Chelsea must manage matches better and learn to cope with stressful situations, manager Enzo Maresca said after Marc Cucurella was sent off following Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Brentford in the Premier League.
Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson scored as Chelsea secured their fifth successive league win, cutting the lead on leaders Liverpool to two points.
However, Chelsea conceded a goal in the last minute of the match against Brentford, and Cucurella received a second yellow card after an altercation with striker Kevin Schade for “taking an aggressive attitude”.
Chelsea leads the league in yellow cards with 50.
“Certainly the goal conceded and the last part of the game is something we have to deal with better,” Maresca said.
“I think it’s an experience for the players to learn and improve things.
“But overall, given the team spirit, we know it can happen sometimes. For the second one (yellow), this is probably not the right solution, but these are things we need to improve.
The Italian praised Cucurella’s contribution against Brentford both in and out of possession.
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“Cucurella was the best both on and off the ball… he and the other 10 (players) were fantastic. We are happy and delighted with Marc’s performance.”
Maresca confirmed that midfielder Romeo Lavia will return from injury for Sunday’s trip to Everton, while Joao Felix will also be available for Thursday’s Conference League match against Shamrock Rovers.
He added that defender Benoit Badiashile would probably be unable to play due to an injury suffered in training.
