22 minutes ago, The Boehly Babes said:

PS Wait til England sh*t the bed in the summer and we can appoint super Tommy Tuchel again x

I know things weren';t great at the end of Tuchel's time here, but he's the only manager we've had since Jose that I really felt a connection to, that I felt got the club. I'd love to have him back, if the ownership can swallow their pride.

11 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

The problem of course is that they will then appoint Rosenior who is even worse and a proper yes man.

Don’t know much about him, but it’s actually laughably obvious this is what the club will do.

4 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

You think so?

More likely they wait for the end of season so as not to distrupt Strasbourg for this:

Or they appoint Di Zerbi, who they spoke with in person after a Strasbourg vs Marseille game.

More sh*t bait ball.

1 minute ago, WhiteWall said:

More sh*t bait ball.

Aye sadly we know it will be a be poor appointment, which is why I have no excitement for Maresca to be sacked.

All their appointment have been sh*t. From Sporting directors, commercial and Financial people, and managers.

Won't change, they don't know what they are doing. They won't get us Emery.

1 minute ago, axman2526 said:

Aye sadly we know it will be a be poor appointment, which is why I have no excitement for Maresca to be sacked.

All their appointment have been sh*t. From Sporting directors, commercial and Financial people, and managers.

Won't change, they don't know what they are doing. They won't get us Emery.

They couldn't get Emery. He'd have their cards marked. He's no mug.

40 minutes ago, Zeta said:

I know things weren';t great at the end of Tuchel's time here, but he's the only manager we've had since Jose that I really felt a connection to, that I felt got the club. I'd love to have him back, if the ownership can swallow their pride.

Tuchel's too stubborn to be under anyone long term. He also plays boring possession football at times.

34 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Aye sadly we know it will be a be poor appointment, which is why I have no excitement for Maresca to be sacked.

All their appointment have been sh*t. From Sporting directors, commercial and Financial people, and managers.

Won't change, they don't know what they are doing. They won't get us Emery.

Yep, not saying their appointments have been totally bad but it's very underwhelming at some parts and disastrous in others.

If Maresca gets the sack, can we make sure that he leaves with the SDs and the board as well? As much as I dislike Maresca and, as much as I think he’s a sh*t manager, the ones that chose him (and bloated the team with average to sh*t players) are the SDs and board. I want Maresca gone but, first and foremost, but I also want the Club signing policy to massively change, and that’s not happening with this lot in charge.

4 hours ago, Adamrb said:

I am by no means saying he is perfect, far from it. But, and it’s a big but in my mind, the squad as a whole is very mid table.

Outside of palmer, James and the cm’s (Estavao is 18 so discounting him a little), the quality of player is just sooo average.

I could name 15-20 wingers in the premier league that I think are better than the likes of Garnacho and Gittens. And don’t get me started on the cb and striker levels.

So for that reason, I think Meresca is doing a pretty solid job. Not mind blowing stuff but probably just above where we ought to be based on the proven talent available in the team. Doesn’t mean I’m a fan of his though. But until we go and buy a top striker, cb and gk - this is just where we are… depressing

I just don't buy that to be honest. If the majority of our players went on sale right now, all of the top half teams would be interested.

Just now, Scott Harris said:

I just don't buy that to be honest. If the majority of our players went on sale right now, all of the top half teams would be interested.

Yep, the outrage on player signings is a bit over the top. Only a small percentage of our players are "bad". They may not measure up to the standards during the golden age of football 90's-2010's but they are still good players.

Ofc this is also the same message board that had some people who thought KdB couldn't hack it in the PL.

1 hour ago, Deino said:

Yep, the outrage on player signings is a bit over the top. Only a small percentage of our players are "bad". They may not measure up to the standards during the golden age of football 90's-2010's but they are still good players.

I think that it’s a bit muddied by the complete lack of experience and maturity in the squad. Apart from old man Tosin (who is definitely not a top tier player) at 27, the whole squad is in nappies. And I think that is an issue in itself. Some of these players in better balanced squads would be even better than we think they are. Equally some would still be awful if put into the greatest sides in the history of the game.

2 hours ago, Zeta said:

I know things weren';t great at the end of Tuchel's time here, but he's the only manager we've had since Jose that I really felt a connection to, that I felt got the club. I'd love to have him back, if the ownership can swallow their pride.

They will 100% hire generic manager three.

16 hours ago, Jangz said:

I am not a Maresca fan but i detest the strategy our SDs have deployed.. i dont see the great quality you talk about -- Even when fully fit this is what it looks like

Sanchez - top 6 keeper (not title winning)

James - Title winning FB

Fofana - top 6 (injuries permitting)

Chalobah - top 10

Cuco - Top 6/Title wining

Caicedo - Title winning

Enzo - Top 6

Palmer - Title Winning

Neto - Top 6

Pedro - Top 6/Top 10

Garnacho - Top 6/Top 10

Given the above we are exactly where we should be..

16 hours ago, Jangz said:

Sanchez - top 6 keeper (not title winning) Bit of recent history bias here. Just 2 months back many of us thought he was a bum. Top 10 keeper at best until he proves consistency.

James - Title winning FB. Agreed.

Fofana - top 6 (injuries permitting). Agreed.

Chalobah - top 10. Bottom half.

Cuco - Top 6/Title wining. Top 6.

Caicedo - Title winning. Agreed.

Enzo - Top 6. Bottom half/top 10.

Palmer - Title Winning. Agreed.

Neto - Top 6. Top 10.

Pedro - Top 6/Top 10. Relegation/bottom 6.

Garnacho - Top 6/Top 10. Championship level.

Goalies: good Sánchez when not required to play around with the ball; awful Jorgensen.

RB: world class James; Gusto, blows hot and cold.

CB: very good Colwill (injured); very good Fofana (when not injured); average Chalobah (when played together with a good CB); very good prospect Acheampong (but not played by the idiot coach, whether because of SD/board tell him so or not); sh*t Badiashille, Tosin (both of which get playing time regularly ahead of Acheampong) and Disasi.

LB: very good Cucurella, unknown Hato as he doesn’t get playing time for whatever reason (rotation doesn’t make it as an excuse for this position).

Midfield: world class Caicedo and average Enzo, both run to the ground (rotation doesn’t work as an excuse for this position either); very good Lavia (injured) and good in the very limited playing time Santos. James is played here instead of Santos for whatever reason, Maresca or the SDs?

RW: average to good (I suppose) Neto; potential world class Estevao but doesn’t get enough playing time.

AM: world class Palmer, he is returning from injury and his best position is RW; Joao Pedro, who is being played as CF; Buonanotte, who I’d like to see more often but is a loan, anyway.

LW: Garnacho, Manu reject and not that good; Gittens, poor so far; Mudryk, f**k me, hope not.

CF: average options in Delap and JP, I’d like to see more often Guiu, but overall very average options.

And this is our team, as far as I can remember. A very, very unbalanced team with its best players prone to injury. A hopeful top 4 team but that could be doing better with better management AND recruitment. Maresca can get the blame, as he does absurd things most games, but the SDs and board can’t get scot free with how they are running the club.

7 hours ago, El regreso said:

This is exactly how I interpreted those comments. He was probably grilled on why our season has derailed in such a short span and probably why he’s rotating so much. Even Beavis and Butthead knows you can’t rotate that much and be consistent.

He also mentioned the fans supports him and suspiciously left out the “Club” which suggests this is the first time he’s been doubted by the club.

Personally, I think it's the other way round! I don't think any manager here after Tuchel is free to play their way. The board are just scapegoating and will happen to Managers (sorry, coaches, we don't have 'Managers' anymore at Chelsea) after Enzo too!

As much as I am not a fan of Maresca's football and want a manager that will bring a more exciting brand of football to the club, I don't want him gone before the two clowns are gone. I don't want Maresca sacked and those two choosing another coach to manage the players. They need to go, and we need much better sporting directors who will need time to find the right coach.

1 hour ago, Scott Harris said:

As much as I am not a fan of Maresca's football and want a manager that will bring a more exciting brand of football to the club, I don't want him gone before the two clowns are gone. I don't want Maresca sacked and those two choosing another coach to manage the players. They need to go, and we need much better sporting directors who will need time to find the right coach.

This is cold reality. Man United and AC Milan (with whatever happened post-Maldini) should be examples of what happens when you don't have the right infrastructure at the top. PSG's recent transformation with Jorge Campos is an example of what can be done with the right people in charge. Abramovich got lucky when Michael Emenalo turned out to actually be quite good, and he set up an infrastructure that we still rely on today. And most famously, City resolved to sign Guardiola's backroom long before they made attempts to bring him in.

There is a much bigger pool of quality sporting directors than there are managers out there right now. If there was a single, biggest investment that BlueCo could make to right the ship and actually improve things for the future, it would be to get rid of Winstanley and Stewart. Their combined salary is surely nowhere near would it would take to entice a proper SD away.

7 hours ago, GarnachoCheese said:

This logic falls flat when he’s rotating in a 28 year old Tosin, instead of Achempong or play Cucu every single game rather than giving minutes to Hato, or refuses to drop Fernandez to showcase Santos.

It’s simply illogical that is all down to Maresca considering the club ownership structure.

Btw, IMO he’s rotating Tosin because all defenders are mediocre including Josh who’s green. He’s not playing santos because Enzo is twice the player. Only way Enzo is dropped is if he’s sold. Hato is new… who knows maybe he’s training like sh*t or not understanding the team mechanics?! Idk I just think it’s easy to say it’s all Maresca.

There is no doubt in my mind that the next manager will do very similar things and the starting XI will look very much the same. We will see.

9 minutes ago, acaeus said:

It’s simply illogical that is all down to Maresca considering the club ownership structure.

Btw, IMO he’s rotating Tosin because all defenders are mediocre including Josh who’s green. He’s not playing santos because Enzo is twice the player. Only way Enzo is dropped is if he’s sold. Hato is new… who knows maybe he’s training like sh*t or not understanding the team mechanics?! Idk I just think it’s easy to say it’s all Maresca.

There is no doubt in my mind that the next manager will do very similar things and the starting XI will look very much the same. We will see.

Josh mediocre? Tosin isn’t mediocre, he’s absolutely dog sh*t. That choice is on the manager.

Do you watch Enzo Fernandez week in week out? He’s not even better than KDH. Maresca is the manager, he picks the team.

Hato is new but so is Gittens who’s made 3x as many league appearances.

Our owners are sh*t but that doesn’t change the fact that Maresca is a spineless league one level manager.

9 minutes ago, acaeus said:

Btw, IMO he’s rotating Tosin because all defenders are mediocre including Josh who’s green. He’s not playing santos because Enzo is twice the player. Only way Enzo is dropped is if he’s sold. Hato is new… who knows maybe he’s training like sh*t or not understanding the team mechanics?! Idk I just think it’s easy to say it’s all Maresca.

Have you been able to write that with a straight face?

9 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

It seems like its 50/50 among the fanbase. Hell, look at Carragher and Neville. The former w**ks over Maresca whilst the latter criticizes his brazen game management.

The common enemy here are the sporting directors 100%, but anyone watching us this season can clearly identify the bulk of our problems being management. Last season was a pass for Maresca.

While the management are the common enemy the fact that Carragher likes Maresca makes me double down on my belief he should be sacked before sunrise.

If Carragher is praising the manager then that is a very bad sign, Carragher hates Chelsea never talks about us when we are doing well.

The only thing the fanbase is wrong about is that situation is worse than we thought.

24 minutes ago, RMH said:

Have you been able to write that with a straight face?

@acaeus is actually Brazillian, so he won't be able to reply as I assume he immediately burst into flames upon suggesting that an Argentine was actually better than Santos

1 hour ago, GarnachoCheese said:

Josh mediocre? Tosin isn’t mediocre, he’s absolutely dog sh*t. That choice is on the manager.

Do you watch Enzo Fernandez week in week out? He’s not even better than KDH. Maresca is the manager, he picks the team.

Hato is new but so is Gittens who’s made 3x as many league appearances.

Our owners are sh*t but that doesn’t change the fact that Maresca is a spineless league one level manager.

1 hour ago, RMH said:

Have you been able to write that with a straight face?

1 hour ago, SydneyChelsea said:

@acaeus is actually Brazillian, so he won't be able to reply as I assume he immediately burst into flames upon suggesting that an Argentine was actually better than Santos

I'm down to Tosin being dogsh*t -- he's way too slow for the modern game IMO... at least at a top club. There aren't many 19yo CBs playing in the top flight of the PL for a very good reason. Josh would cost points atm. Just to be clear, I have very high hopes for Josh to become a WC CB in the future.

I think Enzo has done more in football than Santos has. Honestly, I did not think that was even debatable, but I guess anything goes in a forum. I've also seen Enzo dominate games against Brazil one too many times.

Yes, I see Enzo struggles, but I don't see Santos as an obvious upgrade over Enzo. The grass is always greener...

If people really think that the next manager will bench Enzo, well that's just being delusional IMO. (even besides merit here just prediction)

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by acaeus

8 hours ago, Caps_Lock_King said:

Chelsea chiefs ‘fed up’ of Enzo Maresca’s tactics and poor form

There have been some eyebrow-raising calls by the boss. Maresca subbed on Tosin Adarabioyo against Atalanta, despite already having Gusto and Reece James on the pitch in midfield.

Simon Phillips has stated on his Substack that some of those in the club hierarchy are becoming ‘fed up’ following another slump of form, as well as questioned his tactics and in-game management.

He said: “There’s been a feeling amongst the Chelsea hierarchy that we have regressed from last season with some of the performances. Certain figures have become a bit ‘fed up’ after recent form, and the blame has been placed on the manager for this.

“Some high up at the club believe Maresca has been ‘playing too safe’ and hasn’t been using his squad properly. People like Jorrel Hato have hardly played, and Estevao is not being used as much as some believe he should be.

“Playing players ‘out of position’ was also mentioned to me as a gripe. In-game management is another thing I heard about. His tactics overall have been questioned.”

NOT LONG NOW, I DID SAY HE COULD BE GONE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Let's hope so... just watching Rogers goals and Villa at West Ham from yesterday...

What happens at 64' after Rogers has got them back on level terms 2-2

Emery takes off Onana mf and puts on Malen winger, to go for the 3 points.

What would our bald headed clown have done ?

He'd have taken off a winger and put on a mf and taken a point away as a good result - we did not loose again eh ha ha ha - arsehole.

The table never lies:

1 minute ago, acaeus said:

I'm down to Tosin being dogsh*t -- he's way too slow for the modern game IMO... at least at a top club. There aren't many 19yo CBs playing in the top flight of the PL for a very good reason. Josh would cost points atm. Just to be clear, I have very high hopes for Josh to become a WC CB in the future.

I think Enzo has done more in football than Santos has. Honestly, I did not think that was even debatable, but I guess anything goes in a forum. I've also seen Enzo dominate games against Brazil one too many times.

Yes, I see Enzo struggles, but I don't see Santos as an obvious upgrade over Enzo. The grass is always greener...

If people really think that the next manager will bench Enzo, well that's just being delusional IMO. (even besides merit here just prediction)

Tosin is funnily one of the fastest players in the PL in a straight sprint. The reason he seems so slow is because he rarely anticipates defensive actions or tries to read the game. He is completely at-sea defending counter-attacks against athletic players, and this isn't a new problem, it's one that was well-documented even at Fulham. Worse still is how someone so tall and able to jump is useless in the air too. Why the SDs would buy a defender whose main weakness is in dealing with the sort of attacks we most commonly face, is beyond me.

The fact that Tosin is actually athletic gifted clearly points to it being a skill issue. Maybe one that could be resolved with better coaching but it's probably too late in the game for that and it certainly won't happen under Maresca.

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by SydneyChelsea