"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.
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.
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.
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.