Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace

[Fulham Broadway 16,854]

14 hours ago, robsblubot said:

Disagree. For me it was team problem, rather than a player problem. The team is still too spaced out and that can and will be exploited by the opposition.

You could see that clearly in the second half: Caicedo and Enzo were outnumbered often as there was always a 3rd open man to receive a pass. You simply cannot defend in that situation as the game "piggy in the middle" proves.

It's easy to point fingers to individuals as many did not have outstanding games, which is also an indication it was a teamwork issue.

Many of us warned that a start from scratch would have a cost no matter the players. The good teams who have been playing together for years are flying high, which is not really surprising.

Maybe but its more nuanced than that. there are fundamental flaws from top down - the culture and cohesive nature of the club appear to have  fundamentally changed, to one of individualism so agree about teamwork lacking

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

33 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

the culture and cohesive nature of the club appear to have  fundamentally changed, to one of individualism so agree about teamwork lacking

Because we lack leaders on the pitch.  You need guys like Azpi, Rudiger, Terry, Cahill, A.Cole, Thiago Silva, Kante to help develop that culture. 

You don't go around spending 250 million on a midfield setup who aren't a good match for each other. 

Problem is, what happens if Enzo or Caicedo lose form, can Maresca drop them or will they continue to play due to the amount the club invested in them? 

 

[Mhsc 876]

15 minutes ago, Reddish-Blue said:

Problem is, what happens if Enzo or Caicedo lose form, can Maresca drop them or will they continue to play due to the amount the club invested in them? 

Is there really still a conversation to be had about this? Maresca has shown he is willing & happy to drop anyone and that he is picking players based on how they perform and how hard they work in training, not on price tags or how big their name is.

It will be interesting to see what he does when Lavia is finally back and he has that headache and a choice to make. We were a better side with him in it and wont be surprised if Enzo is dropped to the bench if he cannot improve his level quickly.