Official: Enzo MARESCA announced as new Chelsea Head Coach

[chara]

2 hours ago, Ham said:

I'm hoping against hope that we find the right pairing/balance in time for the City game.

If so, I'll be more confident going into the season.

Happy with the rest of the squad.  

That is the fundamental basis of everyone's concern....the weakness there so far is what is driving most of the negative responses,,,not that everywhere else is settled but the  options are far more varied and effective if the right combo is chosen for game day,

[Bison]

2 hours ago, Ham said:

We're not short on quality at LB.  

Lavia has shown in pre-season that he's a superb CM. You forgot him. 

Sterling has been on good form in pre-season too.  You're being very unfair there. 

You rate Cucurella and Chilwell. I don't, at all. I suggest we agree to disagree to this because we've gone back and forth on this a lot already. 

Lavia was the kid I mentioned now tasked with helping to make up for Enzo's uselessness off the ball. Same Lavia coming off a year of virtually no football.

Sterling started last season well too and quickly stopped giving a toss about rubbing back and helping the team. Another year on and I can't see that changing. If he could be moved on tomorrow it would happen. 

[east lower]

32 minutes ago, Bison said:

Sterling started last season well too and quickly stopped giving a toss about rubbing back and helping the team. Another year on and I can't see that changing. If he could be moved on tomorrow it would happen. 

Question is who’s back was he rubbing and why? 
😉

[Bison]

14 minutes ago, east lower said:

Question is who’s back was he rubbing and why? 
😉

Definitely not Poch's because he couldn't get a game towards the end of the season. 😂

[east lower]

23 minutes ago, Bison said:

Definitely not Poch's because he couldn't get a game towards the end of the season. 😂

Perhaps he stopped rubbing and that’s why!

🤭

[Bison]

Already blaming Poch:

Just last week he said he watched a lot of Chelsea games and didn't see any high press, man to man marking. So what is he proposing exactly? A defensive line camped just outside their own box while everybody else from midfield onward presses high? Which is a ridiculous idea. 

This galaxy brain nonsense is already starting to sound like the nonsense it is.

[xceleryx]

34 minutes ago, Bison said:

Already blaming Poch:

Just last week he said he watched a lot of Chelsea games and didn't see any high press, man to man marking. So what is he proposing exactly? A defensive line camped just outside their own box while everybody else from midfield onward presses high? Which is a ridiculous idea. 

This galaxy brain nonsense is already starting to sound like the nonsense it is.

Just how gullible are you, christ.

He doesn't even mention Poch, it's a sensationalised social media post to generate clicks and for folk like you to produce frothy loins over.

 

Edited August 7 by xceleryx

[thevelourfog]

2 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Just how gullible are you, christ.

He doesn't even mention Poch, it's a sensationalised social media post to generate clicks and for folk like you to produce frothy loins over.

 

@Bison didn't say Maresca had mentioned Pochettino, so this is a pretty crappy, rude response.

The video you linked to shows Maresca doing exactly as was said, saying the current high defensive line is habit rather than something he is encouraging. Whether or not that's "blaming" another coach, idk, don't think so necessarily.

[Rob B]

I think Maresca is going to learn very quickly (if he hasn't already)  that we don't have the Saliba's and VVD's of the world and therefore we need to offer our defenders much more protection than we are currently. 

As an example, yesterday they had Nkunku, Madueke, Fernandez and Sterling as four of the six players in front to protect them.   These offer virtually nothing out of possession and that is one of the reasons we are being exposed so easily (obviously alongside lack of pace in CB positions, disorganisation etc) 

One of the first things that Tuchel did when he arrived was get the defensive / OOP structure in place and make us hard to beat.   Everything can be built upon with a strong foundation and some balance.

It doesn't matter how pretty the football is we are playing, if we are leaking goals like a sieve, it's going to be another painful season so I hope this is number 1 top priority from Enzo and the coaching team right now.   

The other thing I'm finding a bit odd is the whole full back thing.  Reece has started every game in pre-season but is suspended for the first three games.  This has meant Gusto has either started on the bench or for the last two games at left-back, which means we now have to find another solution for LB with one game to go.   The three at the back and inverted FB also means there is more space for opposition attackers to exploit down the channels so I hope this is an experiment that gets dropped pretty quickly.   We are at our best when we have Reece or Malo bombing down the wing creating overlaps. 

Edited August 7 by Rob B

[Bison]

47 minutes ago, thevelourfog said:

@Bison didn't say Maresca had mentioned Pochettino, so this is a pretty crappy, rude response.

The video you linked to shows Maresca doing exactly as was said, saying the current high defensive line is habit rather than something he is encouraging. Whether or not that's "blaming" another coach, idk, don't think so necessarily.

It's easier to attack the messenger though so for somebody like  @xceleryx who wants to defend every decision made by Clearlake and the sporting directors, jumping on low hanging fruit like standard journalist paraphrasing is an almighty issue. 

This is completely disingenuous by Maresca which is the main point. He is blaming the bad habits on those before him but seemingly also wants to play a brand of football that requires a high line to work.

[Bert19]

@Rob B Totally agree. 
 

All top sides need a good backline. We should be focused on sorting that before anything else as far as i’m concerned. Simplify defending and get everyone doing the primary tasks sorted, then build out. 
 

It’s no good having a style of play or a philosophy if you’re leaking goals like we have been for the last 18 months. Get them structured and organised, help them to see games out. Players tend to buy in once a manager has got them a few results.

[Proud-Blue]

On 06/08/2024 at 12:46, Ham said:

How many times do I have to agree with this???  

Btw, "Mascara" is tiresome. 

I'm glad you said this because it's been irritating me too. I find it ridiculous that people are already creating insulting nicknames for our manager who has not even had a competitive game yet. There's legitimate scepticism, then there's just being destructive. 

[Miguelito07]

I’m going to caveat this by noting - yes, it’s pre-season so basically anything goes.
 

So, if the reports that Maresca was watching Chelsea matches from last season  before he started, then surely he would have noticed that we were crap defensively because it’s very worrying that we are continuing that trend. 

[Original 21]

46 minutes ago, Rob B said:

The other thing I'm finding a bit odd is the whole full back thing.  Reece has started every game in pre-season but is suspended for the first three games.  This has meant Gusto has either started on the bench or for the last two games at left-back, which means we now have to find another solution for LB with one game to go.   The three at the back and inverted FB also means there is more space for opposition attackers to exploit down the channels so I hope this is an experiment that gets dropped pretty quickly.   We are at our best when we have Reece or Malo bombing down the wing creating overlaps. 

How can he drop it? He was hired to implement that very system. Presumably, Cucurella will start as left back and invert into midfield while James/Gusto hang back to make three central defenders. That totally negates the key strength of our right backs. Or James is inverted into midfield while Cucurella plays third centre back. Good luck with that!

We’ve already seen how vulnerable we are to balls played over the top behind James. Even mighty Wrexham reaked havoc on us with this sly tactic. Imagine what your average  well-drilled Premier league side will do to us. It doesn’t bear thinking about. 

[Bert19]

This is the shape i'd quite liked to have seen us start with: 

3-4-2-1

GK 

Trev Fofana Colwill

Gusto Caicedo Lavia Cucurella 

Palmer Nkunku 

Jackson 

Or: 

4-3-3 (wingers inverting) 

GK 

Gusto Fofana Colwill Cucurella

Caicedo Lavia Enzo 

Palmer Jackson Nkunku

 

And before the pedants tell me Trev is on his way out, I know.  It's my preference, not what I expect to happen (and I think he's better than Disasi and Badiashile).

I think both shapes would give us more defensive stability off the ball whilst also giving plenty of legs and running when moving forward. 

[Rob B]

11 minutes ago, Original 21 said:

How can he drop it? He was hired to implement that very system. Presumably, Cucurella will start as left back and invert into midfield while James/Gusto hang back to make three central defenders. That totally negates the key strength of our right backs. Or James is inverted into midfield while Cucurella plays third centre back. Good luck with that!

We’ve already seen how vulnerable we are to balls played over the top behind James. Even mighty Wrexham reaked havoc on us with this sly tactic. Imagine what your average  well-drilled Premier league side will do to us. It doesn’t bear thinking about. 

Agree that the SD's / Ownership Group want a clear style and identity of possession football, aggressive pressing etc but there are many ways to execute it. 

For all I have criticised them of late, I very much doubt they are insisting on inverted full backs.  That is a tactic to create a passing overload or not to get sliced through the middle on a counter attack,  but if the players are better used elsewhere, for me that sits firmly with the coaching team to sort out. 

[Mark Kelly]

 

Enzo Maresca on Chelsea's highline issues: "It's a problem we've been trying to solve all pre-season, since day one. One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high. It's something we are trying to work on. Offensively, we are there. The patterns are there. We created chances. The problem is defensively. And when I say defensively, I don't just mean the defensive line, but in general, all the players."

[Sciatika]

To be fair, that fits with what I saw. I am surprised it is taking so long to sort out. Maybe we need someone a bit more shouty in control.

[Bert19]

33 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

To be fair, that fits with what I saw. I am surprised it is taking so long to sort out. Maybe we need someone a bit more shouty in control.

Personally, i'm still a bit puzzled that we have the best Captain & CB in PL history working at the Club and no one has watched our defence for the last year and gone "John, would you mind coming to do a bit of work with these lads please?" 

 

[McCreadie]

5 minutes ago, Bert19 said:

Personally, i'm still a bit puzzled that we have the best Captain & CB in PL history working at the Club and no one has watched our defence for the last year and gone "John, would you mind coming to do a bit of work with these lads please?" 

 

Totally agree and wondered the same thing.

 

[ChelseaJambo]

3 hours ago, Bert19 said:

This is the shape i'd quite liked to have seen us start with: 

3-4-2-1

GK 

Trev Fofana Colwill

Gusto Caicedo Lavia Cucurella 

Palmer Nkunku 

Jackson 

Or: 

4-3-3 (wingers inverting) 

GK 

Gusto Fofana Colwill Cucurella

Caicedo Lavia Enzo 

Palmer Jackson Nkunku

 

And before the pedants tell me Trev is on his way out, I know.  It's my preference, not what I expect to happen (and I think he's better than Disasi and Badiashile).

I think both shapes would give us more defensive stability off the ball whilst also giving plenty of legs and running when moving forward. 

Those central defensive pairings give me the absolute fear.

[chara]

55 minutes ago, Bert19 said:

Personally, i'm still a bit puzzled that we have the best Captain & CB in PL history working at the Club and no one has watched our defence for the last year and gone "John, would you mind coming to do a bit of work with these lads please?" 

 

Agree up to a point..the old adage about leading a horse to water etc comes to mind.

Having said that a dominant Senior CB/CD would make a hell of a difference in organising and correcting the players during a game..regardless of who the coach is it still needs someone on the field to take charge and ensure pregame instructions are adhered to,

In the AVB days it;s said that the very experienced senior players tore up his instructions,recognising them as "suspect" and organising the side on the field.

Makes you think?... Reece is no "Control" leader and I see no one who is.

[Ham]

I see what you did there @JaneB

😂

[Chelsea_Matt]

4 hours ago, Miguelito07 said:

I’m going to caveat this by noting - yes, it’s pre-season so basically anything goes.
 

So, if the reports that Maresca was watching Chelsea matches from last season  before he started, then surely he would have noticed that we were crap defensively because it’s very worrying that we are continuing that trend. 

It’s the individual errors that worry me, as did our constantly conceding the same type of goals last year. As a certain @Mark Kelly said, our players have “the intelligence of sand”, and I agree.

I think explaining the basics to our players is like explaining income tax to a horse. 🐎💥💀🤣

[JaneB]

10 minutes ago, Ham said:

I see what you did there @JaneB

😂

Thank you @Ham I was hoping it would be noticed 🧐

Needed saying