Chelsea

Image source, PA Media

We asked for your thoughts after Chelsea's Conference League game against Legia Warsaw on Thursday.

Enzo Maresca's side lost the second leg 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, but progressed to the semi-finals 4-2 on aggregate.

Here are some of your comments:

Pete: Overpaid, overrated and no idea. And they want to play Champions League. They don't seem to be able to grasp the fact that you can't score a goal passing the ball sideways and backwards.

Nigel: Poor again - no urgency and happy to pass sideways and backwards all day. Fans go to be entertained and another game which was hard to watch.

Mark: The worst display of this season. Team selection questionable. No pace. No central midfield and more passes back to the keeper than ever. Woeful.

Harry: Lack of passion and commitment. We played as if the result was a foregone conclusion. The manager, and the team, are losing the crowd.

Marko: A very stale and impotent performance. To lose at home to a team as bad as Legia is embarrassing and the manager should fall on his rather blunt sword!

Colin: Awful football. Maresca plays one way. I respect the way players are trying to accommodate but the style makes ordinary teams look good and our players look ordinary. It's woeful and I've had enough of him.

Graham: What started off as a promising season is fast finishing as a mediocre season. You have to question the recruitment of youngsters as we clearly lack some players with experience and leadership. Maresca has shown naivety at times and does not convince me he is the man for the job.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are now worryingly without an away win in eight Premier League games, dating back to a thrilling 4-3 success at Tottenham on 8 December.

Although they were also unbeaten in eight matches at home before Thursday's defeat by Legia Warsaw, the performances have not been convincing enough to appease supporters who demand and expect better from their expensively assembled squad and raft of internationals.

Recent results, including a goalless draw at Brentford followed by a 2-2 home draw against relegation-threatened Ipswich, have also dropped them to sixth in the table, leaving them with a tough task of reaching the Champions League next season.

Newcastle have moved up to third spot after a run of good form, while fourth-placed Manchester City are a point clear of Chelsea and Aston Villa, who are seventh.

With six games to go, no team can afford to slip up, but Enzo Maresca remained upbeat: "We lost a game. The other clubs like Villa, Newcastle have more confidence around them but things in football can change quickly.

"Sunday [at Fulham], for us, is a final and can be a boost to reach our target."

Chelsea forward Joao Felix, who is on loan at AC Milan, is considering a move to Saudi Arabia or former club Benfica this summer. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Meanwhile, the Blues explored the idea of signing 33-year-old Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk this summer, before he signed a new contract with Liverpool. (Mail - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to the media after the match: "First of all, yeah, we are for sure not happy with the defeat.

"Probably the first leg, 0-3, probably we try to manage a little bit the result, rotate, make rotation with the players, try to avoid injury, because we have an important game also Sunday.

"So, as I said, for sure not happy with the result.

"We are in the semi-final, but at the same time probably we were trying to manage a little bit the first leg, the result, we are there.

"Overall, the good thing is that we can rotate players, we don't have injury, that for us was the main target, because during the season we had many injuries. An important moment, and because it's an important moment now, the last part of the season, the good news was that we don't have injury."

On playing Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer: "Yeah, first of all the main target for them was to help them to build physical condition, so we decided to use both of them, and for sure if they are able to score it could be a good boost for them. But for me probably we managed in the wrong way the first result there, but the good thing is again, we have six Premier League games that are very important for us. Fortunately we rotate players, and this is for us in this moment very important."

On the atmosphere: "I think for me tonight the environment was good, I didn't see any bad moments from the fans. So I said already, after the last game we need to engage them, so it's what we have to do."

On Reece James' comments about maybe disrespecting the competition: "Probably not the competition, but probably the other team tonight, because I think we respect the competition all season.

"Probably tonight, as I said, because of the first result, 0-3, you can manage in the wrong way the result. Reece is right, but more than the competition probably the opposite."

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Chelsea captain Reece James, speaking to TNT Sports: "It was a game we should have won and something we failed to do tonight.

"We qualified, we advance in the competition, but it was a poor performance from the team today.

"It's hard to put it down to one thing. Maybe having a 3-0 lead played a part in taking our foot off the gas but there's no excuses."

On how Legia Warsaw were different today: "The game was always going to be different. It's the second leg, away from home, they have nothing to lose and they showed that tonight.

"They made it tough for us and we didn't step up."

On what still gives Chelsea belief: "We are making progress. Today, that was for sure not progress, if anything a step back. Maybe we disrespected the competition today but this is football for you and if you don't prepare right then you'll pay.

"Of course it's going to have an effect on the mindset going forwards, it's going to be in the back of people's heads that we lost when we shouldn't have lost but we need to put it behind us. We have a game on Sunday that's an important game so we need to regroup, stay strong."

On how he would respond to fans who booed: "I understand the frustration, to be honest. I understand fans come to games to see excitement, to see goals. Today we were frustrating to watch. We remain focused and we still stick together and look forward to achieving what we want together."

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's Marc Cucurella, speaking to TNT Sports: "I think the most important thing is we're in the semi finals and we fight to play in the finals.

"I think today we have a bit of the same way as the last game, we create chances, we don't score, we concede early goals. We are in the most important part of the season so we need to stay together, work hard.

"On Sunday we need to fight hard for the three points.

"We conceded two easy goals but we cannot speak about this, we cannot make excuses. We are Chelsea and we want to win all the games.

"We know we have more games to play, we can finish in Champions League position and play in a higher European competition. The most important thing is we have the opportunity to play semi-finals."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham are all involved in a busy evening of European football on Thursday and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

All kick-off times 20:00 BST unless stated

Europa League:

• Athletic Bilbao v Rangers (agg 0-0)

• Frankfurt v Tottenham (agg 1-1)

• Lazio v Bodo/Glimt (agg 0-2)

• Man Utd v Lyon (agg 2-2) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Conference League:

• Fiorentina v Celje (17:45 BST - agg 2-1)

• Jagiellonia v Real Betis (17:45 BST - agg 0-2)

• Chelsea v Legia Warsaw (agg 3-0)

• Rapid Vienna v Djurgarden (agg 1-0)

Follow all of the action and reaction

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The only way for Enzo Maresca to get the Chelsea fans back on board is getting results and by his team looking like they did in the first half of the season.

The groans from the Stamford Bridge crowd - especially in the draw against Ipswich - are not helping.

As a Chelsea fan, I want the crowd behind the team and being the 12th man between now and the end of the season to give them the best chance of getting into those Champions League spots.

The players feel and hear it when the the fans moan at every ball that is given away, or every missed tackle or missed shot. Then, tension builds, anxiety builds and you do not get the result anyway.

I do not think it helps, but I get it. I get the frustration. I am frustrated watching our games.

I think for Maresca, it is not about getting the fans onside for the rest of the season - it is about getting the players motivated and in the right frame of mind to push with everything for a top-five finish.

Him biting at fans in interviews does not help. There has been an expectation of winning at the club since Roman Abramovich's arrival. The fans have been suffering with the transition in the past few years and we are seeing some disconnect and frustration after they have tried their best to be patient.

But I do not think Maresca can address or impact that fan perspective at this point this season through words.

His focus has to be solely on the team and what they can control. Winning games automatically gets fans back on board.

As a club trying to transition, develop an identity, bring in young players and build for the future, to keep changing manager every season is not going to help - even if they do not reach the Champions League.

You have to build that identity. It does not just happen overnight.

It started off as a good season and it is not ending great but they still have a chance of getting into the Champions League and that would have been the target at the beginning for Maresca.

I think bringing in another manager after just a year would be the worst thing Chelsea could do. If they do that again it would be crazy and frustrate the fanbase at least as much as they are frustrated now.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr are targeting Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is expected to cost more than £100m. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Benfica are keen to re-sign Chelsea forward Joao Felix, who is on loan at AC Milan. (Record - in Portuguese, subscription required), external

Juventus want to extend Blues defender Renato Veiga's stay beyond this summer, either via another loan or a £48m permanent deal. (Tuttosport - in Italian), external

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig are expected to set an £86m asking price for 21-year-old Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko, who is attracting interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. (Bild - in German), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea would not accept offers for Moises Caicedo after links to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

One source with knowledge of the Saudi market acknowledged the interest from Al Nassr, the state-owned club boasting the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in its starting 11.

But neither the Blues and Caicedo's representatives say the have encouraged any interest and want to continue working together for the foreseeable future.

Caicedo, 23, is the frontrunner to win Chelsea's Player of the Season awards having excelled consistently under manager Enzo Maresca.

The Ecuador international is also under contract for six more seasons until 2031 on a deal which his former agent revealed was worth around £180,000-a-week, although his contract is incentive-based, and could rise with Champions League qualification.

Chelsea have also signed midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting, who is currently on loan at Las Palmas, to act as Caicedo's deputy from next season.

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Defender Malo Gusto says the team need to give fans the "desire to support Chelsea" again.

It comes after growing frustration among supporters at the Blues' downturn in form since Christmas.

Fans have been voicing their concerns over results and style of play at matches, including Sunday's 2-2 draw at home against Ipswich in which Chelsea were 2-0 down.

"That can happen [fan frustration at players], especially the way we finished the first-half against Ipswich - they were a bit upset, we can understand that," Gusto said.

"Thing for us it to try and get them behind us, try and give them back the desire to support Chelsea and that is what we are going to do.

"For sure we need them, we need us as a team to show on the pitch we are Chelsea and and here to win everything and we will try and show that."

The Blues will be hoping to bounce-back in their Conference League quarter-final second leg at home to Legia Warsaw on Thursday night, where they hold a 3-0 advantage in the tie.

"It is when you see if you are a good team or not is in difficult moments," said the France international.

"We just need to be all together. Sometimes it can happen but most important is the reaction, continue to build something as a team, because we are Chelsea and we need to show our talent and desire to win.

"We have to show, especially against Legia Warsaw, getting in the semi-final it will be most important for us to keep building something, keep fans behind us and, game by game, win as much as we can."

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Conference League quarter-final second leg against Legia Warsaw (20:00 BST).

The Blues lead 3-0 from the first leg in Poland. Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca was asked how he will approach the second leg with such a healthy advantage: "For us, it's an important game because it gives us the opportunity to reach a semi-final in a European competition. After that, we will focus on Sunday."

• Focus returns to the fight for Champions League qualification at the weekend: "They are, the Premier League games, the six games we have are all important, they are finals. At the same, all the sides are going to drop points until the end. When you win, you are happy, when you don't win, you are unhappy. It is important to manage the emotions. We are there."

• When asked about fan frustration during last weekend's home draw against Ipswich: "Football belongs to the fans. We have to be good enough to engage them. Unfortunately for 20-25 minutes we were not good enough to engage them. Sometimes they're not happy, but when you are 2-0 down to Ipswich and we are making some mistakes, it is normal they are not happy."

• More on the fans: "The only thing I can say is the fans with us have been always good. If fans complain because after four minutes, our keeper gives the ball away, if I am one of the fans, I also complain. But sometimes they complain with something they can probably not see but it is the plan."

• Maresca was asked whether his style of play can entertain Chelsea fans: "First of all, 100%, and then because I am not able to do a different style."

• On the Blues' development this season: "In the last two years, Chelsea have been in the top four zero times. This season, we have been in the top four most of the season. This is the reason why fans need to trust us."

Image source, Getty Images

In the newest edition of the Football Extra Newsletter, BBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel has been answering your questions.

James asked: How is Chelsea's policy of selling assets to themselves to record a profit and help their PSR position allowed? First it was a hotel and now it's the women's team.

Sami replied: It's a great question but with both the Premier League and Uefa still to approve the £200m valuation of the women's team (a figure that would be a record), I think it's best to tread carefully here. It is fair to say that many are at least asking if it is a fair valuation. It is closest in valuation to Angel City which was sold for £190m - a record in women's sport - but they make a £30m year profit, whereas Chelsea's women's team made a loss in their most recent accounts. If it is deemed that the valuation is too high, Chelsea will be in real danger of breaching PSR.

For an excellent analysis of where we are with Chelsea's accounts and the values of these sales I recommend checking out Nizaar Kinsella's work here. It is four minutes very well spent.

However, I find another element fascinating and that is the long-term impact. Clearly you can only sell something once, and those hotels and the women's team have gone.

Chelsea's approach would seem to be that these sales help them now, presumably they see Champions League football as giving a huge financial boost in future seasons to increase revenue. Maybe a few of the players bought in can be sold too. But, they currently sit outside the Champions League places, how damaging would not qualifying be? Would they have to find something else to sell? A car park? The club shop? How much would a hot dog stand fetch?

Does the approach feel like kicking a can down the road?

You can read more from Sami by signing up to the Football Extra Newsletter here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is losing sections of the fanbase and it is beginning to hurt performances on the pitch.

The Italian has done little but stick to his same principles and straightforward language - which made him popular when Chelsea were second on 35 points and two points off Liverpool after 16 games.

However, the Blues have picked up just 20 points in the 16 league matches since and - after the draw with Ipswich - qualification for next season's Champions League is in real doubt.

That decline has been impacted by injuries, an unsettling January transfer window and the loss of form by key attackers like Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson.

Yet, it has also unsettled a fanbase used to winning trophies under Roman Abramovich but now at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital for the third consecutive year.

Many are unconvinced by the American consortium given the downturn in results, and that has affected the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge ever since the takeover.

The volume has been massively turned down in home games and Maresca has, on dozens of occasions, encouraged supporters to make more noise this season.

Chelsea's backroom staff and fans have come together to establish a singing section, which is being expanded to 150 seats in the Shed End against Legia Warsaw in the Conference League on Thursday.

But supporters are also increasingly responding negatively to Maresca's patient, slow style, which involves defenders and goalkeepers playing short passes out from the back, an approach not traditionally associated with Chelsea.

According to Maresca, chants of "attack, attack, attack" have affected players, which he says partly led to Ipswich's second goal on Sunday when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez went long instead of short with his passing.

"The second goal, we decide to play long, because the environment is there, and we concede the second one. You have to be strong, you have to continue with the things that you are doing," Maresca said post-match.

video going viral on social media, external shot from the Matthew Harding End showing supporters jeering their team as they play it around the defence to find an opening between Ipswich's lines, leading to a turnover and a chance for midfielder Jens Cajuste.

Some supporters have defended Maresca's comments, while others are angry at being partly blamed for conceding a goal. But whatever your view, the Blues manager is playing with fire with his comments and the season on a knife-edge.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia is back in training before their Conference League match at home to Legia Warsaw.

The Belgian, 21, appeared during the first 15 minutes of open training at Cobham on Wednesday.

It remains unclear whether he will return from a muscle problem on Thursday but manager Enzo Maresca is likely to be asked about Lavia's availability at his scheduled news conference later.

Come back to this page later on Wednesday for all the key lines from Maresca

Chelsea are closely monitoring the development of 22-year-old Brighton and France Under-21 forward Georginio Rutter. (Florian Plettenberg), external

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