by Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has dismissed suggestions his side should be embarrassed by attempts to influence referees and hit out at key decisions which went against his team.
Defender Marc Cucurella was involved in an incident with Bournemouth’s David Brooks during last Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, in which the Cherries player narrowly avoided being sent off.
Brooks appeared to pull Cucurella’s hair and sent the Spain international falling to the ground, albeit in theatrical fashion, the same offense for which Southampton’s Jack Stephens was sent off against the Blues earlier in the season.
Robert Jones was called onto the pitch to review the incident, but chose not to issue a red card, the first time in the Premier League that a referee has rejected a red card.
Bournemouth fans taunted Cucurella, branding his reaction “embarrassing”, while Pedro Neto had a similar response when he apparently took advantage of a clash with Fulham’s Alex Iwobi on Boxing Day.
“If you ask me, against Southampton, Cucurella was a red card,” Maresca said. “The other day (against Bournemouth) it was a red card. They can say whatever they want. Ultimately, we’re not going to change anything.
“The last match was a red card, there is nothing to say. It was just to stop Cucurella the wrong way. This is the first time in Premier League history that they have been shown a red card, and it is a yellow card.
“We are not embarrassed. Someone has to be bothered by this stuff, not us.
“I love my players, all of them.”
Neto has enjoyed mixed success since arriving this summer from Wolves, who Chelsea face at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
He mostly competed with Noni Madueke for a place on the right wing and was in and out of the team as Maresca juggled his options.
With three goals in 24 games in all competitions, he is yet to fully justify his £51million transfer fee. His standout contribution so far was a brilliant equalizer in the 1-1 home draw against Arsenal in November.
Defending the winger, Maresca said: “He is doing a fantastic job. He can probably do better in terms of goals and assists, but he plays almost every game, he has to compete with Noni, they are both very good players.
“He scored against Arsenal, played a fantastic game against Tottenham (4-3 win), then received five yellow cards and therefore missed the game against Brentford where Noni played fantastic.”
Madueke has made a more notable impact so far, scoring five times in the league and proving more consistent than the former Wolves player.
“That’s what we need, both players competing against each other,” said Maresca, who hinted that the two players would likely continue to share playing time. “They help us. If one plays from the start and the other plays for 10 minutes, we want the same intensity from both.
“I try to explain to them that for one match the decision is this, but probably for the next match it’s the other way around.”
