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Maresca says he ‘fell in love’ with Chelsea star after performance against Legia Warsaw and explains Palmer substitution
Enzo Maresca says youngster Josh Acheampong’s performance against Legia Warsaw convinced him that he can become a “fantastic player” for Chelsea.
A first Chelsea goal for Tyrique George and a double off the bench from Noni Madueke handed the Blues a 3-0 win in their Conference League quarter-final first leg.
Both Acheampong and George were named in the starting line-up and Maresca praised the pair, particularly Acheampong.
“I’m happy first of all for the Chelsea academy because he is one of our boys,” Maresca said when asked about George’s first goal for the club.
“He was quite good in the first-half, taking responsibility. He was probably better in the middle (of the pitch).
“The one I fall in love with tonight is Josh Acheampong. He can be a fantastic player for this club.
“A good player can play in different positions and he showed that. Since we started, I’m in love with him but tonight he showed he can be a very good player for this club. He can be good in different positions.
“The best thing for Josh is that he’s open – he wants to learn.”
Cole Palmer was also named in Maresca’s starting line-up but was taken off at half-time with the score level at 0-0.
But Maresca eased concerns by revealing that there was no injury problem for the 22-year-old and that it was a pre-planned decision.
“We planned for him and Tosin to come off on 45 minutes,” he said. “Everything is fine.”
Despite the victory, it proved to be another difficult outing for Christopher Nkunku who missed a second-half penalty for his side.
And Maresca admits the Frenchman is suffering from a lack of confidence at the moment.
“A lack of confidence in this moment but the only way to deal with that is to work hard,” Maresca said.
“The good thing about Christo is that he’s working well every day.”
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