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CARLO ANCELOTTI HIGHLIGHTS ESTEVAO BRILLIANCE DECLARING CHELSEA LUCKY AFTER BRAZIL

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti hails Chelsea's Estevão Willian as "magic" after the teenager's spectacular goal in a 2-0 friendly win over Senegal. Ancelotti says Chelsea are "fortunate" to have the wonderkid, praising his immense potential.

Carlo Ancelotti highlights Estevao brilliance declaring Chelsea lucky after Brazil
Estevao has appeared in 16 matches across all competitions for the Blues - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Following the teenager's spectacular goal in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Senegal in an international friendly, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti told Chelsea that they are "fortunate" to have a youngster like Estevao Willian. The five-time world winners prevailed thanks to goals from Manchester United midfielder Casemiro and the Blues' wonderkid.

Thanks to goals from Estevao and Casemiro, Brazil defeated Senegal 2-0 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, handing the African powerhouse their first loss in more than two years. Matheus Cunha, United's star forward, twice struck the woodwork before Estevao broke the tie at the half.

Minutes later, Casemiro completed a Rodrygo free-kick to double his team's lead. The five-time world champions, who have already won four of their six games under Ancelotti, put on an incredible display. Ahead of next week's north London derby, Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr and Arsenal's Gabriel were both forced off due to injury during the game, which also featured some heated moments. 

Following the match, Selecao manager Ancelotti praised Estevao profusely for yet another outstanding performance with the national team, telling reporters: "Estevao has an amazing amount of potential." At his age, this level is surprising. He works really hard, has a lot of magic, and is good at finishing. I can affirm that Brazil's future is assured with Estevao.

"He is a really talented player," the Italian coach continued. He does not require many minutes to demonstrate his abilities, and he can play in every game, even at Chelsea. He can demonstrate his abilities in five minutes of play. I believe that both Chelsea and the Brazil national team are really fortunate to have him.

Estevao has made 16 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, although he has not had much playing time because Enzo Maresca is still hesitant to give the adolescent too much attention. But the Chelsea coach has never stopped praising the young player, saying earlier this season: "It is exciting to see him." The beautiful thing about Estevao is that we occasionally worry about young players because they believe they are already [at the top] after one strong game. Estavao is playing well, but he is also kind, modest, and eager to learn. Not only are we pleased with his performance, but I believe his family is also doing a great job there. However, he is a decent boy and a nice boy.

He requires a bit more time in the Premier League. Although he will finish playing in the pockets within the pitch, I believe he is more of a winger. It reminds me so much of Cole [Palmer], in my opinion. Cole and Estevao are quite similar, and I had Cole at [Manchester] City Under-23 when he was the same age. Cole needed a little more physicality, so he started playing wide; now, he is playing indoors. They are really similar, too. Estevao is now playing wide, but I believe he will become more of an inside player in the future.

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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