Chelsea Manager Draws Parallels Between Players’ Situation and Father’s Grueling Work
MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Chelsea manager enzo Maresca sparked discussion Friday by comparing the challenges faced by sidelined players Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi to the demanding life of his 75-year-old father, a fisherman who has worked 14-hour days for half a century. The comments came as both players remain separated from the first team due to not being in Maresca’s plans for the season.
Maresca, speaking before Chelsea’s saturday match against manchester United, emphasized the hardship of his father’s profession to contextualize the difficulties of players excluded from team activities. “My father is 75 years old and for 50 has been a fisherman, working since 2 in the morning until 10 in the morning. This is sad in life, not a player because of the way they work,” he stated. Both sterling and Disasi are undergoing individualized training regimens away from the main squad, and Maresca confirmed he has not discussed their futures with them this season.
The situation with Sterling, 30, has gained public attention after the winger posted a photo on Instagram earlier this week showing the empty Chelsea training facilities at 8:21 p.m., accompanied by the caption “training” and two emojis – a handshake and a cold face. Sterling,who joined Chelsea after a stint with Arsenal,reportedly declined transfer offers that would have taken him away from London,where he has two years remaining on his contract.
Defender Disasi, 31, arrived at Chelsea from Monaco in 2022 and is contracted through 2029, though he spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. Maresca acknowledged the emotional toll of being excluded, stating, “Surely I know it’s not the best feeling for a player because if you’re a player, that means you want to train and play a game.”
Maresca also asserted that such situations are commonplace in professional football. “It is indeed not only in Chelsea, it is any club in the world,” he said. “When for any reason the player and the club find no solution, you give the player all the tools to make training sessions and do everything, but if you are not involved in the team, you are not involved in the team.”
