Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has provided insight into his team’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, attributing the loss to set-pieces and the absence of key attacking players.
Mikel Merino’s first-half goal secured victory for Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates Stadium, leaving Chelsea frustrated in a tightly contested match.
Reflecting on the performance in his post-match interview, Maresca admitted: “It’s a shame; we don’t like losing games, especially this kind of game. Overall, we struggled a bit in the first 20 minutes, but after that, we controlled the game and had some chances in the first half. The second half was 50-50. Unfortunately, the difference was set-pieces.”
He also highlighted the impact of missing key attacking players, adding: “If you think of the three players [Palmer, Jackson, Madueke] with the most goals for us, not one of them was on the pitch today. It’s normal that we struggled offensively.”
Following the defeat, Chelsea remain in fourth place in the Premier League table. The Blues will look to bounce back when they face Tottenham Hotspur in their next match after the international break.
