Poor tactics...

[Classic94]

Can't complain with Petric starting. I backed the decision at the time and was happy to see his name on the teamsheet. However, Jol's subs were appalling tonight. In the first-half we were painfully sluggish in attack and lacked width - both Ruiz and Emanuelson drifted into the center, leaving Reither as our only notable threat on the wings. It soon became obvious that we needed an injection of pace to rejuvenate the game, so obvious, that I would have expected Jol to have made the necessary substitutions at the break - Frei being the obvious one. He would have tested Chelsea's defense; introduced some urgency and dynamism to our play, but no. Instead, Jol takes no action and allows the game to limp on until it was beyond our grasp. As stated, I was pleased to see Petric start but when it became clear that it wasn't working, he should have come off. Likewise, Ruiz is not a winger. How much more evidence does our manager need? He is too slow and lethargic and was out of position. Admittedly, Frei did make a cameo appearance but it came at least 45 minutes too late. Jol's substitutions and the timing off them were bizarre to say the least, and they backfired spectacularly this evening.

Hopefully we can pick ourselves up for the Arsenal game. The players and the manager owe the fans after this pathetic display.