Chelsea Teams and Match Talk

08 Feb 2025 23:43:42
I am going to call it here and now we will some how bottle the Confrence League and we will not qualify for CL

We will keep less than 2 clean sheets for the rest of the season

On a positive we look like we need another complete overhaul so transfer windows may be exciting?

Get rid of maresca he's absoloutely ruined us, boring passive garbage gootball,

What has happened gusto?

So dissapointed with our wingers theyv left us down time and time again with flat boring displays
and poor jackson gets pelters cause him and palmer seem to be the only 2 who can score goals.

09 Feb 2025 08:39:16
Poch, EM certainly wasn’t my first choice and like others I have been critical with his tactical lack of flexibility plus I’m not a fan of the sold called inverted FB system, to me it’s just a risk reward tactic.

I have also said many times that I am no longer precious about academy players being sold, something that was happening under the previous ownership as well as this. I now just see our players as commodities.

I have no idea about the SD’s job description but as I’ve said many times some of signings I have found mystifying.

We have a tendency/ desire to look for a focus to blame. It’s often the case that it isn’t just one single thing, action or person who is to blame when things go wrong. So, in my opinion in then becomes a question of who is takes on the majority of that criticism/ blame.

While the managers of clubs generally take the plaudits when things are good and when things go wrong then usually end up with the sack. Sometimes sacking a manager is the correct thing to do but for me there are groups of people (not just at Chelsea) who get off lightly.

09 Feb 2025 09:41:40
Tom

I totally agree, the SD's and the ownership are also to blame. They are the ones that both appointed an inexperienced coach in Maresca and also the transfers that are taking place is totally garbage.

They initially assembled a really good young squad of players only to keep selling or loaning them.

We now have a squad of players that are either injury prone or cannot play the boring system Maresca wants us to play.

He has totally dismantled our attacking play and made us totally open at the back.

The team are not playing as a team and you just wonder if Maresca has lost the dressing room with his digs at players.

How do we change this, well the SD's and Maresca have to go in the summer, I would add the owners to that but they can't sell for another seven years.

When they go in 7 years we we will be nowhere near a winning team, the Bridge project will be in the same situation it is now and probably a FOS sponser will mot be resolved, we will probably still talking to airlines that are flying into the sunset.

09 Feb 2025 10:51:13
Bill, I am NOT saying that the SD’s are to blame even though I found some of the clubs recent signings mystifying.

I have no idea what there being asked to do by our current owners but I have long held the view that players are now a commodity to be traded (some say this was always the case) and this is now one of the priorities of the SD’s

We are fans and like fans at all clubs we are usually just guessing about what’s gone on, even though we all try to present those guesses as facts. When I believed that the squad needed dramatic change a few seasons ago i made that decision based on a common denominator theory. At the end of this season I will make my judgement based on the same theory.

My major criticism of EM is the same as others on this site. So far he is showing a little flexibility in tactics. On the other side I didn’t criticise home after the first 15/ 16 games.

09 Feb 2025 11:51:34
Tom,

This the the part I feel really annoyed about, trading of players.

You only have to look at Liverpool who have a very settled squad to see trading is ricidilous and will never bring success.

Like Maresca, Slot is a new, coach but look how seamless that has worked out.

09 Feb 2025 12:32:19
Bill, we may have been the leaders of the pack by selling academy players but let’s remember our currents owners didn’t start the sale of CFC academy players and lots of other clubs are now doing the same thing. That maybe because of PSR but that’s another subject.

You can pick Liverpool out as a good example of a good transition but there are probably more examples of a bad transition.

EM was my third choice to become our new manager but I have no way of knowing if things would have been better with my first or second choice.

09 Feb 2025 13:11:13
Tom

We are mot only talking about academy players but ones we have actually bought.

If the players were mot up to scratch, why did the SD's purchase them.

09 Feb 2025 14:13:29
Bill, I keep saying the same thing. As far as I’m concerned they are all commodities. It makes no difference if they have come from the academy or from other clubs.

The SD’s have highlighted loads of players and generally I’m happy with there signings. I wouldn’t have signed KDH or Felix not because I think they are bad players but because I was happy with Chuka and Ugo.

08 Feb 2025 21:58:13
I use the word "passive" so often to describe our football and this game was yet another classic "passive" performance.

The last time we played Neto and Gusto together it was a defensive disaster and I was surprised to see them in the team together again tonight.

We caused them very few problems and putting Caicedo aside I thought the rest of the team was average at best.

Nkunku got zero service but there were a few occasions when I didn't think he offered himself for the ball.

Let's hope we can go back there in our next game and get what would be a very important three points.

08 Feb 2025 22:06:53
Tom

It would have also been nice to progress in the cup especially against a team who got hammered 7-0 last time out.

As you know, I think Maresca is out of his depth and we are going downhill similar to Leicester last season.

After tonight's abysmal showing, do we really expect anything different next weekend.

08 Feb 2025 23:08:03
Bill, I have given my opinion and observations on why Brighton got stuffed against Forest and I also suggested that the tactics used in that game were unlikely to be repeated.

I expect a completely different performance against Brighton in our next game. If we win it will not mean anything as the only thing that matters is our premiership position at the end of the season.

08 Feb 2025 23:23:20
Nkunku was giving his best imitation of the Invisible Man tonight.

09 Feb 2025 09:47:34
JBS

I think the problem is that they are playing as individuals rather than a team and that is down to both the players and the coaching staff.

He keeps swapping and changing players around for example why the he'll did ge bring back Sanchez after one game, it's not like he hasn't played this season ( well actually he hasn't I suppose) .

The backing seems to be different every game, how are players going to form a bond with Maresca's chopping and changing.

09 Feb 2025 09:57:57
I think last night was our worst performance in an FA cup tie since the away game v Barnsley in 2021 not long after Tuchel had replaced Lampard so some excuse perhaps plusxwe did beat Barnsley by a single goal.

09 Feb 2025 10:53:45
It was an awful display and deserves criticism. As I’ve said I can only think of one player who performed to a reasonable standard.

08 Feb 2025 21:57:09
2 things gaurenteed in life death and chelsea ruining your weekend.

08 Feb 2025 22:09:20
Poch, lots of years, lots of tears and a few cheers.

The cheers have been worth the wait. Could have been worse. I could have supported the spuds!

08 Feb 2025 23:40:03
this is true tom the way the club is being run wel be worse than spurs in the next few seasons.

09 Feb 2025 03:54:02
Or Liverpool for several seasons before Klopp or Utd since whenever. I even see some gooner fans calling for Arteta to be sacked.

08 Feb 2025 21:56:47
Maresca now get yourself out of this Club it’s embarrassing.

08 Feb 2025 22:04:56
Not embarassing, we are just not playing very well, and we need a number 9 which is not Maresca's fault.

08 Feb 2025 22:22:09
Nib, I will bow to your expertise on this subject.

08 Feb 2025 22:42:42
Nibb, Maresca will be here at least until the end of the season. If he does go, the SDs should go as well. They are responsible for appointing dud coaches and poor players. Last summer not one player was signed in a position that needed attention and frankly all the summer signings have been poor. How long can they get away with it?

08 Feb 2025 23:10:31
I’m sure the SD’s tried to get a striker in the summer and they did sign goalkeepers.

08 Feb 2025 23:27:14
Spot on Jimbo and would just add that loaning out Felix, Chucky and Chilly plus selling Casadei hardly strengthened the squad this last window either. If esp. Given Lavia endlessly injured the midfield options look v thin indeed.

08 Feb 2025 23:32:21
Agree he will stay heard in his interview he said we misssed Janet up top the blokes taking the piss what did we miss all the goals he’s netted lol ?.

09 Feb 2025 00:38:49
Tom, you keep saying we tried to sign a striker, I don’t recall us making any bids for any player who could be described as a striker. When I referred to bringing in a goalkeeper, CB and striker, I meant top class players who would be in the starting lineup. We signed two inexperienced keepers and calamity Sanchez is still apparently our first choice keeper.

09 Feb 2025 03:38:08
Jimbo, I have no idea if Jorgensen is going to be a top class keeper and I like most people don’t know if he isn’t going to a top class keeper, in the same way us fans didn’t know big Pete or Courtoise both bought for peanuts would be any good.

The club did try very hard to sign Osimhen.

09 Feb 2025 09:24:18
Tom, if as you say we bought Czech and Courtois for peanuts it makes matters worse considering how much we have spent on keepers recently. Big Pete came straight into the first team and Courtois was brought in as his successor and was a starter for AM. You buy very expensive peanuts: Courtois cost £9 million in 2011 and Cech £13 million in 2004.

09 Feb 2025 10:59:12
Jimbo, my point about Big Pete and Courtois is we didn’t know how good they were when we signed them, Jorgenesen could well be the same.

Your point was we haven’t signed a keeper my point is we have. What we both don’t know is how good or bad he is, for that I blame EM for not making the change earlier in the season,! not the SD’s for signing him.

08 Feb 2025 21:56:24
Maresca out, plain and simple. Can't do anything positive with this team at the moment.

08 Feb 2025 22:14:33
I would change our manager but it’s interesting that some think another manager would make things better. I’m not happy when we get beat in any competition but I’m still happy we 4th and still in line with my expectations.

08 Feb 2025 23:10:53
Wouldn’t.

08 Feb 2025 21:55:20
Can this chelsea team get any worse billions spent and we look like we need to spend another billion absoloute joke.

08 Feb 2025 22:39:07
Poch, it can get worse!

08 Feb 2025 23:40:29
and it will.

08 Feb 2025 21:52:11
77 minutes they are more on the front foot than we are and where losing it’s an embarrassment of a team the manager is embarrassing and has been out smarted again, that’s not hard to be fair.

08 Feb 2025 21:29:01
First half of Neto - 0 - shots, chances created dribbles crosses duels or tackles

I don't think Sanchez were much better,

When we say we need ST GK CB, we including 2 x wingers?

FYI - maresca has run out of ideas, we are very very dull to watch, boring in fact.

08 Feb 2025 21:52:10
Poor day Sanchez not good enough, Chalobah Poor back 4 all iffy

No creativity in midfield .

Blame Maresca for Sanchez weird selection

My god we need a number 9.

08 Feb 2025 21:53:58
Last 20 minutes I don't think we had a shot on goal when we losing 2 - 1

Really hope we make top4 (maybe 5 will be enough) this season


Though i don't think we deserve it.

08 Feb 2025 21:55:52
we must have the worst group of wingers in world football.

08 Feb 2025 21:58:44
Matt, you’re presuming Maresca had any ideas in the first place.

08 Feb 2025 22:02:21
Our wingers are fine but we don't move the ball quickly enough. to them like Neto and Sancho not sure about Noni.

08 Feb 2025 22:12:21
Poch, that isn’t true mate.

08 Feb 2025 22:40:47
He must have some ideas. He might have run out of ideas. Time will tell.

08 Feb 2025 20:55:26
I'm a big fan of all our wingers, including felix, but we need so much more from them.

08 Feb 2025 22:04:11
Steve, i can see why you would say that but our wide players get doubled up on in virtually every game. That’s not to cover our wingers from going on the outside but because they virtually always cut inside to get onto there stronger foot. It’s very predictable and made very easy for defenders because our FB’s don’t overlap. I hope that observation makes sense?

08 Feb 2025 12:03:26
I have never seen a premiership manager set a team shape up as the Brighton manager did against Forest. For a huge percentage of the game they looked like there were playing a very strange 4-1-5 formation.

Surely he won't do that again or against us.

Given our current lack of confidence I can't say that I'm expecting or certain of a result today but I will be very interested to see the EM team selection.

08 Feb 2025 20:17:42
If any fan thinks where doing anything with these defenders there mad and I mean all of them.

08 Feb 2025 21:24:41
I simply cannot believe we're 3 years in to the new regime, over a billion pounds spent and its still not expected that we beat brighton, a team that we're beat 7-0 last week.

A sign of the times.

08 Feb 2025 21:42:31
Where not better than Brighton we are the same level with these players and manager.

08 Feb 2025 23:13:11
Yep, a sign of the times.

04 Feb 2025 00:01:35
I should have added to my match assessment.

My MOM was Caicedo. He was full of energy and seemed to be everywhere on the Pitch. What a signing he is turning out to be. I would also put Cucarella not far behind him.

04 Feb 2025 08:16:22
Caicedo is now so consistently good I almost forget him when mentioning players for MOM. Similar to Palmer in that respect.

Strange how we all games differently thought Cucarella was really poor for an hour had a good last 35mins or so.

A Shout out to the keeper who looked a bit nervous to start with but was solid allbeit with not much to do.

04 Feb 2025 09:18:46
Seymns. Besides moaning about the half time score yesterday a few of us older season ticket holders had a chat about player of the season. Obviously Palmer got most votes but there were a few who said Caicedo.

04 Feb 2025 10:03:07
Seymns, I have been very critical of Palmer recently but last night he worked very hard and was always looking for space. I also thought Enzo’s performance deserved credit. His form for the vast majority of this season is in my opinion vastly improved on last season’s.

04 Feb 2025 19:34:57
TOMB

Palmer Enzo and Caicedo in my opinion would clearly be our most sought after players,

Caicedo is a great player although I think he plays better with Lavia in the side.

09 Feb 2025 11:51:10
Seymns, I think Caicedo is top quality but in my opinion Lavia will prove himself to be of greater player value.