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The main talking points from Chelsea's Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Cardiff City on Tuesday evening in what felt like a big night for head coach Enzo Maresca
Just before Alejandro Garnacho scored to make it 3-1 to Chelsea on Tuesday evening, it was the first time all night - to football.london's knowledge - where chants of "Oh, Enzo Maresca" could be heard from the away end. Loud and clear - the supporters wanted to put their feelings out there for all to hear.
It was really telling. The 72 hours that followed the 48 hours were chaotic. To put that into more context: Maresca came out on Saturday evening, in the aftermath of Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Everton, and described the build-up to the Premier League clash as the "worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Pressed on the matter, Maresca did not want to go into too much detail. Less than 48 hours later, the Italian faced the media ahead of Chelsea's trip to Cardiff City. Again, the Blues boss chose not to elaborate on his initial comments. He wanted to put the matter to bed.
Unfortunately, comments of such magnitude do not go away easily. Fans and the media want to know the details of the internal problems. Though getting to the bottom of exactly what it was it was that frustrated Maresca is going to be tricky.
All the supporters could do was let their feelings be known to the head coach - one way or another. Being the Chelsea head coach is a very difficult job and it comes with unique challenges, and the supporters know that. What Maresca has done at Stamford Bridge in the 18 months he has been there has been impressive. The fans do not want him to go anywhere.
So, just before Garnacho wrapped up a tricky Carabao Cup tie for Chelsea, where they were far from their best in south Wales, it was telling that the fans bellowed the Italian's name. The celebrations cut the chant short, but there was time for Maresca to have his moment with the away end at the Cardiff City Stadium.
As the players went over to applaud the away section of the ground for their efforts on a bitterly cold Tuesday evening, Maresca, too, wanted to show his appreciation. As he started to clap the supporters, they responded by singing his name. Maresca then hit the Chelsea badge repeatedly in return.
It felt like a big moment. Whatever the internal problems, the Chelsea fans have the head coach's back, to which he was appreciative: "It was a great moment. I appreciate it, I'm always thankful. I said many times in press conferences, the support has always been there.
"Knowing that any supporters in the world, when you don't win, they are not happy. So in some moments that we didn't win games, they have not been happy, but it is normal. But overall, the fans have always been there."
Chelsea are now in the draw for the Carabao Cup semi-finals, that takes place this evening (Wednesday) after the conclusion of Newcastle United's clash with Fulham. Manchester City take on Brentford tonight as well, while Arsenal's clash with Crystal Palace is not until next week.
Moises Caicedo returned to the Chelsea midfield for their win over Cardiff on Tuesday night, but the Ecuadorian's first-half yellow card, for sarcastically applauding the referee, means he will miss the first-leg of the semi-final for the Blues. Carabao Cup rules state that any player booked twice in the competition before the semi-final stage is handed a one-match ban, and with Caicedo being cautioned in the round of 16 win over Wolves, he will now be missing for a crucial tie.
Caicedo, though, will be available for Chelsea's important clash with Newcastle on Saturday afternoon. The 24-year-old midfielder has missed the Blues' last three Premier League games due to suspension following last month's red card against Arsenal, but he is set to start at St. James' Park this weekend.
Maresca's attention is now firmly on that trip to Tyneside, revealing to reporters post-Cardiff that he will be watching a couple of Newcastle's recent matches on the bus journey back from south Wales. "Now we have three hours to arrive to Cobham, and I will watch two Newcastle games. There is no time," he said. "For us as staff, we're going to be focused on the next one, that is Newcastle, so we're going to prepare."
He will not, though, be able to select Estevao Willian. The 18-year-old winger did not travel to Cardiff on Tuesday with the rest of the squad after suffering a small muscular injury and Maresca told football.london post-match that he has been ruled out of Saturday's game. Sources close to the club have confirmed the injury is only minor and the expectation is that Estevao will return to the squad for the home game with Aston Villa on December 27.
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