Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca cancelled a scheduled day off for senior players this week after losing 3-0 to the club’s Under-21s side in training – and details of their training session to forget and why the 45-year-old was furious have now emerged.
Over the international break, all 20 Premier League managers are tasked with keeping the legs, of those who have not been called up to represent their nation over the hiatus, ticking over ahead of their return to English top flight action at the beginning of April.
Initially, Thursday was planned to be a day off for the Stamford Bridge senior camp as their next fixture is not scheduled until the following Thursday – but that all changed after they were easily beaten by the club’s Under-21s set-up in a training game.
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Per The Athletic, the encounter has been described as a training exercise rather than a full match – but, that said, the Under-21s side included some of the Under-16’s best prospects and teenage phenom Donnell McNeilly, 19, scored twice in their 3-0 win.
After injuries prevented them from featuring in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over their London rivals prior to the international break, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke were reportedly involved in the session – but sources say both players were reasonably up to scratch.
Incensed by the subpar standards, the former Leicester City boss – who is ranked highly among Premier League managers based on their playing careers – ordered his players to arrive at Cobham as their preparations for their return hit a bump in the road.
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As the west Londoners approach the business end of the campaign, the Italian tactician is said to have informed his players that there is no wiggle room in terms of slacking off between now and the end – especially as they eye European glory.
Heading into the international break, Maresca’s men had lost three of their last five league games. In that time, their two wins came against Southampton and Leicester, who are seemingly both doomed for relegation come May 2025.
Chelsea - Next Five Fixtures
Date
03/04/25
06/04/25
10/04/25
13/04/25
17/04/25
This is not the first time that Maresca has taken action on the back of poor application. Winger Madueke has been left out of match-day squads for underperforming in training. In December, Maresca said: “Noni can do much more. He can do much more.”
“The moment he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit, and the reason why was not playing is because I do not like the way he trained.
In his maiden season at Stamford Bridge, it’s not entirely unfair to say that Maresca’s spell has been somewhat tumultuous. Starting the season brightly as a potential title contender, things quickly took a turn as Palmer’s exploits in front of goal dried up.
The Blues, in order to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League and thus qualify for the Champions League, have nine outings to get themselves out of their current rut, all while juggling the pressures of the Europa Conference League.