Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has urged his players to improve their game management after Marc Cucurella was given his marching orders in their home win against Brentford on Sunday, Afrosport reports.
The Blues closed the gap on league leaders Liverpool following a 2-1 win over the Bees at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Nicolas Jackson and Cucurella to improve their winning streak to five games.
Chelsea were reduced to 10 men later on as Cucurella was shown a second yellow card for his part in a post-match scuffle, three minutes after he was cautioned for a harsh tackle on Brentford forward Fabio Carvalho.
Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo got on the scoresheet for the visitors in the 90th minute, and Maresca says he wants the players to handle games better as he is displeased with the way they conceded the goal along with the incident that led to Cucurella’s sending off.
“For sure the goal we conceded, and the last part of the game, it is something we need to manage better,” Maresca said in his post-match conference. “I think it’s experience for the players to learn and to improve things.
“But overall, with the spirit of the team, we know that sometimes it can happen. With the second (yellow) one, it’s probably not the correct thing to do, but these are things we need to improve.”
Five #PL wins in a row! 🔵#CFC | #CHEBRE pic.twitter.com/lwwr2yVyee
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 15, 2024
Chelsea have received the most yellow cards (50) of any club in the Premier League this season, but Maresca is unperturbed as he praised Cucurella for his performance in their win.
“Cucurella was top on and off the ball… together with the other 10 (players), they were fantastic. We are happy, delighted with Marc’s performance.”
Maresca’s side will now shift their attention to the UEFA Conference League, where they will host Irish side Shamrock Rovers on Thursday, having already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition.
The Blues are currently second in the Premier League standings with 34 points after 16 games, two points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. They also sit atop the Conference League with 15 points from five games.
