Maresca cannot continue to justify starting Neto, the axe must come down on the Chelsea star | OneFootball

Chelsea managed to snatch defeat from the cusp of victory, 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 the West Londoners were their own undoing.

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 boss 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, in particular, was absolutely woeful on the night. The Chelsea wideman 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.

At one point, Cole Palmer fell to his knees, exasperated with Neto after he failed to connect with a promising pass that should have been turned into 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, raw as he may be, at least offers 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.

If performances matter, then the axe has to fall, and it may already be overdue.