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INTERNAL RIFT: ANALYZING ENZO MARESCA'S CRYPTIC RANT AFTER CRUCIAL 2-0 WIN

Enzo Maresca dropped a bombshell, claiming the 48 hours before the Everton win were his "worst" at Chelsea due to a lack of support. We analyse who the unnamed critics might be.

Internal Rift: Analyzing  Enzo Maresca's Cryptic Rant After Crucial 2-0 Win
Maresca Slams Those Who "Didn't Support" Chelsea

After Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Everton, which put them fourth in the Premier League, Enzo Maresca said he'd had a rough couple of days.

The win at Stamford Bridge stopped a four-game winless streak. Yet, the manager criticised unnamed people for not backing him and the team. He did make clear he wasn't talking about the fans.

Cole Palmer scored, which seemed to lift the mood. However, Maresca still seemed upset, despite the win easing some pressure.

"The last two days have been tough because many people didn't support the team and me," he said. Generally speaking.

When asked if he meant the fans, he replied, I love the fans, and we're happy with them.

Maresca made this surprising statement after answering a question about Malo Gusto's performance. Gusto scored Chelsea's second goal.

Earlier, he had mentioned that winning was the only way to stop fans from complaining online. He also reflected on his 30 years in soccer, noting that people complain when you don't win.

It wasn't clear if his comments after the Everton game were aimed at online reactions or something else. However, he defended his players, who ended a tough run that included losses to Leeds and Atalanta, plus a goalless draw at Bournemouth.

The players put in a lot of effort. Reece (James) and Malo usually play as full-backs, but today they were midfielders, he said.

Their effort, willingness to learn, and open minds have been great. That's why I'm praising them. Even with several issues, they're doing well after a hard week.”

Palmer's goal was the highlight of the match. This year has been tough for Palmer, dealing with two injuries.

Wesley Fofana passed to Gusto, who then made an excellent pass. Palmer ran through the defence and scored past the goalkeeper.

"We're a better team with Cole," said Maresca. I really commend the players. We played 16 Premier League games, five without Moises Caicedo, 11 without Cole Palmer, and most without Liam Delap. Whoever plays is doing a great job.

We played almost the entire season without our best player. That's why I'm so happy for the players. I wish people on the outside could appreciate that.

Everton's boss, David Moyes, was disappointed with the loss, which ended his team's good run.

Maybe we played one of our best away games. "We've had some good results away from home," he said.

But we couldn't finish. We missed a couple of runners at times when they showed quality. We stayed close, and that's what we need to do.

DID LIAM ROSENIOR’S PAST AS A PUNDIT INFLUENCE HIS DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AT ARSENAL?

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior hits back at critics after a defensive approach saw the Blues exit the Carabao Cup semi-final.

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Liam Rosenior showed too much respect to Arsenal, and it cost Chelsea

Liam Rosenior stood by his cautious approach after Chelsea couldn’t overturn their first-leg deficit against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Down 3-2 from the first match, Chelsea never really put Arsenal under pressure at the Emirates. In the end, Kai Havertz—of all people—put the game to bed in stoppage time, scoring against his old club.

Rosenior switched things up, going with a back three and playing it safe. He wanted to keep the game close and try to push hard late on. He brought on Cole Palmer and Estevao around the 60th minute, hoping for a spark, but Chelsea still couldn’t carve out real chances. Arsenal just wouldn’t budge.

Pundits didn’t love Rosenior’s tactics and let him know it. He brushed it off. “I’ve been a pundit. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight,” he said. “If I go all-out and press high, we could give away two early goals, and then everyone asks what I’m thinking. That’s just how it is. Lose, and you’re hammered. Win, and you’re a genius. Usually, it’s somewhere in the middle.”

Chelsea were up against the league leaders, and with both Reece James and Pedro Neto missing due to minor injuries, Rosenior planned to hang in there and try to frustrate Arsenal—and maybe turn the mood in the stadium.

“That was the idea. You saw it,” he said. “I thought the psychological side of the tie mattered, and you could feel it in the stadium too. At 60 minutes, I brought on Cole and Estevao, and suddenly we had some moments around the box. I think people sensed this game could flip.”

It didn’t happen, though. Rosenior said he couldn’t fault his players for their effort, and in the end, Arsenal’s clinching goal came while Chelsea were throwing everything forward, desperate to turn things around.

IS JOãO PEDRO ACTUALLY BETTER THAN LIVERPOOL’S £79M HUGO EKITIKé? THE STATS REVEAL ALL

Liam Rosenior makes history as Chelsea win three in a row! Discover why João Pedro is the Premier League's best summer signing.

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The £60m star is proving to be Chelsea’s best BlueCo signing yet

Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea in 2022, they've been anything but quiet in the transfer market. In just three and a half years, they've signed 54 new senior players and spent well over £1 billion.

Some of these signings haven’t even made it onto the pitch for the first team—guys like Gaga Słonina, Ângelo Gabriel, Omari Kellyman, and Caleb Wiley, just to name a few. But others have really made their mark. Think Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and, of course, Cole Palmer. Now, the question is, has one of Chelsea’s latest summer signings done enough to join that group? Is he about to become one of the Premier League’s signings of the season?

Let’s talk about Chelsea’s summer addition and what he’s bringing to the table. It’s been a great week for Liam Rosenior’s squad. On Saturday night, they were 2-0 down at halftime to West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Somehow, they turned it around and won 3-2, with Enzo Fernández scoring in stoppage time to seal it.

That win made it three league victories in a row for Rosenior. He’s now only the fourth English manager to start his Premier League career with three straight wins—joining Bobby Gould, Sam Allardyce, and Craig Shakespeare. Not bad company at all.

Just three days earlier, Chelsea booked their spot in the Champions League round of 16 after a wild 3-2 win away at Napoli. Down 2-1, João Pedro scored twice in the second half to turn the game around. The Brazilian’s goal at the weekend kicked off Chelsea’s comeback, bringing his total to 15 goals for the club—including three at the Club World Cup. So, how does he stack up against other strikers who switched clubs last summer?

Looking at the numbers, here’s how the new strikers have done since moving in the summer of 2025:

Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool, £79m): 15 goals (10 PL, 2 UCL)

João Pedro (Chelsea, £60m): 12 goals (9 PL, 3 UCL)

Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal, £54.8m): 11 goals (6 PL, 4 UCL)

Nick Woltemade (Man United, £69m): 9 goals (7 PL, 1 UCL)

Benjamin Šeško (Man City, £66.3m): 6 goals (5 PL)

Alexander Isak (Newcastle, £125m): 3 goals (2 PL)

Liam Delap (Spurs, £30m): 2 goals (1 PL, 1 UCL)

Only Ekitiké has scored more than João Pedro across all competitions, but Liverpool paid about £20m more for him than Chelsea paid for Pedro. In the whole Premier League, only Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Antoine Semenyo, and Ekitiké have more league goals than Pedro’s nine.

But stats aside, Chelsea just look more dangerous with Pedro leading the attack. Their last league defeat? He started that one on the bench at Craven Cottage. Since Rosenior took over, Pedro has started and scored in every match.

Chelsea have brought in plenty of players from Brighton during the BlueCo era, but with the way things are going, João Pedro might end up being the best of the bunch.

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