Ian Wright slams Enzo Maresca for playing Chelsea star out of position
Ian Wright criticized Enzo Maresca for playing Chelsea's Moises Caicedo out of position as a right back to accommodate other midfield players. Caicedo's poor performance contributed to Chelsea's 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, which jeopardized their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Newcastle took an early lead with a goal by Sandro Tonali and further capitalized after Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson was sent off. Despite Chelsea's efforts to recover with ten men, Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle's victory with a late goal. Wright expressed his concerns on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, questioning Maresca's tactical decisions given other available players on the bench.
Context:
Ian Wright criticized Enzo Maresca for playing Chelsea's Moises Caicedo out of position as a right back to accommodate other midfield players. Caicedo's poor performance contributed to Chelsea's 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, which jeopardized their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Newcastle took an early lead with a goal by Sandro Tonali and further capitalized after Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson was sent off. Despite Chelsea's efforts to recover with ten men, Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle's victory with a late goal. Wright expressed his concerns on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, questioning Maresca's tactical decisions given other available players on the bench.
Dive Deeper:
Ian Wright voiced his disapproval of Enzo Maresca's decision to play Moises Caicedo at right back instead of his natural midfield position, which was intended to make room for Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez.
Caicedo's performance was subpar during Chelsea's match against Newcastle United, contributing to their 2-0 loss and leaving their Champions League qualification hopes in jeopardy.
Newcastle United capitalized early with a goal by Sandro Tonali just two minutes into the game, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
Chelsea faced additional challenges when Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the first half, reducing them to ten men and further hindering their comeback efforts.
Despite Chelsea's attempts to control the game, Bruno Guimaraes scored a late goal for Newcastle, securing their victory and highlighting the consequences of Maresca's controversial tactical choices.
Wright, on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, highlighted the absurdity of deploying Caicedo out of position, especially when other suitable players were available on the bench.
Wright's criticism focused on Maresca's overall decision-making, citing concerns about the long-term impact of such strategies on Chelsea's performance and standings.
Enzo Maresca is no stranger to playing players out of their natural position, but his latest experiment seems not to have gone down too well with former Arsenal star Ian Wright.
Maresca has been playing Chelsea star Moises Caicedo at right back lately, so that he can accommodate Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernadez in the Chelsea midfield. But the experiment does not bode well with Wright.
Though Caicedo usually puts in a shift even when he is played out of his natural position, he had an uncharacteristically bad outing against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.
Caicedo’s performance was part of the reason why Chelsea slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat away from home that left their chances of qualifying for next year’s UEFA Champions League hanging by a thread.
Newcastle took an early lead through Sandro Tonali in the second minute of the game, and Nicolas Jackson’s sending off in the first half did not do the Blues any favours.
Though the Blues tried to make a fist off the game with ten men, a late goal from Bruno Guimaraes sealed their fate. And Wright was quick to call Maresca out on his tactics.
What Wright had to say about Maresca’s tactics against Newcastle United
Speaking on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, he said: “It is crazy when you look at who he’s got on the bench and why he’s doing that (playing Caicedo at right-back). You’re going to attack him all the time. Whatever he’s saying about getting into midfield and controlling it, you’ve got to get control of the game…"“It all comes down to the manager. Unless something has happened with Reece James and Malo Gusto, I don’t know what’s happened. That, for me, is unacceptable… He’s making decisions that are very worrying, especially in that particular incident.”
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