Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has defended his decision to exclude Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi from his first-team plans, insisting the pair are being treated fairly despite ongoing concerns raised by the PFA.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has dismissed claims that Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi are being treated unfairly at Stamford Bridge after both players were left out of his first-team plans this season.
The duo, who failed to secure moves away during the summer transfer window, are currently training separately from the senior squad as part of what has been labelled a “bomb-squad”. The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has since held talks with Chelsea regarding the situation.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United, Maresca stressed that the life of a footballer cannot be compared to more physically demanding professions. He cited his 75-year-old father, a fisherman, as an example of what he considers “a hard life.”
“My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman working from two o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock in the morning. This is a hard life, not a player, the way they work,” Maresca said.
The Italian coach admitted that he has little sympathy for Sterling and Disasi’s frustrations but emphasised that the club is ensuring they remain fit and ready ahead of the January transfer window.
“I’ve been in Raheem’s situation and Axel’s situation as a player and for sure I know that it’s not the best feeling,” he explained. “But I know that the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way and this is the only thing I can say.”
Maresca also rejected suggestions that Chelsea are uniquely harsh in their approach, insisting similar situations occur across Europe and beyond.
“It’s not just Chelsea, it’s any club in the world,” he added. “Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil – if a player and a club don’t find a solution, then this is what happens. You give the player the tools to train, but if they’re not in the squad, they’re not in the squad.”
With no way back for Sterling and Disasi under Maresca, both players are expected to seek moves away when the transfer market reopens in January.
