Chelsea had to face a tough loss under Enzo Maresca against Aston Villa. The London Blues faced 3rd-place Aston Villa in a very crucial match, but the results didn’t go as planned for Chelsea. The defeat against Unai Emery’s team has affected Chelsea in a very bad way, as they now have the same points as United. The fans have pointed out a big tactical mistake and are criticizing the Italian coach. Maresca is expected to answer the questions of the fans in the upcoming weeks and solve the ongoing questions. The manager has a big job ahead of him.
Key Moments from Chelsea vs. Villa Under Maresca
Enzo Maresca surprisingly started a back four of Cucurella, Badiashile, Chalobah, and Reece James. His change surprised the fans and the pundits. The match was very intense since the first minute of the game. Chelsea were looking dominant as they had most of the possession in the opening 15 minutes. Garnacho and Cucurella were dominating the left flank, providing crosses inside the box looking for a blue shirt. The Argentine goalkeeper had the better of the attackers, as he was up to the mark so far. In the 36th minute, Reece James delivered a teasing corner, and the ball unexpectedly went in after bouncing off Joao Pedro. The fans erupted as the home side scored the first goal. Since then, Unai Emery’s team has completely dominated the possession but couldn’t find the back of the net. Robert Sanchez made some big saves for the London side and kept them ahead. In the 63rd minute, Morgan Rogers delivered an extraordinary ball in for Watkins, which went in after bouncing off Sanchez. Soon after, Watkins sealed the victory for Unai Emery’s side as he scored from a corner.
What really went wrong for Maresca in Chelsea vs. Villa?
Stamford Bridge hosted one of the most important matches so far in the Premier League for both the teams. 5th place Chelsea was hosting a very dominant 3rd place Aston Villa. Enzo Maresca switched Reece James from his central defensive role to right back. This change hindered his game a bit, as he was playing way up front in the right flank. This allowed the Unai Emery’s players to stretch the play and provide good deliveries to Malen and Watkins. Another mistake was starting Badiashile instead of Fofana. Chalobah and Fofana were having good chemistry on the pitch, but resting his partner disrupted it. This allowed players like Morgan Rogers to take advantage of the lack of chemistry and provide teasing balls to Watkins. Not using a player like Fofana in big games will definitely have its impact. Apart from that, Unai Emery outplayed Maresca in every single department at Stamford Bridge. Villa not only stretched the play, but they also made the perfect runs from the middle, which allowed the defensive players to produce long balls and get involved in the attack.
Fan’s reaction
The fans are furious with Maresca’s approach in an important game against Villa. They believe resting a fully fit Fofana in a decisive game is not acceptable. Playing an inexperienced duo of Badiashile and Chalobah against an in-form team like Villa is a silly mistake from a team like Chelsea. Social media is full of fans wanting answers from their manager. Overall the atmosphere is very tense at the Stamford Bridge.
Author’s Insight
From the author’s point of view, the disappointment of the Chelsea fans is expected. Although the Italian coach is expected to answer for his actions in the weeks to come.
As featured on Chelseanews.com
