New Chelsea Coach Enzo Maresca Admits Chelsea Were In Disarray After 2-0 Loss To Manchester City
New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admitted that Chelsea were in big trouble after losing 2-0 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, blamed squad disarray and players’ sub-100% form for the defeat. Manchester City, with this impressive victory, got their fifth consecutive Premier League title defence off to a flying start, while marring Maresca’s debut as Chelsea manager.
Manchester City Get Off to a Good Start With Victory Over Chelsea, Manager Maresca Admits Difference in the Box
Manchester City’s Premier League title defence got off to a flying start as Erling Haaland opened the scoring after just 19 minutes. Mateo Kovacic continued to shine with an impressive long-range strike in the second half, securing all three points for the visitors. Although Chelsea also created some notable attacks, the home side could not find the back of the net against Manchester City and eventually accepted defeat. After the match, coach Enzo Maresca explained: “Chelsea played very well for most of the time, even better than Manchester City. However, the main difference was the ability to take advantage of opportunities in the penalty area.”
Player Crisis Leaves Chelsea in Disarray: Manager Maresca Responds to Decision to Drop Sterling
One of the issues that has plagued Chelsea in their Premier League opener is a player surplus crisis. Manager Enzo Maresca is faced with a choice of more than 50 players but has yet to find the best squad. In particular, he has been criticised for not using Raheem Sterling, a player with a lot of experience against Manchester City, his former club.
Manager Maresca has responded to the decision, stressing that leaving Sterling out of the squad was just a technical decision: “This is normal for a big team. The manager has to make difficult decisions, and sometimes the players are not happy with that. Sterling being left out is just a technical issue, nothing more, nothing less.”
Sterling struggled for form under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, with 10 goals and eight assists in 43 games last season. That continued under Maresca, who dropped him from the squad against Man City. With a contract until the summer of 2027 and a transfer fee of £47.5m, Sterling has yet to hit his best form at Stamford Bridge, with 19 goals and 12 assists in 81 games.
Despite Sterling’s absence, Chelsea struggled and lost to Man City. Maresca was upbeat about his squad: “No one is 100 per cent fit at the moment. Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer will improve, and Pedro Neto needs time to settle in. I’m happy with the way the players are creating chances, even though we haven’t scored yet.”
