Enzo Maresca demands strong 2025 finish as Chelsea host Bournemouth

The Blues are sitting fifth in the table and have fallen 13 points behind leaders Arsenal after a 2-1 defeat away to Aston Villa on Saturday. Chelsea led at half-time but were turned over in the second half, with Ollie Watkins scoring twice as Villa claimed their 11th straight win in all competitions.

Maresca said the focus has been on reacting quickly. "It's become very important to finish the year in the best way," he said. "For sure it will be another tough game because they are all the same, but we need to win games as soon as possible."

The Italian was encouraged by his side's first-half display at Villa Park. "We were very good in the first half," Maresca said. "We dominated possession and they didn't have a shot on target.

"We need to be confident and think that hopefully we can go close again to the teams ahead of us."

However, Maresca admitted Chelsea have struggled to maintain control after conceding. "I don't think it's random when something continuously happens," he said.

"When we concede a goal, we lose control a little bit. We need to understand why."

Maresca also provided a fitness update on his defenders. Wesley Fofana was left on the bench against Villa, a decision Maresca said was purely physical. "It was just to manage his fitness condition," he said, with medical staff advising the Frenchman should only start once per week following previous knee and hamstring injuries.

Jorrel Hato has been ruled out again. "I don't think so, no," Maresca said when asked about a return. Marc Cucurella is also a doubt with a hamstring issue, leaving Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong on standby.

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