Dave’s Ramblings – Manchester City

January 5, 2026 Admin

It has been an eerily quiet New Year at Chelsea. Well apart from something about Enzo Maresca leaving. Or was that something I imagined? The strangest part of him going is that an incredible number of people have suddenly decided he was some sort of misunderstood footballing messiah.

It’s not his fault, obviously. Yet somehow, despite no longer being our coach, he remains incredibly divisive among our fan base. He’s become a sort of tactical poltergeist. Unseen, unwanted, but still haunting every conversation. I briefly considered saying he’s almost as divisive as Rafa the fat Spanish waiter, but even by Chelsea standards, that would be a totally bonkers thing to come out with.

The timing of Enzo going seems especially odd given the rumours that Team Maresca have apparently been having whispered conversations about replacing Pep when he finally gets bored of winning everything in sight.

I still struggle to believe any of that is actually true, mostly because it sounds like the kind of story that exists purely to keep football podcasts alive. But, as with most things at Chelsea, time will tell.

The only thing I really care about is Chelsea. And from that perspective, this game somehow looked like it was going to be an even harder game than the already grim prospect of playing Manchester City, which is quite an achievement in itself! I also forgot to add to the recipe, no Moises and no Cucu. That’s on top of other last minute drop outs. The perfect storm!

I don’t think anyone will be shocked to hear that expectations were somewhere between low and is it too late to turn the car around? The game plan was simple, play the game, avoid humiliation, and ideally keep the scoreline within the realm of polite conversation.

Naturally, because this is Chelsea, the exact moment you emotionally detach and prepare for suffering is when the team decide to remind you why we care. Against all logic, reason, and recent evidence, they turned up, played well, and, incredibly after recent weeks, gave us joy again.

I won’t pretend the first half was pretty, it was more about staying in the game. Up until they scored, though, we defended stubbornly and frustrated them beautifully.

They were obviously the better team, but in that deeply annoying way where being better doesn’t actually help you. They had the ball, the ideas, and the confidence and absolutely none of the reward. Far from it.

As the half wore on though, it did look like a matter of time before they scored. We almost made it to half-time, before some bloke whose name sounded like he should be pulling Santa’s sleigh picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box, wandered past Badiashile like he was window shopping, and absolutely leathered it into the net. Whether he was called Prancer, Dancer or Comet he certainly took the chance well.

Second half, and oh no. This can’t be, we have made a change and it makes sense! Santos on for the ineffective Estêvão. We had a different momentum about us, and suddenly it was game on.

I won’t pretend we were running the show, but we were at least brave enough to knock on City’s door rather than hide behind the sofa. The substitutions were positive too, a novelty of late.

And then reality lost its grip entirely. Four minutes into added time, Gusto whipped in a delicious low cross. It found Fernández at the far post, who proceeded to audition for a blooper reel. First a swipe and miss, then a shot saved well by their keeper (who sounds like a ninja turtle). Finally, on the third attempt, persistence paid, and he bundled it over the line.

Cue absolute bedlam. Limbs everywhere. And thousands of City fans suddenly remembering they’d left the oven on, shuffling out of the stadium with their bottom lips scraping along the concrete.

In the end, we got the draw that we deserved, which made the trip more than worth the expense, the stress, and the inevitable post match analysis over a rather tasty curry. With Liam Rosenior conveniently arriving in London for an interview, absolutely nothing to see here, the odds are this will be Calum McFarlane’s one and only spell in charge.

That being the case, he has gone out on an absolute high. From his press conferences to his team selection, in game management and tactics, he honestly couldn’t have done any more, unless he fancied strapping on his boots himself. He deserves a massive pat on the back and a heartfelt thank you from me.

If this is the standard of leadership coming through, our Under-21s aren’t just in safe hands, they’re in hands that actually know what they’re doing, which is always a pleasant surprise.

My takeaways…

A great team performance with some genuinely excellent individual performances today, Reece James very much included. The real standout for me was Enzo Fernández, and not just because he eventually persuaded the ball to cross the line.

He was playing like someone who’d just remembered he’s actually very good at football, which is something we haven’t seen for a while. I don’t know what’s caused this sudden revival, new instructions, new confidence, or a quiet word from someone threatening to take his PlayStation away perhaps, but whatever it is, long may it continue.

I know this is an issue at clubs all over the country, but the home fans were so quiet at times you could hear the stewards’ knees cracking. We weren’t exactly at our loudest either, but every scrap of noise in the stadium seemed to be coming from the real team in blue.

Football without atmosphere just doesn’t work. It’s like a gig where no one sings along, or a pub with no beer. As long term fans get priced out of going regularly, their seats are being filled by increasingly silent tourists whose main objectives appear to be taking selfies, filming the match, wearing half & half scarves and occasionally wondering which team is attacking which end.

I don’t pretend to have the solution, but it’s a problem that’s only getting worse, and if it continues, we may as well hand out noise cancelling headphones as you enter the stadium.

I don’t think the owners are the enemy… but they’re definitely not coming to our birthday parties or barbecues either. Their business model isn’t about winning trophies. It’s about running a very expensive showroom where talent is displayed, admired, and then shipped off with free next day delivery.

So please, let’s not turn on each other. Let’s try and stay united and back the new manager, whoever that turns out to be.

I know it’s a pipe dream, but maybe… just maybe… if we win a few games, then a few more, the owners might accidentally discover that being a top football club is more rewarding than turning Chelsea into the QVC of football, “limited time offer, barely used winger, buy now before kickoff.”

As John Lennon once sang, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

Foolham next, always a challenge in their cup final. Still champions of the whole wide world. UTC 💙

Dave M