Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confessed he has been “unfair” with Christopher Nkunku this season.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has admitted that he’s “unfairly” treated one of his players this season amid reports linking him with a move elsewhere.
The 27-year-old forward has struggled for game time under Maresca, finding himself behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order. Nkunku has started just three Premier League matches, starting just three Premier League games, and was not the first option off the bench to replace the Senegal international in Monday’s 2-1 win over West Ham United. Maresca initially turned to teenager Marc Guiu instead, before eventually introducing Nkunku later on.
Despite limited minutes, Nkunku impressed off the bench, amid reports linking him with Manchester United and Bayern Munich during the January transfer window. But he ended up staying at the Premier League’s west London club as the transfer didn’t go through. The Frenchman missed out on the move and could have a big role to play for Chelsea during the run-in.
What Enzo Maresca Said
Speaking after the win against West Ham, Maresca admitted that he has unfairly treated the attacker.
“Christo, since day one, has been very good, very professional,” Maresca told Sky Sports after Monday’s win.
“Probably in some moments, I have been unfair with him because probably he deserves something more. But hopefully from now on he can help us a little bit more.”
He added: “First of all, very happy because [the transfer window] is closed. So the ones that are here are the ones that are going to be with us until the end and this is the main reason why I’m happy.
“And then the ones that left, we were all agreed that they could go.
“I was just focused on the game. I’m still thinking about the game.
“The sporting director and the chairman, we will sit and we see all the things that happen. But everything that happened was planned, from me, from the club, from all together.”
Maresca also identified where Chelsea “needs to improve” in the coming months.
“It is huge [result]. It was a tough game especially mentally. It is never easy when teams come here and wait and sit back. You need to be patient. There is no space, you need to move the ball and wait for the right moment,” Maresca continued.
“In the second half we came back and overall we deserved to win the game. They were waiting for our mistakes and you can’t get frustrated.
“It already happened many times this season that we were losing and came back and won. It is just football. It just depends on the game.
“It is always about the players. It is not about the manager. It was just a feeling we had [over the substitutions] during the game. I think we need to improve in the final third in terms of chances and being more clinical.”
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