Official: Enzo MARESCA announced as new Chelsea Head Coach

[ROTG]

21 hours ago, Ham said:

No point discussing this as we're poles apart. The next couple of seasons will tell whether the owners have done badly, not now. 

There will always be people like you, though, who see everything negatively to support a position you've taken early on the owners. 

 

As a matter of interest what is your bar for good or bad in the next couple of seasons?

[Ham]

7 minutes ago, ROTG said:

 

As a matter of interest what is your bar for good or bad in the next couple of seasons?

Challenging for the PL and competing in the CL every season. 

[Blue Moon]

44 minutes ago, ROTG said:

As a matter of interest what is your bar for good or bad in the next couple of seasons?

Good: top 4 and in the CL, real ale and better pies in the Shed bar….
Bad: scrabbling around to avoid relegation, selling our best players (Gallagher…), turning over more of the stadium to corps, promoting shitty films during matches, adding little Matt and Sheddy Freddy to Stamford and Bridget … 

[Bison]

Interesting comments from Capello:

As Maresca is from the Guardiola coaching tree, I really hope sterile possession isn't our future. 

[paulw66]

1 hour ago, Bison said:

Interesting comments from Capello:

As Maresca is from the Guardiola coaching tree, I really hope sterile possession isn't our future. 

I think Messi said something similar in a recent interview. Players are being taught to play 1 or 2 touch, and keep possession. None of the kids are learning how to dribble and things like that, as it doesn't fit the tactical narrative. 

[Bison]

2 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

I think Messi said something similar in a recent interview. Players are being taught to play 1 or 2 touch, and keep possession. None of the kids are learning how to dribble and things like that, as it doesn't fit the tactical narrative. 

I saw that clip too. Giving kids who aren't even in their mid teens intense tactical instructions just seems wrong.

[My Blood Is Blue]

26 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

I think Messi said something similar in a recent interview. Players are being taught to play 1 or 2 touch, and keep possession. None of the kids are learning how to dribble and things like that, as it doesn't fit the tactical narrative. 

 

20 minutes ago, Bison said:

I saw that clip too. Giving kids who aren't even in their mid teens intense tactical instructions just seems wrong.

Completely agree, I actually mentioned my thoughts in this in the transfer topic before reading these posts. It’s made the pool of elite talent to much smaller because players have been over coached IMO and are just system players rather than the old X factor type players we used to get, that could win a game in their own in a second.

[Mark Kelly]

Just now, My Blood Is Blue said:

 

Completely agree, I actually mentioned my thoughts in this in the transfer topic before reading these posts. It’s made the pool of elite talent to much smaller because players have been over coached IMO and are just system players rather than the old X factor type players we used to get, that could win a game in their own in a second.

Although Cole Palmer supposedly came through that process and he's as maverick as we are likely to see which is why he's so good.

I'd agree that there is a dearth of decent target men because they're no longer in vogue though 

[My Blood Is Blue]

1 minute ago, Mark Kelly said:

Although Cole Palmer supposedly came through that process and he's as maverick as we are likely to see which is why he's so good.

I'd agree that there is a dearth of decent target men because they're no longer in vogue though 

Absolutely and we will still see some, but they’re much rarer than they used to be and as we’re seeing with Southgate, some coaches are scared to use them as they don’t know how.

[Chelsea_Matt]

11 hours ago, Mark Kelly said:

Although Cole Palmer supposedly came through that process and he's as maverick as we are likely to see which is why he's so good.

I'd agree that there is a dearth of decent target men because they're no longer in vogue though 

What’d I’d give for peak Droggy or Diego right now… 🎯🫡✌️💯

[Michael Tucker]

50 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

What’d I’d give for peak Droggy or Diego right now… 🎯🫡✌️💯

Always.

[Sciatika]

Or JFH,

[Chelsea_Matt]

1 hour ago, Sciatika said:

Or JFH,

Or Kerry Dixon. 🎯🎯🎯🫡✌️

[Sciatika]

Ossie, Greaves or Bentley

[Blue Moon]

Anelka, Kalou, Gudjohnsen ….

[chara]

With you all,,,Just Follow The Yellow Brick Road,,,they are all there smiling ..,, as we do at just reading the named ones and the rest.

If Only.

[Sabrina F.]

On 24/06/2024 at 08:35, Bison said:

Interesting comments from Capello:

As Maresca is from the Guardiola coaching tree, I really hope sterile possession isn't our future. 

Sterile possession is what Guardiola and Spain use both to defend and attack.

It's a good way to compensate from not having the strongest and fastest players (but technically superior) in defensive positions. It's a good way to prevent counters and transitions when you have 8 or 9 of players in the opposition half.

It's a good to not even have your GK have much to do in a game.

It's also a good way to attack, with the ball you can manipulate the opposition. Every Spain attack starts out with sequences of 10+ passes, you "suck" the opposition to follow you one side then switch up to the other side, and suddenly, there's space. No better tool to create space on a football pitch without putting yourself at a disadvantage. 

Italians won the Euros in 2021 thanks to possession, and this year, they were poor with the ball and were out. In fact, possession football is their only weapon at this point. They can't defend deep, they can't attack in transition. So Capello, just like his peers, is completely wrong here.

Best teams at the Euros have been Spain (positional play), Switzerland (possession & rotations) and Germany (Nagelsmann's minimum width possession) - all variations of possession football.

Your transition teams like France, England etc are depending on penalties, own goals, throws-ins and set-pieces. 

And this is tournament football, where styles of play matter less. Yet, it's pretty clear which teams are in control and are showcasing their superiority best.

Let's not even speak of club football. The era of Leverkusen, City, Arsenal, PSG etc. dominating leagues with positional play principles. 

People will look at outliers like Real Madrid or France without realizing that variance has helped those sides, filled with the best players in the world - as if you can recreate those things.

Being organized in possession and knowing how to progress the ball and where to - those principles are very transferable and sustainable. In fact, they're inevitable. Even when we finished 12th, teams still treat us as Chelsea. They'll spend a week studying you and changing their style to fit you. You better know what to do with the ball in the contemporary Premier League.

 

So yeah, I better hope Maresca does not think like Capello.

Our best point tally since the 2017, have come with Tuchel (74pts) and Sarri (72pts), both are possession based coaches with strong positional play principles.

It has won us more games than gung-ho football.

 

[Bob Singleton]

Agree 100% with the above. 

Gung-ho football may be exciting to watch, but unless your squad of 26 is made up of brilliant mavericks you won't win trophies on a regular basis.  Good, technical players who can play to a system, know their roles, duties and place within that system, playing possession football may be "boring" to some, but if you want to return to the days when we barely went a season without winning something, you're going to have to accept the new reality.  I dare say in 5 or 10 years time a new system will emerge. For the time being, possession based football played by technically good players is the way forward.

[JaneB]

When are we going to be introduced to Signor Maresca and his staff??

His contract started yesterday.

I'm getting impatient.

 

[Sciatika]

Probably still trying to figure out something that sounds plausible. 😊

[JaneB]

7 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

Probably still trying to figure out something that sounds plausible. 😊

Him or the club??

[Sciatika]

Article by Matt Law with lots of details

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall fits into Chelsea's 'Swiss Army knife' master plan under Enzo Maresca (archive.ph)

Quote

Chelsea will continue to work on sales, with youngster Michael Golding moving to Leicester. Defender Trevoh Chalobah is expected to leave Stamford Bridge, with the futures of Conor Gallagher and Ben Chilwell uncertain under Maresca.

 

[Mark Kelly]

14 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

Article by Matt Law with lots of details

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall fits into Chelsea's 'Swiss Army knife' master plan under Enzo Maresca (archive.ph)

 

Sanchez back in goal? 

Great. 

Not. 

[My Blood Is Blue]

14 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

Sanchez back in goal? 

Great. 

Not. 

Would be a terrible decision IMO. Petrovic or a new signing should be number 1 next season.

[Bison]

20 hours ago, Sabrina F. said:

Sterile possession is what Guardiola and Spain use both to defend and attack.

It's a good way to compensate from not having the strongest and fastest players (but technically superior) in defensive positions. It's a good way to prevent counters and transitions when you have 8 or 9 of players in the opposition half.

It's a good to not even have your GK have much to do in a game.

It's also a good way to attack, with the ball you can manipulate the opposition. Every Spain attack starts out with sequences of 10+ passes, you "suck" the opposition to follow you one side then switch up to the other side, and suddenly, there's space. No better tool to create space on a football pitch without putting yourself at a disadvantage. 

Italians won the Euros in 2021 thanks to possession, and this year, they were poor with the ball and were out. In fact, possession football is their only weapon at this point. They can't defend deep, they can't attack in transition. So Capello, just like his peers, is completely wrong here.

Best teams at the Euros have been Spain (positional play), Switzerland (possession & rotations) and Germany (Nagelsmann's minimum width possession) - all variations of possession football.

Your transition teams like France, England etc are depending on penalties, own goals, throws-ins and set-pieces. 

And this is tournament football, where styles of play matter less. Yet, it's pretty clear which teams are in control and are showcasing their superiority best.

Let's not even speak of club football. The era of Leverkusen, City, Arsenal, PSG etc. dominating leagues with positional play principles. 

People will look at outliers like Real Madrid or France without realizing that variance has helped those sides, filled with the best players in the world - as if you can recreate those things.

Being organized in possession and knowing how to progress the ball and where to - those principles are very transferable and sustainable. In fact, they're inevitable. Even when we finished 12th, teams still treat us as Chelsea. They'll spend a week studying you and changing their style to fit you. You better know what to do with the ball in the contemporary Premier League.

 

So yeah, I better hope Maresca does not think like Capello.

Our best point tally since the 2017, have come with Tuchel (74pts) and Sarri (72pts), both are possession based coaches with strong positional play principles.

It has won us more games than gung-ho football.

 

I agree to some extent however one thing I love about football (and sport in general) is spontaneity. I think there has to be a balance between having a framework, patterns of play etc. but also empowering the players to make decisions and take risks.

Sarri's football felt dull for the most part. Without a maverick like Hazard capable of breaking games open at will it would have been difficult to watch the following season had Sarri stayed. 

Tuchel (Jan 2021 - Dec 2021) was high level football but the wheels fell off thereafter. I think that had less to do with tactics but moreso injuries, new signings failing and then of course the ownership issues.