What Chelsea players shouted at each other before Postecoglou sack as Maresca finds £60m solution

The main talking points from Chelsea's 3-0 victory away at Nottingham Forest with Ange Postecoglou being sacked just minutes after the game on Saturday afternoon

There was a sense of inevitability when the full-time whistle went. Boos rang round the City Ground while Ange Postecoglou stood, motionless, toward the middle of the pitch applauding the home supporters.

"He's gone," someone muttered while waiting for the former Nottingham Forest manager to attend his post-match press conference. A statement had emerged online from the club confirming their decision to sack Postecoglou.

There was also a sense of inevitability that Chelsea would be the ones to put the nail in the former Tottenham manager's coffin. The narrative leading up to the game was "win or bust" for Postecoglou, who lasted just 39 days in charge in Nottingham. Despite a "sloppy" first 45 minutes from the Blues, it felt inevitable something would click in the second-half.

Particularly with the changes Enzo Maresca made at half-time. Off went Andrey Santos, Alejandro Garnacho and Romeo Lavia. On came Marc Guiu, Jamie Gittens and Moises Caicedo.

"I think we struggled in the first-half a bit," Chelsea head coach Maresca explained post-match. "Off the ball, I think we were good, but on the ball we made some mistakes where we conceded some moments to them.

"Second-half, we were much, much better. For sure, we can do better in terms of the red card [to Malo Gusto]. That is a mistake, 3-0, already one yellow card, we can avoid that.

"At the same time, I have to say the desire from the players, to not concede a goal. It is important also, in the last four or five minutes they were shouting at each other, 'don't concede, don't concede'."

Maresca continued: "My message at half-time was, 'Guys, off the ball, the way we are pressing, we are good. On the ball, we are not good enough'. Because first-half, we made three or four mistakes in the build-up, when we conceded chances.

"Like you say, lazy? What do you say in English? Lazy? Lazy. Yeah, I think the word is lazy. Anyway, lazy mistakes. We can avoid that.

"I don't think it's lazy. It's sloppy. Sloppy. We looked sloppy in the build-up. We made some mistakes that were not good enough."

Santos struggled to get into the game, despite having two decent chances to score moments before his substitution. Lavia did not look his best, while Garnacho was very sloppy. Changes had to be made, and in the form of Guiu, Gittens and Caicedo, the head coach got it absolutely spot on.

Watching from the director's box, Maresca was able to identify that Chelsea needed a focal point to play off, and in turn allow Joao Pedro to drop deeper into the No.10 role. In Guiu, Chelsea got just that.

The Spaniard, who was recalled from his loan at Sunderland after Nicolas Jackson joined Bayern Munich, made just one Premier League appearance this season for Chelsea prior to the trip to Nottingham but the impact he made did not reflect that. His all-round game was superb; bringing in those around him with some clever touches and passes, while producing a fine turn to win the free-kick that led to Pedro Neto 's goal - the one that handed the Blues that priceless two-goal cushion.

"I think he was on for 15 minutes against Liverpool, fighting with [Virgil] Van Dijk, [Ibrahima] Konate and [Ryan] Gravenberch, and he was very good," Maresca said regarding Guiu. "Today, after one minute of the second-half, he won a corner against Morato. So we need that from Marc."

With Liam Delap still recovering from a hamstring injury, this cameo from Guiu should be enough for the Spaniard to force his way into Maresca's plans. Not only for his impact, but also due to how much better and natural £60million signing Joao Pedro looked playing behind an out-and-out No.9.

Meanwhile, Caicedo's general presence seemed to turn the tide in Chelsea's favour. The Blues midfielder, who had a late fitness test on Friday, was not fit enough to complete 90 minutes and was named on the bench.

A concerning stat emerged prior to the game: Chelsea had not won in the four Premier League matches they have played since Caicedo was signed in August 2023. After a Caicedo-less first-half, many were worried that would extend to five.

His introduction at the break, however, was pivotal for the Blues. Chelsea's midfield looked a different beast with the Ecuadorian at the heart of it and there was so much more balance for the visitors.

Gusto's naivety saw him sent off with moments remaining at the City Ground. That was - including Maresca's red card in the win over Liverpool prior to the international break - Chelsea's fifth sending off in six matches across all competitions.

Maresca once again rubbished any talk of a discipline problem but it is something that urgently needs to be eradicated. Chelsea's players are young - in fact, at 23 years and 345 days old on average, the XI put out by the Blues was the youngest in the Premier League this season - but they need to be more street-smart. Their inexperience has led to too many red cards and while it was not costly against Forest, it has been in defeats to Manchester United and Brighton in recent times.

Next up for the west Londoners are back-to-back home matches against Ajax and Sunderland in the Champions League and Premier League, respectively, with the hectic three-week schedule well underway. At such a crucial time of the season, there finally looks to be some momentum building for the Blues.

Three wins on the bounce, six goals scored, one conceded and the feel-good factor has returned. Red cards? Well, of course, but there is not too much concern from those inside the club in that respect.