VillaChris

Get the feeling looking at his reactions near the end that Poch has been told he's getting sacked if they don't make any form of euro qualification.

Only on a two year deal aswell so won't be the usual mammoth pay off either for a Chelsea manager.

6 minutes ago, Genie said:

I think it’s fair of them to get excited at the prospect of the away side coming back from 2-0 down to (almost) win.

They were acting like this was Chelsea 2004-12 though. Even went to Joe Cole mid game so he could congratulate Chelsea on a few shots on target.

TNT really were Chelsea fanboys so will be listening to the World feed next time we play them which is always more objective in the game discussion.

Just now, villa4europe said:

100%

Spurs record vs Chelsea is us vs utd esque, Chelseas recent home form is also something like 7 wins in 8 with the other game being a draw 

Udogie will be a huge miss for Spurs. Madueke was really on it second half and gave Digne his toughest game in 2024 probably so that's the sort of half he needs to kick on now and start producing consistent runs of form. Palmer will still be out there so I think this Chelsea scores 2-3 v Spurs given their high line.

7 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

I dont know if this is even true after tonight... Best team in the League for dropped points from winning postions... 

The crazy thing does seem to be that all 3 games we've done it were from 2-0 though but still it's only happened in 3 games 

Choked so many points - 7 of them to be exact 

We seem to be far weaker defending a 2-0 lead than 1-0 really. 1-0s v Arsenal and Man. City weren't this chaotic. Even in this fantastic season we still haven't won three games we were 2-0 up in so interested where we compared to other prem teams in that regard.

I get the feeling Emery is telling them at half time when 2-0 up to relax, ease off and just pace ourselves through first 25 minutes of second half but the problem there is we just hand initiative to opposition and eventually they'll score and then we go into panic station mode and make basis errors.

Just now, Pinebro said:

You just know Chelsea isn't gonna turn up against Spurs 

Have a look at their general record v Spurs. It really really annoys me baseless and reactionary posts on here against actual facts.

Their second half level will comfortably get a draw v Spurs and it will probably win them the game.

7 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Woeful for the 'third' , not necessarily at fault for the two but **** me, this guy doesn't save anything.

It was a top class save in the first place that lead to the corner. No chance with the first two.

I actually thought he looked far more confident than ever before, was claiming crosses like a man possessed. Feels like Emi was a big doubt coming into this so he was half prepped to play anyway.

Only thing he got wrong was rushing out too quickly which totally befuddled Carlos when it should've been a straightforward back header but that's just a lack of communication/decision making between two back up players for us.

Did he have a bet on Chelsea winning at half time or something?!

Subs and general team mentality were shocking. Disappointing to see that so soon after the Brentford game.

Yes we're having a very good season but this was what Ollie was talking about in his interview recently. Chelsea weak against the counter and we put on endless defenders and midfielders and just sit back and let them grow into confidence.

In the end we were very lucky to get a point from that.

3 minutes ago, TheAuthority said:

In fairness to NBC in the states, they are saying that Ollie Watkins us without doubt the best player of the season. (Robbie Earl & Robbie Mustoe)

Those two are decent pundits. Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle certainly aren't.

Hoddle claiming we're a counter attacking team, words simply fail me. He clearly last watched us in 2009.

Just now, punkiller1981 said:

It is a good achievement but they are an incredibly bad team so I think as much as anything it shows how poor the bottom of the league has been this year 

They're similar to Palace. Go on long winless runs and hardly scoring and then suddenly reel off four wins out of five just when everyone starts writing them off.

Said it on Wednesday but Goodison is always a huge advantage in the run in for them. Won three home games all season up to April and now won four on the spin without even conceding a goal.

Don't they have the fourth best defence in the league or something daft? Conceded two fewer than we have.

Need to keep Branthwaite at all costs this summer and just sell Onana instead to meet the latest FFP requirements.

2 minutes ago, Kuwabatake Sanjuro said:

Happy Disasi is not starting, have a feeling Thiago Silva can be got at more by Watkins.

Disasi is terrible. Silva can still read the game no problem so sometimes pace can be nullified by excellent positioning and Silva has that in abundance so Ollie will have to continue to work hard tonight to get good openings.

Confirming safety with three games to spare is certainly an achievement considering they had a very poor start (4 points from their first 7 games) and then lost an extra eight shortly afterwards.

4 minutes ago, CarryOnVilla said:

How good is Chelsea’s bench? I genuinely don’t know most of the names on it

Pretty much all kids. No one over the age of 26 and only Disasi has played even 10 prem games.

33 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

That man utd winning streak is going to start any day now... 

Probably be one of those occasions where we got enough points to finish above them in mid March. I can see them struggling to win any of their last four. Newcastle will finish 6th with what they have left.

Just now, turvontour said:

But Norwich couldn't risk fielding a youth team and let blues win as it would only take a 4 or 5 nil Hull win to make it tight.

Yeah that's decent thinking. SHA did beat Coventry 3-0 so they get an early goal etc and Hull get a couple of early goals etc...

All the press will be on Wagner after what he did v them in SHA regardless so I don't think it will be that weak regardless, they'd just rest Sara imo who's one of the best attackers in the division so they need him for the play offs to be 100%.

Bit like us resting Tammy v Norwich on final day of 2019 season but think apart from that it was a pretty strong team (actually Grealish and AEG didn't start either).

Just need a point to 100% confirm finishing above them now.

When did that last happened, 1990?

4 minutes ago, Kuwabatake Sanjuro said:

From a Norwich perspective I'd rather be playing Southampton than Leeds in the semi final, even if Leeds imploded last night, they are a stronger outfit and Elland road is a tougher place to go to.

West Brom will likely beat Preston so they'll need to win to avoid 6th.

4 minutes ago, picicata said:

So best result tonight would be a Hull win, so they can still catch Norwich on the final day thus make Norwich take it seriously. Second best would be a loss so that the game is a dead rubber against Plymouth.

No doubt it'll be a draw then

Draw and Hull are 7 goals off Norwich so would require a huge win from them to catch Norwich so that certainly is the worst result!

Norwich do have some decent players on the bench. Jonathan Rowe been linked to us and just back from a few months out and he came on so could get perhaps an hour out of him if they're rotating next weekend. Experienced CBs like Danny Batth and Grant Hanley unused subs today so not like Wagner will just stick the under 12s in.

5 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

If hull win tonight they'll still have to try and get something. 

Hull got Plymouth last game...

They have to beat Norwich.

Draw no good unless Plymouth lose by four goals I think at home.

Guess it simplifies it for them. Basically their fate now rests on the team David Wagner picks just as in 2017.

Really need a Blackburn goal I think. Playing Coventry who are down to 10 men.

26 minutes ago, villan95 said:

Oh obviously we are capable of beating both but I think the matches v Liverpool and Chelsea could go either way for both teams.

Home v away advantage means nothing though? Spurs have only actually beaten us on the road since December so they're actually in their worst away run of the season.

Huddersfield complete s***.

Must win game and they haven't had one shot on goal.

Really going down with a whimper. Guy in charge was managing in the Bundesliga two years ago aswell.

Just now, villan95 said:

Can't trust Liverpool to beat Spurs. Still think we need another 6 points.

Again Chelsea and Liverpool just going to hand the game to Spurs...but play lights out v us. We've got both at VP, Spurs have to play them infront of their home fans where it's different expectations and teams find extra 10% if they're starting to get on their backs.

All we have to do is match Spurs results v them and then get 4 points off Brighton-Palace and then Spurs would have to do the same v Arsenal and Man. City which is a tough ask.

22 minutes ago, tinker said:

Liverpool,  what a mess, klopp kicking off with the substitutes before they came on, Salah lost it with him. Bit of a car crash end to his lpool career. 

Get our set pieces right on the day and we'll beat them.

Way to look at things now.

Spurs got two games in hand. Let's just give them two wins v Burnley and Sheffield United. If that's not by a combined 5 goals they're still below us.

To finish above us they'd then have to do a point better than us in these four fixtures: Arsenal and Man. City at home, Chelsea and Liverpool away.

That's a very tough ask for me. If people are saying they can beat Chelsea and Liverpool then why can't we seeing as we're playing both at home.

We also have Brighton who just want the season to end now and we do very well against them even when they're in form as we saw in the September match.

We'd really have to throw away 4th now. We were vulnerable after the Man. City and Brentford games and Spurs completely messed up the chance to put us under even more pressure by losing heavily at Newcastle.

Since then we've played with far more confidence in the prem games so it's really hard to see us suddenly choking. Also don't think Olympiakos will be as taxing as the Lille games were and we also have extra recovery from the second leg so to me it's all looking pretty good.

15 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Cameron Jerome playing and someone scoring in the football league today. Fair play to him he's still in there for the love of the game.

140 goals in 650 odd games. What a shit record for a non target man.

The typical too good for the championship (at his peak) not good enough for prem type.