Chelsea
Maresca criticises Delap after avoidable red leaves Chelsea a man down
Maresca called Liam Delap’s red card “stupid and embarrassing” and warned the club must avoid them..
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was forthright in his assessment after Liam Delap was sent off in the closing stages of the match with Wolverhampton Wanderers, calling the decision both avoidable and damaging to his side. Delap was booked in the 79th minute for twice pushing Yerson Mosquera to the ground and, seven minutes later, was dismissed after leading with his elbow in a challenge with Emmanuel Agbadou that could have resulted in a straight red.
Chelsea have now received five red cards across all competitions this season, a run that has prompted questions about discipline within the squad. Maresca rejected the suggestion his team suffer from an overarching disciplinary problem but made clear he was angry with Delap’s conduct. “We had a very stupid red card that was completely unnecessary and was absolutely deserved,” he said. “We can avoid red cards like these and we have to avoid them.”
The manager underlined that the dismissal was preventable and that he had repeatedly urged restraint. “When it’s a red card like today, it’s embarrassing. There were two yellow cards in seven minutes, both avoidable. It’s no good. After the yellow card, I told [Delap] four or five times to keep calm.”
On Delap’s temperament, Maresca added: “But Liam is a player that when he’s inside the pitch probably he’ll be playing the game for himself and he struggles to realise and to listen around him.” Delap becomes the third Chelsea player to be sent off for two yellow cards this season, joining Malo Gusto and João Pedro. Robert Sánchez and Trevoh Chalobah have been shown straight red cards.
Maresca said his criticism applied across the squad while acknowledging there are differing circumstances behind some dismissals. “[The message is] to everyone,” he said. “I completely understand when there are red cards like Brighton or Man Utd, that is difficult, but red card against Nottingham Forest and red card today, both we can avoid that. And we have to avoid that.”
Delap must serve a one-match suspension and will miss the upcoming weekend meeting with Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea
Mourinho Sets Tone of Reconciliation as Hazard Enters Premier League Hall of Fame
Mourinho praised Hazard after his Hall of Fame induction recalling shared success and past tensions.
José Mourinho used a short video message to close a chapter and publicly congratulate Eden Hazard after the forward’s induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame. Mourinho, who returned for a second spell at Chelsea in 2013, made clear there was no lingering animosity.
The Portuguese coach had long been open about his admiration for Hazard, even joking in prematch team meetings by writing opposition stars off as “no Maradona, no Messi, no Hazard.” The relationship between manager and player, however, was tested across three seasons.
As Hazard recalled on a podcast with his former Chelsea teammate John Obi Mikel last year, “The first two seasons [with Mourinho], amazing. Remember the first year, the team was new so it was just the beginning. Then the second season of José we won the league and we won the League Cup.
“Then the third season was like starting problems, we lost games and at the end the relationship went away a little bit.”
Hazard’s form dipped sharply in 2015–16. By the time he scored his first Premier League goal of the season in April, Mourinho had been out of a job for four months. There had been debate over the player’s best position, with a push for a more central role floated by Hazard, and Mourinho was ultimately sacked in December 2015 as his defending champions hovered just above the relegation zone.
A decade on, Mourinho bore no ill will. In the video he said, “Eden, many congratulations on joining the Premier League Hall of Fame. Everybody knows that you belong there. You are one of the most amazing players that I ever worked with and of course you have to be there.
“You are in the Hall of Fame so now you stay in our memories—and by the way thank you so much for helping to win my last Premier League title!”
Hazard reflected on his induction and career in his own words: “For a small Belgian guy from Braine-le-Comte just playing football for fun, being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame with these great players at 34 years old is incredible,” and “My dream was to play at the highest level and I did it, so I am really happy. Week after week, you have big games, and at the end of the season you lift a trophy with your teammates. It’s a beautiful feeling.
“When you score goals, when you win trophies, you just want more. I am proud to know I did a few good things for seven years in the Premier League.”
Carabao Cup
Maresca: Managing Garnacho’s Fitness After a Disrupted Summer
Maresca: Chelsea are managing Garnacho’s fitness after his disrupted exit from Manchester United….
Enzo Maresca has been candid about why Alejandro Garnacho has seen limited minutes since his late-August move to Chelsea. The head coach says the winger arrived from Manchester United short of match fitness and that the club are managing his workload accordingly.
“Garna is doing well,” Maresca told assembled media before a Carabao Cup tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers. “Garna is another player who we are trying to manage him a little bit physically, because he arrived here from United not 100% in his physical condition.
“He is working hard every day, he is getting better and better, and in this moment we are happy with the way he is playing.”
Garnacho’s summer followed a public breakdown of relations at Old Trafford. After a cameo in United’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in May, he hinted at a move away. Amorim reportedly told the winger in front of the entire squad that he was best advised to find a new employer, and Garnacho was not permitted to visit United’s training ground while Amorim and the first-team were in the building. The exile continued into the start of the current campaign when the 21-year-old was omitted from the group for the first two weeks of the season.
A deal worth a reported £40 million was completed at the end of August. Maresca has used Garnacho sparingly since, a choice the manager links directly to the summer standoff and the player’s physical condition.
Garnacho himself reflected on that period: “It was difficult moments, training alone, but I have nothing bad to say about my old club Manchester United. Just bad moments in life.”
The winger has logged a little more than 300 minutes for Chelsea. Maresca gave him only 11 Premier League minutes before his first start in October; he was substituted at half-time in his second league start and later scored his first Chelsea goal against Sunderland. Pedro Neto has emerged as Maresca’s first-choice wide option, while Estêvão has matched Garnacho’s number of starts (five) and delivered more goal contributions (three to one). A recent squad breakdown shows minutes and starts across the wide forwards and underlines the rotation shaping Chelsea’s options.
Arsenal
Five notable absences from the 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees
Five absences from 2025 FIFPRO World XI: Kane, Gabriel, Szczęsny, Mac Allister and Caicedo shortlist
The 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees were announced on Monday and the shortlist left a number of established performers off the list. Several omissions have prompted debate over which players deserved recognition.
Harry Kane was one of the most surprising names absent. He led the Bundesliga in scoring last season, finished with 41 goals in all competitions and won his first major trophy. Kane also finished fifth in the European Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappé, Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski. The shortlist included two of those names and excluded two, making his omission notable given his scoring numbers.
The exclusion of Gabriel also raised eyebrows. “It’s honestly preference comparing Gabriel and William Saliba, but for many who watched Arsenal closely the Brazilian was arguably the better of the two last season.” The piece highlights Gabriel’s role as a defensive leader who also poses a significant threat from set pieces and notes he is being spoken of as a potential player of the season for the current campaign.
Wojciech Szczęsny was another overlooked name. He returned from retirement midseason to join Barcelona in crisis and made his debut on Jan. 4. By the end of the campaign he had added three more trophies as Barcelona completed a first domestic treble. He subsequently earned a new contract extending his stay through 2027.
Liverpool’s midfield pairing also suffered from the voting. The article points to Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch being left out and argues both had strong claims. Mac Allister missed only three Premier League games last season, contributed 10 goal involvements and was an important part of the title-winning engine room.
Finally, Moisés Caicedo was highlighted as a major snub. Caicedo played every Premier League match last season as Chelsea secured a top-four finish under Enzo Maresca, scored in the UEFA Conference League final and played a major role in Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup victory over the summer.
These five absences underline the difficult choices in assembling a World XI and why the 2025 shortlist has drawn criticism.
