Maresca

Keep Smiling And Goals Will Come, Maresca Tells Palmer

Keep Smiling And Goals Will Come, Maresca Tells Palmer

Cole Palmer has been encouraged to keep working and laughing by manager Enzo Maresca, who believes the goals will then return. The 22-year-old, who is Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, has not found the net in his past seven appearances. However, despite his latest blank against Southampton on Tuesday night, Chelsea returned to the top four with an emphatic 4-0 win over the Premier League strugglers. While four Chelsea players did get on the scoresheet, Palmer missed a hatful of big chances throughout the game. But, despite their star man unable to end his goal drought,…
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Rivals Won’t Slip Up Like Cucurella – Maresca

Rivals Won’t Slip Up Like Cucurella – Maresca

Enzo Maresca says Chelsea are ahead of expectations – but does not expect their Premier League rivals to slip up in the title race “like Marc Cucurella”. The Blues came back from a two-goal deficit to beat Tottenham 4-3 on Sunday, with both of Spurs’ early finishes coming after Cucurella lost his footing. Maresca became Chelsea boss in the summer after his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino led the Londoners to a sixth-placed finish. Now they are second, just four points off leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after Saturday’s trip to Everton was postponed due to Storm Darragh. “We are…
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Maresca ‘Honest, Not Brutal’ To Sterling And Chilwell

Maresca ‘Honest, Not Brutal’ To Sterling And Chilwell

Enzo Maresca said he has been “honest” rather than brutal with Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell as both continue to train away from Chelsea’s first-team squad. The Chelsea manager believes he has been clear with the “more than 15 players” – including forward Sterling and left-back Chilwell – who are being asked to train apart from his main group. Maresca said Chelsea look like “a mess… from outside” as they attempt to trim a bloated squad, but he insisted that was far from being the reality. He also denied there is any further need for “clarity” about Sterling’s status, as…
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Change Needed To ‘Protect’ Academy Players – Maresca

Change Needed To ‘Protect’ Academy Players – Maresca

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has called on the Premier League to change their financial rules so clubs do not feel “compelled” to sell academy players. When clubs sell academy graduates the entire transfer fee goes down as ‘pure profit’ in their accounts and can help them navigate the top flight’s strict profit and sustainability rules. Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, who has been at the club since he was eight, has agreed to join Atletico Madrid in a £33m deal. Mason Mount (£55m), Lewis Hall (£28m), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£15m), Ian Maatsen (£35m), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5m) and Billy Gilmour (£7.5m) are among…
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