Enzo Maresca’s team had to settle for a draw at Stamford Bridge, with Pedro Neto’s equalizer canceling out Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal for Arsenal. ..Continue Reading
During the match, Noni Madueke was subbed off in the 68th minute, and rather than staying for the team’s celebration of Neto’s goal, he headed directly down the tunnel after being replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk.
Maresca, who took over from Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, has been navigating the challenge of maintaining harmony in his squad, especially as key players like Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku have seen limited playing time in the Premier League this season.
Hoddle, watching from a spot close to Chelsea’s dugout, noted that some of Maresca’s players appeared ‘upset’ about not being selected to play.
‘He’s [Maresca] picked off the back of Pochettino, I thought Pochettino was getting it really well, he was getting it right at the backend of the season from Christmas onwards,’ Hoddle told Premier League Productions.
‘He’s picked up a really good squad, that’s one thing. I’ve looked at that squad and every position gets covered.
‘I think I agree with what Frank [Lampard] said earlier, the Conference League and the League Cup, his second team get to play and they get to play in front of packed houses, so I think the harmony in the club he’s sorted that out a little bit.
‘I was behind the bench, it was interesting, watching the subs and all players want to play. It’s not all hunky dory, I can see players were upset about not getting on and some coming off that weren’t happy. He’s done a great job but there’s a long way to go.
‘But I think those two other cups are really helping him with keeping players happy. If they go out of those two trophies then I think he’ll have a bit more of a problem.
‘At the moment he’s done a wonderful, wonderful job and what a good squad he’s got. Where Chelsea will be in a year’s time will be interesting, I think they’ll be looking to really go for possibly the league themselves. They’ve got such depth, those two centre-backs will learn and get better, they’ve got cover in that area.
‘For me, they’re not far off it, they really aren’t. But the harmony that is keeping the gel of the players happy, it’s easier if you’re in those other cup games, if they continue in that I think they’ll have a happy camp but they’ve got to do that.’
When asked about Madueke’s reaction, Maresca said after the game: ‘When you change a player, they are never happy.
‘Probably the only way to be happy is like the Wolves game, when he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy.
‘It’s not only about Noni, it’s about all the players. It’s a good thing because they want to be there until the end.
‘But in that moment we saw it in a different way. We thought Pedro, against [Jurrien] Timber, could be a bit more aggressive, and with Micha also. It was a tactical decision, no more than that.’
