'Maresca on his knees' in despair on touchline after what two Chelsea stars did
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was left exasperated on the touchline by the failings of two players as more points were dropped, according Kieran Gill on X.
The Blues played out a frenetic 2-2 draw against Bournemouth (14 January), in a game that saw VAR once again become a major talking point, but both Robert Sanchez and Nicolas Jackson had moments that infuriated their manager.
A cheeky goal from Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead, before Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo put the Cherries ahead. A shot from Reece James that glanced off the post, before finding the back of the net rescued a point for the Blues in the 95th minute.
However, Maresca was left ruing mistakes from key players, with Gill saying while the home side still led 1-0: “Enzo Maresca animated as ever in front of us. Head in hands after that Robert Sanchez pass. Dropped to his knees after that Nicolas Jackson miss. Chelsea are being creative, but not clinical. Same old story”
Chelsea missed opportunities and individual mistakes will cost a title-run
Football Insider Verdict
Jackson is a curious case for Chelsea. He is clearly an immensely talented striker and Maresca values him highly, as shown by the Senegalese striker continuing to start over teammate Christopher Nkunku.
However, the former Villareal man’s lack of consistency in front of goal cannot be ignored. Despite scoring nine goals in the Premier League this season, he is actually underperforming his xG which sits at 10.85. [Fotmob]
His link-up play with Palmer and instinctual-movement off-the-ball pass the eye-test with flying colours, but the 23-year-old fails to impress in front of goal too often.
If Chelsea are to mount a serious title-challenge this season, Maresca and the Blues’ board will have to make a quick-decision on Jackson’s future as the main-man at Stamford Bridge.
Mathys Tel, of Bayern Munich, has been rumoured to be joining the Blues this January, as Chelsea fan’s patience wears thin in regards to their striking woes.
Sanchez meanwhile seems even more lucky to remain the de facto number one despite numerous goalkeepers being added to the books at the club.
The game against Bournemouth represents another failure to win in the league, the Blues are now on a five-game winless run.
In other news, Mick Brown has exclusively revealed to Football Insider that Chelsea have made a decision on Trevoh Chalobah’s future.
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