evissy

They have sold players from the academy. So have all the other clubs. This is not solely a Chelsea problem. It is mainly due to the massive competition for top spots meeting the horrors of PSR/FFP. We just fielded a backline of James - Chalobah and Acheampong in our first game of the season. Selling hotels and womens team is naturally not what they want to do but did because of the said acronyms. Club like Forest is simply less important in every measure. Not sure if the rules protect gians like us or City but for sure we pay a ton for lawyers and experts to dodge those bullets. Football is played on the pitch and everything else on excel-sheets.

What you don't recognize here is Chelsea - one of the biggest clubs in the world actually fielded those 'too young to win the league' players 'over one night' and started from scratch. Please tell me which club of our stature has done that in last 10 years? Revolution I agree is a slightly exaggerated word but it drives the point better than just explain in long form how it is different than to just continue to buy established players alongside our league-winning-already-established core of players. Basically PSG did that in all honesty. What it did for Chelsea fans was to drive them to a mess and everyone from Neville and the uninterested/unknowing media to just poke the club. It also drived us to this point where we are now. Which I think is exciting although still somewhat unknown. I have zero criticism towards Roman on Cobham. Brilliant setup and as we have probably seen the new owners have seen the value of it. What is interesting to see is how multi-club model works for us (so far looks good) no matter what you think of that in a bigger picture. It is not illegal but I can understand the initial frustrations of Strasbourg fans. Another interesting thing is to see whether we'll try to cash on big name players like Palmer, Estevao or Caicedo when they are at their peak. Under Roman we rarely did that (Robben, Hazard). I listened to Captain Class -book which came up with Boehlys interview. He referred the book to say it is important for players to stay together for a long time to win a lot. That to me was a small feat in that book if at all. But he said that. Btw that book was okay but nothing special. Leadership by a single player was the idea there. JT came up there as well.

Thanks for the reply. And I understand 100% the Arsenal mentality and the fear for it. I remember very clearly after what we did to Wenger's Arsenal when after the invincibes season we outspent everyone and turned them into a whining bunch. And reduced a truly great manager to a philosofist for the rest of his tenure. That happened and we were one of the culprits on that with MU from their viewpoint. With Roman + Jose we were ruthless like City's been almost 10 years now. Absolute machines on trophy front. CL eluded us for too long but now we have it all. On context to today and last 3 years. We didn't have the same base on being ruthless. The competition is so far from 2002-2005 for example it is hard to talk the two in the same sentence for my money at least. We made a massive strategic U-turn on that idea that was under Roman. Only buy the premium player for premium price and only hire the premium coach for premium price. That was the reality under Roman. Now we are doing what PSG also decided to do and build with youth. I think we are even more brave with the idea as we basically emptied the entire club from old ideas and people. PSG'S might not even be a good comparison it just might be the optics because their average age is very low in starting 11. I think we did something borderline revolutionary on this level in terms of strategy. We did it even though no one was ready for it in the footballing world. Most of here though it was insanity but I think we are seeing signs of it working. If we truly want the fruit of it we need to just continue on that path even though we will eventually dip and have worse seasons and periods. Winning mentality is key but absolutely horrendous when you live through times when you clearly can't win but everyone related expects you to due to past glory.

Although I agree we should gun for winning my opinion on it means nothing, zero f**ks. That is why I can try and be objective on the matter. BTW an honest question to this "we are about winning". How old is that idea in Chelsea context? Lot of people here question or raise the question when I mention Roman comparing that era to the current one (too much and continually). Did that mentality begin with Jose or did it before with Vialli and Gullit or was it even before that?

Top 4 with a lot of new players (minus Levi) and Champions League which will affect the Prem in a negative way most likely. If we get that I think in terms of Enzo he gets another season. I think this season will be tricky in many ways and we'll need one or two of those "10 game" runs where we win all matches. On Premier League itself I think its value with players is lower than with English fans. At least with players that are in top teams who see them being at the top of the footballing world. I see football being more of a "cups sport" in the future. World is much more short term world these days. CWC is just another example of that. Super League another. Not saying the league will cease to excist but more emphasis will be on these cup competitions.

I think we are. They can setup like Palace for sure but are on a pretty low atm. Palace is really on song now. Maresca's talked about the setup they have with 3 men d-line and sitting deep and compact. It is a completely different thing than against PSG where you are man v man all the time and we had tons of space to operate. If we setup and play like Liverpool against Palace I think they've scored 4 goals. And look at Liverpools goals. Frimpongs goal is a fluke... We had Acheampong and Gittens as our starters for this one, no Colwill or Tosin. We could and should have scored one but didn't. Anyway Premier League is different to any other competition in the world. Every club will fight to death and will setup just to stop us with great quality players and coaches. And that is every week. That is just how it has become. I think personally European games are much more enjoyable to watch in general. All teams that are there are not war-planning every game, they are proud of their style of football and will go all out with that given style. In Prem they can and will play according to the opponent and many games are just like we saw against Palace. Our team in a couple of years will be much more ready in these games than now especially after the weird and long summer.

You are probably right. Handballs have zero consistency. Nothing. Natural position my arse. Who decides what is natural?

This looked pretty clear cut to me. What is Caicedo supposed to do there when Guehi manhandles him from the wall position? The rule itself is a bit strange but there you go.

Really hoping he can just improve quickly alongside Tosin and share the minutes with him. There are reports we have made a bid for Bastoni. Not sure if those stories carry any weight.

For my account please don't. I am not that bothered.

Really hoping everyone is on song today and Josh has a good game. Would be horrible if he had a mare here. Slightly unfair situation for him and every coach in the world would give him his start at some other day. I am sure he is confident in his skill.

Josh starts

If I said Maresca is the perfect yes-man you (once again) understood me wrong. Yes-man as I understand is derogatory term. The idea by the club, directors, coach and the players has to be aligned otherwise what is the point. Club expects Champions League spot from Enzo and the boys for this season and if a new CB would make that more possible Enzo will tell the club that. I am sure they still have a good and open communication and Enzo is okay if they can't find a replacement but as we all know he has an excuse if the internal option for CB doesn't work out. That could potentially hurt the relationship between him and the directors. Enzo is not a yes man but I think he realizes he doesn't have the status as Jose or even Tuchel had here. He just cannot go on telling people above him what to do. Now that he's won something he might test those waters as well.

Why Chelsea are not inclined to sign a new centre-back this summer Liam Twomey Enzo Maresca says he thinks Chelsea need a new centre-back to replace the injured Levi Colwill — but don’t expect them to sign one this summer. “You know how important Levi was last season, for the way we want to play,” Chelsea’s head coach said in a press conference at Cobham on Friday. “We said many times that we can create chances and to attack in the right way, if we can build in the right way. Levi was a huge part of our build-up and now he is out. “We are trying to find a solution internally, but the club knows exactly what I think and we will see what happens. I think we need a central defender.” Maresca considers Colwill integral to his team’s approach (Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) Maresca’s comments jarred with last week’s Transfer DealSheet, which reported that Chelsea are not inclined to panic following the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear Colwill sustained in training at Cobham that is expected to sideline him for most of this season. They feel no urgent need to go into the transfer market to find a replacement for the 22-year-old. Sources at Chelsea, speaking anonymously to The Athletic, confirm their stance has not shifted. Three main factors inform the decision: confidence in the depth that has been amassed in this squad, a lack of suitable options available in this window, and full faith in Maresca and his coaching staff to work with and improve the talent at his disposal. Let’s look at each of the three in turn. There is a strong belief within the Chelsea hierarchy that they have built the deepest squad in the Premier League, and centre-back might be its deepest position. Of the 10 senior defenders Maresca has competing for four starting spots, only Malo Gusto is not adapted to playing in a back three — which is what the defensive line becomes when the team is in possession. Not all of the other nine are suitable for the specific role Maresca is discussing: that of the central defender in the back three, who generally has more responsibility for progressing the ball in his system. Colwill is superb in that role, highly adept at punching low, pinpoint passes through the opposition lines into the feet of the Chelsea midfielders or attackers in front of him. Tosin Adarabioyo is the other player Maresca leaned on heavily in this position last season, often playing in the middle of Chelsea’s back three in the Conference League as well as in specific Premier League games when Colwill was deployed further left and Marc Cucurella was pushed up. Tosin Adarabioyo is a central option (Richard Pelham/Getty Images) “We build with Levi in the middle,” Maresca added. “Last year, we played 64 games and we played 64 games with Levi and Tosin. “Now Levi is out, the only one who can do that job well is Tosin. Also, we have players who, unfortunately, like Wesley Fofana or Benoit Badiashile, have some problems and this is why I said that the club knows exactly what I think about central defenders.” Badiashile has demonstrated the ability to progress the ball from central defence at times in his rollercoaster Chelsea career. In many respects, the 24-year-old has a similar profile to Colwill. He may be the best like-for-like replacement in the squad when fit, but there are also people at the club who believe 19-year-old Josh Acheampong can do that job if given more opportunities and experience. Aaron Anselmino also knows how to play in the middle of a back three from his time at Boca Juniors. At this early stage of his career, the 20-year-old is understandably at the bottom of Chelsea’s depth chart in defence, but he could still be used as a bench option at some point during a long season if he impresses Maresca in training. Josh Acheampong has earned public praise from the Chelsea head coach (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images) The other senior defenders available to Maresca — Cucurella, Jorrel Hato, Trevoh Chalobah and club captain Reece James — are viewed as being better suited to defending the wide spaces on the left or the right of the back three. That leaves Tosin, Badiashile and Acheampong as realistic Colwill deputies. Second, there is the market. Which centre-backs are actually available for Chelsea to sign this summer and good enough to be considered upgrades on their depth options? Dean Huijsen was one, and Chelsea were prominent among the Spain international’s suitors in May until he made it clear he wanted to join Real Madrid. Marc Guehi’s situation at Crystal Palace remains unresolved, making him perhaps the most obvious name. He was monitored closely in January but that was with a view to deploying him on the left of the back three, where he has played at times for Palace and England. Ibrahima Konate, another defender set to be a free agent in 2026, has been linked with Chelsea in recent days, but he is more of a wide centre-back than a central ball progressor. Ibrahima Konate (right) challenges Palace’s Eberechi Eze (Julian Finney/Getty Images) Despite the reputation they have earned for recruiting aggressively and on a large scale, Chelsea are wary of panic buying. The almost total player overhaul that began in January 2023 has been done, the squad is regarded as being in a strong position and the bulk of the club’s recruitment now is either long-term investment in elite potential or targeted tweaks to the first-team squad, rather than major surgery. One cautionary example from recent Chelsea history is Axel Disasi. Signed for around €45million (£38m; $49.2m) from Monaco in August 2023, shortly after Fofana tore his ACL, he was immediately deemed unsuitable for Maresca’s style of football on the Italian’s appointment the following summer and is now one of several players the club are looking to offload. The risk of overreacting to Colwill’s injury and making a similar error in this summer’s market is considerable, particularly with no obvious target to pursue. In a scenario where a more obscure replacement could be found, even their success would create a problem once Colwill returns to fitness. Colwill’s performance level and personality within the squad mean he should remain a key piece in their long-term planning, despite this setback. Chelsea’s determination to hold to the long view also extends to Mamadou Sarr, who was loaned back to Strasbourg to continue his development following a €14m transfer in June from the other club under the BlueCo umbrella. There is huge excitement about the 19-year-old’s potential to play any of the roles in Maresca’s defensive line and he could be ready to do so as soon as next season. Sarr in action for Chelsea at the Club World Cup over the summer (Francois Nel/Getty Images) What happens when Colwill returns to fitness is probably not foremost in Maresca’s mind, and nor should it be. He is a head coach who is judged on his results, and everything he says and does should be viewed within that prism. He is also under no obligation to disclose the motives behind his words. Could he be trying to motivate the other defenders in his squad? Could he simply be trying to manage the expectations of fans dreaming of a Premier League title tilt? In any case, Chelsea made a long-term commitment to Maresca and his style of football by handing him a five-year contract on his appointment last summer. The early returns on that decision — a top-four finish that secured Champions League qualification plus two trophies (the Conference League and the Club World Cup) — have been hugely encouraging. Chelsea’s hierarchy regard Maresca as a talented coach capable of delivering results while also developing the talent in the Premier League’s youngest squad. In his comments on Friday, the Italian also mentioned that he and his staff are “trying to find a solution internally” to Colwill’s absence. All signs point to that being the path in what remains of August and beyond.

Crazy if he threw Fofana and Badiashile under the bus... Is there a video of that because that part wasn't in the official presser video? We all know his English is not perfect and there might be context around what he said.

Not sure if posted but Enzo said in his presser he prefers we buy that CB. He said they are looking internally but he had a good point in the way Colwill is the only center back with Tosin who is the central of the defenders when in possession. So we only basically have Tosin now for that crucial role.

I think we should look at this a positive thing. All the lads decided to chip into some of their personal money to a family that is struggling with a massive loss. Doesn't make it better but it is a very good gesture. I think this is telling the boys are in good terms with each other as well. Not sure if Chelsea FC has used this for PR but that is not the angle you should be looking at this.

Sometimes I feel like this but then I realize I want to spend time consuming Chelsea. What you can do there is to watch old matches, highlights, play FIFA/eFootball, read articles and stories. Then you stumble upon YouTube videos about tactics and delve into that. This forum naturally is one time consumer. A ton of material to go through or interact regarding Chelsea... Back in the day without all this it was the matches. In the end football is a very simple game which is underlined by simply level above players such as Palmer and Hazard. When you go into percentages and small margins you are left with all that strategy talk and tactics.

Neto's influence does nothing here? So let's get this straight: the guys decide to give something to someone and we go: should you give it to someone else? 😅

Easy come, easy go?

I apologize....and don't mention the word patience ever again.

Okay so being critical or pointing out out mistakes they've made are in the lines of: a) get the f**k out of my club b) you don't know what you are doing c) anything along those lines? And I am not picking out you UB on those lines per say, just the general vibe of the comments some here make. English isn't my first language so I might just understand the words and sentences the wrong way. Another good example fits this topic on pointing out mistakes made by Enzo have basically been: a) bald fraud c**t b) sack him c) get the f**k out of my club d) Pepillino e) something along those lines? Pointing out mistakes to me sounds a bit different but each of our own I guess. Again it could be a language barrier.

My point in posting this is UEFA and this whole weird construction of a 'system' is laughable. Palace didn't do this wording with the help of their lawyers just for spite. They mean it and are probably 100% right. I am glad they and other clubs have spoken out. It seems there is UEFA and the clubs. Those two should be unified.

Another feather to UEFA's cap. "UEFA’s decision has wider implications for the governance of the sport. A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history." "UEFA must fulfil its mandate to pass coherent rules which are properly communicated and applied, with reasonable cure periods to resolve uncertainty and consistent sanctions, treating all clubs equally with a proper appeal process" And a dig to our type of club structure: "Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a “blind trust” while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition."

Veiga seems to be set to leave. He has reportedly said he wants to move to somewhere he has a regular spot. Not sure how reliable that is. If I was him I do my best to break into this young and exciting squad we have.