I think we need a top class CB, but that'll surely have to wait till summer. Probably sell one of Nkunku/Felix in the summer and replace with a striker. Apparently Samu has been excellent so maybe we should've got him when we had the chance.

comment by minididi (U17584)
posted less than a minute ago
comment by ＴＬＬＬ (U4640)
posted 15 seconds ago
We need Palmer FC back as the rest of the team have forgot how to score. He’s been very unlucky in front of goal this month.
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For Palmer FC to return, he needs to be receiving the ball a lot closer to the goal than he has in recent weeks.
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Being marked out because teams don’t have to worry about anyone else

When they dropped so deep we needed more threat from the wide areas. But instead we had 3 10s in the middle and on the side with an actual winger, we had a CB at fullback providing no support.

Maybe a pacy winger with Mudryk's doping ban?

comment by RtM (U1097)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by RtM (U1097)
posted less than a minute ago
Tosin looks slow

Colwill not really impressing me. Slow to make decisions on the ball especially. Needs a partner

Disasi….

Fofana crock

James crock

Chillwell crock
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Bads looks confused all the time
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The Fofana injury has probably fecked us the most - he had a mistake in him but he was probably our best ball carrier from defence. Rudiger-esque at times. When we lost that, I feel like we became a lot more predictable in how we attack.

I actually think until the second goal we were 'fine' - not good, but creating enough to be level and were unlucky. The players sabotaged themselves and then utterly lost their heads, wound up by the crowd and the other team.

comment by g7 (U12473)
posted less than a minute ago
Maybe a pacy winger with Mudryk's doping ban?
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Instead of splashing out on a new signing in January I’d rather just take back Sterling, if we can.

Then get rid of both him and Mudryk in the summer, and sign a proper winger.

comment by g7 (U12473)
posted about a minute ago
Maybe a pacy winger with Mudryk's doping ban?
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Has that even been confirmed yet? What’s going on there?

comment by CSTP (U1453)
posted less than a minute ago
comment by g7 (U12473)
posted less than a minute ago
Maybe a pacy winger with Mudryk's doping ban?
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Instead of splashing out on a new signing in January I’d rather just take back Sterling, if we can.

Then get rid of both him and Mudryk in the summer, and sign a proper winger.
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No to Sterling for me. Glad to see the back of him

comment by NPE - Maresca's Minions (U22712)
posted less than a minute ago
I actually think until the second goal we were 'fine' - not good, but creating enough to be level and were unlucky. The players sabotaged themselves and then utterly lost their heads, wound up by the crowd and the other team.
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Yeah when it was 1-0 I still had a lot of belief in winning the game. But it was game over afterwards.

Even if he argues it down I think it'll be an 18-month ban or similar. Doubt he ever plays for us again.

I think we need to get a lot better at those underlapping runs which are City's trademark under Pep. Created one good chance from an Enzo cross like that, but generally do it far too infrequently in my opinion. Proven way of breaking down a deep block.

comment by CSTP (U1453)
posted 4 minutes ago
When they dropped so deep we needed more threat from the wide areas. But instead we had 3 10s in the middle and on the side with an actual winger, we had a CB at fullback providing no support.
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Pretty much this. Basically had no threat from wide areas until the 70th minute. Cucurella does best when he can overlap and cut the ball back - but he was essentially asked to play as a winger for most of the match. And Madueke was pretty much triple-teamed whenever he had the ball

comment by g7 (U12473)
posted 1 minute ago
I think we need to get a lot better at those underlapping runs which are City's trademark under Pep. Created one good chance from an Enzo cross like that, but generally do it far too infrequently in my opinion. Proven way of breaking down a deep block.
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I think Enzo providing those runs was our tactic today - but I think he was always going to struggle with that as Cucurella was playing higher and wider (rather than tucking in) so he was having to play more like a traditional CM. Felix should've been doing more to support imo

comment by NPE - Maresca's Minions (U22712)
posted 23 minutes ago
comment by minididi (U17584)
posted 9 minutes ago
comment by NPE - Maresca's Minions (U22712)
posted 12 seconds ago
comment by minididi (U17584)
posted 1 minute ago
A game with no positives. I kinda see it as a turning point in our season. Maresca can either be stubborn and continue as is or he can go back to the drawing board look for ways to get us out of this slump.

And I'd call it a slump not just because of results but also our struggles in front of goal. Teams seem to have our attack figured out - Maresca should lasering in on that
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I don't think we have learned anything new.

Chelsea v Fulham was very similar to Chelsea v Brenford - but the results were opposites.

Tonight was in some ways similar to away to Spurs, we let in a clanger (only one not two) but didn't peg them back and got sucker punched.
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We created plenty against spurs. Not sure we had more than 2 clear cut chances today. I'd be less worried if their goalkeeper had a worldie and we were genuinely unlucky.
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The keeper made a worldie save imo and we missed two sitters.
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Is that the save that he tipped onto the bar from Palmer? I think most keepers save that. Kind of in the middle of the goal. Ipswich GK had an easy night.

Kepa would've let it in.

Crap night whatever we paint it.

Shouldn't be losing to Ipswich regardless of team selection, tactics or whatever.

In a bit of slump, need to get out of it ASAP. Doesn't get easier as Palace away won't be easy either

Didn’t realise we had 20 shots and generated 1.99 xG tonight. To not even score once from that is pretty dreadful finishing

But also means that despite the issues in our attack we still should have scored enough goals to win the game.

BBC claiming we've been dealt a "title blow" made me laugh. Legitimately, the only Chelsea fan I've seen entertain the idea we're in a title race this season is f@ckin Oscar. And probably Rory by the law of averages tbf

35pts at the half way point is a great return! That would've been Poch hitting par (70pts minimum, which should comfortably get 4th these days) so Marseca doing it is overachieving in my head.

And like Fulham, not surprised at all seeing that result & has nothing to do with us. Ipswich are a damn good team! That statement win for them was inevitable, just a shame it happened to be us. If they kicked on now & survived comfortably, who's gunna by shocked by that?

I will begin to worry if we dont beat either Palace or Bournemouth - that would be five game and mean a pronounced slump. For now, too many variables - Christmas, stupid errors, bad luck with worldie keepers and refs and a young hotheaded team

How do you diagnose what went wrong today?

"A bit of a strange game. We created so many chances in the first-half and in the first five or 10 minutes of the second-half, we had two clear chances; the header from Joao [Felix] and another shot.

"Then I think the second goal killed the game a little bit. Sometimes when you create so many chances, the post, the VAR, the keeper saves or the defenders that block the shot, sometimes it has to go in that way. It's a shame because it was another chance for us but congratulations to them because probably when you save so many shots on the line, the goalkeeper, the body, the desire from them was very high."

How good was Liam Delap?

"This is Liam. I know Liam from some time ago. Probably in some moments we can defend a bit better. But congratulations to him and to them."

Your two centre-backs did very well against a physical striker vs Everton. What could they have done better today?

"I think Liam is a bit different to [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin in terms of skills. But I think first-half we conceded a penalty and then we conceded one or two more chances in the same way; long ball for Liam, try to defend the ball and shoot.

"In the second-half, it was copy and paste. Again, we conceded the goal because we unfortunately made a mistake. Then they had some more moments, exactly the same; a longer ball for Liam and he fights against everyone and shoots. This is Liam. Liam and Calvert-Lewin, I think they're a bit different."

This seems to be your first challenge as Chelsea boss. How much is this a test of what you and the players can do?

"We expected this kind of moment during the season because we know that this kind of moment belongs to the football. It is almost impossible to have a season where you do not have a moment like now for us.

"But in the same time, not one of us in this room expected us to be where we are now. This means and shows that we are in the right direction, as I've said many times, but also shows that we are far from competing and consistency and to be there with the best teams in England.

"Again, I think we have to be satisfied where we are but at the same time, we have to know we need to do many things better."

Is there anything from these last three games you've noticed is different or a cause for concern?

"I like to analyse game by game. I think tonight, when you create so many chances, you can probably do something better defensively but offensively, it's not many things to say. The Fulham game, I don't think we played in the way we like to play; it was more up and down and that is not our football.

"Everton is a difficult game for everyone. We tried to win the game. Probably, also, December I think we played nine games. We started with the first five or six winning all the games but then we struggle a little bit finishing [the month].

"We probably also arrive at the end of the month feeling a little bit tired in general. We have finished the first part of the season, we are going to start the second part. We are happy with where we are but we know we can do many things better."

When you talk about consistency, do you think it is a physical thing or more of a mental thing?

"No. Tonight's game, I don't think it's physical or condition. When you play and you don't create chances, you don't create nothing and you are not dangerous, then you can say we probably struggled physically, we are not good enough, or we are not fresh.

"But when you create so many chances, the post, the amount of chances, the VAR; I think we have so many chances in the first-half. In the second-half, we started in the same way. We have two clear chances and then the second goal kills the game. It is just a matter that sometimes it is not the right day for us."

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/every-word-enzo-maresca-said-30682540

Just noticed United lost again.

For context, we had more points than this in the Potter/Lampard season by game 19, and had only scored one less goal.

They're so f@cked

comment by Devil (U6522)
posted 38 seconds ago
Just noticed United lost again.

For context, we had more points than this in the Potter/Lampard season by game 19, and had only scored one less goal.

They're so f@cked
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Tbf in the Potter season he did initially have an ok spell where it looked like top 6 was on the cards. It was the middle of his reign which was truly dire.