“The style is the right one” – Stats do not back up Maresca claims about improving Chelsea | OneFootball

It was a really interesting press conference from Enzo Maresca today, a man under pressure at the moment, but on a more philosophical level than anything else.

It feels like he’s not in danger of losing his job, and those in charge are pretty happy with him. But at the same time, his relationship with the fans feels like it’s at breaking point. They don’t like his style of football, and he’s insisted he’s not going to change it.

Asked whether he felt the improvements he was making to the team were coming “fast enough” to keep supporters happy, the coach put forward a wide ranging defence of his work so far:

“For me, we are going fast… this season… we can reach the European semi-final. Yes, for sure it’s not the Champions League, but at the end it’s a European competition.

“We have been top four all season, almost all season. Compared to the last two seasons, where the team has been zero times top four. I think it’s quite clear that the direction is the right one. The style is the right one. Before the Ipswich game, we were the third best defenders after Arsenal and Liverpool. And the third or fourth best attacking.”

Excuses don’t really stack up

The Premier League’s salary data for this season.

What he says is true. But it’s all a question of perspective. How much does one value reaching the Conference League final when our budget is ten or 100 times that of most of our opposition so far? How much credit do you get for being in the top 4 all season if you drop out at the last moment? How about for being the 6th best scorers and the 5th best defensively with the 3rd biggest budget?

The eye test has this as a team which has got worse since August. The stats don’t say much different.