As defeat at Ipswich completed a miserable Christmas, Enzo Maresca claimed his Chelsea team are still headed in the right direction but remain a work in progress.
After Liam Delap’s penalty and a goal from the former Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson made it one point from three festive fixtures, hopes of a surprise Premier League title tilt appear to be at an end.
The Chelsea head coach, who had previously insisted his team were not ready to compete for the title, said: “We expected this kind of moment during the season because we know that this kind of moment belongs to football. It is almost impossible to have a season where you do not have a moment like now for us.”
Chelsea are fourth, 10 points off the leaders, Liverpool, but in the race for Champions League qualification. “Not one of us in this room expected us to be where we are now,” Maresca added. “This means and shows that we are in the right direction, as I’ve said many times, but also shows that we are far from competing [with] consistency and to be there with the best teams in England.”
“I think we [have] to be satisfied with where we are but at the same time we need to know we [can] do things better,” the Italian concluded.
Maresca did not challenge what looked a soft penalty for Delap’s opener when Filip Jörgensen brought down the striker, who scored from the spot to spark the end of Ipswich’s hunt for a first Premier League home win. “They said it’s a bit soft but we have to accept it’s a penalty,” he said with a shrug.
Both the Ipswich manager, Kieran McKenna, and Maresca – who coached Delap at Manchester City – were full of praise for the 21-year-old. He’s a different beast to the player he was in July,” said McKenna. “His rate of improvement for a young player is really high. His style is enjoyable to watch for anyone. There’s not many like him out there and he’s playing incredible Premier League defenders every week.”
Delap and Hutchinson’s goals led to joyous celebrations at full-time at Portman Road, as Ipswich ended a 22-year wait for a home Premier League win. “One of the best nights,” said McKenna after closing out 2024 with a much-awaited win.
“We’ve been privileged to have a lot of good nights. This was a special one for the players and supporters,” the manager said. Ipswich climb above Leicester to 19th, one point behind Wolves and two behind Everton.
“There has been hope in the performances in general,” McKenna concluded. “We have been competing in almost every game. If you do that, you always have a chance.”
