The Blues boss lamented his side's poor showing in their loss to Brighton
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca did not hold back in his post-match assessment following his team’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Friday night.
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The Italian coach described the performance as the worst of his tenure, apologising to frustrated Blues supporters after a display that lacked fight, quality, and attacking threat.
Maresca slams Chelsea’s collapse against Brighton
A stunning strike from Kaoru Mitoma and a brace from Yankuba Minteh condemned Chelsea to their second loss against Brighton in less than a week.
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The Blues failed to register a single shot on target, mirroring their lacklustre FA Cup performance against the Seagulls just days earlier.
A visibly frustrated Maresca did not mince words in his post-match interview, saying, "I feel sorry for the fans. It is not the right performance that we can offer, especially at this moment in the season."
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Maresca, who is under growing pressure given Chelsea’s recent poor form, admitted, "The performance was the worst since I arrived. It is not the right moment, but we are still in fourth and in the race to finish in Europe."
Chelsea’s season in jeopardy
The defeat saw Chelsea miss the chance to solidify their top-four spot, with the Blues now at risk of slipping to sixth place if results elsewhere go against them.
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The race for Champions League qualification is heating up, with Manchester City, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Brighton, and Aston Villa all in contention.
Maresca acknowledged the team’s ongoing struggles, saying, "We are in a moment when we feel we can concede easily and struggle to score.”
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Despite dominating possession, Chelsea lacked a clinical striker, an issue Maresca highlighted in his post-match remarks, concluding, "When you don’t have a [striker] who can be a threat, we need to find different solutions. There are many things we have to do better."
With just 13 games left in the campaign, Chelsea must regroup quickly before their next test against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Anything less than a drastic improvement could see their European ambitions crumble.