It’s not a game we wanted to be playing less than 72 hours before we head off to Yorkshire to play Los Blancos in another relegation six-pointer, but who cares what we think.
It’s clearly more important to carefully manage Chelsea’s load than ours, so we find ourselves returning to the scene of Saturday’s disaster on a Thursday night with a 7:30 kick-off – one that I know, anecdotally, is too early for some.
I’d normally have it down as one of those the kids say they’re “buzzing” for – as it should be when you’re offered the chance to leave one of the big six with a bloody nose – but it’s really not. To be fair, I speak only for myself but I suspect I’m not alone in approaching tonight with half-heartedness normally reserved for a trip to the dentist.
It has to be done but you know it’s likely to be painful.
But do it we will, based on the premise that upsets and surprises do sometimes happen when you least expect them; those weird days when logic and form go out of the window.
At the moment though, those days are hellishly few and far between.
We tend to go into games expecting the worst but then, somehow, those who were once our heroes find new ways to make the experience even grimmer and more demoralising than we’d at first feared. The one thing we’re good at.
So forgive me for the downbeat tone of this preview – but the bruising we all took on Saturday and the one I’ve taken since for daring to question the robustness of the self-funding model, have temporarily dimmed the light of this City fan. (I did say temporarily.)
Let’s just hope those in yellow and green can at least offer up something that these days counts as a performance against a top-six side – something more akin to Liverpool (a) rather than Man City (h) or Chelsea (a).
In terms of team news, Dean Smith confirmed at this morning’s Colney presser that only Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele are unavailable tonight, along with Billy Gilmour who’s obviously unable to play against his parent club.
Otherwise, it’s all systems go with Lukas Rupp back in the fold after missing the Brentford game with muscle tightness – a definite plus given his performance in the FA Cup game at Anfield. While I have no wish to join the Gilmour pile-on, our record without the Chelsea youngster in the team is better than with him in it.
That’s all.
Smith also did his best to rally the faithful, stating that with 33 points still to play for he still firmly believes that we can survive but that in order to do so he needs the fans to stay with the team.
Dean – give us something to get behind and we’ll not let you down.
He also hinted at a change in formation tomorrow night, citing the need to ‘surprise’ Chelsea in order to make it difficult for them. I really hope he has something up his sleeve but with a squad so low in confidence and lacking in a great deal, the mind boggles as to what this cunning plan may entail.
One interesting little aside from this morning. When asked about Saturday’s midfield – that part of the team that most agreed was especially dysfunctional on Saturday – he offered the following:
“If you look at the midfield area, box-to-box, I thought we were the better team.”
Let’s hope this was merely the tactful answer and that behind closed doors, the message was rather blunter.
Anway…
For Chelsea, putting aside the fact their club is up for sale and they may end up with a less generous billionaire than Roman Abramovich, it’s good news all the way.
The Spanish pairing of Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta are both close to fitness after missing the last few games, while Hakim Zeyech and Andreas Christiensen are also back in contention for tomorrow night after being unused substitutes in Saturday’s 4-0 win at Burnley.
The only big-name definitely missing out tomorrow night is Ben Chilwell who, while back in training, is not ready for a start.
Given the huge squad at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal and the fact he rotates it regularly in order to keep players fresh for upcoming games, I’ll refrain from trying to second-guess his line-up for tomorrow night but he did play his favored 3-4-2-1 at Turf Moor with Kei Havertz, rather than Romelu Lukaku, as the lone striker.
Either way, it will be a Chelsea XI loaded with quality and which won’t stand up well (for us) in any player-for-player comparison. So I won’t do one.
Let’s just hope we emerge injury-free and with what little belief we have left still intact ahead of the trip to Elland Road.
That’s not too much to ask, is it?
Hi Gary
Well the midfield of McLean and Gilmour really needs putting in file13 and slamming shut sadly neither produces the form they show for their national team.
Personally I would like to see Gibson benched and put Zimmermann along side Hanley in the centre of defence maybe give the 2 Greek lads the left Back and Winger roles with Williams fitting in on the left of midfield Normann centre it at least it will give us plenty of bite and protect the defence.
Rashica infront of Byram with Sargent and Pukki leading the line and Tzolis putting balls in from the left
Team
Krul
Byram, Hanley, Zimmermann, DG
Rashica Normann Williams Tzolis
Sargent Pukki
Subs
Gunn
Aarons
Plancheta
Rowe
Gibson
Tomlinson/McLean
Rupp
Well put Gary.
Considering the Brentford we were comfortably better than last season beat us so comprehensively on Saturday with 9 of their team of last season team starting, it really makes you wonder what our recruitment were up to – given how much we spent in the summer!
I guess remaining injury free is the best we can hope for.
For me, anything less that a 4 goal deficit could be proclaimed a moral victory…..but I also think we’ll come up short on Sunday too.
O T B C
Hi Gary,
We just have to be big enough and tough enough to go toe-to-toe with Chelsea, when you drop opportunities to advance against the teams around you, David has to beat Goliath..
We know Chelsea are a class act, but at the moment they have the Champions League, the Premiership with Arsenal not far behind them, and the FA Cup, all to contend with – not to mention sanctions, Abramovich’s sharp exit and a shameful attack on Ukraine by Russia..
Basically, Brentford did to us what we had done to others, they hustled and bruised us, we have to do that for the rest of the season if we’re going to stay up. Heartened by the performances of several players, Teemu scored, Rowe looked sharp, Byram and Hanley looked solid, Lees-Melou and Normann also, would like to see them paired up with Sorensen.
Somewhere along the way this season I’d like to see how Aarons and Tomkinson work together – Aarons worked well with Buendia and Omobamidele, it could be a good skills match.
Blood and thunder now, up to the squad to go for it really!
Cheers,
COYYs !
The way our luck is running we will probably beat Chelsea only for their results to be expunged from the records.
Hi Gary, just seen the line up. I would suggest it would be hopeful for Norwich to register 5 shots on target. I would like to see Rupp and Rashica starting but maybe there are some fitness concerns?? Sorensen to me adds some muscle to the midfield, I don’t know why he can’t get a start?
I don’t see what Lees Melou will do on the left? Personally I would give Jonathon Rowe a chance what have we got to lose?