Chelsea Boss Enzo Maresca Reflects on Tough Decisions in Recent Matches

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said he might have made better choices in two recent games. These were against Manchester United and Brighton. He called dealing with having just 10 men on the field a “learning process”.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST MATCHES?

After going over what happened in Chelsea‘s past two games, Maresca had plenty to think about. Playing Manchester United quickly became a struggle when a first-half red card saw them go down to 10 men. The next match, a Premier League game against Brighton, saw a similar scene, with Chelsea’s set-up and ability to stick to a plan put to the test.

Maresca now admits that he may have made mistakes while under pressure, with that experience forcing him to look at himself and learn from it.

He said, “After reviewing the last two games, Man United and Brighton, I could have done better probably in terms of decisions, no doubt. Being honest, for me it’s like a learning process to play with 10 players. It’s not something normal. So I’m now trying to review all the different situations and hopefully we can do better.”

Chelsea are one of the sides currently pushing for Champions League qualification, so cannot afford to allow any further mistakes. Currently, Chelsea occupies sixth place in the Premier League, just one point ahead of Manchester United.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Maresca is the man responsible for allowing Chelsea to compete among Europe’s elite once again. They have had to make progress in that area while also working on some short-term goals.

Chelsea secured a top-four Premier League finish in 2024-25 as well as winning the UEFA Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup. However, their discipline has let them down at times, and previous success has made them a bigger target for the sides they come up against.

They do remain in the top four going into the final weeks of the season, but are involved in a close run with teams around them and cannot afford to drop more points.

WHAT NEXT?

The last thing Chelsea can do is allow any more red cards to go against them – especially heading into important matches like their next one against Liverpool, who lead the league and are 7 points ahead of the Blues.

Liverpool also have European designs of their own and will be out to secure points that can push them back into the top four picture. That is why Chelsea must deliver their best and avoid making the types of mistakes that could send them spiralling in the final weeks of the season.