“It’s so slow!” – Maresca is making tactical mistake says former Blue | OneFootball

Frank Lebeouf was on ESPN today and he went on a little rant about Chelsea’s style of play after the Blues squeaked a 1-0 win over Leicester at home on Sunday.

“I don’t want to be more hated by Chelsea fans than Craig [Burley]. So I will say three wins in three games is not too bad. But I don’t understand Maresca. Why did he change his tactic, it was working in the first half of the season, after he saw in preseason that he couldn’t play the way he is now playing! I don’t get it,” the former defender said.

“It’s so slow, maybe [Maresca changed] because Cole Palmer isn’t the Palmer we saw before, maybe because they don’t have the leadership. But I think he has the materials, the individuals to go back to that more vertical game which was quite successful for Chelsea.”

There’s no denying that the vast majority of recent games have been a tough, tough watch. The speedy counters that tore apart teams in September have been replaced by stultifying possession play.

Fans ask the same question about puzzling shift in style

Frank Leboeuf speaks on ESPN.

It’s the same question fans have been asking for months now. This campaign really has had the most bizarre shape. From a preseason which saw us roasted by a few teams as we tried to adapt to a possession-based approached, through an Autumn where we reverted to a fast, counter attacking style and racked up unbelievable results, through to now where we’ve for some reason returned to the style we were struggling with way back in August.

It’s less entertaining AND it’s getting worse results – so why change? We don’t buy the argument that Palmer’s declining form has forced a change. If anything, the change of style is what’s hurting his performances.