Maresca cannot continue to justify starting Neto, Chelsea star must be axed | OneFootball

Chelsea snatched defeat from the cusp of victory in the Premier League yesterday, succumbing to a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues were the better side in the first half and took a deserved lead into the break, but shot themselves in the foot.

Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile gave away the ball, allowing Ollie Watkins to pounce and score. The Englishman doubled his tally later to complete the turnaround.

Blues manager Enzo Maresca rued the lack of maturity his side showed and criticised his wingers for not making much of the one-vs-one chances they received.

Pedro Neto was absolutely woeful on the night. The Chelsea winger struggled spectacularly, dribbling into blind alleys and failing to put in useful crosses.

Neto failed to complete a single dribble and lost the ball 24 times on 67 touches, making little impact despite playing the full 90 minutes.

Cole Palmer fell to his knees at one point, exasperated with Neto after he failed to connect with a promising pass that should have led to a quality attack.

Neto’s place in the starting XI is being justified almost exclusively by his supposed defensive diligence, yet even that argument is beginning to fall apart under scrutiny.

He won just one of his four ground duels and was dribbled past twice, offering neither security without the ball nor incision with it.

Maresca has leaned on Neto ahead of youngster Estevao Willian because of his work rate and tactical discipline, but there comes a point where balance becomes stubbornness.

Neto’s recent run of displays has been riddled with poor decision-making, heavy touches, and a ‘frustrating‘ inability to beat his man or deliver with consistency.

Chelsea cannot afford a passenger on the flank, especially in games where they are on top and need to kill contests off.

Estevao offers raw unpredictability and intent, qualities that are glaringly absent from Neto’s game right now.

On current form, there is no footballing justification for Neto to continue starting on reputation and defensive theory alone. The axe must fall.