiring legs. Forster Targett Toby Jose Clyne Wanyama Morgan Davis Tadic Long Pelle Subs? Gawd knows but KD Maya McCarthy Reed JWP Mane Seager/Gape/Gardos
Window Cleaner Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 (edited) Don't see Mane starting, he had a full 90 against Palace, if he was down to start against Chelsea I'm sure he'd have been rotated as he has been subbed around 65 mins in most of his games. Can see us going to our older formation to start with Tadic in for Mane and Long to run the Channels. Long gives us a bit more height in the box defensively from corners which we will need early doors. Hopefully Tadic's rest & rehab is exactly what he needed - felt he (and Pelle to an extent) started the season brilliantly but then needed ritation as the intensity of the modern PL took it's toll on them. Pelle is not yet at his best but since his game off he's looked much sharper as of course did Mane. Then gives us the option later to bring Mane on more centrally and switch to Plan B and use Mane's pace against tiring legs. Forster Targett Toby Jose Clyne Wanyama Morgan Davis Tadic Long Pelle Subs? Gawd knows but KD Maya McCarthy Reed JWP Mane Seager/Gape/Gardos In fact Mané is just what we need, watched them yesterday and Valencia had Ivanovic all over the place, true that West Ham couldn't capitalise on it but it's definitely exploitable. That said Mané in fact looked much better on the right yesterday than he has on the left. I think though that we may need to detail someone to take one for the team and kick Hazard up in the air in an effective but discreet manner the first time he touches the ball because well, he's going to take Targett or McCarthy apart. Think we might go for 5 at the back again, that would help us with our inexperienced full back problems perhaps. Might be Maya's last game for us for a while as well, think he has to go before the Arsenal game. Edited 27 December, 2014 by Window Cleaner
Dalek2003 Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 Time to park the bus, force a scrappy game and nick a win. We should have learn't from the City game.
Ulrich van Gobbel Posted 27 December, 2014 Posted 27 December, 2014 This is basically a free roll of the dice for this game - everyone is now pretty much fit and over their suspensions, a boisterous full house at St. Mary's and confidence will be high after back to back wins having scored 6 and conceded 1.. I'm feeling optimistic - Score draw.
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