24 May 2026 10:37:56
Think I saw a post saying this is the least amount of Chelsea players in a World Cup since before Abramovic. Quite indicative of the quality of this Chelsea team that has been (expensively) assembled.
24 May 2026 12:11:50
Or, it could simply be down to Carlo not picking an in-form Joao Pedro, leaving Santos out, Estevao injured, TT leaving Palmer and Trev and Levi out, and the list goes on. But if it fits your agenda, fella, then good for you.
24 May 2026 15:17:02
My guess is it's more to do with the team having a poor season, that some have not been chosen to play for their respective countries. I would suggest that if the World Cup had been at the end of last season, we would have had more of our squad going to a World Cup. The majority would have been the same players.
24 May 2026 16:57:01
To be fair, Palmer has been trash all season bar 10 minutes here and there recently. Santos hasn’t set the world alight, although hopefully he finds his feet. Pedro has 9 or 10 games from Brazil with 0 goals. Levi has played twice. Estevao is injured and 19. There are no superstars that have been left out. One good season doesn’t mean much.
We can look at it and say they were hard done by, but the only argument that can be made is for Joao Pedro, who floats in and out of games, which isn’t what’s required at the World Cup and has never performed for the national team.
Endrick puts in a shift once every few months, so also not sure how he got in, but he is a much more recognizable name in Brazil.
24 May 2026 17:01:43
Well said, Melbourne. This team is about to throw away European football to Sunderland. No disrespect, but that's how far we've fallen, and shows the poor calibre of squad assembled.
24 May 2026 17:03:52
As I say, players have to perform in a WC season, so many of ours haven’t.
If it had been a WC season last year, they may well have been picked.
They should have no complaints, but how Gusto is in the France squad doesn’t say a lot about them.
24 May 2026 18:09:46
Many of ours are not anywhere near as good as we think is the real point.
24 May 2026 18:34:04
Appointing Rosenior is the reason we are here. When Maresca left....
We were 5th. Instead of hiring that cringeworthy LinkedIn bloke, any other half decent manager would have kept us in a European place. I get that him leaving was unexpected, but surely one of those 5 sporting directors could have drawn up a better contingency plan. The players knew it, as did most fans as well. Then, to go with Callum, who is equally clueless, just compounded the matter.
The grass was never going to be greener, but hey ho, it is what it is. The season finishes, revolving doors are open, the rumours will be flowing, the moaners will be moaning, but nothing stops our love for our football club. Over to you Alonso, what a cracking pick up that is as well, work your magic and take us back to where we want to be. I can't wait for the new season to start. Happy summer, and France will win the World Cup.
24 May 2026 18:34:52
Time will tell. I certainly believe we will be looking at a different squad next season. I think Alonso will get good performances out of the majority of this squad.
24 May 2026 18:38:30
Greenway, mate, you gotta let Maresca go...We'd won 3/12 of his last games, things werent great with him either. Take the blinkers off, the problem is far bigger than just the coach...The players are not good enough and the SDs dont have a clue about what theyre doing.
24 May 2026 18:51:47
Greenaway, the appointment of LR was a mistake, but as far as I can tell, Maresca brought it on himself with his secret meetings with a rival club.
In my opinion, we have some talented players who, with a better manager, will prove it to some doubting supporters next season. ?
24 May 2026 20:04:55
Kaz, Maresca's last 12 games were not 3/12 at all. They were played 12, won 5, drawn 4 and lost 3, so please quote facts when trying to support your view. No blinkers whatsoever from me. The club got it wrong in pushing Maresca away, and that started this whole mess.
That said, everyone is entitled to a view, and I respect yours and others' even if I disagree with them. That is what makes this banter site so good.
24 May 2026 21:30:43
Ok, 5/12, and with some easy games in there... Point stands: he wasn't pulling up any trees, and was a miserable, complaining get... Actually, maybe that's why you liked him.
24 May 2026 22:52:10
The strange thing is, the "complaining git" you mention got criticism and then forgiven at the end of last season when we qualified for the Champions League and won two cups.
On top of that, we were commended as a "unique" club.
Being accurate, ish, we seem to be fair.
25 May 2026 10:44:05
Tom
I think if we stayed with Maresca we probably would have fared better. How much? Who knows.
What cannot be forgiven is him talking to City halfway through a season, and thinking the media or our club would not find out.
Let's face it, winning the ECL is no great shakes. West Ham won it three years ago, and look where they are now.
Also, Palace are in a final. In the CWC, we played one good team, but that said, we played well in that game, and yes, we qualified for the CL.
Like all seasons recently, we can only hope next season is better, but sadly it won't happen with the majority of the current squad.
25 May 2026 11:02:18
It has been proven time and time again that good managers can get big improvements out of the same squad. I think Alonso will prove that to be the case next season.