Enzo Maresca has suggested that the players in the Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ don’t have a hard life compared to his elderly fisherman father.
This week the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) contacted the club over their handling of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi. The two outcasts have been forced to train away from the squad after failing to secure moves away in the transfer window.
Maresca last week admitted that he had not seen or spoken to either player, who spent last season on loan with Arsenal and Aston Villa respectively.
Maresca compares Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ to fisherman father
The Italian empathised with the duo, but had little sympathy for them when addressing their situation in Friday’s press conference ahead of the Blues encounter with Manchester United away on Saturday.
“My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working from two o’clock in the morning until ten o’clock in the morning. This is hard in life, not a player, the way they work,” the Chelsea boss said.
“I’ve been in Raheem’s situation and Axel’s situation as a player and for sure I know that it’s not the best feeling, because if you are a player that means that you want to train and play a game.
“I know that the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way and this is the only thing I can say.”
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Sterling has two years remaining on his £325,000 per week deal, while Disasi’s £80,000 a week runs until 2029. The pair have been made to eat away from the squad, which the PFA claim could constitute “abusive conduct” by the club, but Maresca insists the situation is prevalent in the game.
“It’s not just Chelsea, it’s any club in the world, I can promise you, Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil, any club in the world.
“When for any reason the player and the club don’t find any solution, you give the player all the tools to do training sessions and to do everything, but if you are not involved in the squad you are not involved in the squad.”
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I think you should not underestimate the effect this can have on their mental state. This is not right. Maresca should use the players when tactically logical and make the most of the expensive breadth of choice he has at his disposal. And to compare this to his dad’s job is insane. Completely unfair. He should apologise – and after losing to manchester united maybe he could realise how beneficial it would have been to have raheem’s experience and axel’s prowess in central defence. Axel is a great defender.