According to reports, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca decided to ‘scrap a day off’ for his ‘senior players’ this week following a ‘disappointing drill’.
Maresca is towards the end of his first season as Chelsea’s head coach, and it has been a rollercoaster ride as they have gone from being a Premier League title contender to fighting for Champions League qualification.
Chelsea’s decision to replace former boss Mauricio Pochettino with Maresca was criticised in the summer, but this looked an inspired decision at the start of this campaign as they emerged as a shock candidate for the Premier League title.
However, the Blues have significantly declined in recent months, as they are 14th in our calendar year Premier League table.
READ: Ten Premier League stars who proved their clubs are The Problem on international break
Five Premier League teams are set to be in next season’s Champions League and six sides are chasing fourth-placed Chelsea with nine games remaining.
Chelsea are not in action this weekend as they are already out of the FA Cup, so their next game is against Tottenham Hotspur next Thursday.
Maresca intended to give his senior squad a day off this week, but The Chelsea spot claims he ‘was left fuming and cancelled yesterday’s day off for the players as Chelsea’s U21s (including U16s) beat Chelsea’s first team 3-0 in training on Wednesday’.
The Athletic have subsequently provided more context and revealed the message the head coach wanted to send to his squad.
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The report explains:
‘Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca cancelled a scheduled day off for senior players this week after they were beaten 3-0 by the club’s Under-21 team in a training exercise.
‘Maresca took the action after being disappointed by what he had seen during the drill. While it was not a full 90 minute match between the first team and academy players, the less experienced group came out on top with 19-year-old Donnell McNeilly getting two of the goals.
‘The game involved senior players who were not involved on international duty, while the Under-21s had some Under-16s playing to help make up the numbers.
‘With Chelsea not playing their next fixture, which is against Tottenham Hotspur, until next Thursday, Maresca had scheduled for everyone to have Thursday, March 27 as a day off. But he scrapped the idea after not being happy with what he saw.
‘The Italian’s decision is seen as a reminder of the standards he expects even though it was a minor exercise during an international break.’