Well whatever nonsense Maresca was working on for a week disintegrated on contact with a very average Brighton side. Not good. 

9 minutes ago, BewareoftheDrog said:

Wonder what Palmer was talking to Pep about the other week

"Please. Let me come back. They don't know what they're doing. This is a pub team at best. I'll play in the reserves. I'll clean the toilets. I'll shine Grealish's boots. Anything. Just get me the f**k out of here"

More like Pep being all smug giving out advice to a team he’s just beat.  
When he loses he f**ks off down the tunnel faster than a greased pig.  The arrogant prick. 

5 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

I think Brighton won their Champions League this evening ... incredible after-game scenes LOL. Just to add to the embarrassment factor ... 🙂 

Yes, remember seeing  similar laughable scenes form the muppet Disasi fist pumping against Noah.

I’m just not getting the insistence of playing 2 wingers and nobody in the middle. Does this coach have any imagination 

It's really a walk in the park, for them Brightons. First time since September 2021 for a complete shutdown like this, just to rank how incompetent this bunch among the bad and worse Chelsea teams. After 30+ games this season, we still have no pattern in defence, apart from concede plenty goals. Somehow Maresca found a way to keep Palmer out of the game and less effective each game, something the other 19 managers in the league had problems for the past season and half. The attitude is all there to be seen, Brighton was pressing hard in the 90th minute, we were just happy to jog. Chasing 3 goals, we still managed to pass 10 times before getting the ball to the half way line, and they only needed 1 or 2 passes.

I have no words. Numb to results and not a place I want to be. All of it is killing the very standards and soul of the club. 

Never missed games for 30 years. Now just go about my day. Hate it. 

Are the owners bothering to watch this? 

Brighton 30% possession and we have no shots on target. So obviously they set up to counter but does our coach not study the opposition. That’s how they play. 

Lost for words now. Hopeless.

Edited February 14, 20251 yr by Term_X

Just now, Term_X said:

Shot on target?

Technically there wasn’t a single shot on target.

Fans should ask for their money back.

See you all in the summer.  I’m sick of playing sh*t and losing.   At least we always win the transfer window .

MARESCA GET OUT OF OUR CLUB AND TAKE THE SPORTING DIRECTORS WITH YOU

8 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Proves the point that most of us have been saying for years. This possession football fad bollox that everyone has to be doing now is absolute bollox.

Still what do us old chaos ball luddites know about the game eh?

I believe Pep has been saying the game has now moved on, teams know how to nullify possession based play. That's his explanation for City's problems. Meanwhile we've invested in a manager who only knows one way of playing, the now outdated way.

26 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Lost all spark once Madueke got injured

Well, this could be true. Mind you i remember getting a boil on my arse the day that Trump won the election.

In both cases i am not sure if one correlates to the other though🤣

Great goal by Mitoma.

Simple route 1 approach and ping - easy.

 

the board got there yes man manager  and bought a soft bunch of players who are not fit to ware the shirt 

6 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Well, this could be true. Mind you i remember getting a boil on my arse the day that Trump won the election.

In both cases i am not sure if one correlates to the other though🤣

All praise the boil 

In hindsight maybe we should’ve signed a striker and a keeper last summer. Rather than invest in Felix, Dewsbury-Hall and Veiga. Squad planning has been atrocious. 

14 minutes ago, carrickblue said:

I believe Pep has been saying the game has now moved on, teams know how to nullify possession based play. That's his explanation for City's problems. Meanwhile we've invested in a manager who only knows one way of playing, the now outdated way.

Ironic really. New owners said it was ‘just vibes’ under Roman, they brought the big data in, sporting directors in, and we find ourselves behind the times on the most fundamental aspect of the game itself. 

Maresca admits it's the worst performance since he arrived 

I don't post often, and I like to think I don't knee jerk.. but that was an awful performance. The players do not appear to have any idea about what the manager wants other than "possession is everything". It clearly is not. 70%+ possession but no shots on target is clear evidence EM's philosophy is struggling and he is in deep trouble.

We had a good look at Brighton only 7 days ago and learned nothing, on the contrary we went backwards. I don't entirely blame him tho. Our owners need to have a rethink about everything, Everyone fan knows we have needed a proper striker since they took over. They haven't even got close to sorting this out. Not asking for the effing world - but when opportunities to buy are open we buy mid's ffs. Or even worse, teen potential (yeah we just signed a 16 yr old striker from Kazakhstan - I effing kid you not..). We needed to go hard hard on buying Liam Delap - he's young, English, and scared the s*** out of our defence, but we did f all again. I didn't think Yanks could get any dumber after their election, but our owners just continue to make me look like a Chump. They are the worlds mental retards.

From being European Champions in 2021 to being a squad and team i'd happily swap with Bournemouth is about as damning as it gets.

Edited February 14, 20251 yr by ChumpX

I didn't see much urgency at all. A team of young players and yet where was the energy and urgency? So frustrating. The feigning of injuries and complaining to the ref were pissing me off as well. Just get up and get on with the game. This is a team of inexperienced players, we desperately need some experience throughout this team because it's not good enough to rely simply on young players. We benefitted a lot last season from Thiago Silva's experience and leadership, especially at the back. This team is a far cry from the one which won the CL. We had experience then as well. 

It was bizarre. Soon as Madueke went off injured, we just fell apart. It was like the players couldn’t cope. Just really weird that we would lose our way like that. 

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, speaking to BBC Sport: "Probably since I arrived that is the worst performance, especially in the moment we are in. We are fourth in the league and winning tonight you can go one point from third and make the gap to the rest bigger and the performance is not one you want to offer so we are very upset and sorry for the fans that were here.

"For half an hour I think we were in control but after this moment [Kaoru Mitoma's goal] we looked like we could concede chances easily and we struggled to create chances. The reason why is because of the injuries in this moment especially with the strikers...important players are out but we need to find a solution.

"It is difficult when you don't have a proper number nine. So you always have to find a different solution. In the last third we struggled doing things that until a week or two ago we were doing well.

"This is the worst moment since I arrived but we are still there and we need to finish in the best way."

 

On the third goal watch Colwill - he gifts the ball away after a slight contact, falls over, and the ref, rightly, says play on. But his sense of entitlement is so strong, he just saunters back to the box and is our closest player to preventing the finish. If he'd made half an effort, rather than sulking, he'd have easily been in a better position to challenge Minteh.

Oh and I forgot a team lacking leaders, starts with Reece James on the bench? Explain that one please Maresca?

Edited February 14, 20251 yr by ChumpX