Enzo Maresca rips into Chelsea stars in angry dressing room scenes as two names dropped

Chelsea boss Enzo Marescafuriously admonished his players as they narrowly avoided an embarrassing League Cup exit. The Blues took on League One side Lincoln City on Tuesday evening.

They eventually progressed with a 2-1 success thanks to goals from Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte. But Lincoln had threatened a real upset just before the break after Rob Street had given his side a shock lead.

Maresca made sure to let his stars know of his disappointment at the break in the dressing room. Asked if tempers had flared at half-time, the Italian coach said: “Absolutely, absolutely.

“Because we prepared the game thinking exactly in the way it was the first half, and sometimes it's about desire, it's about winning the second ball, but it's also about experience.”

Maresca name-dropped two players, saying: “Jamie Gittens never played against League One [teams], these kind of games. Jorrel Hato never played this kind of game. You have to play in a different way.”

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Maresca also revealed that he had to remind his players that they still had to keep standards high despite their lower league opposition but he did praise his team for upping their efforts after the break.

He added: “The first half, we were aware of the game that we expect in terms of long balls, duels, throw-ins, free-kick, every time inside the box.

“I know that some of them, they didn't play these kind of games, I asked today how many of them they play against, you know, League One team, because you need to know a different kind, you need to play a different kind of game.

“It's not the same game, because the desire is double from them, from duels, these kind of things. We struggled in the first half, I think in the second half we were much better.”

Who will win the Carabao Cup? Share your predictions in the comments below

After booking their spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, Chelsea will now be turning their attentions back to Premier League action. The Blues take on Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea also have their Champions League commitments to consider. The West London side opened up their latest campaign with a defeat to Bayern Munich.

Portuguese giants Benfica represent their next opponents at Stamford Bridge, in a game that will see them come up against former boss Jose Mourinho following his appointment.

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