Today, Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson, two Chelsea players for The Athletic, wrote a really fascinating in-depth piece about the behind-the-scenes activities of Chelsea’s most recent slump.
According to reports, Chelsea’s senior players “called a team meeting” to try to resolve the situation following their second straight defeat to Brighton.
“Open communication took place during the meeting.” Some of the main issues raised were that players needed to be more serious and cohesive, that training standards needed to be raised, and that individual goals and egos needed to be put aside for the benefit of the team.
The conclusion appeared to satisfy everyone: “The consensus was very positive; that honest conversation had been highly productive in terms of clearing the air.”
Although we are happy that this kind of meeting took place and that topics like this were covered, it is extremely concerning that training standards had deteriorated to the point where players were having to regulate themselves.
Enzo Maresca questioned over squad management
The article also mentions sources “questioning whether Maresca might have managed certain situations better” in relation to his large team. Even though Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Christopher Nkunku stayed, it was noteworthy that first-team players Joao Felix, Axel Disasi, and Renato Veiga all seemed to push to depart in January.
However, we find that to be a harsh accusation because Maresca is responsible for selecting the best squad each week. If his guys aren’t playing enough, it’s really the fault of the people who assembled the team.
At least we believed we appreciated Enzo Maresca’s disciplinary record thus far. How in the world can a demanding, hands-on manager from Pep Guardiola’s coaching tree let his practices go so wrong that the players are aware that something is amiss? If the entire squad suddenly feels that things aren’t being taken seriously, what was the purpose of disciplining Noni Madueke and Renato Veiga for poor training standards?
In the event that it is accurate, it indicates that Maresca does not have nearly as much authority over this group as he and we would want. A manager should either be given additional authority or fired if he is unable to take charge and raise training standards to an elite level.
