With Chelsea’s win at the Etihad bringing Gameweek 24 to its conclusion, we delve into the data once again. Stoke’s midfield goal hero, West Ham’s target man, United’s fit-again frontmen and the knock-on effect Liverpool’s downturn in possession has had on a certain Uruguayan all come under our analysis this time around:
Just got in.
Laudrup fired??!!!??? Monk his replacement!??!?????????
Bloody terrible decision!Open Controls
Can confirm the Laudrup news.
But hadn't heard about Monks appointment. Things cam only get worse for Swansea.Open Controls
The worse part is all the Spanish players are probably going to be separated from the non-Spanish crowd now. Monk had a feud with a few of them (Chico for one). Watch out for the others - Pablo, Michu, Pozuelo, etc
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Who doesn't have a run in with Chicho. Someone called him a knobhead on here and they'd be half right.
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Chico is trash. After one or two games watching him, I could tell he was a jackarse. A fly could hit that guy in the arm, and he would go down clutching his face as if someone poked both of his eyes out. A joke of a footballer.
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His signings for the most part have been lazy and ineffectual. Swansea have lacked the hunger of last season.
Open ControlsI'd agree with that to an extent. With the exception of Michu and at a push Shelvey, his signings have been a let down. Pablo Hernandez should be ashamed of himself.
Open ControlsShelvey has been good and solid but had little midfield support. Michu of course out injured has not helped.
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Bench- Mannone,Sterling,Yoshida(You are already playing Boruc,spread the risk),Bardsley
Open ControlsTeam for this week.
Ruddy
Baines Coleman Bardsley
Hazard Mata Eriksen Lallana
Suarez Sturridge Rodriguez
Lewis Koscielny Gnabry Chester
Think I can getaway with saving FT this week? Koscielny>Chelsea defender next week?
Thanks.Open Controls
Just when I thought I was happy to give Bony another week, Laudrup gets fired.
Open ControlsThings shouldn't change much for Bony imo. Nailed on. Decent fixture. Players coming back from injury.
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@GTS, regarding your query to Innsie.
Bardsley has very bad fixtures coming up.Open Controls
yeah that's the downside of it. Can't find a decent replacement for Vlaar or Debuchy..
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Cheers everyone,
2 questions
1) Posible Laudrup replacement?
2) Mannone or Speroni next gw?Open Controls
@GTS
You've probably missed the boat on Bardsley now - check out his next few fixtures. I'd recommend Yoshida as a decent cheapie but I see you have Boruc as your only keeper so it's probably best not to double up. Have a look at WHU, I reckon Reid's a great pick (should be back into the starting 11 this week). He's got good goal threat and hogs the baps too. He'd be my pick, or consider M.Olsson, as he's definitely got a fixture GW29 and is cheap.Open ControlsAll good advice Innsie.
Open ControlsIs Yoshida nailed on, though?.
I took a hit for Bruce last gw because i thought he was nailed on and well.. We all know the story.Open ControlsShould be while Lovren is injured.
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Was Considering the Molsson & Reid and then suddenly I might be in an injury waiting to happen again for Reid and not really convinced by the Norwich Def. Are Norwich that good at the back?
Open ControlsIf you look at the games Norwich have kept CS's in this season they were all fairly predictable. So they're a decent team to include in a rotation.
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Dunno. I said Monk because the PL site said so.
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For anyone interested, most likely Benteke owners only, Agbonlahor might make this weekends game. Seems to be improving and it seems he dramatically improves Benteke's performance when he plays.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gabby-agbonlahor-fitness-boost-aston-6662408?Open Controls
Play Mannone or Boruc?
Have no other def cover from these teams.Open Controls
any changes recq
manonne
fonte / turner / ward
lallana / johnson / hazard / eriksen
rvp / suarez / dzeko
( marshall / koscielny / januzaj / chester)
with 3.4 in the bank and 1 ft
SUGGESTIONS PLEASEOpen ControlsWhich Turner?
I would look to replace Januzaj in the coming weeks.Open ControlsThe, which Turner? project.
Januzaj out asap imo.Open Controls
West Hams appeal against Carrol's red failed? The FA are a joke! And I guess Chico goes unpunished. A great example that you can cheat, get players sent off for no reason and get away with it. Sickening.
Open ControlsChico is an embarrassment I agree.
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So when do we know for sure about any GW 29 blanks?
Open ControlsJust a couple of questions for my draft league team of 16....
Mannone
Shaw/Azpilicueta/Baines
Ozil/Mirallas/Eriksen/Puncheon
Suarez (c)/Bony/Jovetic
Bench: Reid/Evans/Lennon/Agbonlahor/Boruc
A) Have I got the right starting line up for this week?
B) Get rid of Lennon for 1) Noone or 2) Snodgrass or C) Keep
C) Get rid of Agbonlahor for Crouch
Appreciate your thoughts guysOpen ControlsHi there!
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I've been reading on here quite a bit recently about how Chelsea have the fixtures and the defensive form to continue to reward us with a plethora of CS until the end of the season... and whilst I hope they can, I always like to follow up said convictions with my own research...
So, I was curious about how Chelsea's earlier CL exploits affected their Premier League form, and in particular their CS returns...
In the 6 games that proceeded their midweek CL group stage games, Chelsea only kept a single CS...
Chelsea 1-2 Basel (Sept 18)... followed by Chelsea 2-0 Fulham... (3 days later)...
They conceded in the rest...
Steaua 0-4 Chelsea (Oct 1)... followed by Norwich 1-3 Chelsea... (5 days later)
Shalke 0-3 Chelsea (Oct 22)... followed by Chelsea 2-1 Citeh... (5 days later)
Chelsea 3-0 Shalke (Nov 6)... followed by Chelsea 2-2 WBA... (3 days later)
Basel 1-0 Chelsea (Nov 26)... followed by Chelsea 3-1 So'ton... (5 days later)
Chelsea 1-0 Steaua (Dec 11)... followed by Chelsea 2-1 Palace... (3 days later)
Strangely enough, if we look at the games they played BEFORE their midweek CL fixtures, we also see a similar pattern, whereby they only kept one CS...
West Ham 0-3 Chelsea... 3 days before Basel 1-0 Chelsea (Nov 26)...
They conceded in the rest...
Everton 1-0 Chelsea... 4 days before Chelsea 1-2 Basel (Sept 18)
Spurs 1-1 Chelsea... 3 days before Steaua 0-4 Chelsea (Oct 1)
Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff... 3 days before Shalke 0-3 Chelsea (Oct 22)
Newcastle 2-0 Chelsea... 4 days before Chelsea 3-0 Shalke (Nov 6)
Stoke 3-2 Chelsea... 3 days before Chelsea 1-0 Steaua (Dec 11)
In conclusion, I think fixture congestion has proven to play havoc with Chelsea's defensive resilience... so before we all run out and double/triple up on the Chelsea defence, just remember how frustrating it was to own Terry through this run of matches last year...
Chelsea's upcoming fixtures...
PL - Chelsea - Newcastle - Sat 8 Feb
PL - West Brom v Chelsea - Tue 11 Feb
FA - Man City v Chelsea - Sat 15 Feb
PL - Chelsea v Everton - Sat 22 Feb
UCL - Galatasaray v Chelsea - Wed 26 Feb
PL - Fulham v Chelsea - Sat 1 Mar
PL - Chelsea v Tottenham - Sat 8 Mar
PL - Aston Villa v Chelsea - Sat 15 Mar
UCL - Chelsea v Galatasaray - Tue 18 Mar
PL - Chelsea v Arsenal - Sat 22 Mar
For me this analysis has cast some doubt over the perceived notion on here that Chelsea will continue to mop up CS after CS... I have a feeling they might not come as easy as they have been recently...Open ControlsYou forget the all important factor Zep.
Open ControlsNice work! I think it's a good exercise to simply line up fixture lists this time of year to get a clearer idea of whats going on. Chelsea's lack of clean sheets may have been the result of rotation, saving key players for the bigger games.
Open ControlsYeah exactly,
I am open to the idea that the lack of CS during this run at the turn of the year was down to different tactics, personnel, different priorities etc and that they might have different results this time around...
Just wanted to bring some light to what has gone before... sometimes it helps...Open Controls
Nice work Zep, although not conclusive. It would be interesting to see a similar analysis for the previous couple of years to see if there's a pattern.
Open ControlsI doubt looking into previous season results would give us any pertinent information...
Different managers - different style...Open ControlsHey Zep, sorry I didn't respond earlier, was on the train and Optus 3G is crap...
Of course the Manager is an issue, with tactics and rotation, but i was thinking about whether this is something that has happened to Chelsea in previous campaigns, and in an even broader sense, is it common for other teams with CL commitments as well.
The point of your post remains though, eggs, basket, and all that 🙂Open ControlsFair point, I'll have a quick look then...
In the Europa Cup last season Chelsea suffered a similar fate in many of the surrounding PL games at the turn of the year... only 3 CS in the 12 games before and after...
15 Sep QPR 0 – 0 Chelsea
19 Sep Chelsea 2 – 2 Juventus
22 Sep Chelsea 1 – 0 Stoke
29 Sep Arsenal 1 – 2 Chelsea
2 Oct Nordsjælland 0 – 4 Chelsea
6 Oct Chelsea 4 – 1 Norwich
20 Oct Tottenham 2 – 4 Chelsea
23 Oct Shakhtar 2 – 1 Chelsea
28 Oct Chelsea 2 – 3 Manchester United
3 Nov Swansea 1 – 1 Chelsea
7 Nov Chelsea 3 – 2 Shakhtar
11 Nov Chelsea 1 – 1 Liverpool
17 Nov West Brom 2 – 1 Chelsea
20 Nov Juventus 3 – 0 Chelsea
25 Nov Chelsea 0 – 0 Manchester City
1 Dec West Ham 3 – 1 Chelsea
5 Dec Chelsea 6 – 1 Nordsjælland
8 Dec Sunderland 1 – 3 Chelsea
Perhaps this will be more of an indication for the teams playing CL football next year...Open Controls
What is Mourinho's priority, The league title or UCL title?
Open ControlsYou think Matic in midfield and a settled playing XI could fix that?
Open Controls+1 for the effort Zep.
Open ControlsHa, 6+'s, it's a unanimous upvote!
Open ControlsOoooops,spoke too soon.
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Good thoughts Zep.
I believe the mix of a change in Jose's philosophy (where he prioritizes winning over playing beautiful / wasteful football) and Lamps not playing the pivot role are the main factors contributing to our CS. And this has happened since mid December.
This is the sample when these changes happened.
Dec 23 Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea PL
Dec 26 Chelsea 1-0 Swansea City PL
Dec 29 Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool PL
Jan 1 Southampton 0-3 Chelsea PL
Jan 5 Derby County 0-2 Chelsea FA Cup (Round 3)
Jan 11 Hull City 0-2 Chelsea PL
Jan 19 Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United PL
Jan 26 Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City 40,845 FA Cup (Round 4)
Jan 29 Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United PL
Feb 3 Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
You will find that we've kept many CS in this sample after a short break.Open Controls
Wow very impressive. Only 2 goals conceded and they were against pool and the mancs. Mourinho is such a legend. Best manager in the world
Open ControlsYup 2 goals conceded in 10 games.
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Good follow up post, ENR... very impressive results...
This certainly shows they can play a run of games in quick succession without conceding...
The only problem for me is that when you break that down, you have to start looking at which players were rotated...
When the games came thick and fast, Cahill got rested for the favourable home games v Palace and Swansea... I think he is nailed on right now, but I doubt he will play EVERY game when the play every 3-4 days...Open ControlsI don't expect much rotation at the back as long as everyone's fit.
Maybe JT could get rested in Europe due to lack of pace (as he has been before with Luiz taking his place) and Cahill being rested in 1-2 PL games.
If anything, there will be some rotation in midfield like it has been during this spell.Open Controls
The only thing this run of matches doesn't cover in it's sample is the potential effect of travelling to away games in Europe...
Perhaps not a huge factor... but certainly something to consider...Open ControlsPerhaps. But I'd beware of overthinking - there's only going to be a max of 4 away games over 4 months (if we go all the way). Not bad that.
For me, it's simple. The change in philosophy is a massive one. I'd like to think a team which has conceded 2 goals in 10 games over a congested fixture list is capable of maintaining the streak. Or so I hope 😆
Nothing to lose my having one defender. Doubling up could reap dividends as I believe each of the 6ers have some attacking points in them, while Azpi is phenomenal value at 5.3.Open Controls
Nice work Zep but you're overlooking a huge factor. The team is now fully adjusted to play the way Mourinho wants them too. The difference is huge, it shows when watching them. They are now the hardest team to score against in the league if not the world imo. Back then they were far from this well drilled machine they've become.
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What to do with this team?
Mannone, 3.9
Coleman, Mert, Burner, Ward, Chester
Haz, Mata, Silva, Eriksen, RavMo
Suarez, Sturridge, Benteke
1FT, 0.3 ITB
Looking at saving the FT this week and then going:
A) RavMo & 3.9 to Noone and Adrian
B) Burner and 3.9 to Yoshida and Adrian
Anything else worth doing?Open Controls
Look like decent plans but more the kind of thing you do on a WC.
Saying that though next week you may have a whole other need that may require urgent fixing so your plan goes out the door.
I'd do Burner (if he isn't playing) to Yoshida so you can play him this GW.Open Controls
Folks, thoughts please...
This week - should I do Cazorla ->
A) Yaya
B) Silva
C) Lallana
D) Keep Cazorla and deal with Evans.
.TaOpen ControlsAny of you guys snorklers/divers?
Open ControlsDog paddle at best 😉
Open ControlsWhat I do in the comfort of my own home should not concern you Champ.
Open ControlsAshley Young is
Open Controls😀 Walked into all that didn't I. Shoulda known better 😛
Open ControlsSorry, unwarranted flippancy. Not a great swimmer and you can rarely see much off Brighton beach anyway.
I used to go shrimping and netting for Whitebait to sell as a child.Open Controls
Did the PADI Open Water Course this Christmas in the Caribbean.
Any questions and I'll be happy to answer before I go to bed. I give you 15 minutes! 😉Open Controls🙂 Just curious if any of you are into it as I've been doing lots of snorkeling down the south coast of NSW last couple weeks. Hooked. Can't wait to get into diving. Found a gorgeous yelllow moray ell yesterday and a followed a wobbegong looking for a feed today 🙂
Open ControlsWe went to Honduras and Belize. It was absolutely amazing. Snorkelled in Belize with sharks and rays and everything.
Will try to get on a couple of trips around the Channel Islands here outside Santa Barbara sometime during the next months I hope.Open ControlsNice ST. I'm planning a trip up to the great barrier reef soon. Before we kill it all 🙁
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Just a little something re RVP....Bit of a mixed bag of folk deciding to buy or not to buy for the Fulham game..This might help, move the season ticker along in the members area one week at a time > sort by difficulty and see how often United's games appear in the top two easiest fixtures over the next ten games or so..just saying. RVP for Fulham and beyond for me.
Open ControlsI dunno why he divides opinion so strongly tbh. Plenty of reasons for and against him. For me I prefer SS along with Jrod/Ade/Negredo for now. Might get him at some point though
Open ControlsYeah..depend if anybody is playing a substantial catch up and needs to gamble..My rival (brother) is currently about 200th overall and I'm languishing at 17k...I may as well take the risk rather than lose my £10.00 bet with him for the season. High stakes in our house !!
Open ControlsYeah he could be a great difference maker. No way he'll flop at least as long as he stays fit. Pretty much points in the bank for that premium
Open ControlsI had Studge but that was just replicating the SAS with him, so no point..Big ask for RVP to outscore Studge though.
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Going to stick with Mata I think and use the 4mil elsewhere, I think I can more than make up the difference.
Only time will tell of course.Open ControlsI was set on Mata but changed tack due to wine.
Open ControlsAh wine. The great decision enhancer
Open ControlsNext move could be riskier still...We have two mids in common as well. Eriksen and Mirallas..I may do one of them to Zaha for their decent home fixtures..Is he nailed on ?
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I have Mata but don't think they're mutually exclusive. Err or they are mutually exclusive, dunno which way that goes but you know what I mean. One has nothing to do with the other 🙂
Open ControlsJust what I was almost thinking. 🙂
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Game of Thrones is BRILLIANT
Definitely the best show I've watched.Open ControlsI like it a lot but would struggle to make my top 5 tbh
Open Controls😯
Open ControlsYou must not enjoy porn 😉
Open Controls- Open Controls
Wouldn't be in the same league as The Wire or The Sopranos for me
Open ControlsYeah nowhere near imo. Prefer Breaking Bad, Justified and Boardwalk Empire too
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Apples and oranges. I've huge appreciation for these shows, but it's never crossed my mind watching GoT that "shit, this isn't quite as good as The Wire".
Open ControlsHaha fair point hard to compare the two
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The books Acqua! Thou must read the books! 😀
But yes, the TV-series is also very good.Open ControlsI'm reading the last one. It's bloody hard work I can tell you. How many father's bannermen do we have to know about?
Open ControlsAll of them. You know you want to.
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Hear hear. They've only managed to cram so much into the show. The books are absolute treasure troves.
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thinking of trading our Bony for Dzeko - currently have Suarez & Sturridge and $2.7mil in the bank.
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INNSIE and ILOVEBAPS, would love your thoughts on my team.
Play baines or ward?
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/279190/event-history/24/Open ControlsVery good team. I'd play Baines. Even though Ward is more likely to keep a CS, you'd be pinching yourself if Baines gets a penalty while he's on your bench.
Open ControlsI'd play Baines if I had payed that amount for him!! But i never would (non Baines lover me).
You and others obviously see the potential for attack points which is why he is at that price.
If you don't see it anymore then you should ditch and reinvest the cash elsewhere.Open Controls
Hi lads 🙂
Baines to Cahill for -4?
Already have Azpili.Open ControlsNah.
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It's watchable, but far too long considering the content IMO...
Open ControlsTo kill time? Yes.
To witness cinematic brilliance? Not so much(not upto Peter Jackson standards imo.)Open ControlsWell I made it to the end which is more than I can say for the 1st one
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Best captain option this week?
A. Hazard
B. Lallana
C. Mata
Thanks.Open Controls
@Champ
Seems your name is too long for the site.
No idea what the end is.Open ControlsHaha yep thanks for reminding me to get rid. Used to have it on the old site where it all showed up. Thought I'd bring it back but no go.
"Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way" Christopher Hitchens RIPOpen Controls
Any of you tried hola.org before?
I'm on Netflix now switching from country to country, with this I can watch almost anything in the world through Netflix, amazing how much is in there if you add together all the stuff different countries have access to!Open ControlsIs Johnson a reliable Captain punt for this week? (Have Rooney or Hazard as other options).
Open ControlsHe is looking motivated. It's amazing what a little thing like a World Cup place can do for the form of fringe players.
Let's face it the sixty grand a week is hardly enough.Open Controls😀 True story. You do wonder how a PL player could ever lack motivation!
Anyways I feel he is on a hot streak and that he is a player who can get a big haul at anytime.
Might be a great differential this GW before the AJ fire sale.Open Controls
