Post-Defeat Reflections

So. No FA Cup Final day for us. No five in seven - just four in seven. Still, that aint bad is it? And what's more, yesterday was our first defeat in open play in the FA Cup in 30 games. It has to come to and end at one point, so it might as well do so in what looks like being a genuine transition season. This is the point I am trying to make: Think of the context people. 
     
We CFC fans were spoilt rotten last season. Did anybody truly expect that freaky magic to herald a new age of domination? Contest seven trophies this season? Surely, we must get a couple at least? Nonsense. With so many games we were always likely to fail in most if not all of them. 
     
But expectation isn't the only issue facing CFC's First Team: We have a much maligned 'interim' manager who is good at throwing games away, most of our best players are relatively new to the EPL, most of our viable players are still very young and consequently inexperienced, and we seem to be lumbered with a formation (4231) without the necessary players to make it work properly. Benitez, for all his apparent tactical nous, has totally failed to address the problems he inherited. Chelsea's defending is still poor.

Think of it - we played yesterday with another makeshift and novel central defensive partnership. Luiz is obviously no defender - he hasn't got the instinct for it. How he got tagged there God only knows. Ivan has been superb for us but he's probably not used to being in the middle given how well he's done at right-back. Those two are not the future in that position. Chaos reigned in that first-half.

And then we come to the much debated 'double-pivot', whatever that is. These two players are a lot more important than they are given credit for. They are supposed to provide protection to the back four, receive the ball from the back four, and subsequently initiate attacking passes forward. 

The thing is, these two players need to be awesome on the ball. They have to be able to receive and hold the ball in tight places and then make useful forward passes to Mazacar. Our contenders for those positions just can't hack it. City's second goal is the case in point: We start the second half, Mikel and Ramires get pressed, lose the ball, and before you know it Ivan has lost Aguero for the goal. Our holding players neither have the time or the skill to play their role successfully. 

Perhaps Mikel has hope given his strength and good feet, but his passing is way too slow and ineffectual. Ramires is only any good when he's charging about. Lampard is way too busy scoring goals, which is some consolation. (Just play him Benitez - if he gets to 203 it will be a good season!) I'm hoping Oscar and Luiz can make those positions their own if we must insist on 4231.

Other inherent weaknesses? No striker worthy of the name all season. One too many central playmakers behind the 'striker'. Little transitional discipline. No decent central defenders. Vulnerable to counter-attack down the wings. Unless the Amigo's run the show we are screwed. Too many managers LOL. So if we make the Top Four with these obvious problems then it'll be a great achievement.

Anyway. There's always the future. We have a young squad overflowing with talent. Once we get any kind of medium-term managerial stability we will threaten even more than we already have. KTBFFH