Risk vs Reward

Ok, lot's of interesting discussion on here today, for a change.

Risk vs Reward:

Jose Mourinho has many luxuries this season with regards to the players at his disposal. We know they have bought and definitely sold very well, where we haven't, for many different reasons that have been discussed already - FFP, poor Directors etc etc.

On Sunday, with all the 'big' players at his disposal for the C1C Final, a trophy he desperately wanted and needed, as it's been a while since he last won one with Chelsea, tactically, what did he do, knowing Matic was suspended?

He played Kurt Zouma in that role. Not Mikel, who wasn't even selected.

Risk? He get's found out.

Reward? He plays well with Ramires who hardly gets a look in these days.

This was a Wembley final and Mourinho plays a CB in the CMF alongside another who rarely gets a game.

Drops Oscar who has been in excellent form, as well as Cuadrado their big money January signing and who has played recently nearly every game - and brings back Willian and Fabregas as his work horses who have energy, granted, Fabregas is a little better than a work horse.

Uses Hazard behind Costa.

On the bench he had a like for like for Costa, in Drogba. Oscar for Willian. Cuadrado for Hazard and gave Ake a chance to be on the bench.

That's not a typical Chelsea starting line-up. It was filled with players who are defensively solid and work hard, whilst keeping his best striker up top and his little magician behind him. The starting point for Chelsea was to be solid and stop any of Kane's runs, stop Eriksen from getting on the ball for too long.
Starting point! Take it from here, frustrate them and see how the game progresses.

Not pretty, but effective. Risking limited attacking potential to ensure they don't concede and try and nick a goal. Terry scores on 45 mins from a set piece....and Spurs score an own goal. 2-0 win, might not be pretty, but who is talking about how they played? Nobody. All they've spoken about since is the possible treble.

Would Pellegrini have taken that risk? 

Against Leicester, MP needs to take some risks, if only to restore his currently tarnished reputation. Will he? Of course he won't. Last time City played at home against a lesser team we won 5-0, therefore, it goes without saying that we will win 6-0 this time.

Where the risk could pay off is this. If that is his attitude and he truly believes that we can easily brush aside a Leicester team by NOT changing his players or formation, what's he got to lose by adding in one or two different personnel?

Look at this team and formation, just as an example. I'm not saying the team couldn't be improved on or the formation couldn't be changed and we still play well. But could you imagine this team, using a little risk, getting beat over 90 minutes if we were to play to our potential?

...................................................Hart..................................................

Zaba..............................Vinny.....................Mangala.....................Clichy..

................Milner.........................TLMLF...........................Silva............

.......Aguero..................................Bony..................................Barker..

Clichy can assist Silva when he pushes forward, TLMLF can be covered by the CB's and Milner if he decides to go forwards and Aguero and Barker can cut in from wider position to support Bony, with Silva or TLMLF assisting from MF.

Reward.....goals, attractive football, an academy player gets game time at home in the PL and we unearth a star, the MF press their MF further back and take less pressure off the defence, Milner can sit across the middle of the park or fill in for Zaba if he decides to overlap.

There's not much risk there Blue
Id play that team but have Fernandinho in the MF as neither Silva or Yaya are defensive. Put Silva where Barker is
I do think Barker could be given some time in the 2nd half but we all know MP wont play any of the youngsters

We could select another 10 different formations TMG.

What I was trying to do was to include someone from the academy who is currently banging the goals in from wide left. 

If it doesn't work out, he can always bring on Fernandinho for him and play Silva out wide....but as my other thread stated, we always seem to be accommodating certain players in the wrong positions....and Silva is nowhere near as effective out wide left as he is in the centre, playing in the spaces in front of the oppositions back 4.

It's time for some radical thinking, whilst also playing his players in positions that suits them and they can contribute to the team as much as possible.

Yeah Blue I know what ur saying. 
Trouble is we have Silva Yaya Sergio Bony Superfrank Milner Nasri The Fernandos all of whom like to play in the centre
Navas is a winger but cant cross the ball Kolarov is just not good enough either  defensively or attacking. Zaba is 1/2 the player he was. He used to bomb up the right wing like a winger. Same with Clichy. The 2 FBs have to get far more into the game whoever they are 
With the players we have( & this seriously needs looking at in the summer)
V lesser teams such as Leicester I would go for 2 up front 
Sergio Bony 
Silva Dino Yaya Milner/Navas
Kolarov Vinny Mangala Zabba
Against the better teams Sergio or Bony have to be sacrificed for more solidity in MF so
Sergio
Silva Dino Yaya Fernando Milner
Clichy Vinny Manga Zabba

So...I see from your formations that the player sacrificed is Nasri.

Again, we're back to who get's sacrificed and once again, TLMLF never does. Whatever formation you've just posted there means this:

Silva plays wide left and hates that position. Why, because you've selected TLMLF with a DFM.....and back to my point, it's not radical enough, it's just the same old same old. He's tried all of this before.

Milner wide right, Silva on the left. Silva is not a winger, so why play 2 strikers including Bony?

Again, it's all to accommodate TLMLF, but he is still in a role that MP plays him, so what's the difference? It's a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 with 2 DFM's....there's no change in those selections to what MP has done, except dropping Nasri.

Do me a big favour....and humour me.

Pick an exciting, but strong and solid team that can attack at pace, but be solid at the same time.....WITHOUT TLMLF to face Leicester tomorrow night at home.

He'll underestimate Leicester, just as he's done with almost every team we've been up against in the last few months.  He won't learn from what hilariously happened to Van Gaal.  Leicester need a win like fish need water and we're just the team to give it to them.

He'll play 4-2-2-2 with a pair of DMs against a side that can't score.  Then we'll have 74% possession, mostly in their half.  And we'll lose 1-0, because they will follow the "Blueprint to Beat City"

1. Keep 9 men behind the ball at all times.
   
2. Mark Silva and Aguero with 2 men each.
   
3. Play two rows of four within the width of the penalty area.  Have spare player to go wide if needed.
   
4. Keep one centre forward on the halfway line.  If the ball breaks, hoof it up to him to run on to.
   
5. If in doubt, fall over.  You will get a free kick.
   

Deviate from this plan and you will get beaten.

And I am absolutely in agreement with you Leo.

So as per TMG...humour me and pick a team that's exciting, attacking, but can be solid if needed.

I'm NOT for dropping TLMLF, I'm just trying to make a point that we CAN play the above without him, if MP wants to.

Remember, we're at home against Leicester. We're a team in 2nd and have spent £176m in 12 months.

We're a team that have some wonderful attacking players in our academy...but are not being used, one's who have been in the UEFA youth League and beaten some of the top youth teams in Europe.

blueboy wrote:So as per TMG...humour me and pick a team that's exciting, attacking, but can be solid if needed.

Oh, that's easy.  Chelsea.  

I get what you're saying, though.  I think our big idea here should be this:  Ditch the 4-4-2 and try and generate some width.

Hart

Zabba - Demichelis - Kompany - Kolarov

Fernandinho

Navas - Silva - Nasri - Barker

Bony

Silva and Nasri work together, read each other well and interact positively.  They also both naturally work inside.  Use them to pick at the defence to get the ball through.  Or use wide players to whip the ball across.  And get Zab and Kola to press forwards, or Navas and Barker to drop back, depending on need.  The wide play necessitates a tall player with strength in the air, hence Bony.  Serge is a fabulous player, but against Leicester, he's going to get kicked and/or injured, so leave him out.

Demi at the back, over Mango?  Just a hunch, but I think he'd be better in this game.

Dino?  Less of a liability than Nando, will defend better than TLF.

As the game progresses, switch Nasri and Silva with Lopes and Lampard (or Milner).  Save the third sub for whoever runs out of steam first.

But to go back to my first line, if you're after exciting and attacking, we're picking from the wrong pool.

What??? No Aguero?

See what I mean?

Hart
Zabba, Kompany, Dimi, Clichy
Navas, Fernandinho, Milner
Silva, Yaya
Aguero

To accommodate certain players, and that's without TLMLF....it means making tough decisions like Jose did on Sunday in the C1C Final.

We can't accommodate everyone, nor should we, but that's exactly what the Manager's been doing all season.
Hence my post.

Topdawg wrote:Hart
Zabba, Kompany, Dimi, Clichy
Navas, Fernandinho, Milner
Silva, Yaya
Aguero

I actually asked for one without TLMLF.

But, we now drop our latest £25m signing and for all we know, he could be exceptional up front.

We are also going to drop Nasri. Even though he's had a bad few games, like many others, prior to that he was brilliant for us.

TS are now talking about this thread......not literally my thread, but the whole debate.

blueboy wrote:What??? No Aguero?

See what I mean?

What the fuck is Serge going to do in there? Noodle around the penalty box, watching crosses go whistling over his head whilst waiting patiently for Silva and Nasri to break through? No, he'll be running around like mad, trying to create stuff like he always does, until such time as he pulls his hamstring or he gets booted down by an opponent. And it'll all be in vain, because there's nobody in the box to feed to.

Thing is, it's all very well playing devil's advocate Bluey, but what's the point asking for us to pick a team that doesn't include all the usual suspects, if you just say, "What about?" every time someone does?

So, for the purposes of fairness, what's your choice for an exciting, attacking team that will take Leicester apart?

Yes but Blue we are limited because as I said we have a glut of people who like to play in CM
I'm not saying play Silva out wide He needs to behind the front 2 as does Yaya. I am expecting Kolarov and Zabba to provide the width and to a lesser extent Milner & Silva
So
                             Hart
                    Vinny        Mango
Zabba                                         Kola

          Milner                        Dino
  
                         Yaya
                                            Silva
                       Bony  Aguero

There is no point giving u a team without Yaya coz it just aint gonna happen !!

Leo....I wasn't having a go mate, I was trying to just make the point....we drop a player, our top goalscorer and one who actually scores consistently, for another who HAS to get game time as we've spent £25m on him....add to that, who else do we drop if not TLMLF, Nasri or Silva.

Maybe reading replies are subjective....it wasn't my intention to piss you off. I am simply trying to show, that the Manager is faced with making difficult decisions...but they are decisions he's paid to make. He can't just keep picking the usual suspects and try to make them fit his tactics or formations....it should be the other way around. Make the tactics fit the personnel to get the best out of them.

For parity, and to answer your question, I think I already did with my original team selection in my original post.

TMG wrote:Yes but Blue we are limited because as I said we have a glut of people who like to play in CM
I'm not saying play Silva out wide He needs to behind the front 2 as does Yaya. I am expecting Kolarov and Zabba to provide the width and to a lesser extent Milner & Silva
So
                             Hart
                    Vinny        Mango
Zabba                                         Kola

          Milner                        Dino
  
                         Yaya
                                            Silva
                       Bony  Aguero

There is no point giving u a team without Yaya coz it just aint gonna happen !!

AND there lies the problem and the point of my post. I'm totally with you, we do have a glut of players vying for 3/4 MF roles....but that's what the Manager is faced with. Therefore, he has to be strong and look to be a little more creative in his thinking. Whatever happens, players will be pissed off. But it's about the team and getting the most out of the players, not trying to get the players playing in positions that just don't suit them, all because of playing TLMLF.

I appreciate that, but I thought I'd made my reasons clear enough.  I wasn't pissed off, more irritated that I'd explained why no Aguero, just to be asked "What about Serge?"

So you'd play him out wide, huh?  Interesting...

Oh, and you have TLF in your team. Isn't the point that we can do without?

No, I personally wouldn't play him. If you want MY team without him, it'd be this for tomorrow night:

........................................Hart.........................................

Zaba.................Vinny.....................Manga................Clichy..

Navas.............................Lampard..........................Milner...

.............Silva.........................................Aguero................

........................................Bony.........................................

I'd like to include Barker instead of Milner, but it just wouldn't happen in a million years, so is a bit pointless including him, or drop Navas for Milner and add Barker.

But either way, he won't get a chance.