14 minutes ago, Gol15 said:

Enzo hiring isn't a waste of time if we finish top 6.

He worked with Palmer before and now Palmer is one of the best players in the league so what he did already it wasn't a waste of time.

He just needs to continue to develop the squad, I would be happy seeing Madueke play every match possible and finishing top 6 because the investment in the younger players will only make sense in the future if the plan is done properly today.

We are supposed to take care of our squad, winning a cup and finishing top 4 is not expected nor was it appreciated when we were doing it in the past so it's not a make or break for Maresca.

Pep, Klopp didn't win anything in their first season why would the appointment of Maresca have higher expectations?

More than half of the managers in the PL alone can get top 6 with this team, nevermind aboard. It's not an achievement, especially not when the manager we just sacked already did it under far worse circumstances. I am not suggesting we should sack him a year into his contract, mainly as I'm not a fan of chopping and changing all the time, but going into the next season he would have to do a lot to remain as manager. 

I wouldn't credit Palmer to Enzo, I would say Poch giving him a free role helped more with his development to be honest. Enzo now is just refining small aspects of his game in an attempt to make the team better overall. 

Klopp walked into a Pool team that is nowhere near as good as ours overall and over at City they prepared everything for Pep's arrival years in advance so barring relegation there's no way they would have sacked him. Neither of these circumstances apply to us. 

When I see other managers make proactive changes with inferior players at their disposal, that is when I start questioning our manager. 

Edited January 16, 20251 yr by Sconnie Blue

23 minutes ago, Remodez said:

More than half of the managers in the PL alone can get top 6 with this team, nevermind aboard. It's not an achievement, especially not when the manager we just sacked already did it under far worse circumstances. I am not suggesting we should sack him a year into his contract, mainly as I'm not a fan of chopping and changing all the time, but going into the next season he would have to do a lot to remain as manager. 

I wouldn't credit Palmer to Enzo, I would say Poch giving him a free role helped more with his development to be honest. Enzo now is just refining small aspects of his game in an attempt to make the team better overall. 

Klopp walked into a Pool team that is nowhere near as good as ours overall and over at City they prepared everything for Pep's arrival years in advance so barring relegation there's no way they would have sacked him. Neither of these circumstances apply to us. 

Can you somehow prove that half of the current managers would finish top 6 with our squad? Sounds like a wild statement, the teams close to use in terms of average age are Brentford/Brighton, they are fighting for a top 8 spot.

We have a world class player in Palmer and Enzo (some might even think they can debate this one) and we're still developing our wingers, our striker is basically just Jackson since Nkunku can't do much at all and our backline and keeper is not even close to have any hints of any kind of a world class talent there. 

I can assure you that Maresca walked in a big mess in comparison to Klopp and Pep.

25 minutes ago, Gol15 said:

Can you somehow prove that half of the current managers would finish top 6 with our squad? Sounds like a wild statement, the teams close to use in terms of average age are Brentford/Brighton, they are fighting for a top 8 spot.

We have a world class player in Palmer and Enzo (some might even think they can debate this one) and we're still developing our wingers, our striker is basically just Jackson since Nkunku can't do much at all and our backline and keeper is not even close to have any hints of any kind of a world class talent there. 

I can assure you that Maresca walked in a big mess in comparison to Klopp and Pep.

No, I can't prove it obviously. No more than I can prove a striker like Gyokeres would adjust to the league and would win us more games but I've got eyes and after watching him extensively I'm pretty confident in my assessment that he would. The same logic applies here with managers. 

In regards to average age, the difference in age that Poch had and what Enzo current has is a .1 at most. Comparing to Brighton and Brentford is also misleading as you are ignoring the difference in player quality. I would fully expect Brentford to struggle as their players are not as good as ours and Brighton are struggling cause half their team was/is injured, something we have managed to avoid so far. Even if they had a fully fit team I would still expect them to finish below us. The fact that they are still in the fight for potential European spots is a testament to their managers. 

You aren't going to convince any sane person that Maresca walked into a worse situation than Klopp when most of the groundwork was done by Poch previously and unlike Klopp he even had a whole pre season but of course you are free to believe that. 

I think when James and Lavia are back barring any other injuries we can match or beat most in the league.

James we know about, after 5 matches and he is normally crocked.

So for most of the season we are then reliant on Gusto who does have the odd injury yet is generally reliable yet not right for Maresca's inverted wide back preference.

We are also better with Caicedo and Lavia they work well together in a way Enzo does not, though Enzo did make an impact from the bench earlier in the season.

Liverpool seem to find youngsters to play in midfield with pace to burn we don't.

Perhaps Enzo would work better in a three yet Maresca prefers the 4-2-3-1 system.

We also have a lot of wide players with flair who are not consistent yet occasionally produce some decent play. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Remodez said:

No, I can't prove it obviously. No more than I can prove a striker like Gyokeres would adjust to the league and would win us more games but I've got eyes and after watching him extensively I'm pretty confident in my assessment that he would. The same logic applies here with managers. 

In regards to average age, the difference in age that Poch had and what Enzo current has is a .1 at most. Comparing to Brighton and Brentford is also misleading as you are ignoring the difference in player quality. I would fully expect Brentford to struggle as their players are not as good as ours and Brighton are struggling cause half their team was/is injured, something we have managed to avoid so far. Even if they had a fully fit team I would still expect them to finish below us. The fact that they are still in the fight for potential European spots is a testament to their managers. 

You aren't going to convince any sane person that Maresca walked into a worse situation than Klopp when most of the groundwork was done by Poch previously and unlike Klopp he even had a whole pre season but of course you are free to believe that. 

 

My point is that we on average play with the youngest squad in the league which isn't an easy task at all, you can't expect the same level of consistency when you play like that regardless of the estimated quality of the team. 

You think that half of the current managers would finish top 6 with this squad and that Maresca therefore must finish top 4... So it's a way to simply disregard whatever work Maresca has been doing this far, making the narrative that he isn't doing anything but a below average job.

We are currently 5th with the following team stats:

2nd in passes made

2nd in shots taken

1st in hitting the woodwork

3rd/4th in goals scored

Maresca has done a great job so far given the circumstances, it's not like he walked in a team with established players with some veterans of the league in which he could count on and trust in, saying that he has an easy job to make a team and just finish top 4 is fully ignoring the unstable situation that this club has been having.

I find it silly to just point the finger at the manager after 20 matches played when all of the previous ones that were brought by the new ownership hadn't managed to do anything better than Maresca.

Edited January 16, 20251 yr by Gol15

35 minutes ago, Gol15 said:

 

My point is that we on average play with the youngest squad in the league which isn't an easy task at all, you can't expect the same level of consistency when you play like that regardless of the estimated quality of the team. 

You think that half of the current managers would finish top 6 with this squad and that Maresca therefore must finish top 4... So it's a way to simply disregard whatever work Maresca has been doing this far, making the narrative that he isn't doing anything but a below average job.

We are currently 5th with the following team stats:

2nd in passes made

2nd in shots taken

1st in hitting the woodwork

3rd/4th in goals scored

Maresca has done a great job so far given the circumstances, it's not like he walked in a team with established players with some veterans of the league in which he could count on and trust in, saying that he has an easy job to make a team and just finish top 4 is fully ignoring the unstable situation that this club has been having.

I find it silly to just point the finger at the manager after 20 matches played when all of the previous ones that were brought by the new ownership hadn't managed to do anything better than Maresca.

Did you miss most of 2024 Gol ?

And since when was being #1 in hitting the woodwork something to applaud the coach for ?

23 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

Did you miss most of 2024 Gol ?

And since when was being #1 in hitting the woodwork something to applaud the coach for ?

Where are in the Louis van Gaal possession table?

3 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

When I see other managers make proactive changes with inferior players at their disposal, that is when I start questioning our manager. 

He’s starting to lose me with his inability to change the game from the bench. His inactivity until the last 10 to 15 minutes is frustrating.

He looks like he’s lost and doesn’t know what to change.

6 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

But but..the American part of the ownership are geniuses at maximising commercial revenue..... aren't they? 

It:s impossible for us to be the ONLY club without a front of shirt sponsor isn't it ?

😜

Apparently we were 20 years behind the curve.

6 hours ago, Brigadeiro Mk II said:

To be honest, screw the financial side (especially if they'll revert that money on duds), I absolutely love our sponsorless kits. Would rather we go full American and just go straight with CHELSEA proudly stamped on the front.

Yeah, until we get a points deduction for PSR breaches which £40m -£60m would have covered.

6 hours ago, Gol15 said:

Enzo hiring isn't a waste of time if we finish top 6.

He worked with Palmer before and now Palmer is one of the best players in the league so what he did already it wasn't a waste of time.

He just needs to continue to develop the squad, I would be happy seeing Madueke play every match possible and finishing top 6 because the investment in the younger players will only make sense in the future if the plan is done properly today.

We are supposed to take care of our squad, winning a cup and finishing top 4 is not expected nor was it appreciated when we were doing it in the past so it's not a make or break for Maresca.

Pep, Klopp didn't win anything in their first season why would the appointment of Maresca have higher expectations?

Sorry Gol, just to clarify. Palmer joined Man City in 2010 at the age of 7 playing for their under 8s. He left in 2023 to join us having a breakout season under Pochettino which he has followed up this year. Are you implying that this development into the player he is today is as a result of the one season  that Maresca was at City as manager of the development squad 

8 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Yeah, until we get a points deduction for PSR breaches which £40m -£60m would have covered.

Wasn't completely serious as I'm aware of the implications of doing so (although I do prefer the plain kit), but if only that'd make them plan accordingly and spend/save money more wisely than sending Chalobah away and getting Disasi/Badi for the same 40m that pushes us to breaking PSR, huh? 

I know it's not feasible nor realistic, but I'm not a director or a manager to really care about that. As as fan I just wish to see the players/fans giving their all on the pitch, all whilst wearing a nice lovely overpriced kit.  

3 minutes ago, Brigadeiro Mk II said:

Wasn't completely serious as I'm aware of the implications of doing so (although I do prefer the plain kit), but if only that'd make them plan accordingly and spend/save money more wisely than sending Chalobah away and getting Disasi/Badi for the same 40m that pushes us to breaking PSR, huh? 

I know it's not feasible nor realistic, but I'm not a director or a manager to really care about that. As as fan I just wish to see the players/fans giving their all on the pitch, all whilst wearing a nice lovely overpriced kit.  

I was only joking as well. Normally I would agree with you but anything that covers up that monstrosity of a Jeyes cloth would be a good thing this season

4 hours ago, El regreso said:

He’s starting to lose me with his inability to change the game from the bench. His inactivity until the last 10 to 15 minutes is frustrating.

He looks like he’s lost and doesn’t know what to change.

It's frustrating because at the start of the season, he was quite the opposite.

Just barely a month go we were lauding "Maresca half-time talks" in the win against Tottenham.

I often wonder if confidence/form are actually a function of managers, not players. When teams are winning and riding high, managers are less conservative and make game-breaking plays. When teams are struggling, managers retreat into their shell. I suspect that's what's happening here with Maresca.

14 hours ago, strider6004 said:

I think when James and Lavia are back barring any other injuries we can match or beat most in the league.

James we know about, after 5 matches and he is normally crocked.

So for most of the season we are then reliant on Gusto who does have the odd injury yet is generally reliable yet not right for Maresca's inverted wide back preference.

We are also better with Caicedo and Lavia they work well together in a way Enzo does not, though Enzo did make an impact from the bench earlier in the season.

Liverpool seem to find youngsters to play in midfield with pace to burn we don't.

Perhaps Enzo would work better in a three yet Maresca prefers the 4-2-3-1 system.

We also have a lot of wide players with flair who are not consistent yet occasionally produce some decent play. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agree with all the points but for consistency, it isn't just our wide players who need to be more consistent - I would argue it is just about every single player and that is something Maresca and his coaching staff should be working on.

I know ALL sides suffer from inconsistency, it's not just us, but it is frustrating to see the likes of Neto, Sancho, Noni, Jackson, Enzo, Gusto etce etc, all look great one game and then average the next. Even Palmer has struggled of late. He is still our main man and is a joy to watch, but he's flitting in and out of games. Folk can argue that once players cross the white line and play badly or miss chances, then it's not down to the coach but IMO that's bo**ocks. If players KEEP under performing, then the coach isn't doing his job properly.

 

14 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

Did you miss most of 2024 Gol ?

And since when was being #1 in hitting the woodwork something to applaud the coach for ?

Seems to me that a lot of people are holding on to straws, we are one of the most attractive teams under Maresca right now, we would be scoring more if not for all the posts and bars which is unlucky.

Before a lot of people complained about how boring we are and now when we are scoring more people still want to blame the manager... If all you can take from my whole post is that little thing then you prove my point, a lot of people are missing out on the big picture here.

19 hours ago, Gol15 said:

Who said that? 

We have the youngest team in the league, top 4 and winning a cup sounds like Roman's requirements, not the new owners vision, Maresca can only get the max out of this current squad in some ways but in most ways we're just getting started.

Romans requirements if he spent a billion would challenge for the league or bust at the end of the season. If we were struggling to make top 4, the manager would be gone by January. If Roman were here, he and his team would be attending training sessions. Don't win our next 2 games and Maresca would 100% be sacked.

10 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

It's frustrating because at the start of the season, he was quite the opposite.

Just barely a month go we were lauding "Maresca half-time talks" in the win against Tottenham.

I often wonder if confidence/form are actually a function of managers, not players. When teams are winning and riding high, managers are less conservative and make game-breaking plays. When teams are struggling, managers retreat into their shell. I suspect that's what's happening here with Maresca.

Yes at the start of the season he was going well with adjust Wolves and Bournemouth comes to mind where his changes/team talk won the game. Since Brentford he seems to haves his confidence.

2 hours ago, KonaKai Blue said:

Romans requirements if he spent a billion would challenge for the league or bust at the end of the season. If we were struggling to make top 4, the manager would be gone by January. If Roman were here, he and his team would be attending training sessions. Don't win our next 2 games and Maresca would 100% be sacked.

Roman wouldn't invest so much on youngsters to begin with, he made our academy good enough for some young players to come out of it but for the rest we were spending on already established talent out there so Roman wouldn't have splashed the cash for he likes of a fairly unknown Mudryk or for an injury-prone Lavia and so on...

The new ownership made it very clear, out with the old and in with the new so their philosophy is quite different from Roman's.

14 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

Sorry Gol, just to clarify. Palmer joined Man City in 2010 at the age of 7 playing for their under 8s. He left in 2023 to join us having a breakout season under Pochettino which he has followed up this year. Are you implying that this development into the player he is today is as a result of the one season  that Maresca was at City as manager of the development squad 

I think it's reasonable to say that a manager does influence his players while managing the u23 team, they get along quite well so it would be a pretty bitter take to suggest that Maresca has had no kind of input on Palmer's development.

 

What's the view on Haaland:s extraordinarily new nine and a half years ,£500k a week contract. ?

Suggestions on radio are that it indicates Citeh are confident ( or have indications) of beating most of the charges against them ?

It's a ridiculous contract deal to hand out to a player not long before the outcome of their case is announced.

4 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

What's the view on Haaland:s extraordinarily new nine and a half years ,£500k a week contract. ?

Suggestions on radio are that it indicates Citeh are confident ( or have indications) of beating most of the charges against them ?

It's a ridiculous contract deal to hand out to a player not long before the outcome of their case is announced.

I think that along with the new signings shows to me they are expecting a big transfer ban.

22 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Indeed they are. 

As someone who has been against them from the beginning I am glad to see more and more people are now seeing these guys are bad for our club.

They are stripping away everything that made us Chelsea.

Not going to change, live with it or walk away. 

34 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

What's the view on Haaland:s extraordinarily new nine and a half years ,£500k a week contract. ?

Suggestions on radio are that it indicates Citeh are confident ( or have indications) of beating most of the charges against them ?

It's a ridiculous contract deal to hand out to a player not long before the outcome of their case is announced.

Its more financial doping essentially. Puts Haaland out of reach to the super clubs. Destroys the already ridiculous wage bill being shelled out. Protects investment in player i guess.