Paul Merson Rips Enzo Maresca Over ‘Pathetic’ Chelsea Call

Paul Merson
has slammed
Enzo Maresca
Over the ‘weak’ squad he chose for
Chelsea
’s
Premier League
clash against Brentford.

Heading into a clash with west London adversaries Brentford merely three days later
another derby against Tottenham
Maresca mixed things up by leaving Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson on the bench.

Chelsea lacked fluidity against Brentford and were
ended in a scoreless tie
As their chances of making it to next season’s Champions League took yet another hit.

Merson was ‘stunned’ by Maresca’s squad choice and has raised questions about why certain players are being given rest time, considering the upcoming Europa Conference League.

Chelsea
Face off against the Polish team Legia Warsaw on Thursday evening in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
, the competition one step down from the Europa League.

‘I was astonished by the lineup Enzo Maresca sent onto the field at Brentford,’ Merson stated.
Sky Sports
‘. ‘When that squad emerged, I was astonished. It was dismal.’

‘Chelsea have claimed victory in the Champions League. Now we’re talking about the Europa Conference League – and he’s giving his players rest for this competition?’

‘Qualifying for the Champions League must be the ultimate goal. They absolutely have to be part of it.’

‘If they finish sixth in the Premier League and claim victory in the Europa Conference League, it would be astounding. Astounding.’

‘This is Legia Warsaw; I mean, they’re good and all, but they won’t manage to defeat Chelsea in two matches. The focus should be on beating Brentford.’

‘If they had clinched that match and followed up by defeating Ipswich over the weekend, they would be within reach of Champions League football with just six fixtures remaining.’

‘And consider what occurred after players such as Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson were brought on. They took control of the game against Brentford.’

‘However, things are quite different now. Chelsea may need to finish higher than Manchester City to secure a spot in the Champions League, considering that in recent times, every team finishing above City has gone on to win the Premier League.’

Chelsea appeared poised to launch a serious bid for the title during Maresca’s initial campaign with the club at Stamford Bridge, but they now find themselves facing an enormous battle merely to secure a spot in the Champions League.

Earlier this week, former Liverpool and England player Damien
Jamie Carragher predicted Chelsea would fall short of Champions League qualification
.

Merson remains uncertain about Maresca and states that it would be ‘an absolute catastrophe’ if Chelsea were to fail yet again in securing a spot in the Champions League.

‘I won’t be convinced by Enzo Maresca until the end of May,’ Merson stated additionally.

‘Everyone says Chelsea are performing well, but with one of the largest rosters globally, they still have a long way to go before clinching the Premier League.’

‘Man City and Arsenal have dominated the Premier League the last two years and Chelsea are a million points off the title in the year they drop off.

‘And these players will be with each other for the coming six or seven years due to their contracts. It’s crazy, completely insane.’

‘Six high-priced players are presently on loan as they’re not getting game time, which could lead to total chaos if they fail to secure Champions League football next season.’

‘Winning the Conference League? Really? There are one or two teams in this competition that I’ve barely heard of.’

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