“Chelsea Look Drained Every Match – That’s On Maresca!” ESPN Pundit Questions Manager’s Decisions and Motivation Tactics

Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Brentford on Sunday afternoon did not sit well with fans Especially two ESPN pundit. After the final whistle, Former Liverpool defender Stevie Nicol and football analyst Luis Miguel Echegaray were left unimpressed with the Blues’ performance and focused their criticism at head coach Enzo Maresca.

Echegaray pointed out that Chelsea no longer look like the team they were before Christmas. He said that the spark, energy, and rhythm that made them exciting to watch earlier on in the season has faded.

Nicol took things further. He questioned why Maresca left out key players like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Marc Cucurella in such an important time of the season.

You can see Nicol speaking in the clip embedded here:

“Chelsea are fighting for a Champions League spot. This is the time when your best players need to be on the pitch,” Nicol said. “Leaving out some of the top performers in the Premier League just doesn’t make sense.”

It’s believed that Maresca might have been following medical advice to rest the players, but the decision didn’t go end well especially since Chelsea failed to win Brentford.

Nicol also raised serious questions about the manager’s training methods and motivational skills. He said Chelsea look like a team that’s completely lost its drive.

“They’ve run out of energy. It’s like someone’s sucking the life out of them every time they play,” Nicol said. “Either Maresca is training them too hard and they have no energy for matchday, or he’s not motivating them properly.”

That’s a strong claim, but when you look at Chelsea’s performances since the New Year, it’s hard to ignore. They have been slow, uninspired, and lacking intensity, very different from the team fans hoped would challenge for a top-four finish.