3 hours ago, Remodez said:

As much as I disagree with his team set up, it's not his fault things like Madueke missing an open goal and blocking a Palmer shot happens. On another day this is a comfortable 4-0.

Out front players have this frustrating trait of trying to beat a player 5 times before trying to pass, cross or shoot. When they eventually make up their mind the chance is gone.

I can’t be the only one who notice this?

3 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Can't fault where we are in the league on paper but for me there's so many question marks over his choices on matchday. 

 

Whisper it quietly, but in terms of points per game we have actually gone backwards when compared to the second half of last season ... 🙂 

 

just 1 point behind Man City, easy this management stuff.  Seriously though, we've got a heck of a good squad, surely anybody with some football knowledge would have done as well as E Maresca has done?    

That’s about as easy as an away PL game can be.

Enzo was excellent on his first start since I lost all faith in him as was Felix. I would have loved to have had Neto available on the right instead of Noni but other than that everyone did well.

 

Edited November 23, 20241 yr by 19seventyone
Spelling

 

6 hours ago, Remodez said:

As much as I disagree with his team set up, it's not his fault things like Madueke missing an open goal and blocking a Palmer shot happens. On another day this is a comfortable 4-0.

Easy with a semi competent ref and/or var.

6 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I still think we are riding the momentum from the end of last season. We haven't really seen any improvement in areas that we needed the most improvement in.

I disagree mate, it's soo much different from the poch era imo. The whole squad has literally "gone back to school" and learning something different.

1 hour ago, Llangennech said:

just 1 point behind Man City, easy this management stuff.  Seriously though, we've got a heck of a good squad, surely anybody with some football knowledge would have done as well as E Maresca has done?    

I'm sorry mate but I strongly disagree with this and think you are completely underestimating the work done by Maresca so far in just 4 months imho.

Remember it was chaos with 40 odd squad players in preseason. Lol

Edited November 23, 20241 yr by Simplymo

*I'm very sry for the copy and paste but just a few things I posted in the match day thread that are relevant to Maresca.

 

Defence and the gk situation is a bit of a mystery!

We have set piece, gk and defensive coaches right? I think maresca might be guilty of focusing too much on attack and now midfield and leaving defence scarily late but I can only imagine its the process he's picked. It makes sense to organise midfield next after the attack to keep the training, understanding, tactics and philosophy "flowing" in the right direction. But like I said after the last game, Maresca needs to start working/focusing on the set piece and defensive coaches very soon. The basics is done, now he needs to step in.

 

In rgds to the game, i really liked that game!
I want to watch it again in full once it's available, with a pen and pad next to me. Soo many good points to look at and some bad (yes, sanchez will be on the bad list, lol) but also a lot of good very subtle changes and ways of play. I really enjoyed that from a technical and tactical pov.
But until it is available in full and i can watch it in peace (fkn delivery), just 3 points I want to post about.

1) it should have been 8-9 vs 11 by the 38min mark. Most know me as an easy going bloke, mellow. I've seen and done way too much to get rattled or disturbingly angry!
But 1 of those tackles was disgusting (palmer) and along with the one on felix, both should have been a nailed on red. No discussions or debates needed.
The third I will accept that a very small minority might want to discuss it but would quickly lose to the majority and facts/rules/whatever.

I ask this...if the ref did his job and was just mildly competent then what would have been the score at half time? What would have been the score after 90mins, with the kids playing like that, and a semi competent ref and var? 5,6,7 maybe 8 nil to Chelsea. There was a lot of great points to pick up on in those 90-95mins.

2) To anyone that says Maresca's tactics or style is rigid and unchanging...I believe there's a deal on at specsavers, saw the TV advert not long ago. Get yourself checked. Lol
At times palmer was an 8 and at times we played with 2x 10s, cucu as overlapping fb on one side and noni as a touchline hugger on the other. Wait! Is that 2 different tactics in the same period of play!!
Like I said above, it's definitely a game to watch to see how tactics can be dynamic and free flowing.
4 months. Maresca has done that in 4 months -ish and like the kids he's still new in his field too. I am leaning greatly towards him being a long term manager. Developing his ideas and tactics with a young grp of players that can soak it all up like sponge to water. He, like his squad, is not the finished article yet.

3) oh the noni/palmer kerfuffle, lmao. Just very unlucky but one massive thing to take from that, even bigger than a goal, is how they reacted. Both smiled/laughed.
Imagine if noni did that to someone else. Someone mentioned Ronaldo in the BBC comments thread, lol.
But the main takeaway from this point is that I like what I've seen, so far, about the grps relationship and dynamics with one another.
 

 

* reference: Leicester away, 23rd Nov.

Edited November 23, 20241 yr by Simplymo

I'm very happy with Maresca. I think he's done a fine job so far. 

He's been clever with how he dealt with the ridicule heaped on the club, when he first joined, over the squad size.

He has at all times been very clear on how he will operate and he has been unfailingly true to his word. He backs himself and trusts his vision.

Our stryle of play has been crystallizing week on week. In today's game there were a number of occasions where we moved the ball from front to back as if it were a setpiece.

There seems to be a good spirit in the camp and the players look as if they are fully on board with "the project". 

As a Chelsea fan I think he has done more than enough to deserve our support.

 

 

All the Instagram post I have seen so far from Chelsea players today have limit who can comment on the post. 
I think they have all had enough of the dumb sh*ts who inhabit social media and I don’t blame them.

2 hours ago, Simplymo said:

 

Easy with a semi competent ref and/or var.

I disagree mate, it's soo much different from the poch era imo. The whole squad has literally "gone back to school" and learning something different.

I'm sorry mate but I strongly disagree with this and think you are completely underestimating the work done by Maresca so far in just 4 months imho.

Remember it was chaos with 40 odd squad players in preseason. Lol

I was exaggerating slightly, however as long as you had a good work ethic, so the players could see you're giving 100% and half a brain regarding man management and being able to deal with the press/media, then you would be more or less there.  Maresca has got that team spirit going in the side.  It seems that Pochettino wasn't at the training centre as much as Maresca has been, though granted MP had good results with us at the end of last season.  Just fingers crossed regarding injuries.  There's a fair chance that the players are eating and drinking and resting better this season than they were last season, just my intuition, that obviously helps keep injuries at bay.     

10 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Can't fault where we are in the league on paper but for me there's so many question marks over his choices on matchday. 

 

What choice? 

6 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

Whisper it quietly, but in terms of points per game we have actually gone backwards when compared to the second half of last season ... 🙂 

 

What about comparing to where we were at this time last season?

It was only Leicester but do we look better with Cucurella given the license to go forward, as he did yesterday, rather than Gusto?

As well as that, having Fofana as a RCB allowing Colwill the CCB spot?

Would be interested to see how it works for a run of games, now Reece is injured.

Don't think Gusto has been very good so far this season, and think Cucurella offers us more going forward. He has a good cross on him.

10 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

It was only Leicester but do we look better with Cucurella given the license to go forward, as he did yesterday, rather than Gusto?

As well as that, having Fofana as a RCB allowing Colwill the CCB spot?

Would be interested to see how it works for a run of games, now Reece is injured.

Don't think Gusto has been very good so far this season, and think Cucurella offers us more going forward. He has a good cross on him.

Didn’t think of it this way, but you’re right. This could work for the next 4-8 games. Have to keep evolving. 

44 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

It was only Leicester but do we look better with Cucurella given the license to go forward, as he did yesterday, rather than Gusto?

As well as that, having Fofana as a RCB allowing Colwill the CCB spot?

Would be interested to see how it works for a run of games, now Reece is injured.

Don't think Gusto has been very good so far this season, and think Cucurella offers us more going forward. He has a good cross on him.

It’s hard to tell as Leicester were pretty poor. But I would agree with gusto being poor this season, poor crossing,  missing lots of chances…

I guess we need to see more of this tactic against other teams. 

 

 

51 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

It was only Leicester but do we look better with Cucurella given the license to go forward, as he did yesterday, rather than Gusto?

As well as that, having Fofana as a RCB allowing Colwill the CCB spot?

Would be interested to see how it works for a run of games, now Reece is injured.

Don't think Gusto has been very good so far this season, and think Cucurella offers us more going forward. He has a good cross on him.

I think maresca mentioned it a few times before and I think also in Leicester's prematch press conference too. I can't recall where each snippet was from anymore, lol...but he mentions that the formation, ppl and tactics will change from game to game depending on the opposition. 

Like playing gusto at lb against liverpool to keep trent under wraps but trent didn't go past the half way line as they played a low block that day. Or today, like i said in my previous post above, they were switching between having 2x 10s and Palmer playing deeper at times with cucu as a overlapping wingback and noni staying wide on the other side.

I really really like that...yes he won't get them all right (liverpool) but he isn't rigid at all and can adapt. He needs time like these kids to grow too, and this is a really good opportunity especially with this squad of young talented kids that would be willing to test new things/ideas instead of a squad of prima donna's that may not be as easily persuaded or willing to change the way they think or play. Maybe it's just very subtle changes or tweaks in how they play and move in that game or half but remain in their positions, or maybe its a different setup completely in a different game or 2nd half.

I would love to see the coach and team grow together in the next few years. The longer he stays the more dynamic this grp will get. I'm actually quite excited but I also hope the owners have stopped fkn about and just leave the coach and his squad alone. They can focus on the stadium now while the squad matures like a fine wine.

 

Edited November 24, 20241 yr by Simplymo

6 hours ago, RMH said:

What about comparing to where we were at this time last season?

Why would you do that ? Utterly pointless ... it is about improvement ... we'd already got to the top 4 and getting 2 points per game (as per last 19 games of last season) and that's what we should be building on and comparing to if we want to progress ...  

He is doing a very good job so far given the average age of the squad. I was expecting matches like the ones v Wolves and Brighton to be somehow of a regular thing knowing how young and inexperienced the players are and how they might not keep the same levels of concentration throughout a full match.

Maresca talks a lot about balance in his interviews and he's done exactly that. IMHO he will stick to this pragmatic style in this first season in order to build a solid chemistry and bring the club back to UCL football. Maresca needs a foundation to start off with and he will probably try to do the same thing he's done so far against the big clubs, which is to primarily go out there trying not to lose the game and then take most of the points against the lesser teams. 

For example Postecoglu, who is a decent and bold manager, plays the sort of football that would probably have us at around 35 goals conceded already. That high line and gung ho football, mixed with our very young squad = a recipe for disaster. Which is why Maresca is doing a fine job so far in bringing some much needed balance and discipline.

1 hour ago, Sexyfootball said:

Why would you do that ? Utterly pointless ... it is about improvement ... we'd already got to the top 4 and getting 2 points per game (as per last 19 games of last season) and that's what we should be building on and comparing to if we want to progress ...  

Why compare where we were last season under a new coach to where we are this season under a new coach? Really?

10 hours ago, Liam said:

I'm very happy with Maresca. I think he's done a fine job so far. 

He's been clever with how he dealt with the ridicule heaped on the club, when he first joined, over the squad size.

He has at all times been very clear on how he will operate and he has been unfailingly true to his word. He backs himself and trusts his vision.

Our stryle of play has been crystallizing week on week. In today's game there were a number of occasions where we moved the ball from front to back as if it were a setpiece.

There seems to be a good spirit in the camp and the players look as if they are fully on board with "the project". 

As a Chelsea fan I think he has done more than enough to deserve our support.

 

 

Of curse not everything is sunshine and butterflies about him but for the first time in a loooong while it feels like to me that we have a manager who will be here for a (relatively) long time

Something is wrong we are getting praised from top to bottom!!! This scares me to hell when we are getting praise especially from ESPN barring Frank.

 

 

1 minute ago, El regreso said:

Something is wrong we are getting praised from top to bottom!!! This scares me to hell when we are getting praise especially from ESPN barring Frank.

 

 

Yep, I'm not used to it too.

Luckily there's still a few low hits and subtle digs against us to keep me from getting too paranoid. 🤣 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c62jenjrld2o

Think i'll only compare come the end of the season and league placing. He's doing a good job results-wise. It would appear that city and Arsenal are having early season wobbles. Liverpool havent had any injuries... We're well placed. Guy is on for top four so no complaints, we need to be back in the Champions League. 

I think people are heaping expectations too soon. Lamps, Terry etc. were 24-26 when Jose took over and set us in our winning ways. After that we kept bringing in guys aged 27-30 until 2012 then Roman brought in 23yr olds that again reached maxed potential in 2016 but the new old guard reached it in 2020.

The cycle just began this season. The past 3 years for me is the dismantling and rebuilding process. This season is step 1 fellas. Lets just enjoy it

4 hours ago, dkw said:

Why compare where we were last season under a new coach to where we are this season under a new coach? Really?

Taken us 6 less games to reach 22 points in comparison to last season. 

Given the age of the squad I think Maresca is doing a very good job. Off the top of my head he's improved Colwill, Caicedo, Madueke, Jackson, Mudryk and cucurella since he's arrived. One of my biggest gripes with Poch was that it felt like none of our players got any better under him but under Maresca it feels like pretty much every player we have is on an upward trajectory.