“Brentford deserved to win” – Sky pundit blames Maresca for “missed opportunity” | OneFootball

Former striker Jay Bothroyd was the man covering Chelsea – Brentford for Sky Sports, and we really feel for him.

He could have been watching Fulham’s thrilling 3-2 win over Liverpool, but instead he was left watching Enzo Maresca’s soporific Blues play out a dull 0-0 in West London. At full time, Bothroyd was asked for his thoughts on the game, and his views reflected those of many Chelsea fans at the stadium and online:

“Yeah definitely a missed opportunity [for Chelsea]. These are the games they need to win. They’ve got Liverpool, Newcastle, Man United, Forest. Newcastle and Forest being away games as well. These are definitely the opportunities where you look back at the end of the season if you don’t get into the Champions League and say ‘this is a missed chance,'” Bothroyd said.

Maresca mistakes cost Chelsea

Enzo Maresca speaks to Cole Palmer. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

He also addressed the most controversial aspect of the game (which proves just how dull it was) – Enzo Maresca’s lineup decisions. The Italian coach rested Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer, his main attacking threats, and only brought them on in the second half. The Blues ended the game without a goal:

“The substitutions – should he have started with Jackson, should he have started with Palmer? I would go as far as to say yes – because when they came on they were the difference. But ultimately they just didn’t have that cutting edge in the final third. Looking back at the game, they’ve had a lot of possession, but Brentford deserved to get the win there, they had much better chances than Chelsea.”

It’s hard to argue with that, and it follows a dangerous pattern – lots of possession against a lesser team, but not nearly enough shots or chances. If the Bees had put away one of their chances, we could have been adding this to a list of frustrating results from the season.