Enzo Maresca told Chelsea are ‘blessed’ to have £31m star after Everton win | Football

Danny Murphy says Chelsea are ‘blessed’ to have the unlikely ‘star of the show’ from their ‘huge’ Premier League victory over Everton.

Enzo Maresca’s side ended a four-game winless run with a 2-0 victory over the Toffees at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Cole Palmer scored his first goal since September following Malo Gusto’s through ball but the latter doubled Chelsea’s lead on the stroke of half-time.

Chelsea’s recent wobble has seen them slip to fifth in the Premier League but the win over Everton takes them back into the Champions League places for the time being.

Murphy described Chelsea’s win as ‘huge’ and said inverted right-back Gusto was the ‘star of the show’.

Chelsea spent £31m to sign Gusto from Lyon in 2023 but the France international has struggled to hold down a place in the team.

Ex-England midfielder Murphy insists Chelsea are ‘blessed’ to have Gusto, however, and says it gives Maresca ‘great options’ to have him and club captain Reece James at his disposal.

‘It was a huge win after recent results,’ Murphy said on BBC’s Match of the Day. There’s a little bit discontent around Chelsea for some reasons despite the fact I think there’s lots of positives for the at the moment.

‘There have been a few hiccups but that’s a big result and the star of the show was probably not someone we would have predicted in Malo Gusto.

‘What an amazing performance. We’ve seen him play in midfield occasionally but he made some wonderful passes today, obviously setting up Cole Palmer for his goal.

‘We’ve talked about Reece James many times and how wonderful he is with his passing range and technical ability but Malo Gusto has a lot of that too.

‘They are blessed to have two players who can both play right back and midfield at the same time. He’s got an incredible array of passes in his locker.

‘When he is in his more orthodox position at right back  he’s willing to get forward with the ball, travel with the ball and get into dangerous areas. He does that every time Chelsea play.

‘It might be a bit of a problem for the manager because both can play in that position but it’s a great option to have because defensively he is really good.’

After Chelsea’s win, Maresca described the build-up to Saturday’s game as ‘the worst 48 hours’ since he arrived at the club.

‘The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them – because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week,’ the Italian said in a bizarre rant.

‘Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn’t support us.’

Pressed on what he meant, Maresca added: ‘Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn’t support me and the team.’

Asked if he meant people internally at Stamford Bridge, the ex-Leicester City manager replied: ‘In general. In general. I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans.’

Murphy and Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer was surprised by Maresca’s rant.

‘He wants us and others to talk about it, clearly,’ Shearer said. ‘There’s no doubt about it he’s directing that at the board or the owners.

‘My guess is he doesn’t feel he’s getting the protection, after the defeat in midweek, and that hurts him. 

‘Chelsea are a very different club now to 15 or 20 years ago in terms of who they buy, the players they want to develop.

‘It is difficult to compete with the very best when you are doing that. But the big picture, I think he’s doing a good job.’

Former Premier League midfielder Murphy added: ‘Football is ruthless.

‘These are multi-billionaire owners. if they feel their manager is talking directly to them through the press, it’s not going to end well for him.’

Chelsea face League One leaders Cardiff City in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night before returning to Premier League action next weekend against Newcastle United.

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