Very interesting... Like you I wish nothing more than a bit of stability. Cole Palmer said it right he doesn't listen or read the stuff the trolls put out. Perhaps we could all benefit a bit from that
Big fan of this post. Very balanced and honest. Yes, Maresca isn’t perfect but if he gets CL football and wins the conference league, can anyone really complain? Or do managers only get a season and it has to be 90% perfect, no drop of form in players, ultra attacking football and no goals conceding. Oh, and also don’t criticise the crowd even though Stamford bridge sounded like a library even when we were winning.
Thank you The Score for one of your well balanced and there I say alternative views. It’s hard to disagree with you when you put the facts on the table. However, it’s clear that not everyone does agree with the likes of yourself, Mark Dwyer myself with views posted here and elsewhere today. There is so much short term vision in the world today but it’s not surprising that it drifts down into football and our favourite football team. I’ve made my views and comment elsewhere today, some are the same as yours, some are a variation. From my perspective of the most important point is that it’s not time to change as we need stability from which we can grow. There has been an improvement this year, people might not like that improvement or the style of that improvement, but there’s a little question the overall the team is more solid than it was 12 months ago. BTW I was one of those that wanted to keep Poch at that time but I think we have moved on.
I know it is unpopular but I would like to see him continue. Lots of growing pains + bone headed statements + questionable tactics but even so seeing him continue is my preference.
The data could've been bad or good but really when you put the season on the table you're like - this season definitely went wrong. Every coach, not only Maresca, needs to understand that the local championship is his biggest achievement every year. It's the a cup or european/world tournament. It's the bloody PL. This is the basics of the game and every club needs to cover the basics first before they start building on top of that. Also, not only Maresca, but many other coaches are just so so stubborn to make everything working their way. Well, reality is that this doesn't work like that. You need to be adaptive with this ever changing game and championship.
Last but not least - people don't remember the data and how you played over the years but what you've won! Bring glory and nobody will complain or head scratch.
The athletic did a good analysis on this, using rolling xG and other data tools you’ve not used here, and it does tell a different story.
Ultimately it’s an inexperienced coach who MAY end up being a very good coach but isn’t now. This is exactly what the squad did not need given there’s no leaders, it needed an experienced coach who could help guide the players.
Final thing I would say is I would not use the conference league to justify improvement over Pochettino - we’ve spent more than the rest of the completion combined and the squad is miles better, it’s nonsensical to include it. Winning the comp is an expectation NOT an extra bonus.
Yes they did ofc, quite hard not to notice the improvement defensively, which Maresca does deserve credit for. At the same time the attack has cratered for the second half of the season, exactly as his Leicester side did. Perhaps that’s an issue to you? It certainly is to me
Of course it is. But there are clearly two sides to the story. Generally the best indicator is the goal diff. Ours is +21 vs +14 last season. I remember when sensible analysis was about how you built a solid defense first. Just trying to outscore an opponent is dangerous as we found out when the attack dropped form. I get that people want exciting football. But let's be honest we had this whole debate when Jose came in and he got told his football was boring. But of course he won. We don't want to sound like Spuds fans that demand exciting football and end up with Big Ange. With a solid defensive platform you can not play well and win. If you're hoping that your attack can just blow away teams and score more, you're relying on them always being in form. And that for me is less enduring.
It's not tough to make the argument. The eye test has categorically shown what the data doesn't; that his football is regressive, restrictive. limited and godawful to watch! He wants total ball control and you can see the players hate it, but they want to get UCL more and it's easier to focus on now with less games and the players are driving us forward, not Maresca's awful tactics and slow boring football.
He should never have been appointed in the first place because he was inexperienced, but this club seems to be about wanting young talent with high potential but little experience in both players and manager alike. That's down to the clowns running the club of course. It's hard enough to knit a successful side without having addressed the spine sufficiently and with no leaders and enough proven experience. But to try and do so with a manager who had zero top level experience before this season and not that much managerial experience overall is just idiotic!
Thankfully the desire, hunger and drive of this side has seem them ignore the clown in the dugout at times in recent weeks and tried playing it quicker where warranted.
Very interesting... Like you I wish nothing more than a bit of stability. Cole Palmer said it right he doesn't listen or read the stuff the trolls put out. Perhaps we could all benefit a bit from that
Big fan of this post. Very balanced and honest. Yes, Maresca isn’t perfect but if he gets CL football and wins the conference league, can anyone really complain? Or do managers only get a season and it has to be 90% perfect, no drop of form in players, ultra attacking football and no goals conceding. Oh, and also don’t criticise the crowd even though Stamford bridge sounded like a library even when we were winning.
Thank you The Score for one of your well balanced and there I say alternative views. It’s hard to disagree with you when you put the facts on the table. However, it’s clear that not everyone does agree with the likes of yourself, Mark Dwyer myself with views posted here and elsewhere today. There is so much short term vision in the world today but it’s not surprising that it drifts down into football and our favourite football team. I’ve made my views and comment elsewhere today, some are the same as yours, some are a variation. From my perspective of the most important point is that it’s not time to change as we need stability from which we can grow. There has been an improvement this year, people might not like that improvement or the style of that improvement, but there’s a little question the overall the team is more solid than it was 12 months ago. BTW I was one of those that wanted to keep Poch at that time but I think we have moved on.
I know it is unpopular but I would like to see him continue. Lots of growing pains + bone headed statements + questionable tactics but even so seeing him continue is my preference.
Won’t lose sleep if that doesn’t happen though.
The data could've been bad or good but really when you put the season on the table you're like - this season definitely went wrong. Every coach, not only Maresca, needs to understand that the local championship is his biggest achievement every year. It's the a cup or european/world tournament. It's the bloody PL. This is the basics of the game and every club needs to cover the basics first before they start building on top of that. Also, not only Maresca, but many other coaches are just so so stubborn to make everything working their way. Well, reality is that this doesn't work like that. You need to be adaptive with this ever changing game and championship.
Last but not least - people don't remember the data and how you played over the years but what you've won! Bring glory and nobody will complain or head scratch.
The athletic did a good analysis on this, using rolling xG and other data tools you’ve not used here, and it does tell a different story.
Ultimately it’s an inexperienced coach who MAY end up being a very good coach but isn’t now. This is exactly what the squad did not need given there’s no leaders, it needed an experienced coach who could help guide the players.
Final thing I would say is I would not use the conference league to justify improvement over Pochettino - we’ve spent more than the rest of the completion combined and the squad is miles better, it’s nonsensical to include it. Winning the comp is an expectation NOT an extra bonus.
I would say one thing about stats and that is they can never be taken in isolation.
Poche inherited a team that had just scored 32 goals in the season and conceded way more if the figures aren’t right the point is.
It took until the November to turn that around.
After that we were top 4 material all the way.
Maresca inherited that and it went well until Xmas when the team and the manager conspired to fcuk it up.
So maresca inherited a performing team and has played more matches because there was no europa league in porches year.
For me Maresca should be put on a bus out of here as I think he way of management will be sorely exposed next year.
Did the Athletic analysis also pick up on the defensive side, I.e conceding 18 less goals than last season at this point?
Yes they did ofc, quite hard not to notice the improvement defensively, which Maresca does deserve credit for. At the same time the attack has cratered for the second half of the season, exactly as his Leicester side did. Perhaps that’s an issue to you? It certainly is to me
Of course it is. But there are clearly two sides to the story. Generally the best indicator is the goal diff. Ours is +21 vs +14 last season. I remember when sensible analysis was about how you built a solid defense first. Just trying to outscore an opponent is dangerous as we found out when the attack dropped form. I get that people want exciting football. But let's be honest we had this whole debate when Jose came in and he got told his football was boring. But of course he won. We don't want to sound like Spuds fans that demand exciting football and end up with Big Ange. With a solid defensive platform you can not play well and win. If you're hoping that your attack can just blow away teams and score more, you're relying on them always being in form. And that for me is less enduring.
It's not tough to make the argument. The eye test has categorically shown what the data doesn't; that his football is regressive, restrictive. limited and godawful to watch! He wants total ball control and you can see the players hate it, but they want to get UCL more and it's easier to focus on now with less games and the players are driving us forward, not Maresca's awful tactics and slow boring football.
He should never have been appointed in the first place because he was inexperienced, but this club seems to be about wanting young talent with high potential but little experience in both players and manager alike. That's down to the clowns running the club of course. It's hard enough to knit a successful side without having addressed the spine sufficiently and with no leaders and enough proven experience. But to try and do so with a manager who had zero top level experience before this season and not that much managerial experience overall is just idiotic!
Thankfully the desire, hunger and drive of this side has seem them ignore the clown in the dugout at times in recent weeks and tried playing it quicker where warranted.