**Match Reaction Thread - Chelsea League Cup**

[Power n Glory]

I am both fascinated and amused by how much discussion this one isolated action has aroused.

Forgive me for getting technical but I shall, as we are determined to discuss this to death. What a right footed play should do in that situation is roughly a 45 degree turn clockwise whilst stopping the ball with the inside of his right foot all in one motion which is probably the easiest way to both face the goal and control the ball. THEN shoot at goal. Least that's what a right footed player like myself who's left foot is merely for standing on would have done to both compensate for my lack of a left foot and take advantage of one of the very few chances coming my way all night.

I surmise that the ball just came quicker than Bendtner could effectively think and his instincts took over, which was with his back to goal to pass to the form player in league. Instincts are natural but they are developed with games which he hasn't had many of. The killer instinct with a striker mos def improves with games, which is not to excuse Nicklas (perish the thought) but I was certainly not alarmed when he passed the buck in that scenario.

I happen to believe Bendtner isn't worth a place in this squad (which was why I was one of the few against him starting in the first place) and I do think he is often lazy and has a poor attitude to boot but not necessarily based on this one action we are all discussing. I think it just shows in rather stark fashion that he isn't very good.

Giroud would have had a decent chance of scoring if he hit it first time with his left in the same situation....but not if he tried to control it and then score imo.

I have thought all season that our forward options as a whole, are needlessly poor, ill considered and just not of the standard we need....but hey I have come over here form ahfc, so don't exactly want to wear everybody down with this all season long.

Thanks for that. You seem to get what I'm trying to put across.

[Power n Glory]

From that one moment?

Nobody is basing that on that one moment! He said he never wanted to play for us again. He has tried his heart out to get away for years.

He is completely and utterly disinterested in putting in any effort whatsoever.

And for years now, he had stunk up whatever place he has gone to.

Now why in the world would he purposely screw that chance up if he knows scoring goals is his ticket out of here?

[Özim]

Suarez is world class, but he's a scumbag as well wouldn't want him here.

Bendnter isn't world class, hasn't played much, is clearly low on confidence (something you couldn't accuse him of in the past) and knows he's not really wanted here, hardly a recipe for success.

Really only one man to blame, the manager, he should have made sure he bought a striker in the summer.

Bendtner's hated here, we get it but in the situation he's in it's hard to see us getting much out of him unless his confidence increases and he starts scoring goals which will probably require him playing more games.

So he wanted to leave, big deal, can't blame him if he was stuck behind Chamakh to be honest, I'd want to leave too if I was stuck behind that donkey. Plenty of players have wanted to leave in the past after all.

[JonasTC]

You've been reading Dennis Bergkamp's book hey, lol....

Haha no i havent, but he (and Laudrup) had a huge impact on my playing style growing up, was quite succesful at it aswell, until i fucked up my knee and havent been able to play since.

[Munchies]

Haha no i havent, but he (and Laudrup) had a huge impact on my playing style growing up, was quite succesful at it aswell, until i fucked up my knee and havent been able to play since.

I always played as a full back, wasn't that good with the ball, dribbling wise, but was fast enough to get up and down the pitch to put a cross in/defend. Haven't played a proper game in 3 years or so since I left school/sixth form.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

As much as i am loathe to take on board anything Alan Hansen says i have to conceed he has a point about how we shoot ourselves in the foot from corners......our first choice back four is in my opinion very strong but we are doing them no favours when we force corners and leave too many forward and then end up conceeding goals from being caught in possession too high up the pitch. Yes Jenkinson had an absolute stinker and hasn't played well in my opinion since Sagna came back into the side last year (only game i can think of where he played well in that time was the away game in Munich).
It seems bizarre that we committ so many forward especially considering we aren't paritcurlarly effective at offensive set pieces to begin with, and despite the fact that the Arteta sending off wasn't even a foul (well it was a foul but it was a foul on him not by him) but should not have been put in that position to begin with.
Our tactical set up on the pitch is pretty much if not perfect getting better, we don't see our back four caught out with long balls or caught square anywhere near as much....despite the fact that Mertesacker gets so criticised by the pundits he is far and above one of the best defenders we have had in years at defending set pieces.
I still think we either need to look to our academy or to the transfer market for a defensive midfielder for the future considering both Flamini and Arteta are not exactly young and could be both injury prone.

[BOBN]

Someone like Suarez would have burried it or at least commited the defender got a peno/a man sent off. Bendtner is so far from world clas he cannot be seen.

Too late to get Suarez now as Liverpool look like challenging + Real madrid seem to be strongly linked with him, not ot mention the fact that we were told to eff off last time we bid.

Mate, Remy or Lambert would have put that away.

And why werent we in for Negredo at 16 million?

Gets away with murder this Wenger.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

A young sprightly bunch aren't you!

I haven't played 11 aside in a few years but play five aside. I've trained with semi pro teams and I can tell you the main difference between a pro and one of us in here (although there could be pro's amongst you!) is first touch, generally speaking.

At this level though, simply having a decent first touch isn't enough....

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Speaking of your boy Remy, Leveller..... he's not doing too badly! I would have liked him over the Arse!