Enzo Maresca laments Chelsea’s ‘silly defending’ in 2-2 Champions League draw at Qarabag
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Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates after scoring the team's second goal to equalise.
PHOTO: AFP
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BAKU – Enzo Maresca slammed Chelsea’s “silly” defending after Alejandro Garnacho rescued a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Nov 5.
The Blues were in danger of an embarrassing loss at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku after falling behind in the first half.
Estevao Willian gave Maresca’s side an early lead, but Leandro Andrade equalised before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty to give the Azerbaijani minnows hope of a famous upset.
Former Manchester United winger Garnacho then came off the bench to bail out the Blues with his composed finish after the interval.
Both sides have seven points from their first four matches in the league phase, leaving them in contention for a top-eight finish that will secure automatic qualification for the last 16.
Two-time European champions Chelsea found it hard to subdue their spirited hosts and they made the six-hour trip home still without a Champions League away win since October 2022.
“I think the big difference was inside the box. Again we conceded silly goals that we could avoid and we could probably finish better with most of the actions that we created,” Maresca said.
“When we conceded the first goal, they were with 10 players. I think it is quite silly to concede this kind of goal. Then we conceded the penalty, so the second half is more difficult because you are 2-1 behind and you need to score.
“We need to defend better inside the box and probably need to attack better in the other box. I said before, Qarabag play very well. They do great things and it was difficult to play against them.”
Mockingly nicknamed “carrier bag” after their debut in the Champions League group stage in 2017, Qarabag have proved a surprise package this season.
They staged a superb comeback to win 3-2 at Benfica
Chelsea did not arrive in Baku until the early hours of Nov 5 morning, so Maresca made seven changes from the Nov 1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to keep his team fresh.
They were also forced into an early substitution when midfielder Romeo Lavia pulled up with a muscle injury and was replaced by Moises Caicedo.
“It’s a great shame, especially for him. He’s not able to be fit for a long period,” Maresca added. “Hopefully, it’s not a big injury.”
Lavia has struggled with injuries since joining Chelsea in 2023 from Southampton.
With only seven appearances in all competitions this season, the 21-year-old Belgian looked visibly upset as he left the pitch.
Garnacho almost won it at the death for Chelsea with an overhead volley, but an intrepid Qarabag also came close to a first win against English opposition, with Oleksiy Kashchuk firing straight at goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov described holding Chelsea as a magnificent day.
“My team showed determination until the final minutes against the world champions,” he said.
“They were not afraid, demonstrated Azerbaijani character and earned their first point against an English team.” AFP, REUTERS
