50 minutes ago, Argo said:

Even Pep and City made some hilarious mistakes when they first started doing it properly.

It's all about ratio, if for one cock up we're getting 10 strong attacks out of it.....

The Everton match springs to mind. I recall towards the latter stages that City were at risk of not finishing in the Top 4 that season too. 

I wasn't kidding

Needs to beat Forest, Crack their low block and deal with their set plays and counter attacks. 

Then he can say this opening period has gone very well, before the really tough run against title challangers and top 4 fighters begins.

I quite like how he shut down journalists saying we can't compete with City or Arsenal this season. He's done an excellent job to get us on this winning run but recognises the bigger picture - we're only three months in. Keep focussing on the next game, don't get complacent or caught up in the recent results. It is going to be a long season.

The media love to build up teams after just a few results only to then bash them as soon as they lose or drop points. It's refreshing to see Maresca shut them down immediately and put things into perspective. Arsenal and City both have settled teams which have had consistent coaches. This Chelsea side is young, fresh and Maresca has only been in for 3 months.

He's had a great start and long may it continue.

6 minutes ago, Shweaves said:

I quite like how he shut down journalists saying we can't compete with City or Arsenal this season. He's done an excellent job to get us on this winning run but recognises the bigger picture - we're only three months in. Keep focussing on the next game, don't get complacent or caught up in the recent results. It is going to be a long season.

The media love to build up teams after just a few results only to then bash them as soon as they lose or drop points. It's refreshing to see Maresca shut them down immediately and put things into perspective. Arsenal and City both have settled teams which have had consistent coaches. This Chelsea side is young, fresh and Maresca has only been in for 3 months.

He's had a great start and long may it continue.

Him shutting down Nizaar when he mentioned if the club miss Chilwell was hilarious. 

"Do you think you regret not putting Chilwell in the squad? With James and Gusto's injury records?"

"No."

I liked the confused expression, and then saying "ah you mean ceserae". They could at least learn to pronounce the players names correctly.

On 30/09/2024 at 04:11, The Boehly Babes said:

I’m hoping the owners don’t read this BUT… Similar to how the NFL has an OC & a DC with how flowing we are going forward under Maresca compared to how open we are at the back. Maybe it’s time to innovate and be the first?

In nfl, offense and defense are not only two separate phase, you have completely different player. 

On 02/10/2024 at 19:10, Shweaves said:

I wonder, (or maybe it's just wishful thinking) if Maresca states that to make teams think we will always play out from the back, inviting the press and opening up the possibility of the long ball. 

Manager doesn't prepare their gameplan based on what the opp manager say on press. They watch film and read scouting report. 

Press conference are mostly for mind game (distraction) and for fans. 

Edited October 5, 20241 yr by Bob stark

On 30/09/2024 at 04:14, Snedger said:

After the last few seasons I think I was past caring who our next manager was. But the noise around him being rigid with no plan B and pretty dull football (most of which seemed to come from Leicester fans -possibly bitter) didn’t exactly help fill me with much optimism.

Have to say I do feel quite good about it now as we have, if nothing else, been largely entertaining to watch, and scored goals and won games.

But there is quite a lot of sensible comment above reminding me that it isn’t yet time to be getting the open top bus ready. But it definitely feels a more enjoyable period than we’ve had a good while.

Manager is no longer super important. As sporting directors has become more and more powerful, they are actually more important than manager. 

 

3 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

Manager is no longer super important. As sporting directors has become more and more powerful, they are actually more important than manager. 

 

Not arguing, I just don’t really understand. I kind of get that the sporting directors might be choosing the players to sign (and is that based purely on their position and style of play or their potential to increase in value?), but surely they don’t select the starting eleven, decide the game tactics, motivate the players in training and before and during the match and decide on substitutions etc? But I’m quite probably missing what’s really happening.

46 minutes ago, Snedger said:

Not arguing, I just don’t really understand. I kind of get that the sporting directors might be choosing the players to sign (and is that based purely on their position and style of play or their potential to increase in value?), but surely they don’t select the starting eleven, decide the game tactics, motivate the players in training and before and during the match and decide on substitutions etc? But I’m quite probably missing what’s really happening.

Because player is more important than manager and the gap between them are much bigger than between manager. 

 

Edited October 5, 20241 yr by Bob stark

1 hour ago, Bob stark said:

Manager is no longer super important. As sporting directors has become more and more powerful, they are actually more important than manager. 

 

I am sorry but don’t agree on that at all. Manager is super important, it’s the captain of the ship. Yes, sporting director has an important job to find the right players but ultimately its the manager who has to fit all the pieces together. Its no coincidence that when ferguson retired man utd became rubbish. 
 

Maresca touch wood has exceeded my expectations and a different manager will crumble under pressure with all the players we have.

12 minutes ago, Gentian said:

I am sorry but don’t agree on that at all. Manager is super important, it’s the captain of the ship. Yes, sporting director has an important job to find the right players but ultimately its the manager who has to fit all the pieces together. Its no coincidence that when ferguson retired man utd became rubbish. 
 

Maresca touch wood has exceeded my expectations and a different manager will crumble under pressure with all the players we have.

Ferguson was more than a manager. 

I think I have to change my wording a bit.

A while ago, managers has power to shape his squad. This days they are more of head coach than  manager. 

SD build the squad, HC give input/opinion but ultimately it comes down to sd. 

 

 

Edited October 5, 20241 yr by Bob stark

2 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

I think I have to change my wording a bit.

A while ago, managers has power to shape his squad. This days they are more of head coach than  manager. 

SD build the squad, HC give input/opinion but ultimately it comes down to sd. 

 

 

Again, you see things as far too black and white, this isn't how things work. The vast majority of clubs squad building are ran as a committee, managers, coaches, DF's, even medical staff all have input. The final say is likely down to one, maybe 2 people, but it isn't just them foisting players on coaches.

There obviously will be exceptions, but theh are on the minority. 

6 minutes ago, dkw said:

Again, you see things as far too black and white, this isn't how things work. The vast majority of clubs squad building are ran as a committee, managers, coaches, DF's, even medical staff all have input. The final say is likely down to one, maybe 2 people, but it isn't just them foisting players on coaches.

There obviously will be exceptions, but theh are on the minority. 

I agree, but it is very different. 

A while ago, It is manager job to shape the squad, like you say, you have the finance guy, you have doctor, you have scout giving you input but eventually it is your decision. 

This days it is different, manager/HC are working under SD. So you are the one who give the SD input and eventually it is sd decision. 

On 29/09/2024 at 21:58, Argo said:

Or alternatively, when three different teams (one of which got a draw vs Arsenal and an other made both Liverpool and Arsenal work hard for a win) all have "their worst performance for ages" against us, maybe it's not a lucky coincidence?

Probably a mix of everything but I believe we have been approached as an "unknown entity" by every team so far this season. Spurred on by our weak pre-season in likelihood where everyone that came at us with a high press gave us trouble all sides bar Palace and Servette (both of which games us trouble incidentally) have attempted to go toe to toe with us despite having lesser players (bar City obv) and I think its a matter of time before most of the lesser sides apply the more conservative deep block against us and as happy as I am with Maresca that will give him some new and for me more difficult challenges to deal with. 

This will all play itself out of course but towards the end of last season we crushed two genuine deep-block sides who came to park the bus in Everton & West Ham at the Bridge and I would certainly like Maresca to show his team is able to do the same before we draw any conclusions.

And while I doubt you are prepared to do so I will repeat again that Poch did a lot of legwork for Maresca in terms of getting the foundations in place for this season. Poch came into a club with major negative momentum and while there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the season he left us with positive momentum (even among most supporters) and the likes of Jackson, Cucurella, Palmer, Gusto, Caicedo, Madueke are certainly much better players now than they were last summer, partly do Pochs credit.

The squad is also stronger now of course and when you are able to bring on the likes of Nkunku, Neto, Felix and Lavia as impact subs then thats a luxury that not even Arteta or Slot have so in my opinion we have so many "attributes" now that we should aim to be right up there with the best this season.

Thats not to suggest that Maresca should be under pressure if we "only" get Top 4. That would be a big step in the right direction and I would be happy with that for this season but we have a top squad, we have a top 3 player in the league and we have a manager that believes in himself and his team. So lets aim for the stars.

I wish people would stop giving Poch credit.

He was a crap manager and if Enzo didn’t get injured he would have never discovered the Cucurella inverted role which changed everything.

I’m so glad he’s gone.

On 04/10/2024 at 00:15, PloKoon13 said:

I wasn't kidding

He probably was thinking of the spaghetti carbonara that’s waiting for him back at home

I could murder some carbonara about now. 

11 hours ago, dansubrosa said:

I wish people would stop giving Poch credit.

He was a crap manager and if Enzo didn’t get injured he would have never discovered the Cucurella inverted role which changed everything.

I’m so glad he’s gone.

Not sure if you were replying to me or what but while I don't think Pochettino is a great manager either he does deserve credit for leaving the club in a much, much better position than he found it. Its easy to forget just how sh*t we had been for 8-9 months by the time he was appointed and by May he had improved us to the point that most wanted him to stick around for another season (even you it seems).

But so far it looks like we've upgraded with Maresca and thats fantastic. Forest in a couple of hours may prove to be a test but hopefully we pass with flying colors.

 

Still 4th going into the international break at least…

Ergghh.. Felix and Enzo let him Down today.. but we need to fix our set pieces.. we never score and concede a lot.

Amen on the set pieces. We defend them awfully and attack them even worse. We have a set pieces coach specialist as well!

 

Cold bucket of water for those going OTT with Maresca. Today's game is followed by Pool, Newcastle, Newcastle in the cup, Panathanioks, United and Arsenal.

Potter had a good start as well.

The next series of tests will show us if we have what it takes to be a Top 4 contender