Carry on.

Nice fun Maresca! Keep this going - we have momentum and players are improving and contributing. Dare I say Marescas stubbornness is easing also.

4 hours ago, acaeus said:

Have to defend Maresca here: this was either a lie, or a lost in translation situation with the journalist.

The journalist implied that Fluminense has played 70 games this season, which is not true. They played 70 games at the end of LAST SEASON, or if you count an arbitrary period until today ignoring vacation, which in Brazil takes place in December-January. The players were on vacation by the end of December and started their season playing the silly state championship (against lower div sides) in late Jan.

Maresca is right in his assessment that form wise, Brazilian teams are mid-season while European teams are at the end of the season with too many games played.

Just for the sake of completeness,
This was Fluminense's 40th match of the season. Many of which were in the Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state) championship where the top RIo clubs play locally against lower division teams -- it's hard to explain because it makes no sense. The early stages are treated like friendlies, with a lot of rotation, and reserves; so they are essentially counting friendly games too.

Anyway, if anyone can listen and understand Portuguese, or perhaps get subtitles going in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I0Tq5Wu_Gw this is one of the top sports journalist in Brazil; he's a Flamengo supporter, so there is a slight bias there, but he's still pretty consistent in his take. BTW, he also corrects the bad information given yesterday about the number of matches.

To date he has done the bare minimum in this competition with the teams we've faced, the real test comes in the final against proper opposition against a team we should be facing in the CL .

Thankfully self destructing against Flamengo went massively in our favour.

10 hours ago, PhilH930 said:

Nice fun Maresca! Keep this going - we have momentum and players are improving and contributing. Dare I say Marescas stubbornness is easing also.

It has been the stubbornness up to now that has pissed me off the most.

He's not alone. Many coaches have it. The "I'll prove the supporters wrong" theory. He just needs to stop playing players out of position (James being the prime example), stop playing Jackson (looks like we have that box ticked now) and stop playing Sanchez, and I think we will all see the benefit.

Think he has done well managing players coming back from injury. Just wish he would rest Palmer and Caicedo a bot more though. Think they have played too many minutes in this tournament when we have so many options.

37 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

To date he has done the bare minimum in this competition with the teams we've faced, the real test comes in the final against proper opposition against a team we should be facing in the CL .

Thankfully self destructing against Flamengo went massively in our favour.

So lucky with the awful Flamengo result and performance. Maresca has benefitted from the unforeseen turn of events.

I am still so bored watching his football!!! I just can’t get excited no matter how much I try.

1 hour ago, El regreso said:

I am still so bored watching his football!!! I just can’t get excited no matter how much I try.

I would agree on a lot of last season. But if he plays Palmer in the right position and will the addition of players like Pedro, Gittens, Estevao and Delap think our football should be a whole lot better. We played some good stuff last night and you have to allow for the very hot conditions.

Edited July 9, 20251 yr by Nibs

2 minutes ago, Nibs said:

I would agree on a lot of last season. But if he plays Palmer in the right position and will the addition of players like Pedro, Gittens, Estevao and Delap think our football should be a whole lot better. We played some good stuff last night and you have to allow for the very hot conditions.

He has no excuses this season, our squad is full of attacking intent and he has to use it. We reverted back to type last night quickly, as usual. Scored, had a few more chances, sh*t ourselves, went back to passing around at the back. Only difference last night was the opposition didnt take the opportunity to score against us when we went back to negative play, then we scored on a break and gained some confidence. Even then late on his changes left us wide open in the last 10, though in fairness it wasnt helped by the injury to Caicedo not long after he did actually make some changes.

In total fairness to him that first 60 minutes of last nights game wasn’t the usual paint drying we’re used to.

Yes we still lacked the ability to kill the game off in the first half, but Netos pace and some of Enzo’s passing really did make us look a proper attacking unit. I, dare say, actually enjoyed it.

Then Jackson came on and we went back to being pants.

1 hour ago, Nibs said:

I would agree on a lot of last season. But if he plays Palmer in the right position and will the addition of players like Pedro, Gittens, Estevao and Delap think our football should be a whole lot better. We played some good stuff last night and you have to allow for the very hot conditions.

I kinda agree with you here I know the weather is horrible and it’s hard to really play well in those conditions.

I will give him the benefit of the doubt and see where we are by December of the new season.

I really want to get excited about Chelsea again!!

51 minutes ago, El regreso said:

I kinda agree with you here I know the weather is horrible and it’s hard to really play well in those conditions.

I will give him the benefit of the doubt and see where we are by December of the new season.

I really want to get excited about Chelsea again!!

Yep, I'm the same.

Have posted on this very forum about how the football was some of the dullest I have ever seen CFC play in all my years of supporting us. I wasn't a fan of Maresca and could envisage more of the same and it was getting to the stage where I would avoid watching our games - they were that boring.

But it's amazing what a few new signings can do and suddenly I'm all optimistic for the coming season, so fingers crossed that optimism isn't jumping the gun. We can all remember the chants last December of "We've got our Chelsea back" and how that went!!

With the players we have now, I expect a huge improvement next season. Not league position wise, but definitely playing style.

I’m actually confident we’ll be more fun to watch, should be able to penetrate defence more often with better players such as Pedro.

That’s the biggest thing for me next season, I’ll take a 3rd position finish now if you offered it.

Champions league, Christ the thought of playing the likes of PSG scares me. To compete with teams like that, we need a world class centre back and a decent goalkeeper.

I know we might play them in the final but I don’t feel like it really counts. It’s not quite champions league semi final is it.

The manager will hopefully have turned off the tv’s if the squad are watching tonight’s match.

I can see big improvements in us this coming season but the final is going to be a chastening experience for the team. PSG are potentially more dominant than the Barca team of 08-11.

The are 3 up at half time against Madrid and it really could have been 6.

Fully expecting a drubbing in the final and it’s going to be interesting to see how we react to a team that’s several steps ahead of us.

Maresca won’t be getting any sort of control in this match so I wonder how he will approach it? Would love a heroic backs to the wall win but highly doubting we are anywhere ready to take on this PSG side.

sh*tting myself already .

8 hours ago, UK CFC LDN said:

In total fairness to him that first 60 minutes of last nights game wasn’t the usual paint drying we’re used to.

Yes we still lacked the ability to kill the game off in the first half, but Netos pace and some of Enzo’s passing really did make us look a proper attacking unit. I, dare say, actually enjoyed it.

Then Jackson came on and we went back to being pants.

8 hours ago, UK CFC LDN said:

In total fairness to him that first 60 minutes of last nights game wasn’t the usual paint drying we’re used to.

Yes we still lacked the ability to kill the game off in the first half, but Netos pace and some of Enzo’s passing really did make us look a proper attacking unit. I, dare say, actually enjoyed it.

Then Jackson came on and we went back to being pants.

Not now Jim 😂

PSG so far have battered Atletico, Real Madrid and beat Bayern fairly comfortably .

If we give them a good game (even if we lose), it's genuinely a positive sign of where we're headed

Still if Botafogo can beat them so can we 🙏

9 hours ago, PhilH930 said:

Nice fun Maresca! Keep this going - we have momentum and players are improving and contributing. Dare I say Marescas stubbornness is easing also.

9 hours ago, Drogba1 said:

PSG so far have battered Atletico, Real Madrid and beat Bayern fairly comfortably .

If we give them a good game (even if we lose), it's genuinely a positive sign of where we're headed

Still if Botafogo can beat them so can we 🙏

Bar from them absolutely spanking us - let's say 5-0, 6-0 or along the lines we can be pretty positive of our progress as a team and this tournament itself.

A rough beating could set the team back a bit. I think it is more harmful to us than to Real and Alonso to get spanked. We need that good old positive reinforcement as a squad.

I hope we at least give them a game. No over board lunges or tackles if we go 2-0 down. But a professional showing that we are maturing. Personally I think PSG suits as an opponent to us a bit better than Real would have. Real would approach the game to win, PSG to smash. A smasher we could surprise but a classic Real defensive show probably not.

I'm reading a lot of comments after last night's PSG match against Real Madrid suggesting that the way PSG plays is similar to ours. I mean, I think that notion is laughable. PSG are not afraid to kick the ball from the defence to the attackers at first touch (they did it multiple times last night getting the Madrid players off guard), while we've heard Maresca talk endlessly about recycling at the back and saying that if any of the players pass the ball long at first touch he would substitute them.

"Yeah, but the good thing is that Fernandez knows that if he doesn’t play back, I will change him. If the ‘keeper plays long, I will change him. This is what we have."

PSG are more similar to Liverpools fast attacking pace than to our sluggish sideways pace. We need a better coach with more experience if we want ever to play like them.

54 minutes ago, RMH said:

I'm reading a lot of comments after last night's PSG match against Real Madrid suggesting that the way PSG plays is similar to ours. I mean, I think that notion is laughable. PSG are not afraid to kick the ball from the defence to the attackers at first touch (they did it multiple times last night getting the Madrid players off guard), while we've heard Maresca talk endlessly about recycling at the back and saying that if any of the players pass the ball long at first touch he would substitute them.

"Yeah, but the good thing is that Fernandez knows that if he doesn’t play back, I will change him. If the ‘keeper plays long, I will change him. This is what we have."

PSG are more similar to Liverpools fast attacking pace than to our sluggish sideways pace. We need a better coach with more experience if we want ever to play like them.

Liverpool under Klopp maybe. Much more reserved under Slott.

I do actually wonder how much of that comment was tongue in cheek or just a wind up from Maresca, as the players have completely disabondoned that thinking and have been more progressive. No one has been dropped.

3 hours ago, RMH said:

I'm reading a lot of comments after last night's PSG match against Real Madrid suggesting that the way PSG plays is similar to ours. I mean, I think that notion is laughable. PSG are not afraid to kick the ball from the defence to the attackers at first touch (they did it multiple times last night getting the Madrid players off guard), while we've heard Maresca talk endlessly about recycling at the back and saying that if any of the players pass the ball long at first touch he would substitute them.

"Yeah, but the good thing is that Fernandez knows that if he doesn’t play back, I will change him. If the ‘keeper plays long, I will change him. This is what we have."

PSG are more similar to Liverpools fast attacking pace than to our sluggish sideways pace. We need a better coach with more experience if we want ever to play like them.

Yep, it's complete nonsense saying PSG play like us.

4 hours ago, RMH said:

I'm reading a lot of comments after last night's PSG match against Real Madrid suggesting that the way PSG plays is similar to ours. I mean, I think that notion is laughable. PSG are not afraid to kick the ball from the defence to the attackers at first touch (they did it multiple times last night getting the Madrid players off guard), while we've heard Maresca talk endlessly about recycling at the back and saying that if any of the players pass the ball long at first touch he would substitute them.

"Yeah, but the good thing is that Fernandez knows that if he doesn’t play back, I will change him. If the ‘keeper plays long, I will change him. This is what we have."

PSG are more similar to Liverpools fast attacking pace than to our sluggish sideways pace. We need a better coach with more experience if we want ever to play like them.

lol who said that 🤣🤣

We are nothing like PSG, they are dynamic fast purposeful everything we are not under HB Pep.

On 16/06/2025 at 07:23, Ukraine Bolt said:

If you’re pro-ESL then you’re anti-football.

The English football pyramid is the greatest in the world and no other country comes close. Spain have a couple of good teams but the league is absolutely sh*te. There’s a reason the premier league demands the money that it does. Nothing comes close and the ESL was only pushed by the likes of Madrid and Barca in an attempt to keep up financially.

Football is what's on the pitch not what's decided in board rooms. Shouldn't we be playing against other big cities not towns? So you don't get the same teams at the top of the table every year. We know who are in contention for the 2026 PL already. Have a salary capped ESL where 18 plus teams could win the comp. at the start of each season.

I've been very pleased with Maresca over the past few months. The team is showing a lot of growth and potential. Not sure why people are so negative about him here.

37 minutes ago, PraetorianGuard said:

I've been very pleased with Maresca over the past few months. The team is showing a lot of growth and potential. Not sure why people are so negative about him here.

Because the expectations on him is huge and he has questionable gameplans from time to time.

A huge reason for that will be the continued usage of Sanchez, Gusto (formation fit issue) and Jackson plus the underutilization of Nkunku, the comments on Reece being a DM. That said, he's been winning the fans back step by step since that disastrous blip that cost us a spot at the very top of the table

His press conference showed a good mentality to begin with.. he has largely done well in bug games ..

• we dominated lpool and if not for poor referee decisions and NJ could have gotten a result and beat them in the reverse fixture

• Lost to city at home in the first game of the season (poor penalty decision) and lost to Sanchez bozo moments away

• Beat and drew with Utd

• Drew and lost to arsenal away

• Beat spurs home and away

• Beat NC and put a spirited 10 man show

• Beat forest and Betis in our two finals this far

I don’t buy that we don’t have quality in the team to compete - our mid field is quality our fullbacks are among the best in Europe .. I think it is the attack where on paper they are much better with KK and Dembele and Ramos we just have Palmer of any quality (too early for Pedro).

So if anything it maybe a 2-1 or 2-0 for them but if one of our forward players steps up we can win.