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CHELSEA’S ENZO MARESCA ATTRIBUTES QARABAG DRAW TO WORLD CUP AFTEREFFECTS

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca blamed Club World Cup fatigue for a rotated side's 2-2 UCL draw with Qarabag. After a 2500-mile trip, Garnacho rescued a point, but injuries and squad fatigue are growing concerns.

Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca Attributes Qarabag Draw to World Cup Aftereffects
Enzo Maresca has pointed to the summer's Club World Cup for Chelsea's failure to beat Qarabag in the Champions League - COURTESY/PHOTO

After Chelsea lost Champions League points in a 2-2 tie with Qarabag, head coach Enzo Maresca claimed that his team's selections are being impacted by the Club World Cup.

After travelling 2,500 miles to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the Blues did not look their best and were thoroughly outplayed by their hosts, who seized a 2-1 lead before halftime.

Estevao's early goal looked to have Chelsea on track for a comfortable victory, but goals from Leandro Andrade and a penalty kick from Marko Jankovic reversed the tide of the match.

Alejandro Garnacho's strike in the second half saved the visitors' blushes and salvaged a point, but Maresca blamed a ruined preseason and no summer vacation after making seven changes from the squad that defeated Tottenham the weekend.

"Moisses (Caicedo), Enzo (Fernandez), Malo (Gusto), and other players were to be rested," he stated. They can not perform every three days. The Club World Cup had a significant impact. We made an effort to rotate. Everyone is focused on that when we lose, but no one talks about it when we win.

Just five weeks before the start of the new Premier League season, Chelsea defeated Paris St. Germain 3-0 in the U.S. summer tournament final.

According to Maresca, "the (selection) is always because we think the plan with the players is correct." We got off to a good start today and scored the first goal, but we then gave up two goals, the first of which came while they had ten players. We can steer clear of both objectives. We must be more clinical in our box.

Romeo Lavia's early injury took him off, which caused Maresca even more concern.

In the more than two years since joining the team, the midfielder has only made 30 appearances and has never played 90 minutes.

Maresca stated, "We feel shame for him, especially for him." He can not stay in shape for a very long time. Now we shall see. It is too soon to determine the type of harm. I believe it to be his quad.

With one loss already under their belt, Chelsea has little room for error in their final four games if they want to finish in the top eight and avoid a play-off in February. The draw puts them on eight points in the table, which is the same amount as their hosts in Baku.

Less than 72 hours after coming from the eastern side of Europe, Maresca's team will play Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.

Maresca stated, "It is about all (the players)." "I believe we got off to a good start. We had the game under control, but after four or five minutes, we gave up the second goal after giving up the first.

"The second half was significantly better for us. They have an opportunity to demonstrate their purpose in every game.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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