Chelsea slipped to another league defeat at the weekend at home to Sunderland, and John Obi Mikel has criticised Blues head coach Enzo Maresca for a couple of decisions he made during the contest.
It was an extremely disappointing Saturday for the Blues, losing 2-1 against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, 45, has now watched his side lose three of their opening nine Premier League games this season.
There were several Chelsea players who were miles from their best against Sunderland, which led to another frustrating result. For instance, Paul Merson said Joao Pedro looked “lost” during the weekend’s defeat.
Enzo Maresca the Chelsea manager against Sunderland in the Premier League.
Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images
John Obi Mikel baffled by Enzo Maresca substitutions vs Sunderland
According to former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel, Maresca made a poor decision against Sunderland to take off both Joao Pedro, 24, and Pedro Neto, 25, late in the game.
With the scoreline at 1-1, the two Chelsea attackers were both taken off in the 85th minute as the hosts tried to clinch three points. Instead, the visitors scored on the break during stoppage time to cause an upset and move up to second in the league table.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said: “I’m a big, big fan of Enzo Maresca, but I just thought when we were chasing that game to win that game when it was 1-1 at home, you can’t take your best players out. It doesn’t matter that they were not playing so great. Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, they were not playing so well, but you leave those players on the pitch. They will find a way to create a chance. They will find a way to win that game.
“I just thought for him to substitute Pedro Neto out and Joao Pedro out, after that substitution, it was just flat, absolutely flat. There was nothing. We just couldn’t offer anything.”
Although we see the logic in keeping high-profile stars Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto on the pitch against Sunderland, the reality is both were struggling to make a serious impact. They had nearly the entire match to do so, too.
Jason Cundy reacted to Joao Pedro’s performance in the Sunderland defeat to see he was very quiet.
Incidentally, Enzo Maresca admits Joao Pedro hasn’t been training properly recently during to an injury problem, which may suggest why his form has dipped.
As for Pedro Neto, he was slightly better against Sunderland without being spectacular. It does feel like he’s cemented his spot as the first-choice option in the winger hierarchy at the club.
Chelsea attacker Joao Pedro competing against Sunderland in the Premier League.
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Liam Delap return should shake things up
The return of Chelsea striker Liam Delap should help the squad in so many ways.
We expect the young centre-forward to automatically inject some extra aggression and goal threat to the forward line. Most importantly, it should give Maresca another option for a player that should be pushing to be in the best XI.
Joao Pedro should enjoy playing in the number 10 role a bit more and linking up with Liam Delap, while Pedro Neto should have more of a target to hit with his crosses and through balls.