90min

Enzo Maresca blasts 'completely wrong' deadline day setup

  • Chelsea boss has lost Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu to injuries
  • Both players hurt in deadline day Premier League match with West Ham
  • Maresca argues that teams don't have time to react to unforeseen issues

By Toby Cudworth

Enzo Maresca's forward line has taken a hit
Enzo Maresca's forward line has taken a hit / Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages
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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca says it's "completely wrong" for clubs to have to play matches on transfer deadline day, with Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu now both sidelined with issues they picked up in the game against West Ham United.

The Blues have lost first-choice striker Jackson to a hamstring injury, potentially until April, with teenager Guiu also out with a similar but not as serious problem.

Christopher Nkunku is now Chelsea's only senior centre-forward - although the Frenchman arguably plays best as a supporting striker or out wide - and the club were unable to react to Jackson's injury because he suffered it just two hours before the January window closed.

It's an issue that Maresca claims needs addressing, with the Italian's plea pointing to the chaos that would ensue if a club were to lose a goalkeeper at such short notice

"I think it’s completely wrong, but it’s not the first season (fixtures have been played on this day)," Maresca told reporters. "Is it wrong because you have no time to react to injuries? Yeah, exactly.

Nicolas Jackson
Nicolas Jackson picked up a hamstring injury against West Ham / Visionhaus/GettyImages

"It happened (for Chelsea) with a (number) nine, but imagine if it happened with a ‘keeper? First half, first ‘keeper injured, second half, second ‘keeper injured. You don’t have time to go for a ‘keeper and you play six months, depending on the injury, with the third choice. But it’s what it is and you have to adapt."

Asked if Chelsea's forward woes were as a result of poor planning, he responded: "No, and the reason is that we had two injuries on the deadline. We finished the game at 10pm and the deadline was 11pm.

"You cannot plan to get injuries to two strikers in the same game. It’s impossible, but it happened and now we need to find solutions because we don’t have time to go for a nine. It’s something you cannot plan, in the same game, on the deadline, two strikers both injured. It’s difficult to plan that."

Chelsea are also missing Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and midfielder Romeo Lavia for Friday night's trip to Brighton – their second visit to the south coast in six days after defeat to the Seagulls in the FA Cup fourth round last Saturday.

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