Enzo Maresca Thread

[ZAPHOD2319 4,799]

8 hours ago, Strike said:

Every media outlet is running a story "Are Chelsea title contenders"

We need a plan to keep expectations where they are right now and go through this title race without feeling like there's an expectation to win 

 

[DH1988 1,346]

Very odd, I don't feel like we are in one, we simply aren't ready, gathering momentum and pressure will do nothing except solidify 'billionaire bottle jobs' for the second time.

[Strike 7,474]

Another one. There's so much title challenge talk now - hopefully there is a plan to ensure this doesn't get into people's heads at the club. I am under no illusions we can sustain this run but it will help to be positioned as underdogs 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,799]

Maresca ball

 

[bluesman2610 1,415]

We never thought with this appointment and our preseason the lads would play with such desire to not lose. I’m very happy that I wasn’t to hard on this appointment he’s done a wonderful job so far. Man management tactics all of it. Long may it continue.

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• https://thedailybriefing.io/i/153080218/Chelsea

• Maresca also confirmed he has no plans to change the starting goalkeeper, telling reporters: "The idea is not to change, we trust Robert (Sanchez). But also in that case, we have two keepers who are both good. Until they maintain the same level, we are happy with that."

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Enzo Maresca: Chelsea must manage situations differently after late Marc Cucurella red card

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5996270/2024/12/15/marc-cucurella-red-card-Chelsea/

Enzo Maresca says Chelsea must learn to manage situations better after Marc Cucurella was sent off at full time following Sunday’s victory over Brentford.

Cucurella, who had opened the scoring in the first half of the 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, was shown a second yellow by referee Peter Bankes following an altercation with Brentford forward Kevin Schade after the final whistle.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) explained the full-back had been booked for “adopting an aggressive attitude”, with Schade also given a yellow card for his role in the incident.

Maresca said the sending off and the Bryan Mbeumo goal his side conceded on the stroke of full time were both experiences his players would learn from, but he was full of praise for Cucurella’s overall contributions.

“For sure the goal we concede, it is something we need to manage better,” Maresca said. “Then also probably at the end of the game, the game in finished, we can manage that moment in a different way. I think it’s experience for the players to learn and to improve things.”

He continued: “Cucurella was top on and off the ball… together with the other 10 (players), they were fantastic. We are happy, delighted with Marc’s performance.”

GO DEEPER

The Briefing: Chelsea 2 Brentford 1 - Cucurella's crazy week and five wins in a row for Maresca

Cucurella’s sending off means he will be suspended for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Everton. The 26-year-old has been an important part of Maresca’s side this season, featuring in 15 of their 16 top-flight matches.

Chelsea’s victory narrowed the gap to league leaders Liverpool to two points, having played one game more. Despite this, Maresca played down his side’s title chances.

“No matter how many games we are going to win, I think we are not ready to compete for the title,” he added. “One of the reasons why is I think teams that know how to compete to win the title, they are not going to concede the goal we conceded.

“We conceded a goal in the 90th minute when it was a throw-in for us. Teams that know how to win the title, they are not going to concede that goal. This is one of the reasons why I still continue to say we are not ready to win titles, even if you don’t believe me or you think I say it for… I said many times I would love the pressure to compete for a title but we are not ready for many reasons.

“We cannot concede the goal we did, to open the game and give them the chance to take a point here.”

Chelsea return to action against Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League on Thursday.

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Why Enzo Maresca can no longer ignore Chelsea’s discipline issue

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5996424/2024/12/16/Chelsea-discipline-maresca/

Enzo Maresca continues to get most things right as Chelsea head coach but he needs to start taking Chelsea’s disciplinary issues a bit more seriously.

For the second time this campaign, Marc Cucurella will serve a one-game ban. His needless altercation with Kevin Schade after the final whistle of Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Brentford, which earned the Spain international a second yellow card, means he will miss the trip to Everton on Sunday.

Should Chelsea win, they will go top of the table before Liverpool take on Tottenham Hotspur later in the afternoon. That would be some feat and a rich reward for the club’s fine form. But it will not be easy. Chelsea have won on just one of their last seven league visits there and returned south without even a point five times.

As he showed against Brentford, Cucurella is one of Maresca’s finest performers and you would much rather him be on the pitch at Goodison Park than watching from the sidelines or at home.

The Spain international was absent on the last occasion Chelsea went to Merseyside this season to take on league leaders Liverpool in October, courtesy of a one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards. So too was centre-back Wesley Fofana for the same reason. The result? Chelsea lost 2-1.

It would be unfair to pin the loss that day solely on the duo being unavailable. Many factors contributed, but not having two of the first-choice back four did not improve Chelsea’s chances.

Against Brentford, Pedro Neto became the third Chelsea player to sit out a match courtesy of the five-yellow-card rule. Chelsea won a tight game without him, but he was missed as an option off the bench even though Noni Madueke set up the opening goal from Neto’s favoured position on the right wing.

Chelsea’s great run of results — they have become the first side to win five Premier League games in succession this season — is worthy of praise. But to become better, they have to judge themselves in every department to the highest standard.

GO DEEPER

Why are Premier League teams so inconsistent this season?

The cut-off point for avoiding the one-game ban for five yellow cards is 19 Premier League fixtures. Chelsea have played 16 but at least seven players are still vulnerable to the sanction. This includes main striker Nicolas Jackson (four yellows), Maresca’s No 1 keeper Robert Sanchez (four yellows), plus Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill and Madueke (all on three).

Then there is the added complication of getting a two-match ban for 10 yellow cards up to, and including, the 32nd Premier League game and sitting out three games if you reach the tally of 15 yellow cards. You cannot say a further suspension is out of reach for Cucurella, Fofana and Neto at the rate they are going.

Sometimes a booking can come down to bad luck, a slightly mistimed challenge or a referee being a tad overzealous. There will be people who will have sympathy for Cucurella given he was disciplined for simply ‘adopting an aggressive attitude’, not the most heinous crime. There are bookings that are seen in a positive light because the side is showing they are not a soft touch or that an individual will put the team before themselves by producing a ‘tactical foul’ to stop an attack.

But there is a balance and picking up too many has to be considered counter-productive. Chelsea are doing so well, yet this is an area that needs to be improved. Missing players through suspension can contribute to the fine margins which decide games and can upset the rhythm.

For Chelsea to bring up the half-century of yellow cards already, which as the table below shows is the most any Premier League team has received in 2024-25, is not to be simply ignored.

When you consider Chelsea set a new Premier League record of 105 yellows in a single campaign under Mauricio Pochettino last season with most of the same players, then it feels like they have carried on from where they left off rather than learning lessons.

No one can accuse Maresca of not being consistent on the topic. When The Athletic raised the subject with him in October, the Italian gave it short shrift. He said: “I don’t think it is a discipline problem at all. Have I spoken to the players about it? No, no, absolutely (not).” Chelsea had collected 21 yellows in just six league fixtures at that stage. Eight of those came a few weeks earlier at Bournemouth, which was part of another Premier League record for most yellows shown in a single game (14 players, plus both coaches).

Chelsea were fined £25,000 ($31,500) by the Football Association for it, an automatic punishment for having at least six yellow cards in a match. They have been fined a further £50,000 and £75,000 for repeating the feat against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle respectively. They are the first Premier League team to have had a minimum of six yellows shown in three separate fixtures. It is not a good look and now Cucurella is the first Chelsea player to be sent off in the league in 2024-25.

Pressed by this reporter on whether he thinks they have an issue with discipline now, Maresca played it down again. He said: “No, no. I’ve said many times we can do many things better; the way we attack and the way we defend but also the way we need to manage some moments. This is probably one of the moments we can improve but overall, with the spirit of the team, we know that sometimes you can receive some yellow cards.

“Probably the second one (for Cucurella) is not the correct thing to do, but there are things that we need to improve. Yes, ‘Cucu’ will be suspended and there will be another one in his place. Pedro (Neto) was suspended and Noni’s (Madueke’s) performance was top. So in the moment they are suspended, another one will play and if the other one does good, we will see after they come back.”

Maresca is right to highlight the strength of the squad, but Chelsea are going to be at their strongest when they have all of their best players to choose from. Absentees from injury are unfortunate, suspensions less so.

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Chelsea may not want to counter-attack – but they are very good at it

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6000526/2024/12/18/Chelsea-counter-attack-analysis/

Enzo Maresca could not be more explicit when talking about end-to-end football.

“After we concede the goal we lose a little bit our way to control the game,” said Maresca after Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in September. “The game starts to be a bit up and down — transitions. That for us isn’t our football.”

This tallies with Chelsea’s approach on the field, but there’s a counter-attacking threat in the team’s style of play that is hard to ignore.

The profiles of Chelsea’s forwards — in terms of pace and dribbling ability — alongside Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo’s ball-winning skills and Cole Palmer’s passing is the perfect recipe for attacking on the transition.

“For sure we have players in the wide areas or in front that they can attack quick,” said Maresca in November before facing Manchester United.

“But, I said many times the problem when you attack quick is then they are going to attack quick, and then become like Newcastle (match) — up and down, up and down.”

It’s interesting though that Chelsea have been increasingly attacking on the transition this season, which is visible in their direct-attacks numbers. These are defined as possessions that start in a team’s own half and result in either a shot or a touch inside the opposition penalty area within 15 seconds — in other words, a counter-attack.

Chelsea’s rate of 4.3 direct attacks per 90 in the Premier League this season is the highest in the division. Meanwhile, they are limiting the opponents’ counter-attacks with only 2.1 direct attacks conceded per game — the best rate in the top-flight.

Another thing to note is that Chelsea’s direct-attacks numbers in the Premier League this season is their highest since 2018-19.

Considering the type of players Chelsea have, attacking on the transition is a valuable tool that the team has been using when there’s an opportunity to hit on the break. It has been smartly used with the players knowing how to react when Maresca’s side retrieves possession.

Chelsea’s second goal in the 2-1 victory against Brentford last Sunday came on the transition after Caicedo won the ball in midfield.

Here, Caicedo immediately plays the ball to Fernandez. Before it reaches the Argentina midfielder, Nicolas Jackson sprints to attack the space behind Brentford’s left centre-back, Nathan Collins.

Fernandez then plays the ball into Jackson’s path…

… and Chelsea are in a two-versus-two situation against Brentford’s centre-backs.

It is important to note the positioning of Palmer on the outside of Sepp van den Berg to be on the blind side of the defender, while Jackson’s run into the space Collins vacated ensures that he isolates Ethan Pinnock. If Jackson had received the ball centrally, Van den Berg would have been in a position to support his centre-back.

In the one-on-one, Jackson sets up the shot with his right foot and strikes the ball into the bottom corner to score Chelsea’s second.

Jackson’s off-ball movement on the counter was also beneficial in Chelsea’s first goal against Newcastle United in October. However, the Senegal forward was playing a different role in that attack — one similar to Palmer’s in the previous example.

When Chelsea retrieve the ball near the edge of their own penalty area, Jackson is central and Pedro Neto is down the left wing with Newcastle’s full-backs out of position.

As Malo Gusto plays the ball to Palmer, Neto surges forward to attack the space behind Tino Livramento and Jackson adjusts his position to be able to attack the space while being on Dan Burn’s blind side.

Palmer finds Neto’s run behind Livramento with a mind-boggling pass, while Jackson’s adjusted position…

… means that he can attack the space from Burn’s blind spot, where the centre-back is unable to see him and the ball at the same time.

On the other side, Neto gets past Fabian Schar with his pace…

… before squaring the ball to Jackson, who scores with a one-touch finish.

Another feature of Chelsea’s counter-attacks is how their wingers spring into action once the team retrieves the ball, and Maresca’s preference of using out-and-out wingers as his widest players means that the players attacking the space are ones whose profiles fit the transitional situation.

In this example, against Palace in September, Levi Colwill wins the ball and plays it to Noni Madueke out wide. Meanwhile, Neto dashes forward on the other side of the pitch, with Palace’s wing-backs trying to recover.

Madueke’s pace and dribbling ability make him lethal in these positions, and he easily dribbles past Will Hughes, with Palmer, Jackson and Neto supporting the counter-attack.

Neto’s initial movement when Chelsea start the transition puts him in a threatening position towards the far post, while Jackson attacks a similar space to be in the blind side of Palace’s centre-backs.

Simultaneously, Palmer is attacking a different space…

… and his run attracts Nathaniel Clyne as Madueke finds the Chelsea midfielder.

Palmer then plays the ball across goal and Jackson scores into an empty net.

It’s a four-versus-two situation when Chelsea are nearing the edge of the penalty area, but by making the right runs they are providing different options to force the Palace defenders into unfavourable decisions.

In another example, from the 5-1 victory against Southampton this month, Fernandez retrieves the ball and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall instantaneously attacks the space behind the advancing left-back.

At the same moment, Joao Felix and Jadon Sancho spring forward to attack the space…

… and provide different options on the transition. Fernandez then plays the ball to Gusto…

… which forces Southampton’s centre-backs to defend the central space. This leaves Chelsea’s forwards unmarked in the wide areas and positioned on the blind side of the centre-backs.

Gusto then finds Sancho’s run, with Christopher Nkunku and Felix offering a crossing option towards the back post.

However, Sancho goes by himself and blasts the ball into the back of the net.

The guidelines Chelsea are following on attacking transitions in terms of attacking the wide spaces, positioning themselves in the blind side of the defenders and springing their wingers after winning the ball complement the profiles of the players and Maresca’s preferences.

The counter isn’t Chelsea’s main attacking method, but it is a useful option that adds to their strengths.

GO DEEPER

Chelsea's wingers keep finding themselves in one-v-one situations - and it's not by chance

[NikkiCFC 8,286]

 

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On 19/12/2024 at 18:04, NikkiCFC said:

 

love this!!!!!! I hope all here watch it

[Johnnyeye 7,501]

On 20/12/2024 at 01:04, NikkiCFC said:

 

love to see this, this is the right attitude and spirit i want to see at Chelsea, i hope we get back to the aura we had with the old guard, we are definitely heading in the right direction, just need to address the GK issue. Cheers