According to reports, Maresca decided to cancel a planned day off for the first-team squad after they were defeated 3-0 by the youth side in what was meant to be a training exercise. ..Continue Reading
The Italian coach has been working with players who were not called up for international duty during the break, but their performances have seemingly fallen short of expectations.
Disappointed with their display, Maresca opted to revoke their rest day, as reported by The Athletic.
Although the training drill was not a full-length competitive match, the Under-21s—made up of Cobham academy graduates—still managed to secure a dominant victory.
Striker Donnell McNeilly, 19, delivered an impressive performance, netting twice.
The senior squad, consisting of players left behind during the international break, faced a team that included several youth scholars, indicating an imbalance in experience.
However, McNeilly, who has been Chelsea’s top scorer across all youth levels in the 2023-24 season, capitalized on the opportunity and scored two goals.
Despite many academy graduates making their senior debuts this season, McNeilly is yet to feature for the first team.
Maresca had originally designated Thursday, March 28, as a rest day, with other players expected to return from international duty and injuries in time for Friday’s session.
However, after witnessing the lackluster performance, he called the squad back to training.
On a positive note, Maresca will have been pleased to see Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke finally return from injury and rejoin training on Friday.
Palmer, who withdrew from England’s squad due to a back issue, had not trained throughout the international period, while Madueke had been sidelined for several months with a hamstring injury.
Chelsea do not have a match scheduled this weekend due to the FA Cup quarter-finals, allowing Palmer and Madueke extra time to recover before the crucial showdown against Tottenham on Thursday.
