Enzo Maresca will no doubt have been feeling a bit of pressure for his Chelsea side to win tonight after ringing the changes to his starting line-up.
The boss made seven changes to the side that dominated against Aston Villa at the weekend, although saw his plan play out perfectly as the Blues beat Southampton 5-1 at St. Mary’s.
Joao Felix proved Maresca was spot on to give some of his squad players an opportunity for a rare Premier League start, and although the game ended up very comfortable for Chelsea, they were under pressure near the start.
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea interacts with Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Chelsea FC at ...
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Enzo Maresca furious straight after Chelsea goal vs Southampton
Their early lead was pegged back by the Saints, who perhaps looked the more likely to take the lead before Christopher Nkunku was presented with the easiest goal he will score all season.
There were no celebrations for Maresca though, with him instead seemingly more focused on how his side had let the bottom side in the league start way better than them.
Journalist Kieran Gill noticed the manager call a number of his key players over to get across some tactics.
He said: “Enzo Maresca extremely animated as soon as Christopher Nkunku’s goal went in. Called over Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Joao Felix, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke to the touchline for a mini-meeting.”
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Maresca given Chelsea headache ahead of trip to Tottenham
The game certainly got easier for the Blues when their opponents went down to 10 men, although at 3-1 up the game was likely heading one way anyway.
Maresca will now have a number of headaches over his squad selection when they make the trip across London next time out against Tottenham.
It would be hard to argue against the likes of Felix and Nkunku starting against their big rivals after their performance tonight, however Nicolas Jackson has proven to be crucial to the side this season, and will be looking to regain his place in the side on Sunday.
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