Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca defends record ahead of key games against Benfica and Liverpool

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has defended his record at Stamford Bridge and insisted there is no need to panic following a second successive Premier League defeat.

Trevor Chalobah’s dismissal was the catalyst for a 3-1 home defeat by Brighton on Saturday, the England centre-back receiving a straight card for a late challenge on Georginio Rutter after Chelsea had taken an early lead through Enzo Fernández.

It was the second consecutive league outing in which Maresca’s men had foundered after going down to 10 men, with goalkeeper Robert Sánchez dismissed for upending Manchester United striker Bryan Mbeumo at Old Trafford the previous weekend.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca: ‘I think there is no reason to be negative’

Chelsea have now lost three of their past four matches in all competitions and were jeered by sections of the crowd after Saturday’s setback. But with the club facing a Champions League meeting with José Mourinho’s Benfica on Tuesday night before Liverpool visit on Saturday evening, Maresca has called for greater positivity, pointing out that Chelsea have lost only five games in six months. 

Four of those defeats have followed a dismissal, with Nicolas Jackson sent off twice in the final weeks of last season, first at Newcastle in the Premier League and then against the Brazilian side Flamengo in the Club World Cup, before the more recent travails against United and Brighton. Jackson has since joined Bayern Munich on a season-long loan.

“I think there is no reason to be negative,” said the Italian. “The club showed me the stats that in the last six months we lost five games, four of them with a red card. 

“The only game that we lost eleven [versus] eleven was Bayern Munich away. So that’s why I said for me, personally, there is not any reason that we need to panic, knowing that football is a crazy world. 

“For sure we like winning games. But also the reality is that there is not any pressure. The pressure we have is the pressure that we know that being at Chelsea as a player, as a manager you need to win games. 

Enzo Maresca: ‘There are many things I need to learn’

“But at the same moment the reality is that for different reasons, injuries and red cards, we lost five games in almost six months. At the same time I think it’s not something bad.”

Maresca did, however, concede that he needs to improve his management of games in which his teams are forced to contend with a numerical deficit.

“Personally, as a manager, I think I feel better than last year,” said the 45-year-old, whose previous experience is limited to 14 games as head coach of Parma and a season at Leicester. “The reason is because I’m learning. 

“For sure there are many, many things that I need to learn. For instance, playing with 10 players is something that probably I need to do better. But it’s part of the process and I don’t have any doubt that in the future we’re going to be better and better.”