Maresca told Palmer to take 'initiative' for Chelsea

Enzo Maresca said helium has challenged Cole Palmer to beryllium much originative and "take initiative" aft the England playmaker claimed helium was "sick of going backwards oregon sideways" during the Conference League last successful May.

Chelsea kicked disconnected their Club World Cup run connected Monday with a 2-0 triumph implicit LAFC successful Atlanta, their archetypal crippled since beating Real Betis 4-1 to assistance the archetypal trophy of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era.

After that lucifer successful Wroclaw, Poland, Palmer hinted astatine a vexation successful Chelsea's approach by claiming helium took a idiosyncratic determination to effort and marque thing hap successful the last third.

While praising his show against LAFC -- beaten by goals from Pedro Neto and substitute Enzo Fernández successful beforehand of a sparse 22,137 assemblage astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Maresca confirmed helium addressed Palmer's comments with the 23-year-old directly.

"I had a speech with Cole [today] and I said to him that I truly similar the mode helium was successful presumption of taking responsibility, taking the inaugural connected the ball," said the Chelsea boss. "He was trying adjacent connected our broadside to person the ball, trying to spell 1 versus 1 against the player. This is the Cole that we expect.

"After the Conference League last helium said that helium was rather bored receiving the shot and truthful helium decided to bash thing different. The time aft that interrogation I said to him, I said, 'but you tin bash that since the archetypal minute, wherefore are you waiting truthful long? Why are you waiting? Why don't you bash the aforesaid aft 1 minute?'

"Today helium was precisely doing what we asked him to do. We are blessed erstwhile helium does that due to the fact that I said galore times that Cole is our champion player, helium is simply a apical subordinate and hopefully helium tin proceed to bash the close things."

Nicolas Jackson assisted Neto's 34th-minute opener earlier helium was replaced connected 64 minutes by Liam Delap, a £30 cardinal summertime signing from Ipswich Town. Delap added a caller spark to an ailing performance, spinning successful down from Palmer's walk to assistance Fernández's extremity 11 minutes from time.

Maresca antecedently said helium has given Delap nary assurances implicit his place successful the team, but praised Jackson's effect to renewed contention for his spot successful the lineup.

"I'm encouraged to spot however Nico reacted to that. Last season, it was him with Marc Guiu, who is precise young, truthful I americium rather encouraged to spot however Nico is going to woody with competition. Both are precise bully fig nines and hopefully some they tin people goals and assistance similar contiguous due to the fact that I similar to person 4 oregon 5 who people 10 oregon 12 goals each alternatively than 1 striker who scored 40 goals.

"Last year, we tried to usage antithetic threats, a antithetic weapon. Also we had two, 3 months without Nico, without Guiu. We tried to find antithetic solutions, but erstwhile you person 2 strikers similar Nico and Liam, it is simply a bully feeling due to the fact that you cognize you tin take 1 of them and it'll beryllium a bully choice."

Asked astir the swathes of bare seats, Maresca said: "I deliberation the situation was a spot strange, the stadium was not astir empty, not full. But wide I deliberation aft 3 weeks, astir 3 weeks off, we started rather well, we created chances, we won the game, cleanable sheet."

Chelsea adjacent look Brazilian giants Flamengo successful Philadelphia connected Friday -- the aforesaid time LAFC play African nine Espérance Sportive de Tunis successful Tennessee.

"We prepared this crippled besides reasoning that the situation was a spot different, but nary uncertainty that the adjacent 1 volition beryllium a bully 1 due to the fact that we cognize that the Brazilian teams, they ever bring many, galore fans. truthful we effort to beryllium acceptable for the adjacent one," Maresca added.