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Unveiled: The Reason Behind Enzo Maresca's Absence from Chelsea's Post-Match Press Conference Following Disappointing Draw with Bournemouth

Enzo Maresca was notably missing from Chelsea's post-match press conference after their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Find out why Maresca was unavailable and get insights from assistant manager Willy Caballero on the match and upcoming challenges Chelsea faces.

Unveiled: The Reason Behind Enzo Maresca's Absence from Chelsea's Post-Match Press Conference Following Disappointing Draw with Bournemouth

Enzo Maresca was conspicuous by his absence from Chelsea's post-match press conference after Tuesday's 2-2 Premier League draw against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. Assistant manager Willy Caballero took over media duties after the game against Andoni Iraola's side and explained why Maresca was not available while also reflecting on another disappointing result for the Blues.Chelsea and Bournemouth played out a chaotic 2-2 draw on Tuesday, with Antoine Semenyo setting up both goals for the visitors. The forward is expected to depart the club shortly for Manchester City in a £65 million transfer and showed why he's a wanted man with another influential display. David Brooks opened the scoring after just six minutes for Bournemouth but they were pegged back when Cole Palmer equalised from the penalty spot. Enzo Fernandez then fired the hosts ahead before Justin Kluivert equalised after 27 minutes. The draw means that Chelsea have now won just one of their past seven league games and head into 2026 a distant 15 points behind leaders Arsenal in the table.Maresca was due to face the press after the game but did not show up for his media duties and was replaced by Caballero instead. Chelsea's assistant coach revealed that Maresca had not been feeling well and so had decided to skip the press conference.He told reporters: "He didn't feel well in the last two days, with a bit of temperature the last two days, he did the sessions to prepare the game but after the game he asked me to replace him because he wasn't feeling well."Caballero went on to share his thoughts on the game: "It was a crazy first half. We turned the score around but then immediately conceded a goal, so that's something we need to improve and correct immediately. The players showed up and created the build-up and the open play was on point. It was perfect, we created chances and had chances in the second half too. Unfortunately we couldn't win the game and it feels a little bit disappointing. We did better things than Bournemouth to get the three points, but we only have one point because we conceded two goals today. The final product was just missing because we arrived in the box and got many crosses off. We are improving in certain areas but we still need to learn to kill games and maintain the score when we are winning. We put in a lot of effort to go up 2-1 but we couldn't manage things to take three points. It is always frustrating to concede from set pieces but it is part of the game. When you concede two in the same game though, it is tough."Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!Chelsea also saw midfielder Moises Caicedo booked after just four minutes of the game. The yellow card is his fifth of the season and brings an automatic one-match ban, ruling him out of the Blues' clash with Manchester City on Sunday.Caballero admitted he was disappointment with the decision to book Caicedo, explaining: "Very frustrated with Caicedo's suspension because it was the first foul of the game. It doesn't look a yellow for me but it's done now so we are going to miss a very important player but we need to think about who will replace Moi because he is a big loss."Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingChelsea have endured a miserable December and will hope their form can improve into 2026. Their first match of the new year brings a difficult test against a Manchester City side aiming to cut the gap to Arsenal at the top of the table. Pep Guardiola's side have won their last eight matches in all competitions and will be favourites for victory when the two teams meet on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.

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Maresca's Absence Explained

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea's assistant coach, was absent from the post-match press conference due to feeling unwell in the days leading up to the game against Bournemouth. Willy Caballero took over media duties and shared that Maresca had been running a temperature, prompting him to skip the press conference.

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Reflecting on the Game

The match between Chelsea and Bournemouth ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, with both teams displaying moments of brilliance. Despite Chelsea turning the scoreline in their favor, Bournemouth managed to equalize, leaving the Blues with just one win in their last seven league games.

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Concerns and Disappointments

Caballero expressed disappointment over Chelsea's inability to secure a victory despite creating multiple scoring opportunities. The team's defensive lapses, particularly from set pieces, have been highlighted as an area that requires immediate improvement to get back on track in the league.

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Looking Ahead

As Chelsea heads into 2026, they face a challenging fixture against Manchester City, missing Moises Caicedo due to suspension. The team will need to regroup and focus on overcoming their recent poor form as they aim to compete against in-form opponents like Manchester City.

Published on Dec 30, 2025