Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea 'mistake' as Blues bid to solve key problem hurting Champions League push | OneFootball

Blues boss sends strong message to players ahead of crunch clash with Wolves

For Enzo Maresca, there is one key ingredient missing as he bids to arrest Chelsea’s mid-season slump - his players must be more ruthless in front of goal.

It is a period that has seen striker Nicolas Jackson (and others) criticised for close-range misses. Chelsea have slipped from second to sixth, and Monday’s clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge is all about starting to put it right.

“Being more clinical would solve all the problems,” Maresca laughed at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Chelsea have not won in the Premier League since December 15 against Brentford

Getty Images

“I think they [the analysts] showed me this morning that in the Morecambe game [5-0 FA Cup win] we had 27 shots and in the last game against Bournemouth [2-2 draw], we shot 26. We had the same number of shots, so we are creating. Now it is a matter of being more clinical.

“If you are clinical and score the second one, the game is changed. I am not saying we are fantastic and that we just need more goals. I think we need to improve many, many things.

“But, for sure, in these games where we didn't win, being a little bit more clinical we would be at least three or four more points [better off]. It would be a completely different picture.”

Bernardo Cueva, Chelsea’s set-piece coach, revealed to Maresca on Thursday that Chelsea are among the five sides to have taken the most corners in the Premier League this season.

While they ought to have scored from more of them, it is pertinent that their visitors on Monday - though a transformed team under new manager Vitor Pereira - have still conceded more goals from set-pieces than any Premier League team this season. Chelsea must look to cash in.

Key, too, is avoiding knee-jerk reactions to an expectant crowd at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have not always been at their free-flowing best this term. The statistics show they are enjoying less possession and pressing with less intensity when playing at home.

“When we play away, against teams that sit back, we are probably more calm, because we don't rush,” Maresca explained. “When we are at home, sometimes we want to play quickly because we want to show the fans that we want to be quick. This is a mistake against teams that sit back but when teams press higher, you can attack quick.”

Victory over Wolves would catapult Chelsea above Manchester City and Newcastle into fourth, establishing a two-point cushion over both, but they may have to do it without some integral players after Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez missed training on Friday morning with minor injuries.

Maresca will hope some, if not all, have recovered in time to feature - but focus, most of all, will be on showing composure in front of goal. Curing that Achilles' heel is Chelsea's route back up the table.