Enzo Maresca issues response after six Chelsea bookings and furious 20-man brawl
Chelsea saw their winning run brought to an end at the weekend in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest and Enzo Maresca has offered his take on the behaviour of his players during the match
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorEnzo Maresca has hailed the fighting spirit of his Chelsea side after watching Sunday’s draw with Nottingham Forest descend into a 20-man brawl.
The Blues saw their five-match winning run brought to a grinding halt at Stamford Bridge. Chris Wood had given Forest the lead, only for Noni Madueke to reply.
Neither side were able to find a winner but the game still had a chaotic ending. James Ward-Prowse was sent off for the visitors, while Chelsea had six of their own players booked.
That includes Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana, who will now be suspended for the Blues’ clash with Liverpool after the international break. Tempers flared as Neco Williams appeared to push Cucurella into Maresca, with a 20-man brawl breaking out.
It could see Chelsea face another £25,000 fine for failing to control their players. And despite that poor discipline, Maresca does not believe his side’s aggression is an issue but did admit that it could be reigned in at times.
“These things can happen,” the Italian said after the game. “In terms of emotion, the team is fighting altogether and I don’t think some of them lost their heads. They were, all of them, in the game. I was happy with that.”
“I am not going to pay it,” he joked about the fine, before adding: “It is something we need to improve but overall, I like the team the way they are fighting. I like the way they are becoming a team in these kinds of things. I don’t see any problems about that.”
Asked how the suspensions could impact his side, Maresca was not particularly concerned. He said: “Fortunately we have the international break, time to see how we can organise. The good news is they [other players] are all ready [to come in].
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“For sure, there are things that we can control and do better, for sure no doubt, and probably this is one of the things [to work on]. But if you ask me about the team spirit, the way they are fighting together, the way they are doing things together, I’m very happy.”
Chelsea now sit fourth in the table ahead of the second international break of the season. They have won four out of their opening seven games and sit four points behind current table toppers Liverpool.
They could cut the gap to the Reds as they travel to Anfield after the international break. They then face an away game to Panathinaikos in the Europa Conference League.
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