So Maresca is still pissing about with trying to convert James into a midfielder. Why not just play him at right back and play a midfielder in midfield? What’s he trying to prove?

Really wasn’t the game in the group stage to be messing about with Gusto and James in the same starting line up. Just a hopeless incoherent mess from start to finish.

I suspect he’s going to be found out this coming season for the fraud he is.

2 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

That was new? It seemed like the same old Maresca ball to me with a slight change to the formation. Bloke is bullsh*tting us again.

Not to mention that Maresca seems to lack real player-management. He has failed to get the best out of Cole Palmer for instance. That lad is GOOD (Very good) and we all know how good he can be and yet where was he tonight?

Not even Evissy's AI could come up with something positive to say about this match. Maybe that Jackson got sent off again and that means Delap/Guiu getting more games.

Why the hell is he still trying to play Reece James in midfield when we have seriously good options like Essugo and Andrei Santos? Use your squad you moron.

I'm so bloody angry.

14 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

That was new? It seemed like the same old Maresca ball to me with a slight change to the formation. Bloke is bullsh*tting us again.

Gone by Christmas

18 minutes ago, charierre said:

Maresca said ‘we tried something new today with a view to the new season’

Wonder what that was ? More mistakes, even slower play, more yellows, truth is our tempo and general play is very poor

The only to be new was we perhaps found an even slower gear. Oh it’s the heat though - I forget 21-25 year olds struggle once it’s 80 degrees

I bet I could count the total sprints we made on both hands today. Just so slow and passive

Edited June 20, 20251 yr by PhilH930

8 minutes ago, TheCeleryKing said:

Disagree. Lavia, Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo, James, Palmer, Neto, Madueke, etc. These players are VERY GOOD in tight places.

Lavia has a handful of starts for the club. He's a glorified unknown at this level. Caicedo is an excellent player who is overrated here prob given his price tag (not his fault). Plays against brazil, and against Gerson Flmengo #8 often when Ecuador plays Brazil in SA.

Enzo and Palmer, I can agree, but neither showed up today. Neto, albeit a good player, thrives in counter-attacking football. Madueke, sorry, he's not skillful enough at this level for me, and needs acres to operate in. I'm not a fan at all. Sancho was excellent in tight spaces... too bad he never managed to influence games.

For the record, I'm originally from Brazil. I've been in the US for decades, and have a bias towards skill on the ball esp at this level. Been following chelsea for decades as well, and used to be fairly active on TC forums.

Yeah, regarding the Manager bit, agree to disagree then: Maresca will go and another manager will take over, and little will change, I'm afraid. We will see once it happens -- it shouldn't take long.
I just don't see enough quality in this team; I wish I did, but have to call it the way I see it.

to be clear, I don't think Maresca is a top manager nor do I think he was hired as such; just think it's one of those AND situations -- not mutually exclusive issues (manager and roster).

Edited June 20, 20251 yr by acaeus

11 minutes ago, Dr. Socrates said:

So Maresca is still pissing about with trying to convert James into a midfielder. Why not just play him at right back and play a midfielder in midfield? What’s he trying to prove?

Really wasn’t the game in the group stage to be messing about with Gusto and James in the same starting line up. Just a hopeless incoherent mess from start to finish.

I suspect he’s going to be found out this coming season for the fraud he is.

Cos he can’t play his “box crasher” in a mid 2. I have always said he will have a problem when everyone is fit, common sense is just leave Lavia & Caicedo. He has a £105m headache he needs to figure out fast.

10 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Cos he can’t play his “box crasher” in a mid 2. I have always said he will have a problem when everyone is fit, common sense is just leave Lavia & Caicedo. He has a £105m headache he needs to figure out fast.

It's not Maresca's headache tho. The next manager will face the same problem. Ultimately the club is responsible for planning and building the roster, not the manager(s).

Either Maresca is a yes-man and does what he's told to do (my take as well), or he plays a big part in building the squad.

33 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Maybe the manager should try to get the players to play into space rather than crowding every player we have into the middle of the pitch to make 5 yard passes. inverted everything, boring.

True. On the other hand, we don't know how much of it was down to execution vs tactics. It's hard to play football when players aren't making runs for whatever reason, for example. I have to assume he did not ask Enzo to hide from the ball today, which he did superbly esp in the first half.

I do think he was experimenting a bit today. He got a little defensive at the post-match interview, but it's obvious his tactics did not work.

3 minutes ago, acaeus said:

True. On the other hand, we don't know how much of it was down to execution vs tactics. It's hard to play football when players aren't making runs for whatever reason, for example. I have to assume he did not ask Enzo to hide from the ball today, which he did superbly esp in the first half.

I do think he was experimenting a bit today. He got a little defensive at the post-match interview, but it's obvious his tactics did not work.

We do know it's tactics though because it happen every single game repeatedly. Doesn't matter if we lose, draw or win. When players do make the run, the ball is played all the way to the other side or our wingers trap the ball and recycle to the FBs.

You're right though, there's plenty of players in our squad that lack proper technique or IQ, but it doesn't excuse the manager being so damn stubborn with nothing to show for it.

1 minute ago, Brigadeiro Mk II said:

We do know it's tactics though because it happen every single game repeatedly. Doesn't matter if we lose, draw or win. When players do make the run, the ball is played all the way to the other side or our wingers trap the ball and recycle to the FBs.

You're right though, there's plenty of players in our squad that lack proper technique or IQ, but it doesn't excuse the manager being so damn stubborn with nothing to show for it.

Fair. I wonder if the lack of experience does not play a part either. Flamengo players, in comparison, are experienced internationals (they are all capped) most in the 27-33yo range.

1 hour ago, Dr. Socrates said:

I suspect he’s going to be found out this coming season for the fraud he is

At any other club, for sure. But at our clusterf**k of a club, then no, he’s got a very good chance of keeping his job no matter how useless he is.

2 hours ago, TheCeleryKing said:

Romeo Lavia was great when he came on.

Liam Delap is our first choice no.9 next season.

Palmer is still MIA.

Our players are good. what these young players need is a world class manager.

We saw at the start of last season how good, and exciting this team could be.

Estaveo must be looking on at us and thinking " wtf have I signed up to ?"

4 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

We saw at the start of last season how good, and exciting this team could be.

And then Maresca properly started instilling his tactics and it all went downhill.

3 hours ago, charierre said:

Maresca said ‘we tried something new today with a view to the new season’

Wonder what that was ? More mistakes, even slower play, more yellows, truth is our tempo and general play is very poor

He also said that he tried Palmer in a new position and it worked well for the first 60 mins! Where do you even start with nonsense like this? Man is a blithering idiot.

2 hours ago, Dr. Socrates said:

He also said that he tried Palmer in a new position and it worked well for the first 60 mins! Where do you even start with nonsense like this? Man is a blithering idiot.

Palmer is playing as an outside inside right type of player on the "wings" of the pitch.

I think it's called a winger

/joke

6 hours ago, charierre said:

Maresca said ‘we tried something new today with a view to the new season’

Wonder what that was ? More mistakes, even slower play, more yellows, truth is our tempo and general play is very poor

Actually Palmer at RW allow us to play 3 midfielders without playing 120m midfielders as rb.

6 hours ago, Dr. Socrates said:

So Maresca is still pissing about with trying to convert James into a midfielder. Why not just play him at right back and play a midfielder in midfield? What’s he trying to prove?

Really wasn’t the game in the group stage to be messing about with Gusto and James in the same starting line up. Just a hopeless incoherent mess from start to finish.

I suspect he’s going to be found out this coming season for the fraud he is.

Reece James situation is complicated. Can his hammy last playing as attacking fb where he has to continue sprinting for long distances?

2 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Reece James situation is complicated. Can his hammy last playing as attacking fb where he has to continue sprinting for long distances?

Maresca should communicate this no?

3 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Reece James situation is complicated. Can his hammy last playing as attacking fb where he has to continue sprinting for long distances?

Not complicated at all.

He’s a very good full back and a mediocre midfielder. If you can’t play him fullback week in week out then don’t play him at all, just let him rest and put an actual midfielder in midfield.

This was a clownfest from start to finish. Not only the lineup was wrong, but the attitude, as well. We got what we deserved, this felt like a charity match played in Hong Kong based on contract obligations.

All we had to do was win this and wait for Botafogo to get a result against Atletico Madrid and we'd have had a clear path to the semifinals. Also if Real Madrid did not top their group, which is a possibily now that they drew their first match, we would have also had an easier semifinal match. Basically we could have ended up in the Final by not playing any of the big clubs, yet managed to completely look like absolute clowns.

The manager has to take the blame for this.

1 hour ago, Remodez said:

Not complicated at all.

He’s a very good full back and a mediocre midfielder. If you can’t play him fullback week in week out then don’t play him at all, just let him rest and put an actual midfielder in midfield.

So just don't play your highest earner???

Furthermore, many of you take this competition too seriously. I honestly couldn't care less how we play, Maresca can try Sanchez as st and I don't care.

All I want to see in this competition is how estavao handle European opp n Santos.

1 hour ago, Remodez said:

Not complicated at all.

He’s a very good full back and a mediocre midfielder. If you can’t play him fullback week in week out then don’t play him at all, just let him rest and put an actual midfielder in midfield.

As I said in the match thread, football is very simple. Play your best players in their best position, if they can't play then play the next best player in that position. Stop fitting players into positions they can't play, pick your system for the players you have, not the other way round, the clown.