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Newcastle United vs Chelsea (PL) Saturday 20th December 12:30 GMT

Imagine if we could starts games like this instead of having to make loads of changes at HT all the time. Why do we always come out like we're half-asleep?
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I wonder if Howe is thinking how did we throw it away.

A lot of games these days are games of two half due to better managers coming into the games.

 
We never win at Newcastle. Jose never won there - with any team. So in all fairness a 2-2 draw is a good result.
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I just can’t subscribe to that outlook. If it’s impossible for any Chelsea team to ever win away to Newcastle, why bother sending any of the first team squad? Why not send the U21’s and give everyone else the day off?

Maybe Maresca’s pre match team talk was just that… “Even Mourinho couldn’t win here, so don’t bother trying. Save yourselves for a game against someone we usually beat”.

 
Obviously elated to leave Toon Land with a point.

BUT one has to mention the first half. Poor again. Weak mentality in this team that comes from Maresca one feels he’s very popular with the players allegedly holds all the training sessions at Cobham which are fun apparently, but in my mind he should be the Boss/ Gaffer not their mate.

Credit him begrudgingly for the team talk and a much improved 2nd 45. Barcodes ran out of steam but out of both managers subs one felt Howes almost paid off towards the end. VAR on another day might have dished out a red at the end but it was our friend luckily, the barcodes are good at diving must go over it a lot at the training ground. A big 😮‍💨 of a result. We’re in the top 4 at 🎄 IF Brighton don’t lose.

James saved the day with a 🍑 of a free kick and a goal saving tackle. He’s our best player and being fielded out of his best position just so Maresca can make/ prove a point. That’s why he’ll never go to City or win the league with us he’s not talented enough of a coach.

 
I just can’t subscribe to that outlook. If it’s impossible for any Chelsea team to ever win away to Newcastle, why bother sending any of the first team squad? Why not send the U21’s and give everyone else the day off?

Maybe Maresca’s pre match team talk was just that… “Even Mourinho couldn’t win here, so don’t bother trying. Save yourselves for a game against someone we usually beat”.
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Yep, and in the 2nd half, it shows that we could have won if we had just started properly. Match their intensity, maybe play on the counter for the first 20 minutes. Don't just play the usual default slow tempo we have become (unfortunately) used to.

 
I agree that on the balance of the game its a good point. But I think that Garnacho's finishing and his overall play today cost us a possible win. Newcastle, the commentators, pundits and virtually all of TNT can go on how Woltemade could have had four and how it was a stonewall penalty (not) but the way we broke on them and switched play to the open back post time and time again Garnacho could easily have had an hattrick today himself.

Also want to talk about our second goal and make two points. Much has been said of the excellent header by Joao Pedro and his control and composure to score and he rightly should get the plaudits. But Sanchez, seeing the opportunity, has clipped a 70 yard sidewinder straight on the button. If he puts that into Pedro's run the other defender, Schar i think, shuts it down. Its quality from Sanchez and he deserves his flowers.

Second point, I really like Eddie Howe's approach to football, its intense, energetic and it engages with the fans. It's a live by the sword attitude. Therefore there can be no complaints for the idiocy of being 2-1 up with two thirds of the game played and you go 1 v 1 at the back when you're on the attack. If we had done that we would have been incandescent with our fking defence.

 
I think the biggest consideration is that outside of Cucu, with a fully fit and available squad does anyone else in that Back 4 start? Looked like amateur hour back there.

Trev is a limited player.

Fofana has an IQ Deficiency.

Malo Gusto isn’t good enough to be a squad player.

RJ, Josh, Colwill & Cucu fills me with 10x more confidence and hopefully is fully integrated next season under Glasner.

 
If only we could have had Enzo and Jorginho in the same midfield Gol. We might have been Club World Champions.
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1/2 is actually enough for that, no need for both it would be an overkill.

 
Stuart Pearce said Chelsea have the ability to beat anyone, but do they have the attitude, togetherness and desire in every game ?

He said that if we had shown the same attitude in the first half as we did in the second half we would be walking away with all 3 points. . I had it on the radio, it's so frustrating to hear the exact same 11 can come out with a different, and better attitude.... I don't know if he changed the formation or not?
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I think he moved James to right back. Genius. I guess that’s why Maresca gets paid the big bucks.

 
Exactly.
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Nah, that was a knee jerk reaction as I tried hard to think of a positive. There is absolutely no logic in accepting a result based purely on the fact that previously, different managers with different players on different days, times of year, kick-off time and different runs of form etc etc mean you can’t ever expect a different result away at Newcastle.

 
Well saw our starting line-up and saw theirs and was quietly optimistic. But that optimism evaporated very quickly once the bar-codes came flying out the blocks and we looked like rabbits caught in headlights. Another first 45 to forget and we're lucky as we should have been dead and buried.

Thankfully MOTM James got us back into it with a great free-kick and the home crowd went a bit quieter and their players slowed down a bit and we did a lot better. Shame Palmer is still not fully fit. Showed some good touches and passes but nowhere near his best. And we could have done with Estevao coming on last 25 minutes to run at their tired defence - Neto had one of his poorer games.

Draw was a fair result in the end. Would have been good to win but then again they had their chances and a weaker ref could have easily given them penalties - those bar codes certainly go down easily.

One thing that really pisses me of with CFC these days (as well as our bald coach), is some of our players play-acting and apparent weakness. It was Gusto today - we're up against it and he goes down and stays down when clearly nothing wrong with him and he's soon up again but we could so easily have conceded whilst he "sat it out". Both Enzo and Pedro do it a lot as well. Go down, look for the ref and don't bother getting back up to chase back. If I was their coach or captain I would be getting hold of them and say don't EVER do that again. Get up and play to the whistle FFS.

 
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am seeing a lot in the media how Newcastle should have had a pen, but nothing on the disallowed goal we had in the first half.

Ref too quick on his whistle their, not sure gusto fouled hall

 
I just can't process what to think about that game. We were superb 2nd half and it good turning around like that... But the first half was so terrible, we were lucky going in at half time in a position where the game could be salvageable.

Both the coach and the players need a shift in their mentality. Mentally weak players and tactics that do nothing to settle nerves. We keep playing in a style that demands too much from the players; when the players are confident and happy they just about cope, but when the heads go down or the nerves kick in (which it does a lot) the play style makes every mistake stand out even more and confidence gets knocked further.

 
I think the biggest consideration is that outside of Cucu, with a fully fit and available squad does anyone else in that Back 4 start? Looked like amateur hour back there.

Trev is a limited player.

Fofana has an IQ Deficiency.

Malo Gusto isn’t good enough to be a squad player.

RJ, Josh, Colwill & Cucu fills me with 10x more confidence and hopefully is fully integrated next season under Glasner.
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Think you're being harsh actually. Cucurella is excellent, both CBs when playing together have been solid all season. In fact, on this season's performances, outside of Arsenal, and on the players available, I would rate the trio of Sanchez, Fofana and Chalobah up there with any other unit. Gusto clearly is the weak link and this should be James. This should be James because the managing health stuff was to stop him bombing up and down the wing. But the 🤡 doesn't play like that anyway.

The only times our defenders start looking sh*t is when they overplay and do things that they are least equipped for.

 
Think you're being harsh actually. Cucurella is excellent, both CBs when playing together have been solid all season. In fact, on this season's performances, outside of Arsenal, and on the players available, I would rate the trio of Sanchez, Fofana and Chalobah up there with any other unit. Gusto clearly is the weak link and this should be James. This should be James because the managing health stuff was to stop him bombing up and down the wing. But the 🤡 doesn't play like that anyway.

The only times our defenders start looking sh*t is when they overplay and do things that they are least equipped for.
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Generally I agree with you, however not entirely this time. Cucurella has earned some of the plaudits this year granted but he’s not doing the job he was bought for IMO, and while that might be down to the twat of a manager Cucurella is not, and cannot defend and would rather spend a majority of the game running around midfield chasing lost causes then trying to scurry back as the opponents winger is now occupying the hole he left and by the time he gets there the damage is already done. Both he and Gusto, another non defender IMO, spend far to much time in the opposition half and when the ball is lost we are fcuked as both try and scramble back meaning our two central defenders are pulled out of position trying to cover the full backs space, thereby leaving a big gap in the middle. In the 19th min today Gusto was ambling around Newcastles box, we lost the ball and he literally jogged back.

There seems to be no discipline or tactical structure as to when the full backs should drop into midfield as the midfield move forward to support the forwards; you’ll likely see Gusto or Cucurella alongside Pedro or Delap rather than Palmer, that’s how inept this manager is, he can’t see danger or risk and I often wonder does he ever look at and study the opposition in depth, or does he leave it to the analysts to tell him what to expect?. I just find letting the 2 fullbacks wander where they want a mystery when defensively we are a shambles.

 
Generally I agree with you, however not entirely this time. Cucurella has earned some of the plaudits this year granted but he’s not doing the job he was bought for IMO, and while that might be down to the twat of a manager Cucurella is not, and cannot defend and would rather spend a majority of the game running around midfield chasing lost causes then trying to scurry back as the opponents winger is now occupying the hole he left and by the time he gets there the damage is already done. Both he and Gusto, another non defender IMO, spend far to much time in the opposition half and when the ball is lost we are fcuked as both try and scramble back meaning our two central defenders are pulled out of position trying to cover the full backs space, thereby leaving a big gap in the middle. In the 19th min today Gusto was ambling around Newcastles box, we lost the ball and he literally jogged back.

There seems to be no discipline or tactical structure as to when the full backs should drop into midfield as the midfield move forward to support the forwards; you’ll likely see Gusto or Cucurella alongside Pedro or Delap rather than Palmer, that’s how inept this manager is, he can’t see danger or risk and I often wonder does he ever look at and study the opposition in depth, or does he leave it to the analysts to tell him what to expect?. I just find letting the 2 fullbacks wander where they want a mystery when defensively we are a shambles.
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Well said. I do like Cucurella's intensity which seems to be lacking in so many other areas but I will certainly concede that the best starting full back today was a 19 year old Geordie being played out of position.

 
Just watched that on delay without reading any comments and that was a disappointing draw.

Disappointing because the first half performance was atrocious. We just don't seem prepared for these big atmosphere games up north. You know what you're getting at St James but we aren't prepared. Fofana needs to play safe for thier first but he's trying to show his class when we need to see his brain holding the line. It's the first 3 minutes FFS. Play steady and keep it safe. Don't let them get up a head of steam but no we concede and the second comes shortly afterwards. Its a lack of Character and experience.

Maresca needs to work on this. Big-time. Take them out paint balling or something. Build a cohesive team that know how to play simply when it's needed and try the more adventurous when it's needed. Don't go down early.

Now come on lads. You know you dump the ones that go down early.

(Totally w**k*r*d after half bottle of scotch)

 
Disappointing because the first half performance was atrocious. We just don't seem prepared for these big atmosphere games up north.

Maresca needs to work on this. Big-time.
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Mate, it’s every away game.

That is our biggest issue after our style of play. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of confidence thing or if it’s ignorance. Maybe both.

 
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