Enzo Maresca falls ill after Chelsea draw, misses press conference

Chelsea were held to a disappointing draw against 15th-placed Bournemouth. David Brooks opened the scoring for the visitors before Cole Palmer equalised from the penalty spot. Eight minutes later, Enzo Fernández put Chelsea ahead, but Justin Kluivert restored parity in the 27th minute to make it 2-2.

Despite being present at Stamford Bridge and arriving early to greet supporters, Maresca did not appear in the press conference room after full-time. According to The Sun, the Chelsea head coach is believed to have picked up a virus and was therefore unable to fulfil his media duties.

Caballero addressed the press in his place, saying: “Yes, of course. He [Maresca] is dealing with it well because he is very professional. He loves to train, loves to coach, so he’s an example for me and for all of the staff. We didn’t do as well in December as we expected.

“We go into January to start the year, to improve and to find the points that can help us achieve our targets.”

Asked about Cole Palmer’s substitution in the 63rd minute, Caballero explained: “Cole is coming back from a long injury, so in this case we need to find the right substitutions for the game and also take care of our players, because we didn’t have him for a long period.”

Although Palmer scored from the spot, he was substituted in the second half, a decision that drew chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” from sections of the crowd. Chelsea’s recent run of results has increased pressure on Maresca, who is facing a difficult period. Should the situation fail to improve, speculation could grow over his future before the end of the season.

Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures include Manchester City (Premier League, 5 January), Fulham (Premier League, 8 January), Charlton (FA Cup third round, 11 January) and Arsenal (Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, 15 January).