"LIKE MANAGER, LIKE TEAM": WHY ENZO MARESCA IS ACTUALLY HAPPY WITH CHELSEA'S RED CARDS
Enzo Maresca defends Chelsea's seven red cards this season, claiming the squad's aggressive personality mirrors his own.
Despite Chelsea's discipline problems, coach Enzo Maresca is happy if the team mirrors his personality.
The Blues got seven red cards this season. One was for Maresca, who's getting his second touchline ban against Aston Villa on Saturday because of yellow cards piling up.
Some dismissals really hurt, like Trevoh Chalobah and Robert Sanchez in losses to Brighton and Manchester United. Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro, and Liam Delap also got suspended.
Moises Caicedo's three-game ban after getting sent off against Arsenal in November hit Chelsea hard. Their midfield really missed who you could say was their best player this season.
The team's trouble with discipline didn't stop in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Saturday. Sanchez got a yellow card just seven minutes in for arguing about a call, and Maresca picked up his third warning of the season, leading to his ban.
The Italian coach has been really defending his squad during a tough month.
The club showed me a media comment today that said the team is like the manager, he said. I'm happy about that because of how the team is playing. We're the youngest squad in the league. We have to let them make some mistakes as they grow.
Yeah, we have yellow cards and some red cards, but I like to look at each situation differently.
Villa, Chelsea's opponents, have won 11 of their last 12 league games and 10 straight in all competitions. They've climbed to third place and are now seen as consistent after a rough start.
Unai Emery's team didn't win any of their first five league matches, and it took until the 67th minute of their fifth game at Sunderland for them to score. But they've been great since then.
Chelsea, on the other hand, has been up and down. They impressed in wins against Liverpool and Barcelona, but lost at home to Sunderland and fell apart at Leeds.
"(Being consistent) is what we need to work on," Maresca said. Winning 10 in a row in the league is really tough.
Maresca said he has a good relationship with Captain Reece James, pointing to the Christmas gift his captain sent.
You always remember the last thing. Reece sent me a great bottle of wine (on Tuesday).
Still, the England player has a way to go before being as respected as Maresca's favourite player he's coached.
"I really think Jamie Vardy is one of the best strikers in England," said Maresca, who coached Vardy for a season at Leicester. I think Jamie is a great player and a great guy. He's got a lot of heart.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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