Enzo Maresca has defended a couple of his players following Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday.
Chelsea dominated the London derby, finishing the game with almost 60% possession of the ball.
However, the Blues recorded just two shots on target as they struggled to test David Raya. Maresca was criticised by some Chelsea supporters during the match, while many would also not have been happy with Christopher Nkunku after his lack of impact in attack.
Maresca, though, has defended both him and one of his teammates in his post-match press conference.
Enzo Maresca defends Jadon Sancho
It has been claimed that Chelsea do not have to sign Jadon Sancho permanently this summer if they pay Manchester United a penalty fee to get out of an agreement that they have with them.
After his performance against Arsenal, some Chelsea fans may want to see that happen.
From Maresca’s perspective, though, his display was not that bad. In fact, the Chelsea manager actually thinks he played “quite well”.
When asked if he expected more from Sancho and Nkunku in the absence of Cole Palmer, Maresca told football.london and other outlets: “First of all, we score many goals but they don’t concede many goals. I think they are the first or the second [best]. It’s not easy to create chances against them. For sure, when you have important players injured, it’s not easy.
“Jadon did quite well, Christo also. I didn’t have the feeling they can do something better. For sure, we can create and attack better as a team.”
Before the game, Several Chelsea fans claimed that Tyrique George is better than Sancho, so supporters were already starting to lose their patience with the 24-year-old.
Jadon Sancho’s numbers vs Arsenal
While Maresca feels that Sancho did a good job against Arsenal, statistically, that was not the case.
In his 76 minutes on the pitch, the England international failed to register a single shot. He did not record a single key pass or cross either. Simply put, it was far from his best game.
| Jadon Sancho vs Arsenal | Total |
| Minutes | 76 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Touches | 34 |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Crosses (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Shots | 0 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 1 (1) |
As a whole, though, Chelsea’s attack has not been functioning as well as it was at the start of the season. That may be down to Palmer’s dip in form and Nicolas Jackson’s injury.
When the pair are both in the team again and back to their best, that may help Sancho and others.
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