Well that was chaos. For a while, it was entertaining chaos. But chaos all the same and I don't think we're ever going to win many games doing that.
Some of the defending had to be seen to be believed. Two things though:
1) This has been in the post for a while, we have habitually looked poor in transitions for quite some time and conceded tons last season
2) This is NOT a situation where just lamping an extra CH in would solve anything. It just wouldn't. We'd still have the same issues
Let's get it right, we could have scored way more than 2 today. Two very tight disallowed goals, Mosquera's golden chance, Cunha off the bar, some other very good play in the first half that on another day could have reaped rewards. But we conceded 6. We could have conceded 12. This isn't sustainable.
On to individuals and not many are getting a glowing report:
Sa: Shite in possession, very easily beaten all too often, and wandering around like an airhead for the second goal. But can we change it, no, because the back up isn't even Championship level. Great.
Doherty: Sets the tone in the first 90 seconds by first passing the ball straight to a Chelsea player under no pressure and then from a corner refusing to mark or indeed, do anything. He's a bad, bad, bad player. Not got any business playing anywhere near this level.
Mosquera: My word does he play on the edge. There's a lot of ability there but he needs a settling hand next to him badly. And we don't have one.
Toti: He is what he is, he would be fine as a squad player who started 15-20 games a season and came on now and then to shore things up. He's been given far more responsibility than that and it doesn't suit him.
Ait-Nouri: Only fair that after I've absolutely drilled Doherty for over a decade for abysmal one-on-one defending that I do the same when someone else - as much as I like him - puts in such a shameful show. Never ever got to grips with the challenge of Madueke and I don't even think he had to do much, it wasn't like it was searing pace or dazzling skill that was causing the issues. It was failing to do the very basics in defending. Good going forward in the first half but so what when at least three goals are in part down to you. Can we change it, no, we have one left back at the club. Great work lads.
Lemina/J Gomes: We leave them with so much work to do whichever way we set up and it's no surprise that they frequently get totally overwhelmed. Joao gave the ball away horribly for one of the goals.
Bellegarde: Won the ball back well for the first equaliser. Generally though didn't offer much and didn't help RAN out much either. Still don't know what he is.
Hwang: You know, I'd nearly forgotten what it was like to watch Darron Gibson on the right hand side. So that was a handy reminder. Much like Gibson, displayed absolutely no heart or quality, in fact I don't think he did anything positive all game. Much like Gibson, he bottled out of numerous challenges, at one stage two inside about 45 seconds. Fuck off with that.
Cunha: Unreal in the first half and well...let's just say we need him to stay fit and in form.
Strand Larsen: Another very good first half, he did everything you'd want off him. Mobile, linked play well and got his goal. On a hiding to nothing after we fell to pieces.
Subs: Nothing of note from any of them though I will note Rodrigo Gomes getting outmuscled by Joao fucking Felix which is not a good look and the supreme pointlessness of bringing Tommy Doyle on after 89 minutes.
I doubt there were 30k in there to start with. We're charging top 6 prices to behave like Rotherham United when it comes to squad building. If alarm bells weren't ringing then they fucking well should be now.
Bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
