Healthy competition: Enzo Maresca reveals how he keeps Chelsea players happy

Chelsea currently boost of a young talented team. With Enzo Maresca having various attacking options to pick from, there have been growing concerns about some players having limited game time.

However, the former Leicester City manager has insisted that honesty is the best policy when it comes to keeping his squad happy.

Mares made 11 changes in their 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barrow on Tuesday, where Christopher Nkunku scored his first hat-trick for the club.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday, Maresca revealed how he has been finding it easy to choose his preferred starting eleven for every match.

Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s fifth goal against Barrow (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Maresca told reporters on Friday: “I be honest, I be honest with (Nkunku) and I’m honest with all of them. I’ve said it many times since day one that we can’t play with seven or eight attacking players as there is no defensive balance.

“In this moment Nico (Jackson) played last time in the Premier League and scored two goals, Christopher played the other day and scored three, this is good. It’s important they compete with each other.”

Marc Cucurella has started all five of Chelsea’s league matches this season as he starts to look worthy of the reported £62million fee the Blues paid to Brighton in 2022.

The Euro 2024 winner has featured in both defence and attack under Maresca who lauded his professionalism.

“Marc is very important, he has something which sometimes you struggle to find in players,” he added.

“Marc is good and he’s making the players around him better because he’s a guy who’s talking, demanding and when you have five or six players like Marc in the team, it’s something important and I’m very happy with him.”

Chelsea prepare to host Fabian Hurzeler’s unbeaten Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and a win for the London club would be a third in succession in the league, having beaten Bournemouth and West Ham.