3 hours ago, markpitts said:

He isn’t any other 19yr old though; 76 league appearances for A**x, A**x captain and 6 caps for the Dutch national team. It’s like saying Cubarsi starting at CB for Barca at 17yrs is a bit daft. Hato is even for more experienced.

Makes no sense paying big money for him when the manager has zero faith in him. No one is saying start him tomorrow; sure go with Chalobah & Tosin, with Badiashille coming in as depth. By October Hato should be up to speed and ready to start. Buying another CB now when when we have 10-11 on our books is just ridiculous.

That's up to Hato to step up, the manager has to think of the whole squad. Koulibaly was even better prepared and even he couldn't handle the pressure at Chelsea, it's silly to expect a 19yr old to immediately help carry a title winning defense in his first season after a couple of months.

Ofc the manager has no faith in him to carry out one of the most crucial role in the team, he just landed here 2 weeks ago. We don't know how he'll adapt to the CCB sweeper role. And now Tosin is out as a precaution.

Edited August 16, 2025Aug 16 by Deino

5 hours ago, Deino said:

The manager wants someone who can straight away slot in the CCB role. To pin our hopes on a 19yr old is a bit daft

I must of missed the new hipster memo on player roles WTF is CCB?

16 minutes ago, El regreso said:

I must of missed the new hipster memo on player roles WTF is CCB?

Central Centerback

1 hour ago, Deino said:

Central Centerback

How does that differ from a CB?

25 minutes ago, El regreso said:

How does that differ from a CB?

Central CBs or sweepers need to be able to play long, push into midfield and be the last man etc. It's a role with a specific skillset depending on the tactic.

We've played with 352/343 before, not much to explain really

2 hours ago, Deino said:

Central CBs or sweepers need to be able to play long, push into midfield and be the last man etc. It's a role with a specific skillset depending on the tactic.

We've played with 352/343 before, not much to explain really

So just a ball playing defender?

Who comes up with these silly names.

Why do some people want to over complicate a simple sport FFS

3 hours ago, Deino said:

Central CBs or sweepers need to be able to play long, push into midfield and be the last man etc. It's a role with a specific skillset depending on the tactic.

We've played with 352/343 before, not much to explain really

Are we really playing a simple 343? Because it doesn’t look like anything we played under Conte. We play with one inverted FB, whatever that means other than Cucu going into the midfield and crashing into the box. But it’s not a traditional 343 with wingbacks ala Moses or Alonso.

With all the briefings the club is putting out it is clear Maresca has ruffled the directors, and probably owners, feathers. One of them is "Freedom of expression is a privilege not a right for the modern manager".

He may well pay for that this season. A run of form like last winter may see him out in my opinion.

Edited August 17, 2025Aug 17 by axman2526

3 hours ago, El regreso said:

So just a ball playing defender?

Who comes up with these silly names.

Why do some people want to over complicate a simple sport FFS

A ball playing defender is a trait, not a position

2 hours ago, RMH said:

Are we really playing a simple 343? Because it doesn’t look like anything we played under Conte. We play with one inverted FB, whatever that means other than Cucu going into the midfield and crashing into the box. But it’s not a traditional 343 with wingbacks ala Moses or Alonso.

We aren't, I'm just using an example to illustrate a point

4 hours ago, RMH said:

Are we really playing a simple 343? Because it doesn’t look like anything we played under Conte. We play with one inverted FB, whatever that means other than Cucu going into the midfield and crashing into the box. But it’s not a traditional 343 with wingbacks ala Moses or Alonso.

Still can’t wrap my head around the Cucurella role, looks very strange when you watch it in game. You have Cucurella taking up a position you would expect Palmer to be in, while the LW is left trying to figure out how to get past being doubled up on. What is interesting is how Arteta and Pep changed the personnel playing that role over the last two seasons. This season Pep seems to be moving away from it after getting found out last season.

I do wonder if his insistence on having a specific LCB is because of the role Cucurella plays. If the RCB is the one responsible for progressing the ball, it might mean he would have to invert the RB.

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.

5 hours ago, Deino said:

A ball playing defender is a trait, not a position

That's just a centre back, its always been part of a good centre backs game, its not a new phenomenon.

Think we should focus our efforts on securing a DCB (Defensive Centre Back) to limit the amount of opportunities out SSGK (Shot Stopping Goal Keeper) will have to deal with before redistributing the ball to our GSS (Goal Scoring Striker)

12 minutes ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Think we should focus our efforts on securing a DCB (Defensive Centre Back) to limit the amount of opportunities out SSGK (Shot Stopping Goal Keeper) will have to deal with before redistributing the ball to our GSS (Goal Scoring Striker)

However, the success of such a system depends entirely on the tactical nous of our YDKWYD (You Don't Know What You're Doing) coach.

First interview gaffe of the season then.

What he should have said is some positive confidence-building comments about the centre backs that ARE available, rather than chucking them all under the bus ...

Proving he learned nothing from last season's major gaffe when he talked down our title chances when we were 2nd ...

Edited August 17, 2025Aug 17 by Sexyfootball

Maresca calling out for a new defender to the press while the club insist they have enough defenders. I was told by certain members ( @evissy ) a few months ago that Maresca is the perfect yes man as he does as he’s told and he’s only there to manage the squad he is given. What’s your current stance on the current situation, now he is doing the opposite of what you said was perfect?

Acheampong can 100% play that Colwill/Tosin role as well. You don’t graduate as one of the most promising Cobham talents without being able to make line breaking passes. Just show some faith in the academy.

Maresca’s comments just added 20m to any potential target, irrespective of whether his opinion is correct.

The sporting directors didn’t care when we needed a striker in January and they're not going to care now, but in this case they are far, far more justified. Firstly the notion that no other player can play "linebreaking" passes is nonsense, secondly any tactic that solely relies on Colwill's fitness is doomed to fail.

We can't keep opening the chequebook just because our squad are mildly unsuited to the manager's tactics. Change the tactics.

1 hour ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Think we should focus our efforts on securing a DCB (Defensive Centre Back) to limit the amount of opportunities out SSGK (Shot Stopping Goal Keeper) will have to deal with before redistributing the ball to our GSS (Goal Scoring Striker)

Best comment I have seen in a long time 🤣🤣🤣🤣You win the forum today.

So how long before he starts blaming not have a new CB as the reason we are not winning games?

21 hours ago, Deino said:

The manager wants someone who can straight away slot in the CCB role. To pin our hopes on a 19yr old is a bit daft

Where's a young JT when you need him?

39 minutes ago, El regreso said:

So how long before he starts blaming not have a new CB as the reason we are not winning games?

If he gets Simons then we will have to pull a Liverpool and simply try and win every game 4-3 or however long it takes for the defence to get settled.

2 hours ago, dkw said:

That's just a centre back, its always been part of a good centre backs game, its not a new phenomenon.

I was putting it in a simple digestible way because some people immediately go "But we have Disasi/Josh/Badiashile" when it's clear and obvious they are not CBs that suit that position

2 hours ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Think we should focus our efforts on securing a DCB (Defensive Centre Back) to limit the amount of opportunities out SSGK (Shot Stopping Goal Keeper) will have to deal with before redistributing the ball to our GSS (Goal Scoring Striker)

f**k off you twat