“You need that” – Frustrated Maresca says Chelsea “100%” lack “real leader” in indirect shot at sporting directors | OneFootball

When Chelsea decided their new policy was going to be one of shipping out all the older players and replacing them with youngsters, we (along with most of the footballing world) had one major concern: what about the leadership and experience which is a vital part of any team and any dressing room?

Well, here we are a few years later, with a manager in place who is telling us that that is a major problem. Who could have guessed?

Asked in his Fulham preview whether his team lack a “leader-type character”, Enzo Maresca said, “for sure, you need that, 100%.”

“If you don’t have, you need to build also a leadership. And this is the reason why I said at the beginning I was trying to complain a little bit about Reece [James], because I want more from him. And he’s doing more. So when you don’t have a leader, at least you have to try to build some leaders,” the coach continued, referencing his demands earlier in the season for his captain Reece James to be more outspoken.

“When you have a real leader, it’s much better to manage different problems during the season.”

Maresca admits to holes in squad build

Reece James in action against Legia Warsaw. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

He then rather contradicted his desire to build a leader from what he had by saying that they’re born, not made:

“Because at the end, if you are not a leader, you cannot become suddenly a leader. But you can improve a little bit. It’s what we are trying to do with some of them.”

While he wasn’t aiming any direct shots at his superiors or their strategy, he’s making it very clear that their decisions and philosophy was an issue in this respect. As the pressure grows, he seems more and more willing to do that.