Chelsea Team and Matches Talk

03 Dec 2025 22:29:08
That defeat was on Maresca, you must play your strongest 11 in EVERY game, no resting players especially your Centre backs. Fans might take the view that this player and that player can have a rest but it doesn't work like that. Tosin and BB are utter rubbish as is Jorgenson, Joao Pedro, Delap and Santos. We are a cup side and I get the feeling the club know a huge points deduction is coming for those Roman corrupt accounts and are playing for the Cups with warm ups against the top sides.

We have beaten Liverpool, Barcelona, Spurs, PSG, outplayed Arsenal with 10 men yet the minute we play our fringe players against the so called weaker teams we lose! Top 4 will still be fine as Liverpool, Man U, Newcastle, Spurs etal are weaker than us.

03 Dec 2025 21:47:25
RPD, I think we have to use our squad and given the injury history of some of our players we also have to manage there playing time.

I personally don’t think we will get a points deduction, mainly because of the way our current owners have behaved.

So many players tonight looked like they started with the wrong mindset. I think Maresca has to admit that and take responsibility for it as well.

03 Dec 2025 22:25:38
Poor performance but you do need to rotate otherwise they will be dead on their feet

Hardley fringe players Sanchez Cucarella Fernandez Trev, Estevao and Pedro all started against Arsenal and Leeds.

Why do you get the feeling we are in for a big points deduction?

03 Dec 2025 22:43:39
Agree with some of your rightly passionate post RPD though wouldn't write off Santos or Pedro on basis of this game. Santos was excellent v Burnley but wilted a bit tonight. Would rate BB more highly than Tosin but BB injury prone and woul not partner them at CB.

given LC injury and Fofana injury prone we did look as though we needed to add another quality CB plus striker given offloading of Jackson! But we knew this in the summer. Would add Villa to. possible rivals for top 4.but we really should bestrong enough to get that.

04 Dec 2025 09:20:35
MIght add that I would have kept Anselmino in squad and loaned Hato out -- if only on basis of watching both at close quarters in our pre-season friendly v Bayer Leverkusen. Anselmino just looks significantly physically stronger and thus EPL winter away games up north readier.

Though I do think Hato has bundles of potential I reckon we need some second string squad members less languid at CB than Tosin or BB though again BB certainly talented as we've seen in the past. But to pair him with Tosin and have TC out on the right of apparent CB back three seemed foolish. Josh a better bet for that kind of intense game and after his heroics v Liverpool he should surely have been given a chance in what was always likely to be an intense and physical Leeds onslaught. Josh that much faster and mnore up for such an encounter?

04 Dec 2025 10:56:22
seymns2, the great teams don't rotate their back line, especially the centre backs, when did you ever see JT rested under Jose? continuity is needed and Maresca tinkers way too much with his back line and needs to stop doing it now. If Fofana can't play every game he needs upgrading.


As for the points deduction, I think ED01 has pointed out that the accounting issues and skullduggery under Roman was very serious and I think it will be a points deduction and has probably already been communicated to the club.

04 Dec 2025 12:03:09
RPD, I would love us to have consistent partnerships especially in defence but the manager is having to consider the injury issues of certain players and that probably be the case when LC returns.

04 Dec 2025 14:14:23
RPD agree Jose never rested JT but with Colwill injured and Fofana injury prone, the problem is less rotation more the quality of centre backs after Colwill and Fofana

City when they won the league had three or four quality centre backs

You may be right about the points deduction but if it has been communicated to the club they would surely have to announce it immediately.

04 Dec 2025 14:37:27
I think it will be a fine and a transfer ban. To me that would be appropriate.

04 Dec 2025 16:32:05
seymns2, you are right that we need better quality back up CB's as BB and Tosin are terrible.
The club can't announce anything yet until the FA and premier league announce the punishment but I think communication has taken place between all parties and probably the same is happening with Man City.

These issues are a legal minefield and in no way straightforward. I think we will be docked around 10 to 12 points and Man City around 24 to 30 points.

03 Dec 2025 22:07:04
Very, very poor performances by so many players. Started the game with a very poor lazy attitude and it didn’t improve much throughout the game.

I’m very surprised that Josh isn’t picked on a more regular basis.

I will stick with my pre-season prediction of 2nd-4th and we go again is my way of thinking. Maybe some of our players believed the hype. This performance and result should bring them back to earth with a huge thump.

04 Dec 2025 09:23:26
Hope it also makes Maresca realise that he must take games against 'lowly' sides as serious as those against 'top' sides in EPL if he wants to get anywhere in the EPL other than perhaps scraping into top 4.

I thought he had perhaps started to do this after our good fighting display against Burnley -- though with hindsight they could also like Leeds have been a couple up against us at half time!

03 Dec 2025 22:06:55
Just take this in out classed out worked out battled out thought by Leeds United.
Not point beating Barcelona if you haven’t got a clue about Leeds away on a Wednesday night.

03 Dec 2025 21:48:34
No point unless you want to achieve a top eight champions league position.

03 Dec 2025 23:24:18
League is more important and where miles off forget the rest.

04 Dec 2025 05:38:33
I am not sure why I would forget any poor performances or any good performances. The league is probably more important to me than the champions league and we have had good and bad results in both.

I personally try not to carry my biased views from game ti game. Not always successfully.

03 Dec 2025 20:54:52
appalling defensively Fofana and Colwill are our best two cente backs but not good enough from 1 to 11.

03 Dec 2025 21:08:11
Seymns, surely Josh deserves a mention and a run in the team?

03 Dec 2025 21:42:08
Tosin nightmare game. Josh a better bet? Or a top notch CB we should jave added in last sumner transfer window. Fofana cos of fitness problems understandably not risked. But yes no one else in same class as LC and him though TC a gpod squad player.

As good as Maresca tactics and selections were against Barcelona and Arsenal it was almost as if he put no thought into how to set us up for tonight. Even some of the substututions and timing of them seemed odd. Gittens started second half so much better than anything we saw from him in first half and had just set up our goal then subbed. Garnacho with so. much nore EPL tough winter midweek away games would have been better to start than Estevao who would surely have been more effective coming off bench in more open second half. Delap not looking anything like good enough yet as first choice striker and Jaoa Pedro outmuscled. Would have liked to see Guiu on earlier.

Anyway we are only 4 points worse off than we were at this stage last season though then won games 15 and 16 and were second. This season games 15 and 16 are two tricky away fixtures at Bournemouth and Newcastle butvwe must get at least one win. hopefully more. Caicedo red card suspension potentially very costly as our discipline problems already have been.

Have no reason to change my preseason 3rd to 7th place finish prediction. will hope for strong second half of season ti get top 4. which given how we can perform we should.



Mi.

03 Dec 2025 21:44:55
Absolutely agree Tom. Why is Maresca refusing to play him? Makes no sense.

03 Dec 2025 21:52:54
Josh couldn't of done any worse than the three out there tonight not a fan of Tosin think Maresca sees Josh as a League cup Fa cup starter .
To be fair to Josh has looked really good when he has played .

Can't believe we played the ball so slowly can't believe that was done on purpose,

On a general point on the game our best 11 can't play every match they will be exhausted but Neto after Cacaido Palmer and maybe Colwill is the most important member of this side.

04 Dec 2025 07:54:08
I think id add Cucu and Enzo and James and Fofana to list of key players seymns2 but last two fitness woes means they have to be managed carefully still it seems. James's calmness on pitch plus skill would have been huge for us last night.

03 Dec 2025 21:21:29
Loving Gary Neville tonight this is football am sick of seeing the back three with the ball this is coaching loving his comments just hope the Americans are listening and get this clown out the club… just sit and think if we had a manager that new what he was doing where we could actually be.
Forget Barcelona game that was always going to happen the way they play was always going to suit us I no we still had to do the job but was always happening same with arsenal not red card we win that game too, it’s games like this that let us down the teams that fight are rough and ready we haven’t got that in anyone bar Delap and caicedo rest are pansies.


Gittens for me is a waste of money estavo has been in the Leeds left back pocket are highest forward player is cucurella when we attack that’s disgusting, if we had a manager that had a clue we would be way up there we have the players we also have a lot that must go gittens tosin bb am not really that bothered in Jeao Pedro been awful last handful of games we should be able to get money for them. Buy a centre back a top world striker and get a manager in with experience.
Just as I write this he’s brought gusto on lol lol lol the least attacking player in team lol
Let’s hope for a miracle in this half loving the away fans.

03 Dec 2025 20:54:18
So if it suits the narrative and agenda, let’s forget the good performances and only comment on the poor performances.

We go again.

03 Dec 2025 21:13:36
Not going to win anything being good one week and not the next. Maresca underestimated Leeds like he does with the lower teams as he’s clueless his selection was wrong am sick of playing garbage players due to team rotation mourinho never had the squad they have players want to play it’s a load crap their tired they need rest you play your best then Change especially when the ones your bringing in aren’t championship quality.

03 Dec 2025 21:24:10
A poor game it happens Estevao looked a young lad Palmer not match fit most of the team were below par with the exceptions of Garnacho and Neto who were both good, and Delap who worked hard . Tough run of away games coming up.

03 Dec 2025 21:51:11
Consistency is important that's for sure.

Good performances deserve praise and poor performances deserve criticism. Tonight was very poor.

03 Dec 2025 21:19:21
We're such a Jekyll and Hyde team. Big games like Arsenal we can be right there, but in these games against so-called 'lesser' opposition it hardly looks like we even want to score. Passing between the CBs at a glacial pace. So frustrating to watch.

03 Dec 2025 21:09:17
We sure have played better EdW. Very poor on lots of levels.

03 Dec 2025 20:12:14
Still if we can come back and win this it would show title contending strength!

03 Dec 2025 20:25:28
JBS, good game to get something from. It’s all been set up for a Palmer wonder show! ??.

03 Dec 2025 20:52:37
Not happening Tom, up to now it's a shambles, letting in 3 against a team who are so low on confidence is a total disgrace.

03 Dec 2025 21:10:29
Bill, it’s not been a good performance that’s for sure. Wrong mindset from the off in my opinion.

03 Dec 2025 20:09:54
. just as much title contenders as Wolves!

03 Dec 2025 21:33:30
Bill, nothing much has changed from last season. The team and coach are inconsistent. Out defence is fragile and our CBs are pedestrian and best two are either injured or injury prone.

Nothing has changed in my opinion either: we need a top class keeper; at least one top class CB and a striker who can score 20 goals a season if we are to become serious contenders for major trophies.

03 Dec 2025 20:09:19
Dreadful first half and Leeds deservedly ahead even if 2-0 perhsps flatters them. But we have been awful abd Maresca has got set up of side and tactics wrong imho. Almost all of our players have under performed and out of sorts in utterly predictable hostile atmosohere.

I would have started with Garnacho and Neto on wings. Gittens anonympus and Estevao too wired would have been better off bench. Defense fragile and why on earth is TC apparently at RB. Santos not as good as against Burnley but to be fair Leeds far more intense plus two good strikes and we were perhaps lucky not to be behind at Burnley at half time.

So. much now to do in second half and at this stage we look about as much title conyenders.

03 Dec 2025 21:07:04
That was a vey lack lustre first 45 mins. A performance full of individual errors. I seem to remember us getting thumped 3-0 at there place when TT was in charge. Always a horrible place for us to go and so far tonight it’s a nightmare showing by so many players.

Changes obviously need to be made. At the moment we are carrying too many passengers.

Delap losing his player and then Enzo being far too casual. The premiership doesn’t let you get away with sloppiness.

03 Dec 2025 20:06:18
Worse half of football for a while need to make wholesale changes at half time James Neto and Palmer on Gittens Esrevao and Pedro off. THe three centre backs have been awful on the ball.

03 Dec 2025 21:05:45
seymns, Tosin and Badiashille should never be paired again: I knew it was a recipe for disaster but I thought we could score enough to win. I recently posted that we need to bring in a top class CB. At least one poster responded that we had plenty of options- really! Apart from Colwill and Fofana who doesn’t seem to be able to start two games in a row: the rest of our CBs are bang average and extremely pedestrian in bringing the ball out.

In would be interesting to know what percentage of our possession stats are made up by our CBs passing the ball side to side and backwards. I am leaving Josh out of this as he hasn’t had an opportunity to establish himself but frankly I would start him ahead of the ones picked this evening.

03 Dec 2025 21:55:51
Generally Chalaboa has had a very good season. We probably need to sell two CH’s if we are going to get another one through the door.