Chelsea are preparing to face Wolves in the Carabao Cup, with manager Enzo Maresca keen to chase a third trophy for the club. The Blues travel to Molineux to take on Vitor Pereira’s struggling side, who are yet to win in the Premier League this season.
Maresca will be keen to get his side back on track after a surprising 2-1 defeat to Sunderland at the weekend. In all likelihood, the Chelsea manager will be leading a very different team to the one that stumbled at Stamford Bridge recently. However, Maresca will be keen to add the Carabao Cup to the European Conference League and Club World Cup trophies he has already won with the Blues.
Ahead of the match against Wolves, Maresca provided an injury update, noting that Joao Pedro continues to struggle to find the back of the goal. The surprise defeat against Sunderland prompted the Chelsea legend to criticize Maresca for mistakes that could prove costly at the end of the season. In the Carabao Cup, Chelsea overcame an initial scare against Lincoln City to set up a match against Wolves, while their Premier League opponents defeated West Ham United and Everton in the early rounds. Here, Express Sport delves into some of the key headlines surrounding Chelsea.
Chelsea manager compared to Erling Haaland
Enzo Maresca has jumped to Joao Pedro’s defense, insisting the Brazilian forward should not be compared to goal machines like Erling Haaland. The striker made an excellent start to his Chelsea career after his move from Brighton, scoring three goals in as many matches at the Club World Cup.
The 24-year-old’s excellent form continued into the start of the Premier League season, with him scoring two goals and providing three assists in Chelsea’s opening four games. However, Pedro has since failed to contribute either a goal or an assist in the next seven games, with Maresca insisting expectations are high for the Brazilian due to his immediate impact at the club.
“When you’re not 100%, it’s hard to compete, especially in this league,” Maresca said in the pregame press conference. “But I don’t think Joan has any problems.
“He will score goals with us. He will give us assists, knowing that Joao Pedro is not the No. 9 who scores 20 goals every year.”
“It’s not Joao. He’s a great player. He’ll score goals for us and he’ll give us assists. But he’s not like this type of nine, like Lewandowski, Mbappe, Haaland, who score 20-25 goals every year. This is a different kind of number nine.”
Enzo Maresca’s decision is called out
Chelsea were left reeling by a last-minute winner against Sunderland, but club legend John Obi Mikel believes Maresca’s misjudgment allowed their rivals to return to the game. The Blues took an early lead thanks to Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidore quickly equalized, paving the way for Chelmsuddin Talbi’s dramatic goal.
Mikel’s criticism centered on the late double substitution of Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro. The pair were replaced in the 85th minute by Andrej Santos and Tyrik George, a move the former midfielder felt had weakened Chelsea’s attack.
“I’ve never criticized Enzo Maresca. I’m a big fan of his,” he said on the Obi Wan Podcast. “But when I was following that game, I realized that if you want to win a 1-1 game at home, you can’t take your best player, you can’t substitute your best player. It doesn’t matter that they didn’t play very well.”
“Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto, they didn’t play very well. But if you leave them on the pitch, they’ll find a way to create chances and they’ll find a way to win the game.”
“I was thinking about him leaving as a substitute with Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto. After that substitution it was completely flat. There was nothing, we couldn’t offer anything.”
Chelsea, Wolves injury situation update
Chelsea’s manager has confirmed that striker Liam Delap has returned to the squad after recovering from a hamstring problem. This is a boost for the Blues, but Maresca warned ahead of the match against Wolves that they need to be careful with the other three players.
“He participated in a full session yesterday and will be available tomorrow,” Maresca said of Delap. “No, he won’t play 90 minutes. He’s been out for two months and needs to gradually get back to 100 per cent (fitness).”
Regarding the team’s recent fitness concerns, the manager added: “Enzo (Fernandes), Moy (Caicedo), Joao (Pedro), they are all different players for different reasons. We need to protect them.”
“The reason is because we need to rotate and we need to protect the players. If we go with the same eleven, we’re going to struggle all season. We’re going to make some changes, I don’t know how many, but we’re going to make changes.”
