Enzo Maresca criticizes Renato Vega after Chelsea's "full agreement" with Dortmund After learning that Chelsea had reached a "full agreement" with Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca harshly criticized defender Renato Vega. The 21-year-old player has been constantly promoted in the Lisbon Athletic Team and was signed from Basel Football Club for about 12 million pounds during the summer transfer window in 2024. Vega's versatility has allowed him to perform outstandingly this season, having played 18 times in various events. Before joining Chelsea, he mainly served as a central defender or defensive midfielder, but this season he has spent most of his time as a left-back. His excellent performance at Chelsea earned him a spot on the Portuguese national team, but he seems dissatisfied with Maresca's use of him and is seeking to leave. On Monday morning, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that he had "fully agreed" with Bundesliga team Dortmund. He said, "Renato Vega is expected to leave Chelsea because the club has opened the door for his permanent departure instead of a loan." "Chelsea hopes to let Vega go for about 30 million euros to meet his request to play as a central defender instead of a left-back." "Dortmund has reached a full agreement with Vega Football Club regarding the contract/project." Now, head coach Maresca has responded to this speculation and severely criticized Vega, saying he would "get into trouble" if he only focused on playing one position. Maresca said, "I don't know if Dortmund has reached any agreement with Renato." "Yesterday, he worked with us here.…

For Chelsea, due to a sudden "power outage" in the past schedule, the team was quickly overtaken by competitors in a short period of time. On the Premier League standings, Maresca's team has not only slipped to fourth place but also has a double-digit gap from the top. It seems that Chelsea's most realistic goal this season is still the top four. At the same time, after the transfer window opened, Chelsea has already started the pace of squad adjustments, and several transfers are "on the verge of happening." Offensively and defensively, Chelsea has simultaneously "dropped the ball." In the past four games, Chelsea has clearly experienced a "Waterloo," with a performance drastically different from before. In terms of offense, Chelsea has scored only two goals in four consecutive games, with many attackers losing their form almost simultaneously. In the eyes of the outside world, as the team's head coach, Maresca needs to bear the main responsibility for the team's poor state. When the team's offense is not smooth, Maresca either "randomly pairs up," such as repeatedly switching positions between Enzo Fernandez and Palmer, which limits both of their performances; or he simply ignores the passive situation, with the number of substitutions in multiple games not reaching the limit. Defensively, Chelsea's performance is also unsatisfactory. So far this season, Chelsea has conceded 24 goals, with an average of 1.2 goals conceded per game, making them the only team in the top four with an average of more than one goal conceded per game. In the central defender position, Maresca has…

If someone told you that Chelsea, a Premier League team worth nearly £1 billion, would lose to Ipswich Town, a newly promoted team with negligible paper strength, what would be your reaction? Just one game, and it's normal to win or lose? No, the problem is that Chelsea didn't play like a top team at all! They were completely defeated 0-2 by their opponents, with no decent counterattack and even gave away a penalty. This match opened people's eyes and made them wonder: What's wrong with Chelsea? To be honest, Ipswich Town really impressed in this match. Their victory was not just luck. Looking at the technical statistics after the game, although their possession rate was less than 40%, their defensive counterattacks were executed flawlessly, successfully disrupting Chelsea's tactical rhythm. This is not the first time Ipswich has shown resilience against strong teams this season. Remember their match against Tottenham a few rounds ago? They kept a clean sheet and held on for a draw thanks to their tenacious defense. Although this promoted team may lack quality in their lineup, they are not lacking in mental fortitude and tactical execution - the coach and players seem determined to "fight to the death" on the field, with every tackle and block showing determination. On the other hand, Chelsea immediately appeared flustered and at a loss after being dispossessed, with the front, midfield, and backline almost disintegrating. To use an analogy, Ipswich's tactics were like a soft and hard set, suffocating Chelsea; the more Chelsea struggled, the deeper they sank. This point…

In the 20th round of the Premier League, Chelsea drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace away from home, failing to win in four consecutive rounds. After entering 2025, Chelsea's goal has changed from competing for the Premier League title to securing a top-four finish. Prior to this round of matches, Chelsea head coach Marleska stated that starting center-back Wesley Fofana would be out long-term due to injury and might miss the rest of the season! This is undoubtedly terrible news for the Blues. This season, Fofana has played 12 times for Chelsea and suffered a hamstring injury in early December, which has kept him out of action since then. After the winter transfer window opened, Marleska suddenly announced at a press conference that Wesley Fofana might miss the rest of the season, leaving many Chelsea fans incredulous. Since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2022, Wesley Fofana has repeatedly suffered serious injuries. In October 2022, Fofana was out for four months due to a severe knee injury; last season, he missed the rest of the season due to an ACL tear. Now, Marleska has once again announced at a press conference that Fofana will miss the rest of the season. Having joined the team for three seasons, Fofana has almost had a serious injury every year, leaving many Chelsea fans helpless. After all, the team spent a high transfer fee of 80.4 million euros on Fofana, but he has only made 32 appearances in three seasons with the team, revealing his fragility. However, regarding his own injury situation, Fofana seems to…

Due to a streak of only two draws and two losses in four consecutive league matches, Chelsea's promising situation has disappeared. On the league standings, they are now about ten points behind the top spot, making their hopes of winning the title this season very slim. Although they have an excellent squad depth, Chelsea is lacking top-level players in some key positions, which has become their biggest weakness. Currently, Chelsea is expected to make some significant signings during the transfer window. Maresca "Descends from the Altar" Objectively speaking, before the start of this season, when Maresca first joined Chelsea, the outside world was not too optimistic about the future of this Italian coach. The main reason was that his resume seemed too thin, after all, a team like Leicester City cannot be compared with Chelsea. Therefore, in his first time coaching a top club, whether he could successfully manage the team raised doubts. From the performance at the beginning of the season, Maresca seemed to be doing well, ending the chaotic situation of the past two seasons and putting Chelsea back on track. After winning the Premier League Manager of the Month award, Maresca was once considered the biggest gain for Chelsea this season. Chelsea's performance continued to improve and they even approached the top of the table. However, just as the outside world was full of expectations for Chelsea to regain the league championship this season, the team suddenly "lost power" without any buffer, gradually falling behind the top spot as the league schedule passed the halfway point. As…

On December 31st, the Premier League witnessed an unexpected upset as Chelsea suffered a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Ipswich Town in an away match. The result was hard to believe, as no one could have anticipated that this Chelsea team, with a value close to 1 billion euros, would be defeated by a mid-table team like Ipswich. The game started with Chelsea seemingly in high spirits, but their offense failed to pose the expected threat. Instead, it was Ipswich who took the initiative, with Chelsea goalkeeper Jorgensen committing a foul in the penalty area in the 12th minute. Ipswich's Drapp calmly converted the resulting penalty, putting Chelsea behind early on. At that moment, no one could have predicted how the game would unfold. Looking at Chelsea's expensive lineup, with star players like Nkunku, Felix, and Palmer, one would expect them to deliver some impressive performances. However, it was Ipswich who took the lead instead. Despite having a host of attacking players, Chelsea's offensive play only looked threatening on the surface. What threats could they create? It was just average. In the 21st minute, Palmer's shot hit the post, and Nkunku's follow-up shot was saved by Ipswich goalkeeper Walton. Chelsea had several chances to equalize, but they always fell short. Then, Felix's goal was ruled offside, and Kaisedo's long-range shot went just over the bar. So many opportunities were wasted without scoring a single goal, no wonder the fans were getting restless. The turning point of the game came in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Chelsea defender…