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This is the START

Have you seriously never learned from failing at something?

True, I can understand that but it's a non measurable item. Simply because you experience something, and learn from it, doesn't necessarily mean that you improve as a consequence of this.
 
I know that I've just contradicted myself. I just feel flat from the loss & struggling to take real positives. Sorry
 
Everyone always describes it as a learning experience. Please tell me, what it is that these players really learn from this.

That there isn't a massive gap between them and the top teams, that perhaps better game management could have easily won the game for us instead of Chelsea, that big games like these aren't as scary as they would have seemed prior to the game.

There's a lot to be said for coming to the big event, giving your all and then falling short. It both reassures you that you have the skills and talent to make the jump to the top (as long as you don't completely fudge up, of course) and challenges you to do better in the future.

Of course, what is more than likely is that the players who have now gained this experience will be sold off in the summer and replaced with bargain buys who lack this experience (restarting the whole process), but there's a lot to be gained from losing a final or falling short on a big occasion. I speak with experience of the latter, but I can't imagine it's that different psychologically.
 
I know that I've just contradicted myself. I just feel flat from the loss & struggling to take real positives. Sorry

Hard to take mate, we all feel it

No shame today, a much more expensive, much deeper squad, played us with a zero mistake strategy/plan.

Ultimately a little naivety, a couple of bounces that went one way instead of the other, cost us.
 
True, I can understand that but it's a non measurable item. Simply because you experience something, and learn from it, doesn't necessarily mean that you improve as a consequence of this.
Of course not, it depends on the individual. I Wouldn't hesitate to say the likes of Rose, Kane Mason and Bentaleb will never want to lose a cup final again

If you analyse what went wrong you go back to the training ground and you work on those things. It's common sense.
 
This, Mourinho came out with two DM players, with a the main intention of nullifying Eriksen/Kane.

The fact that he felt the best team in the country that is likely to walk the PL at a canter needed to adjust that much to us, is a compliment to what Poch has done so far.

I think we will be better in the next year, we will still be disadvantaged because of fiscal doping, but we should enjoy where we are and the promise of the future.

Spot on.

Anyone who can't see that we are a young and improving side who forced arguably the best team/manager combination to adjust their winning tactics to defend against us is testament to the progress we've made under Pochettino. Any other team would have crumbled against Chelsea who wouldn't have needed to changed their style of play for against them.
 
And the Forest performance was far from impressive. We need a creative midfielder who can unlock defences, sadly those don't come cheap
they kind of do if you scout them properly

Saudi Sportswashing Machine got Cabaye cheap and Arsenal paid less for Cazorla then we did for Dembele. I may have spelt each persons name wrong in this post but you get my point.
 
Everyone always describes it as a learning experience. Please tell me, what it is that these players really learn from this.
how to smile and take defeat on the chin like a good little boy

I am not unhappy mind, a decent striker and a couple of additions and I have hopes for Poch to do something.
 
Agree with the OP. We're a much better unit than we have been for a while, have a lot of decent young players and for once a decent manager. It's great to see a team starting to emerge and once we have the stadium built we'll be in a much better place

You also have to remember that we've achieved what we have this year with only 2 or 2.5 attackers playing reasonably (Kane, plus you could potentially include Eriksen and/or Chadli). Lamela, TOwnsend and Soldado have barely contributed, Adebayor is on his way out and Lennon was barely played pre Jan. As a result, there massive potential for us to improve next year just by sorting our team/squad out in those front 4 positions.

I havent been more optimistic about the future for us for years, perhaps ever
 
That there isn't a massive gap between them and the top teams, that perhaps better game management could have easily won the game for us instead of Chelsea, that big games like these aren't as scary as they would have seemed prior to the game.

There's a lot to be said for coming to the big event, giving your all and then falling short. It both reassures you that you have the skills and talent to make the jump to the top (as long as you don't completely fudge up, of course) and challenges you to do better in the future.

Of course, what is more than likely is that the players who have now gained this experience will be sold off in the summer and replaced with bargain buys who lack this experience (restarting the whole process), but there's a lot to be gained from losing a final or falling short on a big occasion. I speak with experience of the latter, but I can't imagine it's that different psychologically.

I don't think this will happen at all. I think all the key players see the direction and end point and will want to be part of the journey. Lloris is definitely onboard, Verts has had a massive turnaround since Poch has come in, Eriksen is too inconsistent to have bigger suitors and it's too early for any of Kane, Bentaleb or Mason

I'm not worried about losing anyone till Madrid come in for Bentaleb in summer 2017.
 
Agree with the OP. We're a much better unit than we have been for a while, have a lot of decent young players and for once a decent manager. It's great to see a team starting to emerge and once we have the stadium built we'll be in a much better place

You also have to remember that we've achieved what we have this year with only 2 or 2.5 attackers playing reasonably (Kane, plus you could potentially include Eriksen and/or Chadli). Lamela, TOwnsend and Soldado have barely contributed, Adebayor is on his way out and Lennon was barely played pre Jan. As a result, there massive potential for us to improve next year just by sorting our team/squad out in those front 4 positions.

I havent been more optimistic about the future for us for years, perhaps ever

So you weren't more optimistic when we had Bale & Modric and qualified for the Champions League? Right.
 
Feel very proud today, 5 academy graduates making an appearance at Wembley in the youngest Premier League side.

Hopefully you're right about this being the start because something needs to give, our record at new Wembley and cups in general is awful.

5 appearances under the famous arch now read: P5 W1 L4 F3 A10

Really bad :(
 
Chelsea are a team used to winning, many of these palyers have won the league, Champions League, cup competitions etc, most of them are full internationals. Half of our team were academy graduates, some of them playing their first or second season in the team. So, yes, this is a start of something new and promising.
 
So you weren't more optimistic when we had Bale & Modric and qualified for the Champions League? Right.

It's different. At that time, we all knew that Modric and VdV would soon be off so whilst we had a decent team, there was always the potential for it to be dissembled, particularly as we couldnt compete financially. We didnt obviously know how good Bale would become and that he'd go to Real

This time, I do feel that we have a core of players who are either young and/or English and/or came through the academy: Dier, Walker, Rose, Bentaleb, Mason, Kane, Eriksen....and as a result I think there's a better opportunity to build something which is sustainable over the longer-term than there was in the Modric team. the stadium situation also adds to my optimism as, at last, its possible to see that in 4 years we'll have a 60,000 seater stadium and therefore be able to pay higher wages and retain decent players
 
I think we all know we are a young team. That is a path we have chosen. I'd say it offers hope for the future, on the assumptive improvement, but I'm not sure the (successful) end results are inevitable. That remains to be seen. Other teams have 'gone young' in the past and things didn't always work out according to plan. I'm ok with where we are at, but there are no guarantees. And I'm certainly not convinced he will get all of 'his' players in.
 
I think I would happily sell Lamela and Chadli and play Pritchard and Alli next season. I dont think there would be much of a drop off.
 
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