“Frustrating” – Chelsea star aims subtle dig at Enzo Maresca in downbeat post-match interview | OneFootball

Chelsea captain Reece James seemed to aim a subtle dig at manager Enzo Maresca after another poor result and performance in the Europa Conference League last night.

The Blues went through on aggregate, but suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Polish side Legia Warsaw.

Chelsea fans were far from happy and made their feelings known during the game, with Maresca perhaps under increasing pressure in this job.

The Italian tactician started well when he took over as Chelsea manager last summer, but the second half of the season has been much worse.

It seems James can understand the fans’ frustrations with how CFC are currently performing under this manager…

James looked really downbeat in this post-match interview with TNT Sports, which perhaps suggests the mood inside Stamford Bridge is really not good right now.

The England international didn’t criticise Maresca outright, but it seems he gave his backing to the fans who voiced their displeasure with him.

Reece James reflects on what went wrong for Chelsea

James also admitted that perhaps the players’ mentality wasn’t quite right for this game after they won 3-0 in the away leg of the tie.

Chelsea captain Reece James reacts during defeat vs Legia Warsaw (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

That was enough for the west London giants to win the tie, but it’s still a big concern that Maresca seemingly couldn’t motivate them to do a better job of finishing things off last night.

Chelsea fans have come to expect better from their team, and they really should be making much easier work of a team like Legia Warsaw.

This poor result also comes as Maresca’s side struggle in the Premier League, with a top four finish now looking highly uncertain.

Earlier in the season it looked like this Chelsea side could be title challengers, but they’ve slipped away badly in recent months and they’re now battling to salvage a top five finish.