“Gotta go!”, “An absolute howler tonight”

Chelsea fans are furious Enzo Maresca after the 2-1 defeat against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League. Many believe that the manager was the main reason for the defeat, as his substitutions were big mistakes.

Chelsea took the lead against Atalanta on Tuesday 9 December, with Joao Pedro heading in from close range after a brilliant through ball from Reece James. The Blues held the lead until the break, but the Italian side staged a brilliant comeback in the second half.

Former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca headed home from a yard out after getting away from Wesley Fofana. The goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy and the game turned on its head as Atalanta took full control.

Charles De Ketelaere sealed victory for Serie A with eight minutes remaining after Chelsea’s players failed to react. The Belgian swerved into the area after a quick free-kick, and his shot deflected slightly off Cucurella and in despite Robert Sanchez’s best efforts.

With the defeat, Chelsea extended their winless streak to four games in all competitions since their 3-0 win against Barcelona. The fans were quick to point the finger at Maresca today as they left out Andrey Santos, Estevao Willian and Facundo Buonanotte on the bench while bringing in Malo Gusto and Tosin Adarabioyo. They published:

The Blues are now 11th in the UEFA Champions League table and could drop further down if the teams below win on Wednesday.

Chelsea protecting Cole Palmer, says Enzo Maresca

Chelsea were without Cole Palmer once again in their defeat to Atalanta, and Enzo Maresca revealed in his pre-match press conference that he was protecting the Englishman. He added that the former Manchester City star needs to take his time and said:

“We need to protect Cole, for sure, 100%. Not only Cole from my personal point of view because as I said now because of the Club World Cup or because we never stop, we have to manage and protect different players. The solution with Cole, I don’t know, now we have a meeting with the medical body and we decide the best solution for him.”

“But it’s also a kind of injury that’s not like black and white. It’s an injury that one day you can be better. It’s not like you’re in pain and tomorrow it’s gone. Sometimes you can be better, sometimes you can be worse. That’s why we have to manage day by day.”

Maresca’s side have a tough run of fixtures, with Everton, Newcastle United and Aston Villa next up in the league, with a Carabao Cup clash against Cardiff City next week.