Enzo Marsca: 'I feel shame about Joao Felix'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Nov 2024 15:13 GMT
• 3 min read

Enzo Maresca insists that he can't give Joao Felix regular minutes in the Premier League.

The Portugal international is struggling to find his feet at Chelsea. People had doubts when the Blues shelled out €52 million to sign him from Atletico Madrid and the doubters have been proven correct.

There is no space for Felix in Maresca's starting XI and the 24-year-old has been reduced to luxury substitution and 'B Squad' player, only playing regularly in competitions outside of the Premier League.

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Chelsea sacrificed homegrown hero Conor Gallagher for Felix and this questionable decision clearly has yielded little success to date. With the Blues hosting Armenian side Noah in the Conference League on Thursday, Maresca was quizzed about the attacker and made some telling admissions.

Maresca on Felix

The Italian head coach conceded that he feels 'shame' about the situation but insisted that he can't use Felix in the Premier League because he would upset the team's defensive balance.

"I feel shame about Joao - not only about Joao but you have asked me about Joao," Maresca began. "I feel shame about Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League but I have said many times, we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole [Palmer], Christo [Nkunku].

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"I [would] like to put all of them on the pitch but then you also have to defend and you need the right balance between the two phases of attacking and defending. This is the only reason why. There is no doubt if Joao keeps working well, he is going to find his moment also in the Premier League."

Maresca previously admitted that the sheer number of attacking players at his disposal are causing him headaches. "Every game I feel bad, I feel shame because I have to leave players out, but it is the only way to try to compete," he said. "No matter how many changes we do, it is important that the style is there and the identity is there."