Performances are coming together. I'd feel positive if we had a young team that was starting to put together dominant performances like they are, even if results aren't following yet. Against Villa and Spurs they've been very good, and that's two of the better PL teams this season. There's still huge room for growth and improvement in their team too.
Pochettino Chelsea Manager - Sack Watch
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Caf has always had a soft spot for Chelsea.
Some are caught up with the Poch media loving hype. Chelsea have a squad capable of challenging for top 4 and winning a domestic trophy next season, both are unlikely to be happen next season without bringing in a better manager.
That's fair take. But for me Enzo has both the legs and the quality. Its how Poch has sets up that has had issues all season. Especially alongside the fact Caicedo frankly has ONLY come to the party from march!
Also I don't see how their players lacking experience is a remotely a disadvantage. Because it hasnt been in roles where its terminal, and their experience could lead them in the dressing room. There is also almost no side in the league with the depth of options they have, even with loads of injured.
Honestly Poche can and should be getting far better from the roster he has. What am happy about though is the tide has started to turn since Februart and they are begining to look more like a team than 11 talents relying on Palmer magic most games. I fully expect it to continue if Poche doesn't mess around and sticks to the consistency of ideas from his succesful period at Spurs. Rather than the cobbled mess he produced in the first half of the season which was very much like his PSG horror show.
Why do you call him "Poche" when everyone else says "Poch"?
Yeah I said a while ago that it surprised me how he had them playing, as it didn't resemble the principles he normally adopted at Spurs, which served him well. He'd been handed a youthful team and was driving them in 2nd gear, and I believe he was sleepwalking into getting sacked. He seems to have got them looking more like what I expected now, so maybe it wasn't all down to Poch and just took time.
Maybe I'm being harsh on Enzo, we'll see when he returns. Probably not fair to judge him when they were playing so badly as a team. Like you said, Caicedo wasn't carrying out his end of the deal.
I still believe they lack the experience. Who are their experienced players? Sterling and Thiago Silva? The former isn't a leader in my eyes anyway, and the latter is in and out all season. I think they need experience in the spine of their team if they want to be winning things soon, though they may just gain that over the next couple of years like Arsenal have/is doing.
Is the poster French? A lot of people on French forums call him "poche"
This sounds like he’s maybe referring to Sterling? Maybe Enzo (though I think he’s been mostly good this season)? Thiago Silva?
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True.
IMO why Enzo suffered is he wasn't be used to his strength. He was being pushed too far forward and at times rotating with Gallagher. It left an out of sorts Caicedo isolated because both fullbacks push on. Then Enzo woul scamper back to help rather than in a planned manner. Enzo suits more being at the heart of things. With occasional late runs forward.
Right now Poch has set up more like at Spurs. Caicedo shuttles right and left like Dier did. Enzo rotates around him ala Dembele. Then Gallagher leads the pressing ala Delle before his fall. Allowing Palmer to be the Eriksen type with one out and out winger. I believe it suits the talent in hand perfectly. If the can get in an established 9. Plus a leader for that defence. They could really kick on.
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I haven't seen an interview with him in ages, but how is his English not better after so many years managing in England?
Caicedo wasn't doing his part because the team were set up for him to fail. Enzo pushed forward, the full-backs bombed forward and the wingers had feck all defensive duties. All added up Caicedo was often left isolated in midfield with huge empty spaces around him, which opponents could easily just play around to have a go at our back-line.
In the last couple of games (or rather game and a half) now that Enzo has been out we've had Cucurella partner Caicedo in midfield when the team has possession of the ball, with Badiashile then drifting out wider from his LCB spot to cover for Cucurella moving out from LB. Caicedo's primary partner in midfield has been Gallagher who's been allowed plenty of freedom to roam, as long as Cucurella's been there to cover for him when he does. That's exactly how it's supposed to be, ie. when someone moves out of their primary position then someone else will need to come in to patch things up again.
Thing is, for the first 40 or so games into the season we never had this kind of solidity when Enzo was still playing. That's not on Enzo, that's on Poch to not figure out sooner what's wrong and doing adjustments to fix it. I'm sure in a similar structure Enzo would thrive as well because he really is a wonderful player.
The last couple of matches has somewhat softened my stance on Poch. All season long I've wanted to see something, anything to suggest he knew how to set up the team for success. Now it looks like he's just about stumbled upon something that could work, whether on purpose or by accident, so I'd kind of like to see where things go from here. But then again it could just be deemed too little too late for Poch and his job.
As a non-native English speaker from a Spanish-speaking country myself I just can't get over how incredibly bad his English is. He's probably the worst if we factor in how long he's been there, but not the only one. Pep for example started strongly but has stagnated badly or even regressed, he hasn't made any progress whatsoever in years.
If ever anyone wants to see how differently we are perceived by the media yesterdays talksport was a good example, despite us receiving 2 years of non stop criticism for our spending and performances under ten Haag, apparently the Chelsea team will have had an acceptable season getting to a cup semi and final if they finish 6th or 7th despite all the money they have spent, and are not far of been serious challengers, nothing to do with the fact Simon Jordan has met Todd Boehely or anything either apparently, never thought I’d ever think or say this but was glad Keown called him out on it ! (Feel dirty for saying that)
Signs of something?
Contract extension
Think there are good signs. He has been given a lot of very young players so it's taken time.
It's almost like if you smash enough 80-100m signings out eventually you might win a few games.
Huh....big deal....we have won more games by 5 goals this season....
Oh wait...
Oh wait...
Young players are all playing for him. Maybe with Silva leaving, they can Sterling too, he can get in a few of his own older heads and he might be able to push on there.
Still don't think so. It's ridiculous that we have had to lose most of our first XI for Poch to realise that putting a second body in midfield next to Caicedo might be a good idea.
This team as constructed is absolutely crying out for a 3-4-3 and has been all season - Poch finally stumbling into this is hardly a mark in his favour. Give me Tuchel or give me death
Thanks to the mods for banning that other cretinous WUM or we wouldn’t been hearing the end of it.
Consistency would be the most important thing for me with this team. I think the worst thing you could do for a team this young, with Silva and *shudders* possibly Gallagher leaving is throw them yet another new coach.
I’d also want clarity over who is deciding who has to play. The amount of shots Enzo was getting just to struggle through a game … he shouldn’t have been playing, and my guess is that wasn’t Poch’s call. If it was the “collaborative process”… then that needs evaluation more urgently than the manager does.
I’d also want clarity over who is deciding who has to play. The amount of shots Enzo was getting just to struggle through a game … he shouldn’t have been playing, and my guess is that wasn’t Poch’s call. If it was the “collaborative process”… then that needs evaluation more urgently than the manager does.
It is properly embarrassing Chelsea caught up to us in pts. That alone should be cause our team to have a serious wake-up call. Yes they spent a ton of some arguably more decent players than our average, but that is no excuse.
Amadeus must be gutted he can't lord it over us about Poch.
I’m mostly being facetious but I think if we’re being super critical when he’s failing it’s only fair to give him his flowers if he implements (or stumbles upon) a system or approach that actually works really well.
I have never been a Poch fan but I will never blindly be against him (I’m not suggesting you are btw). I’ll judge him based on what I’m seeing and lately I like what I’m seeing.
This is fair. Certainly we've looked better of late (Arsenal match aside) - and I'm very glad we've apparently gotten rid of the idiotic caveman approach that was something like a 2-1-7 in possession at times
Sterling being dropped permanently helps, wasted so many chances this season when games were in the balance.
It’s crazy what happens when you just set up players in their correct positions and don’t insist on tactics that exposes their weaknesses and hides their strengths.
Sterling has definitely been guilty of that but so has the entire team minus Palmer. The only difference is Sterling isn’t a young inexperienced player who with potential to improve during a season and beyond. He pretty much is what he is at this point, while Jackson, Madueke have shown decent growth as the season has progressed.
Bayern will be calling soon.
That would be 2 legitimate excuses surely?
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Think keeping him would good decision for Chelsea atm. Would say the same about ten Hag and United if it was his 1st season.
If we can get Tuchel back then it's bye bye Poch as far as I'm concerned
Would Boehly go for Tuchel as he sacked him not long ago?
“we’re gonna judge you on how you’ve done over the entire season, but we’re only gonna tell you after the next game.” i call bullshit.
Tuchel is a pipe dream. I think he would happily let bygones be bygones if this ownership went to him cap in hand, but I don’t think they would even consider him, even if they sacked Poch and Tuchel was unemployed and available.
This just feels like noise to be honest. I’m sure they’ll evaluate the work he’s done at the end of the season but there was hardly any noise about his job throughout the season when we were faffing about in 12th place. I doubt they would sack him if we end the season well and it looks like we’re going in the right direction.
Probably not unfortunately - would require a degree of self-awareness I'm not sure Clearlake are capable of to realise they fecked up by firing him.
Agree with you to be honest but I find it so mind-blowing how these decisions that are potentially worth tens if not hundreds of millions are swayed by idiotic things like pride and/or the need to save face.
Bournemouth is their cup final