Enzo Maresca must take blame after Chelsea gamble backfires to extend miserable away run | OneFootball

Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson among those to start on the bench and plan did not work for Chelsea

Enzo Maresca cited Chelsea’s Thursday–Sunday–Thursday schedule, players returning from injury and his “game plan” all as reasons why he made five changes from the team which beat Tottenham on Thursday night, but whatever his justifications before this goalless draw with Brentford, it undeniably proved a gamble that backfired.

Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto and Levi Colwill were all consigned to the bench as the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku and, for the first time since February 14, Noni Madueke came into the starting line-up.

The sight of Palmer and Jackson deep in conversation while warming up in the 44th minute said it all, and no doubt they were both discussing how desperate they were to enter the fray. Chelsea had looked disjointed and one-paced in that first half, Robert Sanchez playing short to Nkunku but the striker never coming to receive.

When Noni Madueke fired straight at Mark Flekken on 34 minutes, the Chelsea fans, well-humoured as ever, chanted wryly: “We’ve had a shot”.

Christopher Nkunku offered little in his 45 minutes on the pitch

REUTERS

It was telling that the away end cheered once more when Nkunku was hooked at half-time, in favour of Jackson. And within a couple of minutes of the restart, the difference had already told. Jackson held the ball up and slithered between Nathan Collins and Yehor Yarmoliuk, the sort of centre-forward play Nkunku had been unable to produce.

By the hour mark, Palmer and Neto joined Jackson as Maresca called on the cavalry in a bid to assert dominance over a Brentford side who had hit the post through Yoane Wissa in the first half and come very close to scoring through Keane Lewis-Potter’s parried header.

Promising moments of link-up play between Palmer and Jackson followed; through Neto’s pop shot and Reece James’s header — both of which were parried — Chelsea threatened. Palmer almost scored with the last kick of the game. That fact, though, is that he didn't.

The Blues have still not managed to regain that ability to force the issue when not at their best, something which had them touted as potential title contenders by some when they sat among the top three just before the turn of the year.

Life has become harder in recent months, Chelsea with more than an eye on their Conference League exploits and finding the Premier League a tough nut to crack. Will they be playing Champions League football next season? At the moment it feels, with every passing week, as though that likelihood is only decreasing.

They needed to offer more than they did against Brentford, and for that their manager must shoulder a sizeable chunk of the blame.