Chelsea manager concedes form is not what we expect after team surrenders lead in damaging Champions League loss.
Chelsea’s worrying slump has stretched to four games without a win after they surrendered a first-half lead to fall 2-1 to Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, leaving their manager Enzo Maresca openly concerned.
João Pedro’s first European goal for the club gave the Blues a halftime advantage in Bergamo, but the momentum vanished after the break. Former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca headed an equalizer before the irrepressible Charles De Ketelaere—who set up the first—capped a brilliant individual performance by driving home a deflected winner with seven minutes remaining.
“I am always worried,” Maresca admitted after the match. “Two points in four games is not what we expect and we have to do better.”
The defeat leaves Chelsea’s hopes of a top-eight finish, which guarantees automatic qualification for the last 16, on a knife-edge. They sit 11th in the league phase with 10 points, needing strong results in their final two January fixtures against Pafos and Napoli.
Maresca pointed to a loss of control after Atalanta’s equalizer. “First half we were winning, we were good… After we conceded the first goal, we lost control a little bit of the game,” he said. “We had different chances to make it 2-0 and when we conceded 1-1 the dynamic changed.”
Despite a positive start and Pedro’s deft finish from a Reece James cross, Chelsea were ultimately undone by their inability to contain De Ketelaere. The Belgian, who has now been directly involved in 13 goals in his last 12 Champions League appearances, was given far too much space for the decisive strike, capping a performance that leaves Chelsea searching for answers as their concerning run continues.
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