Maresca comments show how Newcastle trip can help Chelsea in one of their biggest games of the season to come | OneFootball

The Evening Standard today are taking a rare midweek without a Chelsea game as a chance to look at the Blues’ season and Enzo Maresca’s situation at the club.

The match against Newcastle at the weekend was a strange one that summed up both the strengths and weaknesses of this group and their season. They played a shocking 45 minutes devoid of any hunger, commitment or belief; then came out in the second half looking far better, bringing a hopeless 2-0 deficit back to 2-2 by full time.

Chelsea learning on the job with tough away trips

Enzo Maresca calls out instructions. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Dom Smith pointed out the the practice of playing at a tough away ground was all going to come in useful very soon when we head to Naples for the final game in the Champions League group stage, a match where we will almost certainly need a result of some kind:

“Chelsea may head to Antonio Conte’s Napoli at the end of January needing a result. St James’ Park can be something of a blueprint for how not to start, and for how to set up for a high-stakes away game they cannot afford to lose.”

Enzo Maresca admitted at the weekend that a lack of experience was what was behind his team’s first half struggles, and hopefully the lessons learned in recovering from that first half will stand them in good stead.

In other news…

Jamie Carragher picked his team of the season so far and didn’t have a single Chelsea player in there – however he did apologise for leaving one man out who came very close to cracking his XI.

Chelsea aren’t likely to make a major January move, but they probably will get something going in the summer, and hot target they’ve been linked to this week by David Ornstein is Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest.