Maresca Under the Weather as Chelsea's 2-2 Draw with Bournemouth Steals the Spotlight

Health update on Enzo Maresca

Chelsea's assistant coach Willy Caballero confirmed that Enzo Maresca had been ill in the last couple of days, which is why he did not face the media after the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Match events and the coach's absence

In his post-match remarks, Caballero noted that the Blues missed a real opportunity to take three points. He explained that Maresca's absence from the press conference was due to illness, with the Argentine saying the coach had a fever and a virus and asked him to stand in because he was very tired.

“He wasn't feeling well in the last couple of days,” Caballero told Sky Sports. “It's important for players that the coach is present, but today he asked me to take the press conference because he was exhausted.”

On the pitch, Caballero admitted frustration at the result, adding, “I feel what every fan feels; we created chances, earned a penalty, and scored a superb second goal, but we couldn't finish it off.”

He continued, “We put Bournemouth under pressure in the box for several long minutes, but the final touch was missing today. This is something we need to find and improve.”

The assistant also pointed to the goal concession issue, saying the same scenario happened twice and stressing the need for better defending on set pieces and in transitions. “We work hard and trust the set-piece coach. We've faced tough moments before, made tweaks, but conceding twice in the same way is frustrating.”

He closed by reaffirming the club's ambition: “What we've achieved matters, but in football the more you win, the more you want to win more. This club deserves to fight for more. We want to win every game, and we are not happy with a draw against Bournemouth, whether at home or away.”

Punchline 1: If football were a sniper, our shots would be precise, but the finishing would still be under fire.

Punchline 2: The post is a cruel judge—it always makes you wait for the perfect moment, then reminds you that the timing was off.