Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was left fumin' after his senior squad got pumped 3-0 by the club's under-21 side in a trainin' session. The footy-mad gaffer was so pissed off that he scrapped a planned rest day for his players durin' the international break.
It's no surprise Maresca was ragin', considerin' the young lads, with some under-16 players thrown in, battered the first team, with 19-year-old Donnell McNeilly baggin' a brace. Maresca's decision to cancel the day off is a stark remindah that he expects nothin' but the best from his team, as they aim for a top-five finish in the Premier League and compete in the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.
This isn't the first time Maresca's laid down the law in trainin'. Noni Madueke was previously left out of matches for failin' to impress. But there's some good news for Chelsea, with Cole Palmer and Madueke returnin' to trainin' after injuries. Palmer's been cleared to play after missin' the Arsenal game and withdrawin' from England duty with a muscle issue, while Madueke's back after bein' sidelined since February with a hamstring injury.
Despite a strong start to the season, Palmer's had a mixed run, with a X-match goal and assist drought. He's still scored an impressive 14 goals and registered six assists, makin' him Chelsea's top scorer in the league. But he hasn't found the back of the net since January 14th in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Chelsea have been strugglin' lately, with defeats to Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Brighton in the top-flight, and only managin' to beat Leicester and Southampton. They're currently fourth in the league, but they'll need to maintain their position to secure Champions League football next season. With two English clubs in the quarter-finals right now, it looks like the Premier League will get an extra place in the coefficient.
Maresca's side have a London derby against Tottenham on Thursday evenin', followed by another clash with Brentford three days later. They also have a Europa Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warszawa comin' up, as they battle for some silverware. Real Betis and Fiorentina are Chelsea's biggest competition, but Maresca should be lookin' to capitalize on his top-flight squad.
