robsblubot

Jackson could wake the fuck up!

It’s looking better now playing really wide which is def new with Maresca. In the other hand, defending looks a bit off and we are unable to play from the back.

That was terrible by Veiga … a defenders move in midfield.

Dunno how good Veiga is in midfield. carney plays better in a pulled back winger position imo. Yet to see a good game from casadei. Hope Caicedo never picks up a knock. second season in and Lavia remains unavailable.

Apparently we are not “loaded” in CM esp considering Lavia is never available.

Duran was almost a consensus buy on this forum which is very rare. Reckon he’s going to become a bit more expensive after this season and goals like these.

I'm not a fan, but it's really strange for Rabiot to be a free agent at 29. There are talks about United, but what a weird career move by the player and agent. Not as strange as 30yo Depay at Corinthians in Brazil, but close.

Expect to see more of Maresca for this game. The first match was understandably reactive low block counter-attacking a la Poch. The second match was slightly different and not for the better. I hope to see more possession and more control, even if that does not translate into actual dominance. On the other hand, we have enough quality in the squad that should get us unlikely wins here and there. I think Cole is pretty hard to contain when he's having a good match, for ex. Can't wait!

"Monaco and Brazil defender Vanderson, 23, is attracting strong interest from Chelsea, while Manchester United and Tottenham are also among his admirers. (Caughtoffside)" I've watched him a lot when still a Gremio in 21. He was fantastic going forward, and not that great defending. As much I want to think he's learned to defend, I think it's safe to considering him an attacking fullback. He reminds me of walker because of the build and pace... frankly he'd be a perfect fit for City, IMO. We are loaded on the RB unless club is giving up on James.

That only suggests where his main deficiencies are, and it actually makes his case worse in my book. He clearly lacks the temperament for competitive football, which isn't something that can be developed. Considering the above, he'd have to compensate that with unbelievable skill and I happen to think his technique is overrated; he just shows too much of the football at times. I suspect Italy might be a good place for him due to the slower pace of the game there--similar to Cuadrado.

When players sound like politicians: asked one thing and answer with something else.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13209713/ballon-dor-englands-harry-kane-jude-bellingham-phil-foden-bukayo-saka-declan-rice-and-cole-palmer-nominated Definitely not his year, but still pretty cool and well deserved!

I'd say nothing short of Rodri: a player who distribute and control tempo. I like Bruno, but he's not that player; he's a competent b2b, but he's not skillful enough to control tempo.

Podcast in Portuguese by Brazilian journalists about Chelsea (since Abramovich times) as well as the new wall street-like approach (which is what they call it). What's interesting is how much they talk about the stuff we've discussed here: 1. if players become stars would they have to leave to get top wages? 2. what if players lose the ambition due to the long contracts 3. motivate players with large squads (that group thing already addressed by Maresca to a degree) 4. young squad and missing experienced players--that some of the players who won the CL are still young and could still be at the club The one thing they touch and that I don't think we've addressed is the differences in competitiveness between American sports and international football. If you ever watch both sports live (I have multiple times), it's really difficult to compare. I'd describe American sports on the stands as a party, while international football has a much more serious tone. I've been told college American Football would be closer to Int Football, but even if you have more passion on display (than NFL), it's still a party IMO. Baseball takes it to a different level as it feels more like a family and friends reunion on the stands. So, they question how the points listed above would affect, or not, our ability to build a strong and resilient team capable of facing highly competitive opposition, which is what we find in the PL. I am really curious about that myself.

Don't think we can play with a DMF *and* Caicedo (ball-winning mid). That'd be too defensive unless the DMF is also a maestro. Aren't we covered there esp when Lavia eventually becomes available?

Was never a fan of the player--good physical player with incredible acceleration and power--but not really my cup of tea. Still, something seems off with him, and/or his agent. Maybe I don't know the whole story, but did he not sign a new deal not that long ago (in 23)?

Don’t think you are too far off from what we have seen so far. It was definitely an expensive signing considering where from. I just hope it’s the shock of facing much better, as well as more physical, opposition and he will have to up his game. Well, if he can’t do it, hardly the first expensive flop we had. regarding Carney… so let know what to think right now.

I’m counting on that actually… I mean Neto not Felix. Think Neto can do Mount’s role (pulled back winger) in his own way of course, but the key part is to solidify the midfield. I saw carney do that too when deployed on the left (think it was when injured his knee), but I have no idea about his fitness these days; feels like the club has lost faith in him atm. of course Maresca may have other ideas like projecting the defense line forward, but we are not sure we have the quality in the cbs for that. Maybe even Maresca does not yet know how to get this team clicking just yet. We will find out soon.

yup noticed that and it was reassuring; just hope he keeps fit and he should improve... along with the team mechanics. It's been too long for him to play regularly like this, so it should take some time.

yeah good point, something which Pep is particularly a master of. Worse than changing managers often is to also change the philosophy, so the signed players under the previous manager aren't a good fit under the new one.

Subbing Neto was definitely a mistake in my book, not only for the quality part but also tactically. This is what I alluded to in my heat map suggestion above: Neto will have to learn how to do what Mount used to do for us, which is to drop back and join the linkup with the CMs (he did that very well in the CL run). I think Neto has both the quality as well as the work rate for that, while Mudryk does not. I'm unsure where Madueke can do that work; he plays so direct that he's either hot or cold, but he does not help the middle of the park a whole lot. Noni was actually both hot and cold during the match. The CBs (entire D line) will also have to step up to make the lines more compact, which will also help the middle of the park. Poch simply played a low block, which fits his style, but it's going to be a lot different with Maresca. I sadly remember Arteta's first year at Arsenal -- hope it's not the same. Heh Palmer is a star and everybody knows it; he will have to deal with that and the manager try to find ways for him to get the ball in good positions. I'm amazed he's still playing so well despite the tight marking. I was totally expecting some stutter and am not surprised one bit. I wrote I few times before that expecting a continuation from last season would be a mistake given the philosophy change and that some players, who were thriving under Poch, may struggle under the new system.

I’d point to a single tool to showcase my point about the CM pairing: heat map. please take a team like city or arsenal, or a even Liverpool, and check the heat map of most players. Notice how many times during a match they operate in the center midfield area despite not being CMs. That’s a good team at work.

Well, I’ve never thought of our CMs as the best in england, much less in the world, but it’s way too much focus on a small cog vs the entire machine. It’s a team sport after all. Disagree. There is very little that won’t change. Poch and Maresca’s idea about how to play football couldn’t be any more different… Which is the reason he was hired. Low block to high line. Traditional direct and quick transitions to positional game. there is no fucking way this is done quickly.

Couldn't agree more. Flamengo actually has the best striker in teh country, Pedro, who flopped in Europe (Fiorentina), but is still better than what the other sides have there. He is recovering from a hammy, but should be back soon. So, it's likely Deivid wouldn't be starting too many matches.

As I wrote in the Chelsea x Crystal game thread, I disagree. It's teamwork problem at the moment; clear as day when the opposition always has a 3rd or 4th man available to receive a pass in midfield. Enzo and Caicedo were often the piggy in the middle. I simply can't see how replacing one or another player would made a whole lot of difference today. The wingers in particular were too focused on beating their man than making the team click. That will have to be adjusted. One could actually make an argument of making a more possession-able pairing, but I won't suggest that here -- people do love tackles around here. I honestly don't understand what people expected from a brand new team with way too many changes from last year: both in personal as well as strategy/philosophy.