The English Football Thread

[Special Juan 28,871]

Reports saying they are going to approach Maresca

[Fernando 6,743]

9 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

Reports saying they are going to approach Maresca

Good and united will do good. 

I will wait to see those who call him a bald fraud now say he is the best ever. 

[Pizy 19,379]

I bet they wait til summer and try to get Emery like we should’ve tried.

[Vesper 31,181]

Manure are trying to get Xavi to come and be their manager

[Special Juan 28,871]

Wilfred Nancy sacked by Celtic

[Vesper 31,181]

Manchester City have a stability Chelsea can only dream of. But for how long?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6940090/2026/01/05/manchester-city-Chelsea-guardiola-maresca/

It can be difficult sometimes to recall there was once a time when it was Manchester City, not Chelsea, with the reputation for operating a revolving-door policy with their managers.

Older supporters will remember it well and, if anyone from the younger generation wants a glimpse into those times, perhaps a good place to start is by flicking through the pages of The Complete History Of Manchester City, written by football historian Gary James and published in 1997.

Page 390, to be specific, and the cartoon that shows two players peering nervously into the manager’s office. They look unsure about what to expect and, true to form, the chair is empty. Another manager has been and gone. From August to December 1996, Alan Ball, Asa Hartford, Steve Coppell, Phil Neal and Frank Clark all — no kidding — occupied that office at some point or another.

The cartoon sums up the era. “I hear they’ve fitted an ejector seat,” says the speech bubble.

The same applies to the modern-day Chelsea and there were periods during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium when it was tempting to wonder whether the away fans might crave the stability that City have experienced, for the most part, on Pep Guardiola’s watch.

The contrast is stark given Guardiola is approaching a decade at City, whereas Enzo Maresca has just lost his job at Chelsea 20 days after being named as the Premier League’s manager of the month for November. Maresca lasted 17 months at Stamford Bridge and, to give him his due, that was longer than the three managers — Mauricio Pochettino, Frank Lampard and Graham Potter — before him.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” said a downbeat Guardiola, when asked about the damage that had been inflicted on City’s title aspirations. “I don’t know what is going to happen.”

Nobody else has a crystal ball, either. It is tempting, however, to think even further ahead after the recent stories about Maresca being prominent in City’s plans for a post-Pep world.

Enzo Maresca left Chelsea by mutual consent on ThursdayDarren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

After a decade with one man, how will City adjust if this turns out to be, as many people believe, Guardiola’s final season in Manchester? Will everything change radically when the longest-serving manager in the Premier League says adios? Hypothetical for now, of course, but the idea of a potential handover with Maresca will form the backdrop to a lot of what happens between now and the end of the season.

All that can really be said for certain is that Guardiola would hate to leave English football without City’s ribbons adorning the Premier League trophy and that, however disappointing it was to give away a 94th-minute equaliser, most of their supporters will not want to contemplate swapping over to become Maresca’s team. Not yet, anyway.

In football, though, there is no guarantee of a happy ending. Arsene Wenger left Arsenal after a sixth-place finish. Jurgen Klopp won a solitary EFL Cup in his last two seasons at Liverpool. And now, at the 20-game mark, Guardiola’s City find themselves six points behind Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. At this stage of the season, it is a lot to make up.

It was a bad day for City if you take into account the injuries for Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, as well as a potential hamstring issue for Nico O’Reilly, to add to the club’s already considerable list of absentees. The disappointment felt raw at the final whistle and, as the fans headed away, it was not the kind of occasion when Guardiola heard his name being sung in appreciation.

There was a bigger picture to this match, however, after the reports last week to explain, in part, why Maresca’s relationship with Chelsea’s hierarchy had broken down.

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Inside Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea exit: Rotation disagreements, Man City talks and defender woe

Enzo Maresca left Chelsea on New Year's Day but the seeds of his exit were sown many months before

Maresca, it emerged, had informed Chelsea, as he was contractually obliged to, that he had been speaking to people associated with City about the possibility of returning to Manchester — where he had previously been part of Guardiola’s coaching staff — and taking over at the end of the season.

City, in other words, already seem to be making plans, like any sensible club would, for Guardiola’s potential departure. And ignoring, for one moment, the grievous setback of Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time goal, that must be rather terrifying for City fans, given the way Project Pep has changed the club for the better.

That attachment runs deep and does not just come from all the trophies and adventures that have been accumulated along the way. It comes from Guardiola’s longevity and the sense of togetherness that creates. And that, perhaps, is the biggest difference with Sunday’s opponents.

Yes, Chelsea have hardly gone short of trophies over the past two decades (21, astonishingly, since 2005, even excluding Community Shields). The club have had some exceptional times and, as became evident during Maresca’s time, their supporters seem to have worked out it is best not to get too emotionally attached to whoever is in the dugout.

Even so, it will not be straightforward for Liam Rosenior if, as expected, his switch from Strasbourg is now just a formality and he takes over as Maresca’s replacement.

On the one hand, he will be inheriting a bunch of talented players who have a badge on their shirt to advertise the fact they are the FIFA world champions. On the other hand, Chelsea are 17 points behind Arsenal at the top of the league and just four ahead of Crystal Palace in 14th position.

“This is not an easy job,” said Calum McFarlane, Chelsea’s caretaker manager. “There’s a lot of change that’s gone on.”

McFarlane, usually head coach of Chelsea’s under-21s, was asked what it was like to test himself against Guardiola and he sounded almost deferential. “It’s an honour to play against Pep Guardiola. For me, he’s the best manager that’s ever managed. And he was really respectful and really polite.”

But it was his comments about Maresca that felt the most relevant. “Enzo was incredibly successful with this group,” said McFarlane. “Some of them (the players) were shocked by the decision.”

By Daniel Taylor

Football Writer

[Fulham Broadway 17,810]

1-2 Forest

[Special Juan 28,871]

Nuno is gone tomorrow, you could see by the WHU players walking up to him at the end, they know

7 points the gap now between Forest and WHU, the owners won't allow that gap to grow without making a change, they have to act now

 

[iceboy 1,052]

Yeah pretty sure Nuno is gone.

[Laylabelle 9,754]

Arsenal can go 8 clear tomrmow. Think it might finally be their year if they do..

[Fulham Broadway 17,810]

26 minutes ago, Laylabelle said:

Arsenal can go 8 clear tomrmow. Think it might finally be their year if they do..

Although 6 times theyve been ahead at Christmas and five times theyve gone all spursy

[Laylabelle 9,754]

3 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Although 6 times theyve been ahead at Christmas and five times theyve gone all spursy

True but City have been a bit crap recently 

[Fulham Broadway 17,810]

Leeds have done the geordies 2-3

[Fulham Broadway 17,810]

2 minutes ago, Laylabelle said:

True but City have been a bit crap recently 

Yeah they rely on others fucking up

[Special Juan 28,871]

Geordies with massive heart again

[Laylabelle 9,754]

I doubt this will do anything to slow Arsenal down..

[Special Juan 28,871]

Arsenal easy, 3-1/3-0

No Ekitike for the victims, Wirtz up top

[Laylabelle 9,754]

Full time 0-0. Still 6 clear

[Pizy 19,379]

Going a bit under the radar since they’re going to easily win the league even without him doing much of anything, but Gyokeres has been a near complete flop after all that hype and excitement. 

And tbf, quite a few posters even here predicted that. I remember several people here saying his game wouldn’t translate from the Portuguese league and that he’d be found out.

Arse are fortunate that the rest of their team is so good and that they didn’t spend that much money on him due to that release clause. If they had spent Isak type money on him they’d be fucked.

[Vesper 31,181]

2 hours ago, Pizy said:

Going a bit under the radar since they’re going to easily win the league even without him doing much of anything, but Gyokeres has been a near complete flop after all that hype and excitement. 

And tbf, quite a few posters even here predicted that. I remember several people here saying his game wouldn’t translate from the Portuguese league and that he’d be found out.

Arse are fortunate that the rest of their team is so good and that they didn’t spend that much money on him due to that release clause. If they had spent Isak type money on him they’d be fucked.

Gyökeres started out pretty strong (3 goals in his first 4 EPL games and 2 goals in his first 3 Champions League games, which came from a brace v Atletico Madrid) but since then he has crashed and burned