Chelsea lost 2-1 to Atalanta yesterday and some fans are beginning to call for the manager’s head. Isn’t it a bit too early.
In their last five games, Chelsea have just one win which is the 3-0 thumping of Barcelona. After that game and a superb performance in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal, Chelsea fans thought they had hit the turning point of their season but little did they know it was about to get very bad.
The Blues lost 3-1 to Leeds, drew Bournemouth and then surprisingly threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Atalanta.
Chelsea have a track record of performing poorly in December and this just seems like another December where they would perform badly. However, the loss to Atalanta has riled up the fanbase and it seems justified, given the manner with which it happened.
Chelsea were slow and pedestrian against Leeds, uncreative against Bournemouth and against Atalanta, they were slow, tired and clueless.
While Maresca blames the defeat on conceding easy goals and tiredness, he also set the team up in a way that defeat was unavoidable.
When the scoreline was 1-1, Maresca takes off Neto and Enzo to bring on Gusto and Garnacho, effectively making Chelsea sure that Chelsea had six defenders on the pitch. He could’ve rectified this when Fofana had to be subbed off for injury but instead, he chooses to bring on Tosin Adarabioyo.
Chelsea now have six defenders on the pitch, two RBs who aren’t playing in the right-back position and two left wingers when there are right wingers on the bench.
Eventually, they lose the game and it shows how Maresca’s in-game management cost Chelsea the game. While players like Enzo and Cucurella seemed very tired, Maresca now seems more intent on resting players, making new inventions and focusing on the next game while allowing the current one to run away from his grip.
Yesterday was a howler but it’s too early to call for his sacking because Maresca has shown that he’s the one for the job and that he can adapt his style.
Chelsea will inevitably go through crisis due to the quality of players they have and the fact that Maresca might be learning new tricks on the job. He can’t keep playing his reliable players every game but the subs are proving to be difficult to work with.
Yesterday’s result was a tough pill to swallow as Chelsea have gone from the top eight to fighting for playoff spot. However, the fans would need to back the manager and where this ship sails.
