Think we'll still just about get CL football - especially now that it's confirmed the PL top 5 qualify. We're still comfortably better than the chasing pack in terms of GD which is a reasonable indicator of performance at this point.
Enzo Maresca - Chelsea manager - Sack watch
- Thread starter Carl
- Start date
Does 5th still get Champions League if Spurs or us win the Europa?
Yes.
There's a mad situation where England could have 7 teams in the Champions league next season if us or Spurs win the Europa and Villa win the Champions league!
Yes I believe so as of the new format implemented this year.
Wow. Genuinely didn't realise that a nation would be entitled to so many spots.
Interesting. Thanks.
Of course, no worries mate. Just checked and it's not yet mathematically guaranteed - but the only way the PL would lose out on the 5th place qualifying is if Inter, Lazio, & Fiorentina all win the competition they're currently in AND if none of the 5 remaining English teams wins another match.
From what you're saying, 5th sounds very much like it's a guarantee then. That ends my thought of us winning the Europa and in the process, potentially denying City a Champions League place.
Yeah as cathartic as that would be I believe that is not really possible, apologies!
Resting players for Legia Warsaw in the Conference League when you have a proper fight on for CL qualification?
Does he know he’s gone in the summer and so just want to prioritise winning a trophy ?
Does he know he’s gone in the summer and so just want to prioritise winning a trophy ?
I hope they take Nick Iraola.
So ... Poch came in took a while to get going, found a settled team and a formula and they looked like a proper team. So they sacked him.
This year Maresca takes over with Poch's team, and by the time he implements his own ideas they turn to shit? Maybe teams shouldnt keep sacking managers, maybe?
This year Maresca takes over with Poch's team, and by the time he implements his own ideas they turn to shit? Maybe teams shouldnt keep sacking managers, maybe?
His ideas are the problem. He is nuking any creativity or risk from their play, and this is the result. They would be foolish to keep him on.
It's disingenuous to suggest he's resting players because of the Conference League - Palmer and Jackson are just back from muscle injuries and it would have been malpractice to play them from the off again.
It's not Maresca's fault Nkunku is beyond worthless as a striker.
There's no evidence to support this claim:
Poch was fecking terrible and if any Chelsea fan supported him staying on you are free to disregard their opinion on anything related to football
They played Thursday evening.
Palmer and Jackson only back from injury and Neto has hamstring injuries if overplayed.
Problem for Chelsea is Sancho has been really bad last few months and Nkunku terrible all season so the expensive reserves not stepping up to get them crucial wins when the first choices aren't starting.
No it isn’t disingenuous to say that. If it’s purely down to them coming back from muscle injuries why were Cucurella and colwill on the bench too??
He also brought them on anyway….
You just need to watch games and see that players never try to use their pace and break at speed or use long range passing when teams are in transition. Stats don’t tell the full story in isolation.
They keep the ball and allow teams to get back. It’s obvious in the games what is happening, and the performances are turgid and players like Palmer are suffering because of it. It is slower and less direct and the stats tell us that too.
I would be delighted if he stays though, because it will be more of the same “philosophy”
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They're sort of nothing really. Neither good or particularly bad just meh.
Of course it's disingenuous to say that the starting XI is down to prioritizing the conference league. It's ridiculous to suggest that things like recovery from injuries, recent minutes, latest biometrics, etc aren't taken into account to put it all down to "look at this dumb manager trying to win a tinpot cup".
As I said in another thread, he knows he's gone. A trophy is more significant for him than getting CL for a team he won't even be managing in the CL. No way you go with that squad otherwise.
Suggesting that I need to watch more Chelsea matches is extremely funny.
You seem to be basing your opinion on how we have played over the past few weeks without a striker - perhaps you should look at the difference between the first and second halves today? When we have JACKson we regularly play long, rely on him for hold-up play, attack in behind in transition, etc. The difference he makes to our attack solely through creating space is night and day. Blaming Maresca for both of our strikers getting injured in the same match is just silly.
biometrics?? What
Don’t think you know what biometrics means… Anyway, guess we’ll see midweek. You have Ipswich next Sunday. So presumably Jackson and Palmer won’t be able to start both games in this upcoming week. So they’ll be benched for the “tinpot cup”
I thought it was strange too, but throwing up Xg as some sort of proof suggested that maybe you didn’t agree with what was happening on the pitch and how boring it is.
There isn’t enough forward passing and they aren’t direct enough. It’s not about not having a striker, it’s about the style of play and the way he has shackled certain players for his system. Palmer is half the player and that’s down to the instructions and the lack of risk.
Like I said, I thought you, as a fan, would see where it was going and not be thrilled with it. Throwing up the Xg made me wonder though. There is a massive amount of evidence in the performances and results (which I thought you would be dismayed about), and the right stats give you the proof you need that it’s risk averse and not playing to the strengths of his better players.
What on earth? I literally have a PhD in biology; I don't think YOU know what biometrics means.biometrics?? What
Anyway, guess we’ll see midweek. You have Ipswich next Sunday. So presumably Jackson and Palmer won’t be able to start both games in this upcoming week. So they’ll be benched for the “tinpot cup”
Biometrics doesn't just mean fingerprints; all of these clubs are tracking all kinds of data with respect to deviations from baselines across a wide variety of parameters.
I guess I just disagree fundamentally. I don't think Chelsea's dip in form can be put down to Maresca; I think it's more or less down to shitty finishing & our 3 most important physically imposing players getting hurt at the same time. You say there isn't enough forward passing but if there is no one up front in the right positions who is the team meant to pass to?
We're 3rd in xG in the league. I just fundamentally disagree with the assertion you're making that we're boring (at least when we have a striker creating space).
Can’t tell if you’re trolling …
Are you serious? You haven't noticed that basically all players are using wearable biometric devices? Or did you just think they all started wearing sports bras for no reason?
I guess time will tell, especially if he stays and you sign a top striker, but if I were a fan, I wouldn’t be happy at how slow everything is and how poor results have been. Winning at home to three of the worst sides in the league (Southampton, Leicester and Spurs) seems to have glossed over how poor results/performances have been for quite some time.
I don’t think his style of play is where football is going and you lose so much by retaining the ball and not catching teams in transition with the likes of Palmer in the team.
Well we are definitely not signing a top striker. I assume it'll be Delap.
Right now apparently we're tied for 5th in terms of counterattacking goals - given that we've been without an actual striker since the end of January I just don't think it's correct to say that we don't catch teams in transition.
What's your issue here exactly?
He doesn't actually know what biometrics means and just looked at the first and/or AI overview definition
Irvin Ten Hag is available
What do you think biometrics means?
It's clearly his fault to start him there though, only to take him off at half time.
True. But finish in top 5 and it's decent season for them and Maresca should keep his job as Chelsea have been out of top 4 since 2022.
Our first choice striker played for the first time in months on Thursday and our next backup is our starting right winger who has played every match since the first choice guy went down.
We don't actually have that many options up top at the moment. I'm willing to endure a half of Nkunku being shit to not compromise Jackson's return to the side.
He definitely thinks it's unlocking a computer with a fingerprint
Weird situation. It clearly feels like Chelsea have tapered off as Maresca's gotten more and more time with the team, and even before his hire there were a fair few warning of this from his time at Leicester. Obviously they've had injuries etc. but at the same time pretty much every big side has had serious injuries to important players.