I
indianspur
Guest
the fact its a ding dong London derby, and against a set of fans who despise us, i think the atmosphere will be a bit tasty and this will help the team no end imo
-
Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara
Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach
- Thread starter Bale
- Start date
the fact its a ding dong London derby, and against a set of fans who despise us, i think the atmosphere will be a bit tasty and this will help the team no end imo
The Moonlit Knight
Banned
We've had a poor run, but poor runs have to come to an end at some point and I think it will be this Sunday!
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
Don't know if anyone has read this before - I hadn't and I thought I'd gotten everything I could on AVB. But it's a good interview with a Chelsea website (I think) on his philosophy, how he wants his teams to play and the type of players he rates.
Ed note: The most in-depth exploration of Andre Villas-Boas's interview that I've seen in English. If you're a Chelsea fan, you should read this.
A Portuguese insight into what was really said by André Villas-Boas to TSF last friday in an exclusive and in depth interview about his current Chelsea team affairs
About Club Philosophy:
- AVB vehemently stresses that he is all about "iniciative football", taking the game agressively to the oponent's half, and that he would never, ever, play like City does (yes Graham, he DID take a snipe at City, although he was a bit hesitant to do it at first, and apologized for it), he refuses to do it.
And how does he see City playing? - Like a well-organized defensive team, that thrives on the error of the opponent, and lives off the talent and efficacy of his star strikers. He goes on to say that living on the error of the oponent is a very negative way of playing.
He talks about City as a counter-atacking team that creates few chances, and is all about using the space given by the opponent, instead of creating it from the start. He goes on to state that City is actually an italian minded team, and he does not share such philosophy. His own is of agressive possession, and tecnical football, with a high line, and forward pressing. Taking the game to the oponent's area.
About Team Tactics:
- He stresses many times throughout the interview that there was a crucial moment in the season: The run of bad results that started in the end of October and in the QPR game, that resulted in a loss of faith in the way the team was playing and a panick return to the old ways.
AVB says that at Chelsea this has been the usual through the last decade: in moments of bad results, the team always regressed to the old way of playing, as a mecanism of self defense, to feel secure, and that is one of the reasons why Chelsea's game has stayed the same and did not evolve, even with other managers. When the things got ruff, the players lacked confidence, and got back to the usual and safe play of the old days.
He says he has been trying to motivate and convince the team to continue the way of playing that was used in the start of the season, but that in the pitch sometimes the players aren't confident enough to do it.
Confidence in what? In the high line, in forward pressing, in possession football, so the team tends to play deeper (and slower) in her own half than intended.
4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1?
AVB says that at the start of the season Chelsea was able to field a confident midfield with only a 6 and with two 8's. The 8's played in between the oponent's lines (in between the midfield and the defense), a midfield confident in direct, incisive passing to the 8s, but, because of the lack of confidence from the players in their passing (due to some bad results) it now had to revert to a double pivot to ease the transitions to the atack. He stresses that he does not intend to use a typical defensive double pivot with two defensive midfielders ("dogs" that track the oponent, he called them), but of two 6's gifted on the ball that are able to link the play up to the number 10.
The use of a number 10 in the current tactics is explained by the need to add creativity, and by the lack of the two 8's, fielded earlier in the season. He than add's that by shifting Mata to the middle, he would need an explosive, incisive left winger, able to take oponents one-on-one, à lá Robben.
He adds that Kalou could be that player (although he didn't sound very confident, i must say), but that the new contract is in still in negotiations.
He explained the Napolli selection in this way, saying that the usual left flank of Cole, Lampard (on the inside), and Mata drifting inside is very atacking and that it had cost Chelsea many goals throughout the season because it exposes too much the left flank, and that he was trying to mitigate the danger of Napoli's right flank.
The Project, New Season and New Signings
The Project: change Chelsea's philosophy, not to a Barcelona, because it would be impossible to emulate it, but to atacking, technical, possession football. "The Iberian Way" he called it.
New Season: AVB sounded as passionate about the new season, as he did about the project when he joined Chelsea. Having heard the interview one cannot fail to notest that he is indeed pulling all his eggs on the next season basket. Why? He hints subtly that he expects the board to give him the conditions, namely players...
New Signings: in the interview you get the idea he is definitely looking to deeply reinforce the team: an explosive winger, a midfielder à lá Modric, and maybe a left back. About Hulk he did add that he would be a player that would fit in Chelsea, as would Moutinho and Álvaro Pereira, but that he wasn't looking into him specifically. "There are many players that would fit in that role" (of the explosive winger), he add's vehemently.
More random Chelsea stuff and link here: http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2012/2/28/2829854/the-portuguese-connection-in-depth-avb-interview
Ed note: The most in-depth exploration of Andre Villas-Boas's interview that I've seen in English. If you're a Chelsea fan, you should read this.
A Portuguese insight into what was really said by André Villas-Boas to TSF last friday in an exclusive and in depth interview about his current Chelsea team affairs
About Club Philosophy:
- AVB vehemently stresses that he is all about "iniciative football", taking the game agressively to the oponent's half, and that he would never, ever, play like City does (yes Graham, he DID take a snipe at City, although he was a bit hesitant to do it at first, and apologized for it), he refuses to do it.
And how does he see City playing? - Like a well-organized defensive team, that thrives on the error of the opponent, and lives off the talent and efficacy of his star strikers. He goes on to say that living on the error of the oponent is a very negative way of playing.
He talks about City as a counter-atacking team that creates few chances, and is all about using the space given by the opponent, instead of creating it from the start. He goes on to state that City is actually an italian minded team, and he does not share such philosophy. His own is of agressive possession, and tecnical football, with a high line, and forward pressing. Taking the game to the oponent's area.
About Team Tactics:
- He stresses many times throughout the interview that there was a crucial moment in the season: The run of bad results that started in the end of October and in the QPR game, that resulted in a loss of faith in the way the team was playing and a panick return to the old ways.
AVB says that at Chelsea this has been the usual through the last decade: in moments of bad results, the team always regressed to the old way of playing, as a mecanism of self defense, to feel secure, and that is one of the reasons why Chelsea's game has stayed the same and did not evolve, even with other managers. When the things got ruff, the players lacked confidence, and got back to the usual and safe play of the old days.
He says he has been trying to motivate and convince the team to continue the way of playing that was used in the start of the season, but that in the pitch sometimes the players aren't confident enough to do it.
Confidence in what? In the high line, in forward pressing, in possession football, so the team tends to play deeper (and slower) in her own half than intended.
4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1?
AVB says that at the start of the season Chelsea was able to field a confident midfield with only a 6 and with two 8's. The 8's played in between the oponent's lines (in between the midfield and the defense), a midfield confident in direct, incisive passing to the 8s, but, because of the lack of confidence from the players in their passing (due to some bad results) it now had to revert to a double pivot to ease the transitions to the atack. He stresses that he does not intend to use a typical defensive double pivot with two defensive midfielders ("dogs" that track the oponent, he called them), but of two 6's gifted on the ball that are able to link the play up to the number 10.
The use of a number 10 in the current tactics is explained by the need to add creativity, and by the lack of the two 8's, fielded earlier in the season. He than add's that by shifting Mata to the middle, he would need an explosive, incisive left winger, able to take oponents one-on-one, à lá Robben.
He adds that Kalou could be that player (although he didn't sound very confident, i must say), but that the new contract is in still in negotiations.
He explained the Napolli selection in this way, saying that the usual left flank of Cole, Lampard (on the inside), and Mata drifting inside is very atacking and that it had cost Chelsea many goals throughout the season because it exposes too much the left flank, and that he was trying to mitigate the danger of Napoli's right flank.
The Project, New Season and New Signings
The Project: change Chelsea's philosophy, not to a Barcelona, because it would be impossible to emulate it, but to atacking, technical, possession football. "The Iberian Way" he called it.
New Season: AVB sounded as passionate about the new season, as he did about the project when he joined Chelsea. Having heard the interview one cannot fail to notest that he is indeed pulling all his eggs on the next season basket. Why? He hints subtly that he expects the board to give him the conditions, namely players...
New Signings: in the interview you get the idea he is definitely looking to deeply reinforce the team: an explosive winger, a midfielder à lá Modric, and maybe a left back. About Hulk he did add that he would be a player that would fit in Chelsea, as would Moutinho and Álvaro Pereira, but that he wasn't looking into him specifically. "There are many players that would fit in that role" (of the explosive winger), he add's vehemently.
More random Chelsea stuff and link here: http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2012/2/28/2829854/the-portuguese-connection-in-depth-avb-interview
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
So from that I think it's clear to see that his project with us has barely actually begun, and talk of him needing to go or not being good enough yet is absolutely ridiculous. Obviously in his time off he's decided that rather than try and implement the new style of football immediately, he's going to do it slowly, in a progressive way and will only do it totally once he has all the players for it. So he's kept faith in Friedel, he's used Defoe as much as possible, he's used players like Livermore and Huddlestone as double pivot 'dogs', and he's tried not to change too much of the football compared to last season.
What he has done is buy the truth of the squad. By not trying to change too much too quickly he has got them respecting him, and by implementing the change gradually, he isn't giving the players a chance to lose faith in the methods. If done in a gradual, progressive way, teething problems are to be expected and almost embraced as opportunities to perfect what they are trying to do, rather than as excuses to revert to the old ways of playing.
So he's learnt a lot from his time at Chelsea and we will be the beneficiaries of that. But it doesn't mean it won't still take time. Our youth teams are playing in a way that he wants to get the first team to play, but the difference is they are playing without pressure, and it is emphasised that it is the performance rather than the result that matters for them. But our first team needs to get results, and their confidence on the pitch needs to be handled carefully.
Occasionally we have tried to play something like the way he wants us to do. I think Lazio at home, Norwich away, and Lazio away last night are times when we have tried it. But the players do need to get comfortable with it still. The point is, he's no where near at the point where he needs to be judged yet. He's only now introducing Carroll to starting positions, someone who is pretty much vital to how he wants to ideally play especially with Dembele out.
I think in January we will see some changes, and we will go more towards how he actually wants us to play. Only the squad will trust him as a fair man and will be eager to take on board the ideas he is selling. Friedel will probably go, and he will play a high line more often. We will either see Carroll more often or another creative midfielder will be added. And then we can really see how he will get us playing. And then in the summer, I wouldn't be surprised if Defoe leaves and a more suited striker is added, maybe a player that can add goals from wide positions and if we are lucky, maybe Moutinho, with Huddlestone and Livermore moved on. Next season is when the project really begins in earnest IMO.
What he has done is buy the truth of the squad. By not trying to change too much too quickly he has got them respecting him, and by implementing the change gradually, he isn't giving the players a chance to lose faith in the methods. If done in a gradual, progressive way, teething problems are to be expected and almost embraced as opportunities to perfect what they are trying to do, rather than as excuses to revert to the old ways of playing.
So he's learnt a lot from his time at Chelsea and we will be the beneficiaries of that. But it doesn't mean it won't still take time. Our youth teams are playing in a way that he wants to get the first team to play, but the difference is they are playing without pressure, and it is emphasised that it is the performance rather than the result that matters for them. But our first team needs to get results, and their confidence on the pitch needs to be handled carefully.
Occasionally we have tried to play something like the way he wants us to do. I think Lazio at home, Norwich away, and Lazio away last night are times when we have tried it. But the players do need to get comfortable with it still. The point is, he's no where near at the point where he needs to be judged yet. He's only now introducing Carroll to starting positions, someone who is pretty much vital to how he wants to ideally play especially with Dembele out.
I think in January we will see some changes, and we will go more towards how he actually wants us to play. Only the squad will trust him as a fair man and will be eager to take on board the ideas he is selling. Friedel will probably go, and he will play a high line more often. We will either see Carroll more often or another creative midfielder will be added. And then we can really see how he will get us playing. And then in the summer, I wouldn't be surprised if Defoe leaves and a more suited striker is added, maybe a player that can add goals from wide positions and if we are lucky, maybe Moutinho, with Huddlestone and Livermore moved on. Next season is when the project really begins in earnest IMO.
Phil Silvers
Ricardo Rocha
Hate to say this but I think it is already 'broken'. Low on confidence, low on moral, top players still out injured and six points off a CL spot, damage is already done.
Spursalot
Jimmy McCormick
Hate to say this but I think it is already 'broken'. Low on confidence, low on moral, top players still out injured and six points off a CL spot, damage is already done.
Seriously? There are 24 games to go and you think a 6 point gap means we're done?
Dembele is back, Parker and bae are in training. Things might start looking up.
Let's just hope that Levy isn't as trigger happy as Abramovich. This is what worries me in terms of being worried for AVB - we laugh at Roman, but Levy isn't that much less ruthless or impatient.
The problem with keeping our old style of play is that we no longer have Modric or VDV, who were central to making that style of play work. I'd almost rather AVB was a bit quicker in introducing the changes as actually our Europa League performances have generally been better than our league ones.
I also hope that he actually gets the backing from the board to sign the players he wants. I could imagine him identifying the targets he wants, btu then Levy having a meeting with Sherwood and signing a load of other players instead. That's what happened to Jol. We had a good chance to push on at the end of Jol's second season, but we signed a load of players that weren't really what we needed at the time. People like Boateng, Bent and Kaboul.
Baleforce
Ron Henry
spursalot speaksalot of sense
Phil Silvers
Ricardo Rocha
26 games to go and yes I do. We are not as fluid as we used to be even with Dembele and Parker fit. A brick Gooner team beat us up last weekend and one player (getting sent off) doesnt make a 3 goal difference. We cant find a clean sheet in a laundry... Carlisle, Lazio x2, Villa and Watford being the only ones so far in competitive matches and if we need to score at least 2 goals each game as a minimum to win it is going to be a struggle.
Unfortunately we are not a Man U, Emirates Marketing Project, and past history will tell you we do not close gaps we need to be up there at the start as we historically fall back. Cant be more optimistic than a top 8 finish this year....but will gladly hold my hands up if we do make it to 4th.
parklane1
Vic Buckingham
Hate to say this but I think it is already 'broken'. Low on confidence, low on moral, top players still out injured and six points off a CL spot, damage is already done.
Sorry but that is a silly thing to say.
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
I get the impression Levy really rates AVB in a way that he never really rated Jol or Harry.
I think he's wanted a guy with big ideas that can put a system in place at our club to make it sustainable and get us performing beyond our financial means. He probably didn't see it in Jol but did in Ramos. He didn't see it in Harry but does in AVB. I think he will be backed completely. There's a very clear correlation of the 'type' of manager Levy is impressed with, so I can't see him folding on this bet unless it goes seriously, Ramos-style wrong and his hand is forced again.
But even then, AVB can communicate in English, so is more able to convince Levy that with time he can turn it around and that the squad just needs to take hold of his ideas, where as Ramos probably wasn't able to do that.
DubaiSpur
Ian Walker
Absolutely, although again, with the backing provided to this manager when compared to Levy's other managers, justifying his sacking is going to be very difficult, even for Levy.
It's like sacking managers on a whim the way Abramovich does, but not providing any of the investment that Abramovich does. Not a winning formula, and very similar to the crazy Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini, who's sacked 41 managers in 26 years.
Jurgen the German
Tommy Harmer
Agreed. AVB needs at least a season, possibly 2.
Levy's impatience is one of his poorer qualities.
thfcsteff
Terry Dyson
thfcsteff
Terry Dyson
I have heard that they're very impressed with him and what he's building...time will, of course, tell...
thfcsteff
Terry Dyson
I think the saddest thing about Jol's reign was that once Arnesen was pinched by Chelski, it made life for him a little tougher. Frank was his man, indeed, word has always had it that Frank was the one who told him to turn down Newcash's money and stick around WITH HIM to build the future. Then, of course, off went Frankie for the roubles and the wheels came off the bus...
I think in AVB, Levy sees someone who is committed to long-term. I still have to think a DoF will come in when the right man's around...just a hunch...
markysimmo
Johnny nice-tits
Serious Relegation Fears !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Moonlit Knight
Banned
I think AVB needs at least 3. But as I stated elsewhere Levy is an impatient man. No top four this year, and if we aren't looking likely for top four next year then it's back to the manager merry-go-round for Spurs.
Steed Train
Clive Wilson
I'd be happy to stick with AVB for 3 years even without CL. If we implement a system of football we could be excellent and so much better than the sum of our parts. This in turn has the potential to develop and lure great players.
If we rely on players we are always just going to live off the scraps the big teams don't want. One marquee signing every five years
DHSF
Les Ferdinand
See - this is what I dont understand.
Where does this come from that AVB is someone who 'changes' clubs and implements some kind of philosophy throughout the club etc? Everyone is basing it on his theories but lets be honest there is no credence to this. What are his credentials and where is the proof that he wants this?
For some reason everyone is placing a lot of faith on a guy who has theorised a great deal. From what I gather yeah he talks a great talk but im not placing this blind faith and loyalty on a guy who just talks. Whilst it is commendable some have faith in this guy there just is no foundation for it and one season doesnt really cut it for me. This is not to say I dont expect him to succeed because I have a funny feeling he will but im not blinded by the fact that at the moment there really doesnt seem to be much of a game plan.