Enzo Maresca Accuses Chelsea Star of ‘Playing for Himself’ in Furious Rant
Enzo Maresca launched a furious rant at one of his own players despite Chelsea's victory over Wolves in the Carabao Cup.
Chelsea secured their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup following their thrilling 4-3 win against Wolves on Wednesday.
They raced into a three-goal lead before the break, with Vítor Pereira's side mounting a comeback in the second-half until Jamie Gittens scored his team's fourth goal.
Maresca fielded some of his fringe players, including Filip Jorgensen, Jorrel Hato and Tyrique George, who got on the score-sheet.
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Liam Delap also made a cameo as he returned to the squad following a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
He entered the fray in the 61st minute but was sent off in the 86th minute.
Delap picked up two bookings in the space of 25 minutes, leaving Chelsea to hang on against Wolves with 10 men.
Chelsea have had five players sent off in the past nine games, while Maresca himself was shown a red card against Liverpool.
But their latest dismissal angered the Italian, who called Delap's sending off 'embarrassing' and accused him of 'playing the game for himself'.
When asked if Chelsea's red card trend is now becoming an embarrassment, Maresca replied: "Yes, it’s embarrassing when it’s a red card like today. Because it’s two yellow cards in five minutes, 10 minutes, I don’t know, seven minutes. Both I think we can avoid that. So it’s not good."
Quizzed on whether he tried to warn Delap to keep his cool after getting booked, he added: "Yes, after the yellow card I told him four or five times to keep calm. But Liam is a player that when he’s inside the pitch probably he’ll be playing the game for himself and he struggles to realise and to listen around him."
What game will Liam Delap miss after his red card?
Delap has played four games for Chelsea this season, having missed 10 games through injury.
His fifth appearance will have to wait as he serves a one-match suspension following his dismissal against Wolves.
Delap will miss his team's Premier League clash against Tottenham on Saturday.
He could return to the fold when the Blues resume their Champions League campaign on November 5 against Qarabag.
Topics: Chelsea, Liam Delap, Football
Nasir Jabbar