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Alan Pardew has criticised Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca for his playing style. The former Crystal Palace manager dubbed the Italian tactician's structural decisions as 'baffling'.
Pardew is not a fan of Enzo Maresco's style of holding the ball and dominating the game in position. Instead, the former Crystal Palace and Newcastle United boss wants the Stamford Bridge outfit to attack the other team. He said on talkSPORT (via the Chelsea Chronicle):
"There are decisions he makes structurally in the team that sort of... baffling is the only word I can use for it."
He added:
"And also, I find the style of play a little bit, kind of this tendency in the Premier League to keep the ball and to sort of make the other team suffer rather than go and attack the other team. This seems to be one of his philosophies, and I don't like that."
The Blues failed to secure a UEFA Champions League spot for two consecutive seasons. However, a fourth-place finish in the Premier League this season under Enzo Maresca has helped them return to the top European tournament.
According to Whoscored, only Liverpool and Manchester City had an average ball possession higher than the Stamford Bridge outfit. Additionally, the Blues had the second-highest possession in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign in away matches, only behind Pep Guardiola's side.
Moises Caicedo names Chelsea star he idolises
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Ecuador v Venezuela - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier - Source: Getty
Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo has revealed that he has idolised Chelsea captain Reece James. He said that he started admiring the 25-year-old defender after watching his performance in the UEFA Champions League final in 2021.
The Blues defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final. Mentioning the European final, Caicedo told UEFA's YouTube channel (via the Chelsea Chronicle):
"I see how he trains, and I see how he plays in games. I also watched him before joining Chelsea. In the UEFA Champions League final, he was fantastic. I think he's been an idol for many people for a long time - me included."
Reece James' time at Stamford Bridge in the last two seasons has been marred by injuries. The Englishman has missed almost 60 matches due to injury concerns in the last two campaigns.
However, James made 26 appearances across all competitions for the Blues this season, scoring two and assisting two goals. He also helped the side keep nine clean sheets.
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Shashank is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering European football since the past 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has also played the sport as a box-to-box midfielder and a full-back at national level, along with Tennis, Taekwondo and Boxing.
Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words 'Liverpool FC' written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds' incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp's managerial style.
He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.
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Edited by Aditya Singh