Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged that certain football games do not go as planned when he called his team’s 2-0 loss to Ipswich Town on Monday “a strange game.”
In a post taken from the club’s website on Tuesday, the Italian expressed his disappointment at the loss, saying that the Blues had plenty of chances in both halves at Portman Road.
He added that Joao Felix’s goal was offside and that Cole Palmer‘s shot hit the post in the first half, but that Liam Delap’s penalty on 12 minutes and a goal early in the second half from former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson gave Ipswich the victory.
According to Maresca, the game was a little odd. “We generated a lot of chances in the first half, and we had two clear chances in the first five or ten minutes of the second half, including Joao’s header. Then, in my opinion, the second goal somewhat ended the game. Sometimes it needs to be that way when you create so many chances and the defenders block the shot, the ‘keeper saves, the post, or the VAR.
“It’s unfortunate because we had another opportunity, but congrats to them because they must have had a lot of determination when they had to stop so many shots on the line.
Following their 2-1 loss to Fulham on Boxing Day, Chelsea has now lost back-to-back games for the first time under Maresca. They also drew 0-0 with Everton on December 22 and have only managed one point out of a potential nine.
The pride of London is still in fourth position, one point behind third-place Arsenal and two points behind second-place Nottingham Forest, thanks to the Blues’ fantastic start to life under the Maresca reign.
He responded, “No, tonight’s game, I don’t think it’s physical or condition,” when asked about the team’s physical state.
“You can claim that we probably battled physically, that we are not good enough, or that we are not fresh when you play and you don’t create any chances or anything, and that you are not dangerous.
“However, I believe we have a lot of chances in the first half when you create so many chances, the post, the quantity of chances, and the VAR.
“We got off to the same start in the second half. The second goal ended the game after we had two clear chances. He asserted, “It’s just that sometimes it’s not the right day for us.”
