Enzo Maresca reveals Liam Delap message to Chelsea squad after 'stupid' Wolves red card | OneFootball

Maresca slammed striker for ‘embarrassing’ dismissal against Wolves

Enzo Maresca has no doubts Liam Delap will be a “fantastic” player for Chelsea, but admits there are things for the striker to improve on after his sending off against Wolves.

Maresca did not feel the need to speak to Delap about his dismissal but has warned him about his conduct anyway, with the 22-year-old suspended for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham.

“No, I didn't need to speak with Liam,” Maresca said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “I spoke with Liam, but Liam knows everything. He's aware of the situation. He knows that he made a mistake. And full stop. No more than that.”

Maresca was unhappy with Delap

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After the Wolves game, Maresca said Delap, who apologised in the dressing room after the game, was guilty of “playing the game for himself”.

But he sought to clarify those claims on Friday, adding that he knew the striker’s character better than any other player in the Chelsea squad due to their time spent together in the Manchester City youth academy.

“Probably because I'm not from England, so sometimes when I try to translate from Italian to English sometimes it's a bit different,” Maresca said.

“Liam, when he's inside the pitch, is more focused to do his battle against the central defender than the rest. This was what I was telling, what I was trying to say after that game.

“There are two players in this team, three players in this team, that I know them better than the rest. Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, and Liam Delap because I know them from the Under-21s [at Manchester City] four years ago.

“So I know Liam always, and I know that Liam will be a fantastic player for us, but there are some things, like the rest, that he needs to improve.”

Delap’s red card was Chelsea’s fifth of the season and, asked if the Blues had a wider discipline problem, Maresca admitted some of their dismissals had been avoidable.

“Again, some of the red cards we could avoid,” he said. “Some of the red cards we cannot avoid.

“It's also something that we need to learn. Something that we have to do better. And for sure, no doubt that in the future we're going to be better also on that.”