A fresh term in Chelsea.The season has opened badly. Its new manager is Enzo Maresca. However, there is an already existing big issue. The current May story focuses on the fact that Maresca is acting against Chelsea in the area of Colwill replacement. This is because one of the most critical players in the team Levi Colwill sustained a terrible injury. He stays away long. The manager would like to have a replacement player in this position. However the club owners would like to utilize a player that they have. This conflict is not just with regard to the one player. It relates to the future of playing style of the team. It introduces the first grave dilemma of the new manager in regards to his orientation towards the hierarchy in the club.
Key Takeaways
- The club needs Colwill because the coach, Maresca, requires him to bring in his special style of play.
- The club is also concerned at shelling out too much cash at a given time.
- Other defenders belong to Chelsea. These may, however, not prove the right fit.
- Purchasing a new and the high end player would be extremely costly.
- It becomes the first big challenge of the new manager and the owners.
Why One Player’s Injury Causes a Crisis
Colwill Is More Than Just a Defender
In order to comprehend the issue, you should hear about Levi Colwill. He is not an ordinary member of the team. He was developed in the youth development system of Chelsea itself. Therefore, he is well attached to the club. The fans have seen him change out of a boy to a star. He produced fantastic football during his spell on loan with Brighton. He then joined the national team of England as an important player. The consequence has been that most fans consider him a future Chelsea captain. His injury does not only create a vacuum on a playing field. And to many, it would be taking a punch through the heart of the teams future. He is the identity of the club.
The Coach’s Game Plan Is Broken
Enzo Maresca has been employed to have Chelsea play in a specific manner. His work-style is to ensure his team always has the ball. At the Manchester City, he acquired the technique at the hands of Pep Guardiola. This special system can only work when the defenders are great passers. It is them who initiate all the attacks. They form the basis of the whole gamestride.
- Levi Colwill was the right man to do this task.
- To begin with, he is very composed when the opponents attempt to contest the ball.
- Second, he is able to move the ball to his midfielders through small intervals.
- Third, he initiates the entire flow of attacking of the team.
A player of his calibre is necessary otherwise the plan by Maresca is in deep trouble. The play of the team alters and becomes monotonous. Other teams would have an easy time defending against it. This is the reason that the coach is so concerned. He has the impression that he has lost his greatest building block.
These are some figures that reveal why Colwill is so essential:
| Statistic (Colwill’s Previous Season) | Value (Per 90) | What This Means in Simple Terms |
| Passes Attempted | 65.8 | He is always involved in the play. |
| Pass Accuracy | 88.2% | His passes are safe and reliable. |
| Progressive Passes | 4.5 | He is great at moving the ball forward. |
The Manager Speaks Out to the Public
The problem has been addressed by the manager in press conferences. He repeats a certain phrase. The club whom well understand what my opinion is. This is an intelligent means of delivering a message to the community. He is not accusing and screaming. He is rather calmly explaining to the owners how he needs their help. Without the correct player, he thinks that his whole project may be jeopardized. Therefore, he is utilizing his voice to demand the right equipments to work effectively. This places much pressure on the club to take measures. It makes the supporters understand where he is.
Why the Club Is Saying “No”
Chelsea board also has reasons to be vigilant. Not that they are not ambitious. Basically it boils down to two factors money and strategy.
To start with, there is the topic of Financial Fair Play (FFP). Consider FFP as though it were a credit card limit to the club. Chelsea have been splashing cash particularly on players in excess of 1 billion pounds thus their credit card is full to the brim. Otherwise, they may easily land into big trouble when they spend excessively. The problems may be fines or even deduction of points in the league. Thus to invest an additional 70 million is massive risk in terms of money.
Secondly, the club would like to believe in players already available in the club. The sporting directors demand a novel strategy. They do not want to be on the same ground of purchasing new players each time they are requested by the managers. So far, they have already spent immense pieces of money. Today, they desire such to pay off of that investment. They believe that they have a player currently who can do the job.
Looking Inside: Can Chelsea’s Current Players Step Up?
The New Signing: Tosin Adarabioyo
The board feels that they have players who can rise up. Tosin Adarabioyo is the most evident one. In the summer he signed on as a free agent. He is an established defender in the premier league. He is tall, fits, and perfect clearing the ball. But his style does not coincide with that of Colwill. He does not get the special, risk passing that Maresca requires. Playing him may compel the whole team to play otherwise. He is a solid defender, he just might not be a right kind of defender to this system.
The £100 Million Gamble: Fofana and Badiashile
Two other players are creating headaches of the club in the biggest way. Chelsea have invested over 100 million of pounds on Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile. On paper, they are amongst those talented enough to do the job. The thing is that they get hurt very frequently. Depending on them is a tremendous risk. Nobody is sure whether they can remain in shape throughout a season. This causes great anxiety to the manager. A coach requires people that he can depend on week in and week out. These two have failed to demonstrate that they could be such trustworthy ones.
It has got other names too. Trevoh Chalobah is an academy product. He is reliable and reliable player. He might not be the elite passing range Maresca desires. Then again there is Jorrel Hato, a rising star. He is regarded as a star in the making. Nevertheless, he is only a teenager. Putting him in a such an essential position at this point would be an enormous gamble. To a young player it may be too much pressure.
My Opinion: Why the Board is Making a Mistake
The club is cutting itself short very dangerously, in my view. It is impossible to invite a special coach such as Maresca who has unique ideas and then to say no to his first important request. It is as though hiring a world-renowned chef, and yet declining to purchase the main ingredients in his signature menu. It just predestines a manager to failure even before one starts.
The fact that there are money problems I know. One should take FFP seriously. This is not all about the money. This concerns trust. It is also a matter of demonstrating to the new manager that you are a person who shares his vision. Otherwise, they will create problems in the entire season in case they fail to support him. This case reduces the whole project by putting him through players who do not suit him. Such deficiency of help might even make the club pay a transfer fee in the end. It may allow them to lose points, advance and make the fans lose faith in them.
A Defining Moment for Chelsea’s New Era
This conflict is a test of a new partnership in the first place. It sets a clean tactical need of a manager against financial prudence of a club. A lot will depend on how this problem is resolved. It will demonstrate whether the manager really possesses the capability to influence his team. Or it will demonstrate that the financial constraints are the most significant aspect at Chelseas now.
The end result will send a strong message. It will inform the fans of the ambitions of the club in the season. Will the board stand behind their manager and spend on his vision? Or shall they agree to make him compromise in the very first place? These coming weeks determine a lot. They will not only define the defense of Chelsea. They will define the whole story of Enzo Maresca during his first season.
