千變萬化的飛俠

2025年12月15日星期一

池田夏希必撮! まるごと

Chelsea’s Real Crisis: Maresca Is Just the Fall Guy in a Billionaire Power Struggle

After Chelsea’s 2–0 home win over Everton, Enzo Maresca unexpectedly approached reporters and admitted that the past 48 hours had been the lowest point of his life, saying he felt unsupported—not by the fans, but clearly by the club itself. The reason is obvious: Chelsea had gone four matches without a win, slipping from briefly topping the league to fifth place, dropping out of the Champions League top eight, and repeatedly dropping points to weaker sides.

Objectively speaking, Chelsea’s recent form isn’t disastrous. The Premier League table is extremely tight, with only around five points separating the upper half. Even after losing to Atalanta, Chelsea were not in danger of falling into the playoff round. The real issue is that after a dominant 3–0 win over Barcelona and a high‑intensity battle with Arsenal, the squad was heavily drained.

Casadei’s three‑match suspension has had a huge impact. Without his defensive interceptions and transitional support, the entire team became disconnected. Enzo Fernández, stronger in attack than defense, was forced to cover both ends, while the back line suffered from the lack of Casadei’s protection and recovery runs. Historically, Chelsea’s win rate drops to around 25% whenever Casadei is absent.

As for Maresca’s post‑match comments, they stem from reports that the club had already contacted Crystal Palace’s manager as a potential replacement due to the recent run of dropped points. Had Chelsea failed to win this match, his fate might have been sealed. In the Premier League, results rule everything; managerial turnover is routine. The eras of Ferguson and Wenger—decades at one club—are long gone, and Chelsea were the pioneers of frequent managerial changes.

This victory was largely thanks to Gusto’s outstanding performance. His assist and goal helped Palmer break the deadlock, and he scored one himself. When he first joined, he had little besides pace and stamina—he even learned how to shoot only after arriving at Chelsea. Under Maresca, he has become one of the squad’s most improved players.

Last season, Chelsea also collapsed during the Christmas period, falling from first place and nearly missing out on Champions League qualification. Fortunately, the team surged again in February, winning the Europa Conference League and the revamped Club World Cup, ending the season on a high. But this success came at a cost: the team played an extra month of high‑intensity matches, leaving players with less than two weeks of rest before the new season. Fatigue carried over, and performances suffered until recently. After another run of tough fixtures, inconsistency has returned.

With the Christmas period approaching, poor results could cost Maresca his job. His coaching ability remains controversial. He is a good coach, but not an elite one. Given the current situation, winning the Premier League under him is extremely unlikely. Historically, every Premier League champion has been led by a top‑tier manager. Maresca’s résumé—promotion with Leicester and two cups last season—is respectable but not extraordinary. His biggest credential is being Guardiola’s former assistant.

His tactics, substitutions, and rotation strategy have been repeatedly criticized. Even Manchester City have largely abandoned pure possession football, shifting toward faster transitions, aggressive pressing, and relying on Haaland’s individual power—reducing the self‑inflicted fatigue caused by excessive passing. Maresca may be a disciple of Guardiola, but the system he learned is no longer the one City themselves use.

His rotation decisions are often hesitant and counterproductive. He benches key players, loses the match, then brings them back in—meaning nobody gets proper rest. The correct approach is to start the strongest XI, secure the lead, then rotate. Many dropped points this season have come from rigid, ill‑timed rotation.

Fatigue is relative; every club faces it. Chelsea, with one of the deepest and youngest squads in the league, should be able to handle it. Maresca’s tactical ideas shine in cup competitions, but he struggles in the league. Mid‑table teams approach Chelsea with confidence: defend deep, counterattack, and wait for one or two chances. The formula for winning the Premier League is simple: “Beat the weak, draw the strong.” Maresca’s Chelsea do the opposite, and naturally fall out of the title race. Chelsea’s board will not tolerate a long‑term title drought.

The deeper issue is the internal power struggle between the American‑owned Clearlake Group and the Saudi‑linked investors, who have even taken their disputes to court. Chelsea sold off their entire Champions League‑winning squad, cleared out the coaching staff, and spent heavily on a youth‑based rebuild. The squad now lacks experienced leaders and genuine stars, yet the club still expects top‑level results. Most new signings are young players from Brighton and Manchester City, effectively turning Chelsea into “City B” and “Brighton B.” A team built this way cannot return to the top quickly. At best, they can win a few cup competitions to appease fans.

The real reason is internal politics. As long as the squad is youth‑focused, Clearlake can justify long‑term control under the banner of “building for the future.” This explains why the club refuses to buy elite strikers or defenders, instead stockpiling wingers. The owner, Boehly, has no intention of winning the league immediately. The Saudi‑linked investors, meanwhile, benefit from poor results—they can then demand a restructuring of ownership. Palmer’s mysterious two‑month absence due to an “abdominal/groin issue,” during which he vacationed in the UAE, fits this narrative: without him, Chelsea’s strength drops by half, and poor results help the Saudi group’s agenda.

During the sale, the Saudi group could easily have bought Chelsea outright, but the Premier League wanted to avoid excessive Middle Eastern ownership. Politically, Saudi Arabia is not a democracy, and with Manchester City already dominating under Middle Eastern ownership, the league feared becoming too “continental.” With the Russia‑Ukraine war unfolding, Chelsea—seen as having Russian ties—needed a politically safe buyer, making the American group the preferred option. Clearlake, inexperienced in football, was brought in, leading to a series of chaotic decisions, including the infamous incident where Boehly argued with fans.

In reality, much of the transfer funding, sponsorship deals, and major financial backing come from the Middle Eastern investors. As long as results decline, fan pressure and media narratives will favor the Saudi group. Clearlake still holds the upper hand but lacks unlimited resources. Recent transfers have been financially neutral: outgoing sales count as revenue, while incoming signings are amortized over long contracts. Wages remain low, with Sterling—the highest earner—forced out. Clearlake’s “big spending” is largely financial engineering. Their goal is to develop young players, sell them for profit, and maintain financial balance.

Thus, Chelsea’s current identity is clear: secure top four, qualify for the Champions League, win a cup or two, and remain a strong Premier League side—without actually winning the league.

車路士亂局真相：馬列斯卡只是棋子，真正的博弈在幕後

馬列斯卡在車仔主場2比0戰勝愛華頓後主動找記者稱，他在過去48小時是人生最低點沒有得到支持，但這並非來自球迷，實際上就是指球會方面。其中原因自然是球隊最近4場不勝，曾經短暫登頂後聯賽掉落第5，歐冠又跌出前8名，並且球隊接連被弱隊得分。客觀來説藍軍近況也不能算太惡劣，聯賽爭奪激烈比分相當接近，上半區也不過5分左右的差距，歐冠輸給亞特蘭大後也沒到要打附加賽的地步。主要原因是主場3比0完勝巴薩，並且立刻硬拼阿仙奴後球隊消耗過大，卡斯度紅牌停賽3場對球隊影響很大。少了他防守中場的攔截和助攻，整支球隊攻防脫節不成體系，安素攻強於守但卻要攻防兼顧，後防沒了他攔截補位失誤增加。沒了卡斯度車路士的贏球率通常只有25%左右。

至於馬列斯卡的賽後言論，主要是球會據傳因他連續丟分，已經聯絡水晶宮教練意圖取代。只要本場不勝則結局難料，英超成績至上換教練頻繁是家常便飯，費Sir，雲加年代帶隊幾十年已是天方夜譚，況且藍軍換教練本就是始作俑者。本場勝利主要得益于古斯度的超常發揮，他的一傳一射幫助高爾彭馬突破進球，自己也撞射得分，他當年進隊時可以説除了速度和體能，其他基本一無是處，連射門都是在藍軍練出來的，但在馬列斯卡手下得到重用，並且成爲進步最大的藍軍球員之一。上賽季藍軍也是在聖誕賽期頻繁失分，從第一位滑落差點不能獲歐冠資格，所幸到了2月份中後期球隊狀態上升，不但奪取了歐協杯還贏得了新改版的世俱杯，最後也算是圓滿收場。但爲此球隊多打了一個月的高強度比賽，球隊非常疲勞球員休息不到半個月新賽季開打，導致球隊成績不佳，直到最近才有所恢復，但接連硬仗後又開始反復。

聖誕賽期將至如果成績不佳，馬列斯卡教練席位難保。何況對於他的執教能力爭議很大，他算是一個好教練但並非頂級，按照目前的情況發展想要奪冠，如果他繼續執教難度很大，甚至可以説是不可能的。看歷史英超冠軍從來都是名帥帶隊奪得，馬列斯卡資歷太淺，除帶李斯特城重返英超和上賽季的2個杯子外，沒有任何值得誇耀的成績，最大的資本無非是瓜迪奧拉助教而已。而且，他的戰術能力，換人策略，輪換球隊等多次被指責。所謂傳控現在曼城都已經基本拋棄，加強攻防轉換速度，依靠賀蘭特個人能力，減少傳控造成的自我消耗。馬列斯卡即便是高徒，恐怕學會的那套已不再適用。曼城上賽季的衰落就是如此，現在各隊都強調前場逼搶，高速中場轉換反擊得分。馬列斯卡頻繁換主力陣容，輪換經常患得患失，換下主力上替補輸球後，再把主力換上來，如此反而得不到休息。應該先上主力取得優勢後再輪換，很多場次的丟分都是硬性輪換造成的。

球員疲勞也是相對的，其他各隊也是如此，何況藍軍是球員資源最豐富和年輕的。戰術上他屢有佳作，應付杯賽可以，打聯賽能力欠奉。任何中下游球隊對付車仔都信心十足，防守反擊取得一兩個機會就行了。英超奪冠的秘方是“對弱隊要贏，對強隊可以不輸”，他的球隊正好相反，最後自然會被排除出爭冠行列。問題是車路士高層怎麽會容忍球隊長期英超無冠。

美資清水集團和沙特財團一直在爭奪車仔的主導權，而且不惜對此對簿公堂。藍軍將個歐冠陣容全盤賣掉教練清除，重新花高價買來一隻青年軍，全隊沒有一名有真正經驗的球員也沒有球星，然而卻要這隻球隊去奪冠取得好成績。現在的球員都是從白禮頓和曼城簽入的年輕球員，如此球隊自然成了曼城和白禮頓二隊，如此怎麽可能短期內重返巔峰，無非就是每年杯賽拿幾個杯子取悅球迷而已。真正的原因還是在於球會的內部爭奪，只要以青年軍爲主，清水集團就可以用打造未來的名義長期掌控球隊，這就是球會花高價但不買頂級前鋒和後衛的原因，反而在邊路囤積大量球員浪費金錢。利作爲老闆根本就不想車仔立刻奪冠。沙特財團則希望球隊成績下滑，如此就可以提出重新分配股權控制球隊。如此就可以看到彭馬因爲所謂的腹部股溝受傷消失2個月之久，而且還去了阿聯酋度假。沙特財團的目的是只要他不在球隊實力少一半，成績差對方就會走向前臺。

當年賣盤沙特財團完全有能力買下車仔，但英超基於中東財團掌控球隊過多，政治正確下沙特也非民主國家，更重要的是曼城為中東財團所控制，連年奪冠使得英超缺乏可視性逐漸歐陸化。況且俄烏戰爭開打作爲俄係背景的球會，想要儘快洗脫最好的辦法自然是找美國人，如此毫無足球管理經驗的清水集團被拉了進來，隨後就是一連串的騷操作，甚至發生老闆伯利和球迷打架的奇景。際上大量老球員的轉會，贊助商的加入，球會的主要資金等，真正出錢的是中東財團。只要球隊成績下滑，球迷鼓噪，媒體宣傳，就會對沙特財團有利。清水集團目前仍然占據主動但財力有限，近年的轉會實際上是一進一出，球會被收購後舊資產的所有出售都算作收入，購買新球員通過平攤投入不多，而且工資也處於相對低下的水準，唯一最高的斯特林也被掃地出門，清水集團近年的所謂大投入無非是財技而已。清水集團是想通過培養青年球員練級，最終出售贏利取得財務平衡而已。