Sky Sports pundits clash over Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea: ‘Bores the life out of me’
Chelsea losing to Brighton has sparked an argument over Enzo Maresca who should be “under pressure” between Clinton Morrison and Kris Boyd.
The Blues suffered an embarrassing 3-0 loss in the Premier League on 14 February, as Brighton dominated with goals from Kaoru Mitoma and a brace from Yankuba Minteh. Fabian Hurzeler’s side secured their second win over Chelsea in a week after beating them in the FA Cup last week.
Levi Colwill came under criticism for his Chelsea performance against his former club, particularly after appealing for a foul in the build-up to one of Brighton’s goals instead of getting back in position.
Following yet another setback in their pursuit of a Champions League spot, frustrated Chelsea fans have called for Maresca to be sacked with pundits also critical of the coach.
Enzo Maresca under fire at for style of play at Chelsea
Maresca faced criticism for his tactical approach, with Morrison claiming the Chelsea boss would “bore the life” out of him during matches.
Speaking on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday (12:17 pm), Morrison said: “He should be under pressure because I watched Chelsea yesterday, and the football sometimes bores the life out of me. He did that sometimes at Leicester.
“Leicester fans got frustrated. Pass, pass, pass, you get to the final third where you can deliver the ball into the box, and I know you don’t have a natural centre-forward … and then you end up going back to the goalie. It’s nowhere near good enough for Chelsea.”
Pundit Kris Boyd defended Maresca, arguing that the players were responsible for their decisions on the pitch. He said: “That’s not his fault. The players, the players on the pitch. The players on the pitch need to make better decisions.”
Morrison, however, remained firm in his stance: “It’s his style of play! He did it at Leicester. It’s his style of play. Yeah, they have to make better decisions, but it’s his style of play.”
Boyd countered: “Well, he’s not telling them when they get there to cross the ball, ‘Oh, come back to the goalkeeper’.”
Morrison responded: “Well, why are you not crossing it then? Because I’ve seen him do that with Leicester City.” But Boyd insisted: “You can’t blame the manager for that, the players have to do it.”
Morrison concluded: “At the end of the day, if you’re not getting results, who does it fall on? Well, then it’s the manager to blame.”
Chelsea form raises alarm bells with Champions League spot at risk
Maresca initially made a strong start at Chelsea, leading some to believe they could be surprise title contenders.
However, their recent form has been concerning, with five defeats in their last ten games and only three wins in that period.
After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton, the Blues failed to get revenge in the league and now turn their attention to a tough fixture against Aston Villa on 22 February.