Enzo Maresca was already smiling before the question had finished. Coming onto a serious point and one that supporters had debated endlessly over the past week, he was ready to strike his tone.
"We were reading reports last week that you were so unhappy with some of the training here on Wednesday that you cancelled the players' day off on Thursday, is that right?" the Chelsea head coach was asked. It came after the remaining senior players at Cobham lost to an academy XI 3-0 last Wednesday.
Chelsea had been due to give those not on international duty a rest the following day. No game at the weekend offered Maresca and his players extra time to prepare for facing Tottenham this midweek. What Maresca saw in the training match - which was not 90 minutes long - he did not like.
Maresca's actions have not been the point of most conversation, instead it has been the defeat itself and what that means for a group who have seen performances and results drop in 2025. Most will agree that Maresca's firm stance was the right one.
However, instead of poking them in public, he took a more lenient approach. "Yes, but it's nothing," Maresca said, confirming the news but doing it not with sorrow but almost playful sincerity. Maresca continued to smile away as he prepared himself to answer questions around the game.
"Since I joined the club I always demand for high standards." He would not go any further in digging out those who participated, though.
"International break, no official game, not many players here. The day after off, sometimes it's normal to be a little bit relaxed, but because I don't allow this we decide the day after to train, but it's nothing, nothing strange or nothing new."
It is not known exactly who played from the first-team squad, although the players who stayed behind and were not injured (at least at the start of the break) include Robert Sanchez, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Jadon Sancho, Christopher Nkunku, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Malo Gusto, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Trevoh Chalobah.
Six of those played against Arsenal in the 1-0 defeat two-and-a-half weeks ago. The academy side selected included 16-year-old's, whilst a handful of top players who would normally be involved for the development squad were also away on duty with their countries at age-group level.
It is not uncommon for the youngsters to take their chances in matches like this and it undoubtedly becomes more of a talking point when Chelsea are in a constant state of near-crisis, as they have been for much of the past 18 months, if not longer. The league position says fourth but the vibes tell a very different story.
A hungry group of youth prospects have much more to gain from beating their senior peers than those who are counting down the days until the return of domestic football. Some will also point out that given the issues Maresca has had when rotating his squad, it should not be a surprise that the fringe group were unable to produce the quality (or motivation) required here.
That is no excuse, though. On the one hand this would hardly be a story if Chelsea were flying in the league and there was positivity brimming. As it happens, the narrative fits the result and it is easy to make out that this just sums up where Chelsea are as a club and as a team.
The discourse can easily flow against Maresca, too. Could and should he have done more to prepare his players for this match? Is it not still a damning indictment of the manager that his highly paid set of players could not beat their younger counterparts?
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca leads a training session
Chelsea have added more young players to their squad for training (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
If Chelsea beat Tottenham on Thursday then the incident will likely be forgotten. Should they fail to do so, therefore enhancing the state of worry over securing a top five spot and qualification for the Champions League, then this is the sort of story which reflects extremely poorly on all involved.
Maresca is clearly keen to brush it all under the carpet. "As I said, international break, not [an] official game, not many players here. They are training here every day, every day, every day without any official game and then we play just a game between us and [the] second team and we decide that, we take that decision."
It is understandable why he isn't keen to big it up. At this moment it is probably not best to draw any more attention to it than is necessary, especially not after the immediate backlash online.
Chelsea supporters are raw and fragile right now. These reports only go to serve as extra ammunition for the doubters or rival fans. That hurts more.
Maybe the last thing they needed and wanted was Maresca lamenting things ahead of a big game. It is the sort of move Jose Mourinho might have pulled. This is prominent even more after John Terry spoke this week about how seriously the team took training under his management. Small-sided games would end 0-0, he said.
But there is an element to this that does not quite sit correctly. Maresca has called for the highest standards but is unwilling to go a step further in specifically demanding more from them and placing some blame on his players.
That is a protection tactic, something Mourinho was also the expert at. Keeping them onside and not creating a rift is probably the wise call here. However, if things don't improve on the pitch when fans can see what is going on then Maresca will either come under increasing pressure for his management of the squad or he will be asked to offer more criticism in an attempt to raise the bar again.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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