Conte cost us the game

I would argue that when you let the opposition have that much of the ball you are typically going to concede a Christiansen type mistake because the pressure is so high and the likelihood of a defensive mistake is amplified.

I don’t know the exact statistics, and obviously possession doesn’t equal a good performance like some might suggest, but I would be interested to see the amount of times a team wins a game with 70+% possession. Typically as a game plan it is risky to say the least and often concluding that you need a flawless performance and a degree of fortune to progress to the next stage.

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comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 49 minutes ago
I would argue that when you let the opposition have that much of the ball you are typically going to concede a Christiansen type mistake because the pressure is so high and the likelihood of a defensive mistake is amplified.

I don’t know the exact statistics, and obviously possession doesn’t equal a good performance like some might suggest, but I would be interested to see the amount of times a team wins a game with 70+% possession. Typically as a game plan it is risky to say the least and often concluding that you need a flawless performance and a degree of fortune to progress to the next stage.
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That is fair point.

But if anything we were a little unfortunate last night.

Width of post denied us a victory maybe?

Completely, and that is why I said quality of possession doesn't equate to a good performance, which seemed to go way over NPE's head. Just that it probably isn't a sustainable business model to compete against top teams.

Yes you can concede possession and aim to counter an opponent as a successful game-plan, yet there is a point where the difference in possession is so great it becomes a high-risk tactic.

Yes you can concede possession and aim to counter an opponent as a successful game-plan, yet there is a point where the difference in possession is so great it becomes a high-risk tactic.
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You're overestimating our midfield. Considering what we have to work with and the nature of the opposition, any bridge in those possession stats would've resulted in opening spaces for Barca to counter us. It's too our credit that the only real opportunity they had to counter was their goal, and look how decisively they did it - 3 touches, 1 pass, in the net.

Your point is correct in principle, but we minimized the risk as much as possible in this particular match. IMO.

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Chelsea played well, made one error and got Messied.

Devils Advocate - I probably agree with that which probably shows that as a strategy your team will need to improve if you want to be more consistent against the top sides.

NPE - again I am not talking about last night in which I am sure you played well but I’m talking about as a long term footballing strategy.

Devils Advocate - I probably agree with that which probably shows that as a strategy your team will need to improve if you want to be more consistent against the top sides.
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Depends on your prospective. Regardless of the quality at our disposal, we've always been an efficient side when it comes to relegating an opponent to useless possession, especially against Barcelona.

It's just about finding the right balance for the right occasion.... e.g. last night we were more aggressive than we were in 2012, but both occasions we got the approach spot on.

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 3 hours, 30 minutes ago
Devils Advocate - I probably agree with that which probably shows that as a strategy your team will need to improve if you want to be more consistent against the top sides.

NPE - again I am not talking about last night in which I am sure you played well but I’m talking about as a long term footballing strategy.
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Please, if anything your team could do with learning to adapt to teams like we do if you really want to start winning things and on a regular basis.