Start of the Season

[Zizi]

Maresca completely bottled it tonight. He panicked before kickoff, set us up to play scared, and then made things worse by pulling off our attacking threats within minutes after the red card. Total disgrace. I’m boiling with anger because so much went wrong, and it all comes back to the manager.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[aindro]

IMO It’s Sanchez who was at fault. Not Maresca. I know it’s a 50-50 ball, we could see from the replays. But it was so early in the game, he should not have taken that risk. And Bruno Fernandes was a lucky man not to be offside. I think Joao Pedro should have had a penalty, a soft one but a penalty.

Maresca’s fault; bringing in ineffective George instead of Garnacho

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Zizi]

Aindro, yes Sanchez’s rash tackle was crazy especially so early in the match but what really surprised me was how Maresca reacted. Substituting one player for the keeper made sense under the circumstances, but then he immediately pulled Neto just two minutes after taking Estavao off. That showed pure panic and uncertainty in his decisions. Also bringing on a fifth defender in the 5th minute to park the bus was baffling. We already had four defenders on the pitch, the sensible approach would have been to settle the team, play on the counter, and wait until halftime to reassess. Playing away with a man down, the opposition would naturally take the initiative we could have absorbed that pressure and looked for opportunities. And as for George, he’s clearly being picked ahead of Gittens and Garnacho for marketing reasons, not merit. The club is trying to cash in on him, and he knows it, that’s why he looks so uninterested on the pitch. Let’s not forget, they had even agreed to sell him to Fulham. It makes no sense that he’s starting ahead of players who are hungrier and more deserving.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Ed de Goey]

I completely agree with your analysis Zizi.

Maresca was in a blind panic and just made a series of incomprehensible substitutions.

Forgetting the outcome, I had no confidence of us getting a result coming into this match anyway. This is exactly the sort of game we would lose.

If we’re being honest, we’ve never played good football under Maresca and we have never really looked particularly dangerous – always we rely on individual brilliance from the likes of Palmer, or a flash here and there from someone like Neto. Otherwise we never look like breaking a team down.

The start to this season has been completely underwhelming and on paper we should have won EVERY Prem game including United, yet we are where we are. Baffling team selections, poor performances, scraped wins and a team that’s starting to look disinterested. That latter point mostly comes back to the manager, his tactics and his team selections. The residual blame goes back to the owners who have left us with Sanchez, mid-table central defenders, and still without a 20-25 goal a year Striker.

Winning the Conference League last season meant absolutely nothing and as for the CWC, we had a very average group which we didn’t even top, and then the easiest route to the final. Top 4 we practically limped to and were fortunate with results our fellow challengers got. It’s just luck, it’s not Maresca genius.

This season is starting to look like a write off. We need a top manager, not some supposedly up and coming young manager with little track record – we’re meant to be a top club, not Brighton or Brentford who can afford to roll the dice with managers that have good ideas but no record of real success. I watched a few clips of Lampard describing the impact of Mourinho joining Chelsea – it wasn’t just the tactics and training, it was the whole winning mentality and belief that Mourinho imparted on the squad. I get none of that from Maresca.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blaze]

Terribly upsetting result, a moment of madness from Sanchez and bizarre substitutions by Maresca. Besides that we could have at least got a draw. Nothing went our way. On top of all that injuries galore especially worrying is talisman Palmer. The luck is not going our way right now so you need to draw that extra strength. Fortunately all the draws yesterday and today were a consolation.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Zizi]

Ed, I agree with your assessments regarding Maresca and his ability to make us competitive. With him in charge, I think we’re capable of picking up the smaller trophies like the Carabao and the FA Cups, but I just don’t see us challenging seriously for the Premier League or Champions League. Last season’s top four finish felt more down to individual brilliance and narrow wins than any real tactical superiority. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but he needs to start proving himself quickly especially against the top sides. The only big team we managed to beat last season was Liverpool, and that was when they had already wrapped up the league and had nothing left to play for. Another worrying aspect is his team selection. Remember when he handed Buonanotte and Hato their debuts against Brentford? He pulled them at halftime, and we haven’t seen them since. What does that do for their morale? Then there’s Acheampong with plenty of potential, arguably a better all-round defender than Tosin, but Maresca doesn’t trust him. Why waste that talent? Compare that to Arteta who I’m not even a big fan of but credit where it’s due, he’s brave enough to give young players genuine opportunities. Dowman at 15, Nwaneri, and their young left-back are all involved in the first team setup. That’s how you build depth and belief in your squad. As a manager, your job is to reward talent and merit, not just go with the name or price tag. I really hope Maresca proves me wrong, but unless results and performances improve soon, his time could start running out quickly.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[aindro]

If we play back 3, Tosin has to be there to add physical presence. Chalobah & Fofana can cover the speed that Tosin lacks.

EFL Carabao, it’s a bummer that Guiu is cup-tied. It would have been a perfect opportunity for him to play and to show what he can do

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Zizi]

Aindro apparently Guiu is eligible to play in this competition, but it doesn’t seem like he’s part of Maresca’s plans. If he was, we would’ve seen him get at least some minutes by now. My feeling is that the board pushed for his return from loan, while Maresca was only really keen on having Jackson back. To be honest, the whole situation is a bit confusing. As for the game itself, the less said about it the better. i had the pleasure of watching that painful performance!

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blaze]

Another tough game against our feeder club, coupled with so many injuries to key players, not feeling too confident at all.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[aindro]

How can we be confident with Palmer, Fofana & Tosin injuries??

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[aindro]

A big challenge for Maresca and staff with all the injuries we are having. Brighton aren’t one of strongest teams but still they can score, they have dangerous players. For me I would just try to enjoy the match. Our results recently are not good. Draw against Brentford, lost against Bayern and again Man Utd, won very narrowly against Lincoln: they are not convincing.

I want to see the team performing. Acheampong should start too and I hope he will seize the opportunity.
I want to se e Guiu starting with Pedro as no:10. Estevao & Neto starting to create chances from the wing. I think a proper striker is needed, we can’t put too much burden on Joao Pedro. Give him freedom as no:10 as Cole Palmer is injured for 3-4 weeks.

My team: Sanchez – James,Chalobah,Acheampong,Cucurella – Caicedo,Enzo – Estevao,Joao Pedro,Neto – Guiu.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blues1967]

Test

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Rover]

Wasting my time posting on here, nothing works properly

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blues1967]

Testing again

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blues1967]

hi there Aindro, its been a while due to me losing access to my hotmail account and forgetting my login password. Instead of Chelsea1967 I am under this name Blues1967. Strange decline in form with our lads since that huge win against PSG. Lets hope the return of key players like Palmer will give us a change in fortune. Liverpool on the weekend will be scary especially with them coming off a rare loss.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Zizi]

Good to have you back Chelsea 1967,
In addition to our late struggles, things aren’t looking too rosy behind the scenes either I hear. My biggest fear with Maresca is starting to show, he panics the moment things don’t go his way. We’ve got a squad stacked with attacking talent, yet he constantly bottles it and tries to sit back. Against United he was chasing a draw from the 5th minute, and against Brighton he tried to protect a 1–0 lead from the 50th. Both times it blew up in his face. That’s not game management, that’s fear. Next week we face the champions, and if we lose again the pressure will be sky-high. Let’s be honest, we were lucky to qualify for the Champions League last season I was never convinced by Maresca then, and I’m even less convinced now. I’m not calling for him to go yet, but if he doesn’t change his approach fast, I don’t see him lasting much longer.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Rover]

Chelsea make Enzo Maresca sack decision after Brighton defeat and dressing room visit. Enzo Maresca is under pressure in some quarters following Chelsea’s back-to-back Premier League defeats against Brighton and Manchester United in troubling circumstances
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca’s future is secure at Stamford Bridge despite growing discontent over the Blues’ recent performances. The Italian coach’s fate will be decided at the end of the season, with any assessment of his position not due to take place until then, according to the Club.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blues1967]

Thanks Zizi. I can’t see Maresca getting sacked mid season as I am pretty confident the return of key personnel will stabilise the side and our results. It is amazing how reliant we are in having Palmer fit and out there. 100% I am stunned by Maresca’s reaction to the red cards. I thought he was better than that. His inexperience in regards to what he should have done and what he did instead certainly is reason to be concerned. He simply panicked and got it badly wrong.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[aindro]

I don’t think we should sack Maresca. Not even at the end of the season. Let him build our team. Like Pep built City and Klopp built Liverpool. It’s the Clubs World Cup tournament, too long in the summer, players did not get rest and we can see the impact on our injuries. How unfortunate is that with Palmer, Delap (new signing)m Essugo (new signing) are all injured? And Joao Pedro (new signing) is never 100% fit….

I will try to watch this weekend’s match. No expectation though. We should not repeat these red card errors. Let them score instead of getting red carded. At least we would still be 11 against 11 to try to score back.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Blaze]

We could have won this one with all our injured players available. But tbh I dont fancy our chances at all despite them losing a couple of matches lately. We only have our last chpice centre halves available of 7 ffs and no proper centre forward all vital positions. Personally i think barring a couple of imports these sds have done a terrible job. Anyway hope it all turns out ok.

_____________________________

React below 👇

*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted

[Author]

Posts