ENZO MARESCA WISHES HE STARTED JOSH ACHEAMPONG AGAINST LEEDS
Maresca admitted a tactical error focusing on aerial ability backfired against Leeds. He defends his team's experience but hinted at a return for academy defender Acheampong.
Enzo Maresca says he wishes he had started Josh Acheampong in the Chelsea game against Leeds United. This might mean he's thinking about putting Acheampong in the lineup for Saturday's game at Bournemouth.
After Chelsea played well in previous games, like when they beat Barcelona 3-0 and tied 1-1 with Arsenal, many people thought they could actually win the league.
But on Wednesday, they lost that spark when Leeds United beat them 3-1.
People criticised Maresca for changing up the defence too much. He took out Wesley Fofana and Reece James and moved Trevoh Chalobah to the right-back position.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile were the two centre-backs, but Badiashile got subbed out at halftime. Later, his replacement, Malo Gusto, and Tosin made a mistake that allowed Leeds to score their third goal.
In his press conference before the Bournemouth game, Maresca admitted he made a mistake with his team selection.
"I regret not playing Josh, he said.
The reason we went with Trev, Tosin, and Benoit was that we saw that Leeds often play long balls to [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin and [Lukas] Nmecha.
We wanted players who were good at winning aerial battles. But even then, we still lost most of those battles.
Acheampong has played well when he's had the chance. The 19-year-old has played in nine games this season, starting five of them. However, he hasn't played since the loss to Sunderland in October.
People have been saying that the academy should play more, and Maresca said that he thinks the Bournemouth game will be against Leeds. So, it will be interesting to see if he gives Acheampong a chance this time.
His intensity, and Leeds was very intense. I said that they were better than us. We need to learn from that and be ready for tomorrow.
The coach also disagreed with the idea that his team is too inexperienced. We only talk about experience when we lose. When we beat Barcelona and drew with Arsenal, nobody mentioned experience.
When we don't win, we look for reasons why. But we didn't win against Leeds because we weren't good enough.
Who's the oldest player on the field? Tosin. Did he play well? It's not about experience. All 11 players just didn't play well enough. We're always looking for experience, but it was a bad game for everyone.
CHELSEA OPEN TALKS WITH JORGE MENDES FOR DORTMUND’S VERSATILE FORWARD KARIM ADEYEMI
Chelsea contact Jorge Mendes for Karim Adeyemi. See why Man United and Newcastle could hijack the €70m deal.
Chelsea reached out to Jorge Mendes, the well-known agent, hoping to land Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund. But things aren’t simple. Manchester United and Newcastle United are also circling, and Chelsea might just miss out.
Adeyemi joined Dortmund in 2022, and he’s locked in there until 2027. Since then, he’s really made a name for himself in the Bundesliga, showing off his versatility as both a winger and a forward. This season, he’s mostly played as a second striker, netting 10 goals and providing five assists over 37 matches across all competitions.
Chelsea seems pretty impressed. They’ve already connected with Mendes to talk about a deal for the 24-year-old, and reports say they’re keeping talks pretty active. But it’s not just them; Man United have apparently made Adeyemi their top transfer target, and Newcastle are interested too.
Dortmund actually want to keep Adeyemi and has put a new contract on the table, but there’s a snag: his agents want a release clause worth €80 million (£69.7m). Dortmund aren’t willing to go that high. Instead, they’re open to selling for a bit less, around €65-70 million, or up to £61 million, in the summer.
That’s a price Chelsea can handle, but the German reports think it’s more likely Adeyemi ends up with Manchester United or Newcastle for a slightly lower fee, maybe €60-65 million (up to £56.6m). Mendes is also exploring backup options and could float Adeyemi’s name to Bayern or PSG.
Then there’s the whole Champions League angle. Chelsea’s status is in doubt for next season, and questions are swirling around manager Liam Rosenior’s future. That uncertainty doesn’t help their pitch. Meanwhile, United look set to finish high in the Premier League and secure Champions League football, which probably makes them a more appealing landing spot for Adeyemi right now.
CHELSEA TEENAGER ESTEVAO "DEVASTATED" AND IN TEARS FOLLOWING EARLY HAMSTRING WITHDRAWAL
Chelsea lost 1-0 to Manchester United. Estevao is injured, and the Blues are now scoreless in four straight games.
Liam Rosenior said Chelsea’s Estevao was “devastated” and in tears after getting injured during Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Manchester United. Estevao, just 18, started well but had to come off after only 16 minutes.
It looked like he hurt his hamstring while pushing forward against United. Rosenior put on Alejandro Garnacho to replace him, but Garnacho struggled too, going up against his old team.
After the match, Rosenior talked about Estevao, who’s desperate to make the World Cup squad this summer. “He was devastated; he was crying at half-time,” Rosenior explained.
“It looks like his hamstring. He was running through on goal and pulled it right then.”
Now Estevao’s future, even for Tuesday’s match at Brighton, looks uncertain. Enzo Fernandez, who left late in the game, is also in doubt, but Rosenior sounded more hopeful about him. “I think it was his calf,” he said. “I’m hoping it was just a cramp. We need him for Tuesday.”
Chelsea’s defeat is their fourth straight Premier League loss without finding the net. By the end of the weekend, they could be seven points away from the Champions League spots. United only needed one shot on target; Matheus Cunha scored in the first half, and that was enough.
“It’s so tough,” Rosenior said afterwards. “They had one shot on target when we were down to ten men.
“We just kept coming at them and hit the woodwork four times. I don’t want the players to get stuck thinking the world’s against us. We have to keep fighting.”
He went on: “We need to defend those moments better. We’re making small errors, and every time, the ball ends up in our net. That has to stop.
“It all comes down to results, and we should’ve won today. Every little thing adds up, but we’ll keep working hard.”
After Brighton, Chelsea go up against Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final next Sunday.
