Maresca makes big denial about owners at full time of Chelsea defeat | OneFootball

Chelsea are reeling after a 3-1 home defeat against Brighton. Manager Enzo Maresca was up against it at full time, where he was asked about something very worrying that was noticed at the full time whistle of the game.

Chelsea owners head to the dressing room at full time

Matt Law on Chelsea owners heading to the dressing room.

Daily Telegraph football reporter Matt Law was the first to notice what happened at full time, with the Brighton players still on the pitch celebrating

“Chelsea co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, plus Joe Shields and Sam Jewell all marched straight to the dressing room area at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea’s defeat to Brighton,” Law wrote on Twitter.

“Brighton players were still on the pitch celebrating.”

That’s never what a manager wants to see, let’s face it. Whether or not the coach is under pressure, this gives the impression that he is, and it can end up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.

Maresca insists owners and sporting directors didn’t speak to players

But speaking to the media, Enzo Maresca insisted that this was all perfectly normal:

“No, [the owners] have been in the changing room like always. We have an office where after the game we sit and talk about every game. But they didn’t say anything to the players. It was not any different to any other game.”

Whether or not the owners were talking to the players, it’s just not what anyone wants to see.

There’s probably something extra painful for the owners about the fact this defeat came against Brighton – the team they’re trying to emulate, and the team they’ve spend hundreds of millions of pounds buying players and coaches from.

Next week’s two games against Benfica and Liverpool feel absolutely massive now as the Blues continue to stumble..